During the Ways & Means committee meeting Monday night, the committee was asked to vote to accept the proposal from the school district for the city to take over ownership and operations for the community pool. Rick Niemala, Crookston School District, provided updates on the current state of all the mechanical equipment and the cosmetic state of the building. As previously reported, most of the mechanical elements have been replaced since 2014, while a small amount of exterior cosmetic work remains on the north and west walls of the pool.
The committee discussed that possibility that Park and Recreation could do more operating the pool to benefit the community explained City Administrator Shannon Stassen. “We are parks and recreation, the recreation piece is very much what we do every day,” said Stassen. “I have faith in our staff to work alongside Cody Brekken to try to take things to a different level.”
Councilman Steve Erickson said he feels this is the right path, “I think we did the right thing and it will be an asset to the City of Crookston,” said Erickson. “The community wants the pool, it will help the school and I felt this was something that had to be taken care of.”
The committee also voted to amend the City Code to work eliminate the requirement for a City Plumbing License. A Minnesota Statute was passed that prohibits a city from requiring a separate license from the state license. Plumbing professionals will still need to present their state license when securing a permit.
The committee also discussed the possible lease of Parcel #82.00601.00 (between the Fournet building and Mason’s Lodge) with Jeff Evers. Evers expressed a lack of fondness for the lease option, saying he’d prefer to purchase the property or just use the street while completely work on the Fournet building. The committee agreed to work with Evers to reevaluate the possibility of purchasing the parcel in the coming weeks.
