Award bid for improvement work, approve 2017B Bonds to finance development
After listening to city engineer, Andy Kehren of Bolton and Menk, review the bids for the installation of water, sewer, streets and curb and gutter for the Mountain Lake Commercial Park Project at a Thursday, July 20 meeting, the Mountain Lake City Council awarded the work to G. M. Contracting of Lake Crystal at a cost of $1,179,435.91 – contingent on the city receiving permits from the Union Pacific Railroad and the Corps of Engineers.
There were 10 bidders, a higher than usual number.
The low bid from G. M. Contracting is 14% below the engineer’s estimate.
The project is scheduled to start later this summer.
General Obligation Bonds sale
Tammy Omdal of Northland Securities shared the results of the Tuesday, July 18 bond sale for $2,485,000 General Obligation Bonds, Series 2017B. The bonds were sold to finance the Mountain Lake Commercial Park infrastructure and other development expenses at the site, as well as to pay to upgrade the city’s street lights to LED. The length of term for the bonds is 25 years for the commercial park and 10 years for the street lights.
Following Omdal’s presentation, the council adopted a resolution providing for the issuance and sale, pledging special assessments and levying of taxes.
In other business
+ Updated on plans to build a Dollar General in Mountain Lake. The developer, the Zaremba Group, made a request that the city provide assistance with extending water and sewer to a site they have selected on the west end of 3rd Avenue, on the south side of the road. The Utility Commission is slated to consider this request at their Thursday, July 27, 7 a.m. meeting. Council members were encouraged to attend.
+ Learned that Karr Tuck-Pointing is preparing an estimate to complete the power plant tuck-pointing and tuck-point for the Mountain Lake City Park Band Shell.
+ Learned that estimates from local contractors to fix the power plant ceiling are being requested. The estimates should be available at the Monday, August 7 council meeting.
+ Learned that residents on the service road alongside Cottonwood County Road #1 between 6th Avenue and Prince Street had paid for dust control. This was brought to the attention of the Utility Commission. The Commission recommended that the residents be reimbursed. Mountain Lake City Administrator/Clerk Wendy Meyer will collect the billing statement and forward it to the city engineer.
+ Discussed several hazardous properties. It was agreed that the owners of 805 Basinger Memorial Drive will be contacted by the city’s building official.
+ Discussed a notice of Hearing in regards to an unpaid fire call to 812½ 5th Avenue.
+ Discussed the results of a survey needed to update the city’s Active Living Plan.
+ Learned that two proposals for legal services were received. Mountain Lake City Council Members Dana Kass and Darla Kruser volunteered to serve on the committee with Administrator Meyer to review the proposals and make a recommendation to the council.
+ Discussed a public hearing (which was held Monday evening, June 24) on the 2012 finance of The Lodge, a Community Asset Foundation/Good Samaritan project. Bond counsel did not require a city council quorum be present at the meeting. The reason a public hearing was held is because, in 2012, a TIF District was created for the project and TIF bonds in the amount of $830,000 were issued. The city was also asked to issue conduit bonds for an additional amount for the project. In 2012, the city also issued other debt, including $7,754,480 for the utility and street project. As a result, the City of Butterfield issued the conduit bonds for The Lodge project. Community Asset Foundation now intends to call and re-issue the existing conduit debt and issue additional debt for a project in Howard Lake. The City of Butterfield will no longer be the conduit.
+ Approved the settlement agreement as presented in Krahn v. City of Mountain Lake following sending the open meeting into closed session by attorney/client statute.
+ The next city council meeting will be Monday, August 7, 7 p.m., in the Mountain Lake City Council Chambers.
+ “Coffee With The Council” will be held on Tuesday, August 15, 9:30 a.m., at Sweetfields. Attending will be Council Member Darla Kruser and Mayor Mike Nelson.
2017 meeting schedule
Council meetings will be held on the traditional first and third Mondays of the month – with the exception of:
- The second meeting in June had been rescheduled to Thursday, June 22 due to the annual Pow Wow celebration.
- Both July meetings were rescheduled to the Fourth of July on Tuesday, July 4. The first meeting of the month will be Monday, July 10 and the second, July 24.
- The first meeting in September has been shifted to Tuesday, September 5 due to the observance of Labor Day on Monday, September 4.
- New dates have been scheduled for both meetings in December due to local school holiday events. The first meeting of the month will be on Tuesday, December 5 and the second on Tuesday, December 19.
- Meeting start times are 7 p.m.
City of Mountain Lake Meeting Dates
+ Mountain Lake City Council meets the first and third Mondays of every month at 7 p.m.
+ Utilities Commission meets the second and fourth Thursdays of every month at 7 a.m.
+ Economic Development Authority (EDA) meets the second Friday of every month at 12 noon.
+ Lake Commission meets the second Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m.
+ Library Board meets the second Wednesday of every month at 4:45 p.m.
+ Police Commission meets the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.
+ Planning and Zoning meets the last Monday of the month, if needed.
+ Tree Commission meets quarterly – January, April, July and October – at 7:45 p.m.
