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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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| | Email this article • Print this article | Contract payment settled out of court; Xcel easement price agreed upon
BY DENISE MARTIN
The Lindstrom City Council put a two-year-old public works project dispute to rest last week by agreeing to pay half of what a contractor says the city owes.
The quantity of material used in the County Road #14 lift station and forcemain-utilities project was being contested. A-1 Excavating Inc, of Bloomer, Wisconsin said $50,000 worth of roadbase fill was used in the project but city inspectors disagreed. Upon council unanimously authorizing this $25,000 settlement, A-1 agrees to withdraw its pending lawsuit in district court.
There's still going to be a special meeting June 30 with residents affected by possible extension of city services out along Glader Blvd. and into the Lakelawn neighborhoods. Council authorized the engineering feasibility study last week.
The Lindstrom council will meet at city hall with any interested persons Tuesday, June 30 at 7 p.m. to discuss these two sewer and water projects and the orderly annexation needed.
Electric easements
An agreement was adopted by council, to clear the way for installation of Xcel powerline components. The city was asked to grant easements on two city-owned parcels, so Xcel can construct above-ground receptacles that will be part of burying the new distribution lines.
The transmission line is to be built above-ground through Lindstrom along First Street, but the city and Xcel negotiated below-ground distribution service off the transmission line.
Council directed staff and legal counsel to continue working on details in the easement contract; but did agree to the $20,563 Xcel has offered for the easements. (This is 25 percent of the going rate of $10 per square foot in downtown.)
The Xcel representative said crews are going to be working on the distribution portion of this project in July and August prepping the electric network in town for the powerline and pole replacement that is scheduled in September.
Fairview expanding
Public Works Director Mark Dzubay said the cemetery is nearly sold-out and in order to expand it within its platted area the skating rinks east of city hall need to be removed. The rinks are actually on the Fairview Cemetery parcel.
There's about $10,000 in the cemetery fund available to improve the area once the rinks are eliminated.
Council agreed that the hockey association, which has pretty much maintained the rinks and a warming house, will be asked if members want to disassemble the rinks and the city will give the materials to the association. Preferably the rink on the west side of the skating facility needs to be removed first, before next winter. The easterly rink could remain one additional season if necessary. Staff will work with the skaters.
A simple lot split was approved for Jim and Trudy Canine's acreage on Mentzer Trail. One buildable house lot is being broken off for a family member, council was told.
The parcel is on a gravel road so Lindstrom will get an agreement that the lot owner will contribute to paving this street someday, as normally with larger plats the developer puts street paving and improvements in.
The Dept. of Public Safety lease of space in the community center was okayed through 2010.
The state operates a driver examination station out of the community center every Tuesday of each month. Lindstrom gets $1,800 annually for lease (which has stayed the same for four years, according to information in the council packet.)
For safety reasons council agreed to post no parking on a section of Olinda Trail. Two car-length spots will become unavailable just south of Hwy. 8 as you turn onto Olinda at the Picket Fence Gals shop, and two more spots affecting the intersection at Newell and Olinda are being eliminated due to sight problems and congestion.
Installation of the remote-read water meters is moving along. Dzubay said 1,400 meters have been changed out. A few residents failed to cooperate and were notified their water service would be shut off. Dzubay said he got dozens of calls immediately following that notice, from people who were now willing to grant access to meters.
Staff training on the new metering system is in July.
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