By Brandon Bennett |STURGIS|
The Sturgis City Council heard a department update from Public Works Director Rick Bush at its meeting June 1 about all the capital improvement projects going or coming up.
Bush opened the ball.
“These projects are focused on maintaining essential services, addressing aging infrastructure, improving public safety and basically improving quality of life for residents,” he said. He began with projects that have been completed like water and waste water management. Well No. 8 is a $5 million project that is 1,400 feet into the Madison aquifer that produces 460 gallons of water a minute.
The North trunk sewer line is a $10.3 million project that includes a line out to Avalanche Road, the Dudley Street sewer replacement and the CIPP project.
Silver Street reconstruction included the water lines, curb and gutter and asphalt. The cost of the work was around $440,000.
Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure hasn’t been left out of the plan, The Vanocker bike path project was completed a couple of years ago and the Highway 14A bike path is scheduled for 2027 and will run from Short Track Road and will continue to the mobile home parks.
The project is estimated at $1.5 million and the city’s share of that is $360,000. It is designed to reduce the need to cross Lazelle Street. So the path will be south of Lazelle.
The Moose Drive bike path is anticipated to cost about $600,000 and will cost the city $120,000 for its match.
Street projects in the pipe include Otter Road improvement project from Otter to Vanocker Road to the creek crossing over to Racoon Road to the tune of $885,000.
Avalanche Road is on the radar for asphalt paving after Harvest Meadows development is completed. Developers will have three lanes to the turnoff and the city will take care of Avalanche up to the rubble site. “They will help with maintenance and dust mitigation and we’ve had to lay down dust control and that runs $11,000 a time, additionally, we’ve already had to blade the road several times this year. Paving will decrease the need for both,” he said.
Traffic signals at Ball Park and Junction will be improved on, as well as Douglas and Junction. That will be $ 270,000 for that.
Total reconstruction of Moose Drive in 2027 is one of the bigger projects on the horizon and will be piggybacked onto the bike path project and will have storm sewer, curb and gutter and asphalt paving and is $1.2 million. Normal street projects will also be included to maintain city roadways. And yes potholes will be mitigated. Municipal Airport improvements are planned, with parallel runways being constructed and terminal renovations.
The snow removal equipment was approved by the council and is $425,000 scheduled to be here in 2027.
Public facilities are not left out, with roof repairs on the community center and city hall being done and HVAC repairs and work at the liquor store as well.
Lions Club Pond Improvements are beginning this week. Bush stressed these projects are made possible by partnerships with state and federal agencies like FEMA, FAA, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks and The South Dakota Department of Transportation.
“Tens of millions of dollars are made available through these partnerships, to help maintain our streets, infrastructure, safety measures and general quality of life for residents. Most assistance comes with an 80 percent share from the agencies with the city working with the state as well,” he said.
