The St. Louis Park community was given a heads up last week that the end of the road – literally – for this season's Pavement Management Project is upon them. According to the latest on the ground report from City of St. Louis Park, MN, they've managed to lay down the final layer of asphalt and wrapped up world in some parts of the project. Residents in phases 1 through 3 can breathe easy with completed roads and fresh sod underfoot. But, as luck would have it, those in phase 4 will have to wait out the winter to see green.
Nature has a way of setting its own schedule, and this year, it has decided to prematurely shut down the construction activities due to inclement weather. With sod installation only partially complete in phase 4, the exposed earth is not to be left to the devices of winter's whims. To temporarily fix the issue, the contractor has taken to spray the bare soil with a hydro mulch which, newsflash, is not a high-end smoothie but a protective concoction sprayed over soil to keep it from vanishing with the wind and water.
In an announcement detailed by Aaron Wiesen, PE, Project Engineer for the City of St. Louis Park, he thanked residents for their patience and cooperation throughout the 2024 Pavement Management Project construction project. Echoing this sentiment was Project Coordinator Tom Leonhardt, both of whom ensured the community that city staff would be diligently monitoring the project area during the off-months, poised to address any problems that might creep up when least expected.
Residents in affected areas are likely to see more of these city workers than snowmen this winter, given the responsibility now placed on the contractor to continuously maintain and correct any soil erosion issues until the sod can finally be laid out in warmer times, come 2025. "The contractor will be responsible for maintenance and any necessary corrections over the winter/spring to prevent soil erosion," assured Wiesen in the project update circulated via govdelivery.com.
And with that, the book closes on this chapter of community development, at least for 2024. The projector's light dims as the team leads, Aaron Wiesen and Tom Leonhardt, promise to reopen the story come spring 2025, aiming to continue to work together with the community to turn the page on this pavement project. Though the updates will cease for the chillier seasons, residents can rest assured the city hasn't put the plot on ice.
