Intersection closes Monday

City of Superior

We suspect Monday was a red letter day for the VanKirk construction company in Superior.

Monday afternoon the company was awarded a $252,464.99 contract for the paving of the Superior Municipal Airport parking lot. Until now the lot has been surfaced with gravel.

In recent months the parking area has been surveyed by an engineering firm. The resulting plans were then approved by state and federal agencies before the contract was awarded. Most of the cost will be paid with federal funds.

Monday evening, the Superior City Council awarded a $166,250 contract to VanKirk for an upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant.

After high water in the Republican River repeatedly caused effluent from the treatment plant to backup, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded a grant which will help pay for the installation of a pumping system designed to force the effluent into the river.

Since the town's first sewer system was installed, gravity has moved the waste from the city into the river. That worked until ultraviolet lights were added to the discharge line. Now when the river is in flood stage, those lights must be removed. If they work as expected, the force pumps will eliminate the need to remove the ultraviolet treatment equipment.

At the request of the VanKirk firm, the city council approved a plan Monday that will allow the closing of a portion of Eighth Street between May 3 and 7.

VanKirk is the contractor hired to replace water mains along Bloom and Idaho streets from Second to Fifteenth streets. That work is progressing without major problem though there have been unexpected instances where it was necessary to interrupt the delivery of water to some customers served by the existing mains.

At the Eighth Street intersection, there is a major junction of water mains. The work needed to connect the new lines will require major excavation in front of the Williams Funeral Home and the Scroggins home. For the safety of the construction workers, the contractor has asked the Eighth Street junction to the west be closed.

If all goes as planned, the intersection will be reopened in time for the Superior High School commencement service set for Saturday afternoon.

While the intersection is closed, the city has proposed detour routes.

Traffic from the north will be encouraged to turn right off Idaho and take Fifteenth and North Park streets around the edge of Superior to reach the Superior Schools and other addresses along West Eighth Street.

From the downtown area the recommended route to the school will be Fourth Street through Lincoln Park.

Traffic that normally would have turned off Highway 14 to go west on Eighth Street will be encouraged to instead take Ninth Street west to Central Avenue and then south to Eighth Street.

A request from Scott Nondorf, Superior Volunteer Fire Department chief, to purchase new air packs for the department was approved. The current air packs are 20 years old. The new gear will cost approximately $100,000. The cost will be split three ways with the city, rural districts and the department each paying about one-third of the cost.

Before adjourning, the council approved a motion to abate a garage at 908 East Fourth Street that does not meet the minimum city code. The property owner was previously given the option of bringing the structure into compliance but failed to do so. Now the garage will be removed and the property owner billed.