Clearbrook City Council has busy February Meeting
Wed, 02/19/2020 - 9:47am
admin
By:
Bonnie Kirchman
The Clearbrook City Council held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, February 11, 2020. Items on the agenda included the council vacancy and several issues related to the 2020 water and sewer construction project.
A city resident requested time to speak on sewer issues at his home. The council members received information from the resident and discussed the problem with him. Several plumbers have been involved. The issue was tabled to allow council members to get more information from the plumbers before having further discussion with the resident.
Police Chief Dan Gazelka presented his report to the council. A new vehicle has been purchased for the police department and will be available once the necessary equipment installations have been completed. The council has decided to sell the old vehicle, a 2010 Dodge Charger. The Charger will be advertised in the Leader-Record and sold “as is” through a sealed bid process. The minimum bid for the vehicle’s purchase will be $2,000.
Jason Bakke gave a report on the utilities and maintenance department. An inventory of the water tower parts has been completed for insurance purposes. Maintenance work has been done on one of the wells. Frequency of maintenance on the wells was also discussed with council members.
Lucie Thompson read the Fire Department update provided by Fire Chief Adam Krog. In January, the department responded to nine medical calls, one motor vehicle accident, and one chimney fire for a total of eleven calls. In February, the department has responded to two medical calls. Enbridge has provided a $7,500 grant for the fire department. The department is planning a Daddy-Daughter Dance for Saturday, March 14th. The annual fish fry and raffle fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, April 25th.
Council members discussed the possibility of building a new fire hall. They addressed current and future needs, sources of funding, and possible locations of a new building. Members also talked about the possibility of building a larger city building to accommodate maintenance and utility and the police department as well as the fire department. A committee will be formed to brainstorm on both the needs and the options and an estimated cost for constructing a new building.
Joy Walberg updated the council on the monthly activity at the municipal liquor store. The Valentine’s Day Steak Fry scheduled for Friday, February 14th will also serve as a kick-off fundraiser for the All-School Reunion fireworks. Forty have signed up for the meal. The Clearbrook Community Club is donating the food for this fundraiser. The next Bingo night is scheduled for March 7th, and meat raffles will take place on February 29th and March 21st. City staff is looking into credit card payment programs designed for government organizations that would reduce the city’s costs.
Lucie Thompson, City Clerk, reported that several residents have expressed interest in the open council seat. The deadline for submitting a written letter of interest for the vacancy is February 28, 2020.
Lucie is in the process of sending out letters to obtain easement for the water and sewer project. Residents affected by the easement request can sign and return their letter or attend a meeting on Wednesday, February 26th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Representatives from the city council and staff and WSN plan to be present at this meeting to answer questions pertaining to easement issues.
The city is pursuing the purchase of a house located near the pool. City staff is currently working with Clearwater County staff to determine property tax liabilities for the house. Once the tax status is known, the city will set an offering price for the house.
During the meeting, the parking ordinance was presented for the second reading. Council members also motioned to approve a DNR license for the water and sewer project. This fifty-year term license is required for projects that cross public water ways.
Donations of $40 for the fire department and $600 for the Clearbrook pool were received from Mary Gustafson. The Clearbrook Community Club donated $2,180 from the game card raffle for the All-School Reunion. Acceptance of these donations, along with the $7,500 Enbridge grant for the fire department, was approved by the council members.
The council members received a proposed parking map from Curt Meyer, WSN engineer, that depicted changes to parking configurations on First Avenue and Main Street. According to the plan, some of the current diagonal parking on these streets would be changed to parallel parking. The council discussed their concerns regarding these proposed changes including potential snow removal problems and decreased space for unloading of trucks. Council members planned to meet and discuss the current and proposed street measurements and parking layouts. If necessary, Dan Sauvé, County Engineer, will be contacted to address the city’s concerns about the proposed parking plan.
Zach Thoma, engineer with Karvakko, brought several options for the culverts near the city park that could tie into the bike trail construction project. Estimates for total reconstruction of the culvert is $75,000 to $80,000 for engineering and construction costs. A less expensive option involving extending the current culverts is estimated to cost around $25,000. The council will make a decision on the culvert construction at a later date.
The council chose to wait until 2021 to begin construction on the bike trail. At this time, funding for the project will be available and the city will not have to pay construction costs and then wait for reimbursements. With the water and sewer project construction taking place this summer, council members also were concerned about having two contractors working in the same location at the same time.
Monthly claims of $49,314.12 and additional claims of $117,003.91 were approved by the council. A single approval of North Country Hardware monthly claims of $443.54 was approved with Shawn Johnson abstaining.