Main Street Updates
7-19-24 Project Update
Project cleanup has been the theme over the course of the week after sliding the barricades late last week.
Over the course of the week, Ottertail Aggregate has been working on boulevard grading and topsoil
placement in Phases 2 and 3, as well as filling in additional aggregate material behind the concrete
driveways that were poured last Friday. The last of the barricades and ribbons at driveways and other
streets have been slid aside, allowing for access to properties throughout Phases 2 and 3.
Next week, work will be minimal throughout the project. By mid-week, ITS will return to the site and
remove the signage and the detour from phases 2 and 3. Following the removal, traffic will return to Main
Street, with the exception of the truck detour which is directing truck traffic away from Main Street.
Lakes Country Landscaping has indicated they will be working on preparing the boulevards on Phases 1
through 3 for new turf establishment. Preparation for turf in Phase 1 will require additional work to
remove the existing weed growth prior to new seeding. The establishment of turf takes some time, so please be careful when working around the newly seeded areas. Per the contract, the contractor is
responsible for getting the turf going in the right direction, but lawn building takes years to fully establish.
In order to establish a healthy lawn, we ask for a little help from property owners following the contractor
fulfilling their requirements of the contract.
Please see the following tips regarding the care for new turf below.
• When mowing the grass for the first time, don’t mow until the grass blades lay over a bit.
Yes, it will be long, but it needs to be left undisturbed while initially growing. Adjust your
mowing height to two (2) – inches or higher than your normal height and gradually lower
your mowing height over the next couple of mowings.
• There may be some weeds that develop during the initial growing of the turf, these weeds
will subside as the turf underneath grows and will eventually disappear as the turf grass
thickens. Weeds will worsen if the turf is left unattended or cut too low.
• Water, water, water. Water the turf regularly for the first couple months. When the
weather is hot, the grass needs to be watered at least twice a week. When the temps are
cool, it should stay moist.
• The turf is fertilized before being installed, please do not fertilize until sixty days after
initial placement.
• When cleaning the roadway in the winter, the County uses some salt when sanding the
roadway. Watering the turf early next spring will help dilute any salt that has accumulated.
7-12-24 Project Update
Central Specialties and Ottertail Aggregate have been working on Phases 1, 2 & 3 throughout the week.
Early in the week, Central Specialties finished the second lift of pavement on Phases 2 and 3. Ottertail
Aggregate worked on all three phases, cutting existing pavement and preparing the subgrade for tie-ins to
driveways and parking lots. Central Specialties followed the work by Ottertail Aggregate by paving the
driveway tie-ins Tuesday through Thursday.
This morning, Knife Lake Concrete returned to the site to continue pouring sidewalk and driveways on the
westerly portion of Phase 3, from Eighth Avenue to the intersection of County 34 and 51. Knife Lake
anticipates completing the remaining concrete on the phase by the end of the day.
At the end of the day today, traffic signage will be slid to the side of the roadway to allow traffic through
the construction zone for the day.
Next week, Ottertail Aggregate will be shaping the boulevards and tie-ins behind the new sidewalk and
driveways preparing the boulevards for new turf establishment.
Late next week, the detours for Phases 2 and 3 will be removed and traffic will return to Main Street for
approximately a month before construction in Phase 4 begins.
7-3-24 Project Update
With the shortened work week, construction has been limited to a few of the subcontractors on the
project. On Monday morning, Central Specialties began the construction of the first course of bituminous
pavement on Phases 2 & 3. The two-inch course of pavement was constructed over the course of Monday
and Tuesday morning along with connections to the connecting avenues. The second inch and a half
course of pavement was started late in the day, with the southern lane being the first constructed. Central
Specialties had to leave the project area this morning to pave at the current Trunk Highway 10 and County
60 project for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Later today, some of the barricades on Main Street near the intersection of Fourth Avenue West and
County 34/51 will be slid to the side of the roadway to allow for traffic to utilize the street over the long
weekend. Detours will remain up along Second Street South so the barricades can be shifted back on
Monday morning. When utilizing the roadway, please remember that it is an area still under construction,
so bumps and other areas can be expected when driving through the phases.
