May 29—BEMIDJI — Bemidji’s portion of State Highway 197 could look substantially different, with the inclusion of trees, bushes and other landscaping related to a project proposed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to reconstruct the corridor.

The

Bemidji City Counci

l was briefed on the landscaping plans by City Engineer Sam Anderson during its work session on Tuesday, which includes boulevard trees alongside paved trails beside the road, flowering shrubs and areas for native plants and grass.

Alongside the landscaping for the Highway 197 project, the meeting also included landscaping plans for the city’s related projects to reconstruct Hannah Avenue and Middle School Drive.

Anderson explained that the landscaping and its maintenance would be the responsibility of the city, but shared his confidence that the plan presented was an attainable balance between aesthetics and maintenance costs and labor.

“We feel that we’re able to maintain what we’re presenting. We want to add a little bit of character to this (corridor), but we understand that if we make this too big we won’t be able to take care of it,” he added.

Anderson also shared that the plan takes into consideration salt runoff and snow buildup concerning where the trees and bushes are planted to increase their survival and that the design also considers the high wind speeds of the area and the visibility of neighboring businesses.

Alongside vegetation, the landscaping plan also provided two options for lighting: more expensive decorative poles, or more standard light poles.

The council shared its appreciation for the plans, with several members specifying that they would prefer the standard light poles and to keep costs as low as possible while making the landscaping attractive.

“I like the approach that’s been taken here,” said Ward 5 Councilor Lynn Eaton. “I favor the lowest annual cost for the vegetation, and (vegetation) that’s not going to require a whole lot of handholding to get started. That’s where I stand.”

Several councilors also shared that they considered the aesthetics of the corridor very important since it serves as many people’s first introduction to the city.

“We’re talking about coming into our city,” explained At-Large Councilor Audrey Thayer. “I want it to look nice, we want to make it attractive.”

No formal motion was made regarding the landscaping, though feedback from the councilors was gathered. These included maintaining a low cost, ensuring a diversity of tree species and keeping in mind the interests of nearby businesses.

To see more photos of the landscape plans, see the

city council meeting packet for May 28

on the city website.

While the meeting was not about the designs for the reconstruction of Highway 197, Hannah Avenue or Middle School Drive, councilors did bring up concerns related to the planned addition of several roundabouts.

MnDOT’s Highway 197 project would include three roundabouts and one signaled intersection. The roundabouts would be at Hannah Avenue, Middle School Drive and the entrance to Menard’s.

The city’s corresponding projects on Hannah Avenue and Middle School Drive

would also add roundabouts.

The Middle School Drive project would include roundabouts

at 23rd Street

and the Target/Tires Plus entrance, and the Hannah Avenue project would include a roundabout near the entrance to Burger King.

Ward 2 Councilor Josh Peterson reiterated his opposition to the Highway 197 roundabout at Hannah Avenue and his concerns about the roundabout on 23rd Street and Middle School Drive.

These points included questioning the necessity of placing several roundabouts in sequence and the safety of pedestrian crossings.

Anderson explained that the roundabouts would ease traffic congestion by allowing continuous travel and improving the efficiency of the road design, and shared that roundabouts are regularly constructed to work in sequence.

He also said that pedestrian crossings for roundabouts have been found to be safer than more traditional intersections, due to the pedestrian only having to cross one direction of traffic at a time.

The roundabouts weren’t the only concern expressed by the council, however, with Peterson and Mayor Jorge Prince both sharing their hesitation regarding the project since the city has not yet provided final municipal consent to MnDOT for its Highway 197 plans.

In 2019, MnDOT’s first design for the corridor failed to achieve municipal consent

in a 3-4 vote,

and both councilors shared their fears about the status of the city’s project if MnDOT’s plans were voted down again.

“It makes me a little leery to give a blessing to move a project forward for our portion when it’s dependent on (MnDOT’s) portion,” Peterson said. “I love what we have here, it looks great, but it gives me a little heartache.”

The final vote on MnDOT’s Highway 197 project is expected later this year in the fall.