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Discuss Public Works Restructuring
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<br />Public Works is comprised of three divisions: Public Works Administration (PWA), Engineering (PWE),
<br />and Maintenance (PWM). PWA is responsible for the overall department administration, personnel
<br />matters, budgets, policies, code review, and department standards. PWE is responsible for the
<br />planning, design, and construction of the infrastructure, asset and record plan management, engineering
<br />standards, permitting (excavation/obstruction, land disturbance, water/sewer, etc.), right-of-way
<br />management, consultant coordination, and project management. PWM is responsible for the daily
<br />operation and maintenance of the infrastructure including repairs. PWM is further divided into the
<br />following subdivisions: (drinking) water, wastewater, streets & trails, stormwater, vehicles & equipment,
<br />parks & recreation facilities, and building & grounds (facilities).
<br />All three divisions work closely together to ensure the infrastructure is reliable, efficient, and provides the
<br />lowest life cycle cost — despite challenges with being housed at two different locations. PWA and PWE
<br />staff operates out of the City Hall facilities and PWM staff operates out of the Public Works Facility
<br />located at 2466 Bronson Drive.
<br />Factors Supporting Restructuring
<br />Public Works operations and workload has changed dramatically over the past decade or more, and
<br />there are a number of factors to consider that support the need to restructure the department. While
<br />some of these factors alone do not warrant the effort to restructure, collectively they bear witness to the
<br />need for personnel revisions to keep up with the current and future workload demand, in addition to
<br />disseminating the Park Supervisor's responsibilities.
<br />Aaino Infrastructure
<br />The vast majority of Mounds Views infrastructure was originally built in the 1960's and 1970's during
<br />peak development growth. This infrastructure is now 40 to 50 years old and needs more maintenance to
<br />function properly and increased failures spurring repairs and replacements are occurring. The materials
<br />and workmanship used in construction of this aging infrastructure are inferior to the current standards
<br />that exist today. Therefore, it is imperative that periodic inspections, proper and timely maintenance,
<br />and performance monitoring is conducted to extend its useful life as long as practical. In addition,
<br />private infrastructure is in a similar state and demands coordination and inspection hours by staff.
<br />Added Infrastructure
<br />There has been additional new infrastructure that Public Works has added to its list of infrastructure to
<br />take care of. In addition to streets, utilities, and Right-of-way to manage from new developments
<br />(Hidden Hollow, Medtronic, etc.), there has been a sharp increase in new trailways, sidewalks,
<br />landscaping, irrigation, trail lights, park shelters, and infiltration basins that never existed before. The
<br />County Road 10 trailway and landscaping are highly visible and have added an addition burden to both
<br />the maintenance and engineering divisions. It is estimated that roughly 500 new infiltration basins will
<br />be constructed with the Streets and Utilities Improvement Program. In addition to cleaning debris and
<br />sediment from the inlets, the MS4 permit requires that each one of these basins be inspected annually.
<br />Increase in Capital Improvement Projects
<br />While some of the capital improvements are performed in-house, much is outsourced to consulting
<br />engineering firms. Even though this engineering work is outsourced, Public Works spends a
<br />tremendous amount oftime coordinating and supporting the project. The engineering division has
<br />handled all project management and oversight for new capital improvement projects related to trailways,
<br />lighting, and landscaping along County Road 10, in addition to new park shelters and sidewalks. The
<br />CIP also has future projects planned for new trails, lighting, and landscaping along County Road 10,
<br />which is echoed in the 2013 City Council Priority Statement. A draft trails and sidewalk master plan also
<br />shows an expansion of the system. County Road 10 intersection improvements are also programmed in
<br />the current CIP at Woodale, Edgewood, Long Lake Road, County Road I, Groveland, and Spring Lake
<br />Road.
<br />In addition to new construction, much of the aging infrastructure is beyond its useful life and there has
<br />been a sharp increase in workload demand to rehabilitate and reconstruct this dilapidated infrastructure.
<br />The Streets and Utilities Improvement Program is a prime example of this. Although there is only Areas
<br />G, H, and I left to construct, this only accounts for 60% of the municipal street system. Nearly all the 17
<br />miles of streets and associated utilities not included in the Program are in need of some type of
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