New public works opens

• New public works

Echo Press photo by Al Edenloff The new home for Douglas County Public Works is a 50,000-square-foot facility located directly south of the fairgrounds. The site offers much more surrounding space than the old site along 3rd Avenue West.

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Douglas County Public Works is settling into its new location at 526 Willow Drive in Alexandria.

It opened at its new site south of the fairgrounds earlier this week. It also has a new phone number, (320) 762-2999.

The old public works building along 3rd Avenue West will be remodeled as part of new Douglas County Jail project.

The county’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority issued the bonds for the county to pay for the $6.8 million public works project.

Here are some facts about the public works department:

Dave Robley, who is also the county engineer, is the director of public works. There are six division supervisors and 36 employees. Seasonal employees are also hired to help during the busy summer season.

The department includes six main divisions – administration, agricultural/drainage inspection, parks, county surveyor, highway maintenance and highway engineering.

Public works is responsible for maintaining 546 miles of county roads and 200-plus miles of drainage ditches.

Road maintenance activities include blading and regraveling, snow plowing, sanding, ice removal, vegetation control, crack sealing, pothole patching, culvert repair and replacement, roadside drainage, dust control, signing, pavement and message painting, traffic control, equipment maintenance and repair.

The engineering division is involved with highway surveys, design, construction inspection, right-of-way acquisition, environmental assessments, wetland mitigation, long-range planning, cost estimates, public information meetings, bridge inspection and replacement, permit applications to regulatory agencies, specification writing and contract administration.

The surveying division is responsible for preserving and maintaining the location of 2,800 public land survey corners, which provide the basis of all land ownership in the county.

The ag inspection division enforces state regulations concerning noxious weeds, herbicides, pesticides and seeds. It also assists townships and cities with noxious weed control and education.

The parks division is responsible for planning and maintaining parks and trails at the county level, including Kensington Runestone Park, Spruce Hills Park, Lake Brophy Park, Chippewa Park, Curt Felt Memorial Park, the Central Lakes Trail and Lake L’Homme Dieu Beach.

As was the case at the old location, the new site includes a central fueling facility for all government agencies operating in the area.

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