Next week, Central Specialties will return to the project to finish paving of the second course on Main
Street in Phases 2 and 3. The work is anticipated to be completed early in the week.
Also, next week, Knife Lake Concrete is scheduled to be back on Wednesday to complete the remaining
concrete on Phases 2 and 3 including the construction of driveways and sidewalks on the westerly portion
of the project.
6-28-24 Project Update
Progress continues along Main Street with activities primarily focused on Phases 2 and 3. On Monday, Knife
Lake Concrete arrived in town and has placing concrete all week. Over the course of the week, they have
constructed sidewalk and driveways working their way west from Fourth Avenue West toward the
intersection of County Highways 34 and 51. Any concrete that is not constructed this week will be
constructed during the week of July 8th. This will keep the area clear for other activities along the roadway
during the shortened holiday week. If you have received new driveways along your property, please keep
vehicles off the new concrete for a minimum of seven days to allow for curing of the new concrete.
Also, early this week, detour signage was removed on the easterly portion of the project where Phase 1
construction occurred. Even through the detour is down, Ottertail Aggregate has been cleaning up the
topsoil and other materials behind the curb in the phase. Weather dependent, Lakes Country Landscaping
will begin turf establishment on the portions of the project ready for seed. If your boulevard receives new
seeding, please keep an eye out for information sent in future updates regarding the care for new lawns.
Ottertail Aggregate has continued to prepare the road base of Main Street from Fourth Avenue West to
County 34 and 51. Final aggregate placement occurred early this week with grading, compacting, and
prepping the roadway for pavement. This work will continue throughout the day today and possibly over
the weekend to prepare for next week’s construction.
Next week, Central Specialties will arrive in town to begin paving the bottom two courses of bituminous
pavement on Main Street in Phases 2 and 3. The plan is to start paving on Monday with the completion of
the pavement by end of day Wednesday. Similarly to Phase 1, the pavement will be left approximately 1
and ½ inch below the final paving grade, which will occur later in the project.
With the Fourth of July holiday next week, work will be limited to activities on Monday through
Wednesday. The weekly project update will be sent out on Wednesday next week, updating everyone on
the activities completed, and which portions of the roadway will be open for the Fourth of July Holiday.
6-21-24 Project Update
Although the rain early this week slowed some of the construction activities on the project, the concrete
crew was still able to begin constructing the curb and gutter on Phases 2 and 3 starting yesterday. Ottertail
Aggregate has been the busiest subcontractor in town over the course of the week, with boulevard grading
occurring east of Third Avenue East behind the curb and out to 11th Avenue East where the new sidewalk
was constructed in May.
On Phases 2 and 3, Ottertail Aggregate has finished the subgrade preparation and hauled in the first half of
the aggregate base for the new roadway. Grading of the aggregate will be continuing over the course of
the next week in advance of the new pavement surface.
On Thursday, Knife Lake Concrete arrived in town and started with the construction of the new curb and
gutter from the west side of the intersection of Fourth Avenue West toward the intersection of County 34
and 51. Today, they will be completing the last of the curb and gutter on the phase, making connections of
curb near the new storm sewer inlets previously installed by R.L. Larson.
Next week Knife Lake Concrete will be returning to the site to begin construction of concrete flatwork
(sidewalk and driveways) throughout Phases 2 and 3. If you are affected by the construction of the new
concrete, please work with the contractor to stay off the new driveways and walks to allow for proper
curing of the new concrete.
In addition to Knife Lake working on the concrete in the phase, Ottertail Aggregate will be hauling
additional aggregate base throughout the phase to prepare the roadway for bituminous pavement.
Currently, dependent on weather conditions and upcoming rain, the plan is to pave the roadway the first
days of July, in advance of the Fourth of July.
If you have any questions, or want additional information on the project, the Perham Chamber of
Commerce has created a webpage dedicated to the project, which can be accessed at this link
(https://www.perham.com/2024msrp/). For more specific questions, feel free to contact the City Engineer,
Jade Berube, via email at jade.berube@apexenggroup.com, or City Manager, Jonathan Smith at
jsmith@cityofperham.com.
