Local governments revisit Crailsheim Road safety near the Intermediate School

Kari Lucin, The Daily Globe, Worthington, Minn.
Updated ·3 min read

Apr. 14—WORTHINGTON — A Crailsheim Road project aimed at improving safety for kids at the Intermediate School still hasn't happened, leaving District 518 officials dismayed and other local government representatives apologetic, as they gathered Friday to address the issue.

Two traffic trouble spots were previously identified on Crailsheim Road, also known as Nobles County 10 — one at its intersection with Oxford Street, adjacent to Worthington Middle School, and another just in front of the Intermediate School, which had included a bus access point and installation of a new pedestrian crossing there, as well as changes to the turn lane setup.

As Crailsheim Road is a county road, the Nobles County Board of Commissioners approved a project encompassing both spots and sent it out for bids, but the sole bid came in at $696,045.12 — $296,914.62 more than the estimated cost.

The bid was not accepted, and instead, it was decided the Nobles County Public Works Department would do as much of the work as possible.

"It was supposed to be done before the building opened. Then it was supposed to be done a year ago. Now I understand it's three to five years out before any redesign is going to happen," said John Landgaard, District 518 Superintendent. "And quite honestly, the county approved the expenditure, approved the money to do it. And I'm going to express I'm extremely frustrated."

County Commissioner Bob Paplow said the county had originally waited on the results of traffic studies done by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Landgaard said much of the problem with the Oxford-Crailsheim intersection was alleviated when one full grade of students moved to the Intermediate School.

"That (Oxford-Crailsheim intersection) seemed to be the priority, versus Crailsheim (in front of the Intermediate School). And now neither one is a priority," said Landgaard, adding that the school district paid adults to serve as crossing guards to keep students safe.

"And I think your frustration is very justified," said Nobles County Administrator Bruce Heitkamp.

When the bids came back so much higher than the estimate, he said it was late in the construction season, and "we really didn't have time to rebid the project." Instead, county personnel did what they could.

"Ultimately, I think it comes down to — what is safe for children? And these are 10-, 11-, 12-year-olds, and this is a busy street," said Erin Schutte Wadzinski, a member of the District 518 Board of Education. "'What do we need to do to keep the kids safe?' should still continue to be at the forefront of these conversations."

While the preliminary results of MnDOT's most recent speed study were discussed, no final report was made public.

In other news Friday, the local government representatives:

* Discussed the potential for replacing the aging Worthington Ice Arena, which needs upgrades and was managed by the city of Worthington for the past year, though it remains owned by the Worthington Hockey Association, on property owned by the Nobles County Fair Board. Landgaard emphasized the economic benefit of the arena, as well as its use by people from across Nobles County.

* Received updates from the local government bodies, including the progress on District 518's building projects, the hiring of Cristina Adame for a community relations and communications position with the city of Worthington, and Nobles County's new internship program.