At the June 9 Harmony City Council meeting, Jimmy Strozyk from Harmony Spirits informed the council that they are still planning to hold the car show on the Fourth of July and asked permission to use the city parking lot as overflow. He noted that social distancing and safety protocols will be in place during the event. The council agreed to his request.
The city is still planning to have the usual fireworks show on July 4 despite the cancellation of the planned 125th celebration event. People are encouraged to practice social distancing while watching the fireworks.
City Engineer Brett Grabau updated the council on the street project. “The contractor is making good progress,” he said. “The residents have been great.” The project utilities are expected to be completed by the third week in June. The council approved a pay request from Generation X Construction LLC.
A gambling license request from Harmony Golf Club was approved for a charitable event on October 3.
Samantha Grabau was hired as the new accounting clerk starting July 6 and was present at the meeting to introduce herself to the council. “I’m excited for the opportunity,” she said.
City Administrator Devin Swanberg asked if the council wanted to continue its suspension of all utility shut-offs due to the COVID-19 situation. The council agreed to stop the suspension, but asked Swanberg to be sure to stay in communication with residents about potential shut-offs. They also decided to re-open the community center gymnasium based on Governor Walz’s recent announcements. A motion was approved allowing Swanberg to create a plan for best practices to re-open following the guidelines, which will be provided on June 16.
The next step for the bike trail expansion project is to have a public hearing, but that has been postponed for the time being.
The installation of the community center playground has been pushed back to July or August. The Park Board toured Selvig Park, Blue Park, and the campground to determine what needs to be done in each one to get it ready for the summer. The parks are open to the public and the restrooms by the basketball courts and in Selvig Park have been opened as well. The Park Board is considering the option of putting a skateboarding area near the tennis courts.
Thanks to a grant, the Harmony Public Library now has a mobile hotspot available for checkout.
Swanberg introduced Pailey Gordon to the council as the summer intern from the Fillmore Central High School internship program. She has been in the city office for the last two weeks working on record retention.
The next Harmony City Council meeting will be held on July 14.