2019-2023 Capital Improvement Project
This Project is 95% complete we will finish up the summer of 2022! Assessments will come out in 2023 after the Engineer has completed his determination of each home-owners property assessment. If you want to report any yard damage, sink-age, etc. please contact City Hall by July 30, 2022
In 2023, the city will begin to replace sidewalks along 1st street, as well as install a new trail and replace existing sections of sidewalk along Jefferson Avenue and Madison Avenue.
The purpose of this project is to:
- Increase the city's firefighting capabilities, by the increased size of the water mains.
- Address potential health concerns, by replacing cast-iron water lines and the clay ductile sewer mains with new PVC pipe.
- Improve the communities resiliency against future water and sewer main breaks.
- Reconstruct various streets, which have exceeded their useful life.
The city will need to assess those properties that will benefit from the improvement. A copy of the city's special assessment policy is attached in the below documents. Property owners who will receive a benefit from this improvement project received a letter inviting them to attend an improvement hearing that was held on Monday, October 15, 2018 at 6:00 pm at the Mahnomen Public School auditorium and cafeteria.
For additional information please contact City Administrator Mitch Berg at 218-935-2573 or by email at cityadmin@arvig.net and please check back on this website for any additional information.
Questions and Answers
Why are we doing this project?
In the 2009 Comprehensive Plan the city identified the need to make water main and sewer improvements to certain portions of the city, including but not limited to: First Street, Railway Street; Jefferson Avenue; Copper City; Washington Avenue; and Grant Avenue. In 2013 the city completed it's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) which identified additional areas for water main and sewer improvements. Furthermore, in 2015 the city completed an extensive televising of the city's sewer mains and found additional areas where sewer main improvements were necessary.
Why are we doing this all at the same time?
The city was going to do this project in three phases, but in order to get a better bid price staff recommended and council agreed to quote the project all together. The project is still anticipated to take up to 3-4 years to complete beginning in 2019 and ending in 2023.
If I'm assessed how much could I be assessed?
While, the city is still calculating the amounts property owners will be assessed, the city estimates the average range of a residential assessment to be between $3,000 to $11,000. The city is contemplating extending certain portions of the assessment out beyond the typical 20 year assessment period, in order to keep the annual payments within the range of how much people paid for in the 2000 and 2008 capital improvement projects.
Click here to view a map of the work that is to be done, along with what you may be assessed.
To determine the estimated cost of your assessment, the city is asking you to use the following cost estimates below:
- $3,500 for the sanitary sewer assessment
- $3,500 for the water assessment
- $60 per linear feet for the street assessment (e.g. so for a 50 foot lot the total = $3,000)
Why are all of the assessments different?
To reduce the scope of the project, the city will be "lining" certain sections of the sewer main instead completing a full sewer main replacement. This will enable the city NOT to assess those benefiting property owners the cost of a new sewer connection.
However, if the city is replacing the watermain and lining the sewermain, the city MAY be replacing the water service connections, resulting in an assessment for both water and sewer (and possibly street). In addition, since a lining of the sewer main does not require the city to dig into the street, in certain areas where the streets are in still relatively good condition, those benefiting property owners will NOT be assessed for a street improvement.
Additionally, there may be areas within the city where the sewer main may need to be replaced, but the water main is in good condition and therefore the property owner will NOT be assessed for a new water connection. There are other criteria which may affect how an individual property is assessment, including but not limited to, the amount of lot frontage a property owner owns.
What help can I get if I can't afford the assessment?
It is possible that the city will be able to secure state and federal funding to provide low interest loans and grants to help landlords, low income property owners, and senior citizens cover the cost of their assessments. The city also may offer a deferment program to low income residents, seniors, and families that are in active duty. The city will be reaching out to property owners about this, as the project becomes more finalized.