The City of Stanley has approved a contract with CBS2 for design services to pave 345th Street, at a cost of $219,748. Jon Strand of CBS Squared presented the plan to the Council, outlining the steps involved in the project.
“This is for the ARIP funded projects, so this covers 345th (Street). It received this funding because this road is also used for agricultural transportation and that’s what the ARIP program is for,” said Strand.
The Agriculture Road Improvements Program (ARIP) provides funding to improve rural roads, bridges, and culverts, that provide access to agricultural lands or facilities used to produce agricultural goods. With the grant secured, the city can now move forward with the engineering phase of the project that includes conducting a topographic survey, ordering soil borings, and wetland delineation.
Strand explained that wetland delineation will need to wait until the growing season begins in order to properly identify wetland areas. This step is necessary because, when constructing a new road, the sub base must be able to drain properly, which requires adequate ditches. This process may result in minor adjustments to the wetland areas.
The road will be 24 feet wide with four-foot shoulders and designed for a speed limit of 50 miles per hour. As it will be a rural section roadway, there will be no curb and gutter. The project is expected to be ready for bidding by mid-2025.
“The idea is to finish this in 2025,” Strand commented, adding that the timeline has to be flexible in case there are wetland permits.
He further mentioned that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has right of way that goes in almost a hundred feet on 345th. He shared that there is an upcoming meeting with the DOT regarding improvements on their right of way that will have to be reviewed and approved.

Wastewater Department
The Wastewater Department will be receiving a new inline phosphorus analyzer with a price tag is of $30,055 from Mulcahy Shaw Water.
“Phosphorus keeps becoming a bigger and bigger concern,” said Mayor Mike Henke. “We do not have our DNR permit yet, we’re still working through that trade agreement. We’re hoping, trying to get out in front of stuff so that when it does take effect, we have the necessary stuff in place to test what we need to test.”
Strand explained the purpose of the phosphorus testing equipment. “This will be supplemental to lab testing. This will be more of a process control instrument to give you an early warning if you are going over the limit versus waiting for the lab results to come back and finding out that you have been over the limit for many days.”
Henke informed the council that the funds for this will come out of the wastewater department’s reserve funds. When the council inquired about the availability of funds in the budget, Henke commended Wastewater operator Nick Martin for his “good management,” noting that Martin has contributed around $160,000 back into the wastewater department’s reserve funds, which he described as a “rarity.”

In other news
As the council entered into closed session to discuss public nuisance located at 119 Industrial Park Road and 125 McKnight Street, they also discussed enforcement of the Development agreement with Stanley Truck Sales, Inc. Returning from closed session, the council voted “to move forward with the process outlined in closed sessio