June 23, 2011 at 8:42 a.m.
Study on feasibility of channel given okay
Study on feasibility of channel given okay
The LID directors met June 6 and voted 7-0 to go forward with the preliminary feasibility assessment. The LID major expenses are okayed by the county commissioners.
The channel corridor under review basically cuts alongside the south end of Blue Waters Leisure Park mobile homesites. It would require a new bridge on County Road 20 (North Lakes Trail) north of Lindstrom, for boat traffic using the channel to pass beneath the roadway.
County Commissioner Mike Robinson observed that there's probably no state money coming here for years to help pay for a new bridge. He also said he's heard from people who don't support this connection of North Center and North Lindstrom.
County Water Plan Coordinator Jerry Spetzman said this is long range planning, for sure, but should the new bridge project get funded it "will trigger" the long simmering issue of a channel and the LID was just trying to be prepared.
The study will be done by EOR Inc., the LID's contracted consulting engineering firm.
According to the LID meeting presentation EOR will collect sediment samples in the corridor of the possible channel, do soils profiles and cross section analysis, "reach out" to other permitting authorities and draft a summary memo for the LID Board. The summary will include recommendations on where to proceed with a channel project based on permit requirements and concept design elements. There was no completion date included in the engineering proposal.
Commissioner George McMahon made the motion authorizing the LID's request to spend money for the study. He stressed that just because the information is being researched, it doesn't mean a channel connection will be built. "This just gives us the information on if it works to connect or not," McMahon said.
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