City Administrator Ryan Throckmorton discussed the deterioration of the windows/frames on the east and north side of the building at the city council’s November 4 meeting.
Throckmorton presented two quotes submitted by Pella and La Crosse Glass and Door to replace the windows with aluminum framed commercial windows. The lower quote from La Crosse Glass and Door in the amount of $59,777 was accepted. The Library Board has reviewed the quote and has included funds in their 2025 budget for their 60% share ($35,866.20) of the cost.
The city will pay 75% of the balance, or about $17,933.10 and the Preston Public Utility (PPU) is expected to pay 25% of the balance, or about $5,977.70. The final price will need to be locked in, if there is a significant increase, it will come back to the city council for their consideration. Councilman Steve Hall said the building is a wonderful asset to the city and has to be maintained.
Other Business in Brief
- Twenty hours of overtime pay per two week pay period was approved for Chief Blaise Sass for a period of 8-10 weeks. A new full-time officer was sworn in last week. Additional hours will be needed to field train the newly hired officer.
- There was no action on the proposed CEDA contract for 2025. Mayor Kurt Reicks said he hadn’t seen anything that has been done that makes the 16-hour position worth $50,000 per year. The CEDA contract offered has a 5% increase for 2025, or $53,581. The cost of the EDA director is split between the city (75%) and PPU (25%). Hall said he agreed with Reicks, but he considers the EDA position critical even though it fell short this last year. Councilman Dean Aug noted the city did get a couple of grants that we were eligible for because of CEDA. Hall said he objected to the 5% increase, since the contract was not fulfilled this last year. Reicks agreed CEDA should not be rewarded for the lack of service. CEDA will be contacted to renegotiate the contract; there will be an update at the next meeting.
- Hall reported on discussions about a fiscal agent for the Preston Historical Society (PHS) Museum/Riverfront Project. He said there is no issue; the PHS thanks the city for being the fiscal agent on the project. Throckmorton said there will be an authorization form as a way to process invoices that come in during the project.
- Rick Whitney, a property owner on Crown Hill Rd. SW requested permission to remove existing public sidewalk (about 315 feet) from his property which is in very poor condition. The sidewalk dead ends on either side of his property. Public sidewalk cannot be removed without city approval. The request was approved with the stipulation that the concrete be disposed of properly. When there is a street project that includes Crown Hill Rd., the sidewalk could be replaced at that time.
- The agreement with Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) will continue. MMUA provides safety management services. It will automatically renew on January 1. There is a 3.5% rate increase for 2025. The cost is split with the city paying 45% ($9,262) and PPU paying 55% of the total cost.
- Elias Corson was praised for his efforts to sand blast under the bridge near the trailhead. His work cleaned up the structure under the bridge.
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