Discussions continue for the proposed Broadway Project during the June 12 Spring Valley City Council meeting.
During the council’s previous meeting, Spring Valley Business Alliance representative Dan Freeman approached the council to propose the creation of temporary seating areas throughout the downtown area in order to restrict the flow of traffic, making the area safer for pedestrians.
Drew Weber, of Bolton and Menk, told the council he and Public Works Director Chad Hindt walked the proposed areas for the Broadway Project.
“Since the last council meeting we’ve collected some information out on site with the Global Positioning System (GPS) and went back to the drawing board to understand some of the requirements of Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the Americans Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Then brought those out on site and did a field walk with a couple members of the business alliance and Chad to walk through the guidelines that we have to follow and discussed how we could minimize the impact on parking, but also show what a curb extension could look like,” Weber explained.
The business alliance would cover the costs of the temporary of the seat areas with money from their recent fundraiser.
“At this point I’m comfortable with these layouts. They meet the requirements from a temporary stand point,” Weber stated. “We don’t want to impact any parking or the access aisles next to the handicapped stalls.”
Mayor Tony Archer questioned whether this would still allow for enough parking spots for Fins and Films Car Show and whether fire engines would be able to maneuver through the area. Weber noted that there should be no impact on either concern.
Weber then updated the council on the remaining work on the 2022 street project on Fremont street. “We’ve done televising, like we’ve done on all the projects, and we found some issues with the underground utilities that need to be repaired. There is going to be some work here in the next couple of weeks to resolve those issues and then regrade it and repave. There’s nothing alarming, we just need to address it. This is part of why we don’t put the last lift on until we’ve done the televising in the spring,” Weber said.
There will also be work done on manhole cover adjustments as part of the finishing touches on the project.
Fire department purchases
Fire Chief Dustin Johnson addressed the council to discuss purchases for the fire department.
The first request was for thermal cameras. Johnson noted the department’s current cameras are nearly 10 years old and not working properly anymore.
The four new MSA Lunar Thermal Cameras cost $2,200 each, for a total of $8,800.
The next request was for two sets of Turtle Plastics cribbing kits. Johnson explained these are used for stabilizing cars involved in accidents. The current cribbing is bulky and takes several firefighters to move, where as the new cribbing could be carried by just one firefighter which could be critical in emergency situations.
The cost of the cribbing is $2,200 each, for a total of $4,400.
The fire department received $1,500 from the Osterud-Winter Trust Foundation to put toward the cost and the remainder will come from the department’s donation fund.
“I’d definitely like to thank the community for everyone’s donations to help us purchase new equipment,” Johnson expressed.
Relay for Life
Megan Kennedy, senor development manager for the American Cancer Society, notified the council that Spring Valley is next in line to host Fillmore County’s Relay Life event.
“Fillmore County has traditionally done it on a two-year rotation. This is the final year in Fountain and Spring Valley is up next in the rotation,” Kennedy said.
The council agreed they would welcome the event in 2024 and 2025.
Kennedy noted she will be looking for co-chairs from Spring Valley to assist the Relay for Life committee saying, “It would be a light touch, high impact” position.
Fins and Film Dirt Drag request
Stephanie Bowe, Fins and Films President, asked the council to consider allowing the group to hold their Fins and Films Dirt Drags on city property in the Industrial Park.
The request was denied, as Mayor Tony Archer explained, “The three properties in question are already up for sale and are going to be sold. Also, we do not have insurance for it and we were told by the League of Minnesota Cities not to allow it because it is a risk factor. We’d love to have it here, but we have to cover our city.”
The council voted to deny the request.
Other business
The council approved a resolution expressing their thanks and acceptance of the Kingsland Booster Club’s donation of $8,250. The funds will go towards the purchase of helmets and other equipment for the Park and Rec tackle football program.
The Ag Days Committee Event requests, which include a dance permit, fireworks permit, temporary liquor license, raffle permit and street closures was approved. Council member John Dols stated he would like the committee to discuss with the council how they will be addressing concerns such as underage drinking and trash clean up.
A public hearing for the noise ordinance review will be held during the next meeting on July 10 at 6 p.m.
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