City Council Meeting Date: May 6, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: David E. Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Subject:
TITLE
Consider Approving Plans and Specifications and Order Advertisement for Bids for Mill Towns State Trail - Woodley Street to Waterford Bridge Project.
BODY
Action Requested:
The City Council considers approval of the attached Resolution approving the plans and specifications and authorizing the advertisement for bids for Mill Towns State Trail - Woodley Street to Waterford Bridge Project.
Summary Report:
The City Council is asked to pass a Resolution (Attachment 1) approving the plans and specifications and authorizing the advertisement for bids for Mill Towns State Trail - Woodley Street to Waterford Bridge Project. This project will construct a trail from Woodley Street to the Waterford Bridge and include an underpass under Highway 19 at Spring Creek Road.
The City along with the MnDNR have been working with ISG to final the plans and specifications for the project. The project is now ready to be bid, after easement for the project have been acquired. The City still has one easement with the Calvary Cemetery to finalize, but that easement is nearly complete. The project will be constructed in 2025 and into 2026.
Background
On April 16, 2019, the City Council updated and adopted the alignment of Mill Towns State Trail in the City and in September of 2019 entered into a cooperative agreement with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR) for the preliminary design of 6.5 miles of Mill Towns State Trail from Riverside Park to the Waterford Bridge.
In 2022, the City entered into a Cooperative Agreement for the Final Design of the Mill Towns State Trail from Riverside Park to the Waterford Bridge. In 2023 the State Legislature approved the City’s local bonding request of $8.19 million for design and construction of the trail, with the City cost sharing $3.5 Million. The funding is split 70% State Bonding, 30% City of Northfield.
In 2024, the City completed the first segment of the state trail from Riverside Park to the Roundabout at Jefferson Pkwy and Th-246. There are three projects moving forward that will construct the Mill Towns State Trail:
1. 2025 Mill Towns State Trail from Woodley Street to the Waterford Bridge.
2. 2026 Jefferson Parkway Mill and Overlay and Mill Towns State Trail
3. 2026 Spring Creek Road Reconstruction and Mill Towns State Trail.
Alternative Options:
NA.
Financial Impacts:
The total project cost:
Construction Cost $5,043,085.00
Construction Contingency $504,308.00
Overhead $1,109,479.00
Total Project $6,656,872
Tentative Timelines:
ü April 13, 2019 - Alignment of Mill Towns State Trail approved by Council
ü September 3, 2019 - Approve Cooperative Agreement for preliminary Design for Mill Towns State Trail from Riverside Park to the Waterford Bridge.
ü October 5, 2021 Approval of preliminary design of Mill Towns State Trail from Riverside Park to the Waterford Bridge.
ü December 6, 2022 - Approve Cooperative Agreement for final Design for Mill Towns State Trail from Riverside Park to the Waterford Bridge.
ü October 17, 2023 - Approve Contract with I&S Group for the Final Design of Mill Towns State Trail from Woodley St. to Waterford Bridge
ü February 4, 2025 - Approved Contract Amendment No. 2 funding construction for Mill Towns State Trail - Northfield to Waterford Bridge
ü April 15, 2025 - Approved Temporary and Permanent Construction Easements
ü May 6, 2025 - Approve Plans and Specifications and Order Ad for Bids
• June 5, 2025 - Bid Opening
• June 17, 2025 - Award Project
• July 2025 - July 2026 Construction