By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
The age of robots may be making it’s way to Caledonia. At the July 28 meeting the city council approved a bid submitted by Water Tower Cleaning and Coating, Inc. (WWCC) of Lodi, Wis. to clean the exterior of Caledonia’s two big blue water towers.
According to City Administrative Coordinator Mike Gerardy, the Wisconsin contractor utilizes a robotic scrubbing and cleaning device. The robot has a camera, which can be used to inspect the exterior of a water tower to detect areas that might need to be ground down and repainted. The robot is suspended from the tower, and remote-controlled from the ground.
The price for the washing and inspection is $3,200 per tower. If any areas requiring grinding and painting are found, the cost for repairs will be $1,800 per day. That work would be done by persons suspended from the tower.
The city had earlier received a bid of $10,400 from another company to clean and repair the two towers. But the city was required to sign a multi-year service contract, which city staff didn’t feel was advisable.
Once the towers are washed and inspected, WWCC will coat each tower with a chlorinated fungicide, which will help keep the exteriors cleaner for a longer period of time.
Gerardy said WWCC had provided a long list of cities in Minnesota and Wisconsin where they had conducted similar projects. Gerardy said he contact six different cities, and they had indicated the work WWCC had conducted was quite satisfactory.
In other council action:
Lift station bid approved
The council approved a bid submitted by Braun Pump and Controls of New Prague, Minn. to replace two pumps and install new piping to the Bush Street lift station. The bid was for $17,038.11, which is approximately $10,000 less than an earlier bid the city had received.
Braun Pump and Controls will also be installing a new pump at the lift station near the industrial park on Bissen Street.
“If they can do both of the projects at the same time, we can save some money on travel time and transportation costs,” Gerardy said. That might be one of the reasons the bid for the Bush Street lift station was so much lower than an earlier bid submitted by another company.
Hydrant markers
The council approved the purchase of 60 fire hydrant markers at $15 each for the fire department. With the heavy snows last winter, the city found they didn’t have enough markers that are attached to the hydrants. The city has over 200 fire hydrants.
Election judges approved
The council approved election judges for the upcoming Sept. 9 primary and Nov. 11 general election. They include:
•Precinct #1 (North of Main Street) Carolyn Fitzpatrick, Ethelyn Gensmer, Janelle Colleran, Lucille Pohlman, Gretchen Buege, Janice Dokken, Sandy Hanson, Jana Dittmer, Muriel Loomis, and Patricia Kaufmann.
•Precinct #2 (South of Main Street) Robert Nelson, Rita Noel, Dorothy Manhart, Lolita St. Mary, Iyla Mulvenna, LuEtta Fruechte, Lee Grippen, Judy Fruechte, Catherine Johnson, Helen Klug, Winifred Schulte, Mary Leary, JoAnn Novak, and Ronald Freigo.
Crossing guard contract
The council approved an agreement with District #299 to share the costs of school crossing guards for the upcoming school year. Crossing guards will receive $13.53 per hour.
MnStar reporter appointed
After interviewing “three very qualified persons,” Councilwoman Peggy Perry recommended that Kelly Tornstrom be appointed as the MnStar reporter for the city.
The city is required to not only file an ambulance run report to insurance companies, but must also send a report, via and Internet, to the MnStar government reporting agency. In the past, Winona Area Ambulance Service has been filing the two reports on each ambulance run, and charging $5 per report to MnStar.
The city decided they would rather have the MnStar reports handled locally and interviewed for the position last Monday before the council meeting. The city will pay Tornstrom $5 per report. The local ambulance service conducts between 275 and 300 runs per year.
Call in meter reading
Perry asked City Administrator Bob Nelson if a request could be included on city water bills asking residents to read their own meters, if possible, which could be a big savings to the city.
Other council members felt Perry’s suggestion was worth looking into.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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