Some tentative plans for the Staples North South Corridor and Overpass project were aired last week at a meeting of the Staples Public Works Commission.

City Administrator Nate Mathews told PWC members that an update and more formal presentation on the overpass project will be presented at the Tuesday, July 27, council meeting. The city council will be asked to approve a preliminary bridge design and also a plan for dealing with the drainage ditches in the city.

The council will get a look at possible brick options for the bridge side and pillars. Mathews said they are trying to coordinate the appearance of the bridge pillars with the city’s entrance signs.

One decision already made by the consulting engineers is the elimination of a round-about that was considered for just Third Avenue N. W. where northbound traffic from the overpass would have the first opportunity to turn east or west. Conventional intersections with stop signs are planned instead.

Mathews told the PWC members (including Stan Carlson, Candy Nichols and Roy Miles) that he will be proposing to the city offi- cials a major overhaul of the drainage ditch system within the city. Currently two ditches, Judicial Ditch 5 just that crosses Fourth Street north of the Staples Elementary and Judicial Ditch 8, which crosses Fourth Street (in underground culverts) in the vicinity of the high school football field, provide storm water drainage for a majority of the city.

Adequate drainage is needed prior to any major road construction, with drainage issues delaying reconstruction projects on Fourth Street and west of the high school for the past 25 or more years. Mathews’ plan would address that by re-routing all of the water from JD 8 (the southerly ditch) northward into JD 5.

The city will have to file a petition with Todd County and with the district court to make such major changes. In addition, Mathews said, city would also petition to take over ownership of the ditch system, at least that part of the ditches within the city limits.

To accomplish all this, the city has hired attorney Kurt Dieter of St. Cloud to guide the city through the labyrinth of drainage issues.

All of this will require some funding. Mathews said the city will be applying for additional federal grants. Currently the very earliest (and unlikely) date for the project beginning is 2012.

The city has selected a firm to handle land acquisition for the overpass project. A large part of the land needed for the project will come from Burlington Northern-Santa Fe. Additional parcels will be purchased along the north side of Wisconsin Avenue and just north of Second Avenue (old Highway 10) on the city’s north side. Much of the land on the north end of the project is already owned by either the city or the school district.

In other matters, the Public Works Commission:

o HEARD new Public Works Director Doug Bendorf outline plans he is forming to seek bids now for a 2011 project of re-furbishing the city’s water tower. The life of the 1964 water tower can be extended another 20 years with an investment now in major repairs, he said.