At the February 5 meeting, new Fountain Mayor Ron Reisner, councilors Jordan Kearns, Cory Spratte and Dave Stockton, along with Councilor Tammy Danielson, who joined by phone, discussed the possibility of a housing development at the north end of West Side Lane.
The current residential area sits west of Highway 52 and was developed many years prior by Linus Hammel, according to the Reisner. City Clerk Mary Tjepkes has started investigations into the West Side Lane Park. She already consulted with City Attorney Frederick Suhler and the Fillmore County auditor regarding any stipulations with the original development. There are currently 13 residences, including one duplex townhome, in the existing development. Tjepkes noted there is a possibility of putting four new homes or three townhomes in the area that is currently a park.
“There are no longer any younger kids that are playing at the park,” she stated. “What we could do is give it to a developer and they’d have to take care of all the sewer, water, curb, streets, gutters, and we would just reap the taxes and sewer and water off it for revenue.”
Tjepkes indicated Suhler advised her to see if any stipulations existed for the property when it was given to the city, particularly whether it remains a park or if the city can use it in other ways. City staff found no deeds for the property. Tjepkes will discuss the official recording with Fillmore County. In the meantime, she may speak to a developer regarding interest. She further indicated Jason Schwarz would be willing to sell a piece of property at the end of the lane for the city to extend the roadway.
Reisner was fairly certain water was already in place, but he wasn’t sure about sewer service. There may be interest in hooking the homes up to the sewer plant rather than using individual septic tanks for each home.
“It would be nice to get some townhomes in here or homes for the tax base,” said Reisner. “We kinda blew it on that 13 acres,” referencing another piece of property. “We could have had all sorts of townhouses in there.”
Danielson asked whether the idea of new homes in the area and extending the road would be presented at a city meeting for residents. Reisner acknowledged the city would have to hold a public meeting. Until then, Tjepkes will continue with preliminary investigations.
In another council discussion, the council revised the fee schedule to include a $15 annual permit fee for a farmer’s market. This joins other miscellaneous permitting fees for chickens and bakery stands. Danielson has been working on details, but the market is tentatively scheduled to run on Thursdays, from May 1 to September 25, from 4-8 p.m. She stressed that all items need to be handmade.
“We want to put it in line with others,” said Kearns, discussing possible fee amounts. “We want to have people come to town.”
Danielson also spoke regarding updates to the city website. She’s spoken with a citizen offering website design and asked him to meet with her and Tjepkes to see what he can offer. One concern is whether city staff can run the site and do maintenance or if it needs to be done by the web designer. Danielson stated she could talk with other web development companies in the area and would bring back more information to the council.
Danielson headed up a discussion regarding the possibility of increasing community center usage. She suggested the city offer residents a 20% discount when they rent it, similar to what other small cities do. The center offers weekday and weekend rentals and admittedly, Tjepkes noted it hasn’t seen much usage lately. The council unanimously approved a resident discount.
The city hopes recent upgrades at the center, including all-new interior painting, will bring more renters. Public Works also removed what Reisner dubbed “dirty, old blinds” and the council approved placing a smoke-tint film on the windows. Mirror tint was considered, but there was a concern about sunlight on the west-facing windows causing problems for drivers.
“Jordan and John painted and it looks phenomenal,” said Reisner. “It really spruces that place up.”
The city will take new photos of the center and include posts on Facebook and the website to promote the updates.
In other news, the council discussed the duties of various committees. Reisner noted that regardless of which committee – Streets, Yards, Park & Rec, Community Hall, Weed Control, or Sewer – the council committee members need to check conditions and report anything abnormal to either Public Works Director John Hanson or to Tjepkes.
“Use common sense. If you see something that isn’t right, report it. We are now going to be safe,” said Reisner.
He also reminded the council about rectifying issues of non-compliance. “We have fines in place now. We can send a letter. If they don’t rectify it, we can come find you,” he said. “But, we need a formal complaint. They also need to come to the meeting. You gotta come to the meetings. That’s all there is to it,” said Reisner.
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