The Spring Valley City Council held a regular council meeting on June 14, at city hall. All members were present (Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, Greg Brooks, John Dols and Mayor Tony Archer), as was EDA Director Chris Hahn. Attending via remote technology was City Clerk/Administrator Deb Zimmer.
The council heard from two citizens regarding a home in town with excessively long grass. Dennis Yoeder handed out pictures, and stated, “What I want to talk about is… an ordinance that we have in town here for long grass… At 522 North Pleasant, we have been dealing with this issue for the past 10 years, with the lawn not getting mowed, and looking absolutely terrible. The front lawn might get it once or twice a year, and the back lawn doesn’t get it, period.” He encouraged the council members to come and take a look. He summarized, “I’m asking for the city’s help to fix this issue.” Another citizen said he lives near the property, and shares Yoeder’s concern. Because the issue was not on the council’s agenda beforehand, the council took no formal action at this time.
Chris Hahn shared that the Spring Valley 100 bike race was a success. He said 163 riders had signed up, and around 49 actually finished the entire 100-mile course. He said the heat and humidity took a toll on riders, but there was just one noted injury, which was not life-threatening, and he added that the injured rider later sent a note of appreciation for the quick help given. Hahn summarized, “So, the race itself was a success, some things that went well were really that the riders who signed up in the morning were happy with how easy that process was.”
Hahn shared that the new Kwik Trip location is moving forward, with fuel tanks being installed the week of July 12. He also added that Stellar 181 is getting close to opening. Ruesink asked if many of the Spring Valley 100 bike race riders stayed to participate in events the city held that evening. Hahn replied that very few stayed, and he explained, “When you ride 100 miles and it’s 90 degrees out, they were gassed.”
Regarding the Spring Valley 100 race and other events that weekend, Mayor Archer shared his opinion that in the future the city should be “putting a little more emphasis on what is going on.” He added that because it was also graduation weekend, that may have decreased the numbers of people who came downtown to join in the festivities.
The council considered quotes from RCM Specialties Inc (Cottage Grove, Minn.) for spray patching on Spring Valley streets. The quote explained that, “Spray injection patching is a specialized process that combines hot asphalt emulsion and crushed aggregate using forced air.” The council voted to accept the quotes for the spray patching as submitted.
Council member Luan Ruesink gave a reminder to all citizens, saying, “Just a reminder to please keep your pets on a leash when you’re walking them. Clean up after them, and please remember that pets are not allowed in the city park.” She added that the city has signs posted to indicate this, but the signs are frequently ignored.
Liquor licenses were approved for Racks, TJ’s, Valley Lanes, and Stellar 181. The next regular meeting will be Monday, June 28 at 6 p.m., at city hall. The public is welcome.
Leave a Reply