Caledonia Argus

Council considers more sewer work

Posted: 2/17/04

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

The Caledonia City Council is considering additional repairs to the city sewer system that would add about $250,000 to the cost of the entire project.

Jim Kochie of Davy Engineering explained to the council at its meeting of February 9 that in the course of the project, additional needs were uncovered, the most extensive being reconstruction of the existing sewer line from West Washington Street from Decorah Street to Kingston at an estimated cost of $106,824. Other work includes various spot repairs, installation of sewer liners and engineering and contingencies.

The project came in under budget with the total cost to date $896,875 compared to a budget of $923,614. If the additional items are approved, the entire cost of the project will be $1,147,384.

Mayor Robert Burns said that if the additional repairs are to be made, he wants them to start after the cityís sesquicentennial celebration in June. He also noted that although the work of Badger Construction on the project was good, he had concerns over safety and signage and would be ìall over themî if they return to perform more work.

To finance the additional work, the city would transfer $90,000 from the water and sewer fund.

The goal of the sewer rehabilitation project is to reduce the load at the cityís wastewater treatment plant.

The city may also consider adding only the reconstruction of the portion of West Washington street to the project.

Recycling dates to change

The city has agreed to changes in the recycling pick-up days in the city. Beginning March 1, homes with garbage collected on Mondays will have recycling picked up the same day. Homes south of Main will have recycling picked up Wednesdays and homes north of Main will have recycling picked up on Fridays, with the exception of those homes with Monday collection.

Ace asks for grace period

The city is considering a request from Ace Communications for a 120-day grace period for having is local access channels up and running. Ace plans to offer digital TV service in competition with the cityís cableprovider, MediaCom. According to its agreement with the city, Ace cannot solicit sales for its cable service until those channels are up and running.

City clerk Robert Nelson said that he was in contact with Jan Speer of Ace Communications, who said that the company is experiencing serious problems with its DSL internet line, which is tying up the personnel who would otherwise be installing the local access channels.

The council made no decision and instead agreed to invite Ace to a council meeting to discuss the problem.

Insurance buyout approved

The council also approved an insurance buyout for Clerk Nelson. Under the plan, the city would increase Nelsonís wages by $1,000 per month and drop his insurance coverage, currently $1,537 month.

Adjusting for wage increases and an average of nine percent annual increases in insurance coverage, the city would save an estimated $94,000 between now and Nelsonís targeted retirement date of December 31, 2010.

The proposal passed 3-0. Council members Randi Vick and John Klug were absent.

Most city employees are in an association and do not have the insurance buyout option.

Business owners object to fire inspections

In other news, the mayor said he learned at the fire district meeting that some business owners are objecting to the fire inspections by fire marshall Walter (Mac) Macomber. The city is concerned that the cityís fire rating may be affected if the inspections are not done, which would result in higher insurance rates. The council agreed to check with its insurance agent, Tom Danielson.

In other news, the council:

ï approved Brandon Steele and Kyle Meyer as skating rink attendants;

ï appointed Zach Hauser as assistant director of the summer recreation program;

ï renewed the lease for the American Legion at $40 per week for bingo in the city auditorium;

ï signed a proclamation naming February 23-27 as School Board Recognition Week;

ï noted that the street department is doing an excellent job of keeping the streets cleared of snow this winter.

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