• Leven Township requested support for grant to improve 210 Ave. from CHS to County Road 28

By Tim Douglass

tdouglass@pctribune.com

After a long discussion led by Leven Township Supervisor Brian Wildman, Glenwood City Commissioners last week decided to support that township’s application for a state grant to improve 210th Ave. from County Road 28 and extending about 3.9 miles south to the main entrance of CHS Grain Facility in Glenwood. 

The road, which is mostly used by trucks entering CHS Elevator, is currently a gravel road shared by the city of Glenwood and Leven and Glenwood Townships.  Leven Township instigated the funding request to get the road paved with a grant that could provide about $1.5 million through the Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP).  Leven Township has about 74 percent ownership of the road, with the city of Glenwood at about 10 percent and Glenwood Township at 16 percent, according to Wildman.  Glenwood Township had not yet supported the request, it was stated last Wednesday.

“You don’t get any money if we don’t send in the application and I just think we should see what we can get from the state,” Wildman said.  

The city supported the application last Wednesday night, the first time the issue came before the commission.  Time was a factor because the application to the state’s LRIP needed to be submitted in December to be considered for next year, the commission was told.

Pope County at a recent meeting agreed to be the sponsoring agency for the grant proposal, but with conditions.  The County board supported the request with the stipulations that resolutions be obtained from the city of Glenwood and the other townships that are affected, that the project is selected for funding, that the appropriate entities execute the required bond agreement, and each entity enters into a joint powers agreement with Pope County regarding the responsibilities associated with the costs of the project that are not covered by the LRIP. 

Wildman, who made the request for the city’s support for the road improvements on 210 Ave. said the road is used by many trucks throughout the year and “we just want to get it paved.”  He said he didn’t believe the road project needed to be a “Cadillac” job, but just a standard “Toyota” project that would get the road paved.  Wildman said he thought the project could be somewhere between $1 million and $1.5 million is cost.

An engineer with Widseth, the city’s engineering firm, did caution city commissioners, stating via Zoom that they could be getting the cart before the horse.  He said the city should know more about the design of the proposed improvement and a better understanding of what the actual cost would be to the city if the grant proposal is accepted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

Pope County Engineer Brian Giese provided some caution as well.  He said he and the county support the project, but said the improvements, when you consider MnDOT standards and engineering will likely cost closer to $2 million at the “bare minimum, $500,000 more than the grant would provide.  In a statement to the Pope County Board, Giese said, “We drove the project segment and measured the existing road surface width. In my professional opinion, the limited improvement work they are proposing is not possible while meeting the minimum design standards associated with the program funding. 

“I also do not believe the desired project is the appropriate long-term improvement, Giese said.  “Finally, I have safety concerns regarding the proposed scope of work, particularly at the existing railroad crossing, but also throughout the segment associated with increased traffic speeds on uncalculated vertical curves and conflicts with large agricultural equipment,” stated Giese in that report.

In the same report, Giese did say he believes “the county should be willing to sponsor the project provided: 1) Leven Township secures resolutions of support from Glenwood Township and the City of Glenwood since approximately 0.9 mile of the project is within their jurisdiction; 2) Leven Township agrees to use a consultant engineering company to design an appropriate set of construction plans that complies with the rules and regulations associated with the LRIP; 3) Leven Township (along with Glenwood Township and the City of Glenwood understands and agrees to the required state bonding agreement that outlines their responsibility with the project; and 4) Each entity agrees to enter into a joint powers agreement that outlines the responsibilities of each entity as it pertains to the development and construction of the proposed improvement project,” added Giese.

Giese reiterated those concerns to the city commission and reminded that city and the township officials that once you decide to go through the state funding process there are standards and public safety requirements” that can and will push the cost up.  He said if the city moves forward, commissioners should be aware that the cost would be more than the $1.5 million and engineering costs are not included in that $1.5 million grant proposal.

Glenwood City Commissioner Brent Cochran said he liked the “public safety aspect” of the plan because it would take semi-trucks going to CHS away from the city.  According to estimates provided by a spokesman for CHS Elevator, some 16,000 semi-trucks haul grain to that facility each year.  The improvement would mean the truck could come from the north and then to CHS via the improved road.  It would mean a high volume of trucks would not come through the roundabouts and through the city of Glenwood.  

Cochran also said he was considering the math for the city, stating that the project, if approved, could still cost the city about $100,000 not including engineering.

“Do we have that amount available?” he asked City Administrator David Iverson.

Iverson said the funds would have to come from the 2024 street improvement plans and would likely mean doing less road work within the city.  “It would compete with what we plan to do,” Iverson said.  

Glenwood City Commissioner Neil Haynes agreed with Cochran, stating he liked the public safety aspect of the 210 Ave. Improvement project because it would take truck traffic off the city’s roads and with less wheels on the roads would mean less wear and tear in the city.  “I don’t like making a snap decision, but I don’t feel we should hold it up either,” Haynes said.  

In the end, the city approved to support the application for improvement with a correction to the actual resolution stating that the city agrees to fund all non-LRIP eligible costs “for the city’s portion of the expenses” in excess of the awarded grant amount.