Sauk Rapids Looking To Approve Road Project, Fix Leaking Gas Tank

(KNSI) — The Sauk Rapids City Council will have two major public works items before it at Monday’s meeting. The first is planned. Administrator Ross Olson is asking the body to approve advertising for bids to resurface Industrial Boulevard between 10^th Avenue Northeast and Golden Spike Road.

Olson wants to ask for bids using two different methods. The average expected cost for the work comes to around $1.5 million. Full depth reclamation and stabilized full depth reclamation both involve pulverizing the current road surface and using it as the foundation for the new street. A top layer of asphalt is then poured over top. The SFDR system involves two passes which leads to the slightly higher potential price tag.

Public Works Director Peter Eckhoff says that an existing problem with the city’s fuel tank has led to an emergency after the heavy rains earlier this month. The tank monitor and leak detection system were part of the initial 2003 installation and have failed. When 5.2 inches of rain fell two weeks ago, 400 gallons of water seeped into the fuel resevoir at the Public Works Building.

Eckhoff writes the council that modern gasoline is not hydroscopic, meaning that it doesn’t completely separate from water. The rainfall continues to contaminate 5,700 gallons of fuel, which is now useless. The municipal fleet, including police and fire, is using a portable 500-gallon tank as a temporary measure. The department has received two bids to replace the monitoring system. The lowest one comes from MN Petroleum at a cost of $32,025.45. Eckhoff says he has already committed to that bid because several parts are on back order for at least 60 days. Council is being asked to approve that decision. It has already passed out of the public works committee.

The other bid is from O’Day Equipment, LLC. It was initially solicited last month.

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