6-14-24 Project Update
What a change in eight weeks! This week Phase 1 was opened to traffic for the Turtle Fest activities. In the
past eight weeks, R.L. Larson and their crew of subcontractors completed the utility replacement and the
majority of the surface improvements through the first four blocks of the project, allowing the phase to be
open for traffic on Wednesday. Although it isn’t entirely complete, with lights, trees and other grates
pending arrival, along with grading behind the curb, the phase is open for the busy summer tourist season
with the intent to keep the downtown area, from Fourth Avenue West to Third Avenue East open through
mid-August.
Main Street – June 7th
The opening of the first phase to traffic hasn’t slowed the activities on other areas of the project, with the
following activities occurring over the past week.
Early this week, Knife Lake Concrete completed the last of the concrete driveways and sidewalks on Phase
1, constructing the remaining halves of driveways that were unable to be closed during the construction.
R.L. Larson completed the final utility improvements on Phase 3, reconnecting water services in the phase
2024 Main Street Project Update
Main Street, Second Avenue Northeast, and Seventh Avenue Southeast
mid-week. In addition to the work on Phase 3, R.L. Larson relocated inlets at the intersection of Seventh
Avenue and Second Street Southeast, as the roadway will be reconstructed over the course of the summer.
On Monday of this past week, Ottertail Aggregate removed the pavement, curb and gutter and other
surface items on the block of Main Street from Sixth to Seventh Avenue West. Following the removal,
material beneath the roadway has been removed and aggregate is being placed to allow for the future
street reconstruction connecting Phases 2 & 3. Ottertail will be continuing the preparation of the roadbed
and installation of aggregate throughout the course of the next week in advance of curb and gutter
construction.
Next week, work will be focused primarily on the westerly portion of Main Street. Ottertail Aggregate will
continue preparing the roadway for aggregate, by removing material to allow for the placement of the
twelve inches of aggregate base and five inches of bituminous pavement. By Wednesday, nearly half of the
aggregate base will be placed throughout phases 2 and 3, with Knife Lake Concrete scheduled to be back to
the site to construct the curb and gutter throughout the two phases on Thursday and Friday.
Tentatively, the schedule is to continue the construction of the surface features in Phases 2 and 3
throughout the course of the month, with a plan to open the roadway to traffic by the Fourth of July.
6-7-24 Project Update
With three phases of construction underway, activities are occurring on all ends of Main Street. On the
west end of Main Street, R.L. Larson is nearing completion on the watermain replacement from Seventh
Avenue to the intersection of County Highways 34 and 51. Early this week, they made a tie-in to the
existing watermain beneath the intersection to connect to the watermain that runs beneath the railroad
tracks at the intersection. Following the connection, they have shifted back to service line replacement
from the new watermain to the existing buildings along the Phase.
In addition to the replacement of the watermain and services, R.L. Larson has installed various storm sewer
inlets and piping at Sixth Avenue West in advance of the placement of Aggregate Base for the new
roadway. Ottertail Aggregate installed the majority of the aggregate in Phase 2, from Fourth to Sixth
Avenue West early in the week and will be back next week to continue preparing the roadway for surface
improvements.
On Phase 1, Parsons Electric installed the last of the light bases behind the curb early in the week, and Knife
Lake Concrete has been in town throughout the week constructing the new sidewalks throughout the
phase. Various pours of concrete have occurred throughout the week, with the ribbon sidewalk next to the
building and boulevard sidewalk next to the curb being poured at one time, and the colored center sections
poured at a different time. Knife Lake should be finishing with the sidewalk today, with minor touch up
scheduled for next week.
