Meeting Minutes for June 06, 2011
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
JUNE 6, 2011
Mayor Skalko called the City Council meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. with the following members present: Joe Prebeg, Jr., Susan Tuomela, Ed Roskoski, and Mayor Gary Skalko. Absent member included: Tony Zupancich. Also present were: Craig J. Wainio, City Administrator; Jill M. Anderson, Municipal Services Secretary; Don Kleinschmidt, Director of Public Works; Rod Flannigan, City Engineer; and John Backman, Sergeant.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg that the consent agenda be approved as follows:
1. Approve the minutes of the May 16, 2011, regular meeting with the following correction:
Page 1, last paragraph, correct spelling of name, “Marshall Klaus” should be “Marshall Flaws”.
2. That the communications be accepted and placed on file and those requiring further action by the City Council be acted upon during their proper sequence on the agenda.
3. To acknowledge the receipts for the period May 16-31, 2011, totaling $179,398.62, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
4. To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period May 16-31, 2011, totaling $355,200.94, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Zupancich absent.
During the public forum, Darwin Alar spoke and said that he was biking on the Mesabi Trail and he stopped in Locomotive Park. He said that when he was there he saw several other people enjoying the Park. He wanted to give the Council an “Orchid” for how beautiful the Park was and how informative the signage was with the history of Mountain Iron. He said that he was going to bring his whole family back to the park to enjoy it.
Also during the public forum, Jim O’Neil spoke and said that he and Renee Dominguez purchased a home at 5700 Mineral Avenue on February 10, 2011. He said when they got their first bill for the home, they were charged a sump pump fee and they did not know what it was for. After inquiring with the City, they completed the necessary work and had an inspection completed to comply with the City Ordinance. He requested that the Council waive the fee because they were not aware of the City’s Ordinance.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to waive the sump pump fee charges for Jim O’Neil and Renee Dominguez of approximately $65 contingent on having the sump pump put into compliance and completing the appropriate City inspection. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
Also during the public forum, Jeff Eichorn, Eichorn’s Mini Storage, asked if the City would be developing the lots west of his storage units near Rock Ridge Development and would have a need for fill in the area. It was the consensus of the Council that the City would not need any fill at this time.
The Mayor advised the Council that there was a Labor/Management meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. with the Mayor and Councilor Roskoski scheduled to attend the meeting.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to set a Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting for 6:00 p.m. for Monday, June 20, 2011. The motion carried with Councilor Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Tuomela and seconded by Roskoski to approve the annual Community Business Partnership Program Accounting Report. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
The City Administrator commented on the following items:
– Grant. He said that he received confirmation that the City would be awarded a grant for $250,000 to pave the road into the Energy Park.
– South Forest Grove Addition. He informed the Council that another lot was purchased, making a total of five lots sold.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to authorize the hiring of the seasonal summer employees for the Public Works, Library, and the Parks and Recreation Department as follows:
Public Works/Public Utilities Seasonal Workers
Melanie Buria Ryan Buria Anna Jordan Cody Jones
Baily Knuti Guy Squillace Dustyn Leff Mark Witzman
2011 Recreation Dept. Workers
Steven Niska Daniel Miller Austin Petersen Jordan Bissonnette
Jeff Tiedeman Jeremy Jesch Anna Jordan Russell Carlson
Joe Bissonnette Michael Erickson Brian Wilson Jason Gellerstedt
Steve Golobich
2011 Library Workers
Karly Kostich Nancy Pickett
2010 West II Rivers Campground Caretaker
William Haapala
The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
The Director of Public Works commented on the following items:
– Locomotive Park. He said that the City received a $48,000 grant from the Historical Society and they completed a site visit to complete the grant requirements.
– Hydrants. Councilor Roskoski questioned whether the fire hydrant in South Merritt Industrial Park had been put back into service. The Director of Public Works said that it has never been taken out of service.
During the Sheriff’s Department report, Councilor Roskoski asked about the fireworks display that was completed on Friday, June 3, 2011 by the Holiday Inn and Perkins. The Sergeant stated that this was a professional fireworks display that was conducted by someone that was licensed by the federal government. The City Fire Chief signed off on the permit for the display.
It was moved by Tuomela and seconded by Prebeg to accept the recommendation of the Buildings and Grounds Committee and remove the hedge in the Library yard and evaluate the condition of the fence for repair or removal. It was moved by Roskoski to amendment the motion to include: the Mountain Iron Public Library is a Carnegie Library, paid for by Andrew Carnegie, who was then, the richest person in the world; it is one of many still in use and that all avenues be taken to ensure that the building and grounds retain the original concept and design as much as possible, that contact be made with the Carnegie Foundation and the Minnesota Historical Society for possible sources of funding for grounds rehabilitation. In the interim, the hedge would be trimmed down to the top of the fence height and all present fencing would remain in place. All signage, whether City or other entities signage, would also remain in place. The amendment to the motion failed for lack of a second. The motion carried with Roskoski voting no and Zupancich absent.
During the Liaison Reports, Councilor Roskoski reviewed the local Visitor Guide promoting the City of Mountain Iron.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to adopt Resolution Number 09-11, ordering improvement and preparation of plans proceeding with proposal number two with a deduct alternative bid to proposal number one, (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 Tuomela and seconded by Roskoski to adopt Resolution Number 10-11, accepting work for the 2009 street improvements made on Old Highway 169 and Mill Avenue, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Tuomela to adopt Resolution Number 11-11, approving plans and specifications and ordering advertisement for bids on the Mountain Iron Fire Hall remodeling project, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to adopt Resolution Number 12-11, authorizing the submittal of a safe routes to school infrastructure application to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, (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 Prebeg and seconded by Skalko to authorize QCSP, Inc., dba: Queen City Sports Palace, to use their on-sale liquor license on June 25, 2011 for the Naser/Wilhelm wedding reception at the Mountain Iron Community Center. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to authorize change order number two for the contract with Lenci Enterprise, Inc. for the City Garage Addition Project decreasing the project by $232.00, for a total contract price of $331,887.00. The motion carried with Zupancich absent.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Prebeg to authorize a contribution of $100 to the Mountain Iron-Buhl Girls Softball Association with the funds being expended from the Charitable Gambling Fund. The motion carried on a roll call vote with Zupancich absent.
At 7:27 p.m., it was moved by Skalko and seconded by Tuomela 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. Iron Range Veterans Memorial, a thank you for the contribution.
2. Mountain Iron-Buhl Softball Program, a request for a donation.
