Slow Progress of Concrete Work

Work continues in a slow manner as crews work to finish the paving of the cul-de-sacs and walls of the rain gardens.  The primary work occurring at this time is the paving of the east ends of Rose and Tulip Lanes.  Work is slower than normal as we have to let the concrete cure before crews can move to the next section of work.

Crews pouring a portion of Rose Lane

The work also is progressing on Tulip Lane with more removals starting later today and into next week.  Work will continue to be slow until all the concrete work is completed.

Storm Water protection is in place in most of the project areas and the seeding work is completed for the remainder of the calendar year.  Next spring during the qualified seeding dates the sub-contractor for seeding will be back in town to plant the rain gardens, reseed where necessary including potentially replanting the plugs at the golf course.

Crews pour the final portion of the Rose Lane 

Project Walk Through Notes

Yesterday (Monday, September 23rd) was our project walk through day.  These events occur at or near the end of the project and are a way for the owner, project engineer, and contractor to view the project first hand to determine any final adjustments and/or areas that need to be cleaned up or finished up.

While the project is still a little ways from being done, they are at about 80% completion at this time, we did the walk through now so that the contractor could start to deploy their resources to other projects.  They will still have a considerable sized crew (two crews actually) until they finish the project.

The walk through is also a great way to see the whole project and look at the fine details.  The contractor, Lundell has done some great work and there were a few minor things that needed touching up outside of the remaining pieces that have yet to be constructed.  From a major component side of things there are three major items outstanding at this time including: pouring of the two cul-de-sacs on Rose and Tulip Lane, building of the rain gardens, and seeding.

Contractor, city staff, and the Engineer review components of the project during a project walk through.

The sub-contractor was onsite on Monday forming the sections of half of Rose Lane for a pour later this week.  Once that section is poured they will let the concrete cure and then remove the forms and start removals on the opposite side of the street.  The contractor Lundell was working on the first of three phases for pouring back the cul-de-sac on Tulip Lane on Monday as well.

Contractor prepares the 1st phase of the cul-de-sac for paving on Tulip Lane

Many of the project areas have been seeded at this point but the seeding contractor is responsible for the growth so it is possible that if we don't see substantial growth in areas they will have to come back and reseed or over seed those areas in the spring.  The seeding sub-contractor was onsite Monday and will be here this week until they are able to finish the seeding work.

The following pictures show various parts of the project as they were during the walk through on Monday.

Pond #5 behind the railroad tracks.

Drainage swale on the west side of Rose, Tulip and Violet Lanes

Large pond south of the condo site with grass growing on the side slopes

Grass waterway coming from the golf course ponds to the ponds south of the condo site.

As noted earlier the next phases which started on Monday include the development of the rain gardens in the project area.  These rain gardens are specifically developed to filter water through a natural process using plants with long roots and then filtering the treated water into the storm water system.

Rain garden area at the corner of Ray Street and Richland.  The flags are all the utility locates in the area.

As work continues the City asks for the residents in the area of the Rose and Tulip Lane cul-de-sacs (East sides) for their continued cooperation and patience as we pave back those streets.  This part of the project may seem to be the longest due to the time that it takes for the concrete to cure but it is critical that we keep traffic off the new concrete to allow for it to finish hardening or we will have to come back again and replace which causes more access issues and high costs.  The City appreciates the efforts of the residents to this point.

Pipe Work Wrapping Up

Work is moving quickly on the project at this point and the majority of the pipe work is almost complete.  The contractor was finishing up the pipe work on Tulip Lane yesterday (Tuesday, September 17).

Work on the installation of storm water pipe on Tulip Lane.

With the pipe work almost complete the remaining work is related to getting the cul-de-sacs back, finishing the dirt work and rain gardens, and seeding.  The seed sub-contractor should be on site tomorrow (Thursday) and working on the plantings in the ponds at the Golf Course and then moving up the project scope seeding the other areas that are finished.

Work on the paving back of the cul-de-sacs should be starting this week.  The main contractor will remove sections and then a sub-contractor will come in a pave the sections.  The goal of the staging is to provide access to the residential areas throughout the project.  The City urges residents and others traveling in the area to take extra pre-cautions and to ensure that they are alert to construction equipment.  This phase will take some time to complete due to the phasing but it is the only way to accomplish the repaving while still providing access.

A complete paving schedule for each cul-de-sac is available on the project web page.

Street Closing Updates August 28, 2013

Work continues to move along with the two pipe crews working on the project currently.  With that we are in the middle of the major road closures portion of the project and so this entry into the blog is an update with the latest information on street closings related to the East Central Storm Water Project.

Expansion Blvd.
The section of road taken out on Expansion Blvd. by the Radio Tower site has been replaced and was opened back up to traffic last week.

