Ground Zero Services (GZS) started at noon when they poured sand last year. With another block being covered, and events starting at 5 p.m., they elected to start pouring at 8 a.m. this year. They began by taping off all the gate valves and manholes, to ensure sand doesn’t get in.

GZS Owner Jason Kuester said the inaugural event last year taught them a few things on what to do better this year.

“We’re doing it different with our erosion control to make it a little smoother and faster,” he said. “[That way] we can keep all the sand out of the catch basins and manholes in the street.”

This year they brought in around 1,200 tons of sand, double from last year. While they started earlier and added a few workers to put the sand down, Kuester said the biggest challenge will be taking it all back.

The Cook brothers, Elijah (red shirt) and Jeremiah, play on the sand piles downtown Friday afternoon. Staff photo by Clay Schuldt

“It’s going to take a lot more cleanup,” he said. “A lot more blowing on the sidewalks. We’re pretty confident that we’ll have a big enough crew on Sunday to pick it up and make it all look like new again.”

While 1,200 tons sounds like a lot to work within a given day, Kuester said it is par for the course.

“We haul thousands of tons of sand every day,” he said. “We’re always hauling sand and gravel so it’s not a lot of extra work. This is a lot more involved with all the people around the buildings and streets.”

The sand GZS is bringing in comes from their facility in Courtland. Kuester said they make it themselves by washing gravel in a big wash plant and taking the resulting sand. He said the sand they’re using for Spikin in the Street spares no expense.

“We make it for a concrete purpose,” he said. “It has to meet the state specs for that. We’re using very expensive sand for this; the best sand for volleyball courts. Once we clean it up and haul it back away, we can’t reuse it again as concrete sand. It’s only going to be used as a fill sand after because there’ll be little bits of debris in it.”

Two workers with Ground Zero Services coordinate their next steps. Staff photo by Dan Olson

After last year’s unique experience, Kuester said there was no doubt in his mind he would bring his crew back to contribute.

“We love the city of New Ulm and we want to be here, help, and watch it grow,” he said. “Give back to the community that’s given to us in the last 25 years.”

Mike McMahon and Sarah Warmka talk to Ground Zero Services owner Jason Kuester as he gives instructions to one of his employees. Staff photo by Dan Olson

A compact track loader spreads out sand downtown Friday morning. Staff photo by Dan Olson