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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987 Fall Newsletter City of Aq6_ 0 Special Bulletin 5524 Upper 146th Street n., Lugo, MN 55038 City Road Projects Underway After two years of planning and design, the City of Hugo has let a contract for over ten miles of road construction in 1989.With the addition of four miles of county road improvements as well as three miles of private developer construction, the City will be involved in over 17 miles of road improvements within the corporate limits this summer. We are providing the following general information to keep the public informed as to when and where these improvements will take place. We are taking this opportunity to ask for your patience and understanding during construction as we know many residents will be inconvenienced until these projects are complete. We hope to have all construction finished by the time school starts in September barring inclement weather and unforeseen difficulties. A General Information CAPITOL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT PHASE 1 The following roads will be improved with blacktop surfacing, culvert replacement, and improved shoulders: 177th St from Highway 61 to Greystone,Oneka Lake Blvd. and Harrow Ave. No., part of Hyde Ave. south of 147th St.,Goodview Ave. from County Rd. 8A south to the City's corporate limits, 130th St. from Highway 61 to Goodview Ave., and Falcon Ave. from 120th St. north to 124th St. Construction starts in June with an August 15th projected completion date. PRIVATE DEVELOPER IMPROVEMENTS The following road improvements are being made in conjunction with private subdivision developments in the City of Hugo: Falcon Ave. from 125th St. north to 126th St.,Heather Ave. and Heathwood Ave.between 125th St. and County State Aid Highway 7; 126th St. east of Irish Ave. to Long Lake; 126th St.,Falcon Ct. and Gallivan Ct. in Bald Eagle Estates Subdivision. 165TH STREET OVERLAY The City of Hugo will be installing a 11/2 inch bituminous overlay on 165th St. from Highway 61 to Ingersoll Ave. This project will also include some shoulder work, and will be done in conjunction with the City's Capitol Improvement Project. .OUNTY RD. 8A OVERLAY PROJECT Washington County will be installing a bituminous overlay and doing shoulder work on County Rd. 8A from County Rd. 15 west to Goodview Ave. This project has a mid-July start date with project completion scheduled for mid-August. 145TH ST. RAILROAD CROSSING In conjunction with the Burlington Northern Railroad and Minnesota Dept. of Transportation, Washington County will be lowering and improving the 145th St. railroad crossing just west of Highway 61. This project involves lowering the grade,bituminous surfacing, and turn lane improvements. A September completion date is scheduled. 146TH ST. AND 147TH ST. RAILROAD CROSSING The City of Hugo, in conjunction with the Burlington Northern Railroad will be lowering the grades and installing a bituminous surface at these intersections just west of Highway 61. A September completion date is scheduled. LOWERING OF RAILROAD BED Through a private contractor, the Burlington Railroad will be lowering the grade of the railroad bed from 145th St. north to 150th St. This project is being done, in cooperation with the City of Hugo,by Mr. Gene Taylor. It is the City's intent to improve the appearance of the downtown, and allow for easier maintenance of the railroad right-of-way. 165TH ST. AND 175TH ST. RAILROAD CROSSINGS The Burlington Railroad,in conjunction with a private contractor,will be lowering the grade and improving the roadway conditions at these intersections within the Burlington Northern right-of-way. ELMCREST AVE. DETOUR Currently, Elmcrest Ave., from County Rd. 8A north,is being used as a detour as a result of the improvements being done to 170th St. west of Elmcrest Ave. This project is being done as a joint effort by Lino Lakes, Anoka County, and the State of Minnesota. MNDOT NIXES TRAFFIC SIGNAL Recently, the City of Hugo received notice from the Minnesota Department of Transportation that following their study of geometrics, traffic volumes, and accident history at County State Aid Highway #8 and Highway 61, they have determined that traffic signals are not justified at this time.The State has indicated, however, that consideration may be given to a north bound by pass lane at the time Highway 61 is improved. MINNESOTA PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION Early this summer, the City was notified that the Minnesota Pipeline Company will be installing an additional 6" line in their existing easements sometime later this summer with an October completion date scheduled. The pipeline will cross City streets at Elmcrest Ave.,, 146th St., Highway 61, 130th St.,Goodview Ave., and 125th St. CABLE TV UNDER CONSTRUCTION Cable TV North Central will be starting cable installation within the primary service area beginning July 10,, 1989. Construction will involve approximately 31 miles of overhead lines and 10 miles of underground cable. During construction, one can expect to experience the noises of construction crews as well as digging in the boulevard and utility easements. Approximately 90% of any sod or dirt that is disturbed will be restored the same day. It is important that property owners water their grass thoroughly after construction is completed where underground cable is involved. For information regarding cable TV or work being done in your area,call 483-9999. HARDWOOD CREEK BRIDGE DELAYED The replacement of Hardwood Creek Bridge on Elmcrest Ave. has been delayed for another year. This is a joint