The Crookston City Council met on Monday, March 17, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall in the Council Chambers. The Council approved the consent agenda and moved on to the Regular Agenda for the meeting.
The first item was a resolution regarding the purchase of a Zamboni Battery in the amount of $11,750.00 from the Parks and Rec reserve fund. “Over the years, my predecessor, Scott Riopelle, started putting money away every year to build this fund up because we do operate our Zamboni’s electrically,” says Director of Parks and Rec Jake Solberg. “So, this year, we needed a couple of cell blocks to replace the ones we have now.” Solberg says this comes as no surprise as there are quite a few years on these batteries. “They’re just old, out of service, and not keeping a charge anymore.” The council unanimously approved the purchase of Zamboni battery cell blocks.
The next item on the agenda concerned Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH) performing Levee System Inspections for the City of Crookston as required. Levee inspections should be carried out yearly and every five years, with the five-year inspection being much more comprehensive and detailed. “SEH reached out to the City of Crookston and were wondering if they were looking at getting the levee inspection done through them again,” says Chuck Getsman, Public Works Director. “In doing my research there was a little gap in the timeframe from when SEH inspected it professionally. We reviewed more content, and with the history the city has with them, it made sense to continue the relationship with them.” Getsman says they have spoken to legal and were able to start a new contract with SEH to get the City of Crookston back on track with their levee inspections. “So, right now, this contract is to complete the five-year levee inspection. It is the more in-depth, thorough inspection where they are going to be bringing some professionals in, walking the levee, taking notes, photos, measurements, and all sorts of stuff,” says Getsman. “It’s more in-depth than the general, annual levee inspection.” The council unanimously approved the contract with SEH to inspect the city levee system.
The final item on Monday’s agenda was a resolution approving Crookston EDA’s application for the Greater Minnesota Cities (Tier ll) Housing Aid Program. Funds from this program can be used much like the Local Housing Trust Fund, which helps fund new housing developments, housing rehabilitation, down payment assistance, and other eligible projects. The Council unanimously approved the EDA applying for the (Tier ll) Housing Aid Program.
