Transcript
SOURCE TRANSCRIPT
This transcript is downloaded from the source you provided but we haven't reviewed it for accuracy. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record. You can also request an AI-transcription of the audio file with the button to the left.
These are YouTube's auto-generated captions, not a human transcript — expect occasional errors, especially with names and technical terms.
[0:02]
[Music]
And I'm Marlene Thomas and I am a major
[0:07]
proama of the city. Yes, ma'am. And I'm
just stopping and talking to our
[0:10]
constituents and say, "Do you know about
the resurfacing project?" Yes, I've
[0:14]
heard a little bit about it. Not a lot,
but a little bit. Okay. So, what have
[0:19]
you heard so far? I'm hoping what I've
heard is that basically we're going to
[0:23]
be repaving the asphalt walkway because
there are an awful lot of cracks and and
[0:27]
dips. And if you could change one thing
about the park, what would that be? If
[0:30]
anything, um, the resurfacing, just
probably repaving. Everything else I
[0:36]
really like. Like you say, it's a little
bit rough on his scooter sometimes in
[0:40]
his stroller. Hi, I'm Jessica Henry,
community development specialist with
[0:44]
the city of Duth. Welcome to another
edition of Conversations with Council.
[0:48]
Today we're at Button Road Park to learn
about an exciting improvement project,
[0:52]
the resurfacing of our walking trails.
I'm joined by Mayor Pro Tim Marlene
[0:57]
Thomas and council member Lamar Doss as
well as our parks and recreation
[1:01]
director Kathy Marley to learn about
this project's purpose, timeline, and
[1:05]
the benefit to our community. Let's
start with an overview. Kathy, can you
[1:09]
tell us what this trail resurfacing
project is all about? Oh, I would be
[1:13]
happy to. It is 1.08
um in length, a mile, a little bit over
[1:20]
a mile, heavily used by all generations.
Um it's uh gathering places for people
[1:27]
to come and meet each other and have an
occasional walk. It's also cross country
[1:33]
use for the high school uh Duth High
School that'll come through here and
[1:37]
train on our trail. It is one of the
most highly used visible passive um
[1:44]
activities that the city of Duth offers
to the community. um very beloved trail
[1:50]
and um we are excited about the proposed
project as this will improve our
[1:56]
infrastructure and provide walkability
for a healthier community for
[2:00]
generations to come. Very cool. So what
prompted the need for the project at
[2:05]
this time? Um honestly it was the
deterioration of the trails as in it's
[2:10]
an asphalt trail. So, as in roads, you
start to notice when there's uh large
[2:16]
cracks or some potholes in some cases
and also in compliance to our storm
[2:23]
water infrastructure. So, improvements
are needed not only for our hydrarology
[2:29]
and our foundation, but also for the
surface and the base of our trail. Okay.
[2:35]
So, how does this initiative align with
the city's broader goals for park
[2:39]
improvements? Oh, at the top of the list
um as an active uh public open activity
[2:46]
um for a healthier community. Um it is
number one on the list. Very cool. So
[2:52]
Marlene, um what is the estimated budget
for this project and how is it being
[2:56]
funded? So the estimated budget for this
project is about $6 million. that is to
[3:02]
be seen, you know, once we get the bids
and we get the actual work, but we
[3:06]
estimate that it will be about $6
million. Uh we funded the design phase
[3:12]
which it was done with the 2017 FLOS
that was already completed and it's
[3:17]
under review. That's where we have the
basis for the estimate for the total
[3:21]
project and the total project will be
funded by the 2023's plus. Okay. Thank
[3:27]
you. and Lamar, um what specific
improvements will be made, um to the
[3:31]
trail and the surrounding areas? Well,
as Kathy alluded to, um big part is
[3:36]
we'll pull up the existing trail, put
down a new base, new asphalt path. Um be
[3:41]
some areas, um we'll have to do some
landscape improvements, um storm water
[3:46]
uh upgrades to get it to code because
existing trails, 30 years old, so that's
[3:53]
the main part. Very good. Um so Marlene
with that is there any anticipated
[3:59]
challenges during the construction
phase? Certainly a lot of challenges
[4:03]
facing and a lot of the areas you don't
know until you start pulling things up
[4:08]
you know what else is coming up but we
have over 20 storm drainage the ponds in
[4:14]
addition to that you know a lot of the
vegetation that is mature the terrain
[4:20]
you see the elevation varies
tremendously from one area to the other.
[4:24]
So, a lot of the areas have to have a
unique design. In addition to that,
[4:29]
we're expanding the ADA um
accessibility. So, areas were not u
[4:35]
accessible before, we're adding to it.
So, we're not just replacing what we
[4:40]
have, we're actually improving. And we
hope that the improvements, especially
[4:44]
with the um storm water, that it will
make it more um durable and it will last
[4:50]
for many more years to come. Oh, very
good. Um, so Kathy, with all of that
[4:55]
entailed, um, how will the resurfacing
project benefit the visitors and the
[5:00]
community? Well, it's going to improve
the conditions of the amenity that, um,
[5:05]
the park has to offer. Uh, so that's the
number one criteria is to improve it and
[5:11]
bring it up to grade for for better use.
um if not we have areas that um would
[5:19]
fail to the standards of what our
infrastructure needs to be. So
[5:25]
infrastructure criteria is crucial to
the stability of our park. Um so Lamar
[5:31]
um what is the projected timeline for
this project? It's probably going to
[5:35]
take the course better part of a year to
get done. Um as Marlene had said phases
[5:40]
going to be a big part of it. There's
going to be sections of the trail
[5:42]
that'll be closed down temporarily as
work's going on. Um but within the year
[5:47]
we should have project complete. Oh,
awesome. So, um Kathy,
[5:52]
along for um along with this project, is
there any plans for additional
[5:57]
improvements to Bunt Road Park following
the resurfacing? Um this will where we
[6:02]
are going to be the actual trail is a
project in itself but then the
[6:06]
surrounding areas with our ponds and our
storm water there'll be improved
[6:11]
landscaping and um areas uh that will be
improved throughout the park to also
[6:17]
stabilize the area of the trail.
Awesome. I I look forward to coming to
[6:21]
check it all out. Please do. Um so
Marlene, um how can residents stay
[6:25]
informed about the progress of this
project?
[6:29]
Well, one of the greatest source of
information is Kathy here. You see her
[6:33]
here all the time and I know all of our
team members uh with the park and
[6:37]
recreations, but a lot of the
information is available on our website.
[6:41]
So, if you go to duluthga.net,
um you will get a lot of the information
[6:47]
within our website. In addition to that,
we have our blast. So, if you have not
[6:52]
signed up for the blast, you know, our
blast will give you information,
[6:56]
especially when we're talking about
changes to the schedule or the path or
[7:01]
disruptions. So, if we're closing one
area, one parking lot, we will likely
[7:06]
put some of that information on the
website and on the blast. So, stay
[7:10]
tuned. That's how you can get a lot more
information as well as joining our
[7:14]
meetings. Okay, good. Well, thank you
all for joining us today. It's been
[7:18]
exciting to hear about the improvements
at Button Road Park. And to our
[7:21]
audience, be sure to follow all the
updates um from the city of Duth at
[7:25]
duthgga.net. And until next time, this
has been Conversations with Council.