The section of road taken out at the intersection of East 4th Street was poured back on Tuesday, August 27th and pending positive test results on Friday should be opened on Friday or Saturday morning.

Richland St.
A portion of Richland Street at the intersection of Ray Street was removed late last week and crews should be through the area and ready for pouring back that section yet this week.  Curing time on the concrete will take us into next week before the road will re-open (hopefully around the middle of the week).

East 4th Street
Once they have reopened the section of Expansion Blvd. at the intersection with East 4th Street they will close down East 4th Street at the old railroad tracks area.  This will require traffic to route around East 4th Street using Richland to Expansion and then into the Rose, Tulip, and Violet Lane areas.  Based on the current schedule we would anticipate that East 4th Street will be closed down at the earliest on Friday, August 30th or for sure on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Rose Lane (East Cul-de-sac)
Work will begin next week on the installation of storm water piping in the Rose and Tulip Lane areas.  For this work the cul-de-sacs on the east end of those streets will be torn out and replaced following the installation of storm drain pipe.  Rose Lane will be the first of these streets to see construction.  Emergency vehicle access will be maintained and a paving schedule has been developed which is available on the project web page.  Residents affected by this closure are asked to keep vehicles off of the street during the construction process and until the road is paved back.

The best guess for work to begin on Rose Lane would be Wednesday (9.4) and Thursday (9.5).

Tulip Lane (East Cul-de-sac)
Work on this cul-de-sac area will follow the work on Rose Lane and should be about two (2) weeks behind that project's start.



In Addition - 
The dirt crews are also back working on the remaining ponds and shaping ditches where the pipe crew has finished installing pipe.  They will be hauling more dirt off the project site including hauling dirt to the City's spoil containment facility across from McKenna Drive.

The last time we had hauling to that area we had issues with dust and the contractor has been reminded that they need to keep the dust under control.  The project inspector will also be keeping an eye on this as well.

Project Keeps Rolling Forward

Things continue moving forward on the project front with construction aspects in the northern half of the project going full steam ahead.

Junction of several Storm Water Lines along East 4th Street.

The above picture is a junction area for intakes coming in from the various directions along East 4th Street and for me anyway it really is a symbol of all the various things occurring with this project including flood relief and cleaning of storm water all combining for relief and cleaner water.  In order for everything to work it takes multiple angles and lots of dedicated people to make this project work, both now during construction but after construction is complete as well.  We will need the help of residents to help keep trash and grass out of the storm water to help prevent the system from clogging up and debris from getting into the ponds and other treatment facilities.

On the construction side work continues with two crews working on the installation of piping.

Pipe crew installs pipe along Richland Street

Crews are now past Expansion Blvd at the intersection of East 4th Street and working west.  The next big closure there will be the closing of East 4th Street.  Expansion should be open at that point.  

An additional closure will occur on Richland Street near the intersection with Ray Street.  That closure could occur next week as well.  Expansion Blvd should be open near the radio tower at that point.

Work is also proceeding with the seeding of the southern project areas.  The seeding sub-contractor was back in town last week and some this week to reseed the berms at the golf course and the areas around the ponds with blue grass.

Seeding contractor is tilling up the berms on the golf course for reseeding

The seeding contractor has ordered the plugs for the ponds at the golf course and should be back in Storm Lake after Labor Day to start planting those ponds.  

With the reseeding on the berms at the golf course the best results are going to come from the least amount of traffic on the berms.  Thus the City is asking golf patrons to refrain from driving golf carts and walking over and on the berms.

Expansion BLVD at 4th Street To Close Monday

The contractor continues to move along and Expansion Blvd. at the intersection of East 4th Street and Expansion will close on Monday morning.  The closure is anticipated to last for about a week and a half at this time.

Traffic will still be able to travel East on East 4th Street and then North onto Expansion so that access to the Rose, Tulip and Violet Lane areas is still available.

The first line of work will be field verification of a water line that feeds the Rose, Tulip, and Violet Lane areas.  If the line needs to be moved water to the sub-division will be disconnected for a few hours.  Please check back to this blog for further updates.

Pipe Work Continues Forward

With two crews onsite for the contractor, Lundell Construction, the work on the East Central Storm Water Project is moving forward in good time.

Pipe lined up ready for placement and installation.

The crew working in the middle area of the project along Expansion Blvd. has the pipe installed across Expansion Blvd. which should be getting paved in the next few days.

Pipe installed under Expansion Blvd.

The second pipe crew is up on East 4th Street moving west installing pipe.  They have East 4th Street between Expansion Blvd. and Ray Street closed during the working day but they are reopening the street to local traffic only at night.

Lundell's commitment to the project extends throughout the company as witness last week with one of the owners, Mark Lundell working on the East 4th Street Project site.

Mark Lundell compacting soils following pipe installation.

