We’ve been seeing a lot of questions and conversations surrounding Mandan’s proposed Street Improvement District 242 (“2B”) project – this is a project located near Roosevelt Elementary School. Below is information from a FAQ sheet on the project. Please take a moment to read through the info. If you have questions, do not hesitate to call our Engineering Department at 701-667-3225, engineering@cityofmandan.com, or reach out to Moore Engineering Project Manager Grant Dockter at 701-425-1842. For the most up-to-date information, visit cityofmandan.com/projects

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

• Drinking water improvements: This project’s main purpose is to replace old, brittle, cast iron water mains.  Along with this, service lines to homes will be replaced to near the front property line.  Many of the service lines are expected to be made of lead.  Lead is a toxic metal that can build up in the body over time.  If we find lead lines, we will let the homeowner know and give them information on funding sources to replace the lead line on their property.
• Sanitary sewer improvements: The existing sanitary sewers are made from clay.  This project would repair areas where the sewage doesn’t flow, and line the clay pipes with an internal structural liner.  This would be done with as little digging as possible.
• Drainage improvements: The project would replace underperforming storm drains and sewers.  It would also include changes to the slopes of the roads to ensure rainwater flows to where it should be flowing and collecting where it should be collected.
• Street improvements: The project would include a variety of street improvements. This would range from sealing roads that are in good condition, to completely removing and replacing roads that are in poor condition.  This project includes alley improvements as well.
• Quality of life improvements: Aside from the categories above, this project includes replacing street light wires, replacing wooden street light poles, installing ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps, trimming protruding branches, replacing aged street signs, replacing and adding street striping, and more.

The goal of the project is to make holistic improvements at that same time in the interest of saving money and providing long-lasting service to the community.

PROJECT FUNDING

The project is estimated to cost $18.2M.We expect $10M to be paid by City and State funds, and the rest to be paid by special assessments over 15 years at 2% interest.A breakdown is shown below:

With Funding
Source		Funding	Notes
Estimated Total Project Cost		$18,200,000
DWR Grant		$4,385,000	60% of water eligible items
City Utility Fund		$2,650,000
Municipal Infrastructure Fund		$2,950,000	20% of reconstruction items
Total Loan		$8,215,000	2% - 15 Yr Loan from SRF
$/Unit Assessment		≈ $5,000 -$19,500
Estimated Monthly Payment		≈ $32.43 -$126.53
Percent Grant		66%	Assuming yearly payments are made.
Without Funding
Source	Funding			Notes
Estimated Total Project Cost	$18,200,000
DWR Grant	$0
City Utility Fund	$0
Municipal Infrastructure Fund	$0
Total Loan	$18,200,000			6% - 15 Yr Loan
$/Unit Assessment	≈ $13,000 - $45,000
Estimated Monthly Payment	≈ $111.54 -$386.11
Percent Grant	0%

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

• Has this project been designed and bid? No, City engineering staff have only done exploratory research to provide accurate information to the affected residents. Residents who are familiar with the neighborhood provide important insight during the design process.
• Are special assessments paying for the whole project? No, the cost to the residents in the project area is reduced by 55% by utilizing City Utility Funds, Municipal Infrastructure Funds, and the Department of Water Resources’ cost-share program.  The residents would be paying for less than half of the project.
• Is it cheaper to split the project in two? No, we get better bids with larger projects.  And as a project gets smaller, the special assessments are concentrated on a smaller area and will generally stay the same.
• Why don’t you just replace the water mains? If only water mains were replaced, there would still be some road work required and there would still be significant special assessments. The road, lighting, sewer and drainage issues would still be present.  A follow-up road project would damage the newly installed road patches.  A follow-up road project would also lose its eligibility for the 2% interest loan programs and would be exposed to market rates, estimated to be 6% currently.
• Are the outside funding sources permanent? The City Utility Fund is consistent, but the Municipal Infrastructure fund and Department of Water Resources program are both dependent on the health of the oil and gas industry.  Projects like this could lose that funding if these programs struggled.
• What would special assessments be without alternative funding sources? Instead of costing between $32 and $127 per month per property, the assessments would be between $112 and $386 per month. 
• How has the City been transparent? The only engagement that the Cityof Mandan is required to do is publish a notice in the Mandan News.  Instead, City Staff along with Moore Engineering have held a series of public input meetings, sent post cards and letters to the affected property owners, created a project website, and posted information on social media.  The project team has also been available by phone, email, or in-person visits.
• Is everyone receiving a $20,000 special assessment? No, the total amount per residential parcel ranges from $5,000 to $19,500, depending on the types of improvements that the property benefits from.
• Why hasn’t the City secured NDDOT or federal road funding for this project? These types of neighborhood projects aren’t eligible or aren’t competitive for most road programs.  The City Engineering Department has successfully applied for Highway Safety Improvement Program, Transportation Alternatives Program, Urban Roads Program, Urban Regional Program, and Urban Grants Program for many projects around town.  In the interest of saving taxpayer money, it’s important to submit applications that meet the goals of each individual program.
• When does the protest period end? The protest period ends 30 days after the first publication of the resolution of necessity in the Mandan News. The publication was on February 6, and since the 30 days ends on a Sunday, the last day to submit a protest to Mandan City Hall will be March 9 at 4:30 p.m.  Protests will be considered at the March 17 City Commission Meeting scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. at Mandan City Hall, 205 2^nd Ave NW, Mandan.

For additional information, a 27-minute video presentation on the project, shared at the Feb. 18 public meeting is available on the project website at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/48a4c4ffd0ad43499f9def46d60fde70