Upcoming construction dominates meeting

During their regular meeting on March 17, an apparent uptick in large-scale construction projects prompted the members of the Waseca County Board of Commissioners to follow a recommendation from Adolfson and Peterson (A & P) Construction to produce a “Letter of Intent” to Wells Concrete to reserve a production slot for pre-cast concrete panels to be used in phase 2 of the construction of the county justice center.

 

A & P staff explained the pre-cast concrete industry has experienced a “sudden jump” in demand which has expanded the typical wait time between placing an order and receiving delivery from 6 months to 9 months.

 

Presenting Wells Concrete with a letter of intent, it was explained, would help preserve the tight construction schedule which would have the pre-cast concrete panels installed during the December-to-March winter season of late 2026 into 2027.

 

The anticipated cost of the justice center is $28.6 million. Construction plans call for staff to be able to occupy the building beginning in February of 2028, with all work, including outdoor pavement, landscaping, and the demolition of the current law enforcement center complete by September of 2028.

 

County administrator Michael Johnson explained the letter of intent is only that–a letter. “No check is expected, no money will be paid out. The letter simply reserves us a spot in our planned production time frame.” The county’s expected contract with Wells Concrete will be for about $1.8 million.

 

The majority of the actions taken during the March 17 meeting addressed projects for the upcoming construction season.

 

Commissioners approved the recommendation of County Public Works Director and Engineer Jim Kollar that the county accept the $48,000 bid of the Mankato firm Widseth to design and oversee the construction of a “re-use facility” to be constructed at the county recycling center south of Waseca along State Highway 13.

 

The county has received a $225,000 grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency toward the construction of the facility, which will be used to store and display items brought in for disposal which still have usable life left in them. Items diverted from the waste stream will be given to interested parties at no charge. The grant is based on the expectation full cost for the facility will be about $300,000, with the county responsible for about $75,000. Widseth’s proposal includes having specifications for the project, which will include the relocation of a few elements currently located at the construction site, by the end of June.

 

Kollar also received approval for his recommendation that Crane Creek Asphalt be awarded a $1.08 million contract to increase safety measures along 6.7 miles of East Elysian Lake Road (CSAH 3) from County Road 14 to State Highway 60. Kollar mentioned the stretch of CSAH 3 has a typical vehicle count of about 2,000 a day.

 

The project would include paving the highway’s shoulders, adding shoulder rumble strips, and installing ground-in wet reflective markings. During his summary, Kollar reported the project has been approved for as much as $750,000 in federal highway safety improvement funding, with much of the remainder to be covered by state funding sources.

 

Kollar’s recommendation for a similar project on Old Highway 14 was also approved. He reported that an 11-mile stretch of Old 14 leading into the western edge of Waseca is also eligible for federal highway safety improvement dollars. This piece of highway, Kollar reported, sees about 2,600 vehicles a day. The plan is to give the road 6-foot-wide paved shoulders, rumble strips, and ground-in wet reflective markings.

 

The $1.7 million project was awarded to Nielsen Blacktopping of Kasota. Cost for the work will be covered by a combination of federal and state-based funding.

 

A final recommendation from Kollar was for refurbishing much of the blacktopping on the Waseca County Fairgrounds, beginning from the entry along Third Street Northeast and extending southward to the vicinity of the fire department’s onion ring stand. The lowest responsible bidder for the project was WW Blacktopping of Mankato, which proposed to complete the work for $75,500.

 

Kollar mentioned that the terms for the bid made clear that the project cannot interfere with the fair, so that the bidder must either agree to have the project finished by May 23, or not to begin until July 20 or later. Kollar informed commissioners that early correspondence with the bidder indicates the company’s intent to perform the work in the earlier window, weather permitting.

 

Also among his presentations during the March 17 meeting, Kollar introduced engineering supervisor Josh Smith and engineering technician Andrew Graupman, both of whom had worked closely with the county’s 2025 pavement rehabilitation on a six-mile stretch of County Highway 3 north of Waldorf. 

 

Kollar reported that the county and the construction contractor, PCi Roads LLC, were both recognized for excellence in execution of the project during a March 11 meeting of the Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota, held at Breezy Point Resort. More information about this award will appear in a future edition of the Star Eagle.