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Major Construction Projects
Street Reconstruction. The street
reconstruction project is underway in
Valley Park, Clays Acres, and along 204th
Street. In Valley Park, asphalt is being
removed, concrete curb has been
poured, backfilling is being done to the
back of the curb, and the streets are
being graded to the proper depth and
given the correct crown in preparation
for new asphalt.
LAKEVILLE PUBLIC WORKS
Christopher Petree, Director
June 2013
Several major construction projects are now underway. Delays caused earlier this
spring by the extended snow and rain cycle have given way to at least warm
weather interspersed with rain. The result has been that the contractors are hard
at work to make up for lost time.
Dodd Boulevard - Highview Avenue
Roundabout. Work is progressing on
the installation of the roundabout and
the expansion of Dodd Boulevard to four
lanes from 183rd Street to Hayes Avenue.
The City's water collection pipe has been
relocated and is waiting bacteriological
testing to be returned to use. That will
allow us to bring Wells 2, 4, and 19 back
into the water system. The cool, wet
weather has contributed to keeping
water use down and those wells have not been needed yet this summer.
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Kenrick Avenue - 205th Street
Roundabout. Work on this project is
just getting underway with preparatory
work being done in the shoulders and
off the main traffic lanes. The
intersection continues to be open to
traffic and will remain open to traffic
throughout the project with rerouting
of lanes as necessary.
❖ Ditch and Boulevard Mowing
Streets Division staff have been out
mowing along ditches and boulevards.
The primary purpose is to maintain a
clear space along the edge of the
roadway for the safety of motorists and
pedestrians. Mowing along boulevards,
improves the sight lines for drivers at
intersections, along curves, and around
corners. Alternatively, it contributes
to the aesthetics of the City and
presents a groomed look to rural road
segments. The City has
approximately 85 miles of boulevards
and rural roadway ditches that it
mows. Mowing is completed twice
per year during the summer using a
tractor with a side and rear flail
mower attachment.
+ Water Main Repairs
Water main breaks tend to be random
events. It doesn't matter if it's a freezing
winter day or a warm and sunny summer
day. Something occurs that causes a
weak spot in the pipe to give way under
the pressure of the water. What typically
happens is that the water finds its way to
the surface where it is noticed and called
into the Utilities Division. Sometimes the
water will hollow out a hole under the
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asphalt and cause it to collapse, as happened in
Robbinsdale recently, but more often it just
saturates the ground around the break and makes
for a simple, though messy, repair. In a series of
recent breaks near Foxborough Park, corrosive soils
were the main contributor to holes in the pipe and
had eaten away bolts holding a gate valve. Staff
dug each of the water main breaks and replaced
sections of pipe as necessary. In every case, water
main breaks are a top priority to repair to protect
and preserve City infrastructure.
• Water Conservation
The City has two primary tools to use
with regard to water conservation. One
was the establishment of a tiered water
rate structure that increases the cost of
water as more water is used. The
second tool is education about the
resource. Few understand that there is
no more water on earth than is already
here and education helps to convey the
significance of the resource and ways in
which it can be conserved. Some of the
education has been accomplished
through public service announcements
on Lakeville's government channel,
other education has been done through
tours at the Water Treatment Facility
and in classrooms, and more has been
done through the weekly Messages page
and at annual Earth Day events.
Another part of the education piece is
the annual water quality report which
details Lakeville's water quality for
the previous year and provides
insight on the source of the City's
water and sources of possible
contaminants. Lakeville's water
continues to test well below the
minimum contaminant levels and
meets federal standards for safe
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drinking water. The newest piece for education on water conservation is the City's
Water Ambassador, Skip the Drip. Skip will be a roving ambassador for the City to
bring the message of water conservation to a larger audience.
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