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CITY NOTES: Satellite mapping will aid with city infrastructure repair response

By Jake Johnson, Charles City GIS/Planning Coordinator

Over the past few years our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping has been greatly improved, and this year we will be completing the process of mapping the city’s underground utilities.

Over the next few months you will again be seeing the trucks for Midland GIS Solutions in town. This time around they will be here locating our storm sewer system. The mapping process is scheduled to begin toward the beginning of September and is slated to take approximately four weeks to complete.

This process will include locating all of the intakes, manholes and outlets for the storm sewer system. Midland’s field crews will be using Global Positioning System (GPS) surveying equipment to locate the coordinates of every piece of the storm sewer system that can be located.

As they are locating each item they will also be gathering other information such as pipe size, pipe material and photographing each intake and manhole.

Once the field crews have completed their work the information that they have gathered will be used to draw in the storm sewer system on a map. The coordinates will be uploaded to the city’s GIS website.

By having all of this information in a web-based platform, all city workers are able to access this information in the field from their laptops, cell phones and tablets. We will now have the water system, sanitary sewer system and storm sewer system all completely mapped after this year.

With this website we are able to keep track of maintenance work that has been completed and other issues that may arise. The code enforcement department also uses the GIS program for tracking nuisances and building permits.

In other engineering department news:

  • You may have noticed that work has begun on Hildreth Street and Riverside/Illinois Street projects.
  • The Charley Western Trail bridge demolition began with an exciting start and the bridge has now been demolished.
  • The 1st Avenue bridge paving is nearly complete with only fence work to be completed.
  • The Clark Street Trail Extension project is scheduled for this fall with the work to be completed by Heartland Asphalt of Mason City. This project will extend the trail along Clark Street from Terrace Road all the way to Lakeshore Drive.

Heartland will also be performing work for our 2018 HMA Street Paving. The 2018 HMA Street Paving Project will include the paving of Bunn Avenue, Stoney Point Road, a section of 2nd Street, the block of South Jackson Street between Court Street and the River, and a portion of Riverside Avenue.

  • Bids were recently taken for the replacement of the sidewalk in the 100 block of North Main Street. Nolt’s Custom Concrete of Orchard was the low bidder for the project. Construction will begin this fall and should be completed in the late fall.

Nolt’s has just recently completed construction of our 2017 ADA Ramp project which included the reconstruction of five pedestrian ramps throughout town. These ramps were constructed to bring the existing pedestrian ramps up to the current ADA standards.

  • Two other projects will also be beginning soon. Popp Excavation of Osage will be performing storm sewer work on Hulin Street. Kamm Excavating will again this year removing some of the residual lime at the water treatment plant.

It has been a busy summer for construction in Charles City so far and looks to be as equally busy this fall.

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