We really do have a great contractor on this project.  They have been doing everything possible to make the project run smoothly and despite a very wet spring remain diligent to the schedule.  They have also been diligent in protecting our environment through this process utilizing resources such as silt fence and waddles and rock checks throughout the project.  We certainly appreciate all of their staff's efforts and dedication to a quality project.

Work will continue this week along both fronts and the East 4th Street crew should be getting closer to taking out the section of Expansion Blvd. at the intersection of East 4th and Expansion.  For more information on street closures and detours related to this section of the work you can view of street closure map here or on our project web page.

The City, project engineer, and contractor met recently to discuss the upcoming work to be done in the cul-de-sacs of Tulip and Rose Lanes.  More information on how that work will effect traffic and residential access in the area will be forthcoming in the new few days.  Please check back here for more information on these impacts if you live on these two streets.

Seeding to Resume @ Sunrise Pointe Golf Course

Following a meeting yesterday with the seed sub-contractor and the contractor seeding activities are set to resume on the completed portions of the project (those south of the railroad tracks).  This includes the Sunrise Point Golf Course where work will begin today, Wednesday, August 14, 2013.  The contractor will be onsite at the golf course today removing silt fence to allow for the final fine grading to take place prior to the reseeding of the area.

The seeding contractor will be mobilizing and coming to Storm Lake today with his equipment and then starting work on Thursday.  The first order of business will be the reseeding of the two large berms on the north and south of Hole #9.  Once the berms are reseeded they will be mulched with straw and stakes and rope will be placed as a barrier to keep golf carts and foot traffic off the berms until grass has been established.

We are asking golfers for their help in getting the best turf we can by staying off of the berms until we have removed the ropes from the area.  During the next week to 15 days we ask golfers to also be alert for small construction equipment and crews planting in the area.

Once the seeding crews have planted and mulched the berms they will start with planting of the plugs around the lower portions of the ponds.  The contractor is draining the ponds currently to provide for these plantings to be done.

You may remember that the timing of the completion of the golf course work was delayed due to a very wet spring and while the contractor made every effort possible to finish the work so that seeding could be done during the allowable seed times it just didn't work out.  Grass especially blue grass, the desired variety on the course, just will not grow in June and July in Iowa.  The next opening for planting season is mid August and we are fortunate to be able to get the contractor in so early in the season.

The seeding contractor will also be seeding the area around the ponds by the condos and the grass waterway between the golf course and the far southern ponds.  They will then move north and reseed the areas that were constructed north of East Lakeshore Drive/HWY 7.

East 4th Street Schedule Update

The Contractor anticipates that the second crew which will be working on the East 4th Street portion of the pipe work will be onsite beginning on Wednesday (August 7) to begin work.  Residents and businesses using that route should be aware again of the street closures in that area.  A copy of the closure map and detours is available on the project web page - see the quick links on the right hand side of the page.

PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING IN THE CONSTRUCTION AREA, REDUCE SPEEDS, AND BE ALERT FOR CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AND STAFF.  AVOID THE AREA IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.

There is a good chance of rain today and if we were to get a good amount of rain the weather could delay the potential start of this work but at this time we anticipate crews to begin work on East 4th Street Wednesday, August 7th, 2013.

Quick Update August 5, 2013

Things are starting to get moving with hopefully more movement starting in the next few days.  Crews are onsite moving pipe toward Expansion BLVD. today with hopes of being at Expansion within the next week, weather depending.

Crews work on pipe installation.

A second pipe crew is still expected to begin work on East 4th Street yet this week put as is always possible with construction that timeline may change.  The latest map showing road closures for the East 4th Street work is located on the Quick Links on the project web page.

City staff, the project engineer, and the contractor met last week to discuss traffic flow and emergency vehicle access during the work on Tulip and Rose Lanes.  The contract will require that the two cul-de-sacs at the east side of those two streets will be completely removed and replaced.  The replacement will cause the streets to be closed for 12-15 days for each pour which will cause access issues.  We will be updating the block with additional maps in the upcoming week or so with traffic routing maps for these two areas.  Work on Tulip and Rose Lanes will not occur in the next week or two and we will have maps available for the residents prior to the work beginning.

Work Continues - Majority of the Work is North of the Railroad Tracks at this Point

Progress continues to move forward with the completion of the pipe work south of the railroad tracks work now continues moving north from the tracks.  Crews have also finished the ponds south of the golf course and the condos with the minor exception of a little clean up work.  Storm water can flow from the railroad tracks through the treatment train to the lake at this point.

Seeding work on the southern half of the project remains including reseeding and over seeding work at the Sunrise Pointe Golf Course.  We anticipate that seeding will occur again in mid August 2013 once the weather is appropriate for the seeds to germinate and grow.  Included with the seeding work will be the planting of trees around the southern most ponds and one or two on the golf course itself.

