Residential Developments

Floan-Sanders is the primary civil engineer for most of the new residential development in the CIty of East Grand Forks.  We have excellent working relationships with the primary landowners in and around the community.  Some of the more recently developed subdivisions include:

Water's Edge

Pioneer Court

Peabody's Addition

Commercial Developments -

Downtown East Grand Forks

Floan-Sanders, Inc. was extensively involved in the planning, design, construction, and funding of the East Grand Forks Downtown Reconstruction after the 1997 flood. Highlights of the downtown are the Boardwalk, the new businesses and the Streetscape. This project took a struggling business district and converted it to a thriving destination spot for local residents and visitors.

East Grand Forks Distribution Service Center, East Grand Forks, MN, $3.5 Million, 2000.

This facility replaces the city’s former Water and Light Building. FS did all of the civil design for the project including the water, sewer, storm sewer, and parking lot. We also raised the site several feet and designed a berm to surround the building to give added protection against future flood events. The civil portion of the project was approximately $700,000 and the building was complete in 2000.

US Army Corps of Engineers Flood Protection Project
Grand Forks, ND and East Grand Forks, MN
Estimated Cost: $410 Million        

Years under construction:  2001 - 2006

Floan-Sanders, Inc. and our affiliate firm, CPS, Ltd. have provided most of the surveying required for the Corps Flood Protection Project.  We have also completed the description writing for over 600 parcels of property necessary for project construction.  Specific phases where we have performed construction surveying and/or final earthwork quantities and calculations are highlighted in red in the map at the right.  They are as follows:

Grand Forks, ND side:

• English Coulee Diverson:  9.5 miles of channel, road raises, and levees, 2001-2004
• Phase 4 Levees - 4 miles of levees, road raises and  flood wall, as well as 3 major storm water ponds, 2005-2007

East Grand Forks, MN side - a total of 18.5 miles of levees including road raises, floodwalls, storm sewers, and storm ponds.

• Phase 1 Levees, 2001-2003
• Phase 2 Levees, 2002-2004         
• Phase 3 Levees, 2003-2006
• Phase 4 Levees, 2005-2007

Airport Experience

Floan-Sanders staff has worked on several airport projects over the years, all of them located in Northwestern Minnesota.  In particular, we have been the primary civil engineer for the Swede Carlson International Airport in Warroad, Minnesota for over two decades.  Our work there included a $7 million expansion in 1990-1991 that involved:

• Reconstruction of the existing 4000' runway,
• A 1400 foot expansion of the runway,
• Design and construction of additional taxiways,
• Construction of a new grass crosswind runway,
• Rerouting and reconstruction of two township roads so they were out of the no-fly zone, and
• Design and construction of a complete airport lighting package that updated and expanded the existing airport lighting.

The project ensured that the airport would be large enough to handle Marvin Windows' new Gulfstream IV jet and was funded almost entirely bya  grant from the FAA and Minnesota Department of Transportation, which Floan-Sanders helped the City obtain. 

More recent projects at the Warroad airport include:

• 2000 Airport Fueling System REconstruciton - $141,546
• 2002 Construction of taxiways to serve new 10 unit Tee Hangar - $191,931
• 2004 Apron Expansion - $218,000
• 2006 Snow Equipment Removal Building.

MNDOT
US Highway 2 Reconstruction
East Grand Forks, MN, 2001
Approximate cost: $4 M

This very complex project involved reconstructing about 3000 feet of a major four-lane roadway and doing some bridge railing repair in East Grand Forks. Floan-Sanders prepared the plans and specs for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, performed all of the project staking, and helped answer questions during the contract administration phase. Because Highway 2 is a major transportation route in northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota and has a high volume of traffic, special care had to be used in coordinating the construction. Detours were in place during all three phases of construction, the intersection of Highway 220 and US Highway 2 was open at all times during the project, and special accommodations were made for farm equipment to travel the roadway during construction.

The project received a 2001 Merit Award for Outstanding Performance and High Quality Concrete Paving Construction from the Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota.

