Next Up For Hugo?
Ethan Avenue Neighborhood
With construction on the Oakshore Park improvement project getting off the ground during the past month, a push has begun to improve the area directly southwest of Oakshore Park - the Ethan Avenue neighborhood, which includes homes along Ethan, Everton Avenue, and 122nd Street on the eastern shore of Bald Eagle Lake in Hugo.
"The Ethan improvements tie in very nicely with the Oakshore Park project and really push us to get this [area] improved," said Public Works Director Chris Petree when reached for comment after the July 16 meeting of the Hugo City Council.
The new push has come on the heels of a June 26 neighborhood meeting, where residents expressed interest in having the city improve the public streets and utilities in the neighborhood.
The city now wants Ethan Avenue residents to present the city with a formal petition specifying exactly what types of improvements residents want.
"For [the residents] to come forward with a request for the improvements gives [the city] a reason to move forward. Personally, I would really like to see a petition," said Mayor Fran Miron.
Asked why the city feels that a petition is so crucial, Ward 1 Council Member Becky Petryk, who represents the area, said that "the council very much wants to hear what the residents want and do not want, because the city is interested in a cooperative project . we do not want to force anything on anyone.
"Do [the residents] want just the road resurfaced, or do they want sewer, water, and road?" she added. City Administrator Mike Ericson said that the city considers improvement petitions when at least one-third of affected residents sign on.
"The council really wants to have a formal document from the residents, [as that] formalizes their offcial interest in the improvements," he said. Although there is some uncertainty as to how interested Ethan Avenue area residents are in the installation of city sewer and water, city staff members believe there is widespread support for the reconstruction and/or repaving of the streets.
"Ethan is the city street that is in the poorest condition in the entire city, and there isn't anybody on that street that would disagree with that," Ericson said.
Public Works Director Petree said that Ethan Avenue has been given the worst possible rating every year in the city's annual Pavement Condition Index, which has been compiled since 2000.
"[A poor rating] means that the pavement is in failing condition and needs resurfacing or reconstruction," he said.
Petree cited the narrowness of the winding road and the road's thick tree canopy as reasons why road improvements haven't already happened.
"The council . doesn't like to assess residents," he said, which also explains why the city would prefer a petition from the residents requesting the improvements.
Cities are oft en reluctant to improve streets without the installation of water and sewer, because with proper maintenance, new asphalt streets can last for 30-40 years - and no city wants to rip up a perfectly good road to install pipes beneath it. Forty years is a long time to wait for municipal sewer and water, especially in the case of a failing septic system.
Petryk said that she hasn't heard of any private septic systems in the area failing, but she did note that the Rice Creek Watershed District recommends that lakeshore areas such as the Ethan Avenue neighborhood be served by public sewer and water systems.
"[The RCWD] would like to see [private] septic systems gone from around the lake. It becomes an issue if you have a septic system that isn't functioning properly, because you don't want seepage into the lake," she said.
Petryk went on to say that city staff will be contacting residents in the area both to determine what improvements are desired and to give residents an estimation of how much the project might cost.
"With the fresh numbers from the Oakshore Park project, the people should have an idea of what these improvements would cost," said Petryk, who estimated that approximately forty lots in the area would be aff ected by the improvements.
During the council's July 16 discussion of the issue, City Engineer Jay Kennedy said that after the scope of the improvements are determined, the city is planning to hold a public meeting with aff ected residents this fall. If all goes according to plan, he said, construction on the improvements could begin next year.