As of Friday, July 26th, crews were working north of the tracks.  There are two crews working currently with a third crew expected onsite around the 5th of August if all goes well.  The schedule for East 4th Street remains the same currently with that work starting on August 5th.

The dirt work crew that was working on the southern ponds has moved south on the old railroad right-of-way area clearing out trees and bushes from that area.  They will then shape the area into a long thin pond shape that will filter, run and treat storm water.

In the distance crews are clearing the area of trees and brush

 A second crew working primarily on the piping works is also in this area immediately north of the railroad tracks installing pipes and manhole to connect the pond structures and flow water through the areas where we don't have room to treat the water.

Member of Lundell Construction works on preparing a manhole for installation.

The pipe crew will finish connecting the pond immediately north of the railroad tracks to the main piping system and then move north to a piece of right-of-way that the City is acquiring where we will install some additional piping and then a rain garden on top of the pipe to filter the immediately available storm water.  This work should begin mid week next week.  This work may impact traffic on Expansion BLVD slightly for periodic periods of time.  Individuals traveling in this area should be prepared to reduce speeds and take extra precautions within the construction area.

As the crew moves closer to the intersection of the pipe with Expansion Blvd. they will close Expansion Blvd. at this point (access to the adjoining businesses will be available) while they remove the road, install the pipe, and put the road back.  The closure period could be up to two weeks in time depending on weather.

Large Pond South of Condo Area in completed form.

Work will continue to progress and it won't be long before we are inside the neighborhoods of Rose and Tulip Lanes.  As we get into the more residential areas of the project information will be changing quickly and the best opportunity to get the most up to date information will be through this blog.  Please check back often and let your friends and neighbors living in the project area know about the blog, if they don't know about it already, so they can get updates on the project in a timely manner.

Update - Schedule Update East 4th Street Work

Late Friday the contractor notified the City that the delay on the work along East 4th Street will be longer than original expected and that crews will not likely start at that location until the first week in August 2013.

That means the following potential schedule:

• Phase 1 of that work will start on or around August 4th and run through August 15th
• Phase 2 of that work will start on or around August 15th and run through August 23rd
• Phase 3 of that work will start on or around August 23rd and run through September 6th

Crews finished the week installing storm water pipe running north to the railroad tracks.  Work on this stretch should be completed middle of next week weather pending.

Crews install a manhole structure and the storm water pipe under a piece of sanitary sewer force main

Additionally the digging crew has finished the work on the large pond on Sunrise Park Road and has moved over to the smaller pond which is moving along quickly.  The contractor anticipates being done with that work Monday or Tuesday next week at the latest.

Progress on the small pond along Sunrise Park Road

Additional complaints about dust on Friday especially from the City's Spoil Containment Site where the contractor is hauling the dirt from the ponds.  The contractor is aware of the issues and is working on a solution to help reduce the dust.  They shut down hauling operation on Friday early to reduce the dust issue and plant to try and remove the top layer of dirt which has become so fine from all the trucks rolling over it on Monday prior to starting to haul again.  If they water the area down they track the dirt out on to the street which isn't good either.  They hope that by removing the loose dirt they can get down to packed dirt that will reduce the dust for the remainder of the hauling work. 

Dirt from the other ponds around the project area will NOT becoming to this location so once the small pond is finished (again the contractor is anticipating this to be done Monday (7.15) or Tuesday (7.16) at the latest) then the amount of traffic in this area will be greatly reduced.

The City will continue to monitor the dust situation as work continues.

Finally, residents in that area and anyone traveling along HWY 7/East Lakeshore Drive should note that beginning on Monday, July 15th, the State of Iowa will be closing HWY 71 at the Railroad Crossing just north of the lighthouse to facilitate repairs to the tracks.  This closure will result in to town a detour of traffic in along HWY 7 to Radio Road and then North.  Congestion will increase and drivers are encouraged to reduce speeds and take extra precautions.

Progress Moving Forward South of RR Tracks - North Starts Up Next Week

Work continues to move forward . . . some faster than others but progress is being made!

The ponds south of Sunrise Pointe Golf Course are nearing completion with the large pond almost complete and the smaller pond making good progress.  Crews will most likely be brought in next week or early the week after to install the pipe between the two ponds and the outlet pipe to the lake from the large pond.

Large Pond at 95% Completion

Crews Starting Excavation on the Smaller Pond

Work on the pipe installation along East 4th Street was slowed this week following delivery of equipment and pipe due to a staffing issue for the contractor.  They should be back and ready to go to work on this phase of the work starting on July 15th.

Due to the delay the schedule for the street closures has been modified to account for the week delay in schedule.  You can see the newest schedule and map showing the closings and detour routes on the project web page (look at the links on the right hand side of the page) or by clicking here.

We would like to remind residents that this schedule is still an estimate of time and subject to changes.  For the most up to date information please check back to this blog and/or the project web page.  We will post updates as we know them.

