Meeting Minutes for October 04, 2010
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
OCTOBER 4, 2010
Mayor Skalko called the City Council meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. with the following members present: Joe Prebeg, Jr., Tony Zupancich, Alan Stanaway, Ed Roskoski, and Mayor Gary Skalko. 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 Jerry D. Kujala, Zoning Administrator.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Zupancich that the consent agenda be approved as follows:
1. Approve the minutes of the September 20, 2010, regular meeting as submitted.
2. To acknowledge the receipts for the period September 16-30, 2010, totaling $641,570.38, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
3. To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period September 16-30, 2010, totaling $358,441.36, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
During the public forum, Jerry Kujala, Zoning Administrator, was present and spoke to the Council about the fence issue at 8371 Jasmine Street, building permit number 08-09, issued April 22, 2009. He said that the fence was constructed using the information submitted on the application certifying that it is correct. He said that the fence being constructed on City property was brought to his attention because two other residents in that area wanted to do the same thing. Stephen Skogman, representative from the Planning and Zoning Commission, recommended that the City work with Mr. Jones to have the fence moved to an appropriate location.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Zupancich to have the Director of Public Works and the City Administrator work with Mr. Steve Jones, 8371 Jasmine Street, on a fair and equitable solution for the relocation of his fence off of City property. The motion carried.
The Mayor updated the Council on the following:
– Community Center Tree Planting. He said that the Iron Range Resources (IRR) has a grant program for tree planting and the City took advantage of the program and he thanked Dan Jordan, Bruce Pitkanen, and Chris Schunk from the IRR for all of their assistance with the tree planting project. He also thanked Greg Lind for donating the trees that were planted. He said that about 12 trees were planted behind the Community Center and three trees were planted at the playground in South Grove.
– Mesabi Daily News. He pointed out the information that was in the Sunday, October 3, 2010 edition. He said that Minnesota Power offers a rebate for those that install solar panels in their homes. He said that more information can be obtained by calling Minnesota Power at 1-800-228-4966 or www.manpower.com.
– Recognitions. Councilor Prebeg wanted to recognize Olga Cvar, 91, who recently passed away. He said that she represented the City well and was probably one of the oldest residents in the City. The Mayor also recognized Mrs. Cvar and mentioned that she was a Grand Marshall for the Merritt Days celebration.
– Recognitions. Councilor Prebeg wanted to recognize Charlie Hooker, who used to live on a farm on County Road 7 where Ann’s Acres Addition is located. He said that Mr. Hooker served during the Civil War and was the second longest living survivor. He died in 1948 at the age of 110. He said that he served on Lincoln’s Grand Army of the Republic, starting out as a drummer, 1861-1865. He also recognized Lyle Conaway who was a marine veteran who spoke to Councilor Prebeg about Charlie Hooker’s history.
– Recognition. Councilor Stanaway wanted to announce Fire Prevention Week and recognize all the work of the Mountain Iron Volunteer Fire Department.
The City Administrator updated the Council on the following:
– Mountain Iron Fire Department Auxiliary. They would be holding a fundraiser at the Dairy Queen on Thursday, October 7, 2010, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. and would receive 25% of the sales during that period of time.
– General Election. He announced that absentee ballots were now available at the Mountain Iron City Hall.
Councilor Roskoski requested that the City Administrator expand on the agenda items titles when the agendas are posted on public television. The Mayor said that this would be up to the Administrator to determine if it was necessary.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg to accept the recommendation of the Park and Recreation Board and purchase the monumental signs for Locomotive Park with the seven recommended changes, and submit the information to the printer. The motion carried on the following roll call vote: Zupancich, yes; Stanaway, yes; Roskoski, no; Prebeg, yes; and Skalko, yes.
The Director of Public Works advised the Council that the Locomotive Park Project was almost complete, there were still some cement blocks to install and, the printing and installation of the monumental signs still need to be completed.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Prebeg to authorize payment request number four for the Mountain Iron Baseball Fields Reconstruction Project to Mesabi Bituminous in the amount of $1,191.20. The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Stanaway to authorize payment request number three for the Energy Park Phase 2 Utility Extension and Mass Grading Project to Ulland Brothers in the amount of $42,873.50. The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Skalko to authorize the continuation of employment on the Mountain Iron Fire Department for the following members: Keith Nyman, Matthew Mattson, Donovan Strong, Tabitha L’Allier, Aaron Buller, Tiffany Wolfe, Brooke Marden, and William Copeland. The motion carried.
The following members spoke during the liaison reports:
– Street Committee. Councilor Roskoski said that at the Street Committee meeting the following issues were discussed: clarification of calendar parking dates; traffic patterns along Unity Drive from County Road 7 to Mountain Iron Drive; and review of ordinances and signage by City Staff.
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Zupancich to adopt Ordinance 05-10, relating to criminal history background for applicants for City employment and City licenses, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). Roskoski amended the motion to have the City Attorney review prior to final approval. The amendment failed for lack of support. The motion carried with Roskoski voting no.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Stanaway to adopt Resolution Number 11-10, transferring ownership of lands in the Southwest Quarter of the Southwest Quarter of Section 15, Township 58 North, Range 18 West of the 4th principal meridian, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Zupancich to accept the recommendation of City Staff and hire Walker, Giroux, and Hahne, Ltd., to conduct the necessary audits for the City for the year ending December 31, 2010, not to exceed $31,800.00. The motion carried.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg to authorize a one year extension for the home construction deadline for Lot 5, Block 2, Unity Second Addition for Ron and Michael Ann Mortaloni. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Prebeg to waive the building rental fees for the Sacred Heart Church of Mountain Iron for the rental of the Mountain Iron Senior Center on November 16, 2010. The motion carried.
Councilor Stanaway presented the library statistics for the month of September, 2010. He also said that there would be a meeting of the Friends of the Mountain Iron Library and it would be announced shortly and he invited the public to attend the meeting.
Councilor Prebeg submitted a picture of Charlie Hooker for the public access television personnel.
At 7:30 p.m., it was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried.
Submitted by:
Jill M. Anderson, CMC
Municipal Services Secretary
www.mtniron.com
