Work began this week on McGregor’s 1st and A Street Reconstruction Project.

The project will include reconstruction of the brick streets around Triangle Park as well as replacing sidewalk, installing curb and gutter, improving drainage and upgrading underground utilities.

Tschiggfrie Excavating of Dubuque was awarded the contract in November, at a cost of $857,932.

Work will address inflow and infiltration issues similar to what the two-year Main Street project combatted. At a previous meeting, project engineer Alex Jaromin from Davy Engineering said this stretch around Triangle Park is the last priority section of sewer for the city to improve.

“The improvements to the underground utilities are very critical to connecting our downtown and the sewer plant,” added McGregor Economic Development Director Brandi Crozier. “[The infrastructure] is old, and it’s outlasted its lifetime.”

The project will also address the deteriorating brick streets. The brick pavers—a contributing item to McGregor’s National Register-listed downtown historic district—will be removed and reinstalled, maintaining historic integrity around the park.

Bricks removed during the Main Street project have been salvaged for this purpose.

“As part of the Main Street project, in working with the State Historic Preservation Office, we are required to reuse the brick that came out of Main Street—or at least a good portion of them,” Crozier explained.

She said it’s likely been 20 to 25 years since repairs were done to the streets.

“This is not just a beautification project,” Crozier said, “but the brick streets do add to the esthetic and charm of McGregor’s downtown.”

After mobilization, contractors will begin by building a bore pit to access underground utilities. That work will take through much of the summer. The brick street portion likely won’t begin until late July or early August.

The project has a substantial completion date of Aug. 30.

“It could be sooner, weather permitting,” said Crozier. “But weather is not just from the sky. Ground water is also a challenge in our town.”

Crozier does not anticipate significant disruption to the business district during construction, but said the city will monitor things closely and make adjustments as needed.

Vehicles will still be able to park on the Main Street side of Triangle Park and the sidewalk will remain open.

“We will lose some parking, and there will be some construction fencing and dust, but the impact should be minimal,” Crozier said.

As McGregor moves into its busy season, downtown business owners and employees, as well as residents, are encouraged to utilize the First Street public parking lot across from McGregor Municipal Utilities or the city parking lots on either side of Steve’s Silver Dollar. This will help keep on-street parking available for customers and visitors.

McGregor had hoped to begin the Triangle Park Enhancement Project shortly as well. That work will include improvements to Triangle Park itself, including construction of a new plaza and fountain, site grading and earthwork, concrete pavement installation, irrigation and planting, site furnishings and amenities and tree removals, erosion control and soil preparation.

However, no bids were received by the April 16 deadline, so the project has been reissued for bids. The city is hopeful to award a bid at a special meeting on Wednesday, May 6. If so, Crozier said the project will move forward largely as originally planned, with construction beginning in early summer and wrapping up by the end of August.