The Peterson Council meeting, Wednesday, August 8, saw discussion of several small city projects either underway or in the planning stages. Absent from the meeting were City Clerk Chris Grindland and Councilor Dave Colbenson.
Several municipal buildings are slated for upgrades. The public restrooms at the city park will need some minor alterations, including replacement of the concrete out front. The council will seek bid proposals for the work and is expecting to select a bid at the September meeting. Additionally, the wooden fence is in need of painting. It was suggested the city could contract with Sentenced to Serve for this work.
Councilor Lisa Price questioned whether or not the city can choose campsites for those making reservations at the park to begin farthest from the restrooms to allow for more open area around them. Mayor Tim Hallum suggested the lot layout could be placed on the city layout and campers could select which site they want.
The concession stand at the park is also seeing some changes. Sentenced to Serve assisted with the painting of the underside of picnic area by concession stand. Councilor Gail Boyum will check into a directional sign that’s been missing for some time. The exterior painting of the nearby wellhouse is also underway.
Sentenced to Serve crews also recently assisted with scraping and painting at the city’s museum. “They scraped the top portion that volunteers couldn’t do and painted the overhangs, bringing their own scaffolding,” said Boyum. The council praised the work the crews did.
August 11, volunteer crews were planning on finishing the painting of a second coat on the south and west sides of the museum. “This fulfills the grant we got,” said Boyum. “The grant for paint was through Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. We need volunteers to come together.”
Additional areas and projects recommended by the council included landscaping at the city sign and cleanup alongs the trail and bluff overlook. Sentenced to Serve will assist with the lanscaping, clipping up roses and weeding the area, but the work date is still undecided. “We made a list of a lot of stuff,” noted Hallum referencing the work that Sentenced to Serve has assisted with. “Hopefully, we’re moving forward.”
Councilor Loren Rue suggested the crews could assist with brush cleanup along the tail and Boyum suggested clearing up the overlook. The Root River State Trail is maintained by the Department of Natural Resources and any work needs to be supervised by the department. Similarly, the overlook is state forest land, so it’s unclear whether the city can contract with crews on its own to clear areas or whether the state needs to put those plans in motion.
Cleanup work on the trail has been underway this summer, specifically in the downtown Peterson area. “It looks really nice,” noted Boyum. The council has approved the purchase of two Black Hills spruce trees to be placed near the intersection of County Road 25/Mill Street and Church Street, east of the trail and west of two grain bins owned by Chuck’s Feed & Grain. Cost for the trees is $470. This includes $125 for planting, $85 for travel, and $260 for the trees.
In other news, several agenda items remain on hold. The city is still waiting on new e-meters from MiEnergy to upgrade electric utility. They are expected by the end of September.
A Utility Disconnect Policy recommendations from the city attorney are also expected next month. The city currently has a policy related to past due balances and for the certifying of unpaid utility to property taxes, but unpaid utility bills continue to plague city budgets. Should a disconnect policy be put in place, it is expected to be combined with the current policy. A public hearing would be required if the council moves forward with the policy.
Seven properties were identified earlier this year for non-compliance with city ordinances. To date, only one property owner has come forward to work with the city to address the issues. In a letter to the properties from the city attorney, no deadline date was issued. The next step will be a second letter from the attorney with a deadline.
Less than a week remains on the timeline for filing for the expiring council seats. Positions up for grabs are Mayor (two-year term), one 2-year council seat and two 2-year council seats. The positions are currently held by Tim Hallum, Lisa Price, Dave Colbenson, and Gail Boyum. Filing ends August 13.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Wednesday, September 12, at 6 p.m., at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
Leave a Reply