Throughout the 2021 calendar year the City of Breezy Point worked with Bolton & Menk Inc., to perform a Cooperative Community Enhancement Project to explore the development and maintenance of the Buschmann Roadway Corridor. This project included a total of four communities along the corridor who would be impacted by development. Those communities were:
- The City of Breezy Point
- The City of Pequot Lakes
- The Township of Jenkins
- The Township of Ideal
All four communities met to discuss undertaking a joint improvement project for the roadway but never finalized an agreement from the project. As a result of this development, the City of Breezy Point elected to move forward with improving the City's portion of the roadway up to a local standard. At Council direction a Request for Proposals (RFP) was drafted, reviewed by staff, and the engineering firm WSB was selected during the Regular Council meeting held on Monday, December 5, 2022. The Council’s reasons behind moving forward with reconstruction Buschmann Road included but were not limited to
- Failing road surface and subgrade conditions.
- Sight distance issues and significant pedestrian and motorist safety concerns.
- Increasing traffic counts.
- Inconsistent right-of-way.
- Need for stormwater management/drainage corrections.
Paul Sandy with WSB presented the preliminary design process to the City Council on January 3, 2023 and has given numerous updates to the City Council at council meetings throughout the year.
During the May 5, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council approved an amendment to the agreement with WSB to include Ideal Township as a partner in the Buschmann Road project as approximately ½ mile of roadway is shared between the Breezy Point and Ideal Township.
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, the City held a Community Open House presenting WSB's progress on the project. Roughly 50 people attended the event and spoke with staff and project specialists regarding ongoing and future planning. Questions focused on alignment and roadway design, intended usage of the roadway, the inclusion of a trail or other alternative pedestrian access, and the impact on adjacent property owners.
On Tuesday, October 17, 2023 the City Council received the preliminary designs for Buschmann Road during a workshop. At that time, the Council requested that Phase II of the design process be broken into two with Phase II.A bringing the City through easement acquisition and Phase II.B bringing the City through final design, construction document development, and bidding.
During the November 6, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council approved the pursuit of $1.5 million in grant funding through the Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) administer by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The City should learn the outcome of that grant request in Spring 2024.
Per their request from the October 17 workshop, the City Council considered the Phase II.A and Phase II.B design proposal from WSB during the City Council meeting on December 4, 2023. Paul Sandy with WSB also gave an information presentation on the proposed Buschmann Road design during the meeting. Ultimately, the City Council approved the Phase II.A proposal. Phase II.B will be formally considered upon the completion of Phase II.A, which should be completed in Spring 2024.
Throughout this process, City Staff have used the City's social media accounts (Facebook and Nextdoor), press releases, the City Hall digital sign, and the City's website (including this project page) to further communicate project updates. Additionally, a project website hosted by WSB was created and can be found here: https://buschmannrd-ranchettedr-wsbeng.hub.arcgis.com/