The Spring Valley City Council held a regular meeting on August 8, with all council members present (Mayor Tony Archer, John Dols, Chris Danielson, Luan Ruesink, and Greg Brooks). City Administrator/Clerk Deb Zimmer participated as well. No visitors had signed up to address the council.
The council approved Resolution 2022-26, for the Farmer Street/County 8 Improvement Project, which is slated to occur next year. The street project aims to make improvements on Farmer Street, from west of Section Avenue to the Wastewater Treatment Plant driveway. The resolution set a public hearing for 6 p.m. at city hall on September 12, for anyone interested in hearing more about the project. The total expected cost of the project is around $1.68 million, but Deb Zimmer explained, “This is a county/city project… Our cost, when you take out utilities and assessments, is $1.2 million, roughly. The problem on this still will be assessments, as it was on Fremont. If you use our normal assessment rate, it comes in about $196 per linear foot. There are some things we can do… We’ll look at that more on the 31st.” The council will hold a special meeting on August 31 to discuss budgetary matters. The council may consider scaling back the scope of the street project, as a means of controlling the costs to citizens living on that street.
The council considered a price quotation from H & M Underground Solutions, for sewer lining. After brief discussion, the council voted to approve having the work done, at a quoted price of $48,700. The council also OK’d replacing two aging fuel tanks, at a cost of $8,151 before taxes.
Ben Chopp, wastewater treatment plant director, submitted a written report to the council which stated, “Everything is running and performing as it should be at the WWTP. Still working on organizing and cleaning up files and paperwork. New chlorine regulators were installed last week and hoping to continue to make improvements to the plant as needed with repairs and replacement of minor items.”
Jenny Simon’s written report to the council on happenings at the public library included participation numbers from recent events, including Magic of Isaiah (101 patrons), National Eagle Center (200), Snake Discovery (150), and Maria Klingsheim Music, Movement & Storytelling (nearly 100). Simon also noted that the Summer Reading Program was a big success.
Sue Puffer reported on the ambulance service, saying there were a total of 47 calls for the month of July. She thanked the Wykoff Fire Department for their help with patients over the past several months. She also noted, “Thank you to the Spring Valley VFW for a donation of $2092.25… We are considering using this donation for add-ons to the cots that would hold monitors in place for easier access and better visibility.”
John Fenske, Park & Rec director, addressed the council, summarizing the Summer Rec events. He said, “Everything went well. The pool has 10days left. I’d say the pool ran very well this year as far as the mechanical parts of it.” He said he couldn’t recall a summer with fewer pool issues, although lifeguard staffing remains a challenge.
As part of the consent agenda, the council approved several requests related to the upcoming Ag Days celebration (August 19-21), including the Chamber of Commerce’s temporary liquor license request, street closures, and a fireworks permit. The council also approved a street closure request from Hop & Barrel, for a September 24 wrestling event.
Chris Danielson asked residents to please be sure their yards and lawns look pleasant for upcoming city events such as Ag Days. Zimmer pointed out that she will be on vacation during the week of August 22-26. The next regular meeting of the Spring Valley City Council will be 6 p.m. on Monday, September 12, at city hall. The public is welcome.
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