Administration Committee

The Village Administration Committee met on Wednesday, January 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the Village Office, 316 Brad Street S, Grantsburg, WI 54840. Present: Chairman/President Terrance Kucera Trustee Hank Java Trustee Greg Peer Others: Clerk/Treasurer Sheila Meyer, via phone DPW John Erickson Police Chief Mitch Olson Damon Johnson, Watercross Joel Glover, Watercross Kathy Lund, Grantsburg School District Gymnastics Coach Josh Watt, Grantsburg School District Superintendent Chairman/President Kucera called the Administration Committee Meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Siren Nationals Committee 1) Request for use of airport. Siren Nationals Committee cancelled and would like to reschedule a committee meeting. Clerk/Treasurer Meyer explained that the Siren Airport had accepted federal funds so now the airport can only be used for aeronautical purposes and all other uses would require special approval from the Department of Defense. Chief Olson expressed concern with space for spectators, vendors, etc but felt it was something we should try and make happen as it has been a good event in Siren and would bring people to our community. He felt the department could handle that size of event. No motions made. Referenda discussion. Clerk/Treasurer Meyer placed this item on the agenda per earlier discussions with the Village Board as a possibility to increase the levy as we are the lowest of the three Villages in the county. Meyer commented that many communities have gone to referendum for specific items like public safety staff, ambulance levy, etc. The committee discussed timeline and felt a spring referendum may be too rushed and may not meet the deadlines. Clerk/Treasurer Meyer will do more research with the election commission, and this will give the committee time to discuss timeframes and what department or specific items a referendum could benefit. The committee agreed to table and place on an agenda for a future committee meeting. No motions made. Ben & Nicki Peterson – 1)Memory Lake east pavilion 2) Memory Lake Cleanup 3) Splashpad Update. Damon Johnson was present on behalf of the Watercross Committee. He indicated that if the Village would allow, Watercross would put new posts and have steel donated to repair the pavilion as it stands currently. Watercross would then donate the pavilion back to the Village. Johnson commented that Watercross would be open to relocating the pavilion down the road, but this would be a fix for now. Motion by Trustee Peer second by Trustee Java to recommend the Village Board allow Watercross to repair the east pavilion as needed, have inspected by a contractor, and keep communication with Public Works during the project. Motion carried. Water 1) Main breaks 2) Well #3 update. DPW Erickson shared that he attended an excavation training through Wisconsin Rural Water. Through this training Erickson learned that his department is not equipped with the right equipment to safely repair watermain breaks. Erickson also had conversation with WRWA reps, and they indicated most municipalities hire out watermain repairs. The most recent watermain break on Highway 70 in December was repaired by A-1 Excavating. Erickson asked the committee for approval to hire out this type of work to ensure it is done safely. The committee also discussed requesting SEH look for grant options for the replacement of the watermain along Highway 70 due to the age of the line and frequency of main breaks. Motion by Trustee Java second by Trustee Peer to recommend the Village Board allow DPW Erickson to use his discretion to hire out water system repairs as he sees fit to ensure the safety of our Public Works crew. Motion carried. DPW Erickson provided update on Well #3. He stated that entry point manganese levels are around 50 parts per billion and distribution levels were at 160PPB today. DPW Erickson explained some electrical issues that happened at Well #3 and have been repaired. The part that failed was no longer under warranty. Clerk/Treasurer Meyer asked if the fill station should remain open now that levels are safe. The committee felt that once the Village receives 4th Quarter certified results showing levels below 300PPB, the fill station could at that time be open Monday through Friday 8-4:30pm. DPW Erickson updated the committee that Village staff will be meeting with SEH next week to discuss the Well #1 and Well #2 request for proposal to investigation manganese removal options. The committee went into recess at 3:30 pm. The committee resumed at 3:38 pm. 2023 Grantsburg School District contract for Community Center use & storage Rental contract. Clerk/Treasurer Meyer reviewed the contract as presented in the packet, with no changes from 2022. She also provided a breakdown of income from rentals over the past several years also included in the packet. Meyer indicated the continued concern of liability for when the Village rents out the space to small events while the gymnastics equipment is still up. The committee discussed options for blocking off the gymnastics equipment and the rental rate for both the community center and storage unit. Trustee Java indicated he had researched dividers with a drop-down curtain type at $30,000 and other portable divider sections being $10,000 to $20,000 and difficult to store. President Kucera asked what the School District’s long-term plan was for the High School Gymnastics program and if anything was included in the most recent referendum. Watt indicated they would like to keep the program at the Community Center, and nothing was included in the referendum. Trustee Peer asked how many other schools were included in the cooped program. Watt and Lund said Luck, Unity and Webster share the cost of participation with Grantsburg. Trustee Java asked about an exclusive use rental for the entire High School Gymnastics season and during the summer school and super summer school instruction time. Meyer asked if keeping the Community Center open for use by the public was something the committee members wanted. Trustee Peer said he liked the idea of keeping the Center available to the community. Further discussion took place. The question was asked about the Village Church of Grantsburg that has an existing long-term contract for use of the Community Center for 2 hours each Sunday. The Committee felt this would have to be honored. Motion by Trustee Peer, second by President Kucera to recommend the Village Board enter into an exclusive use rental contract with the Grantsburg School District for the gymnastics’ program for 7 months of the year at a charge of $500 per month and rent the large storage room for equipment storage for $200 per month with all existing rental commitments being honored. Motion passed with President Kucera and Trustee Peer voting yay. Trustee Java abstained. Chairman/President Kucera adjourned the meeting at 4:24 p.m. Allison Longhenry Deputy Clerk/Treasurer