Lanesboro Considers Day at the Capitol

At the regular Lanesboro City Council meeting August 3, Mayor Alicia Pearson presented the possibility of an official Lanesboro Day at the Capitol to represent the city of Lanesboro and discuss issues with state legislators. Mindy Albrecht-Benson, Kathryn Wade, Joe Cullen, Chase Bakke, City Attorney Joe O’Koren, City Administrator Mitchell Walbridge and Deputy Clerk Darla Taylor were present at the meeting.

Pearson suggested that perhaps the city could “lean on Team 250” for help in creating such an event. When other council members asked for an explanation of exactly what Team 250 was, Pearson informed the council that it consisted of businesses, residents and Chamber of Commerce members. The group has been brainstorming ways to help the city and were considering doing things such as grant writing and creating gift baskets for new residents.

Joe Cullen commented that he felt it was a great idea to start such a day and not add to the city’s workload. He felt the project could be delegated to Team 250.

Chase Bakke opined that the council should approve the messaging first. He also noted that if council members were involved, they would need to be careful to follow the open meeting laws.

Walbridge agreed that uniform messaging would be essential; he felt it is important to make sure everyone fully understands what they are talking about. Walbridge suggested “organizing the pieces in an effective fashion.”

Pearson mentioned that Mankato has done this for years. She volunteered to reach out and ask Mankato questions about it. Bakke asked if there were any smaller cities closer to the size of Lanesboro that also do this. A possible coalition of several area cities was suggested as well.The council tabled the subject until Pearson has collected further information.

Official Business

Councilwoman Kathryn Wade thanked all the people who had worked so hard to make the Buffalo Bill Days celebration such a success.

The council accepted the first bid they had received to replace the water heater at city hall. They had asked for a second bid, but the second bid ended up higher.

A preliminary budget workshop was set for August 25 at 6 p.m. The budget needs to be passed before September 30.

The 30-minute parking area was relocated to the side of the street where the farmers market exists. It was formerly located between Pedal Pushers Cafe and Bluff Country Properties Real Estate.

Bids were presented for Rochelle Avenue Alley resurfacing. The council chose the low bid of $21,000 which was from the same company that has done such work for the city in the past. Walbridge pointed out that the resurfacing had been planned for in this year’s budget. While the trend was to resurface two alleys a year, this will be the only one for this year.

The alley will be resurfaced with a three-inch layer of asphalt. Joe Cullen asked if this was the same as used on the alleys that had sunk under the weight of garbage trucks. It is; any changes would need to be made in the future before asking for bids.

Three bids for the North Water Tower maintenance were considered. Slack Painting, LLC presented the low bid of $167,250. The total cost will be $216,250 which includes oversight by city engineers Bolton & Menk as well as the contractor’s work.

Walbridge informed the council the tower was due for maintenance and the fund which will cover the expense currently has $717,569 in it. He noted that water meters also come out of this fund.

A resolution changed the official address of Dew Drop Inn to 101 Rivers Edge Drive. Dew Drop Inn was able to receive a gambling license since they already have a liquor license.