Project to wrap up next week

The rehabilitation of Eddy Street in downtown Gardnerville will take longer than expected due to some unforeseen problems with irrigation pipes and gas lines; but the project should be mostly finished by the end of next week, according to Gardnerville Town Manager Jim Park.

"We should be out of everyone's hair by next week," Park said on Tuesday night.

The $160,000 project began the end of May and was expected to be completed by the end of June. Improvements include new curbs, gutters and sidewalks, asphalt reconstruction, parking space re-striping and the burying of overhead power lines.

However, Town Engineer Jennifer Roman said workers ran into some unexpected surprises.

An existing irrigation pipe failed during pulverization of the pavement, and the pipe was deteriorated to the point where it needed to be replaced.

The existing gas main was also found only 26 inches below the proposed pavement surface.

"The gas main is very shallow," Roman said.

She said original plans for the pavement section called for 3 inches of asphalt concrete, 6 inches of aggregate base and 12 inches of sub-base. With the shallow gas main, though, plans have been modified and the sub-base eliminated. Instead, workers will lay 6 inches of aggregate base, and 4 inches of asphalt concrete. Roman said the extra inch of asphalt concrete will compensate for the eliminated sub-base.

"They're only going down 10 inches, instead of 21," she said.

Another problem discovered was a weak sub-base on the west end of the street.

"We're looking at possibly reducing compaction requirements to avoid damage to the gas main," she said.

Town board member Robin Bernhard said he'd heard from constituents who had concerns about the status of the project.

"This morning, I spent 90 minutes on the phone," he said.

Park said the last overlay on Eddy Street was done in the 1980s.

"It's easier to come in and overlay versus the Eddy Street reconstruction," he said. "There's nothing ever to relish making a mess of a street. It's not fun, but thank goodness it comes only every 25 years in the maintenance program."

n In other news, town board members unanimously approved a design review for an 80-foot telecommunications tower proposed for a public facilities zone in Lampe Park.

Les Falconer, representing Cricket Communications, said the tower would be constructed next to Lampe Park's recreation and maintenance building on the south side of Waterloo Lane. He said more than one company will be able to use the tower, which will provide wireless and Internet service.

Falconer also said the site will be fenced off to keep people away from the equipment.