WJJQ LOCAL NEWS
City of Tomahawk Common Council special meeting
THE COMMON COUNCIL FOR THE CITY OF TOMAHAWK HELD A SPECIAL MEETING ON WEDNESDAY EVENING TO TALK ABOUT THE VETERANS MEMORIAL BRIDGE - NORTH 4TH STREET RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT. THE COUNCIL FOLLOWED THE LEAD OF BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND APPROVED THE PLAN TO MOVE UP THE PROJECT BY ONE YEAR TO BEGIN IN THE FALL OF 2010.
THE APPROVAL INCLUDED THE VOTE THAT THE BRIDGE - 4TH STREET PROJECT BE DONE TOGETHER. COUNCIL MEMBER BRUCE HETZEL WAS THE LONE NO VOTE, HETZEL FELT THE COUNCIL HAS NOT SEEN ANY PLANS YET AND DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE VOTING IN FAVOR OF. MAYOR BOB LEE STATED THE COUNCIL WOULD HAVE THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS WHEN THE PLANS ARE SUBMITTED BY THE STATE.
IN OTHER DISCUSSION, MIKE TOLVSTAD, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, TOLD THE COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE THAT THE BRIDGE DESIGN NEEDS TO BE DONE FIRST WITH THE UTILITY DESIGN TO FOLLOW. THE CURRENT BRIDGE IS THE CONDUIT FOR THE UTILITIES (SEWER, WATER, CABLE, POWER AND PHONE) GETTING FROM ONE SIDE OF THE RIVER TO THE NEXT. BRIDGE DEMOLITION CANNOT BEGIN UNTIL THOSE UTILITIES ARE RELOCATED. BOTH W.P.S AND CHARTER HAVE ATTEMPTED TO BORE UNDER THE RIVER AND HAVE FAILED. TOLVSTAD SAID SOME OPTIONS INCLUDE CONDUIT DREDGING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER, USING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE HIAWATHA TRAIL TRESSLE BRIDGE OR WIEGHTING DOWN A CONDUIT ON THE RIVER BOTTOM. DISCUSSION ON ALL OF THESE IDEAS WILL CONTINUE AS THE DESIGN PROGRESSES.
CONSTRUCTION ON THE 5 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT WILL BEGIN AFTER THE FALL RIDE NEXT YEAR WITH BRIDGE COMPLETION IN THE SPRING OF 2011 WHILE THE NORTH 4TH STREET CONSTRUCTION TO THE HIGHWAY “A” INTERSECTION COMPLETED BY FALL OF 2011. TOLVSTAD DID MENTION THAT UTILITY WORK WOULD BEGIN NEXT SUMMER IN PREPRATION FOR TEARING DOWN THE BRIDGE.
THE STATE D.O.T. IS PLANNING AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING FOR THURSDAY NIGHT SEPTEMBER 10TH AT SARA PARK TO REVIEW PLANS FOR THE PROJECT.
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