DRAFT – These minutes are not official until approved at the next regular City Council meeting.

City of Bigfork

Regular Meeting June 12 , 2007

Members Present: Mayor Amy Tendrup, Eugene Rajala, Linda Koppelmann and Richard Salmi

Absent: Jean Lexvold

Also Present: City Engineer Julie Kennedy, Lonnie Kacon, George Hauck, Rhonda Todd, Police Officer Clint Sova, David Waters, Anne & Tim Collins, Mike Bakke, Gene Collins, Farrell & Judy Gunelius and Al LaTrace

Mayor Tendrup called the regular meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

Public Forum: Tendrup asked anyone wishing to address the Council to do so at this time. David Waters stated he heard the City sold a $7,000 dock and raft for $50 and he wanted to know if that was true. Tendrup stated it was not true and added that Waters could get the exact information from the City Clerk's office. Waters stated that it has been a couple of years since the City paid for repairs to Tendrup's water line and the citizens wanted her to pay for it and resign as Mayor.

Judy Gunelius stepped to the podium and thanked the City, and especially the Public Works Department, on behalf of the VFW for how beautiful the cemetery looked. She stated it was the best they'd ever seen it and added that the beach also looked nice.

As there were no more public comments, the public forum was closed.

Tendrup asked for additions to the agenda and stated that Cedar Street Sewer would be moved up to the first item under "Unfinished Business". The agenda was approved as amended in a motion by Rajala, seconded by Koppelmann, Motion Carried Unanimously (MCU)

Consent Agenda Salmi asked that the claims be removed for further discussion.

#1- approval of the minutes of the May 8th regular City Council meeting

#2- approval of the Police Report for May 2007

#3- approval of the City Clerk’s Office Report for May 2007

#4- approval of the Financial Report for May 2007

#5- approval of the Public Works Department report for May 2007

#6- approval of the minutes of the May 22nd Parks and Recreation Commission meeting

#7- approval of the lifeguard job description as amended by the Parks and Recreation Commission

#8- approval of water/wastewater connection license applications from MTO Excavating and Casper Construction

#9- approval of Resolution 2007-10: Accepting Beach Donations

#10- approval of Resolution 2007-11: Accepting BWC Donations

#11- removed for further discussion

Motion by Koppelmann to approve the Consent Agenda, seconded by Rajala, MCU

Copies of documentation relating to any consent agenda item are available at the City Clerk’s office.

Consent Agenda Item #11: Salmi's first question was on the claim from Glen Hopkins for class #5. He felt the cost per load was too high and stated that no one was there to check the loads. He would like to see this type of work put out on bids in the future. Salmi also questioned the claims from Law Office of Shaw & Shaw and Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. and Storlie provided explanations for each.

Motion by Salmi to approve claims paid in the amount of $40,585.21 including the May 15th and 31st payrolls and to approve the Claims for Payment in the amount of $25,766.26, seconded by Rajala, MCU.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Cedar Street Sewer: Water/Sewer Commissioner Lonnie Kacon reported that there was an ongoing issue with the Hauck sewer service located on Cedar Street. Public Works Superintendent Chuck Almhjeld feels that it should be fixed as soon as possible and suggested having the line televised to find out where the problem lies. George Hauck added that they have had problems with their sewer backing up for seven years now. He was told when the problem first arose that the City would pay to take care of it but there are still problems. The backups have become more frequent recently with three in the last six months. There was discussion about the road sinking in that area and whether or not that was the cause of Hauck's issues. Hauck wanted to know who would be responsible for the cost of the repairs. The City's current ordinance states that the user is responsible for their service line from their home all the way to the City's main. Hauck felt that the City should take responsibility for repairing this issue since it existed before the current ordinance was passed and should have been taken care of before now. The Council agreed that the City should pay for televising of the line and after the exact problem is discovered, a determination on who is responsible to pay for the repairs could be made. Waters stated the line had been televised a number of years ago. Motion by Rajala to have the line televised if the old videotapes either could not be found or did not prove anything, seconded by Koppelmann, MCU.

