The regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council was called to order by Mayor Joseph Arnzen at 7:00 p.m., on the 9th day of November 2021 in council chambers. Council members present were Roland Ahrendt, Brad Johnson and Brian Hollenkamp. Council member Bill Pohlmann was absent. Also in attendance were John Call, Lori Hellmann and guests Dan Berscheid, Joe Krueger, Greg Stang, Steve and Karen Konsor, Wes David, Ron Warnert and Pam White.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the amended agenda. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the minutes of the October 12, 2021 meeting as written. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The following maintenance items were discussed:
1. The new compressor for the bubbler system in the water tower has been installed.
2. The bathrooms at the picnic shelter and ball park have been winterized.
3. The generator at the West Lift Station seems to be working good.
4. There are gopher mounds on the south side of the ponds that need to be taken care of.
Bryan Bye updated the council on the following items from the sewer project:
1. Working on getting the gate valves raised up but no set date as yet.
2. Explained change order #5 – there is no change to the project but rather a change in the substantial completion date to October 8th. Final seeding will be dormant seeding.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve change order #5 as presented. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
3. The council will need to approve a certificate of substantial completion.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the certification of substantial completion as presented. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
4. Punch list items can be added to as items are found that need attention.
5. Explained change order #6 for the drain structure that was added on Spruce Street East for $3,700.00.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve change order #6 as presented. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
6. A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve pay estimate #10 to C & L Excavating for $44,920.66. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
7. Water meters request for quotes needs to be approved before quotes can be obtained. It is recommended that bid opening take place on December 8, 2021 with council approval on December 14, 2021. Estimated cost of this portion of the project is between $125,000.00 and $175,000.00.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to obtain quotes for water meters as presented. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
8. A portion of sidewalk on Cedar Street North in the middle of the block on the west side is sagging inward and needs to be taken care of.
9. Sediment rings around drains and culverts need to stay in place to prevent erosion.
Dan Berscheid reported on the following Fire Department items:
1. They are looking over a truck from Willow River. If the decision is made to purchase the truck it would cost $7,000 plus the truck would be required to be painted.
2. Background checks should be completed for Fire Department members. Joe Krueger will look into a form that applicants need to sign authorizing the background check.
Greg Stang from People Services reported on the following water and wastewater items:
1. Wastewater flows have been very low, even with the 8.9” of rain that fell in October. There appears to be very little infiltration with the new sewer mains. They only needed to do one discharge this fall and there is plenty of storage to get through the winter months.
2. The water plant is running well. The updates have not been completed as yet. The majority of the fire hydrants were flushed. The City has good quality water throughout the system and they performed some water shut offs for the snow birds.
The council discussed the moratorium on storage sheds that will end on December 21, 2021. Joe Krueger worked on an Ordinance regulating garages, storage shed and storage units and can make modifications. The council can either let the moratorium expire of call for a public hearing on the proposed ordinance. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to call for a public hearing on the proposed ordinance for Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 7:00 p.m., in council chambers. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The following building permit applications were reviewed and approved:
1. A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve a building permit for Steve and Karen Konsor to build a 38’ x 42’ addition to their current building. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
2. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve a building permit for Pam White to put in two roof additions over existing patios and to extend the covered patio roof on the back side of the property. They also would like to install a small roof over the windows facing the sidewalk but they would need to come up with a plan to keep the ice from the sidewalk in the winter. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
3. Wes David would like to split his current lot and move in a home that he would like to purchase from Ron Warnert. Since the current lot is already part of a plat, a survey of the lot split would be required and all setback requirements must be met. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the request to move the home onto the lot provided the survey and setback requirements will be taken care of in a timely manner. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the service agreement with Midwest Machinery for the John Deere zero turn lawnmower for $349.78. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the snow removal contract with Herdering, Inc. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve Resolution No. 2021-05, A Resolution Accepting $50 donation from St. Joseph’s Catholic Women for Fire Department Equipment. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve reimbursement to C & L Excavating for $616 for the Ellingson’s Plumbing and Heating bill for the West Lift Station. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the purchase and installation of a new water heater for the fire hall, which would include moving the water heater to the main floor. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve to have all of the city furnaces serviced by Bitz Plumbing and Heating. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve a donation of $346 to the Community Concern for Youth Program. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The council determined that the sewer use charge for Chris’ Guest House stands.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the Double R Liquor License application. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the payment of claims #2272 – #2294 for a total of $567,381.33 and to include the payment of the following additional item: $12,137.50 to Preferred Controls. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to adjourn the meeting at 8:37 p.m. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The next regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council will be held on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 in council chambers.
Lori Hellmann, Clerk
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