At the Wednesday, February 12 meeting, the Peterson Council discussed plans for a spring walking tour to review property compliance. The issue has been one plaguing several properties in the city for some time.
As currently planned, the council will hold their regular 6 p.m. March meeting, proceeding to take the tour first, by foot or side by side vehicle. The council will return to city hall for the agenda portion of the meeting at 7 p.m. Should the weather prohibit the tour, the council will move it to a future date. In that instance, the tour will be moved to April and the agenda portion of the meeting will take place at the usual 6 p.m.
In other news, the city continues to wait on quotes for equipment replacement for Public Works. Under discussion are the trade/sale of a tractor and purchase of a zero-turn mower. Quotes from Preston Equipment and Midwest Equipment, in St. Charles, have been received. Mayor Tim Hallum noted a quote from St. Joseph’s, in Eyota, was also coming. A previous quote from Hammel Equipment, in Rushford, was received, but Hallum suggested contacting them again. No decisions were made on the equipment.
Public Works has a number of projects continuing from 2019 and planned for this year. They include stump grinding for tree removal last year. The city would like the four stumps ground this spring. Some ground reshaping may be needed following the stump removal, due to previous ground heaving from the roots. A resident complaint of an electric wire through a tree was also noted and will be looked at by the department.
Councilor Loren Rue asked for a status update regarding the wastewater treatment plant and potential electrical work to be done. Clerk Grindland clarified that the issue is a possible remote monitoring of plant flows. At this time, the expense is unknown. Grindland suggested the city discuss the matter with City Engineer WHKS.
Public Works Director Rick Lee stated he’d spoken with Norman’s Electric Service, of Rushford, and that he was confident the company could assist in finding an economical way of setting up such a system.
It was also suggested that the city touch base with MiEnergy about proposed electrical upgrades which were planned for last year. They included raising a line on River Street, taking down wiring behind Grace Lutheran Church, and replacing at least one pole. Grindland will contact MiEnergy.
The last item discussed with Public Works was the flow of water on Prospect Street. Councilor Lisa Price noted it crossed from one side to the other and fills up. A culvert is in the area, but does not move the water quickly enough. Lee indicated a possible way to keep water flowing on one side of the street would be to install another culvert under the roadway. “We might have to look at grading,” said Lee.
During the time for public comment, resident Jim Whitlock expressed his concerns regarding an unused scale next to the former hardware store, located at the intersection of Prospect and Fillmore Streets. The scale is a drive-over industrial-scale owned by the city.
“It’s a decades-old problem,” said Whitlock. “How many more years will it stay there. Someone is going to drive over it and it’s going to fall in. I’d hate to see a car go through that thing.”
Whitlock indicated that Peterson Public Works does put snow on it, but said he knows it’s got to go somewhere. “It’s gonna put a lot of water down and into the old hardware store. It’s a two-phase thing,” added Whitlock. “It’s been put off for years.”
Whitlock also indicated he’s going to put his property up for sale in the future and while not living in it, neighboring B&B owners John and Megan Grebe (Andor Wenneson Inn) do rent out the former hardware store. He further noted concern over mold in the basement due to the infiltration of water. It was also stated that the wood covering was broken off, but was repaired by Peterson City Clerk Chris Grindland in 2019.
“It’s a good building, but I wanted to bring it to your attention before we see somebody ending up in a hole,” said Whitlock.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Wednesday, March 11, at 6 p.m., at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
Leave a Reply