News Flash

Each year, the Faribault City Council approves a five-year Capital Improvement Plan that acts as a framework for City projects. Find below a number of projects identified to be completed in 2023. Additionally, see a handful of privately funded projects that will also be monitored for progress.

Private (non-City) projects

• Rice County Public Safety Center
• Riverchase Apartments (Willow Street south of viaduct)
• 17^th Street Apartments (Faribault Apartments)
• Midwest Flats (old Farmer Seed building)
• SAGE expansion (southern building)
• Twisted Chicken
• Midwest Recovery Campus
• Tru-Vue
• Downtown Buildings

City Hall Improvements

• Restroom re-design, $250,000
  1. Remodel and update City Hall first floor restrooms to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
• City Hall Carpet, $100,000
  1. Carpet on second floor was last replaced in 2010 and the third floor in 2011.
• City Hall Council Chamber, $100,000
  1. Modify room layout to become Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, and provide flexibility for meeting usage. This project is coordinated with scheduled technology system upgrades.
• Council Chambers Audio/Video, $140,000
  1. Audio and video equipment overhaul, blueprint creation, labor, and setup for the Council Chambers remodel. The current video equipment is sporadic at best and has bad audio quality.
• Community and Economic Development Department Meeting Room (third floor), $100,000
  1. Expand existing meeting room by combining with adjacent office, and upgrading technology systems and furnishings. This will provide enhanced functionality and flexibility for the use of this room – both for staff meetings as well as meetings with the public, developers, etc.
• City Hall Parking Lot and Site Improvements, $150,000
  1. Parking lot, walkway, and landscaping replacements and upgrades to provide greater definition of the primary entrance into the building, and establish enhanced connection between City Hall and the Fire Station.

Road/Parking Lot Improvements

• Downtown Area Parking Lot/Alley, $50,000

• Street Reconstruction, $6.27M

1. Reconstruction is scheduled in conjunction with the end of design life (typically 50-60 years) of the pavement. Utility replacements/extensions/upgrades are evaluated and undertaken as warranted. Reconstruction also allows geometric improvement of roadways (alignment, widths, turn lanes, etc.)

• Minnesota Department of Transportation Signal Upgrades (City portion-only, Hwy. 60/30th Avenue)
• Cannon Circle (Hulett Avenue to 850 feet east)
• First Avenue NW (Third Street NW to Fourth Street NW/Hwy. 60)
• Airtech Court (Airtech Drive to east end)
• Calvary Drive/38th Avenue Southwest (Hwy. 60 to Calvary Cemetery)

• Cannon River View Infrastructure – Rice County Safety Center Development (to include a roundabout at Hwy. 3 and 30^th Street NW)

1. East View Drive (Hwy. 3 to First Avenue NW)
2. First Avenue NW (Existing north end to East View Drive)
3. East View Drive (First Avenue NW to east temp termini)*
4. First Avenue NW (East View Drive to Ames Trail)*
   • * City shares only

• Street Overlays, $1.54M
  1. First Street SW (Fourth Avenue SW to Ninth Avenue SW)
  2. First Street SW (Fourth Avenue SW to Ninth Avenue SW)
  3. Second Avenue NW (First Street NW to Division Street)
  4. Second Avenue SW (Division Street to Tower Place)
  5. Third Avenue NW (12th Street NW to 14th Street NW)
  6.  Third Street SW (Fourth Avenue SW to Sixth Avenue SW)
  7. Seventh Avenue NW (Hwy. 60 (Fourth Street NW) to Seventh Street NW)
  8. Eighth Avenue NW (Seventh Street NW to Ninth Street NW)
  9. Eighth Street NW (Sixth Avenue NW to Eighth Avenue NW)
  10. Cuylle Bay (12th Street SW to 12th Street SW)
  11. 12th Street SW (Sixth Avenue SW to Cuylle Court)
  12. Birn Hill Drive (Western Avenue to 200 feet west of West Hill Street)
  13. West Hill Street (Western Avenue to Birn Hill Drive)
  14. Second Avenue Northwest (Hwy. 60/Fourth Street Northwest to 14th Street Northwest)
  15. 14th Street Northwest (Second Avenue Northwest to Central Avenue)
  16. Overlays extend useful life of existing pavement.
• Sidewalk/Trail Improvements, $1.12M

• Installation in accordance with the 2021 Sidewalk & Trail Improvement Plan. Sidewalks will be considered in conjunction with other roadway improvements, but may not be built due to feasibility of construction.

