The Tuesday, March 6 Rushford Village Council meeting was mainly comprised of Public Works matters, having a brief agenda and 15-minute meeting. Not in attendance were Mayor Gordon Johnson and Councilor Mike Ebner. Acting Mayor Dennis Overland ran the meeting.
According to Public Works Supervisor Travis Scheck, the city’s water tower should be scheduled for routine cleaning and maintenance. It’s recommended by Minnesota Rural Water Association that towers are cleaned every three to five years. It was last done in 2014. At the time, a walk through inspection by Engineering America highlighted a number of areas needing maintenance beyond standard cleaning. A one to ten scale rating of condition for the interior, exterior, and center pump resulted in scores of three, six, and five respectively. It was unclear whether or not the report was compiled prior to 2014 work that was completed at the tower or after, but it was noted not all of the areas of recommendations were implemented.
The tower was constructed in 1995. Councilor Rich Smith questioned the lifespan of the unit. “It’s good,” noted Sheck. “It would be a huge undertaking if you start talking about a new water tank.” Smith clarified he’d be interested in finding out the estimated lifespan looking more towards the city’s long-range planning.
A motion was made, seconded, and approved to have Engineering America come clean the tower, conduct a walk-through inspection, and provide a new report of maintenance needs and condition.
The department is also looking at the rental or purchase of a used rock retriever disc to aid in reclaiming crushed rock off road shoulders. Scheck indicated an unused unit is owned by Hart Township and he intends to speak with the township board regarding rental or possible purchase. The city has previously contracted for a similar service and found good results in the amounts of reclaimed rock.
The council also approved the ordering of 3,000 cubic yards of crushed rock for the year. The amount was upped to 2,000 in 2017, mainly to accommodate the number of Federal Emergency Management Agency projects on the department’s schedule.
Lastly, a Right of Way Ordinance is currently in the works, but to date, no drafts have been brought forward for the council to review. Scheck is involved in drafting the ordinance details, as is City Attorney Tom Manion who will review before council approval.
In Zoning, the council approved the appointment of Travis Link to the Zoning Board. Link was present at the meeting.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Tuesday, March 20, at 7 p.m., at the Village Hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
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