Mountain Lake City Council approves grant application for wastewater treatment project
The remaining three of the five Municipal Utility Power Plant engines will be brought into compliance with National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Reciprocal Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) after the Mountain Lake City Council awarded the bid for the emission control project at its Monday, July 18 meeting.
The other two engines in the Power Plant were brought into compliance earlier this year.
Two bids were received, reviewed by the Utility Commission, and the Council awarded the work to Farabee Mechanical at a cost of $251,709 – $203,255 for emission controls and $48,454 for heat shield silencers.
The engines had to be brought into compliance because they are used for back-up generation.
In addition, Utilities Plus Energy Services (UPES), the city’s engineers for the project, was also directed to solicit quotes for replacing Miratech monitors with Johnson Matthey units, and adding silencers to the two enginers who were brought into compliance earlier in the year.
Grant application submission to PFA for wastewater treatment project approved
Andy Bolton, city engineer, of Bolton & Menk, was on hand at the meeting to discuss the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority’s (PFA) Point Source Implementation Grant (PSIG) program.
Bolton believes that the city’s upcoming wastewater treatment project should be eligible for the grant. The grant does not increase the amount of grant money that the city is eligible to receive, but will enable the city to access another source of funding, thereby reducing the city’s dependency on Wastewater Infrastructure Fund (WIF) grant dollars.
Council members approved the grant application submission to PFA.
In other business
+ The open meeting was closed, with a closed meeting opened to discuss litigation in Kuechle Underground v City of Mountain Lake, per Minnesota Statute 13D.05.Subd.3b. After 25 minutes, the closed meeting was closed and the open meeting reopened. In the open meeting, the Council approved the Settlement Agreement, Press Release and Exhibit B connected with the case. See the post at http://www.cross-countiesconnect.com/2016/07/out-of-court-agreement-in-mountain-lake-v-kuechle-underground/.
+ In response to a Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Training Standards (POST) review of the Mountain Lake Police Department, revisions to several policies need to be made. Council members adopted policies for the following:
- “Avoiding Racial Profiling.”
- “Procession of Property Seized for Administrative Forfeiture.”
- “Domestic Abuse Response and Arrest.”
- “Police Pursuit.”
+ Current city ordinance requires a burial before a tombstone can be placed on a lot at Mountain Lake City Cemetery. By consensus, the council agreed to remove the requirement, and directed Mountain Lake City Clerk/Administrator Wendy Meyer to prepare an ordinance change for council consideration at the Monday, August 1 meeting.
+ The 2017 Capital Improvement Plan was reviewed and adopted for the Electrical Department, Mountain Lake Public Library, Mountain Lake Ambulance Squad, Mountain Lake Fire & Rescue, Mountain Lake Police Department, Water Wastewater Department, Public Works Department, Mountain Lake City Hall, Economic Development Authority (EDA), Lake Commission and Radios.
+ A resolution was revised and adopted to reflect the changes that have occurred on property at 1406 3rd Avenue.
+ A second reading was heard on city ordinance concerning Temporary Family Health Care Dwellings Opt-Out. No action was taken.
+ Various aspects of a possible Local Temporary Family Health Care Dwelling ordinance were discussed. An ordinance will be drafted for the council’s review at the Monday, August 1 meeting.
+ The income and expenses for the first half of 2016 were reviewed. No action was taken.
+ The Council was updated on the work being done to fill the part-time Parks and Trail position.
+ Decisions on salaries and per diems were tabled until the Monday, August 1 meeting.
+ Council members learned of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA) approval of the city’s updated wastewater treatment facility plan, as well as reviewed the results of a Minnesota Department Of Health (MDH) inspection of the city’s public water system.
+ The Council was presented notice of the upcoming Insurance Services Office (ISO) review of the building code department.
City of Mountain Lake Meeting Dates
+ Mountain Lake City Council meets the first and third Mondays of every month at 6:30 p.m.
+ Utilities Commission meets the second and fourth Thursdays of every month at 7 a.m.
+ Economic Development Authority (EDA) meets the second Friday of every month at 12 noon.
+ Lake Commission meets the second Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m.
+ Library Board meets the second Wednesday of every month at 4:45 p.m.
+ Police Commission meets the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.
+ Planning and Zoning meets the last Monday of the month, if needed.
+ Tree Commission meets quarterly – January, April, July and October – at 7:45 p.m.
