The Ostrander city council met on October 4 in regular session. Members present were Erin Volkart, Pam Kunert, Mayor Pat Nesler, Clerk Chris Hyrkas, and Heidi Jones. DJ Start was absent. The council unanimously approved the consent agenda items.
The council heard from Pat Bailey, representing the Minnesota Department of Health. She informed the council, “Wellhead protection is a State of Minnesota program that deals with evaluating the source of drinking water to public water supply wells for the purpose of identifying things that might impact that source water… and then develop management strategies to mitigate risk.” She explained that there are six steps to the process, and the first two have been completed here. Step 1 was Delineation (creating a map of the wellhead protection area). Step 2 was Vulnerability Assessment. She explained that essentially, this determined that Ostrander’s Well #2 is not vulnerable to surface contaminants, and she said this will make Steps 3 & 4 much easier.
Step 3 will be creating a Contaminant Source Inventory, which in this case means identifying other nearby wells that might be a pathway for contaminants to get in. Step 3 is expected to take six months or so. Step 4 is developing a Management Plan, which will likely include sealing off Well #1. Step 5 will be creating a Contingency Plan, meaning what to do if Ostrander’s water supply is shut off for a period of time. Step 6 is Implementation. The council discussed what to do when the city drills a new well, and whether or not to keep two wells running, so the city would have one to switch to if the primary well needed to be shut down.
Rick Whitney (PeopleServices) introduced a new coworker, Christopher Seacrest, whom he said is currently licensed only for wastewater work. He also explained the fluoride and chloride rooms will be locked from now on to prevent tampering or injury. Chief Mosher then gave a monthly police activity report. He said he’s gotten reports of a few phone scams going on, and encouraged residents to “be cautious about those, and not afraid to check them out.” He also described his ongoing efforts to steer a resident to clean up a piece of property in town. Mosher said, “They are still cleaning things up, but are not yet in compliance.” He added that although the process is going slowly, progress is happening. He also stated the property has nine vehicles on it, but all are currently licensed, and said there is nothing specific in the city’s ordinance that stipulates how many vehicles may be on a property. He suggested that the council may want to consider an ordinance prohibiting parking on any city street (asphalt) during certain hours (such as 2-6 a.m.) during the winter months. He said he will come up with a suggested wording, and will bring it to the November meeting.
The council considered sewer usage at Judith Tiemen’s property. It was explained that although she is not using city water, she is bringing in water and therefore using the city’s sewer services. Chris Hyrkas shared a letter the city had sent to Tiemen, and summarized that the city’s statutes basically say that “If you’re using it, you pay for it.” There was discussion about what the appropriate charge should be, and the council consensus was that the “base rate” made the most sense. There was also discussion about possibly developing a “snowbird rate” for residents who are gone from home for several months at a time. No action was taken on the “snowbird rate.”
The council discussed a request from Brian Malm (Bolton & Menk) to set a public meeting on infrastructure plans. The meeting was set for October 20 at 6 p.m. It was then discussed that the Lions Club asked if the United Fund could be taken over by the city clerk. This was OK’d. The meeting adjourned about 7 p.m. The next regular meeting will be November 1.
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