Posted: 10/4/05
City approves modified plat
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
The Caledonia City Council has given preliminary approval to a plat submitted by RG&G, LLC, and Sno-Pac Foods. The principals are Joe Rud, Peter Gengler and Nick Gengler.
The developers met earlier with Mayor Michael Morey to determine how the development could proceed without having to put in a road at the outset. The land in question is to the south of the present Sno-Pac processing and storage facility in the Industrial Park. Currently, the Genglers, who own Sno-Pac, and Rud, who owns a trucking firm, plan to build shops for their respective businesses on the land.
ěThere are no plans to do anything with the rest of it,î said Morey. ěA road would be too expensive at this point.î
The plan submitted for the councilís approval called for a 45-ft. easement on the east side of the parcel for future water and sewer lines, and private lanes to the lots.
Councilman Paul Fisch expressed concern that the buildings that are to be built there would be too far from the fire hydrants. The council determined that there is a fire hydrant close enough to the property, and that the trucks would be able to cross the private land to get to a fire there.
A public hearing will be held before the plat can be finalized.
In other news, Clerk-Administrator Robert Nelson informed the council that the city had been fined $106 by the Minnesota Department of Revenue for under-paying sales tax for the liquor store by 50 cents. Nelson said that he thinks the discrepancy arose because the city pays the exact amount, while the state rounds amounts off to the nearest dollar.
Nelson later called the Department of Revenue and was able to get the penalty dropped.
Houses are connected to city sewer
Nelson updated the council on a report that there are two houses within the city limits that are not connected to the city sewer.
The report, said Nelson, turned out to be untrue. The homes have no basements so there is a holding tank and mini-lift station that serves those homes, which are located on the southeast side of the city.
Snow removal bids approved
The council approved the bid of Bonanza Grain/Kruckow Rock Products for snow removal for the 2005-2006 season. The firm was the only bidder.
The cost of a tractor/loader with operator will be $98/hour, up from $94 last year. The cost of a motor grader with operator is $100/hour, up from $94/hour last year.
The cost for a track-type tractor with dozer blade was up from $99 to $110 per hour, and the cost for trucks went from $5.48 per cubic yard to $6.25.
In personnel matters, the council approved the hiring of two temporary secretaries for the police department to replace Amy Hoscheit. Mary Betz and Adrian Lenzen will each work two days a week. The council also approved the hiring of Cynthia Meyer as a clerk at the liquor store.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com