Small towns are often known for their hospitality and extra room to breathe fresh air—Wyndmere, North Dakota is no different. Home to 429 residents and surrounded by a variety of outdoor recreation lands, they take great pride in assuring their community is functioning at its best and is well-maintained. As the city developed over the years, streets and infrastructure started to fail. City leaders noticed an abundance of stormwater ponding in streets around the school complex. The City of Wyndmere reached out to Bolton & Menk and began the long, steadfast journey to find the solution to their problems.
When Bolton & Menk took over city engineering services for Wyndmere in 2016, our main goal was to be a trusted community member. Through transparent communication, asking the right questions to collect the right information, gathering background details, and using web-based GIS tools, we developed a plan to achieve their goal of a brand-new storm sewer and street improvement project. With a multi-million-dollar price tag, funding needed to be identified, applied for, and secured. Bolton & Menk tapped into several funding sources and the city received various low interest loans and grants to make the project happen:
- $1,038,000 Grant from the North Dakota State Water Commission (SWC),
- $1,196,000 low interest (2%) loan from North Dakota Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund (ND DWSRF)
- $4,365,000 low interest (2%) loan from the North Dakota Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (ND CWSRF)
After three years of applying for these grants and loans, discussing needs and concerns with residents, and answering questions at every city council meeting, Phase 1 was ready to commence in 2020.
During the 2020 construction season, Bolton & Menk created a monthly newsletter and developed a project website to keep residents up to date with project developments. Replacement of bituminous pavement, curb and gutter, and the watermain (including water services) was completed for the streets highlighted above, as well as a new storm sewer system and retention pond. Wyndmere residents had full transparency of any issues encountered, along with a plan to resolve them, as well as full access to the engineer and construction project representative’s contact information.
“Since Bolton & Menk came to Wyndmere, we have seen things get done. Barry Johnson has always answered the phone and been active on getting information that we need to make an informed decision on how to move our community forward.” Said Nathan Brandt, Mayor of Wyndmere. “Bolton & Menk has been a great partner to Wyndmere. We look forward to working with them to move Wyndmere in the right direction for years to come.”
With Phase 1 construction substantially complete at the end of the 2020 season, landscaping will be completed in May 2021 to finish the first phase of the storm sewer and street improvements project. Because of the dedicated partnership, diligent planning, and secured funding, Wyndmere has been able to move into the next phase of their street and stormwater improvements project, set to be constructed the summer of 2021.
