At the January 27 meeting of the Chatfield City Council approval was given to explore the possible sale of the Groen Park Bridge. Councilor Mike Urban was absent.
Councilor Josh Broadwater, reporting for the Park & Recreation Committee, encouraged the council to authorize the exploration of the sale of the bridge. In 2022 the city received a matching grant in the amount of $77,000 through the DNR for the purchase of the bridge. The total project cost was estimated at that time to be $155,000. However, the city has spent to date a total of $110,581 for the purchase of the bridge, engineering fees, and soil testing. The total cost quoted for the installation of the bridge is estimated at $210,000. The deadline for completion of the project is the end of June 2025.
Due to fact the cost has far surpassed expectations, three options were being considered as provided by the DNR Grant Office.
If it was decided to move forward with the project, the city will need to provide an additional $184,000 to fund the project. If the project was moved to next year with the remaining grant funds in the amount of $29,949.75, the city will still have to provide the additional $184,000. The third option was the cancellation of the project and possible sale of the bridge. For the DNR grant, the city will need to pay back only the portion allocated for the bridge. The city will be able to retain matching funds for design and engineering. The city is moving forward with this third option.
Other Business in Brief
- Every three years, cities are required to submit a Pay Equity Report to the state, Department of Management and Budget. The submission of the compliance report was approved.
- The resignation of Julie Elder, deputy city clerk, was approved, effective June 30.
- Rural contracts are now written for a three-year term for Fire and Ambulance. At the February 2024 Rural Board meeting it was decided that there will be a 3% increase for both Fire and Ambulance for each year 2024 through 2027. Payments are made per capita.
- Approval was given to pay off the 2017A GO Tax Abatement (Enterprise Dr.) note effective February 1, 2025. This is three years earlier than the scheduled final bond payment. The debt is paid with levy dollars, small city aid, and Enterprise Dr. lot sales.
- The 2025 lease agreement with Schoenfelder Farms was approved. The terms call for the sum of $225 per acre or a total of $9,000 for the year.
- An exempt permit was approved for the Chatfield Youth Sports Association for the Fireball Raffle, drawing to be held on May 8.
- Councilor Pam Bluhm, Public Services Committe, reported they had discussed whether or not to keep the Heritage Preservation Committee. Due to the fact that the ordinance calls for a seven-member committee and there are currently only four, it has been suggested to rewrite the ordinance to reduce the number of required members.
- Mayor John McBroom said the city has lost an icon. Francis “Mike” Tuohy passed on January 12, 2025. McBroom noted that Tuohy did a lot for Chatfield and was an all-around nice guy. “Chatfield will miss him a lot.”
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