Work on the installation of the piping from the golf course north to the railroad overpass continues to move forward at a good speed.  Crews were busy this week installing the arched storm pipe.  The arched pipe has the same capacity but allows for the pipe to be installed at a slightly higher elevation which was necessary in this case to avoid other underground utilities in the area.

Crews lowering the arched pipe into place

As the contractor gets closer to the railroad crossing and the ponds just north of that location we will see more storm water running through the system.  Relief in the Rose, Tulip, and Violet Lane area will not occur until the piping work is installed in that are but we are getting closer.

Finally we have had some complaints about dust coming off the construction sites and the areas where dirt is being hauled as well as complaints regarding tracking of mud on to the streets and highways due to transporting dirt from the pond construction.  We continue to work with the contractor, who has been very responsive, to getting these issues addressed in a timely manner.  The problems are sort of a catch 22 as in order to eliminate the dust we have to water down the dirt which creates tracking issues.  Regardless both are valid issues and we will continue to try to stay on top of them moving forward.

Hope you enjoy the updates.  If you have specific questions or things that you would like to have covered in the blog please let us know by sending an email to Justin Yarosevich.  Have a great weekend!

East 4th Street Work To Begin Monday, July 8th

Work will begin on the pipe installation along East 4th Street from Ray Street west to the old railroad right-of-way area on Monday, July 8, 2013.  Work will begin at the intersection of East 4th Street and Ray Street on Monday afternoon.

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013 the City sent informational letters to the residents and property owners in the construction area with a map.  Both are available on the project web page on the City's web site which can be located here.

This work will require that portions of City streets be closed while construction occurs.  The City and the contractor, Lundell Construction have worked together to try to minimize the inconvenience of the project to the residents and businesses in the area but street closures are unavoidable.  A map showing the street closings and the general timing of them as of the start of the work is available here.

Residents should note that the timing indicated both in the letter as well as the map are estimates and subject to change based on weather conditions and underground conditions encountered once the crews start working.  It will not be possible to update everyone with a letter with updates once construction starts so residents and property owners are encouraged to check back with this project blog and the project web page to get the latest information.

Finally, residents and others traveling in the project area are strongly encouraged to take extra precautions during the construction time frame and to reduce speed in the construction area be alert for construction workers and equipment.

This phase of the work is expected to take the better part of a month to complete and the timeline is subject to change.

First Week of July Progress Update

Things continue to progress with a great week of weather for construction.  The dirt work crew continues to work on the digging of the ponds just south of the vacated condo area and are slightly over halfway done with the southern most pond.

Southern Pond as of July 3rd

Crews continue to have unique challenges with this pond due to the make up of the material, old dredge spoil  from a previous dredging operations.

The main pipe crew continues to move north as well this week encountering a couple of old foundations that were in line with the pipe alignment as originally designed.  We will have to move the pipe alignment slightly to the west to avoid the existing 15 foot deep foundations from the old Storm Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.  

One of the 15 foot deep footings

The change in location will require a small change order on the project for the addition of a structure where the pipe will change direction but shouldn't affect the overall design of the project or the benefits to the community.

Setting Pipe North of East Lakeshore Drive/HWY 7

Work will continue moving forward next week with a second pipe crew coming in to work further north in the project area on East 4th Street.  See the next blog post for more information on that phase of the work and the related street closings.

Golf Course Work Wrapped Up (For Now) Crews Start Moving North

Work on the Golf Course is complete for now.  The seeding company was directed to come in and seed the bare areas with a rye seed which will grow in the now warmer temp days of mid summer and to cover the areas with hay to prevent further erosion while the grass grows.  That cover crop, as it is commonly referred to, is starting to come up and will hold the area until this fall when we expect the seeding sub-contractor to return to put down the blue grass mix that was original specified in the contract and which will be the final grass on the course.

South Golf Course Pond After Seeding Activity

The tall grasses and native plants that will line the ponds will be planted as plugs but will be done in the fall once the ground temperature and weather are conducive to their growth.  There are also a few trees that were planned as part of the project that will be planted in the fall when the seeding contractor returns.

The contractor also finished up the waterway between the golf course ponds and the lower ponds in front of the now vacant condo site.  After an onsite review of the waterway we made the decision to add a couple rock check damns to help protect run off from occurring in major rain events.

Waterway to Condo Ponds Looking South with Rock Checks

As of this morning we were already seeing good grass growth on the newly seeded areas (a benefit of the choice to go with rye seed) and a good start to the growth of the blue grass on the berms (blue grass takes longer to mature).

Looking North at Golf Course Ponds With Grass Growth

Work continues to progress on the digging of the two southern most ponds.  These ponds, located in front of the now vacant condo project, will always be filled with water at the same level as the lake which makes the construction of them difficult to say the least.

