Weather isn't doing Sanborn Boulevard any favors.
Dell Rapids-based BX Civil and Construction visited with approximately 30 attendees to a forum Tuesday at Mitchell Technical Institute in an effort to answer any questions people might have about the upcoming Sanborn reconstruction project. Although the firm was able to answer all questions, there's one item they can't control.
Nic Auringer, project engineer, said BX planned to kickoff 2018's portion of the Sanborn reconstruction next Monday, but wet weather hasn't been in their favor.
"Hopefully (we'll start) by the first week of April," Auringer said. "It's a week later than we planned on starting, but not many people can control the weather."
In this year's phase of the project, BX will manage a $1.889 million full reconstruction of a portion of the street, which will fully close the roadway from First Avenue to Havens Avenue. Substantial completion is due by July 17, with a $1,500 daily penalty if the work is not completed. The date for final completion is Aug. 16.
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For those businesses and residences along the first phase of the project, Auringer said to expect some utility service disruptions, mainly water service.
Mitchell City Council President Steve Rice was the first to ask a question Tuesday, wondering how much notice residents will be given before their water service is temporarily cut off.
"Will you give 24-hour notice, 48-hour notice?" Rice asked.
Auringer said notice would fall within that window, with the exception of unexpected emergencies.
Some on Tuesday were already looking ahead to the next phase of the project, the scope of which has yet to be decided.
"It's not completely determined by the city when they'll go to bid," said Jeff McCormick, of SPN & Associates.
City Administrator Stephanie Ellwein said those discussions will come prior to the 2019 budget talks, but she acknowledged the Sanborn project is a council priority.
One attendee asked how soon those future phases would be underway, and Ellwein suggested they'd be nearer term projects, not over a "stretch of 7-8 years."
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McCormick said some internal discussions have been held about whether First to 15th avenues could be completed in one phase, two or even three. But those decisions will come through city budget discussions.
Sanborn will be one of two major street projects in Mitchell this year, with the second phase of the Burr Street construction project to focus south of Interstate 90 this summer. The Burr Street project is a South Dakota Department of Transportation project.
