Watertown City Council Approves $455,000 for Trail Expansion and Cemetery Upgrades
- Steve Jurrens
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown City Council took steps to enhance the city’s recreational and historical infrastructure on Monday night, approving nearly $455,000 in contracts aimed at expanding the local trail system and modernizing the roads within Mount Hope Cemetery.
The approvals represent a dual focus on pedestrian safety and fiscal opportunism, with officials moving to secure lower construction rates by bundling projects while contractors are already on-site.
Prioritizing Pedestrian Safety on 14th Avenue NE
The Council officially awarded a $125,928 bid to Beyond Concrete Inc. for a major expansion of the trail system along 14th Avenue NE (Project 2607). The new stretch of concrete trail will begin at the intersection of 19th Street and continue along the avenue, filling a critical gap in the city’s pedestrian network.
During the discussion, Councilman Michael Heuer raised concerns regarding the proximity of the new trail to vehicular traffic, a recurring safety theme in council deliberations. “Just for clarity with this piece of trail... is it going to be directly abutting the roadway or are we creating some separation?” Heuer asked.
Matt Brandsrud, Parks and Forestry Superintendent, clarified that while the trail follows the road corridor, safety measures are built into the design. “This one would be close to the road, but due to the utilities being there, it will not be directly next to the curb,” Brandsrud explained. “This will still be up on a curb or above the curb.”
Superintendent Brandsrud further noted that the path would connect to overlays completed last year, providing a seamless and elevated route for walkers and cyclists that remains physically distinct from the street level.
A Strategic Overhaul for Mount Hope Cemetery
In a separate but related move, the Council approved a pair of items (10B and 10C) that combined routine trail maintenance with a long-awaited upgrade for Mount Hope Cemetery.
The Council awarded a base bid of $182,000 to Ostrom Excavating LLC for the refurbishment of several aging asphalt trail sections in the city’s north-central and northeast areas. However, in a move praised for its “fiscal common sense,” the Council immediately approved a $147,935 change order, bringing the total contract to approximately $330,000.
The additional funding is designated to pave the remaining gravel roads on the west side of Mount Hope Cemetery—a project that has been on the city’s “to-do” list for some time.
City Manager Alan Stager explained that the city could act now because the initial bids for the trail refurbishment came in significantly under budget. “Typically in the past, you would award the bid, and then some months in the future, staff would bring you a change order,” Stager said. “What we’ve done in this case is actually bringing you the change order upfront... to extend these quantities so you have a chance to give an opinion on the entire scope.”
By approving the cemetery paving now, Stager noted that the city would avoid paying a second “mobilization fee” in the future. “Ordinarily, if we push this off to another year, we wouldn’t receive the same prices since we already have a contractor mobilizing for two-thirds of the project,” he added.
“Job Well Done”
The decision to pave the cemetery roads was met with particular warmth by the Council. The cemetery is frequently used not only for services but as a quiet space for residents to walk and run.
“I’d just like to say thank you for the work at the cemetery," Mayor Ried Holien said following the vote. “I know that it actually gets used quite a bit, not just for funerals, but a lot of people go there for walking or running. It’s a wonderful development, and we should not take it for granted.”
