Street lights on track for city in 2012
Street lights on track for city in 2012
More than 8,600 vehicles pass through New Town daily
By JILL DENNING GACKLE
BHG News Service
If all goes as planned, there will be two street lights on New Town’s Main Street in 2012.
The heavy traffic on Main Street has caused the city council to move toward action on two street lights, pending approval from the state.
The council met June 16 to review traffic counts and consider where to place the street lights, if the state approves. No decision was made on locations; the council plans to vote to recommend a location in the future.
The traffic counts justify the lights, according to Alan Estvold, engineer of Ackerman-Estvold of Minot.
The average count is 8,662 vehicles a day with the heaviest traffic counts at the intersection of Central and Main with 9,200 vehicles a day.
Estvold said the traffic counts will justify two lights to be placed: one on N.D. Highway 1804 and one on either East Avenue or Soo Place.
Councilmembers expressed concern about having safe pedestrian traffic, and mentioned fears for the safety of children crossing the street to go to the pool.
The lights will cost $250,000 each, which the city plans to include in the Main Street paving project and plans to bid in the fall of 2011 with construction in the spring of 2012.
Estvold also advised the council that the city will probably have to get a line of credit for the Main Street project of about $1 million, because the city will have to pay the costs and then will be reimbursed by the state.
In other business, the council:
• Decided to apply for a community facility grant to help fund part of establishment of a community daycare. The proposal is a grant and a 40-year loan. New Town would qualify for a 20-percent grant and fund the rest through a loan. Kenton Onstad said the business plan shows that the loan could be paid for with an 80 percent child occupancy..
