Committee of the Whole

CITY OF AMERY COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE PROCEEDINGS July 20th, 2021 The Committee of the Whole of the City of Amery met on Tuesday – July 20th, 2021 at City Hall and via Zoom. Council President, Chad Leonard called the meeting to order at 5:00 P.M. Present: Council President, Chad Leonard; Mayor, Paul Isakson; and Alderpersons, Tim Strohbusch; Rick Van Blaricom (arrived at 5:05); Sarah Flanum; and Eric Elkin. Absent: None Staff Present: City Administrator/City Clerk-Treasurer, Patty Bjorklund; Deputy Clerk-Treasurer, Ben Jansen; Public Works Director, Jeff Mahoney; Library Director, Amy Stormberg; and Fire Chief, Dale Koehler (Zoom). Staff Absent: Police Chief, Tom Marson. Others Present: Eric Barclay – MSA; Ashley Long – Library Board President; Larry Stelter; and Members of the Public. Public Comment – Eric Barclay of MSA gave an update of the Keller Avenue Project and specifically addressed the parking concerns on the 100 and 200 blocks of Keller Ave. Tom Olson of Acme Junk Co. gave comments on the parking and signage situations and expressed his desire to have a signage committee formed to address perceived issues. Department Head Reports – Reports were heard from Administrator, Bjorklund; Director of Public Works, Mahoney; Fire Chief, Koehler; and Library Director, Stormberg. Dennis John Dedication of Pickle Ball Court – This topic was addressed at the Council meeting on July 7th and was moved to committee to discuss. DPW, Mahoney; stated that Public Works could make a sign or whatever the requesters deem appropriate. The mayor stated that this would probably be best handled as a proclamation at the August Council meeting. S.E.H. Site Assessment – Bobber Park – Administrator, Bjorklund; brought this forward to notify the Council of the AEDC’s intention to have a site assessment done at Bobber Park to see if it would be developable in the future. It also provided a great transition to the next topic. Sewer/Water Soldier’s Field/Feasibility Study for Soldier’s Field – It was discussed that the City had been approached by different developers since listing Soldier’s Field for sale however, it is noted that each of these interested parties has inquired as to whether it is buildable. At this point it is unknown and Administrator, Bjorklund; has recommended that an assessment be done to determine what can be done with the lot. Though no motions were taken City staff was told to bring a price to the next Council Meeting. Gifts and Memorials Policy – This is to address how donations are handled by the City and what they can be used for. The Policy was not acted on at this time and it was decided that it would be addressed at the next committee meeting. ATV Parking for the Cattail Trailhead – Mayor, Isakson, has been working with Polk County to try and address the ATV parking issues that the City has had by putting in a parking lot on the trailhead. A deal has been worked out with the County where the City will clear the area and provide the base for the lot while the County will pave and paint the lot. Motion by Van Blaricom; seconded by Strohbusch; to recommend the ATV Parking Deal to Council. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. 5K Trail Near Cemetery – This was another update item for the Committee. The trail has been expanded near the cemetery and now connects to Central St. 1 Polk County Dumpster Placement – Mayor Isakson stated that Dick Waterman has approached Lincoln Township to see if they would agree to move the dumpsters to his gravel pit. More updates will come. 2022 Polk County Visitor Guide – This has been the same ad that has been purchased for the last several years. The cost has remained at $1990. Motion by Strohbusch; seconded by Isakson; to recommend the ad purchase to Full Council. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. Library Furniture/Shelving/City Hall Technology/Security – The costs for the technology installation for the new City Center were originally to be split between the City and the Library; however; Council President Leonard stated that he would like to see the City cover the A/V and security costs for the Library. Van Blaricom noted that many of the Library costs should not be included on the total price because they are more closely related to programming and not Capital costs. The first item addressed was structural cabling. Motion by Strohbusch; seconded by Flanum; to recommend the cabling at a price of $147,471. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. The Committee then addressed the Council Chambers space. The price for this room includes a video mixer, sound equipment, microphones, and training on the new equipment. Motion by Strohbusch; seconded by Isakson; to recommend the cost of $57,804 for the Council Chambers. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. Motion by Flanum; seconded by Van Blaricom; to reduce the total Audio/Visual cost for the Police Department to $12,000 for all needs. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. Motion by Strohbusch; seconded by Van Blaricom; to reduce the Library Audio/Visual for the Library from $22,608 to $12,000 to match the Police Department. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. At a previous meeting the Library stated that it needed new shelving and furniture for its new space at a cost of nearly $350,000. It was not clear why the old shelving could not be used in the new building and the new amount of shelving was also not clear. The Library was informed that more information was needed before the Committee could make a decision. Motion by Strohbusch; seconded by Isakson; to table the shelving discussion until more information can be given. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. Motion by Strohbusch; seconded by Elkin; to allocate $20,000 to the Library for furniture purchases. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. 2 Motion by Strohbusch; seconded by Isakson; to adjourn at 7:20 P.M. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion Carried Respectfully Submitted, Ben Jansen, MPA Deputy Clerk-Treasurer July 26, 2021 3