Next week, work will continue on Phases 1, 2 and 3. On Phase 1, the last of the concrete, along with
boulevard shaping east of Third Avenue will be completed early in the week. Tentatively, the plan is to
remove the detour either late Tuesday or early Wednesday and re-direct traffic on the new roadway prior
to Turtlefest. The installation of vegetation, including trees, ornamental grasses and lights will be
completed at a later date, but the roadway will be open for traffic and parking by mid-week. With the gap
in improvement timing between Phases 1 and 4, the east side of the intersection of First and Main, along
with other intersections in the first phase, will have temporary surfaces to allow for the connection of
phases for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The bumps and other transitions through phases will be
addressed when later phases are constructed.
On Phase 2, aggregate touch up and fine grading will occur, along with the removals of the existing surface
on the block between Sixth and Seventh Avenue. On Phase 3, the last of the utilities will be installed, and
subgrade preparation will begin in advance of aggregate installation. Aggregate installation will be
occurring throughout the week on Phases 2 and 3, in advance of concrete curb placement, tentatively
scheduled for the week of June 17th
.
5-31-24 Project Update
A shortened week with the holiday and the rains have slowed some of the improvements on Main Street, but the number of crews working in town has allowed the project to progress. Over the course of the week, R.L. Larson, Ottertail Aggregate, Parsons Electric, Aqua Lawn, Central Specialties, and Knife Lake Concrete have all been working on the project.
On Phase 1, the irrigation system was installed on Tuesday, and Parsons Electric has continued to work on the installation of electrical conduits and lighting behind the curb throughout the week, pouring light bases between Second and Third Avenue East throughout the week. Central Specialties paved the first course of bituminous pavement on Tuesday and shifted to the second two-inch course on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, they paved the intersections of the remaining blocks to connect the Avenues to the new pavement on Main Street. Knife Lake Concrete poured sidewalks on the north side of town in the new Prairie’s Edge addition early in the week, with sections of sidewalk on Main Street late this week.
On Phase 2, Ottertail Aggregate excavated the roadway base in preparation for aggregate placement.
Aggregate placement has been focused on the intersections of Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Avenue. On Phase 3, R.L. Larson has been replacing watermain from Seventh Avenue West to County Highway 34.
Next week, work will be occurring on Phases 1, 2 and 3. On Phase 1, the installation of light bases and
electrical conduit will continue, with the work primarily focused on the block of Main Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue East. Following the installation of the light bases, Knife Lake will continue pouring the concrete walk on sections that have all electrical items complete. Various businesses will be
notified of the schedule as it progresses and asked to use back entrances during the construction of the
sidewalk in front of their doors. Phase 2, Ottertail Aggregate will continue placing the aggregate for the roadway base between Fourth and Sixth Avenue West. Lastly, on Phase 3, R.L. Larson will be working on the watermain replacement early next week, with service connections scheduled throughout the week.
Following the watermain replacement, R.L. Larson will shift to Storm Sewer replacement throughout Phase
3.
5-24-24 Project Update
Rain, rain, go away… Although work has progressed on Main Street over the course of the past week, the
rain has impacted some of the activities that were planned to be completed. Early this week, Knife Lake
Concrete worked on the installation of sidewalk on the easterly portion of Phase 1 (Third to Fifth Avenue)
and touched up the missing sections of concrete in areas that were not completed last week. Ottertail
Aggregate hauled in the last of the aggregate base in the phase and has worked on shaping and compacting
the roadbed throughout the week. On Thursday, Parsons Electric started laying the conduits for the new
lighting on the east side of Phase 1 and will continue into early next week.
On Phase 2, R.L. Larson continued the underground utility replacement with watermain connections to the
Emergency Services Building and the installation of a new hydrant. Storm sewer was also installed in the
phase, with one storm sewer inlet remaining that will be completed with the work on Phase 3.
On Wednesday, the detour for Phase 3 was implemented, with a closure of Main Street from Phase 2 to the
intersection of County Highways 34 and 51. Following the placement of the detour, Ottertail Aggregate
started removals at the intersection of Seventh Avenue West and will continue throughout the day today
toward the western end of the phase. The pavement, curb and gutter has been left in place between Sixth
and Seventh Avenue, as no utility replacement will occur on that block. The intention is to leave the
surface on the block until the new roadway preparation is scheduled.
