Assessments for three Park Rapids street and utility projects have been approved by the Park Rapids City Council.
City Engineer Gary Nansen of Ulteig Engineers, presented the assessments at public hearings Oct. 28. Pleasant Avenue, Second and Fourth Streets and Highway 34 east were all discussed at the hearings.
Public hearings were also held before the projects began, at which time estimated costs were given. Now that most of the construction is completed, public hearings were held to present the final costs.
Water main, sanitary sewer and also individual service from the water main, were all possible assessments for different property owners, Nansen said.
The first project was Pleasant Avenue utility and street improvements.
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Hubbard County did the construction and paid for the street, sidewalk and most of the improvements. The city's share of the Pleasant Avenue project was $375,400, with $232,100 assessable to property owners, Nansen said.
Assessments can be paid off in 30 days or put on property taxes at a rate of 20 years at 6.25 percent.
A hearing was also held for Second and Fourth Street improvements.
For this project, the city's share was $331,300, with $238,700 assessable to property owners, Nansen said.
The assessment rate is 15 years at 6 percent for this project.
The third public hearing was for the east half of the Highway 34 project. It is the second part of a two-phase project. Last year, the west half of the project was completed.
MnDOT paid for the street, sidewalk and storm sewer, Nansen said.
"There were no assessments for the highway work, there were no assessments for the sidewalk work," he said.
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The overall cost for the city is $2,549,000, with $1,348,100 assessed to property owners, Nansen said.
The rate for the Highway 34 project is 20 years at 6.25 percent interest.
A few property owners contested the assessments and requested that the numbers be reviewed by engineers.
The assessments were adopted by the council and can be adjusted later if there are changes.
