歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� The Bemidji City Council took the first step in bringing the long-awaited Rail Corridor clean-up project to fruition on Tuesday evening.

Due to the contamination of the site that will eventually be home to a YMCA, the first order of business for the city was approving a soil remediation professional service agreement with both Loucks Engineering and Barr Engineering at a combined cost of $180,898 to $107,098 for Loucks and $73,800 for Barr.

鈥淚t's Loucks Engineering, who's been involved for several years analyzing the entire corridor,鈥� City Engineer Sam Anderson said, 鈥渁nd Barr Engineering, who is a team member that Loucks has worked with on multiple occasions.

Anderson said the companies will work together to develop one big package.

"Essentially, the first bite of the apple for this project is getting the site to a point where it will be developable," he added. "We're looking at hiring consultants to put (this) together for us over the next two to three months.鈥�

At-Large Councilor Audrey Thayer made a motion to approve the agreement before Mayor Jorge Prince even asked for one, jumping at the opportunity. Ward 2 Councilor Josh Peterson later said lightheartedly that he had hoped to make the motion but was beaten to the draw.

鈥淭his has been a long project and I can't thank staff and everyone that's involved in this process enough,鈥� Peterson said. 鈥淚'm excited to see it move forward.鈥�

Other councilors thanked city staff while voting in favor of the proposal.

The two agreements work in tandem and will assist the city in designing Bid Package No. 1, the first step in cleaning up the corridor, located just off of Bemidji's downtown by the railroad tracks.

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

This step includes the removal of contaminated soil; mass grading of the area; stormwater pond reconstruction; existing building demolition and removal of a portion of a paved bike trail within the vicinity.

The whole of Bid Package No. 1 will cost an estimated $2.7 million and will be paid for in part by Greater Bemidji's land purchase of the area, Circle K city land proceeds, stormwater utility funds and two Department of Employment and Economic Development 鈥� DEED 鈥� grants in which the city officially approved during the consent agenda portion of the meeting.

The first of the DEED grants is a contamination cleanup grant for $902,082 and the second is a redevelopment grant for $589,926.

The city estimates the construction portion of the cleanup phase will cost around $200,000 to $250,000 and will take around two to three months 鈥� they also believe the project will be completed before the 2025 construction season concludes.

A construction contract will be awarded to the lowest bidder following the report provided by Loucks and Barr Engineering.

Once this step is complete, another bid package will follow. This package would likely include public infrastructure upgrades; sanitary sewer main replacement and replacement of some of the water main under Minnesota Avenue NW.

This step will be further fleshed out by the city before it is officially placed in front of the council for approval.

Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince addressed the State of the City to open Tuesday evening's meeting as he covered a myriad of topics ranging from upcoming projects, personnel changes and the city鈥檚 financial status.

Prince also offered heartfelt thanks to city employees for contributing to its success.

鈥淚 believe our city has weathered the growing pains of leadership change and I'm pleased with the progress that has been made so far,鈥� Prince said. 鈥淚 believe wholeheartedly we are poised to make important headway as we leverage a blend of experience and new leaders in creating partnerships and addressing long-standing challenges.

"Diverse ideas are what makes a team strong and although we each have our own perspectives, you can have confidence that this team shares a commitment to progress, stability and service as we do our part in making Bemidji all it can be.鈥�

Prince noted that Bemidji is growing financially, with a $5 million increase to the budget from a year ago, now sitting at $64 million. He then welcomed some of the new businesses that opened their doors in the last 12 months like Blue Oyster, 7 Brew Coffee and the Circle K gas station situated at the corner of Moberg Drive and U.S. Highway 2.

鈥淲hether public or private, growth is the lifeblood of a local economy,鈥� Prince said. 鈥淥ur city has been blessed by the combined efforts of our citizens in moving projects forward.鈥�

He also looked ahead to future projects, like one taking place at the Rail Corridor.

鈥淚 wanted to take a moment to highlight the Rail Corridor/YMCA project as it not only represents a remarkable success after years of work but also, potentially, is the single largest private financial investment in our city,鈥� Prince said.

He concluded the State of the City Address by updating and thanking various city departments while highlighting the ongoing collaboration between the city and Beltrami County.

鈥淥ur new city team is ready to lead these efforts with innovation, purpose and a deep commitment to the people we serve,鈥� Prince said. 鈥淚 remain committed and optimistic about our future.鈥�

The council will next meet at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24, at City Hall for a work session.