1. Northern Link Trail Connection (Hulett Avenue to North Alexander Park)
2. Two Rivers Park Trail Extension to 20th Street NW
3. Willow Street (Riverchase Court to Second Street SE)

Fire

• Fire Apparatus #2110, $877,250
  1. Replace fire apparatus #2110 (rescue truck). Current truck is a 2009 Spartan Chassis Rescue Truck. Mileage is 71,278 as of 07/06/2022.
• Fire Pumper Truck #2120, $225,000
  1. Unit #2120 is a medical response and grass fire apparatus that is half owned by the Rural Fire Protection Association. Mileage is 86,584 as of 7/18/2022. It was scheduled to be replaced in 2021, but because of COVID-19 and the impact to the townships' budgets, it was asked to move this farther out. This truck is an everyday usage truck and 17 years is a stretch. The City mechanic believes that this apparatus will be very costly to keep much longer.
• Northern Industrial Area Outdoor Warning Siren, $35,000
  1. Outdoor warning sirens are placed on poles and utilized to warn the public of impending dangers such as severe weather and hazardous material incidents.
  2.  The City has annexed in a large amount of land that is now home to several businesses with many employees. Outdoor warning sirens alert people that are outside (working or on break) of impending emergencies. A siren is needed to alert the individuals in that area.

Library

• Drive-thru Book Return, $35,000
  1. Secure, weather-resistant, and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant outdoor book return that is large enough to handle weekend and holiday collections. Securely constructed and resilient to dents and other damage. Anti-graffiti coated. Includes motorized book bins and durable, water-proof covers for the bins to help prevent staff injury and damage to materials when transporting bins during inclement weather. Over the years, many library customers have requested a drive-thru book return as an added feature of the library. It would make returning materials easier for elderly people, disabled people, and parents with young children.

Parks

• Blue Bird Playground Replacement, $75,000
  1. Regular replacement of playground equipment to stay within compliance of playground safety inspections.
• North Viaduct Park Development, $500,000
  1. The start of development for the new City park located north of the Hwy. 60/Viaduct Bridge in accordance with the approved 2021 Concept Plan developed by the appointed Planning Task Force. Proposed components include a large multi-purpose building; ice skating loop; splashpad; outdoor fitness equipment; murals; gathering area; parking; walkways; and other miscellaneous items. Included in the City's adopted Downtown Master Plan and Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan. Will serve as a gathering and recreational space for downtown area residents as well as the entire community and visitors to the city.
• FFAC Roof, $30,000
  1. Roof will need to be replaced before it fails to function. Roof is 23 years old. 
• Facility Maintenance Study, $13,000 
  1. The previous maintenance study was done in 2012 and most items have been completed. This study will look at the Buckham Library, Community Center, Washington Recreation Center, City Hall, Fire Station, Police Station and Public Works.
• Community Center Shower Walls, $37,000
  1. Replace tile on shower walls in men's and women's locker rooms. The current shower walls can no longer be cleaned and tiles are falling off the walls. They need to be replaced.

Sewer

Sanitary Sewer System Improvements, $2.75M

1. Calvary Drive Sanitary Sewer Extension

• Extension of sanitary sewer to serve undeveloped area at intersection of Interstate 35 & Hwy. 60 to support economic development.

2. Hwy. 3 (20th Street NW) Trunk Sewer Replacement

• Redirection of system to provide additional capacity in trunk sewer in Hwy. 3.

3. Cannon Circle/Hwy. 21 Sanitary Sewer Extension

• Extension of sanitary sewer to serve undeveloped area on west side of Hwy. 21 to support economic development.

 Stormwater Construction Projects, $2.5M

1. Twin Lakes Stormwater Overflow

• Provide improved high-water level control/replace private system.

2. Airtech Court Pond

• Reduce localized flooding and provide storm water management for future development.

3. Riverchase Regional Pond

• Reduce localized flooding and provide stormwater management for future development.

Water

1. Water Meter Radios, $466,000
   • Replacement of water meter radios that allow for compatibility with recently upgraded Sensus system software.
2. Reservoir Rehabilitation, $900,000
   • Removal of the inner membrane liner and replace with a coating to prevent leaking.
3. Water System Improvements, $850,000
   • County Road 48/Lyndale Avenue SW Crossing (Faribault Road to Ladonna Lane)
   • Improved system distribution and pressure.
   • Calvary Drive Watermain Extension
   • Elimination of long "dead-end" watermains/provide future growth capacity.
   • New Straight River Crossing at Viaduct Park
   • Improved crossing of Straight River of main distribution pipe to east side reservoirs.
4. Water Tower, $2M
   • This project started in 2022 but was not completed. This new elevated water storage tank is located on the northern edge of the City adjacent to I- 35, south of County Road 9 (150th Street).  This tower has been identified as a need for the City’s water system for over a decade and will provide much needed fire flow capacity and consistent water pressure for the existing and future industrial development in the I-35 industrial park area.  This project is funded 50% ($2M of the $4M construction costs) through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and is projected to be online in late summer/early fall 2023.

Water Reclamation

1. Digester Improvements, $275,000
   • Improvements to the interior of the digester are necessary to ensure that bio-solids can be processed to meet Minnesota Pollution Control Agency permit compliance.