Intersection upgrades planned in FD
Council will review plan MondayBy BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
Two of the busiest intersections in Fort Dodge may get a makeover that includes new lights, landscaping and sculptures.
The junctions of Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue South and U.S. Highway 169 and Kenyon Road may get those improvements in the next phase of a major push to upgrade the main entry corridors of the city.
The price tag of the intersection jobs has been estimated at $825,000.
The City Council will review the plans during a workshop that will begin at 6 p.m. Monday in the Municipal Building, 819 First Ave. S.
If the council approves the plans, construction could begin this year, with additional landscaping to be done in the spring of 2009.
Plans for the intersections were completed by Howard R. Green Co., of Cedar Rapids.
Jim Harbaugh, a landscape architect and project manager for that company, said the plan for Eighth Street and Kenyon Road includes ''aesthetic lighting'' and pedestrian plazas on three sides of the intersection.
The plaza at the south side of the intersection - the one facing southbound drivers on Eighth Street - would feature a sculpture. The council will consider accepting a sculpture for the site from the Catherine Vincent Deardorf Charitable Foundation on Monday.
''This is a precedent-setter,'' Harbaugh said of the Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue South proposal.
The concept for Kenyon Road and U.S. Highway 169 features landscaping and limestone sculptures on all four sides of the intersection. Harbaugh said additional landscaping may be done around the Union Pacific Railroad bridge south of the intersection.
The corridor master plan was completed by Short Elliott Hendrickson of Minneapolis, Minn., earlier this year. Howard R. Green Co. was then hired to turn the master plan into blueprints that can be used for construction.
Trees were planted along Kenyon Road between the bridge and U.S. Highway 169 as the first step to fulfilling the plan.
The upcoming construction of a new First State Bank building at the corner of Fifth Avenue South and 31st Street is also considered by city leaders to be a part of the corridor improvements.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net
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Paladin
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09-10-08 10:39 AM
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At least, unlike you "pothole," I have informed information and something to say. I've never seen an intelligent comment from you on here, nor do I expect to. You are a troll.
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FDPOTHOLELOVER
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09-09-08 3:48 PM
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In the words of Paladin, "I do not come on here and spread BS, nor do I sugarcoat, exaggerate or tell lies." Now this is FUNNY!!!!!!
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thendrickson
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09-08-08 10:57 AM
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Urban trees are not a hinderance to wind turbines. It's one of the options we looked at in designing our addition, in our case the flight pattern for Life Flight to the hospital came into play but I assure you our neighborhood has a greater concentration of trees thatn would be found in Fort Dodge typically. Does Fort Dodge have a staff forester? Does it have "tree codes"? These are things you should look at implementing into your overall plans.
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thendrickson
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09-08-08 10:49 AM
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I did in fact talk to someone from Minnesota at Mediacom, the AC came up in the conversation for some reason and he did in fact state that he wished his town would try to do something like that. For what it's worth. If I'm not mistaken, similar plans have been at least discussed by many towns, if even just for the sake of providing omething for it's citizens.
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BoogsDelbreaux
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09-08-08 9:53 AM
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Palladin, congratulations on knowing the fact that someone from Minnesota called someone on the committee. It's that kind of specifics that gets something done.
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Paladin
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09-08-08 9:03 AM
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Spiffy, I do not come on here and spread BS, nor do I sugarcoat, exaggerate or tell lies. I know for a fact people from Minnesota, Marshallown, Des Moines, and other Iowa towns have called one of our committee members to congratulate and to ask the question, "How did you do it?" Why? Because so many of them have not been able to do it with one vote. Now, in the long run, I know it is true, and that is really all that matters to me. You want to take a pot shot, well that is par for the course.
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Paladin
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09-07-08 11:22 PM
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Pay attention FDN, we just passed an aquatic center referendum with 61.15% of the vote. Normally it takes 2-3 times to pass this type of referendum. Cities all over the midwest are calling asking how we did it. Fact. This corridor plan, downtown revitalization, 1 cent sales tax vote, are all just the beginning of a big push to move this town forward. Lead, join, or get out of the way, we are on a roll. Who cares if someone gets rich, we are paying bid prices and improving our city. This is something we can all be proud of and enjoy.
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truedodger
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09-07-08 7:31 PM
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That is a great idea!! Lets keep the excitement going we need to invest back into our city and let visitors see what we are getting done. Yes the streets need redone but I have seen a great improvement over the last year and hopefully more of that is to come
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thendrickson
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09-07-08 7:00 PM
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The first thing most people notice about towns is the aesthetic appeal, lot's a of trees, attractive landscaping etc can yield big benefits for minimal investment. The last two towns we lived in were "Tree City USA" qualified, you can really tell the difference.
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FDPOTHOLELOVER
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09-07-08 12:00 PM
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Just build around the potholes, we must not spoil the the people of Dodge.
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jaybares
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09-07-08 1:30 AM
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The planning process is bearing fruit. You never get anywhere until you have a roadmap on how to proceed. Thanks for months of effort. It will be a great start.
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