project of the City of Lino Lakes, City of Hugo, and Washington County. The City anticipating the replacement of this bridge sometime in 1990 if State and County participation is secured. WASHINGTON COUNTY DECLINES ELMCREST AVE. PARTICIPATION The city has received correspondence from Commissioner John Jergens indicating that Washington County has declined to participate in the improvements of Elmcrest Ave. on the City's west corporate limits. Elmcrest Ave, is located in two difference cities and two different counties. The maintenance of this roadway has become very costly to the City as well as very difficult during inclement weather. With four different governmental agencies involved, it has been extremely difficult to get any governmental agency to participate in the improvement of this roadway. Despite the refusal by Washington County to participate, the Hugo City Council will continue its discussions with Lino Lakes regarding their future plans to improve or maintain this roadway. HIGHWAY 61 IMPROVEMENT DELAYED The City has received notice from MNDOT that the overlay project for Highway 61, originally scheduled in 1989, has been delayed. Although no specific date has been identified by MNDOT, it is our understanding that this project will probably be funded in the next two to three years. COUNCIL PONDERS C.I.P. PHASE 2 '7iscussions by the Hugo City Council have involved the possibility of public hearings being ,cheduled in the spring of 1990 regarding proposed Phase 2 of the City's Capitol Improvement Program for road construction. If the City Council decides to move forward with Phase 2, and hearings are held in the spring of 1990, one could expect a 1991 construction date for more roadway improvements. 120TH ST. IMPROVEMENT DELAYED The City of Hugo has entered into an agreement with White Bear Township and Ramsey County to improve 120th St. from Highway 61 to a point approximately 1/2 mile to the east. Although this project will be extended beyond County Rd. #7, the City's participation will be only for that portion in the City limits. Originally scheduled for 1989 construction,,this project has been delayed until 1990 to secure the funding approvals by the federal government. VALLEY PAVING GETS CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT Valley Paving of Shakopee, Minnesota was the low bidder for the City's Capitol Improvements Project. The City was extremely pleased that the bids came within our estimate, and the City will be able to keep its assessments at $3.85 per lineal foot which was estimated at the time of the improvement hearings. The property owners benefiting from this can project their assessments by multiplying the amount of lineal footage of their property adjacent to the roadway being improved times the $3.85 established assessment rate. Assessment hearings will be scheduled later this Fall by the Hugo City Council. .OAD MAINTENANCE BUDGET IN TROUBLE The City of Hugo is anticipating a major increase in the cost of equipment and labor included in its road maintenance with Washington County. Two years ago, the Minnesota Legislature included communities under 5,000 population in its levy limit legislation. The City has been informed that the probable maximum tax levy increase to fund the City's general fund in 1990 will be 3%. This equates to less than $20,000 in 1990 to be shared by all departments of the City, including fire, law enforcement, road maintenance, and general administration. To put things into perspective, this tax increase will be less than the amount of increase approved for the governor's personal expense account in 1990. LOCAL GOVERNMENT AIDS IN SERIOUS JEOPARDY One of the key elements in the governor's proposed tax reform is to eliminate local government aids to cities. Although the formula used in determining local government aids for various municipalities is somewhat confusing, the source of this revenue can be simply explained. The State of Minnesota is recipient of income tax, sales tax, liquor tax, cigarette tax, gas tax, and numerous other taxes paid by Hugo residents. Local government aid is a form of revenue sharing that returns a small portion of these taxes to the various municipalities with said money to be used to keep real property tax down. In his tax reform message, the governor has indicated that he would like to eliminate these aids to cities and redistribute it to school districts and counties. The City of Hugo will receive approximately $150,000 in LGA in 1989. This equates to slightly less than the City's $167,000 road maintenance budget for 1989. TRUTH IN TAXATION UNWORKABLE After numerous pleas from cities and counties, the Governor and Commissioner of Finance have now agreed that the originally adopted truth in taxation law passed in 1988 is unworkable. Major amendments to the law were proposed in the tax bill vetoed by the governor earlier this summer. In vetoing the bill, the governor said that cities and counties would not have to comply with truth in taxation in 1989 as the law is unworkable. We would anticipate that amendments to the bill will be passed in a special session this fall making the budget process a very lengthy and costly one in 1990. We should point out that in passing the truth in taxation legislation, only cities, school districts, and counties were included, and the State again exempted themselves from this process. If, however, citizens of Hugo were interested in how the State is spending its money in 1990, call the following number to secure a copy of House File #372. Chapter 335, call 296-2314. BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID HUGO, MN 55038 PERMIT No. 21 Occupant