The Crookston City Council met Monday night and introduced the Gateway Overlay District Ordinance that was given an update during the Planning Commission meeting last week. Councilman Dale Stainbrook, who has been a part of the Planning Commission during the development of the gateway, said it was a long process over the last year, but positive feedback allowed a compromise to remove the requirement for paved surfaces. “The Planning [Commission] has been working on this for a year, plus,” said Stainbrook. “We had a changeover of some board members, and they got up to speed quickly. We had to bring it back to planning, but we had some positive feedback. Basically, the compromise was eliminating hard surfaces for existing buildings that change and a new build.”
Existing businesses will be grandfathered in, and Stainbrook added that grant money might be available down the road to improve a city’s gateways. “I hear, possibly, in the future there could be some grant money out there to improve your gateway,” said Stainbrook. “But if you don’t have a plan on it, you don’t even stand a chance.”
The council passed the consent agenda, which included approving bills and disbursements in the amount of $123,702.23 and approving the Crookston Community pool budget. Public hearings will also be called to consider amending the current franchise agreement with Otter Tail Power Company and Red Lake Electric. Approval was given for an agreement with Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc. for the Crookston Airport master plan and the council adopted a code of ethics and conduct policy.
City Administrator Shannon Stassen told the council the League of Minnesota Cities would be available in September to assist with training for following the code. Councilman Don Cavalier thanked the Council members and city staff for their work on the code of ethics and conduct. “I’m really happy that we got the code of conduct and ethics in place,” said Cavalier. “Now we can go to work and make sure that we look at what’s in it totally in our training. It is a legal document so we can work through that and get things done.”
Patrick Yates addressed the council during the Crookston Forum regarding the alley right of way off South Hubbard. According to Yates, paperwork from the courthouse and city says it should be a 20-foot alley, but a neighbor is infringing upon the right of way by placing stakes in the alley. “On the one end you have the concrete bunkers coming in,” said Yates. “We’ve measured it. It’s 20 feet and wider at the mouth. At the other end, it’s 20 feet measured from where the sidewalk ends and the curb to the alley. If you look down the alley, he’s in there quite a way.”
Public Works Director Pat Kelly said the alley should be aligned within six inches of the entry points. Yates had approached the council on the same issue in November, but according to Councilman Bobby Baird when he along with Kelly and former Building Matt Johnson went down to look into Yates concern, they were unable to locate the stakes and make accurate determinations as the snow cover hindered them. Kelly said he and new building official Greg Hefta would go to the area in question and check on it.
Tags:
