During the Brownsville City Council meeting on October 2, representatives from Bollig Engineering, Vice President of Client Development Kris Ambuehl and Regional Project Manager Bryan Caffin, presented findings from a recent needs assessment survey conducted by Bollig. The survey focused on the city’s infrastructure.
Their presentation addressed key areas such as health and sanitation, with an emphasis on the town’s wastewater management, stormwater systems, streets, Bluff View Manor, and the fire hall.
When the conversation turned to the town’s streets, Ambuehl shared with the council that FEMA requires towns to have a pavement maintenance plan to receive FEMA emergency funding in case of a natural disaster. He added that it can be as simple as a spreadsheet.
Ambuehl and Caffin discussed potential funding opportunities, noting that Brownsville could seek federal assistance through Rural Development and state support through Minnesota’s Public Facilities Authority (PFA). He pointed out that the Small Cities program could serve as a vital source of funding for the city and serve as anchor funding.
To qualify for federal funding, a Preliminary Engineering Plan (PER) is required for accessing water and waste infrastructure funds. The city can apply for two rounds of $600,000 each from Rural Development Water and Environmental Programs (WEP). Bollig informed the council that the cost for developing these preliminary engineering plans is $45,000. This expense can be used as a match.
“Your needs are significant enough,” said Ambuehl.“We feel you would need USDA Rural Development backing to accomplish this.”
Mayor Jean Meyer called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. with council members Pam Walhovd, Bill Fitzpatrick, and Tim Klug in attendance. Council member Barb Hurley was absent.
The board unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included the meeting agenda, minutes from the September 4 council meeting, and claims totaling $39,087.56.
Local resident Shawn Colsch addressed the council regarding a sewer connection at parcel number R20.0255.000, followed by Mark Oldenberg who spoke on behalf of ordinance restrictions/permits related to parcel number R20.0036.000. Since no action could be taken, both men were encouraged to get on the agenda for next month’s city council meeting.
The board approved a resolution to subdivide parcel R20.0112.000 jointly owned by Gerald Walhovd and Susan Reihl into two separate nonconforming lots. A public hearing will be held on November 6 during the regularly scheduled city council meeting.
City Treasurer Jenna Knight asked the city council to waive the October rental fees for the couple interested in moving into apartment number 7 since they will be replacing the flooring at no cost to the city, which is the same thing they did when they moved into their current apartment at Bluff View Manor. The board agreed to waive the October fees as long as the renovation is completed by the end of October. Maintenance Supervisor Dean Twite confirmed that the city’s renovation will also be completed by the end of October. Knight said that they had renters ready to move into the apartment that will be vacated by the couple moving into apartment number seven.
No action was taken on the ordinance violations. The council was in agreement that anything on the street that is not moving and anything listed on the Driftless Vector Control report must be taken care of.
Brownsville Fire Department Training Officer Brandon Frank announced that the fire district will hold a meeting on Wednesday, October 9, featuring a tour of the station at 5 p.m. followed by the meeting at 6 p.m. at the community center.
In other business the board:
- Approved three building permits, one for Jean Farnham, one for Chris Dvorak, and one for Charles Schlegel.
- Agreed that the Caledonia School District could install a temporary banner on city property recognizing the school as a National Blue Ribbon School.
- Approved placing a $33 fire prevention salute ad in the Caledonia Argus.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 p.m.
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