On one all-important corner of downtown Jordan sits a historic landmark passed by the traffic of two state highways.

Under the circumstances, the city of Jordan and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church need to do the best they can to make the best changes possible at the intersection, Councilmember Jeremy Goebel, a member of the church.

As a $3 million reconstruction of Highway 282 quickly progresses, negotiations continued this week in regard to church-owned property at the intersection of highways 21 and 282. The city council hopes to approve a redesigned plan for the intersection next Monday, May 4.

In a special meeting on Monday, April 27, the council voted 6-1 for city staff to pursue the acquisition of a small piece of church land, on which an historic former parochial school sits, as well as Minnesota Department of Transportation approval of a redesign of the intersection. Mayor Pete Ewals voted against further negotiations.

“I think it’s wise,” Councilmember Sally Schultz said.
City Engineer Carol Caron wrote a memorandum to the council about an offer to the city from the church, proposing a revised intersection layout. In exchange for property rights, the church requested no money, only changes to the former school property and a school speed zone.

The church offered to give the city a 32-square-foot piece of land, if the city would pay for changes to the parking lot on the site, which could be better and more safely utilized by parishioners. The city is offering to pave an entrance from Rice Street to the parking lot, as well as construct steps leading to the intersection's crosswalk. The city needs more information about the church’s request for a school speed zone, Caron said.

MAKING WIDE TURNS

MnDOT, which is paying about one-third of the costs of the reconstruction project, and the city would like to allow 30-foot turning radii at the four corners of the intersection.

Semi-trailers have a difficult time making safe turns within the busy intersection.

But a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision against the city won’t allow a 30-foot turning radius on the corner on which the church is located. State law restricts streets from being built on church land without the approval of the church’s governing board. Sidewalks and stoplights are included in the legal definition of street, a panel of judges unanimously agreed.

Fearing potential damage to the church building, the possible eventual widening of the highway, and an increase in speeding traffic, St. John’s will not allow the city to build the street any closer than it is to the church.

If the redesign passes with city and state approval, three out of four corners will allow wider turns that were allowed in the past, Caron wrote in her memo. “This will create a much safer quadrant to this intersection for everyone.”

The corner on which the historic church sits would not be affected by the proposal.

SAFER CROSSWALKS

According to two proposals, including one that does not require the acquisition of church land, the intersection will be American Disabilities Act compliant. Under the plan that includes church land, the sidewalks and pedestrian ramps would be safer and more friendly to people with handicaps, Caron said.

Caron said that without the church property, semi-trailers turning westward from southbound Highway 21 might hop the curb or veer into the through lane, because there isn’t enough space in the road for the truck to make such a tight turn.

“Those pedestrians could potentially be run over,” Caron said.
The city offered to move a monument at the intersection and construct a fence and steps from the former school property that would deter parishioners from crossing anywhere besides at the stoplight crosswalk, Caron said. “This will encourage those who park in the old school parking lot to cross (Trunk Highway) 21 at a safe location.”

COOPERATION

Representatives of the church respectfully declined to comment on specifics of the negotiations until later this week. Church leaders met with city officials earlier this month to talk about the court decision, as well as safety concerns in regard to the northwest corner of the intersection, by the former school.

Church leaders later said they want to do what’s best for the community, as well as the church.

“They are in a position where they would like to get this project moving and cooperate with the city,” City Administrator Ed Shukle said.

The timetable for negotiations is short.

Chard Tiling, contractor for the project, has started roadwork near the southwest corner of the intersection, opposite the former school.

One option at the intersection – a MnDOT-approved plan for which Ewals lobbied – could be implemented “basically right away,” Caron said, “practically tomorrow.”

The second option, which involves the church property, “provides for better than minimum ADA accommodations,” wrote Chris Bosak, metro district signal design project manager for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, in a letter to Bolton & Menk Inc., Caron’s firm. “At this point, if the church will convey the property without any major requirements, then we would go ahead and do it.”

“This one has been more refined,” Caron said of the second option. “It’s a safer situation for the pedestrians.”

If further negotiations with the church would cause delays in the project work, Bosak suggested redesigning the intersection without obtaining church property.

The city hasn’t gotten bids on the change order that would be needed for the driveway, stairway, and fence, but Caron estimated it would cost $8,000 to $10,000. She said Monday that she would get a bid from the contractor.

Jordan has up to two weeks to come up with a design, before the contractor is allowed to collect damages from the city for delaying its work. As long as the contractor can pull its traffic controllers on time, additional costs should not be incurred, Caron said. “Two weeks is the soonest we would see extra costs from the contractor.”

For the project to move forward, the city council, the church, MnDOT, and the St. Paul Archdiocese must approve an agreement on the redesigned intersection. The Archdiocese, governs the state’s Catholic churches.

“The church can’t make this decision locally,” Ewals said.
The Archdiocese hasn’t seen any legal documents yet, he added.
City Attorney Annette Margarit said she will draft an agreement and get it to Larry Martin, the church’s attorney, as soon as possible.

“We can’t let this sit,” Margarit said.

“We can’t be dragging their feet on that,” Councilmember Jeanne Marnoff said.

Councilmember Mike Shaw said the city won’t make everyone happy, but he said, “It’s a good plan.”

“It’s a good plan,” Goebel repeated, calling for the council to make the best decision it can about the intersection. “We will feel the ramifications of these decisions for decades.”

“There is no way to make the intersection right,” Ewals said. “It’s not highway ready.”

MORE STOP SIGNS

In the meantime, Chard’s work is progressing quickly. Local detours along First and Third streets, originally scheduled to open May 4 (but it won't open until after the city council meeting that day, according the latest story: http://www.jordannews.com/news/breaking-news-alert/project-282-update-me...), have caused another controversy.

Residents and business owners along First and Third streets have asked for more traffic control along their streets. Others have asked for the city to keep the intersection of Mertens Street and Highway 282 closed for the duration of construction.

On Tuesday, the city agreed to post temporary stop signs at the intersections along First and Third streets, the detours through downtown Jordan, but some residents and business owners were not satisfied.

“There’s a lot of speeding on Third Street right now,” Marnoff said on Monday.

Police Chief Bob Malz said he plans to ask the council next Monday if they would like to move forward with one of two options – keep the intersection of Mertens Street and Highway 282 closed, or open the local detours with the addition of temporary stop signs at three of the uncontrolled intersections along First and Third streets.

Malz said the intersections that might see additional temporary traffic control would be: Wood and Third streets; West and Third streets; and Wood and First streets.

+ To see a conceptual figure of the former school site and the tentatively proposed accesses, go to www.jordannews.com/news/church.