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Friday, June 18, 1999
By KREMENA TODOROVA Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM - The major city projects underway this construction season are progressing according to schedule, City Engineer Steve Koehler said recently. Despite a rainy weather, projects such as Center Street rebuilding and upgrades to Harman Park will be finished this fall, and stay within budget, Koehler said. Construction crews have completed removals, and installed underground utilities in all but one block in the section of Center Street under construction, between Broadway and Garden Streets, said Koehler. The street is being rebuilt in phases, and construction between Garden Street and Summit Avenue took place in 1998. The project carries a total price tag of $2.2 million, not counting $240,000 for lighting. While some paving is being done in June, the road's concrete surface will not be in place until late August. Elements like putting in curb and gutter and street lights remain to be finished, and part of the landscaping may take as late as September to complete. The project completion date is Oct.2, and Koehler says this target will be met. Progress in Harman Park, a $400,000 project, includes stripping top soil and grading the two hockey rinks. Crews still have to finish re-doing the softball field (by Sept. 30), paving the rinks and putting in sodding and lights. Another much publicized project, a proposed baseball field at the former American Artstone site, is still at the stage of finalizing designs. This project is funded with a private donation of $500,000, but the city is paying for site preparation and some engineering, an over $100,000 cost. When completed, the designs and cost estimates will be submitted to the private donor for approval, said Koehler. "We hope to be ready for bids in September," he said. "In the meantime we've done some filling, and some other material has been brought in."
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