Engineering Updates: City Engineer Julie Kennedy of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) reported that she and Jeff Ledin from SEH have completed their investigation into Well No. 4 as directed at the last Council meeting. She reviewed the status of the City's existing water supply. The City's two currently operating wells (No. 1 and No. 3) are capable of producing a firm supply of 101,000 gallons of water per day. It is recommended to have a firm supply capacity that is greater than the maximum day demand which, for Bigfork, is 100,000 to 150,000. These facts point to an obvious need for additional supply capacity. In addition, there are some concerns about the reliability of Well No. 1 due to its age. Kennedy next reviewed the concerns that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has identified in regard to Well No. 4. Of the seven issues identified, the two that have not yet been addressed are the location of a sewer line near the well site and the need for a wellhead protection plan. In addition to the concerns of the MDH, there are other issues with Well No. 4 including a mediocre pumping rate (60-70 gallons per minute) and the presence of iron, manganese and radon. The water from Well No. 4 would need to be pumped all the way to the existing water treatment plant so that it could be treated to remove the iron and manganese and diluted with the water from wells No. 1 and 3 to reduce the radon levels. The cost of a project to upgrade Well No. 4 and construct a water main extension to the existing water treatment plant is $340,000. An alternative option is to use Well No. 4 as a back-up supply source only. This would entail using the water from Well No. 4 only in an emergency situation and presuming that the issues with the quality of the water could be tolerated for the duration of the emergency. The cost of this option would be about $250,000. This option would not be a possibility if the levels of radon present are too high to meet Primary Drinking Water Standards set by the MDH. The final option is to search for a new well site. This is the option that is recommended by SEH after their investigation. It is recommended that a location for a new well be identified near existing Well No. 1 due to the fact that the aquifer in that area is known to be productive enough to support the existing wells and it is near the existing treatment plant. Construction of a new well on this site would streamline the MDH permitting process since the City already operates approved wells in the area. The total estimated cost of this option is $183,000. Kennedy stated that it is cost-effective to first prove that this aquifer is not capable of supply additional water before searching for a new aquifer.

Salmi asked about the possibility of rehabilitating Well No. 1 instead of drilling an entirely new well. Kennedy stated that was a possibility, however was not likely a good option due to the high potential for damage to the well during rehabilitation. Rajala asked about Well No. 2 and Kennedy stated that she was fairly certain the well had been abandoned. Anne Collins asked if there was funding available for the project. Kennedy explained it was like any other project and the City would need to cover the costs of investigation and other legwork needed to determine what exactly the project would be. Once a project has been identified, such as construction of a new well at a certain site, grants and low-interest financing would be sought. Rajala felt that the best option was to see if the aquifer that Wells No. 1 and 3 are in could supply more water for the City. Salmi also wanted to get Well No. 4 ready to use as a back-up source but Koppelmann pointed out that option was at a cost of $250,000 and if a new well could be constructed near the treatment plant, there would be no need for Well No. 4 at all. Rajala agreed that it was not cost-effective to do both and reiterated that the current aquifer should be tested first. Motion by Rajala, seconded by Koppelmann to have Kennedy put together a proposal for completion of the first two steps necessary for investigation of a new well site (test borings and test well construction), MCU.

Cedar Street Lots: Kennedy informed the Council that if the Alumni Association was able to go forward with their project, there would be fill available. Council had previously expressed interest in putting any available fill on the Cedar Street lots that are for sale by the City. Storlie asked whether or not she should advertise the lots for sale as they had not been advertised for some time. Rajala did not feel that the lots were in any shape to sell. Council agreed to advertise in the WATTS News only.

Salmi asked for an update on the mound system from Kennedy. She responded that she is still investigating the practical approach that the City had agreed upon previously. She has commissioned a specialist in failed systems to work with her on this project and they were up today doing some testing. They have found that the surface of the mound is smeared. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) does not allow reconstruction on the same site if there are issues such as smearing. That is why Kennedy's recommendation at the last meeting was to terra-lift and rehabilitate the existing mound materials rather than trying to find an alternate site for a new mound. This was the practical and cost-effective approach that the Council had directed her to pursue. Salmi wanted to have the line between the Bergquist Company and the mound system pressure tested. Kennedy stated that she simply refused to do that based on the information showing the poor construction of that line and the likelihood that it would blow apart if pressure tested. Kennedy stated that she would be submitting her corrective action plans to the MPCA within the next two weeks and planned to have plans and specifications for the Council to approve and advertise for bids at the July meeting. Waters stated that there would not be nearly as much inflow into the system if the drain tile around the mound was raised up. Kennedy countered that one of the main goals of the City was to have the drain tile removed completely so that the system would not be required to be a part of the City's MPCA NPDES permit.

