(Arnolds Park)– The Arnolds Park city council voted four-to-one Wednesday evening to direct engineers on the Sawmill Bridgek project (on Rohr Street between Upper Gar and Lake Minnewashta) to study the impacts of a bridge that would have up to 10-feet 6-inches of clearance with no appreciable change in the navigational channel.
Preliminary plans submitted to the DNR call for an eight-foot six-inch clearance.
But several who spoke at Wednesday evening’s meeting contend that isn’t high enough…especially during times of high water. They urged the council to direct the engineer to put together options on a higher structure with more clearance. They expressed concern over the ability to navigate the channel on a consistent basis, along with the fire boat.
Not all who spoke at the meeting are in favor of a taller bridge, though. An Arnolds Park police officer said the additional grade that would be needed for such a structure could cause visibility problems for people backing out of driveways in that area. And a resident who lives in the area expressed concern over aesthetics.
The motion directing engineers to come back with an impact study for a design with up to a 10-foot six-inch clearance followed two others that died due to the lack of a second. One was for up to 10 feet while the other was to go with the current proposed design of eight-feet six-inches.
Meanwhile, it was reported time is of the essence in coming up with a final plan. A million dollars, or 80 percent of the cost, is being picked up through federal funds. The city has been granted an extension on those funds until October, meaning final plans need to be completed and submitted for bids by that time. It isn’t certain if any other extensions would be granted.
