St. Louis Park - Fern Hill Neighborhood - Project Updates

Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, is finishing the project’s natural gas work. One crew replaced the large-diameter natural gas steel main. Another crew is finishing the work on the service lines and the meters. They have been connecting the service lines to the new small-diameter plastic mains and moving inside meters outside. This week, they are putting the existing mains out of service.

Q3 Contracting, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, is following to restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work outside the limits of the City of St. Louis Park’s Pavement Management — 2022 project.

A crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, has been connecting the natural gas service lines to the new main and moving inside meters outside.

This week, the crew has been working under the east boulevard of Raleigh Avenue S. and Quentin Avenue S. between 28th Street W. and Minnetonka Boulevard. They are also moving inside meters outside. In the week of May 23, the crew will work under the east boulevard of Princeton Avenue S. between 28th Street W. and Minnetonka Boulevard.

When the crews are working on these blocks, parking will be restricted on both sides of these streets in these areas.

A crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, plans to finish replacing the project’s small-diameter natural gas plastic mains by Friday, May 13. The final street to have the plastic main replacements is Ottawa Avenue S.

Another Michels Corporation crew is connecting the service lines to the new mains and moving inside meters outside. They have two blocks to finish on Raleigh Avenue S. In late May, the crew plans to work on Ottawa Avenue S.

A third Michels Corporation crew plans to finish replacing the large-diameter natural gas steel main in the week of May 23. Tomorrow on Friday, May 13, they will work in the intersection of 28th Street W. and Toledo Avenue S. On Monday, May 16, they plan to begin work on 29th Street W.

Q3 Contracting is following to restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work outside the limits of the City of St. Louis Park’s Pavement Management — 2022 project. On Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19, they plan to put temporary asphalt on Toledo Avenue S. from 28th to 29th Streets W.

A crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, replaced the project’s natural gas plastic main on Quentin Avenue S. This week, they have been and will continue to replace the main on Princeton Avenue S. In the week of May 9, they will replace the main on Ottawa Avenue S. and 29th Street W. This work will conclude the replacement of the project’s first of two mains.

Another Michels Corporation crew is connecting the service lines to the new mains, following the main crew’s route. The third Michels Corporation crew is continuing to replace the large-diameter steel main on Toledo Avenue S.

Below is the crew’s planned schedule for replacing the natural gas steel main along the east side of Toledo Avenue S. between the following streets in their respective weeks:

In the week of May 9 between 27th and 28th Streets W.; in the week of May 16 in the intersection of 28th Street W.; and in the week of May 23 between 28th and 29th Streets W.

The timing may change based on the crew’s progress.

On the block or blocks where the crews are working, they will close these areas to through traffic. They plan to open each block as they progress. Q3 Contracting will follow to restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work outside the limits of the City of St. Louis Park’s Pavement Management project. They will also permanently restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work from 2021.

This week, a crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, plans to finish replacing the natural gas plastic mains on Raleigh Avenue S. For the rest of the week, they plan to replace the mains on Quentin and Princeton Avenues S.

Another Michels Corporation crew has been connecting the service lines to the new mains and moving inside meters outside in the month of April. They have completed the service line and meter work on Toledo, Salem, and Princeton Avenues S. This week, they will work on Raleigh Avenue S. between 26th and 28th Streets W. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of Raleigh Avenue S. in this area.

This week, a crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, is replacing the small-diameter natural gas plastic main on Raleigh and Quentin Avenues S. between 29th Street W. and Minnetonka Boulevard. They plan to finish the main replacements by Friday, April 29. In the week of May 2, they plan to begin replacing the main on Princeton Avenue S.

In the weeks of April 25 and May 2, another Michels Corporation crew has been and will continue to replace the large-diameter steel main on Toledo Avenue S. between 26th and 27th Streets W. To make space for the open-trench method, they have closed Toledo Avenue S. to through traffic. Residents can access their houses on this block from 27th Street W.

By Friday, April 15, a crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will have replaced the natural gas main on the intersection of 29th Street W. and Salem Avenue S. By Monday, April 18, they plan to have replaced the main on Salem Avenue S. between 26th and 27th Streets W.

In the week of April 18, they plan to replace the main along the east side of Raleigh Avenue S., restricting parking on that side where they are working.

A crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, is replacing the natural gas main on Salem Avenue S. working north from 29th Street W. In the week of April 11 or 18, the crew plans to begin replacing the main on Raleigh Avenue S.

Another Michels Corporation crew will begin connecting the service lines to the new mains and moving inside meters outside. They will begin working on a street approximately one or two weeks after the main crew is done working on that street.

In the week of April 4, a crew from Michels Corporation plans to replace the small-diameter natural gas plastic main on 29th Street W. from Toledo to Raleigh Avenues S. and on Salem Avenue S. from 26th to 27th Streets W. The crew will continue moving east on the project’s routes.

