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On July 12, 2022, we held the second public input/informational meeting on the 5th Ave W reconstruction project. The first meeting was held back in May 2019 where three different reconstruction options were presented:
Parking on both sides of the road and five-foot sidewalks on both sides
Parking on one side of the road, a wider multiuse path on one side, and a five-foot sidewalk on the other side
A wider multi-use path on one side and parking on both sides
Comments were collected from that meeting and were used to develop the current design. Following the city and county-adopted pedestrian plans, along with feedback from the first public meeting, we determined that sidewalks on both sides of 5th Ave W would greatly benefit the community.
Some comments and/ or concerns that stood out to us in the design process were impacts to people’s yards, snow removal on the sidewalks, parking concerns, and retaining walls. To address yard impacts, we eliminated the grassy boulevard, moving the sidewalk up against the curb. This will keep the project within the county’s 66-foot right of way corridor (33 feet either side of the centerline), eliminating right of way impacts to people’s properties. Snow removal will not be the responsibility of the homeowner; that will fall to the county/city. Parking will remain as it is on the road and will be available on either side of the street. Lastly, moving the sidewalk to the back of the curb eliminated most of the proposed retaining walls. A short 1 to 2-foot-high retaining wall will be needed near TH 61 and will be a cast-in-place concrete wall (not the big block that was presented at the first public meeting).
The project is slated for 2023 construction and will likely last all summer. People will be able to access their homes during construction, but there will be times when parking up or down a block may be necessary if work is happening in front of your property. Additionally, minor wastewater and drinking water interruptions are expected, with more details emerging as the design process continues. Detour routes are also being worked on with more information coming at the next public meeting in October 2022. We will work with homeowners on any unique issues on their properties.
Funding for this project comes from several resources. For the road reconstruction portion, the highway department was awarded an $835,000 Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) competitive grant. This grant along with our annual State Aid allocation will pay for the road part of the project. The city of Grand Marais will be replacing/rehabilitating their wastewater pipes as part of this project and funding for that comes from the PUC.
For additional information, please give us a call at the Cook County Highway Department, 218-387-3014. For maps and a list of projects in our 10-year transportation plan, please visit the Highway Department page on the County website at www.co.cook.mn.us. For project specific information and to see the presentation from July 12, click on the Projects link on the Highway Department page.
Take care and see you on the road!
County Connections is a column on timely topics and service information from your Cook County government. Cook County- Supporting Community Through Quality Public Service.
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