At the December 4 meeting, the Fountain City Council heard from citizen Kaye Unnasch during the time for public comments. Unnasch resides at 603 Birch Street. In recent discussion regarding external wood stoves/boilers within the city, it was noted that Unnasch’s wood boiler is not up to code. Having received a letter from the city regarding the non-compliance, Unnasch stressed she’d like to come to a resolution regarding the issues.
Both Mayor Tammy Danielson and Councilor and Zoning Administrator Ron Reisner discussed the issues with Unnasch prior to the December 4 meeting and Public Works Director John Hanson has been to the property. Reisner was permitted to look the unit setup over. According to Unnasch, the eight-inch exhaust pipe measured 11 feet from the ground upwards. The maximum suggested piping, based on the manufacturer manual is 15 feet. According to Reisner, city ordinances, provided in the adopted Minnesota Livable Code, require exhaust pipes to be above the roofline of adjacent properties.
Unnasch expressed concerns with adding additional sections of piping on the current stack, noting the wind blows it off and collapses the whole stack.
“I don’t know what other kind of resolution we can come to,” she noted. “I don’t know what else I can do. I invite suggestions.”
According to Unnasch, the council approved her stove in 2015. City Clerk Mary Tjepkes and Reisner indicated none of the minutes from all the meetings that year mention the project, however, Councilor Dave Gudmundson, who was on the council at the time said he “faintly” recalled the discussion. Unnasch recalled her late husband discussing his visit to the council noting he was to return at a later date and that the only ordinance at the time referenced noxious smoke.
“We need to try and find a solution. If adding to the stack is difficult, is there anything to make that more stable? Or is there a different way to run your wood stove so we don’t have that noxious smoke,” said Danielson.
Despite being previously approved and “grandfathered in,” a solution is needed because the stove is non-compliant due to the nuisance of the smoke. Reisner also stated that Unnasch has burned what he called a “cold fire.” He described it as hot enough to burn, but not hot enough to effectively draw smoke upwards. He suggested she burn hotter fires and that an extension piece be put on the piping, clamped together, and cabled down for stability.
“We can’t have that smoke rolling around all over town,” said Danielson.
“I’m going to come back to your place and we’re going to figure it out. This kind of thing is my cup of tea,” added Reisner. “We’re in a gray area because we can’t find those minutes.”
“I’m here because I want it to work,” said Unnasch.
In other news, the mayor noted Public Works will now be providing a monthly report to the council. Currently, the department is working on the cleaning of all city buildings.
It was noted the council would change the first meeting of the year from the January 1 to the January 8 on account of the New Year’s holiday.
As a reminder, there is a public meeting scheduled for November 6, at 6:30 p.m., at the community center. MnDOT is hosting the meeting to discuss the proposed modification of the intersection of Highway 52, Third Street, and County Road 8.
Currently, the city street and county road both intersect the highway at angles with limited visibility. MnDOT says safety is the primary concern. The department is considering various options, but plans to redirect County Road 8 slightly north meeting Highway 52 in a safer location. Plans call for Third Street to end as a through street prior to the intersection. The draft options include a hammerhead turnaround north of the west end of Third Street, just west of 101 Third Street, or a cul-de-sac. The choice between the turnaround or cul-de-sac will come down to what the council and the affected landowners would like.
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