Council awards load-out facility bids
Council awards load-out facility bids By MARVIN BAKER Earth work has now started on a water load-out facility east of New Town and is expected to take about a month to complete. The cost to build the pipeline is estimated at $70,000. Jim Dawson was awarded two bids; the first for the earthwork and the second for laying the pipe across a field from the northeast corner of the ALCO building to the load-out site, which is just north of Sam’s Auto. In addition, O’Day Equipment in Minot will set up an automated metering system in which credit cards can be used to access water, much like gas pumps are set up today. Despite that scenario costing approximately $23,700, city council members are OK with O’Day. According to city coordinator Chuck Gilstad, the new site will have two approaches allowing for trucks to enter and leave without passing each other and without creating a bottleneck on N.D. Highway 23. "This will make it much better for the city because trucks have to go through town now," Gilstad said. "It’s tough on the streets." And streets were a separate topic of discussion at last week’s meeting. The council adopted a resolution of an engineer’s report of direct and detailed plans and specifications for Street Improvement District 2008-1. That district, which essentially runs through the heart of New Town, will create a special assessment district to help pay for the $340,000 construction of streets, curbs and gutters, as well as repair to other streets and avenues in the east-central part of the community. Other costs will be mitigated from funds left over from a 2007 construction project.
