DEPARTMENT: Parks
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
TITLE
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Authorization To Execute Contract Amendment With Xcel Energy For Utility Relocations For Minnesota River Greenway, Project P00127
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Authorize contract amendment with Xcel Energy to include updated costs for construction of a new transmission line structure to facilitate the construction and operation of the Minnesota River Greenway.
SUMMARY
The Dakota County Board of Commissioners adopted the Minnesota River Greenway Plan by Resolution No.11-516 (October 18, 2011), with several segments and trailheads constructed in fulfillment of the plan. A 3.26-mile trail and a 0.32-mile pedestrian bridge through Fort Snelling State Park are the remaining segments needed to complete the greenway (Attachment: Project Map). Construction of the trail portion of the project began in November 2023 and is ongoing. Design and permitting of the bridge portion of the project were completed in 2024, with construction commencing in April 2025.
The bridge design is contingent on the relocation of a nearby transmission line structure owned by Xcel Energy. By Resolution No. 21-118 (March 9, 2021), Dakota County executed a relocation agreement with Xcel Energy to participate in the cost of constructing a single-pole steel structure with a concrete foundation as a replacement to the existing three-pole timber structure; the steel structure is necessary to allow for a narrower profile and to eliminate the need for guy wires at the location of the bridge. Through this agreement, Dakota County has paid for 80 percent, or $390,000, of the estimated cost for this structure replacement. Replacement of the structure was completed in May 2025 and allows for construction work in the immediate area to proceed. Xcel Energy has submitted an updated cost estimate for the replacement that is $131,771 higher than the initial estimate, due to higher labor and material costs, for a new total cost of $619,771. Dakota Count...
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