Lundell Construction also has a crew working on installation of the pipe going north from HWY 7.  This pipe will connect the water from the pond north of the railroad tracks to the ponds at the golf course.

Pipe Crew Lowering Pipe into the Ditch

While this work is occurring the northern most pond at the golf course is being pumped to keep the water levels low to make installation of the pipe upstream easier.  Once the pipe work is done the pumping will cease.

Moving forward work will continue on the ponds south of the golf course and the pipe work going north.  The contractor expects the pipe work to take another two weeks to complete pending weather.  Work will then most likely move north of the railroad tracks and progress north from there.  Work in and around the subdivision of Rose, Tulip, and Violet Lanes is still planned toward the end of the project and at this point is several weeks out.

Rain Gives Way Finally ? Project Schedule Update

It's been awhile since the last blog post but the weather hasn't been the best for seeing major gains on construction work the last week or so - we are hoping the weather is looking up for the upcoming week or so to get the golf course work finished up.

Lundell and their sub-contractors are working on the finishing touches at the golf course.  The sub-contractor for the concrete work has been working on pouring the concrete for the golf cart paths late last week and early this week.

Crews pour the southern most cart path.

Crews poured the southern most cart path by hand on Tuesday, June 11th as the ground was too wet to get trucks in which would have caused more damage to the course.

The main path between the #1 hole and the #9 hole was placed last week and is shown below.

The main cart path between holes 1 and 9.

While the concrete contractor was busy with the cart paths the prime contractor, Lundell Construction has been working on the other ponds starting this week with the excavation of the ponds to the south of the condo property.  They have found a high water table in this area which is to be expected as the area is old dredge fill and these ponds will be wet ponds and maintain water at the level of the lake most of the time.

Excavation begins on the southern most ponds of the project.

Moving forward the contractor is three (3) weeks behind schedule primarily due to the weather and wet conditions.  Thus the contractor is hoping to start work on stages 4 & 5 which includes pipe work between HWY 7 and the Railroad tracks on June 24th.  The far northern portions of the project, those around Rose, Tulip, and Violet Lane, appear to be scheduled for starting around mid to late July 2013.

Finally, yesterday we had the great privilege of presenting all the great projects that are going on in Storm Lake, including the East Central and North Central Storm Water Projects to the Director and Deputy Director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  These projects while providing much needed relief to residents and property owners who experience flooding conditions are also critical to the preservation of Lake Storm Lake by implementing innovative storm water practices to help clean and filter storm water before out letting the water into Storm Lake.

City Manager Jim Patrick presents City projects to Director Gipp and  Deputy Director Trautman.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and State of Iowa continue to be key partners in the restoration and preservation of Lake Storm Lake with the City of Storm Lake, City of Lakeside, Buena Vista County, and private citizens something that we are very grateful for.  Opportunities like yesterday's are a good way to highlight the ways are partnerships are strong and how the citizens of this community are committed to the long term preservation of the natural resources we enjoy.

Golf Course Work Nearing Completion

Among all the rain drops Lundell Construction continues to move forward on the East Central Project.  It's been a while since I updated so we'll a lot of updates here.  Lots of pictures with this update!

First a note of caution:  Golfers should note that in the area of work being done the bare ground where work has been done is very muddy following rain events especially heavy rain events.  Please use caution when trying to pass in those areas and use the available gravel cart path between the two ponds and holes #1 and #9 for crossing the project area.

Work is getting close to complete on the golf course but the weather will still play a major role in the progress and the final timing of the work and when the contractor can move off site.  With the upcoming week looking very wet it is possible that the project will not see much progress this holiday shorten week.

Lundell was doing finishing touches last week to the major earth work parts of the golf course work (Phase 1) touching up the berms on the north and south sides of hole #9 and finishing up the final grading on the two ponds.  That work is now finished.

Contractor working on finishing up the berms on Hole #9

Shot of Hole #9 looking east with the berms to the side and the pond .

On Thursday the contractor installed the iron filings in the southern pond.  The filings will help reduce the phosphorous that comes off the golf course.  In the following picture you can see the product being used.

Photo of the iron filings

The filings were mixed with sand in a small cut our area of the east side of the pond shown in the picture below.  In that picture the contractor is filling the pocket area with sand prior to putting the filings on top.

Contractor putting down the first layer of sand

Once the sand was in place they placed a thin layer of the iron filings over the top.  The filings and sand were placed in two lifts or sections with each section being blended together.

Spreading the iron filings on top of the first layer of sand.

Once the filings were in place they used a tractor to till the filings into the sand and then a second layer was placed down with a final two inch layer of sand on the top.

Tilling the filings into the sand layers

The area will be playable must like a sand trap with the iron filings below the top layer of sand.  Water from the course draining to the west will filter into the sand area and filter the water before running into the pond.  Additionally, during heavy rain events the pond will fill up and the top layer of the pond will spill over into the sand area filtering that water as well.  The sand, iron filings area was built with a border on it to prevent the sand and iron filings from slipping back into the pond.

