The May 26 Rushford Council meeting was notably shorter in nature, but the council and staff discussed several previous items and did take action on a few resolutions and one project.
Street maintenance continues based upon priority recommendations from Public Works Director Roger Knutson. They unanimously approved a bid from Asphalt Armor Sealcoating & Paving for a crack seal project.This project is bid at $23,294. It joins already approved or anticipated 2026 work including a recently completed alley blacktopping project in the amount of $52,350 and street patching anticipated to cost $3,577, for a total of $79,221 for the year.
Mayor Leigh Volkman indicated there is $20,000 remaining in the fund for street work. City Administrator Hayden Stensgard reminded the council that a portion of concrete work by the newly renovated historic depot will be undertaken by the city. That and another small patching project might put the costs close to what’s already been allocated by the city.
The council approved a resolution authorizing Right of Entry to property owner Jordan Brand for a piece of property east of 514 Nannestad Lane. The small property is city-owned and sits at the dead end of a section of Green Street. Brand would ultimately like to purchase the property from the city. His request included allowing a surveyor to survey the property at no expense to the city.
According to an agenda report prepared by Stensgard, one of the city concerns is that the area is the access point for the city during work on this side of the levee system. He stated that Brand agreed to allow the city to continue to access the levee through this property and establish an access easement. Granting right of entry does not lock the city in to moving forward with the sale of the property, only allows for the surveying for the area for consideration of possible future sale.
The council also approved a resolution approving a lot line adjustment for 308 S. Elm Street. The property was recently sold and this is a step needed based on action taken in 2025. At that time, the city approved survey work in preparation of the sale of the office building. The survey was created in February of this year. This resolution will allow the city to execute a Quit Claim Deed for the adjustment, which will be the final step in establishing the updated lot line.
During reports, Stensgard touched on a number of recent discussions including remaining American Rescue Plan Act funding in the amount of $22,000. The fund expenditure deadline is approaching and once past, the dollars are lost. Stensgard looked into way in which the city could utilize the funds for airport expenses, consulting with airport engineer Mead & Hunt to confirm where the city would not “double-dip” into grant funding. In the end, the best use of the funds was to reimburse the city for operational costs related tasks and wages. The airport fund currently provides $10,000 annually for work at the airport, so the grant funding is appreciated. The state has approved the application of those reimbursements and the closeout of the fund is anticipated soon.
The city recently hosted a kickoff meeting for the coming updates to the Highway 16/Historic Scenic Byway with 25 in attendance. According to Stensgard, as there is no regional development commission for this in our area, an east-central development commission will oversee things. They are looking to have a steering committee of 12-15 persons and are looking for three representatives from towns along the scenic byway.
The city worked with Kelly Printing and Sign on new decals for the Rushford Police Department squad vehicles. In June, the vehicles will go to have equipment swapped from the 2021 unit to the new unit. After that, the city intends sell the old unit.
The city received six applications for new lifeguards, bringing the total staff to 20-22. Managers feel this is a good count for the season. Initial cleanup and setup of the pool is next week and the anticipated pool opening day is Saturday, June 6.
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