The police have explored the option of purchasing a used 4 by 4 utility vehicle to be used as a second vehicle during winter weather and trading in the 1990 Ford Crown Victoria. Police Chief Bill Drager had obtained four price quotes. The prices ranged from $17,000 to $20,000. Some of the council members questioned why buy used when there was only a $4,200 difference in the purchase price of a new vehicle.
After further discussion, the council authorized the city to get quotes on a new vehicle with the understanding the vehicle had to be available in December.
Water Filtration Plant
Jim Norton, SEH engineer, and Gary Warner with Tonka Equipment, presented their findings on the water filtration plant study done in July to the council. The study explored various ways to make the water filtration backwash area more efficient. The backwash cleans the filter. The clean water goes back to the filter and the iron and manganese is drained to the sewer system. At present, the city backwashes the filtration plant daily using a higher volume of water than necessary. ãWe needed to find a way to lower the amount of water used and to eliminate the need of a daily backwash at the plant,ä Ron Mergen, public works director, said. The plant was built in 1989.
Norton said the pilot study explored five different areas: water treatment, backwash water, distribution system and pumping, SCADA system and standby power. Norton suggested the city could: 1) install a new filter media; 2) backwash with an air water backwash or build a new backwash reclaim tank at a cost of $178,000. He explained the air water backwash had a better scouring action and reduced the amount of wash water almost in half; 3) do a hydraulic analysis as a planning tool using a variable frequency drive. This would replace the motor starter on the booster pumps, eliminating a shock to the system every time the booster pumps kick into use.
ãAt present, when the booster pumps kick in, they create such a shock to the system, AMPI is having problems blowing out motors,ä Mergen explained.
Warner recalls when the Paynesville plant was built in 1989 cutbacks were made in the budget. Warner said they studied using different materials in the backwash such as iron man media or green sand media. They used both materials in a 20-hour test and over a period of time, the green sand out-performed the present iron man media used at the plant.
He added that by switching to the air-water tank backwash system, the amount of water could be cut back from 15 to 5 gallons per square foot and the amount of time between washes could be extended from every day to every third day.
ãI donât see the need for any major renovation at the plant,ä Warner told the council. ãThe backwash tank is in good shape.ä
In other business...
Ken Kunkle of the Fraternal Order of Eagles made a presentation to the council on the organization. They are considering starting a group in Paynesville and wanted to explain the organization and its programs to the council. There are 53 chapters in the state and 1,800 in the United States and Canada. The nearest chapters are St. Cloud and Willmar. The St. Cloud chapter was started 92 years ago and has 4,000 members and Willmar has 1,200 members.
*ðSteve Brisendine, community education director, presented a summary of the summer program to the council. There were 16 program areas this summer with 373 nonduplicated participants. Thirty-five percent of the participants were from Paynesville, 37 percent from Paynesville Township, and 28 percent from other townships. Total cost of the summer program this year was $18,951 with a $6,265 net difference of expenses over revenues. The city and township will share that expense. Brisendine also thanked the council for the $1,000 donation the park board approved to be used toward the purchase of a field groomer. The school has seven ball fields used during the summer ed program. ãThe groomer will be a valuable labor-saving piece of equipment,ä he added. Sharing in the cost of the groomer are the school, city, and Paynesville Township.
*The council approved changing their Nov. 27 meeting to Tuesday, Nov. 26, at noon and the December meeting will be held on Monday, Dec. 30, at 7:30 instead of the regular scheduled meeting which lands on Christmas Day.
*The council adopted the resolution canvassing election returns: Mayor, Jeff Thompson, 710, Thomas Hayenga, 286; council member, four-year term: Harlan Beek, 754, David Peschong, 526; and two-year term, Dennis Zimmerman, 891.
*The council approved a conditional use permit for Dave Gronli to allow the operation of a machine shop in the old Yarmon Ford site downtown Paynesville on Washburne Avenue. The permit was approved with the stipulation nothing be stored outside of the building unless it is screened from public view by a fence.
*The council approved the purchase of deputy registrar computer software to help with the auto license, driver license, DNR, game and fish licenses and inventories for a cost of $2,200. This would include a two-day inhouse training for city employees.
*Prior to the city council meeting, two assessment hearings and a reasessment hearing were held to review the 1996 street improvement project, frontage road project along Highway 23 and the Evergreen Court project. Assessments were certified on all three projects.
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