A preconstruction meeting was held with various project stakeholders on Tuesday morning. Prime
contractor, R.L. Larson Excavating, outlined their preliminary plans for a start date and preliminary schedule
for the first phase of construction. Next week, you will begin to see traffic control signage being placed
throughout town, in advance of construction scheduled for the week of April 22nd
.
Orange signs will be going up next week in a variety of locations. During the first phase of construction,
detour signage will re-route traffic on Main Street outside of the construction area to Second Street South.
Main Street, between First Avenue and Fifth Avenue East, will be closed and traffic will be directed a block
south of Main Street for the duration of the first phase. Additional signage will be placed at side streets to
direct traffic to businesses and other areas impacted by the first phase of construction. In addition to the
detour, signage will be placed on Highway 10 and at other various locations around town directing truck
traffic away from Main Street. The reconstruction of Main Street is necessary but can impact our local
businesses. We encourage everyone to seek out the detours and support our community.
The week of the 22nd will include activities from a variety of contractors on the project.
• Ottertail Aggregate will be removing the existing surfaces for the first phase of construction, with
some sidewalk and pavers being left in place until utility reconstruction.
• Parsons Electric will be disconnecting existing electrical systems throughout the construction area,
along with temporary shut-downs on the signal at the corner of Third Avenue Southeast.
• R.L. Larson will be working on the utility replacement with two crews to expedite the improvement
schedule, starting near the intersection of Fifth Avenue Southeast and working to the west toward
First Avenue.
Dependent on the weather, tree removal may also begin next week following the placement of the detour.
The removal of the trees is necessary to replace the underground utilities this summer. Following
construction, various other trees and vegetation will be placed throughout downtown to replace the
existing trees.
The first weekly construction meeting is scheduled for the week of the 22nd
.Discussion items will include
reviewing current operations and upcoming schedules. Construction meetings will be held on Thursday
afternoons with the contractor, city, county and other stakeholders.
In addition to the construction meetings, an additional informal update meeting will occur every Monday
morning from 7:30 to 8:30 in the back room at Lake’s Café. Residents, business owners, and other citizens
are welcome to the Monday morning meeting to ask about the construction activities and get a more
2024 Main Street Project Update
Main Street, Second Avenue Northeast, and Seventh Avenue Southeast
specific update to their property if they wish. The first Monday morning meeting will occur on April 22nd
coinciding with the beginning of the first phase.
If you have any questions, or want additional information on the project, the Perham Chamber of
Commerce has created a webpage dedicated to the project, which can be accessed at this link
(https://www.perham.com/2024msrp/). For more specific questions, feel free to contact the City Engineer,
Jade Berube, via email at jade.berube@apexenggroup.com, or City Manager, Jonathan Smith at
jsmith@cityofperham.com.
