At the Wednesday, March 14 Peterson Council meeting, a lengthy list of citizen concerns were brought forth by Councilors Lisa Price and Gail Boyum. These included several items of old business including planning for repair of Park and River Streets issues with water flow along Park Street, electrical metering, including certifying of past due utility, and downtown parking.
The city has discussed road work for several years, but no projects are currently scheduled for 2018. Mayor Tim Hallum indicated no work would be done this year. The city has been weighing the options of doing a complete mill and overlay or a chip seal. As noted at previous meetings, the streets have a number of issues including water flow, depth of bituminous layers resulting from repeated pavings, and utility conditions beneath.
The projected cost to do a mill and overlay, which Hallum indicated discussions with Public Works Director Rick Lee have leaned towards, is estimated at $85,000.The city has been setting funds aside and the fund is currently at $11,000. Funds from Small Cities Road Assistance Program will help alleviate costs.
“We might have to go for bonding on the streets. We need to look at is and see what we come up to,” said Hallum.
Councilor Loren Rue questioned the possibility of all the city’s remaining streets being done if a bonding option is chosen. The main thoroughfare, County 25/Main Street, was reconstructed in 2016 in partnership with the county. Park, River, Victory, Centennial, and half of Fillmore Street remain in need of repair. The lengths equate to approximately 1,400 feet on Park, 550 feet on River, 500 feet on both Victory and Centennial, and 450 feet on Fillmore.
“We would have to weigh it out,” responded Hallum. “Hopefully, we have some numbers this year. We’re trying to get by with what we can.”
Updated electrical metering is a project that is underway. The city is working cooperatively with MiEnergy. The company is currently working to determine coverage of the proposed data collection unit. Meters will be read electronically and will include limiters. No estimated costs have been put forth.
At least one resident has expressed concern to Councilor Price with the city’s current past due utility policy, which sees past due amounts certified on property taxes at the end of each year. “They would like to see something happen faster, rather than later,” indicated Price. The option to pull or turn off meters was questioned if bills are not paid and reconnected when they are.
“We’ve tried that and it’s proven to us that it doesn’t work,” added Hallum. “There’s only a few bad eggs that don’t keep paying.” The city is getting what they are owed with the policy, however, lack of payment is digging heavily into the city’s annual operating expenses. “That’s tough. It hurts the city, too. We’re just two months into the year and we’re already at $15,584 in non-paid city bills,” he scoffed.
Parking downtown continues to be limited and the city is looking at ways to address the issue. A title search on a street scale indicated that the city is in ownership of the property. A 20-year lease, recorded in 1978, between the City of Peterson and Chuck Brown, former owner of what is now Chuck’s Feed & Grain, cleared up the ownership issue. It’s possible that area may be used for additional parking.
Another option floated around was the relocation of the city’s bandstand, in the grassy area behind city hall, to the former football field located two blocks south. When Rushford-Peterson Schools vacated the former middle school property, original paperwork from the ‘90s consolidation of the two city districts indicated the athletic field areas would revert to Peterson ownership.
Councilor Gail Boyum, who brought forth the idea noted in the past, there has been some pushback at the notion, citing nostalgia for the bandstand’s current location. However, the football field area sits east of the city’s campground, concession building, and new playground and may be a prime area. Boyum indicated there is $19,389 currently in the campground fund, but was unsure if the funds could be used for relocation of the bandstand to the campground park. “Would that even cover the cost to move it and hook it up to electrical?” she asked.
Peterson Legion Adjutant Chris Boyum was on hand at the meeting and indicated he felt that the legion may be support the move, as it could tie into a possible veteran’s memorial area.
“I like the idea,” said Mayor Hallum. “It would be a benefit for our city park. We also talked about possibly adding more campsites.” The option of housing on the athletic field was also mentioned. “We’d have to look at infrastructure. I don’t think the city can afford it,” noted Hallum. “This might be an option to leave it in green space.
The council opted to form a committee to look into all the options for the area. Councilors Loren Rue and Gail Boyum will serve as council representatives. It’s unclear which citizens, if any, will also serve on the committee.
Lastly, the city approved the purchase of a new Public Works vehicle. The current truck is an 11-year-old Ford F450 diesel and is having some problems. The vehicle is the only option for snow removal and Hallum indicated the plow will not make it for another year. Current trade-in value on the truck is good. Estimated costs for a two-yard box, with tipper, and a new plow were also included.
Two truck options were presented and including trade in, varied just $41 for a new Ford F450 4×4. Neither truck option was diesel. Additionally, the council weighed the option of two quotes for the truck box and two for the plow. In the end, the council approved the purchase of the truck from Sugarloaf Ford for $19,389. The box will be constructed locally at Connaughty Sales, Inc., in Rushford, for $10,819 and the plow will be purchased and installed by Michael’s Truck Equipment, of La Crosse, for $8,873. Total cost for truck and equipment is $36,822.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Wednesday, April 11, at 6 p.m., at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
Leave a Reply