HomeMy WebLinkAbout[08c] 2014 Annual Report PW
2014 Annual Report
St. Joseph Public Works
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Public Works Department
The public works department consists of eight full time employees consisting of the Public Works
Director, Lead Worker, Utility Operator (2) and Maintenance Workers (4). The PW department is one of
the most diversified departments in the City in terms of services provided to the Community.
The functional responsibility of the PW Department includes assisting with planning and constructing of
the City’s infrastructure; managing the City’s environmental programs; operation and maintenance of the
City’s stormwater system, streets and utility system and park maintenance, management and development
in accordance with the Master Park Plan.
General City Statistics
Current Population 6,787
Square Miles in City 3.89
Amount of Projects Bid $ 4,644,580.42
Miles of Streets Maintained 32.3
Acres of Park Maintained 77.8
2014 Projects
2014 was a busy year for the public works department with regard to projects, with the largest project
being the utility reconstruction in the Park Terrace neighborhood. The following is a summary of projects
and status:
1. Park Terrace Improvement – consisting of complete utility rebuild including relocating the some
of the water lines from the back yard to the front yard. The project cost was $ 2,129,342.92 and
as anticipated residents were allowed to reconnect to the system late 2014. Work for 2015
includes restoration and final pavement. At the end of the construction year 2014, 40 of the 49
property owners have completed connection and of those 9, 2 will not be connecting at this time.
2. Water Tower Maintenance – This project consisted of interior and exterior maintenance of the
tower, including repainting the structure. At the same time, both utility companies utilizing the
tower for cell service upgraded their services expanding offerings to the community. The project
cost was $ 595,000.00 and was completed with minor problems.
3. Lift Station Modifications – This project included improvements to the pumps, wetwell,
screening, flow metering, existing control building and site improvements, instrumentation and
controls and relocating and improving the RV dump stations. The total project cost is $
1,875,000.00. While it was anticipated that the project would take approximately six weeks, we
are still working on getting the project completed.
4. Seal Coating and Crack Fill – Completed sections of crack filling and seal coating as identified in
the Street Maintenance plan, at a project cost of $ 45,237.50.
5. Cloverdale Improvements – PW staff assisted with the re-development of Cloverdale Park,
converting the park from a tot lot to a meditation park as identified in the master park plan. The
project would not have been successful without the generous donations of local businesses and
contractors.
Streets and Parks
Throughout 2014 the maintenance staff worked on maintaining the streets, whether it was snow removal,
pothole patching or street sweeping. The maintenance staff also preforms routine maintenance on all City
vehicles including DOT inspections as required. Due to the large amount of parkland, during the summer
months considerable time is spent on park maintenance including grass cutting, tree cutting and in winter
maintaining the ice rink.
Acting on the request of the St. Joseph Chamber, the maintenance staff worked with local contractors to
install heat and air at the Wobegon Trailhead. This facility can now be utilized year round.
Water/Sewer Department
The utility operators are responsible for assuring that the water and sewer system is operating as planned
and in the event of failure responsible for putting the system back on line. The City of St. Joseph is
fortunate to have a backup water source and tower, that being the College of St. Benedict. During the
modifications to the water tower in 2014, staff had to work with the College to utilize their tower for
storage during the repairs.
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Work in 2014 included monitoring the utility improvements, repairing a broken sewer main on 1 Ave
NE, routine sewer jetting and flushing (including assisting the City of St. Augusta), root foaming,
rebuilding of valves for CR 121 and Northland Lift Station, hydrant flushing, meter reading and required
permitting and record keeping. The spring of 2014 was a record year for water line freezing area wide
with over 350 frozen lines. In St. Joseph the staff worked with 26 property owners being able to thaw all
but one.
Water Accounts 1,721
Residential 92%
Commercial 6%
Industrial 2%
Total water pumped 171,472,400
Water Sold/City Use 162,530,483
Highest Water Pumped on a single day 1,337,500
Number of Hydrants Maintained 328
Miles of water lines 33.31
Sewer Accounts 1,705
Wastewater Treated 129,383,428
Sanitary Sewer Lift Stations 5
Miles of sewer lines 28.85
Community Outreach
The PW Department assists community members for special events. Assistance was provided to the
following committees: St. Joseph Church (3/4 July), Millstream Arts Festival, hanging flower basket
project, movie in the park, and the annual Water Fest.