Bemidji City Council Discusses Final Landscaping Designs for Highway 197 Project

The Highway 197 project has been a big topic of discussion for the Bemidji City Council dating back to 2018. The council held a work session Monday to discuss the final landscaping plans for the project so that the Minnesota Department of Transportation can finish its design plans.

MnDOT has its designs set to be completed by the end of the year. To keep on that schedule, the Bemidji City Council needed to discuss the final landscaping plans for the Highway 197 corridor along with the city streets of Hannah Avenue and Middle School Drive.

“Essentially, these are very low-maintenance type shrubs, bushes, it would be mulch around that within the roundabout circles, including those two significant enhanced landscape islands, which is taking advantage of certain sections of the wider medians that are on that corridor,” said Bemidji City Engineer Sam Anderson.

When the council first saw the design plans, they wanted a clearer picture regarding the cost of cleanup for the highway.

“You’re looking at almost $20,000 that first year,” explained Anderson, “and the goal is that those subsequent years are going to be a little bit less, because the goal is as these plants mature, they will grow bigger, there’ll be less mulch that has to be freshened up to the point that these are very minimal maintenance other than just weeding and a little bit of winter-kill type stuff every year.”

However, there were some concerns from council members regarding the estimated cost.

“I see a maintenance nightmare trying to keep those plants alive,” said Ward 3 Councilor Mark Dickinson. “I personally think that covered concrete or painted concrete or something that just cuts down on term long term maintenance, and is in my opinion a better fix.”

The project is anticipated to involve the planting of over 200 new trees along the 197 corridor, which drew questions from the council.

“How many trees are currently on the boulevard?” asked Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince.

“I don’t believe there’s any,” Anderson responded.

“I didn’t go counting trees or looking for trees, but it felt to me like we’re going from not very many trees to 200, which is a huge swing on a commercial corridor,” said Prince. “We’re talking about dramatically remaking that based on businesses and other folks who’ve bought property there with the current landscaping, so I’m really concerned about changing it to that,”

Anderson added that he is working with the businesses along that corridor so that if they want to limit the amount of trees in front of their business, they are free to do so.

MnDOT hopes to have their design plans 90% complete by March of this year. Those designs will be presented to the city council once they are complete.