Since our last update the contractor also had their sub contractor in Storm Lake to work on the second bore under the railroad tracks.

The survey crew from the project engineers, Bolton & Menk were also in town this past week marking the areas for the cart paths.  The contractor then cut in the middle cart part (the path between holes #1 and #9) on Thursday.  Golfers are encouraged to use this route and this route only to cross the construction area for the time being especially following rain events when the other dirt areas will be muddy and impassable.

Survey crew marking out the cart paths

So what's left on the project?  The sub-contractors for seeding and plantings will be in (weather pending) this next week (May 28th - 31st) to seed the golf course and plant the plants in the ponds.  City crews will be installing the water lines through the project area and the sub-contractor for the paving will be in to pave the cart paths.  Once those tasks are complete the contractor will be ready to move on to another area of the project.

At the present time we anticipate the contractor to move to the north of the project area and start the digging out of the ponds north of the railroad tracks through the old abandoned railroad right-of-way that the City owns moving north to East 4th Street.  They are going to move there prior to digging the ponds in front of the condo area due to equipment availability.  We don't anticipate any construction to take place in the housing sub-division area or between the railroad tracks and HWY 7 until the pipe crew is back onsite.

Cleaning Stormwater Through Iron Filtration

Phosphorus pollution is the primary cause of algae blooms in lakes.  In addition to being unsightly, severe algae growth can deplete the oxygen levels in the lake and seriously affect fish health.  In severe cases, extreme algae growth can give rise to the toxic bluegreen algae that has been known to kill pets that drink the tainted water.

The storm water runoff that enters catch basins and storm sewer pipes has been shown to carry phosphorous laden sediment as well as soluble phosphorus.  The recent construction through the Storm Lake Golf Course includes storm water ponds that are designed to capture and effectively remove the sediment borne phosphorous.  However, research shows that dissolved phosphorous constitutes approximately 45% of the total load carried by storm water runoff.  Therefore, innovative stormwater treatment practices are necessary to fully protect Storm Lake from significant, and costly, water quality problems for future generations.   

A relatively recent advancement in the removal of dissolved phosphorus from urban stormwater is Iron Enhanced Sand Filtration.  While applications of the iron filter continue to progress with continued popularity, they are typically used in overflow areas of traditional stormwater ponds.  As stormwater flows into the pond, the water surface rises into the iron filter area and trickles down through the sand.  The filtration medium contains approximately 5% iron filings by weight and is mixed into the sand medium prior to placement in the filtration area.  In between rainfall events, the iron will rust which creates an ideal condition for phosphorus to absorb.  The iron continues to break down and rust over time, creating new sites for phosphorus absorption.  The East Area Water Quality project includes an iron enhanced filtration “bench”, integrated into a sand trap area, in one of the golf course ponds that filters stormwater runoff from much of the east side of Storm Lake.  Construction of this "bench" has been completed and the iron filings will be incorporated into the bench in the upcoming week.

Weather Continues to Be Biggest Challenge

The weather continues to be the biggest challenge with snow last week and rain this week the project contractor continues to work around the weather.  Regardless progress is still strong and things continue to progress.

Before we get to far into the happens over the last few days I want to take a minute to comment on timeline for the project.  Obviously the weather is impacting the project schedule to a good degree.

The primary focus of the contractor continues to be the ponds and piping in the Sunrise Pointe Golf Course area.  We would anticipate that to continue for the next couple of weeks weather depending in an effort to get the course back to normal as soon as possible.  Another reason for this area being the priority is that before the contractor can install piping and systems near the problem area they have to be ready to move the water that is collected to the north or they will just cause further flooding problems.

We do know that the contractor is doing everything possible to get back on schedule to try and ensure a timely completion of the golf course work.  In that light they are planning to do some work on the course on Saturdays over the next couple of weeks.  This could impact play on the course and we would encourage golfers to be alert to the contractors equipment and to play accordingly during the construction.  We do apologize for the impacts and construction but hope that the long term benefits both for the residents who will see flooding relief and the golfers will be worth the minor inconvenience.

There was some marking and locating of utilities in the neighborhood around the East 4th Street portion of the project which may lead to the belief that work will be starting in that part of the project soon. Those markings are not directly associated with the project.  Alliant Energy will be relocating a gas main in the area starting later this week or next to move it out of the way of the project's underground piping.

We are working on an updated schedule which we'll update here on the blog in the upcoming days.

The contractor has finished the the rough work on the two ponds at the Golf Course and is working on the finishing work at this point.  Here are a few pictures of the finished ponds as of May 7, 2013.

Pond in front of #9 Green.

Pond in front of #1 Tee Boxes with final grading occurring.

