A group of eight citizens attended the Ostrander City Council meeting on May 1 to air their concerns about being able to get to and from their homes during the ongoing street project. This “Elm Street group” asked what their best option is during closures that prevent them from driving on their street. Mayor Nesler offered one option, stating, “A lot of people are parking on Robert Street at the park,” but one citizen said that would leave her carrying groceries for two blocks.
The council and citizens discussed other ideas, including possibly allowing these few citizens to drive through the park, but it was pointed out that this is a safety concern for children playing in the park, and it could cause ruts in the park, especially if the ground were wet (and a steady rain was falling as this discussion went on). There were suggestions to change the signage to keep traffic, especially trucks, away from the ongoing project.
Brian Malm (Engineer with the firm of Bolton & Menk) summarized that the street closures will be relatively brief and intermittent during the project, and he estimated that this problem will last only, “A few weeks, two, maybe three.” He also added that any closures should be opened again by 7 p.m. each day, as the construction crew is set to finish their daily work by that time. Malm also suggested the crew could put in a temporary gravel road to allow these citizens access to and from their homes. This idea was met with approval from the citizen group. City Clerk Wendy Brincks also asked citizens to please call the sheriff’s non-emergency number to report any traffic concerns related to the ongoing project, such as if trucks are still coming through town. This way, traffic control can be adjusted as needed. The number to call is (507) 765-3874.
Newly appointed council member Vernon Thompson was sworn-in to the council at the beginning of the meeting. All members of the council were in attendance (Thompson, Pam Kunert, Mayor Pat Nesler, City Clerk Wendy Brincks, Heidi Jones and DJ Start). Deputy Leif Erickson submitted a written monthly report of police activity providing to Ostrander by the Fillmore County Sheriff’s department. Brincks said Deputy Erickson plans to soon start working on addressing expired license tags and junk ordinance violations within the city. Dustin Johnson gave an update on the fire department, describing the grass fire that was the only fire call for the month. Rick Whitney (PeopleService) submitted a written report on the city’s water and wastewater operations.
Brincks pointed out that she’d found out that funds set aside in the Trail Fund can only be used for the trail, so the council will consider any appropriate uses as ideas come up. She also said the city can apply for a grant through the Major League Baseball Tomorrow Fund, to make some improvements at the ball park.
The council approved the $907,000 General Obligation Water and Sewer Revenue Bond Anticipation Master Note, and approved Bolton & Menk’s Pay Estimate #1 for $212,564.91. Malm pointed out that the Pay Estimate shows that as of April 14, 3.47% of the contract time has expired, but 6.01% of the project is complete, so he said, “They’re a little bit ahead of schedule.” He also explained Change Order #1 from A1 Excavating, for $19,890 to replace water service to the wastewater treatment plant. He said the existing pipe suffered a breakage, but was found to be in such bad shape it should have been replaced anyway. The council approved this change order as submitted. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. The next regular meeting of the council will be Tuesday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome.