Karen Todd, representing the Hometown Pride organization, appeared before the Houston City Council meeting on May 12 to once again ask about improving the looks of the Houston sign on the west side of town. Hometown Pride had asked for help last year already with the sign.
Todd informed the council that her group had not planted the sign’s flower bed, but had cleared the weeds. She thanked the city maintenance team for power washing the sign and noted that the black streaks had been removed from the background of the sign and it looked much better.
A quote had been procured from a professional painter to repaint the sign. Since the city had already powerwashed the sign, the quote was reduced to $2,000. Hometown Pride was hopeful that such a treatment would be longer lasting.
Ed Jacobs, assistant maintenance superintendent, said he’d be comfortable repainting the black edging of the sign; Councilor Danny Todd said he’d be willing to help with the project. Ultimately, the council decided to have the city maintenance employees check with Chris Cox on the best paint to use on the sign and then sandblast and paint the black trim as time was available.
Karen Todd asked the council if they were okay with using trees and rustic landscaping plants rather than the usual flower beds near the sign. Hometown Pride felt this suited the Bluff Country better and would need less upkeep. The council agreed; planting will not be done until the painting is completed.
Personnel
City Administrator Michelle Quinn updated the council on several personnel items. Five candidates had been interviewed for the Nature Center assistant position. Quinn recommended the council hire both Kylee Dozark and Amaya Nestor-Middleman. The two will share the position with the hours not to exceed a total average of 18 hours a week; this will allow flexibility for scheduling.
Quinn also recommended hiring Jennifer Krings as Youth Conservation Corp Lead.
The city continues to seek student staff for the Summer Rec program, The council approved the hiring of staff to be selected contingent on their meeting the criteria required for the position. Quinn shared that Houston has children coming from other communities for its summer arts and crafts programs; most other towns only offer ball as an option.
Quinn then brought up a recent resignation. John Langheinrich, Houston Nature Center lead, has resigned his position and will be leaving at the end of July. The council accepted the resignation and thanked Langheinrich for all his work at the center.
The 29 hours per week position will be advertised. Quinn shared that the position earns PTO and qualifies for PERA since it is a year round position. She emphasized the great job Langheinrich had done in maintaining the center immaculately and drawing in visitors.
Other Business
In other business, the council:
• Approved Coleman Peterson’s proposed Eagle Scout project; the school will be sponsoring his project which will add more concrete parking spaces near the school’s football field;
• Decided to check into purchasing an aerator which would be used to aerate the outfield of city’s ball field; an aerator can be purchased for around $400 while the bid to have the field aerated just once was $1,440;
• Approved the replacement of approximately 35 city street signs and the transfer of funds as appropriate to cover the expense; the new signs will be produced by a local business which could easily replace signs as needed in the future;
• Approved the Cross of Christ application to conduct excluded bingo at the city park during Hoedown Days;
• Waived the monetary limits on tort liability as suggested by the insurance agent so insurance could cover up to $2,000,000 as opposed to only $50,000 if the city causes an injury;
• Approved the request for funding for the replacement of lead pipes in the city; the cost to replace lead pipes for about 20 homes (at a cost of $20,000 per service) would be covered by the funding from MPFA (Minnesota Public Facilities Authority);
• Transitioned Curtis Chapel from police officer trainee to full-time police officer and authorized Quinn to send a conditional letter of employment to Chapel;
• Approved a temporary liquor license to the Hoedown Committee for the Hoedown celebration;
• Were reminded by Quinn that fire chief applications were due soon and that PWD Randy Thesing plans to retire this year so they would need to begin looking for his replacement soon as well.
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