At the July 14 Harmony City Council meeting, City Administrator Devin Swanberg informed the council that the city had received approximately $77,000 from the State of Minnesota’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act. The money cannot be used to make up lost revenue for businesses or the city, but can be used for other COVID related expenses. Swanberg recommended waiting to use the funds in case there is an outbreak in the community. “I want to make sure we’re using it responsibly,” he said. “I don’t want to spend it all right away.” The council agreed and will revisit the topic at the next meeting.
Swanberg noted that other cities are crediting city workers with 80 hours of sick leave in case someone contracts COVID-19 or needs to quarantine because of it. The council approved a motion doing the same for Harmony city workers.
Jennifer Ronnenberg from the Minnesota Department of Health attended the meeting to discuss Part 1 of the wellhead protection process for the city. Part 1 reviewed the sources of drinking water to wells 1, 2, and 3 and how safe they are along with the wells’ vulnerability, construction standards, and more. The information will then be used to develop Part 2 of the process.
The council reviewed and approved pay request #2 for the 2020 street project in the amount of $305,327.63. The project is on schedule and going well.
SE Service Co-op has issued a rebate to the city for its employee health insurance. In the past, the city has received 60% of the rebate and the remaining 40% has been divided up by the participants. The council approved a motion to split it the same way this year as well.
The Harmony Ambulance Service is waiting for grant approval from the USDA to purchase a Stryker cot. A quote was obtained for the purchase of a new ambulance, but the council asked to see quotes with and without a trade-in option before making any decisions.
The city office has received calls asking if the gymnasium at the community center will be opening on weekends for activities such as pickleball. The council reviewed the information and decided to continue to keep the gym closed on weekends for the time being.
The Park Board discussed the possibility of creating a skateboard park with several ramps near the tennis courts to prevent kids from skating on the tennis courts and sidewalks. The council agreed that was a good idea and would like the Park Board to continue to look into it. The playground at the community center has a proposed install date of August 29.
It was noted that an individual was observed drinking alcohol at Selvig Park at 10 a.m. recently. A Harmony resident at the meeting pointed out that she has found marijuana butts in the park and no longer feels safe taking her grandchildren to play there. She asked if it would be possible to close the park at 10 p.m. to keep people out at night. The city currently has no ordinance against drinking or drug use in the park nor does it have one about closing the park at a certain time. Before the next council meeting, Swanberg will look into possible park ordinances and find out how other local communities handle similar issues to give the council some guidance. In the meantime, Mayor Steve Donney recommended that residents call law enforcement if they see someone drinking or doing drugs in the park.
Council member Lynn Mensink gave the library board report. The Harmony Public Library is open and working hard to ensure the safety of its patrons. “They ask people not to put their books in the microwave,” Mensink noted, adding that returned items are quarantined to kill germs. Some virtual programs and classes will be available on the library’s Facebook page soon.
The next Harmony City Council meeting will be held on August 11 at 7 p.m.
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