CITY OF GRANT
WASHINGTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA
 

WHEREAS, the City of Grant provides a variety of services pertaining to the maintenance and improvement of streets and roads within its jurisdiction; and,

  WHEREAS, the City of Grant and many of its citizens wish for a clarification of the City's road maintenance policies both for budgeting purposes and for general information.

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Grant that the following General Road Maintenance Policies be adopted:

I. General Road Maintenance

General (or "Routine") Road Maintenance:  Road maintenance services that are determined to be of general benefit to the City at large.

A. Brushing: Brush shall be removed from the rights-of-way of city streets and roads as determined to be necessary.

B. Culverts: Roadway culverts shall be cleaned and/or replaced as determined to be necessary. Culverts underneath private driveways shall be maintained by individual property owners.

C. Ditches: Ditches will be cleaned and obstructions removed as determined to be necessary.

D. Grading: All gravel arterial and collector streets and roads will be graded (weather permitting) as determined to be necessary.

E. Graveling. Gravel shall be placed on a portion of the total mileage of city streets and roads during each year as determined to be necessary.

F. Guard Rails. Guardrails shall be placed and maintained along city streets and roads as determined to be necessary.

G. Crack Sealing: This process includes filling cracks in the pavement with a sealant to minimize pavement damage associated with freeze-thaw of the road base. Crack sealing will be completed as determined to be necessary. Generally, crack sealing is completed one year prior to seal coating.
 
 H. Seal Coat: This process includes placement of liquid asphalt on existing paved roadways, followed by placement of fine aggregate. This process results in the sealing of fine cracks, and provides a roughened surface for improved traction. Blacktopped streets and roads will be seal coated as determined to be necessary. Generally, roadways are sealcoated every seven to ten years, depending on need.

 I. Signage:  New and/or replacement signage shall be installed as determined to be necessary.

 J. Snowplowing and Ice Control: Snow plowing and ice control will be completed according to the following guidelines:

1. Dispatching of Snowplows: The City's supervisor in charge of streets and roads directs pursuant to the standards in this policy, that the Washington County Public Works Department begins snow or ice control operations when the following criteria have been met:

a. snow accumulation of three inches or more;
b. drifting of snow that causes problems for travel;
c. icy conditions which seriously affect travel;
d. time of snowfalls in relationship to heavy use of streets.

Snow and ice control operations are expensive and involve the use of limited personnel and equipment.  Consequently, snow plowing operations will not generally be conducted for snowfalls of less than three inches unless other adverse conditions exist. Further, snowplows are usually not dispatched until a snowfall has stopped.  During extended periods of snowfalls, however, exceptions may be made. Snowplows will not be sent out in situations that may be hazardous due to restricted visibility.

2. Operations: Snow will be plowed in a manner so as to minimize any traffic obstructions. The center of the roadway will be plowed first. The snow shall then be pushed from left to right. The discharge shall go onto the adjoining right-of-way areas of the roadway. In times of extreme snowfall, roadways will not always immediately be completely cleared of snow, nor will the City sand entire sections of roadway. Users of City roadways are reminded to exercise caution and drive with care, which may include traveling slower than the posted speed limit.
 3. Personal Properties:  Mailboxes and fences damaged during snow removal will be evaluated case by case. Only those mailboxes and fences that were properly located and installed, and which were damaged by actual contact with township equipment will be repaired at City expense.

City residents are reminded not to plow from driveways onto or across public roads. Piles of snow left on or near the road can freeze into a solid mass creating hazardous situations for vehicles and snowplows. Accidents and damages caused by snow piles places in the roadway may result in liability to the property owner. Piles of snow increase the chance of drifting snow onto the roadway. City residents are also reminded to remove parked vehicles fro~ roadways to assist in snow removal.

When directed by the supervisor in charge of roads, the Mayor, or the Sheriff's department of the City will make an emergency plowing effort through private property. No other plowing of private property will be allowed. (Life threatening situations are the exceptions.)

