1988 June Newsletter - Laserfiche WebLink

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J!i%fi'/r% JiJ/ lr OFx 1 �i i City o� S in 5524 Upper 146th St.No.,Hugo,MN 550,38 CityProposes Capital Improvements As a result of the recent taxing limitations placed on the city by the Legislature and its affect on road maintenance, the Hugo City Council is embarking on an effort to provide a long term solution to the city's road problems. A capital improvement project is being considered and the city will be making a decision this summer on whether or not this effort has community support. The following is a list of anticipated questions with an- swers that we hope will provide the community with more information on this proposal. General Information HOW MANY OF THE CITY'S ROADS ARE BLACKTOPPED? Currently there are 58 miles of municipal road in the city of Hugo and only 8 miles of those roads have a bi- tuminous surface. WHAT BROUGHT ABOUT THE IDEA OF A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM? In the summer of 1987 the Hugo City Council established a list of priorities to help improve the city of Hugo. Those priorities were as follows: 1. Establishment of a fiscal policy and municipal budget. 2. In- crease code enforcement and building inspection. 3. Prepare a surface water management plan for the city. 4. Improve the condition of municipal roads. 5. Set up a consistant planning process to deal with zoning and subdivision issues. WHAT CRITERIA WAS USED IN PRIORITIZING ROADS? 1. Cast to maintain the road. 2. Current road conditions 3. Trafflc volume on the roads. 4. Citizen complaints. 5. Community growth pattems. WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT IN QUESTION? The overall capital improvements program endorsed by the city council calls for an expenditure of$2.2 mil- lion dollars over a 5 to 6 year period. The first phase of the project involving the streets in most need of up- grading and carrying the greatest volume of traffic will cost the city approximately $1,000,000. WHY MAKE THESE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS NOW? There are a combination of factors that make it extremely advantageous to the city to pursue this program at this time. Currently interest rates on financing this type of project are very favorable and the city has re- ceived very competitive bids from contractors on this type of work. If the city proceeds with financing of this project in the summer of 1988 it can be done with a very minimal tax levy increase to Hugo residents. The liklihood of all these factors being favorable after this year is not good. ARE ALL STREETS IN THE CITY OF HUGO INCLUDED IN THIS PLAN? Only north/south and east/west collector streets are a part of this plan. WHY HAVE ROADS SUDDENLY BECOME SUCH A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE COUNCIL? In the spring of 1987 and again in 1988, city hall received several hundred phone calls from area residents inquiring when the city is going to do something about improving its roads. One need only drive these roads the spring and summer to experience the joys of gravel roads. COULDN'T WE BUY A FEW YEARS TIME BY JUST ADDING GRAVEL TO THE ROADS? YESI But once again, adding gravel to the roads Is a very short term'solution to a long term problem. The weekly maintenance of gravel roads is very costly and even if we could increase the maintenance schedule, we cannot eliminate the dust in the summer, mud in the spring and fall, and the washboarding effect during various times of year.