RED WING — The Red Wing City Council approved the plans on Monday for the next five years of road reconstruction in the city, a scope of projects that is worth nearly $50 million for proposed projects from 2018 to 2022.
About $16 million of the funding will be general obligation bonds for the city to take out. Other city money will include the city's storm sewer, sewer and water fund ($3.26 million), and assessments of residential and business properties ($5 million), according to City Engineer Ron Rosenthal.
The rest of the funding will be a combination of state and federal funds from various sources.
The road work begins this spring with five different projects including the U.S. Highway 63 bridge reconstruction, the U.S. Highway 61/Spring Creek Road realignment and the intersection at Third and Bush streets.
In addition to the annual street reconstruction projects, the five-year plan includes a proposed pedestrian bridge over the rail tracks near Levee Park and and more work on Old West Main in 2021.
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Rosenthal said the city will replace sidewalks where it can.
OTHER ACTION
• The city council approved a pilot program to establish a public/private partnership designed to support downtown real estate and business investments. The program would move into its beginning stages, and no funding was approved Monday night, though the program could cost $250,000 to $300,000 in seed money for refundable loans.
• The city council tabled approval for a billboard type sign at the intersection of Withers Harbor Drive and Tile Drive just off Highway 61. The city had granted an easement for the sign in 2000, but it was never erected. The council tabled a motion to allow the sign to understand whether it is allowable under city statutes and if the land on which it sits would then be taxable to the owner of the sign.
"I'm not enthused about a billboard in town," said Council Member Dean Hove.
The city council did approve a variance for a sign to accompany the new Holiday Inn Express. The proposed sign would be slightly larger than that allowed by city statute.
• Finally, the council approved a service agreement not to exceed $20,000 for lobbying at the state capitol on behalf of the city for projects such as The Mississippi Riverfront Trail and Trailhead, Goodhue County Historical Society Building, and Old West Main and Upper Harbor Redevelopment. The city is seeking more than $18 million on those projects.
Council Member Peggy Rehder took exception with the premise that the vote was stating the city spends only $20,000 on its lobbying efforts. "People think that's all we spend on lobbying, and it's far from it," she said.
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City Finance Director Marshall Hallock said the vote was to support lobbying on specific projects that are part of the city's strategic plan.
"That wasn't the purpose of this," he said. "This is to make sure we lobby the state for continued success."
Most of the other lobbying, through organizations such as the League of Minnesota Cities or the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, he said, is lobbying for more general items of interest, not projects specific to Red Wing.
