Meeting Minutes for February 22, 2011
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Mayor Skalko called the City Council meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. with the following members present: Joe Prebeg, Jr., Susan Tuomela, Ed Roskoski, and Mayor Gary Skalko. Absent member: Tony Zupancich. Also present were: Craig J. Wainio, City Administrator; Jill M. Anderson, Municipal Services Secretary; Don Kleinschmidt, Director of Public Works; Sam Aluni, City Attorney; John Backman, Sergeant; and Rod Flannigan, City Engineer.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg that the consent agenda be approved as follows:
1. Add the following item to the agenda:
IV. A. 1. Set the Board of Review Meeting
2. Approve the minutes of the February 2, 2011, regular meeting as submitted.
3. That the communications be accepted, placed on file, and those requiring further action by the City Council be acted upon during their proper sequence on the agenda.
4. To acknowledge the receipts for the period February 1-15, 2011, totaling $188,795.41, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
5. To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period February 1-15, 2011, totaling $565,473.59, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried on the following roll call vote: Prebeg, yes; Tuomela, yes; Roskoski, no; Skalko, yes; and Zupancich, absent.
The Mayor commented on the following items:
– Canadian National Police. He said that he received a letter from a member of the Canadian National Police regarding an observation he made. He expressed concern with snowmobiles using the railroad property adjacent to Mountain Iron Drive to travel to the trailhead. He said that snowmobilers would be considered to be trespassing on railroad property and he was also concerned for the safety of the snowmobilers. The Mayor warned the residents to not travel on the railroad right-of-way.
– Birthday. He informed the Council that a Mountain Iron resident, Hugo Johnson, just celebrated his 99th birthday on February 3rd.
– Hockey Player. Mountain Iron resident, Matt Niskanen, has just been traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Dallas Stars. The Mayor wished him well with the new team.
– Prebeg Memorial Run. The Mayor asked for Councilor Prebeg to update the Council on the event. Councilor Prebeg informed the Council that there were approximately 230 riders and the preliminary financial figures were over $43,000.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg to set the Board of Review meeting for Tuesday, April 26, 2011, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
The City Administrator commented on the following:
– Grant Award. He advised the Council that the City has been recommended to receive a grant of $274,000 in 2015 through the Enhancement Program to construct a trail from South Grove to the Mountain Iron-Buhl High School.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg to authorize change order number one in the amount of $21,526.45 for the Forest Drive Project increasing the total project costs to $453,412.60. The motion carried on the following roll call vote: Tuomela, yes; Roskoski, no; Prebeg, yes; Skalko, yes; and Zupancich, absent.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to authorize the final payment request number five to Mesabi Bituminous in the amount of $36,775.01 for the Forest Drive Project. The motion carried on the following roll call vote: Roskoski, yes; Prebeg, yes; Tuomela, yes; Skalko, yes; and Zupancich, absent.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Tuomela to authorize payment request number one to Mesabi Bituminous in the amount of $29,533.12 for the Gravel Access Road Improvement Project. The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to appoint Michael Downs to the Personnel Committee. The motion carried with Roskoski voting no and Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to accept the recommendation of the Library Board and authorize Tracy Kenyon to be hired for the Library Substitute position. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to adopt Resolution Number 02-11, supporting the grant application made to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the Federal Recreational Trail Program, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried with Roskoski voting no and Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Tuomela to waive the building rental fees for the following events:
– MIB Hoop Club for two separate banquets
– Virginia Area Alpine Ski Team for a banquet on March 20, 2011
– Mtn Iron-Buhl Class of 2011 for the All Night Graduation Party on May 27, 2011
The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to authorize Jeff & Greg Properties, Inc. to use their on-sale liquor license to serve alcohol at the Mountain Iron Community Center on February 26, 2011, for the Ekholm wedding reception. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Prebeg to direct City Staff to calculate the amount of paint needed to paint the buildings in the South Grove Recreation Area, the Wolf Park, the West Virginia Park, Ann’s Acres Park, the shovel at Locomotive Park, and any other projects that City Staff feel are appropriate, complete a grant application, and submit the application to the Valspar Corporation through the Northland Foundation. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
The Council reviewed the list of communications.
At 7:08 p.m., it was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
Submitted by:
Jill M. Anderson, CMC
Municipal Services Secretary
www.mtniron.com
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Mountain Iron Senior Citizens Club, a thank you note for the donation to their holiday party and a request for a new coffeemaker for the Senior Citizens Center.
2. Doug Abere, Minnesota Department of Transportation representative, an email confirming the meeting on Tuesday, February 22, 2011, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the Iron Range Resources conference room to discuss the proposed realignment of Highway 53 and forwarding general information on the project
