Tornado Sirens: Our staff is investigating the reasoning behind a second errant tornado signal going off in the City of Hartford and Village of Slinger. The second signal went off at 5 a.m on Monday. All American Signal is working with our staff to troubleshoot the situation.
Hwy 83/60 WE Energies Gas Line Update: (As of 2/1/16) WE Energies has completed all installation of the new gas main and services in and around the Hwy. 60 (Sumner Street) and Hwy. 83 (Main Street) intersection. They are backfilling all of the holes in the roadway this afternoon with slurry backfill. The holes will be filled to within 4 inches of the surface. The installation of the concrete surface will now be dependent on the weather system moving through the area tomorrow and Wednesday. The contractor will be installing the concrete as soon as the weather permits. The goal is to have all barricades off the roadways and all lanes of traffic open by Friday afternoon. Again, it could be sooner depending on the weather.
Once WE Energies finishes with the work in this area, they have a few more days of work at the south end of the project near E. Monroe Ave. If any lane closures are needed for this work, they will only be during working hours and WE Energies will provide flaggers to direct traffic.
The reconstruction of Hwy. 83 (S. Main St., Branch St., and Grand Ave.) from Hwy. 60 (Sumner St.) to just south of E. Monroe Ave. is scheduled to begin around the first part of April. However, I was notified by the DOT Project Leader this morning that clearing and grubbing could begin later this week or early next week. There is a provision in the contract that this work is completed before March 31.
Highway 83 Reconstruction Project: The DOT has signed with a general contractor and supervising engineer. Everything is still on pace to hold the preconstruction meeting in late February.
Highway 60 Reliever Route: Representatives from the City of Hartford were in attendance at the Washington County Executive Committee meeting on Monday and the Transportation Committee Meeting on Tuesday as they brought forward for discussion the Highway 60 Reliever Route. This was for informational purposes only and no action was taken. The committee did task the County Administrator with getting a price quote on updating the reliever route plan which was originally done in 2005.
WPPI Orientation: If you have ever wondered how our Electric Utility works or how we get our power, WPPI does offer a basics orientation called “WPPI Energy On-the-Go.” If a reasonable amount of council members or staff would like, we could request representatives from WPPI to come to Hartford and conduct this orientation.
Water Main Break: Water Department repaired a water main break at 46 Monroe Ave on Tuesday morning. Roughly 50 customers were temporarily effected by the break and repair.
Tree Trimming within ROW: American Transmission Company made us aware of upcoming vegetation management work in Hartford. To help control the growth of trees and vegetation along the outer edges of the right-of-way, ATC has contracted with Aerial Solutions, Inc., a company that specializes the use of a helicopter to manage trees and vegetation in areas that may be difficult to access by ground. Aerial Solutions will begin work this month using a helicopter equipped with heavy-duty air saws and rotary blades suspended on a 90-foot vertical boom. The saws will prune the trees located at the outer edges of the right-of-way to achieve adequate clearances. Because the work is weather dependent, flight schedules will vary and may extend into April. The helicopters are generally not used in densely populated residential areas.
Residents in Hartford along the path were notified of this work via a postcard mailing. All residents should be advised to stay a safe distance of 300 feet when the equipment and crews are working. The local media outlets in most communities will also be notified of the helicopter activity.
Managing the growth of trees and other vegetation is key to helping ensure public safety and electric system reliability.