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City Of Okoboji Scaling Back Stoplight Pole Replacement Project

October 13, 2021 Steve Schwaller

(Okoboji)– A project to replace rusty stoplight standards in Okoboji is being scaled back. The city council Tuesday evening voted to do the replacement at just three of the four intersections where the stoplights are located, leaving out the set at 175th Street. City Administrator Michael Meyers says it will cut down on the cost of the project…

“Only three of those four intersections are actually within the scope of the Iowa D.O.T project. Part of the whole reason we’re talking about this is so we can kind of piggy back with the Iowa D.O.T project and we’ll get the benefit of some financing options with the Iowa D.O.T. With the exclusion of 175th which is not within that scope, we’re going to save the city some money on the Iowa D.O.T portion of it and just focus on what is within the scope of that particular project.”

Meyers says it will lower the cost from the original estimate of $1.2 million to about $700,000. He says the city would use local option sales tax money to pay for it. Meyers says they also received an important clarification from the D.O.T over another concern they had related to the D.O.T being in charge of bidding the work…

“We did get clarification from Iowa D.O.T staff that in the event that the cost is beyond our expectation we do have the ability to cancel out of the contract, which is important.”

On another highway related matter, the council directed city staff to continue working with the city of Arnolds Park on a proposal to replace what is currently grass between the curb and highway to some sort of pavers. Meyers says it would improve aesthetics along the corridor…

“We’d like to look at replacing it with pavers from basically the bridge to the intersection of Sanborn Avenue where Kum ‘n Go is. We’re sort of working in conjunction with the city of Arnolds Park here in trying to make a more cohesive, aesthetically pleasing corridor, as part of the highway project.”

Meyers says Okoboji’s share of the cost of that project is estimated at roughly $180,000.

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