Caledonia Argus

City council wants properties cleaned up

Posted: 7/1/03

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

The Caledonia City Council has set aside a portion of its July 15 meeting to hear comments on two properties whose owners have received notices to clear the properties.

At 7:30, the council will discuss the Russell Besse property on East Main Street, and at 8 p.m. will discuss the Mike Rogich property at 1004 East Washington Street.

In regard to the Besse property, the council had approved a salvage yard permit for the property on the condition that an 8-ft. high fence be erected and a rodent/mosquito abatement plan be developed. Those items were not completed by the deadline date of October 1, 2002, and in November the conditional use permit was rescinded.

ìHe was given an opportunity to operate a salvage yard despite the neighborís objections because the area is zoned industrial,î said Mayor Robert Burns. ìHe no longer has that option.î

In May, the council sent a letter to Mike Rogich asking that his property be cleared of old tires and other materials. The deadline for that clean-up was May 16.

If the properties are not cleaned up, the city has the option of doing the clean-up and billing the property owners. It can also assess fines against the property owners.

The city also discussed the Jeff Sheehan property on Old Highway Drive, a former creamery. The council has given Sheehan until July 18 to either raze the building or present a plan to address the cityís concerns.

ìIf not removed or razed, it becomes a formal process,î said City Attorney Tim Murphy.

After July 28, Sheehan will have 30 days to remove the structure, or the city can begin action to have it removed, with or without the ownerís consent. The city also has the option of taking the land through eminent domain.

Sewer project will be rebid

In other news, the city has agreed to rebid a major sewer project and to offer options on the bid that it hopes will help bring in lower bids.

The first time the project was advertised, only only one bid was received. The bid from Winona Mechanical was $1,182,255 compared to an engineerís estimate of $921,100.

Engineer Michael Davy of Davy Engineering told the council that it is hard to determine from one bid whether the estimate was off or the bid is high.

ìThe problem with one bid is that you donít have anything to compare it to,î said Davy.

Of the $900,000 budgeted for the project, $636,000 was designated for rehabilitation. There was a total of 40 spot repairs in the plans.

An alternative bid with a
ìno dig linerî versus excavation was offered for some of the spot repairs. The new plans may include additional spot repairs using that method. Davy told the council that there will be no additional engineering fees for the second bidding.

Bids for the project will be re-advertised in July and opened at the August 11 meeting of the board. Plans are for work to begin in late fall, but the bid will also include an option for 2004 construction.

The motion to rebid the project passed unanimously.

In other news, Davy updated the council on the state of the new pedestrian pathway along Highway 44, which he described as ì99 percent complete.î A concrete flume was recently installed at one of the intersections to take care of water, and striping will be done so that drivers are less likely to ìclip cornersî on the path when turning.

Sno Pac to build new warehouse

In other business, the council approved a business subsidy loan of $150,000 from Tri-County Electric to Sno Pac Foods. Tri-County gives the funds to the city, which in turn loans them to Sno Pac.

In addition, the city approved an $80,000 loan from its intermediary re-lending program/revolving loan fund for the project.

Sno-Pac, which processes organic vegetables, plans to build a 90' X 90' freezer/warehouse in the industrial park. The expansion is expected to add two new jobs and generate more business for local trucking firms. The rate of interest on the loan is five percent.

In addition, the county and city will both consider tax abatements for Sno-Pac on the new construction. The countyís public hearing was Tuesday, July 1, and the cityís public hearing is July 16.

The remainder of the cost of the $550,000 project will be funded through private sources.

City will consider countyís offer of airport

In other news, the council agreed to explore the possibility of purchasing the Houston County Airport with the City of Spring Grove. The county has offered to sell the airport to the cities for a nominal amount.

ìWe would be going backwards if we lost it,î said Councilman John Klug.

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