Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Loud parties expected to go elsewhere



Loud radios and other noises that are clearly
audible from 50 feet away any time of day or night may be subject
to a fine, with a police officer being the judge of what is too
loud, according to the ordinance.

A “quiet” time frame between 10
p.m. and 7 a.m. weekdays, or between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends
or holidays, is expected to be observed in relation to power
equipment such as lawn mowers. There is an exception for snow
blowing.

Language in the ordinance addresses CD players,
musical instruments, phonographs, yelling, shouting, screaming,
singing, and whistling, among other noises.

The city council entertained the ordinance
for several months, with the subject originating from noise complaints
emanating from the school parking lot.

The council turned its attention to the city’s
compost site.

The city recently chipped wood and is offering
free mulch for interested residents.

Mayor Gerry Smith encouraged people to contact
the city or help themselves to the mulch, which is located at
the compost site.

Tree removal was ordered at the corner of
Seventh Street and Eighth Avenue, awarded to Tree Top Service
of Delano, for a bid of $200.

Meanwhile, the city decided to solicit additional
bids for removal of the existing compost dirt pile.

The compost is full of plastic and garbage,
making it unusable as traditional compost. The city will have
to pay to haul it away, said Public Works Manager Tom Goepfert.

One bid of $3,800 from Tree Top was received
so far to remove the contaminated compost.

Turning to other subjects, the council approved
a land swap with the Shoreline Drive Homeowners’ Association.

The parcels of land are located across the
street from each other, being identified as Outlot E (the city’s
parcel) and Outlot D at the Shoreline Homes Addition.
A developer is interested in making a project on the city’s portion
of land, which is tagged for park development.

Currently, the association mows the property
anyway, said Jay Pettit of the association. “It just sits
there and we mow it,” he said. The association planted trees
on the property in the past.

The city decided to go ahead with the swap,
as long as the developer would commit to making accommodations
for a park or playground idea.

As part of the deal, the city pledged to leave
the newly swapped land undeveloped for 10 years, although a majority
vote by the association can break this.

Smith expressed reluctance to go for such
a long period of time. “Ten years is a long time. Things
change,” he said. He also alluded to the newly formed park
commission, saying that they may want to make plans for the parcel.
However, in the end, other council members persuaded him to go
ahead with the deal.

The council also discussed an assisted living
housing study proposed by Winkelman Building Corporation of St.
Cloud, who asked for a contribution from the city of $5,400.

The council tabled the idea, although it spent
time weighing the need for assisted living in the city.

“People are happier at assisted living
facilities,” Administrator Kelly Bahn noted. She also indicated
that it would be a good idea to keep seniors in town, instead
of sending them to Buffalo or Cokato.

Assisted living is not like a nursing home,
but allows the senior to live independently with various levels
of care, such as served meals and other help.
Smith noted that assisted living was a common thing asked of
him.

If an assisted living project was developed
in Howard Lake, it could be based on income if the city financed
it with tax increment financing money, Bahn said. The city would
also benefit long term with created jobs, she added.

Next, the council discussed a financial request
from the Initiative Foundation, which is a non-profit entity
that serves businesses across several counties, including Wright.

The city pledged $1,200 annually for a five-year
period, upon reviewing the Initiative’s long record of helping
Wright County businesses and cities.
The Initiative Foundation has dispersed the following funds during
the past several years:

In 2002, it sponsored business loans to Chase
Communications of Waverly and Milo’s Cafe of Dassel. The Initiative
also granted the City of Waverly $10,000 for Healthy Communities
Partnership training in 2002.

In 2001 it granted the City of Waverly $2,500
for a housing market analysis, and the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
School District $8,000 for proposed agriculture learning center
planning.

In 2000, it granted the City of Howard Lake
$5,000 for capital planning. In 1999, it granted the proposed
Hubert H. Humphrey Museum Learning Center $25,000 for design
and development. In 1996, it granted the proposed Humphrey museum
$3,500.

In other subjects, the city noted that traffic
counted at the intersection of 12th Street and Second Avenue
did not warrant a three-way stop, since the numbers fell well
below what was required or recommended.

Traffic was counted at 250 going west, 336
going north and 312 going east over a 24-hour period, with 500
per 8 hours being recommended by the state. If there are five
or more reported accidents in a one month period, this would
qualify for a stop, according to the Minnesota Department of
Transportation.

The city engineer recommended against installing
the stop sign, which is also consistent with the police department.

· noted that Ruth Licht of Cokato was
hired as the new secretary at the city hall, joining existing
staff.

· renewed an agreement for the Safe
& Sober program on behalf the Howard Lake Police Department.

· purchased two large pumps with hoses
from Burly Pumps of Plymouth for $12,880 each.

The pumps are 6″ x 6″ with 4035
Cat engines, with auto shut downs, and mounted on their own trailers.

There is a one-year warranty on the pumps.

· approved sidewalk removal at Seventh
Avenue and 11th Street for about $1,770.

· tabled landscaping in front of the
municipal liquor store.

· set a public hearing for Tuesday,
Sept. 3 in relation to increasing fees for trunk sewer and water
main hookups to developers.

· decided it was too late in the season
to spray for mosquitoes, despite noted concerns about West Nile
virus, which is transmitted by them.

It was decided to make plans for next year
for a regular schedule of spraying.

· denied a request for capital planning
software, which Bahn said she didn’t necessarily need. The software
was previously used by former administrator Doug Borglund.

· renewed its dental plan coverage
for city employees. There was an increase, but the Buffalo agent
stressed that the plan is still the best deal around, Bahn said.

· briefly discussed the property owner
who has a retaining wall built onto the right of way at 10th
Avenue and Seventh Street. The city plans to meet with the home
owner and a new landscaper to take down the wall and create a
slope there instead.

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