Plaza Pavers Still a Problem for Minneapolis Center

 

The Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.

Since the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis opened 31 years ago, there have been five major attempts to keep the surface of the thousands of brick pavers that line the plaza walkways from chipping and being slippery underfoot.

The latest two-year, $4 million effort is nearly complete but the county property services director says the pavers are not meeting expectations. The south plaza pavers sit on a ?EUR??,,????'??normal bed of soil,?EUR??,,????'?? but the brick pavers on the north plaza are over a underground parking ramp and don?EUR??,,????'???t want to stay put. The north pavers have a ?EUR??,,????'??sand base, strip insulation, filter fabric, a drainage sheet and hot-fluid applied waterproofing,?EUR??,,????'?? reports the Star Tribune. The latest paver work on the plazas cost over $600,000.

With all the finger pointing going around, the county board chairman expects litigations to ensue. The paver problem is frustrating, but some county commissioners are also miffed at the latest landscaping costs of what they see as unnecessary tree removals, concrete and granite work for the two public plazas.