In the same week, another Michels Corporation crew will begin connecting the service lines to the new main on Toledo Avenue S. from 26th Street W. to Minnetonka Boulevard. This main was replaced last year.

In areas of active construction, parking will be restricted on both sides of the road. Traffic can still travel through these streets, unless otherwise noted.

A crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, finished the project’s natural gas work for the 2021 season. They replaced the natural gas mains on Toledo Avenue S. from Minnetonka Boulevard to 26th Street W.; Princeton Avenue S. from 26th ½ Lane N. to 26th Street W.; and 26th Street W. from Princeton Avenue S. to Quentin Court.

In spring 2022, they will return to replace the mains on the following streets: Ottawa and Princeton Avenues S. from Minnetonka Boulevard to 28th Street W.; Raleigh Avenue S. from Minnetonka Boulevard to 26th Street W.; and Salem Avenue S. from 26th to 27th and from 28th to 29th Streets W.

Q3 Contracting, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will follow to put winter erosion control on the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work. On any affected boulevards and lawns, they will backfill any excavated areas with dirt and netting. In spring 2022, they will return with black dirt and seed.

Currently, the sidewalk in this area is temporarily filled with gravel. It will be temporarily restored with blacktop. Permanent concrete restoration will occur in spring 2022 after the service line work is complete. We appreciate your patience as we upgrade our natural gas lines, ensuring system reliability for years to come.

Late in the week of November 1, a crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will finish replacing the natural gas main under the sidewalk on Toledo Avenue S. from 26th to 28th Streets W. In spring 2022, another Michels Corporation crew will come to connect the service lines to the new main.

Currently, the sidewalk in this area is temporarily filled with gravel. It will be temporarily restored with blacktop. Permanent concrete restoration will occur in spring 2022 after the service line work is complete.

After the main is replaced on Toledo Avenue S., the crew will replace the main on Princeton Avenue S. from 26th ½ Lane to 26th Street W.

A crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, began replacing the project’s natural gas mains. They started on the east side of Toledo Avenue S., working from Minnetonka Boulevard to 26th Street W. They plan to replace the main on Toledo Avenue S. by the end of this week.

In 2021 and 2022, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will work in St. Louis Park’s Fern Hill neighborhood. While Michels Corporation will replace the natural gas mains, connect the natural gas service lines to the new mains, and move any inside residential meters outside, Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work. Parking and sidewalk closures may occur.

From late October to early November, Michels Corporation will replace only the gas mains along Toledo Avenue S. from 26th Street W. to Minnetonka Boulevard and along Princeton Avenue S. from 26th Street W. to 26th ½ Lane and from 28th Street W. to Minnetonka Boulevard. Q3 Contracting will restore the hard surfaces affected by this year’s work. The crews don’t plan to disturb any boulevards.

In 2022, they will return for the remaining main replacements and all the service line connections along the project’s remaining streets: Salem Avenue S. from 26th to 27th Streets W. and from 28th to 29th Streets W.; Raleigh Avenue S. from 26th Street W. to Minnetonka Boulevard; Quentin Avenue S. from 29th Street W. to Minnetonka Boulevard; Ottawa Avenue S. from 28th Street W. to Minnetonka Boulevard; 26th Street W. from Quentin to Princeton Avenues S.; and 29th Street W. from Toledo to Quentin Avenues S. and at Monterey Parkway.

The construction crews and personnel will continue to use the Covid-19 Customer Permission Flyer, which requests customer permission prior to entering homes. Personnel, contractors and CenterPoint Energy employees will continue to practice CDC guidelines regarding social distancing, sanitary practices and wearing face masks when entering customer homes.

The customer will receive a CenterPoint Energy postcard in the mail typically within one or two weeks prior to the day when the Michels Corporation crews will perform the work. The crews will have CenterPoint Energy-authorized photo IDs stating that they are employees of Michels Corporation.

After the customer receives the postcard, the foreman will arrive at the customer’s house to schedule an appointment that typically meets with the customer’s schedule. If the customer isn’t home when they arrives, he will leave a door tag with his contact information to schedule an appointment with him.

Customers are advised to set aside a two- to four-hour time frame for the inside-to-outside gas meter move. They are also advised to mark their privately-installed utilities such as dog fences or sprinklers. Marking can be accomplished with tools such as spray paint or utility flags. The foreman will access the natural gas meter inside the house, move the meter outside, and relight the natural gas appliance pilot lights after the new meter has been relocated.

Customers with outside meters will be notified prior to the replacement or connection of the service lines to the new mains. Areas affected by our work will be restored to their original condition.

On the soft surfaces such as boulevards and lawns, various erosion control measures keep the restored area moist, hold seed in the soil, and enhance seed germination. If an erosion blanket is needed it is secured in place with staples. The mesh is a wood fiber that will completely degrade. Prior to mowing the restored area, remove any loose staples that secured the blanket.