4. Use of Sand, Salt and Other Chemicals: The City will use sand, salt and other chemicals when there are hazardous ice or slippery conditions. The City is concerned about the effect of such chemicals on the environment and will limit its use for that reason.

5. Development Roadways: The City will not perform snowplowing or ice control operations on roadways located within development areas that are not occupied with residents. The City will commence snow plowing within development areas once the first Certificate of Occupancy has been issued.

K Shouldering:  Gravel will be added to shoulder areas and graded as deemed necessary.

L. Litter: Litter within the right-of-way such as trash is generally removed as part of the citywide clean-up day.

M. Mowing: Mowing of areas adjacent to roadways will be completed on an as-needed basis.

N. Treadways: Treadways will not be maintained except to the extent that they are part of the shouldering item listed above.
 0. Other: Other general road maintenance services may be determined to be general (or "routine") in nature and conducted as determined to be necessary and as authorized by the City's Road Supervisor.

P. Financing:  General (or "routine") road maintenance services will be financed from the City's Road and Bridge Budget as approved by the City Council. It is the preference of the City of Grant that these services are not financed from special assessments.

2. Extraordinary Road Maintenance: Any road maintenance service not defined as a general (or "routine") road maintenance is hereby defined as an Extraordinary Road Maintenance and/or Improvement Project. Included here are overlays, total reconstruction, or pavmg of existing gravel by property owners through a petition process. These are projects which are determined to primarily, if not exclusively, benefit property adjacent to the area of the improvement. 100 percent of the cost of these projects will be assessed. These projects include but are not limited to, the following:

A. Overlay  This process includes placing a new layer of pavement on top of an existing paved surface.

B. Pave Existing Gravel -~ This process includes grading and widening of the existing gravel surface to City standards. Additional gravel will be to placed, and the roadway will be paved. Minor drainage improvements will be completed where warranted.
 
 

C. Pulverizing - This process consists of reverting an existing paved roadway to a gravel roadway by grinding the pavement in place and mixing it with existing gravel.  Pulverizing shall be conducted upon request of adjacent landowners or authorization by the City Council.

D. Total Reconstruction   This process involves removing the existing roadway pavement, grading the roadway to City standards, and placing new aggregate base and bituminous.  As part of total reconstruction projects, drainage improvements such as culvert placement or replacement and construction of ditches will be completed.  Total reconstruction projects will be completed as requested or necessary.

E. Calcium Chloride: Calcium chloride will be placed on roadways as a dust control measure as requested by property owners as part of a petition process. The cost of the calcium chloride must be paid in advance of placement.
 F. Financing:  It is the policy of the City of Grant to finance all Extraordinary Maintenance by means of assessments upon property benefited by the improvement under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 429. Assessments are calculated based on the City's assessment policy.

3. Assignment of Responsibilities

A. Inspection:  City streets and roads will be inspected with respect to routine maintenance items as determined by the City's Road Supervisor and/or City Engineer, and under the constraints of the available Road and Bridge line item budget approved by the City Council.

The City's Commissioner of Roads, with the advice of the City Engineer and/or other representative(s) of the City of Grant, will determine what road maintenance services are needed, on which city streets and roads they are needed, and in what priority.

The City's Commissioner of Roads shall regularly inform the City Council as to any and all decisions arising from their responsibilities by providing a schedule of maintenance services authorized.  Said schedule of maintenance services authorized shall be available to the citizens of Grant through the City Clerk.

B. Driveways: All proposed new driveway connections to City roadways will require a permit from the City. Permits shall be reviewed by the City's Building Inspector or designee with assistance from the City Engineer upon request.

4. Effective Date

A. These policies are effective from and after the date of their adoption unless repealed or amended by further action of the City Council of the City of Grant.
 
WHEREUPON, a vote being taken upon the resolution, the following members voted in favor: Erichson, Welander, Magadance, Gagnon. The following voted against: Weed.
 

2000.
WHEREUPON, said resolution was declared duly passed this11th day of July, 2000.

(signed)
Gary Erichson, Mayor

(signed)
Stephanie Marty, City Clerk