The Spring Valley City Council held a regular council meeting on September 24. All members were present (Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Mayor Jim Struzyk, Jessy Betts, Mike Hadland and City Administrator Deb Zimmer).
Jeff Allman addressed the council, informing them of his plans to build apartments. He handed out information that outlines the basics of “The Commercial House Apartments,” which stated the plan is for “a successful remodel of a historic 1875 structure in the heart of downtown Spring Valley.” Allman stated, “I’m a licensed professional engineer and real estate broker, and I was the developer on the Commercial House across the street. We’re trying to apply for a workforce housing grant that Minnesota Housing Finance Agency has. It’s federal funds.” There would be 12 to 16 apartment units, a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. He went on to explain the matching grant and upcoming deadline. He also outlined the basics of his project, and why he sees it as a good thing for the city of Spring Valley. Todd Jones asked if there would be adequate parking, and Allman said there is a plan for parking for about 24 vehicles. He summarized that the project will be a good use for the land on which it will sit, and will significantly fix up some buildings that have gone downhill. No action was requested or taken by the council at this time.
There was discussion of the repair work being done to the water-damaged walls in city hall. Zimmer said, “Well, you can see that the stuff is down. It’s drying out. So we’re going to leave it like this for a while, to make sure it all dries out.”
Regarding repairs needed to fix serious leaks at the swimming pool, the council considered a quote for materials from Thatcher Pool, Spa & Patio, for $10,151.19. Mike Hadland asked if this is the only quote, and John Fenske replied, “Yes, there’s not too many people that do pools.” The council approved the quote as submitted. The repairs are scheduled to begin work on October 8.
Jenny Simon gave an update on planned repairs to the exterior of the public library, stating, “We are going to be having the EFIS repaired, the stucco.” As far as the timing of getting a contractor in to start the work, she added, “Everybody’s booked, they’ve been booked since July… so we’ll be looking at spring for having that done.” Mayor Struzyk praised the library’s recent monarch butterfly project, and Simon said it brought in many patrons she didn’t know before.
Aaron Hamersma reported on ongoing repairs to the wastewater treatment plant, saying, “We still have more fixes to find, but we’ve seen a drastic improvement.” Sue Puffer reported that the ambulance crew’s new truck is “two weeks out,” and she added that they are possibly getting a new but experienced EMT to join the crew. Troy Lange reported that for the fire department, “It’s been another quiet month in our world,” and he reminded all present of the department’s pancake breakfast coming up in October.
Deputy Tim Rasmussen and Sheriff Tom Kaase submitted a written report on patrol activity and calls for the month of August, which totaled 65 calls/incidents, including 17 ambulance assists, several dog/animal complaints, and a variety of driving complaints, suspicious activities, civil standby instances, and other issues.
Mike Hadland asked about a political sign that has been displayed on city property; it will be removed. The meeting was adjourned. The next regular meeting of the council will be Monday, October 8, at 6 p.m. As always, the public is welcome.