The Main Street 2020 project is approaching, and plans for the massive construction project have been divided into four stages. The street will be closed to thru traffic for most of the construction season.
Kent
Exner
Construction bids are in for the Main Street/State Highway 15 reconstruction project slated this summer in downtown Hutchinson, and the low bid came in a little more than what was estimated back in January.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation received two bids for the project, and R&R Excavating of Hutchinson was the lowest at $11.58 million. While this was about 20 percent more than the $9.5 million estimate, City Engineer Kent Exner said it could have been much worse.
“MnDOT was actually pleased with the low bid amount,” he said. “I think what we’ve seen in the region and what MnDOT is seeing overall in outstate construction bids this year has been borderline alarming as far as cost.”
Exner said he believes a big reason for the increased cost has less to do with the timing of the bid and more to do with trends and growing costs in the construction industry. Like most industries, a shortage of workers means paying more to hire laborers, which leads to greater costs for the work.
Hutchinson’s share of the construction costs is $3.02 million, which includes $433,531 of assessments. But that’s not the end of the city’s costs. It’s also expecting to pay as much as $600,000 more for other parts of the project such as engineering and inspection fees, streetscaping and public art.
“We’ll fine tune all those extra costs … and at that point you’ll know the final number,” Exner said.
The fine-tuning and final project cost will be determined during a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, at the Hutchinson City Center. The council will be discussing those final project details during that meeting and holding a 6 p.m. public hearing to discuss the assessment roll.
The project is scheduled to start April 13 and finish up by the end of the construction season.
Lynn Township residents attending the annual township meeting enjoyed a cake celebrating Lynn Township Board Chair Paul Merkins’ service.
Paul Merkins
Twenty-four years ago, Lynn Township resident Paul Merkins thought, “I should probably do something for the community.”
He was already serving on the McLeod County Fair Board but wanted to do something for his township. So he ran for a three-year supervisor term. Those three years turned into three more, and on it went for 24 year. But at the end of this month, that chapter of his life will close as he retires from the Lynn Township Board.
“It’s been good,” he said. “It’s been fun. Everyone should do something.”
When he was elected again three years ago, the chairman knew it would be his last term, and he didn’t include his name on the ballot this year.
A plaque honoring Merkins’ service was presented at the Township Day annual meeting Tuesday, along with a celebratory cake. But Merkins, who had caught the flu, avoided the packed meeting that day to avoid spreading the bug. Lynn Township Supervisor Doug Johnson reflected on his time serving with Merkins. The two had been on the board for several years together.
“It’s been a real honor to work beside him,” Johnson said. “We didn’t always see eye to eye, but I hope we did a good job for all of you. I want to thank him for his service.”
Merkins said the most important part of township service is the grassroots aspect. By adequately serving neighbors in a local area, he said, tax dollars are put to the best use and people maintain the most control of their lives.
“It’s our local tax dollars being used,” he said. “We’re better informed and better at it if we do it at a local level, (compared to) if we send it to Glencoe or St. Paul. We’ve got one person representing all of us in St. Paul. Here we’ve got three.”
Looking back, Merkins said the monthly meetings were mostly fun, and he enjoyed working with everyone even if rules and regulations can feel like a chore. He recalls fondly his time serving with Robert Theuringer, who served for more than 30 years on the Township Board.
“Somebody’s gotta do it,” he said. “But there is a lot more state and federal stuff that comes in, and county stuff we have to deal with. ... And the computer age is here. Our clerk and treasurer had to get a computer probably 10 years ago to keep up with all the stuff that comes through the township association and state.”
He said there was more traffic on township roads than before, including heavy truck traffic.
“If you sit on the road and watch them go by, there are all kinds,” Merkins said. “One day they’ll need an upgrade. ... We put gravel down every year and do the best job at grading you can do to hold them up. But we’ll have to do more than that sooner or later.”
Looking ahead, he expects the township will need to stay ahead of expenses that will come with ditch and culvert work relating to the county ditch system. And even though 180th Street has had a lot of work over the years, he expects more will be needed.
“It’s a bad road,” he said, “right along the river. I don’t know what they’re going to do with it. And this spring we’ll see how the frost boils are.”
Dolf Moon
A sign on the entrance to Harmony River Living Center in Hutchinson says visitor restrictions are in effect at the building. The same is true for other senior living centers as the town is preparing for a possible outbreak of coronavirus.
Ready or not, it’s here.
As COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, continues to spread across the world, the pandemic reached Minnesota this past week with nine confirmed cases as of Friday morning, the closest of which were in Stearns in Carver counties.
While results from the Leader’s unscientific online poll revealed 58.9 percent of respondents were not concerned about a possible outbreak in the U.S., reports of department stores selling out of hand sanitizer, toilet paper and other hygiene products show there is plenty of concern for the virus spreading into Hutchinson.
Local schools and governments are preparing for that possibility in their communities as well, and the same is true here in Hutchinson and McLeod County.
“I think we're prepared as good as we can,” said Kevin Mathews, McLeod County’s emergency management director. “I think this isn't anything really new. This is a new strain of the coronavirus, but it's another infectious disease we've been planning and preparing for and responding to over the last several years. Even though this is a new strain … I think we're pretty prepared should this impact us more locally.”
City Administrator Matt Jaunich said Hutchinson’s pandemic response plan was in the process of being updated while other city entities such as the Hutchinson Fire Department already updated their plan in preparation.
At both the city and county levels, much of the focus of those plans is the continuity of essential programs and services. That means keeping the power, water and sewer systems on; emergency services such as the police and fire departments running; and removing garbage to keep the city sanitary. Other services deemed non-essential — such as recreational activities, DMV and associated functions, planning and zoning inspection and economic development — may be some of the first to close should the city be hit with an epidemic and need to prioritize its services.
“It took a little while to get a case in Minnesota, but now that it's here I think we have a potential to see something locally,” Mathews said. “But we'll just kind of have to see how that pans out here.”
Although the Hutchinson School District was on spring break this past week and requests for comment were not returned, parents have received emails from Superintendent Daron VanderHeiden and health services coordinator Antonia Barrick indicating the situation is being monitored.
At Ridgewater College, Laura Kuvaas, director of marketing, said the school is taking similar steps. As of Feb. 28, Minnesota State has suspended all international business-related travel for students, faculty and staff. Members of the school’s leadership are also monitoring developments, and the college has a response plan and emergency plan to continue operations if need be. Kuvaas said the school is also offering updates and information online at ridgewater.edu/covid-19.
As of Thursday, neither Ridgewater nor Hutchinson School District have indicated they are planning to close or institute online classes. Thursday night, however, Ridgewater announced it is extending its spring break through March 22 but planning classes to resume March 23.
PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE
Like schools and governments, hospitals and senior living facilities are also preparing. Harmony River, Woodstone and Ecumen Oaks and Pines all announced visitor restrictions this past week, while Hutchinson Health released a statement about its preparedness for a possible outbreak of COVID-19: “Hutchinson Health has been working since January to prepare for the possibility of the virus through our dedicated COVID-19 Task Force. We’re prepared to identify and care for patients with symptoms. We are also encouraging proper prevention, including frequent and thorough hand washing, coughing and sneezing into a tissue and staying home if you are sick.”
While the potential for the virus to reach Hutchinson is a minor concern to some, or even a joke on social media, to people such as Luann Flatau, it is deadly serious. Flatau, who had a kidney transplant in the 1980s, lives with a suppressed immune system. This means to insure her transplant is not rejected, her immune system is intentionally weakened, making her more vulnerable to illnesses.
“It’s one of the most eye-opening experiences,” Flatau said, “because you realize how wonderful your immune system is when it’s working properly, but also how vulnerable you are when it’s not.”
Flatau reached out to the Leader to express her concern that people are not treating the potential outbreak of COVID-19 with the seriousness she believes it deserves. She doesn’t want people to panic, but she’s asking everyone to be prepared and considerate of others.
“You have no clue who around you is susceptible or not susceptible,” she said. “For someone like me, it’s not a joke. I take it very seriously.”
“You have to be proactive and make sure you have the courtesy to follow through on procedures that help people like me so I can participate in society,” she added.
As people have heard many times by know, Flatau urged everyone to wash their hands thoroughly, cough into tissues and to not go into public when sick if they can help it.
Flatau said she will likely have to self-quarantine herself in her home should the disease reach Hutchinson, something she’s done before but is not eager to do again. Just a few years after her transplant, Flatau had to self-quarantine herself and didn’t leave her house for six months to avoid a particularly potent strain of flu. Although she is able to receive flu vaccines now, there is no vaccine for COVID-19, which means she would again go into quarantine if need be, along with many other Hutchinson residents.
“I want people to understand that for individuals like me and other people with compromised or suppressed immune systems, please do what you can to keep yourself healthy,” she said. “That enables people like me to go out and participate in society.”
