 |
Thursday, September 02, 2010
|
|
 |
|
|
| 2/25/2010 9:57:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Wilderness Park to get bond funding, cemetery expansion delayed and five year public works plan accepted by Lindstrom council
BY DENISE MARTIN
Lindstrom City Council voted 5-0 to go ahead with a sale of bonds to pay for the Allemensratt Wilderness Park. The borrowing will also refinance a 2000 city bond at a lower interest rate (saving $15,000 over the life of the debt) and will fund the extension of sewer pipe to Lake Lawn and Glader Blvd. neighborhoods. Shelley Eldridge of Ehlers and Associates financing advisors attended the city council meeting last week to get authorization to go market the issue.
The council will meet in special session to award the $690,000 bond March 11, 4:30 p.m.
City Finance Director Kay Mattson reiterated for council that the debt service is available without any direct impact on the city tax levy, applying a franchise fee the city collects and liquor store profits. There are also assessments on a large portion of the sewer line extension project.
The hockey group that's been using the rink about a block away from city hall gets one more hockey season there. The boards, etc. will be removed from the site by June 1, 2011, previously the city requested removal by the end of this winter.
The youth hockey group is having difficulty moving its stuff to nearby the ice arena at the high school, and asked for an extension from the city.
Lindstrom will expand Fairview Cemetery, and this affects two skating rinks on cemetery land. One rink has been taken out. Staff explained scheduled cemetery improvements need to get underway in order to provide plots in this section of the municipal graveyard.
Lindstrom Council also spent time discussing the planning commission's recommendation to deny a variance for a shed at 29679 295th Lane. Council was unanimous denying this too.
The Kropidlowski application is for authorized encroachment into the regular five-foot rear yard setback for a shed. As part of a civil lawsuit settlement involving this parcel and an adjoining parcel, the city agreed to hear the variance request.
The shed was not placed correctly on the Kropidlowski lot because an iron surveyor-pin had gotten repositioned somehow. Only when a survey was undertaken did a property line discrepancy of 17-feet become apparent.
Based on various findings council agreed there is no hardship and the shed doesn't have to be allowed inside of the setback. One strike against the applicant was that they didn't appear to explain their situation at the public hearing on their application. The shed will need to be moved.
As part of the Glader Blvd. sewer extension council agreed to slightly upsize the pipe to accommodate the addition of the county park among the identified service connections. The county board earlier last week had okayed the sewer access charge.
City Administrator John Olinger reported the city has seen a preliminary plan for the reconstruction of the Holiday station, utilizing a vacant lot adjacent to the existing Holiday. There's "conflict" between the highway department layout for Highway 8 and this early company design, so there will be another meeting with the parties involved before the city starts concept review.
A five year public works plan was adopted.
Council also viewed an update of projects checked-off as completed in the last five year plan.
Among the five year projects are: the city expects Highway 8 construction to begin in 2011, and there's a city project in that timeframe replacing aging sewer and water lines around the highway reconstruction and to pave the gravel part of First St. behind the apartments and motel.
Linden Street stormwater and overlook design is supposed to start this year /building the projects is in the list for 2012.
Upcoming for 2013 are sewer and water extensions out Lehigh Road.
Morningside Court is penciled in for paving and stormwater improvements in 2013.
Paving various city gravel alleys are in the five year schedule but are not identified for cost or actual year to be done.
Paving Marine Court is in the 2015 year listing. Several water extension projects are anticipated-- Mentzer Trail, Lakeside Woodlands south, 306th, Minnesota Ave.
|
|
|
|
|