Work also continues to progress on the shaping of the berms on either side of the #9 Fairway as shown in the photo below:

Crews moving and shaping dirt on the berms around the #9 fairway.

Also occurring this week the Street Department staff installed two project signs at key points in the project area, one at the Sunrise Pointe Golf Course and one at the entrance to the residential sub-division. These signs contain a QR Code which visitors and residents can scan with their smart phone using a QR Reader (many are available and free to download and use).  When the code is scanned on the smart phone or tablet it will automatically take the user to our project web page where they can learn more about the project and/or read this blog!  If you see the sign check it out!

Project sign with the QR Code at the Sunrise Pointe Golf Course.

Thanks to the Street Department for getting these signs installed!

KCAU TV Spotlights Project

Thanks to KCAU TV in Sioux City for coming over today and spotlighting the East Central Storm Water Project.  The story was shown on the 6:00PM news tonight and is available on their web page - you can view the video of the story here:

Storm Lake Takes Steps Against Severe Street Flooding

Work continues to move forward with the weather providing a break from rain and snow Lundell Construction is working hard to make lots of progress while the weather is good.

Crews were busy working today on the manhole on the north side of the HWY 7 and also on digging out the first pond at the Sunrise Pointe Golf Course.

Work will continue with the shaping of the pond and then the digging and shaping of the second pond which will contain the iron filling sand mixture that will remove phosphorous from the water prior to the water out letting into Lake Storm Lake.

We'll try to add some more pictures on the project tomorrow.

Rain, Rain, and more Rain

Progress was moving forward on the East Central project through the early days of this week but with all the moisture progress has ground to a stand still, giving me a few minutes to get caught up on blog entries.

Before we get caught up on the project I want to take a minute to review why we are doing the project.  With all the rain in the past couple of days water is backing up on Tulip Lane causing residents problems accessing their driveways and homes.

Tulip Lane Water Build Up April 17th

There are a couple reasons for the backups the first is the inability of the existing storm water collection system to pick up the amount of rain and runoff that is existing in the area from minor to major events.  The system that is present is nothing more than a slightly enhance field tile drainage system that was never intended to handle the amount of run off from an urban section such as what is built there now.

The second reason is the amount of debris and trash that collects in this area.  City crews have been out to the Tulip Lane area several times over the past few days and cleaned out clogs in the intakes that are due to the accumulation of trash and debris getting washed into the intakes and collection system.  Once clogged the water that had a slow route out ends up with NO route out.  Residents in the area can help this second issue by picking up garbage and ensuring that grass and leaves don't get into the street and to the intakes.

So in summary two issues here 1. limited capacity in the existing system and 2. garbage and debris blocking the limited capacity.  The solution to the first issue is on the way through this project.  Capacity will be greatly enhanced and the water will be cleaned through the enhance collection process.  The solution to the second problem could still cause problems in the future if we all don't do our part to help keep the intakes clean.  Remember that pop bottle that gets washed down will block the system or eventually end up in the lake - neither option is something we want to achieve.

Now back to the project . . .

As we have talked about previously the only way to work the project is to focus on the southern portion of the project first so that as we get to the areas like Tulip Lane where massive amounts of water are waiting to be collected and moved we have the systems in place below to handle them and clean the water prior to out letting it into the lake.  Thus the majority of the work on the project is focus right now around the golf course where the major holding ponds will be located.

Work on Monday continued to build the structures that are on either side of the HWY 7 bore.

Manhole on South side of HWY 7 where other storm water pipes join prior to going into the ponds in the golf course.

The picture above shows the new manhole installed on the south side of HWY 7 with the joining locations for the other storm water lines coming in.  The manhole is connected at the bottom to the line that was bored in last week and that will bring water in from the areas to the north once everything is connected.  The smaller lines coming in from the east and west are lines that bring in storm water collected along the HWY 7/East Lakeshore Drive road through the existing rain gardens.

Prior to the manhole being installed you could see as shown in the picture below the pipe that was bored into place under the road.

The south side of the storm water pipe that was bored into place.

Crews from Lundell were also preparing to start work on the ponds in the golf course.  Prior to digging the ponds they had to prepare an area for placement of the dirt they were going to excavate.  In our plan that dirt will help form some additional berms on the course.  To prevent run off from the piles as they build them they started by installing silt fence which is actually dug into the ground around the areas where the berms will be built.

Crews install Silt Fence

The next step was to pull off the top layer of black dirt on the existing area which will be reserved for placement back on top to provide a good fertile soil for the grass to grow.

Crews removing black dirt from the existing course where the new berms will be placed.

The contractor is hopeful that if we can get a week to a week and a half of good weather they can get the ponds on the golf course dug and established and the berms in place.  The key being good weather and even though the rain may not be falling after the amount that we have had and with more on the way it could take some time to dry the area out before work can resume.