Fisher Wastewater Treatment System

Fisher, MN

Cost:  $1,025,000

Year Completed:  2005

Floan-Sanders assisted the City of Fisher in updating their wastewater treatment system, designing a new lift station with forcemain and overseeing the construction of a new primary pond.  The original primary pond was converted into a secondary cell.  Most of the $1 million project cost was financed through a low-interest loan from USDA Rural Development, which Floan-Sanders helped the City obtain.

Warren, MN utility projects, 2004.

Floan-Sanders has been assisting the City of Warren with its utility replacements and expansions for several years. In 2004 four projects were completed - mostly watermain and sanitary sewer replacements or expansions in different areas of the community (their locations are highlighted in the map on the left).  Floan-Sanders staff meets with city leaders each winter to discuss what projects should be constructed the following summer. The 2004 projects cost a total of approximately $618,000 and were all completed on schedule.

East Grand Forks downtown FEMA remapping

Although the Corps of Engineers was building a flood control project in their community, most of the businesses in downtown East Grand Forks would have to continue to pay high flood insurance premiums for several years until the project was complete. As City Engineer, Floan-Sanders suggested pursuing a Letter of Map Revision (LOMAR) with FEMA, which would allow a large portion of the downtown to be removed from the 100-year floodplain. FS staff did an as-built topography survey of the completed levees in place and also assisted in the preparation of an operations manual that explained the use of the gated stormsewer structures during flood conditions. The information has been sent to FEMA and a positive response is expected soon, thus saving local businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars in flood insurance premiums over 3-4 years.

Fisher Water Distribution System

Fisher, MN

Year Completed: 2005

New EPA guidelines regarding the acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water forced the City of Fisher to switch from their groundwater aquifer well supply to the treated water in the Marshall Polk Rural Water System.  Floan-Sanders helped coordinate the transition, connecting the City's system to the Marshall Polk Pump Station located one mile east of Fisher through construction of new distribution lines.  Floan-Sanders also capped the old wells, which had been in need of repairs anyway.

The City also had Floan-Sanders replace the entire water distribution system itself, which had been originally installed in the 1940s.  The new HDPE pipes allowed for better water flow than the older ACP pipes, which had a buildup of iron on the inside.  The project involved replacing almost 3 miles of watermain at a cost of approximately $961,000, funded through a PFA grant and low-interest loan, which Floan-Sanders helped the City obtain.

Fertile Water Treatment Plant
$969,000
2003

Tired of red rusty water, the City of Fertile asked Floan-Sanders to design a new iron-removal plant for its community. The system removes iron and manganese from the city’s water by adding chlorine and sodium permanganate and then filtering the treated water through a sand filter. FS engineers also sized the building to handle a water softening unit in the future if so desired. The project also included constructing a new 45,000-gallon clearwell and adding telemetry to the existing 150,000-gallon water tower.

East Grand Forks Floodwall

Part of the picturesque downtown includes the floodwall and the closure structures. The floodwall serves as the flood protection through the downtown area. While providing flood protection for the downtown area, the floodwall allows the businesses on the boardwalk to take advantage of the view of the Red River of the North.

Floan-Sanders, Inc. was instrumental in bringing this floodwall concept to East Grand Forks. This concept is also being used at the openings in the earth dike currently under construction by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Floan-Sanders, Inc. has also been extensively involved in many other parts of the permanent flood protection project for the City of East Grand Forks. Floan-Sanders staff has worked closely with the US Army Corps of Engineers in developing the alignment of the dike as well as the design and construction of utility and street realignment projects due to the dike construction.

Floan-Sanders, Inc. has also been very active in flood mitigation and flood recovery efforts for East Grand Forks, Warroad, and the Roseau School District. Included in area of service Floan-Sanders staff has worked closely with City staff, FEMA and staff from the Department of Emergency Management.

The projects listed above and the many others completed by Floan-Sanders, Inc. staff have assisted in the development of a knowledgeable staff in many areas of expertise. The Floan-Sanders, Inc. staff can provide quality engineering services for whatever your community needs.