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Paynesville Press - May 19, 2004

Street improvement project ahead of schedule

By Michael Jacobson

The Paynesville City Council took the following actions at their meeting on Wednesday, May 12.

*The council was informed that the city street project is progressing ahead of schedule by city engineer Pete Carlson. Work at the intersection of Washburne Avenue and Railroad Street is finished, and the intersection has been re-opened. Work has begun on the remainder of Railroad Street, on Lake Avenue, on Belmont Drive, on Belmont Street, and on Hudson Street.

The last layer of asphalt has been applied on Lake Avenue. Council member Dennis Zimmerman said the quality of the street is poor, and Carlson agreed. The aesthetics of the street will improve as the weather warms and heats the new asphalt, said Carlson.

*The council approved purchasing a sewer jetter from ABM Equipment and Supply for $55,000 plus tax.

The city's old jetter can only clean pipes up to 12 inches and doesn't have a root cutter. Currently, the city rents a root cutter when necessary. The new jetter can clean pipes up to 24 inches. It has a root cutter and a camera that is much better than the old one, according to public works director Ron Mergen. The city will be able to rent the jetter to other communities, said Mergen.

*The council approved moving extra street lights from the intersection of Highways 23 and 55 to the intersection of Highway 55 and Lake Avenue. The cost for moving the lights will be $3,600 for electrical plus a $5,000 (returnable) deposit to MnDOT. The city will be responsible for any ongoing costs.

*The council approved purchasing a new computer server for city hall, at a price not to exceed $4,500. *The council approved purchasing a new postage meter system and service from Deatons for $4,251 over five years.

*The council approved spending $3,800 for an engineering study on the wastewater at Master Mark Plastics. Currently, the amount of wastewater from the facility is running high, and the city wastewater treatment system is unable to keep up with it. The study could indicate where the extra water is coming from and help determine a safe way to dispose of the water. The study will be paid from Master Mark's sewer surcharge.

*The council approved a preliminary plat for Ridgeview, Sixth Addition. Pat Flanders is proposing 12 single-family lots for the development. Three of the lots do not meet the city's minimum requirements for lot width (based on frontage width) and will require variances before a final plat.

In spite of the narrow width where the lots meet the street, the lots are quite large, said Flanders, and should not pose a setback problem when homes are built.

*The council approved a variance for the Koronis Hills Golf Course to build a storage shed on the south end of Burr Street. The golf course needed a variance because the proposed structure will be 19-feet high and the property's R1 zoning sets a maximum height of 16 feet.

*The council approved a variance for Avon Plastics to extend their existing silo from 50 feet to 74 feet. The company needed a variance because the property's light industrial zoning sets the maximum height of a structure at 45 feet. Avon Plastics needed the additional space to store sawdust that will be needed if the company expands its product line.

*The council set a variance public hearing for Jerome Dahl on Wednesday, June 9, at 6:45 p.m. Dahl requested a variance to build a two-stall garage onto his existing home. The R-1 zoning on his property requires a five-foot minimum setback from the sidelot line with the total of both sides equaling a minimum of 13 feet. Dahl's proposed garage will only be two feet from his side lot and an total of five feet for both sides.

*The council approved setting a variance public hearing for Nathan Bork on Wednesday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. Bork requested the variance to build a 130-foot radio tower - to provide high speed Internet - at his property in the Industrial Park. The light industrial zoning on his property stipulates that the maximum height of a structure is 45 feet.

Before Bork can be granted a variance from the city, he must submit notice to the Federal Aviation Administration.

*The council set a street vacation public hearing for Willie and Gloria Scheel and Daniel and Renee Kallevig on Wednesday, June 30. at 6:30 p.m. The Scheels and the Kallevigs have submitted a petition to vacate Liberty Street, Meridian Street, and River Street in the Wilgo Acres Addition. These are streets in the addition that were platted but never built.

*The council approved a deferred $2,500 loan for Andrew Arens to use toward a new home on Maywood Avenue (in the Ampe Morningside Addition). The loan will be forgivable over five years.



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