At the April 14 meeting of the Caledonia City Council, the city officially selected its new civil engineering firm.
All board members were present: Bob Klug, Amanda Ninneman, Jeremy Leis, David Fitzpatrick, and John Rauk.
Four engineering firms were interviewed for the position of civil engineer. The results were presented to the General Government Committee, and after careful consideration and discussion, the committee recommended SEH as the best fit for Caledonia’s future infrastructure needs. The council agreed, sealing the deal with a unanimous vote.
Prior to the start of the meeting, the city held a public meeting to gather input from the public regarding the use of body cameras for the city’s police department. However, no members of the public stepped forward with comments.
The board made quick work of approving the minutes from the March 24 regular city council meeting with one correction, and adopted the consent agenda as presented. The consent agenda included payments and disbursement; a liquor license for the city’s Founder’s Day celebration on June 14; an off-site gambling license (raffle) for the Caledonia Volunteer Fire Department Relief Association at 203 History Lane S., Caledonia on August 2, during the association’s ATV ride; the annual $2,000 contribution to use for the Houston County Victim Services coordinator Michelle Herman; a Cannabis Retail Registration for the CBD Shop at 111 E. Main St. Caledonia; hire Al Klug as tree site attendant from April through October, 3 days a week at $17 per hour; Pay application #35 for work performed on the Wastewater Treatment Plan in the amount of $10,890 with a completion date estimated for summer 2025, and the purchase of a new Point-of-Sale (POS) system for the city’s liquor store.
The council was asked if the rumor circulating in town that the building on the corner of Main and Kingston had been sold. Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson confirmed that the rumor was true, and a private party has indeed purchased the Dewitz building. Caledonia business owners in attendance pitched the idea of relocating the city library to the new space, arguing it would draw more people to that part of town and pair well with potential upstairs apartment, given the library’s quiet nature.
Dickson also briefed the board on his latest meeting with MnDOT regarding the Warrior Road extension. While no promises were made, Dickson said that the outlook appears promising. He emphasized that they did not make any commitment, but he’ll continue to keep the pressure on in future meetings.
In a long awaited update, a representative from Donohue & Associates stated that the Wastewater Treatment Plant project is “practically complete,” with a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for June to mark the milestone.
In other business, the board:
- Approved an amendment to the Wastewater Treatment Plant contract with Donohue & Associates.
- Tabled a request from the Founder’s Day Committee to close several streets for the event. Streets under consideration include Pine Street in front of the fire department, Marshall Street (from the gazebo to Frankie’s) and Lincoln Street behind the gazebo. In March, public comments had supported additional closures, including Kingston Street for Crazy Dayz. The idea is to better acommodate crowds and the 20 vendors already signed up for Crazy Dayz. A decision is expected at the next city council meeting.
- Reviewed the overtime report for the pay period ending March 30, which included hours related to the huge snowstorm that plowed through the area, dumping inches of wet, heavy snow and keeping city crews working overtime to keep roads safe and passable.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:33 p.m.
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