Ordinances #135 and #136: These ordinances pertain to non-resident water/sewer use and rates. Storlie had drafted them as directed at the last meeting to reflect that no more connections to properties outside of city limits would be allowed until the property was annexed in, and that current non-resident water/sewer rates would increase by 50% for commercial properties and 15% for residential properties. Motion to pass ordinances #135 and #136 by Salmi, seconded by Koppelmann, MCU.

Pifher Water Connection Fee: Storlie reported that Pifher continued to have a balance due on his water service connection fee and asked what the Council would like to do about it. At the October and December 2006 Council meetings, the Council had agreed to waive the $500 sewer connection fee due to the fact that no saddle was present. Pifher has since paid $250 of the $500 water connection fee and has stated he will not pay the rest. Rajala stated that the ordinance needs to be followed. Storlie pointed out that the ordinance does not address this situation since the connections were made prior to obtaining a permit. Rajala and Salmi both felt that a letter should be sent, the same as is done when a customer has a past due charge, giving Pifher ten days to pay or his service will be disconnected.

NEW BUSINESS:

RV Dump Station Donation: Almhjeld had compiled information on the cost of placing a donation collection pipe at the RV dump station. The cost for a new sign stating that donations were to be left at the site is about $65 and the cost for the locked drop box is about $30. Motion by Rajala to put a new sign and a donation drop box up at the site, seconded by Koppelmann, MCU

Anne Collins reported that the hydrant near the dump station is leaking. Rajala stated that he had adjusted that hydrant once and has notified the Public Works Department about it and a few others. Storlie clarified that hydrant flushing had recently been completed and the Public Works Department had a list of hydrants in need of repairs and adjustments.

Emergency Response Plan: Almhjeld drafted an emergency response plan for the Public Works Department and presented it to the Council for approval. Motion by Rajala to adopt the plan, seconded by Koppelmann, MCU.

Resolution 2007-09: This resolution establishes designated funds for the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenue from each of the City's two districts. Motion to approve resolution 2007-09 by Koppelmann, seconded by Rajala, MCU.

Resolution 2007-12: This resolution authorizes the Mayor and Clerk to execute the school liaison officer agreement for the 2007-2008 school year. Rajala felt this should be tabled for the July meeting due to the fact that there may be changes in the composition of the Police Department.

Safety Committee: Storlie presented an amendment to the City Administrative Policy establishing a safety committee as required by OSHA. Salmi asked if the committee could be the City Council and Almhjeld. Storlie explained that a safety committee is typically made up of representatives from each department of the City due to the fact that they are more aware of the day-to-day safety issues faced by employees. Motion by Rajala to adopt the amendment, seconded by Koppelmann, MCU.

Board of Appeals: Motion by Rajala to transfer Board of Appeal duties to Itasca County for a 3-year period, seconded by Koppelmann, MCU.

Renewal of Joint Cooperation Agreement: Motion by Salmi, seconded by Koppelmann, to continue participation in the Joint Cooperation Agreement for Northeast Minnesota HOME Consortium, MCU

OTHER BUSINESS:

Rajala stated that he wanted to talk about the beach. He has driven down and it looks nice and orderly but the gate still needs to be moved out. If the Public Works Department does not have the time to do this, Salmi and Rajala will help out.

Salmi stated that he was out at the airport and picked up the tar that was beside the runway. He would like to try heating the tar and using it to patch some of the cracks in the parking area. He has been doing the mowing there and would like to see the flying club take it over. Rajala and Salmi have serviced the Skag mower and it is available for them to use. Tendrup reminded Salmi to make sure to work with Almhjeld on all of these projects and to get on the City's official volunteer list so that he is covered if anything happens.

Mayor Tendrup adjourned the meeting at 7:34 p.m.

Angie Storlie

City Clerk/Treasurer