At the March 5 meeting, the Fountain Council heard from Alex Miners of Miners Underground. The company is the contractor for the underground fiber-optic project for MiBroadband. Miners discussed the locating and construction process, including who will be on-site and what property owners can watch for.
Miners noted the flags for locating will come first. They ask that all properties leave the flags in place for the duration of the project. Upon completion, Miners Underground will remove all flags and clean up disturbed areas, going over a punch list of items.
“It being a spring project, there’s going to be mud… there’s going to be dirt. That’s just the way it is with fiber,” said Miners. “We clean stuff up and come in with black dirt and all that jazz.”
Signs and cones will also be placed in work areas, denoting potential holes in the streets and areas where utilities are. Miners asked residents and business owners to exercise caution in these areas and to leave the cones alone. All workers will be easily identifiable in high-visibility clothing. However, multiple crews will be working on areas, so concerns should be given to Finley Engineering representatives. Miners estimated they will drill in 90% of the city but will knife in the fiber up to properties.
“When people talk to Finley Engineering, they have to let them know of stuff that’s buried in their lawn,” stressed Miners. Gopher One Call will locate public utilities, but other things buried, such as sprinkler or drainage systems, electrical to accessory buildings, outdoor lighting, or invisible pet fences, should be noted early on to be documented. “That’s helpful to know,” continued Miners. “You just don’t know. If you let them know those things, it helps us out tremendously and not damage something.”
The project is estimated to take two months. HarmonyTel will contact everyone regarding the installation portion of the project and properties have already received a notice on doors. There is no cost to get the fiber to the residence or business, but the final installation comes with a minimum fee of $80 per month. If property owners do not contact HarmonyTel, they will not complete the final service installation for that property.
In other news, the council approved a reduced rate for resident Mason Drake to hold an eight-week dog obedience training class at the community center. The center rental is $30 per hour, Monday through Thursday. Opinions varied greatly on the proposed discount amount, from a $200 flat fee, equating to a $25 per hour rental fee, to a $120 discount, or a $15 per hour rental fee.
“What’s reasonable?” asked Councilor Tammy Danielson. “If anyone else comes in, we have to do it for the same price.”
“There’s a possibility he might want to do it continually,” added Mayor Ron Reisner.
“$15 per hour is pretty cheap. I think $200 is a deal,” added Councilor Jordan Kerns.
The council unanimously approved the $200 flat fee.
The city also approved several administration-related items, including a raise for Clerk Mary Tjepkes for her fifth anniversary, a request to switch city software, a credit to a water bill, and a $5,000-limit credit card for the fire department.
Regarding the software, Tjepkes requested the city switch from the Vadim program to Banyan following ongoing issues with the former. She added that other municipalities use the Banyan system, which is less expensive. Tjepkes was asked whether the system was installed or cloud-based and whether or not the city equipment could handle it. She noted the software gets installed on the hard drive and is compatible. Banyan will help with moving everything over to the new system. The Vadim contract is up in April, so the timing is excellent. The council unanimously approved the switch.
Tjepkes also discussed the proposed water credit for Bradley and Stacey Dohrmann, 306 Third Street. According to Tjepkes, the issue apparently goes back to prior to March of 2023, long before Dohrmanns lived at the property, but it was only recently discovered. A new meter has been installed and the city will determine how much is actually being used per month, determine the approximate difference in the averages, and come up with a credit amount to apply to the billing.
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