Photo by Kaitlin Longhauser
Spring Grove City Council members met Tuesday, June 17 at 168 West Main Street in room 100. Mayor Bryan Wilhelmson called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. and led with the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members present included Mike Hagen, Eric Ostern, Trent Turner and Wilhelmson. Councilor Morgan Buckland was absent. City Clerk/Administrator Jana Elton was also present.
Philanthropy Director, Aaron Johnson, of SMIF (Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation) presented to the council- about SMIF, grants, how SMIF can assist the city with entrepreneurship and early childcare development, in addition to how the city can give.
The council was interested to hear more about how SMIF could assist with early childcare development. Johnson shared the SMIF can help support current providers through training. The organization can bring a consultant to Spring Grove to assess specific childcare needs. Grants can be approved. Roughly 30,000 books can be given to individual children so children have their own books for their own personal library. SMIF offers assistance with small town grant programs.
Elton asked Johnson if SMIF was a 501(c)(3), which Johnson confirmed.
In a 4-0 vote, both the Agenda and Consent Agenda received full approval.
Nate Sherburne joined the meeting via phone. Elton shared that an easement would be needed to go through some of the lots. Sherburne was willing to be flexible and work with the council. Councilor Hagen moved to proceed pending WHKS approval, seconded by Ostern. Motion carried. The council thanked Sherburne for reaching out.
New Business
The Emergency Personnel Appreciation, hosted by Spring Grove Area Chamber requested to close Maple drive from Wilmington Mutual to the manor on August 13. Council members unanimously approved the request.
Elton briefly informed about the grants she submitted for the MN Department of Natural Resources and the State Farm-Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program, both of which are for the fire department.
Ostern moved, seconded by Turner, to approve the request for $25,000 to be taken out of infrastructure funds for street and alley repairs. Motion carried. Elton explained that the city is in dire need of filling potholes, as the city is way behind with such.
In a 4-0 vote, the council approved to reallocate $20,000 budgeted for flashing beacons to go towards street repairs instead. Elton acknowledged the flashing beacons would have to be postponed to next year.
Mayor Wilhelmson acknowledged the parks currently have very large, old walnut trees. Park and Recreation had recommended for the council to consider removing some of the older trees in exchange for planting new trees. Wilhelmson questioned whether to plant new trees or allow the existing trees die off due to old age. Discussing local logging companies to potentially go through, the council agreed to first weed out the park where older trees with the potential to be cut down can be marked. This would allow for input from the residents about too many/too little older trees being cut down.
Other Business
Elton and council members briefly discussed potential dates to hold their budget meeting; proposed dates were July 30 or July 31.
Mayor Wilhelmson provided his meeting report for EDA (Economic Development Authority), noting the meeting lasted 2.5 hours. He said, “It was a good meeting!”
Hagen shared that Parks and Recreation discussed logging when it came to the walnut trees in the park. Elton added that flowers downtown were also discussed, in addition to the grant for a disc golf course.
Lastly, Turner shared that the Planning and Zoning meeting talked about nonconformative structures, in addition to discussed three building permits.
The meeting adjourned at 6:43 p.m.
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