Public Works gearing up for spring

As spring finally puts in an appearance, the City of Sundance is gearing up for the season ahead. Several projects are on the agenda, including replacing the roof at City Hall and fixing a sizeable water leak.

Public Works Director Mac Erickson alerted the council at last week’s meeting to the issue with the roof at City Hall.

According to Erickson, the insurance adjustors concluded there was no damage to the roof after a big hail storm. However, the contractors who came in to fix the roof said the opposite.

It became clear that the insurance company was not likely to pay out on the hail damage, Erickson said.

“Well, now it’s leaking,” he told the council, to the point that – for a while there – it was raining in the office.

Erickson said that four or five holes have been patched up, but the contractors who did the work have highly recommended a new roof.

As and when this replacement goes ahead, Erickson said that the goal will be to install a new air conditioning unit for the building.

Elsewhere on the spring agenda, City Engineers Trihydro are currently working on preparing the scope of work and fee estimate for the Cleveland/3rd Street project for which the city was granted American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The project will fix a major water leak on 3rd Street through which the city estimates that an estimated 50,000 gallons of water is being lost every day.

The work will also include relocating a number of water service taps located on an old four-inch line on Cleveland Street.

This project will include bore and waterline under the creek, said Trihydro’s Karla Greaser at last week’s council meeting, and can hopefully be done in conjunction with replacement of the bridge over the creek at that spot.

The city is aiming to secure WYDOT funding for the bridge replacement. Mayor Paul Brooks stated that the council will be scheduling a public hearing for this project at next month’s regular meeting, and will then hopefully move forward with applying for the money.

Other work on Trihydro’s to-do list, said Greaser, includes updating the city’s GIS to reflect the zoning changes that have been approved by the council over the last few months and also changes to the water system due to completion of the Sundance Kid water tank replacement project and new waterlines.

Greaser told the council that she is also looking at getting cost estimates together for some smaller projects for the summer. Mayor Paul Brooks commented that he would like to see on that list that a drain be installed in the low part of 21st Street to pipe excess water to the creek.