Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
POTHOLES ON East Ayer Street, near Lake Street, will be resurfaced in a city of Ironwood summer project.
By RALPH ANSAMI
Ironwood - The pothole-filled East Ayer Street is in line for a summer resurfacing project.
The Ironwood City Commission on Monday agreed to seek bids from local contractors for resurfacing the East Ayer roadway from Lake to Southwest Streets as part of the 2018-'19 local street plan.
City manager Scott Erickson said the summer work will also include pulverizing and resurfacing Easy Street in the industrial park, from Ayer to U.S. 2, as part of the summer plans.
Shouldering along the streets will also be part of the project.
Erickson said financing will come from a combination of major and local street funds and the general fund. He told commissioners the street paving cost is estimated at $400,000.
Some patching work will also be tackled over the summer, with the financing to come from water-utility funds, since the patches will be associated with past infrastructure work.
The effort to crack-seal streets will continue as bids were authorized to be sought for work on about one-third of the city. The cost is estimated at $200,000.
Another upcoming key project is repairing the three courtyard roofs on the Memorial Building.
One roof is the top deck over the boiler room, the second is over the voting room and the third is over the storage area behind the stage.
All three areas appear to be leaking and are "in desperate need of repair," city clerk Karen Gullan wrote to the commission. The remainder of the roof was repaired previously.
In other business Monday, the commission finally found a taker for a nearly 50-year-old plow truck. The 1969 Oshkosh truck and plow had been placed on bids twice before, but the third time was the charm. Mark Ruppe of Globe Industries agreed to purchase the truck for $2,200.
Commissioners also authorized repairs of $39,551 for a 1998 city grader. Department of public works supervisor Bob Richards said the emergency repairs by Fabick Cat in Marquette were to the transmission and radiator and a cooler was installed.
In October, prior to snowplowing season, it was discovered the transmission was leaking badly and other repairs were necessary.
Richards said the repairs should extend the life of the grader by 10 years.
The money will come from the city's equipment fund.
Used Cat graders sell for from $150,000 to $200,000 or more.
