Photo by Hannah Wingert
At the April 5 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Public Works Director David Haugen noted that there’s been a lot of concern from the public about potholes in the city streets. He explained that potholes tend to develop while plowing snow during the winter. They will be patched with hot mix, but the plant that makes that isn’t open until May so he and the city crew have been using cold patch as a temporary fix for now. Haugen also asked the council for some kind of plan going forward as there are many areas around town that need attention, explaining that if the area around a pothole is cracked up, there’s nothing for the hot mix to properly attach to and it ends up making the situation worse in the long run. “I’m putting a bandaid on a bandaid,” he said.
“We are aware of the pothole issues and the integrity of these roadways,” Mayor Jason Resseman said. He asked Haugen to make some recommendations at the May meeting which Haugen agreed to do. In the meantime, City Administrator Michele Peterson will also work with the city engineer to come up with a plan.
Haugen asked the council for permission to solicit bids to replace public works’ one-ton pickup and plow attachment. He noted that the current truck will be traded in. The council approved the request.
Ardell (Ardie) Nordgard has retired after 14 years with the park department. “He was a valuable part of the team and we wish him the best in retirement,” Mayor Resseman said. The council thanked Nordgard for his years of service.
The council approved pay request #5 for the dam project as well as pay request #4 for the wastewater treatment facility project. “They’ve been making quite a bit of progress,” City Engineer Brian Malm said. Malm asked the council to approve the purchase of some land from the DNR for the wastewater treatment project. The purchase was anticipated and had been included in the total project costs. Malm has been working with the DNR for about one and a half years on the purchase and they’re prepared to move forward with it. He recommended that the council approve the purchase asap as the contractor is ready to move into that area of the site. The land purchase was approved.
Council member Joe Goetzke gave the Chamber of Commerce report. Right now, the Chamber is preparing for the upcoming tourist season. Chamber Director Andrzej Zalasinski has been working on the city website as well as an app that has just launched. The app will tell users about the various businesses and attractions around Lanesboro as well as keeping them updated on hours for those places. The app is available at app.lanesboro.com.
A two-year leave of absence for firefighter Brian Peterson was approved. The fire department has recently applied for a grant for a new tanker and another for some new battery powered extrication tools. Chase Bakke was appointed to the department.
Mayor Resseman read an Arbor Day Proclamation declaring the month of April as Arbor Month in Lanesboro.
The council discussed the meeting dates and times. Council member Mindy Albrecht-Benson is currently training to serve on the ambulance crew, which is very much appreciated, but the classes conflict with the council meetings. It was decided to leave the council meetings at the normal dates and times as Albrecht-Benson should only miss two more meetings for her classes. If there is a hot button issue that she needs to be able to vote on in the meantime, a special meeting will be held.
The council discussed an annexation agreement with the township regarding the Geoff Griffin property. The township is willing to let the property be annexed into the city limits for five years worth of property tax. The council counter-offered with four years of property tax. Peterson will update the council when she hears back from the township.
“At this point in time, I would like to cancel the peacetime emergency for the city of Lanesboro,” Mayor Resseman said. He made sure to note how much effort the city staff has put in over the past year during the peacetime emergency issued due to the pandemic. On top of the extra stress and issues they have had to deal with, the city staff also had the dam project and the street project on their plates. “I want it to be known the appreciation that I have for the city staff,” Mayor Resseman said. The council approved the cancellation and will continue to review the city’s COVID response each month. They also reviewed the sidewalk permit fees, which were waived last year and decided to continue not to charge those fees.
Lanesboro resident Ron Amdahl was present at the meeting to continue the discussion on the debris removal and fence replacement on his property after it was removed during a city project in 2010-2011. Mayor Resseman asked Amdahl for the total costs for the debris removal and fencing. Amdahl felt that it would be better to have the survey done first so he would know how many feet of fence to get a quote for. “I’m suggesting that maybe council take action to get that done otherwise it’s all speculation,” he said. Mayor Resseman said he understood Amdahl’s point, but that the council preferred that he provide them with a total cost estimate including the type of fencing he would like before the survey is done. Amdahl agreed to do so and the matter was tabled until May.
Peterson asked the council to approve an amendment to the contract that the city entered into with the DNR for the dam project. The city would like to do further work on the fishing area and so the contract needs to be extended through December 31, 2021. The council approved the amendment.
The next Lanesboro City Council meeting will be held on May 3 at 6 p.m.
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