The Crookston City Council voted on Monday night to extend the sidewalks along Radisson Road as part of the street project underway there. The vote is contingent on a legal check to ensure a public hearing isn’t required for that particular change. The sidewalks would extend through the Hoven Lane Park on the south side of the road and to the University Avenue path on the north side of the road.
Kim Goosen, a resident on Radisson Road, said he didn’t think Councilman Steve Erickson did a very good job of canvassing the neighborhood earlier this spring listing several neighbors, including himself, hadn’t been contacted. Goosen said he didn’t want sidewalks earlier this year, but he has changed is mind and is in favor of the sidewalks now. “I hope it does happen,” said Goosen. “For the safety of kids and we’re getting more and more young families in our neighborhood and walking that way. I personally don’t want to see a kid get run over. The simple fact is my kids are all grown up. I see the young families coming up and you have to change your mind, get with the times once in a while I guess. Just safety is the bottom line. We’re not going to fight city hall, but have to put the right foot forward, I guess.”
The council unanimously approved the addition of the sidewalks to the project as long as public notice is not required. City Attorney Corky Reynolds felt the change might be more than a simple change order, while Public Works Director Pat Kelly said the additional sidewalks would not add any additional cost to the residents. Councilman Bobby Baird said the biggest concern is safety, but he thinks this change is a good deal. “One of the biggest things is the concern for safety,” said Baird. “Walking out in the street or the elderly walking in that grass and it’s muddy, the biggest thing is safety. I think it’s a good deal for anybody that walks. It brings you right up to the Dairy Queen, up to University Drive. There is no cost to the homeowners, so I just felt it would be a good deal.”
Michelle Christopherson asked that the city bring back the digital option for watching and interacting with meetings that they’d used during the stay-at-home order. Councilman Jake Fee said he agreed they should be continuing it because people didn’t always have time to come to city hall, but they could watch it at home or wherever they may be. And Councilman Tom Vedbraaten said now that the city had the ability to do it they should be doing so.
The remaining items were on the consent agenda and Baird pulled the bills and disbursements from the consent agenda to questions three bills. First, he asked why the payment ($2,500) to Premier Pyrotechnics was so low. The payment was the 50 percent down payment. Baird then questioned why the spraying at Ray Ecklund (Highland) Complex was being done by Team Lab Chemical Corporation out of Detroit Lakes for $7,770 instead of being contracted to someone in town. Parks and Recreation Director Scott Riopelle said they have used this company for many years because that’s what the company does. Baird said it needed to be offered to local companies like those recently discussed for other parks, saying it irks him when money leaves town when local companies do the same work. “That’s a concern, $7,700 and I brought up a couple of weeks ago we have some local guys that do $46 an acre,” said Baird. “You look at $7,700 dollars, how many times is this being done and stuff. Doggone it, we need to keep this stuff in this town and support these guys. That’s a big concern to me. I think we need to look at it hard. It irks me…it just irks me that it’s out of town again.”
Baird also asked Riopelle how many hours were on a mower that needed to have some engine repair recently. Riopelle said he wasn’t sure, but Baird invited him to stop by Best Used Trucks to check out some new conditioners and additives they’ve been using to preserve similar engines in their motors to increase its life. The bills then passed unanimously, as did the rest of the consent agenda.
