The public forum at the September 10 Harmony City Council meeting was well attended by members of the Harmony Area Chamber of Commerce, the Harmony Area Historical Society, and the community who were concerned about a discussion that took place during the August meeting. At that time, Council member Tony Webber suggested that the council visit the possibility of selling the visitor center building and moving it to the community center to save money. The first to speak was Janee Kale who pointed out that moving the visitor center would encourage tourists to bypass the downtown area and cut down on the traffic there. “So we’re going to lose some contact with those people,” she noted.
Terri Murphy contacted a representative from Explore Minnesota about the matter. “She stressed keeping the location easy to access,” Murphy said. “Money spent on our local economy will turn over seven times in our community.”
Mayor Steve Donney asked all those who were opposed to moving the visitor center to raise their hand. Everyone in attendance did so. “I think that’s nice for the council members to see,” he noted.
Harmony Chamber Director Becky Hoff spoke about the value of the visitor center in its current location. The center is visited by anywhere between 7,194 to 8,551 people a year, and its visibility is crucial for attracting traffic and directing visitors to businesses and attractions around town. “We help them find those services. We help them find those businesses. We help them spend their money for lack of a better way of saying it,” she said. “There are a lot of people here with me today, and I think they agree.”
Mayor Donney thanked everyone for their input.
Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge was present to discuss the 2020 contract between the sheriff’s department and the City of Harmony. The contract automatically renews each year unless either of the parties decide not to do so. As the contract has been in place since 2000, Sheriff DeGeorge felt that it was an appropriate time to revisit it and start a conversation about updating it in 2021. He presented the council with the proposed 2020 department budget along with the monthly service report. “Thank you for the report,” Council member Steve Sagen said, noting that the council used to receive one each month, but hasn’t for the last couple of years. Sheriff DeGeorge assured him that since the reports are part of the city’s contract, the council will receive one at each of their meetings from now on.
In June, the City of Harmony contracted with Stantec Engineering for a feasibility report for 2020 street and utility improvements. City Engineer Brett Grabau presented the report to the council. The project was broken up into nine different project areas with the estimated project costs coming to a total of $1,932,560.83. The feasibility report was approved and a public hearing will be held to discuss assessments at the October council meeting.
Jennifer Hengel from the Root River Trail Towns asked the city to cover the cost of routine maintenance for the Harmony BikeShare bicycles. The bill for servicing all six bikes came to a total of $384.95. “We could do a better job of letting people know about the bikes,” Roxanne Johnson noted, adding that not many business owners in Harmony know about them so can’t recommend them to tourists. “They’re a nice asset.”
The council revisited the matter of purchasing flashing speed signs for Highway 52 as motorists enter Harmony from the north and the south. Illg recommended taking more time to investigate various options before putting money into the signs. He’s currently researching a possible grant. In the meantime, he noted that the city could request that the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Department place their portable speed sign on Highway 52. Council member Tony Webber pointed out that a motion was passed at the August meeting approving the purchase and suggested that the council hold off on ordering the signs until more information could be obtained about the grant. The matter was tabled until the October council meeting.
A motion was passed approving the purchase of snow guards for the roof of the community center at the lowest bid received. Installing the guards will protect the building’s gutters from snow sliding off the roof.
A commercial rehab program was approved. Anyone interested in more information can contact Illg or EDA representative Chris Giesen.
At their recent meeting, the Park Board continued their discussion about the playground equipment for the community center. They are currently looking into different areas for funding. They also discussed the proposed splash pad. A fundraiser committee for the splash pad has been formed that meets monthly.
The Harmony Library’s bin for clothing donations is being picked up every Wednesday as it’s full each week. “So people are bringing their things there,” Council member Lynn Mensink said, adding that it’s a good fundraiser for the library.
A resolution was passed certifying the proposed levy for the 2020 budget. The total comes to $745,550, which is a 6.51% increase from the 2019 levy.
The next Harmony City Council meeting will be held on October 8 at 7 p.m.
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