Mediation with Kuechle Underground postponed until spring
The Tuesday, January 21, 2014 meeting of the Mountain Lake City Council opened with a project update on the city well situation by Andy Kehren of Bolton & Menk, the city’s engineering firm. The needed new well – well #7 – will be dug on the former Boldt’s Water Care property at the north intersection of Nickel Street and 10th Street North. To reach the current well house, located in the southwest corner of Mountain Lake City Cemetery, a new raw water line will cross 10th Street North, and follow 9th Street to the location. The projected cost for the new well is estimated at $687,660. Following the completion of the new well and water line, the well in the Mountain Lake Fire Hall will be closed.
The city is pursuing a pair of funding sources. The first is a grant through the Minnesota Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) – and, if necessary – a low-interest loan through the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA). Pettipiece and Associates is working towards completion of the SCDP application. A public hearing will be held during the Monday, February 3 council meeting on this matter. Bolton and Menk has completed work on the PFA application.
Additionally, a well construction application for the well and raw water main has been submitted to the Minnesota department of Natural Resources (DNR).
A meeting with utility providers with services in the project area was slated to be held at a later date.
After Kehren’s presentation, council members authorized the submission of a loan application to PFA for project funding from the Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF).
Mediation with Kuechle postponed until spring
The City of Mountain Lake, the general contractor for the 2012-2014 Utility/Street Project, Kuechle Underground, along with the city’s engineering firm of Bolton and Menk, had earlier agreed to a January 24 mediation session to discuss financial responsibility for street settling that occurred on utility/street work done in 2012.
Mayor Dean Janzen closed the regular meeting to allow the council to go into attorney/client privilege discussion to consider a request from Kuechle to postpone the mediation meeting “until later in the spring, so we (Kuechle) can have a better understanding of what the costs of completing the repairs will be.”
Council action taken when the meeting was re-opened was to agree to postpone mediation until spring as requested.
In other business
* Reviewed the city’s share of the 2013 fourth quarter Mountain Lake Public School indoor swimming pool bill. The net loss for the quarter was $9,457.39, with the city’s 50% share at $4,728.70. This amount, when added to the first three quarters of the year, exceeds $15,000 – which was the agreed upon city’s maximum yearly contribution. Therefore, the city’s actual fourth quarter share is $4,474.62.
* Hired Scott Pankratz as of January 21, 2014 as a member of the Mountain Lake Ambulance Squad.
* Approved an agreement with the Southwest Minnesota/Northwest Iowa Emergency Response United Joint Power Agreement (H.E.A.T. Tactical Team), and authorized Mountain Lake Police Chief Doug Bristol to sign the agreement on behalf of the city.
* Reviewed the 2013 Police Report, with no action taken.
* Reviewed the 2013 production numbers, income and expenses for the city’s wind turbine. As the turbine ages, the warranty costs rises. It was noted that the Utility Commission had adjusted the rate at which the Utility sells wind power to its customers from 5.1 center to 5.4 centers per kilowatt.
* Authorized Mountain Lake City Clerk/Administrator Wendy Meyer and Mayor Janzen to sign an authorization agreement between the willing owners of property at 202 15th Street North and the Mountain Lake Fire Department to use the house on the property for training that does not include burning it down.
* Approved the Request for Proposal – Auditing Services Draft as presented and reviewed by Administrator Meyer, including additions and corrections.
* Tabled until July the Request for Proposal – Auditing Services Draft.
* Reviewed the 2013 Bonded Indebtedness Report. No action was taken.
* Held a closed meeting on the Mountain Lake Trail to consider a recently-filed appeal, citing client/attorney privilege.
