Construction In Sidney To Continue Into 2024, Throughout The Summer

At the end of 2023, the construction that was scheduled in Sidney to go from April through the end of July 2023 is still not done. According to Jeffrey Hintz, public works director, City of Sidney, the water mains are done but there is street work yet to be completed and more projects still needing to be done.

Lincoln Avenue will need to be overlaid from 4th St. S. to Central Avenue as well as 6th St. SW from Lincoln Avenue to Central Avenue. Work on the water tower has already started with a geotechnical investigation to make sure the soil in the park can support a newer, heavier water tower and will continue through mid-January 2024. In late October, the remodeling of city hall began and is expected to continue until sometime in April. Phase 4 of the wastewater treatment facility will need to start and there are a few streets separate from the Lincoln Avenue project that have been recently overlaid and need to be chip-sealed.

The old wastewater treatment facility lagoon pond had to be chemically treated to help reduce the amount of sludge on the floor of the pond. This treatment took approximately two years to complete. During the summer of 2023, the city crews drained the pond into the new treatment facility cell and allowed the pond floor area to dry. The remaining sludge is scheduled to be removed from the old pond in mid-summer of 2024 and applied to area farm fields nearby.

With winter and subzero temperatures just around the corner, most of the work will have to wait for spring or summer. Hopefully, the old lagoon pond will be dried enough by July to allow heavy equipment to enter the pond floor to clean up and properly dispose of the leftover sludge. Overlaying and chip sealing will require the high temperatures of summer to set properly so these projects will not even start again until after school ends.