On Thursday and today, R.L. Larson is working on connections for various properties in Phase 3 into the
temporary water system. The underground utility improvements on Phase 3 will consist primarily of
watermain replacement and the temporary water system will provide water to the buildings along the
phase during the replacement.
With the rain today, the scheduled paving of Phase 1 has been delayed into next week. Central Specialties
is planning to pave the first phase of the project on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, weather
dependent. Other contractors will be completing work on the Phase throughout the week, with the
electrical conduits, irrigation, and other items behind the curb being completed.
Knife Lake Concrete will be back in town mid-week to begin the construction of the sidewalk on Phase 1.
The sidewalk will be completed in various sections to allow for a colored portion of walk to guide
pedestrian access. The first concrete sidewalk that will be poured next week will be the “ribbon” sidewalk.
This sidewalk is the narrowest section of the walk closest to the building and varies in width (six inches to
nearly two feet) based on the distance from the buildings to the curb. Businesses will be notified the day
prior to the pouring of the ribbon walk, to prepare for alternative access.
2024 Main Street Project Update
Main Street, Second Avenue Northeast, and Seventh Avenue Southeast
With utilities completed in Phase 2, Ottertail Aggregate will begin the excavation of the existing material on
the roadway to prepare for the installation of the aggregate base. R.L. Larson will continue with the
underground utility replacement on Phase 3 and will begin with the watermain work near the intersection
of Seventh Avenue and will be working west with the replacement. A minor shut down of neighboring
blocks will be communicated early in the week to allow for the installation of valves at the connection point
near Seventh Avenue.
5-17-24 Project Update
Over the course of the past week, work has continued on Phases 1 and 2 on the Main Street Project. On
Phase 1, Ottertail Aggregate has completed the last of the removals of sidewalk and pavers and has been
hauling aggregate to the site preparing for the upcoming concrete and bituminous pavement
improvements. Knife Lake Concrete has been in town with various crews throughout the week, installing
the new concrete sidewalk from Sixth Avenue East to Eleventh Avenue East on the south side of Main
Street. This new sidewalk will provide a connection throughout the City along the busy roadway.
On Thursday, Knife Lake started the construction of the curb and gutter in Phase 1. Starting at the
intersection of Third Avenue East, Knife Lake worked their way east to the end of Phase 1 and turned
around to head back toward downtown. This morning, Knife Lake constructed the last of the curb and
gutter in Phase 1, with minor connections at storm sewer inlets and other areas being established through
the remainder of the day.
On Phase 2, one of R.L. Larson’s crews continued with the construction of the sanitary sewer mains and
services between Fifth and Sixth Avenue West. On Tuesday, one of the crews left town, with one crew
remaining for the rest of the underground improvements. R.L. Larson also placed a temporary water
system in advance of Phase 3 construction, which will provide water to the various properties along the
project area as the watermain is replaced in the upcoming phase.
Next week, work will continue throughout the project in various phases. Work in Phase 1 will primarily
consist of the installation of aggregate and shaping of the roadway to prepare for pavement later in the
week. Currently Central Specialties is scheduled to construct the bottom four inches of pavement on the
roadway later next week. As discussed last week, this work will be completed prior to the placement of
sidewalks in the phase to allow for the installation of light bases, irrigation, and other components beneath
the sidewalk. From Third to Fifth Avenue East, Knife Lake will begin working on driveway apron
replacement and other sidewalk construction. Please stay off the new concrete until directed to allow for
proper curing.
R.L. Larson anticipates completing the last of the underground utilities in Phase 2 throughout the course of
the week with hydrant relocations, water service modifications, and storm sewer installation at the
intersections.
On Wednesday, additional traffic control signage will be going up on the west end of the project in advance
of removals on Phase 3 (Seventh Avenue to County Highway 34/51). If R.L. Larson is able to complete the
utilities earlier in the week, Ottertail Aggregate will begin removals from Seventh Avenue to the west on
Thursday. Because there is no utility replacement on the block from Sixth to Seventh Avenue West, the
existing surfacing will remain until the street improvements are necessary in a few weeks.