(Spirit Lake)– While today’s (Tues.) rain is very welcome, some will say the timing isn’t very good. That’s the case if you’re affiliated in any way with the Bedell Family YMCA or if you live along one of several streets in southwest Spirit Lake under construction.
Today’s heavy rains have turned those torn up roads into quagmires.
Paving on 41st Street between Highway 71 and the Y was to resume this (Tues.) morning, but the rain made that impossible. Another road that runs north-south on the east side of the YMCA, Sunner Avenue, is also closed due to construction…leaving the facility landlocked. Because of that the YMCA was forced to close today (Tuesday) and spokesman Leo Kofoot says they will be closed again Wednesday. He says the situation is very frustrating not only for him and the 50 or so people who work full or part-time at the Y, but also for its patrons. An elderly woman got stuck in the mud trying to get there this (Tues.) morning.
Engineers and contractors met today (Tues.) to talk about the situation and possible options to get temporary access in and out of the YMCA. One option is to put down some large aggregate at an estimated cost of 25-thousand dollars. Even then, engineers say that probably won’t work either as it will just sink into the mud if it keeps raining. They’ll wait to see what the weather brings overnight before deciding whether or not to do that.
In the meantime, the Bedell Family YMCA remains closed through Wednesday atleast.
