Photo by Wanda Hanson
Anna Frauenkron of the Houston Ambulance visited the Houston City Council meeting
on June 12 to ask for help in the struggle with summer day time coverage for the local ambulance. With some people on vacation and teachers not available during the summer hours, only two people will be around to cover on-call for the ambulance for a solid two-week period coming up.
Frauenkron asked the council to consider hiring an EMT to come into Houston for a couple days a week to give the regular crew a break. Steve Westby voiced his concern that by hiring an EMT, there might be hard feelings with the volunteers who are paid $2.00 per hour for on-call. Westby pointed out, “Houston can’t afford to lose the ambulance service.”
Houston currently has mutual aid agreements with Caledonia and Rushford; an additional agreement would need to be in place to offer a full 12-hour shift, however. Rushford has similar staffing issues as Houston. According to City Administrator Michelle Quinn, she has had some conversations with Caledonia about the possibility. Quinn shared that she felt the city needs to explore the possibility of hiring an EMT with “due diligence.” Quinn has been doing her share to help out with the ambulance by driving for calls during some of the day shifts.
Quinn noted that most likely another EMT would be joining Houston ambulance in July. Frauenkron shared that Chatfield will be starting an EMT class in early September. Students would need to travel to Chatfield for one or two nights a week through December to take the 180-hour class.
Clean up for Hoedown
Resident Jeanne Tippery spoke during the citizen comment period to request the city spruce up the Welcome to Houston sign on the west side of the city near the fire station. The sign is a rough texture; she suggested painting it white.
Tippery also asked that the city paint the floors in the city park bathrooms and that the soap dispensers be replaced. She also pointed out that toilets often became clogged during the Hoedown celebrations.
Assistant city maintenance director, Ed Jacobs replied that staff has replaced soap dispensers in the past, and they only last a couple weeks before they are ripped off the wall. Quinn agreed, “It’s become a futile effort!” Jacobs shared that merely painting the floor would make it extremely slippery; an epoxy paint with grit in it would be needed, but this would make the floor even more difficult to clean.
At that point, Tippery chuckled, “Well, maybe we just worry about the sign!”
Library director hired
After interviewing four applicants, the library board selected former assistant director Beth Peterson-Lee as their choice for their new director. She will be working up to 29 hours per week at $22.87 per hour with no benefits.
In order to cover Peterson-Lee’s former position, the council agreed to hire Haley Carr temporarily as a library assistant at $12.00 per hour. Carr is very familiar with the library, having volunteered there for quite some time.
Posting for a permanent assistant director will occur after the July 10 council meeting. The council needs to approve a new updated job description for the position. Carr will be eligible to apply for the permanent position if she wishes.
Other business
In other business the council:
• Authorized Matt Mohs of Bolton Menk to go out for quotes on the Cedar Street CIPP
project to line pipes; Mohs shared that bids are not needed because the project will be under $175,000; a long completion time (end of October 2024) will be allowed to hopefully generate lower bids as contractors could fit the project in with other work in the area;
• Approved a variance for a garage from Ron Albrecht at 409 South Sheridan Street;
• Approved an exception to allow a food truck at the lawn chair concert to be held July 19;
a car and tractor show will be held by the organizers the same day;
• Heard of a very generous $1,000 donation from DLC to purchase helmets and other needed equipment for summer rec;
• Decided to post the open position on the Root River Trail Extension Citizen Committee on the city website in hopes of replacing Hein Bloem who resigned;
• Learned that because of the current dry conditions, the city will not be planting the trees budgeted for until next year;
• Listened to Lisa Graf as she asked for information about opening an Airbnb on Grant Street; the council suggested she go to the Chamber of Commerce meeting next week with any questions about getting started and informed her there was nothing in city ordinances restricting Airbnbs, encouraging her to “go for it!”
The next Houston City Council meeting will be July 10 at 6 p.m. at Houston City Hall in the council chambers. The public is welcome to attend; a public comment period is available early in the meeting.
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