Mabel’s city council met on August 10. All council members were in attendance (Adam Wilder, Mayor James Westby, Kirsten Wyffels, Terry Torkelson and Cory Wilson). Also participating were City Clerk Karen Larson and Jeff Rein.
Mayor Westby informed the council that an anonymous donor has offered to purchase a digital electronic sign for the city, to note upcoming events and announcements. The sign will be installed near the intersection of North Main Street and Highway 44.
The council discussed the options for sizing of the sign, and eventually settled on a 5’ by 8’ preference. There was discussion about how the sign can be programmed to be brighter during daylight hours, so it won’t be overly distracting to drivers at night. There was also discussion of possibly charging a fee for anyone wishing to advertise an event or business on the sign.
An order will soon be placed, and within four to six weeks, it should be received. So the sign is expected to be up and running this fall. Larson explained that “The information on it will be handled by City Hall, and only by City Hall.”
A citizen, Kelly Sand, addressed the council about a water drainage concern on his property. Sand stated, “I was wondering if we could do something with the waterway down here between Jim (Westby) and I, to get the water to run away?… We gotta do something. The water’s maybe six inches from coming into my shed.”
Jeff Rein discussed some ways the drainage could potentially be altered, including by installing a “small pad.” The council chose to get estimates and discuss the matter again at an upcoming council meeting. Sand agreed that the city should go with the cheapest solution that fixes the drainage problem.
The council discussed two items related to Green Lea Senior Living. A request for a street closure on Lyndale, from noon to 8pm on August 18 was approved. Larson said Green Lea also sent a letter to local businesses, including the City, asking for donations which would be used to purchase hymnals, and to support the Alzheimer’s Association. Larson said she’s not aware of the City ever giving to such a request, and she wasn’t sure if it’s something the City can do. Kirsten Wyffels shared her concern that. this could set a precedent, and she said she did not think Mabel should make such a donation. The council voted unanimously not to make a donation.
Zoning permits were approved for two households. Rocky and Elizabeth Bartlett were approved to put a deck in their backyard, and Heath Wenthold was approved to reroof an 8’ by 10’ shed and do light remodeling within the house.
The agenda included consideration of putting in blacktop in the area where the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station will be installed, behind the community center. But since the City has not yet received cost estimates, the item was tabled until the September council meeting.
The council approved the City to pay for an ad in the Fillmore County Journal to honor the police department, firefighters and ambulance crews, in an upcoming special edition of the paper. Larson pointed out that, due to the Labor Day holiday, garbage pickup in the city will need to be altered that week. Instead of Wednesday, September 7, garbage will be picked up Thursday, September 8. Jeff Rein informed the council that he has been trapping feral cats in the city. He said several cats and three possums have been relocated to rural areas. The next meeting of the Mabel council will be September 14 at 6 p.m. The public is welcome.
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