The Wykoff City Council met on the evening of June 12. All council members except Kaleb Himli were present at the meeting. After the approval of minutes, time was taken to listen to the comments of Wykoff citizens. Todd Northway spoke to the council about his concerns with the state of the emergency sirens in town. The sirens were first installed in the early eighties and sometimes don’t work. Northway said that the council should consider replacing them soon. Another Wykoff local spoke to the state of a property on Silver Street. The property has over 18 vehicles and many used tires strewn about. Mayor Breckenridge advised the man to file a formal complaint so that the council may take action.
Rick Whitney gave his monthly report on the wastewater treatment plant. Whitney requested council permission to purchase PRV valves, which would help regulate water pressure for the town. The council approved the purchase, which will be around $275. The city’s water and sewer budget is doing well; costs are down.
Firef Chief Wade Baker updated the council on the proposed purchase of a lazy Susan to properly store equipment on a fire engine. The company that sells the lazy Susan had dropped it off so the fire department could see if it fits and if they’d like to buy it. Baker proposed that now was a good time to purchase it, since they wouldn’t have to pay any delivery fees. The council were all in agreement that the purchase of the lazy Susan would be beneficial. A motion was made and the purchase of the storage device was approved. It will cost approximately $2,200. Baker also said there haven’t been any applicants for two open volunteer firefighter positions, although some have inquired about it.
The Streets committee gave their update. Barb Fate reported that Wykoff’s street sweeper has been making the rounds recently, keeping the town’s streets in pristine condition. Mayor Breckenridge said the new lighted speed sign has been put up on the south end of town. The sign will indicate to drivers their speed and warn them to slow down if they are going too fast. The sign is on wheels and can be moved elsewhere, if that’s ever needed. The mayor gave special thanks to John Baker in helping get the speed sign up. Mayor Breckenridge said that one of his goals when he first joined the council was to make the town safer by reducing speeding. With the new speed sign in place, Wykoff will be safer for both pedestrians and drivers.
The community education committee reported that the Wykoff summer picnic was a success. Attendance was high and they were able to raise over $500 for Fall Fest. The committee hopes to expand activities for kids at next year’s summer picnic.
The Zoning committee approved the zoning of four properties: a garden shed on Main Street, a fence on Line Street, a detached garage on Fillmore Street, and the Rahe’s new house.
Next, the mayor gave his report. Mayor Breckenridge is concerned about the state of the rock garden by Ed’s Museum. Weeds have been popping up and the garden is due for some maintenance. Several ideas for what to plant were tossed around, but no action was taken. Mayor Breckenridge said that beautifying the rock garden was a new goal of his.
Moving on to Old Business, several items were on the agenda regarding the sale of the town’s ballpark to Mundfrom Builders LLC. These items included rescinding the motion to establish an EDA, rescinding the motion to pay $15,000 for an engineering report, and rescinding the motion to approve resolution 2023-5. Mayor Breckenridge clarified to the council that the purchase agreement had been made and they are essentially making corrections on the advice of the city attorney. Those three motions were approved, with councilmember Jeff Hare voting against on each motion. Next in Old Business, some discussion was had regarding the windows at Ed’s Museum. A new support system is needed under the windows, which would involve removing the cement foundation and putting the building on jacks. The project could cost over six figures. Another reason it would cost so much to repair is because Ed’s Museum is on the historical register. The city council decided to get input from the Wykoff Historical Society at their upcoming meeting.
Under New Business, the city council approved purchase of 10 light poles, six of which will be donated to the school. The 17-foot light poles are reasonably priced at $130 each (not including installation costs).
Discussion was had about how to clean up a property on Gold Street. A deteriorating RV has been taking up space on the lot for some time, with the homeowner unable to move or sell it. The council considered getting a warrant to tow the RV, but decided to send the homeowner another letter and continue trying to work with her to resolve the issue.
The council also debated what to do about a house on Line Street that’s fallen into disrepair. The homeowner is trying to sell the lot, but is so far unable, as a new owner would likely have to demolish the house. The idea of doing a controlled burn on the house as practice for the fire department was proposed, but Chief Baker advised against it. Doing a burn that close to town could be a liability with smoke and getting approval to do a practice burn is a slow process. The item was tabled.
A motion was approved to increase Clerk/Treasurer Rebecca Shmidt’s phone allowance $50 per month.
The city will be looking into the viability of setting up a rustic campsite behind the baseball field. The campsite, which would be available for booking on Airbnb, would have no electricity or running water, which means minimal maintenance for Wykoff.
The next Wykoff City Council meeting will be held July 10 at 7 p.m.
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