The Litchfield City Council had a full agenda on Monday evening with visitors who spoke, business items that required action, and some items only for discussion. Before the regular meeting, a work session was held on wastewater facility planning.
Council member Malinda Larson says the updates needed for the wastewater treatment plant will require lots of Council attention over the next few months and years, and Representative Dean Urdahl spoke during the regular meeting about $5-million in the bonding bill that will help First District Association with pretreating its wastewater. She says there’s also work taking place right now at the water treatment plant and the City has been asking residents to conserve water.
Larson says the Council had some discussion Monday evening about a food truck ordinance as they usually have vendors in the community during Watercade, but perhaps there can be food trucks set up at other times. She says they also had some preliminary discussion in preparation of Minnesota’s legalization of recreational marijuana.
Larson says there’s a limit to how many marijuana sellers there can be per capita in a community. She says she’s been on the Litchfield City Council now for 4 months and is grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve.
The Meeker County Board of Commissioners has authorized Sheriff Brian Cruze to try to order ten squad cars for 2024. Administrator Andrew Letson says normally 4 squad cars are ordered per year, but there has been a backlog since 2019 due to sporadic ordering procedures resulting in an older fleet and sometimes costly repairs.
Following a presentation by U.S. Fish & Wildlife officials, Scott Glup and Blake Knisley, the Board approved of a motion to certify a wetland easement for a parcel of land owned by Michael & Constance Hamm, a wetland easement for a parcel of property owned by David & Melissa Felt, and for a habitat easement for land owned by David & Melissa Felt.
A resolution back on August 2nd of 2022, authorized the conveyance of land at 415 South Ramsey Avenue to the Economic Development Authority to be used for the construction of single-family homes, but that project is not going forward, so a resolution has been adopted authorizing the acceptance of the property back to the County.
The Commissioners approved of a resolution approving Meeker County to act as a legal sponsor for the Department of Natural Resources snowmobile trails assistance program; and approved of the 2023 federal boating safety supplemental patrol grant contract agreement. The Board approved of a quote from Marco of $21,203.90 for two core switches for its network traffic with the money included in the 2023 information technology budget; approved of a donation of $250 from Custom Products for the Sheriff’s Office drone program, and approved of a donation of $1,000 to the Meeker County Victims Services Program from United Community Action Partnership. A bulk fuel quote from Litchfield Oil was approved for $107,950 for 35,000-gallons of diesel.
A conditional use permit was approved for Joyce Carlson for a landscaping project on Lake Washington. An interim use permit was approved for Reiner Contracting for sand and gravel mining, washing and reycleing in Section 8 of Ellsworth Township. An interim use permit was also approved for Meeker Washed Sand and Gravel for gravel mining in Section 7 of Ellsworth Township.
In personnel matters, the Meeker County Board, approved of a new full-time park maintenance worker position. Also, State Representative Dean Urdahl gave the Meeker County Commissioners a review of the 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session.
The Litchfield City Council covered numerous items last night while working through its agenda and the housing issue surfaced a couple of times. The Council approved of a housing and comp plan proposal from WSB for $21,398.
The Council was also approached again by developer Dave Tysk who would like to use tax increment financing for a housing development and wondered why the City has just been sitting on his application. After a great deal of discussion, the Council approved of a resolution authorizing up to $8,000 in an escrow payment from Tysk for Ehlers to study the TIF application and move the matter toward a public hearing.
Meeker County Emergency Management Director Stephanie Johnson spoke to the Council last night about a hazard mitigation plan. She says an updated plan is required every 5 years, mainly to outline the steps to take to lessen the loss of life and property in the event of a natural disaster.
State Representative Dean Urdahl presented a review of the 2023 Legislative Session. He says the capital investment bill includes $5-million for First District Association’s wastewater pretreatment project; $2-million for façade improvements in Litchfield’s historic downtown district; and an additional $1-million for the Litchfield Area Recreation Center (LARC).
On the LARC topic, Pat Overom from ICS presented an update and says the City’s funding for the project is coming together. He says City and School officials will continue to work together on the project and the next step will be the approval of a joint powers agreement – probably in July.
The Council approved of certificates of appropriateness last night for a repointing project on the south and west facades of DeAnn’s Country Village Shoppe at 115 North Sibley Avenue; and for concrete replacement and a rear door replacement at the Natural Food Co-op at 230 North Sibley Avenue.
Also last night, the Litchfield City Council approved of an airport maintenance and operation grant agreement; had some discussion about what to expect when recreational marijuana becomes legal; and had some discussion about a possible food truck ordinance, and will gauge public interest in having portable food vendors operating in Litchfield.
Thriving Thursdays will begin on June 8th with the Watercade Brat Feed from 5:30-to-7 in Litchfield’s Central Park. The Litchfield Early Childhood programs will serve pie and ice cream, and music will be by the ’57 Chevy Band from 6-to-8 p.m.
Larry Gwost is the drummer for the ’57 Chevy Band and he says they are a 3-piece band that plays mostly rockabilly and 50s music.
Gwost says the band formed back in 1991, and he joined in 2007, quit in 2011, and rejoined the group in 2018. He says they mostly play in the 5-state area, and perform all year-long, but are busiest in the summer months. He encourages people to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy the music on Thursday evening in Litchfield’s Central Park.