LOWDEN CITY COUNCIL MINUTES

PROCEEDINGS OF LOWDEN CITY COUNCIL, REGULAR MEETING, MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008, 7:00 PM, CITY HALL

The regular meeting of the Lowden City Council was called to order by Mayor Dan Hamdorf. Council members present on roll call: Ryan, Olsen, Decker, Tucker. Absent: Conrad. Visitors: Louis Licht, Wes Griesbach, Kirk Hein, Jeff Kaufmann, Pat Kroemer, Gene Hamdorf, Cary Solberg.

M/S Decker, Tucker to approve the minutes of the May 5, 2008 meeting. Ayes: All.

M/S Ryan, Olsen to approve payment of the bills as presented. Ayes: All.
Kirk Hein presented a building permit to move a grain bin at their old elevator site on west Main Street to his bin site on Yankee Avenue in east Lowden. He asked the council if it would be okay to use the sewer plant road to load his trucks. Council said that would be ok. M/S Ryan, Tucker to approve the Rex Feed building permit for a grain bin on south Yankee Avenue. Ayes: All.

Kirk Hein also told the council he would like to install a tile south of his elevator
along 1st Street and hook onto the tile on Louis Licht's 1st Street property. No action taken by Council.

Council directed Gene Hamdorf, as they did at the May meeting, to get a price to shore up the creek bank by Wayne Behne's behind Hall Avenue and present the estimate at the July meeting.

Cary Solberg, MMS Consultants, presented the study for improvements at the wastewater plant. He said the main consideration is what kind of treatment plant we could have on the existing ground and still meet setback requirements. He thinks we would need an additional 30' strip of land, less than an acre, on the north side of the current facility. Cost estimates for a new plant, just over 2 million dollars, include removal of the old buildings. Four options for a new plant included: extended aeration-submerged diffusers, integrated fixed film-activated sludge, extended aeration-brush rotors, and covered aerated pond and polishing reactor. He stressed the City should not do anything before the DNR issues a new permit. But, the City should address the infiltration issue from groundwater and leaking manholes as soon as possible. At the advice of Shoemaker & Haaland Engineers, the City could use the deep pump structure we currently have for the future design. Solberg said this wastewater facility report may, with a small amount of additional information, be used as a completed facility report when the City chooses to go forward with a project.

Jeff Kaufmann, State Representative, was present for an annual visit.

Gene will get prices for installing a culvert to run from the top of the present culvert at 907 Washington Avenue (Tim Wadsworth property) to run towards 10th Street and the drainage ditch in that area. Currently, the ground on the Wadsworth property is higher than the culvert opening and causes backup problems on the east side of Washington Avenue.

Council directed Gene to get prices from Welby Leeper to install two new box culverts on the corners of Washington Avenue just north of Main Street. The current ones are in need of repairs.

Gene also reported he had checked the storm sewer drainage near Lincoln Hotel and found any water coming into the hotel basement was not from the City's storm sewer.

Councilman Olsen said Connie Gottschalk had spoken to him about drainage problems along their property on 1st Street. Gene said the pipe installed last fall in the ditch along 1st Street east of Gottschalk's is too small and water does not drain properly. After discussion, no action was taken by the Council to correct this problem.

The purchase of radio read meters was tabled until a full council is present.

Councilman Olsen had looked at streets to get a list of street work needing to be done this summer. Gene will talk to MSI to get prices for necessary street work.

M/S Tucker, Ryan to authorize clerk to pay end of FY08 bills. Ayes: All.

M/S Decker, Tucker to approve Resolution #08-04 setting FY09 salaries for City employees. Ayes: All.

Councilman Ryan will look into getting prices for a used truck to replace the City's 1986 F7000 dump truck.

M/S Decker, Olsen to approve the monthly financial report. Ayes: All.

M/S Decker, Tucker to approve the following permits: cigarette permit-J & J Grocery and Lowden Truck Stop, beer permit-J & J Grocery, and liquor permit-American Legion Lillis-Deerberg Post. Ayes: All.

Mayor Hamdorf will speak to residents along Roosevelt Avenue about installation of curb and gutter and options for payment, etc.

Tim and Gene will remove the cement from the old day care site by the Park. Gene will also speak to Welby Leeper about the installation of new curb and gutter at the new day care center.

Clerk reported the City received $13967.50 on 5/29/08 for principal and interest on excess LOSST from the County.

Council discussed mowing of public alleys and the north Roosevelt Avenue extension and stated the City will not maintain these areas.

M/S Decker, Tucker to adjourn at 9:08 PM. Ayes: All.

Next regular meeting is Monday, July 7, 2008, 7:00 P.M.

Dan Hamdorf, Mayor
Peggy Kedley, City Clerk

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