by April Scheinoha
Reporter
Winter isn’t normally considered to be a construction season, but, at its meeting Tuesday, Dec. 19, the Thief River Falls City Council approved various construction projects.
The council accepted Schmitz Builders’ low bid of a rescoped City Hall remodeling project.
In July, the city opened bids for the project with Schmitz Builders as the apparent low bidder. The Red Lake Falls firm had provided a base bid as well as alternatives. Since that time, the project has been finetuned to only include a redirected utilities billing office and City Hall bathrooms. In particular, utilities billing would move closer to the lobby with a counter there so that customers wouldn’t need to walk through the majority of the first floor to get to billing. Currently, someone may enter the building unnoticed since no offices overlook the main door. Regarding the bathrooms, tiles are coming up off of the bathroom floors, and the bathrooms aren’t up to code.
That project, which will be covered with American Rescue Plan Act funds, is not to exceed $400,000. ARPA funds need to be used by the 2024 fiscal-year end. The project is expected to start this winter.
The council called for bids for the bathroom reconstruction project at the Thief River Falls Public Library. The city plans to seek bids in January for the project that will relocate the bathrooms to the south side of the city-owned library building. Plumbing issues have plagued the bathrooms, which are currently located down a narrow hallway on the east side of the building.
ARPA funds will be used for that project, which is estimated at $200,000. It is anticipated that construction would occur in the spring.
City Council approved calling for a feasibility report for proposed 2024 street and utilities improvements. Potential projects include:
• Utilities improvements, drainage improvements, resurfacing and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements on First Street from Highway 59/Third Street to the railroad tracks
• Improving 13th Street from Highway 32/Main Avenue to the railroad tracks
• Improving Sixth Street from the railroad tracks to Barzen Avenue
• Improving Kendall Avenue from First to Third streets
• Improving Crocker Avenue from First to Mussey streets.
Public Works Director Travis Giffen explained that the first three potential projects would be federally funded while the latter two would be locally-funded projects.
Like the city, Pennington County is planning to improve its portion of Sixth Street. In a separate project, Pennington County is planning to mill and overlay County State Aid Highway 30 (known as Sixth Street on the city side) from Highways 59/1 to Barzen Avenue.
City Council approved an $80,000 loan to the Heritage Center for a furnace, air handler and air conditioning unit. The seven-year loan has an interest rate of 2%. The city provides utilities, phone services and a portion of the first quarter manager salary for the senior center.