Alice Pickering
Wyoming Area Reporter

Wyoming City Council last week approved completion of 260th Street paving after a second quote was obtained. A final unpaved section of 260th Street is to be paved from the finished street west to Fallbrook Ave. Gene Hallberg owns businesses on the north and south sides of the street and offered to pay to have the street paved, excluding engineering and legal fees.

Engineer Lee Elfering told council the estimate from Bauerly Bros. was close to his estimate of just under $35,000. He proposed some additions which might increase costs slightly, but address storm water collection, separation of parking/driving area on the south lot, a single entrance, and finally smaller costs involved be included in the final costs.

Elfering recommended the project be led and inspected by the city. City Attorney Tom Miller said a ìprivate contract would not provide any warranties to the cityî and it would ìset a poor precedent regarding improvements on existing city streets.î

According to Elfering, the project is relatively small. The city will save in overhead costs if Hallberg signs a waiver of assessment and agrees to the proposed amount.

Miller said at least two quotes for the work are required. An escrow account could be set up for payments. CM Joe Zerwas asked if a bond could be requested. CM Ted Phillips wanted to be certain the street meets city standards when completed.

Financial moves

On the recommendation of Ehlers & Associates, council voted 5-0 not to renew some short-term city investments. The money was part of the payment received from Polaris which was invested until needed. Part of this investment is up for renewal.

According to city staff, a payment of $1,000,000 for the wastewater pipeline is in early May. The decision authorizes a wire transfer of that amount to the general fund available for the payment.

Council approved payment of all bills 5-0 last week.

Payment to Twin Cities Area Web Design, in the amount of $981.05, was contingent on the contract being signed.

According to city staff, costs for the cityís website in 2004 were about $1200 total.

Water topic

Annual inspections of shallow wells drilled for lawn watering are no longer required in Wyoming. Council eliminated the annual inspection to reduce the amount of time the building inspector spends checking these private water sources for irrigation. The only change in the ordinance was the annual inspection requirement.

The existing watering ordinance was revised in June 2004 with the revisions directed to regulating sprinkling from lakes and shallow wells. Regulations established then, provided for annual inspection to be certain private wells were connected correctly, not cross-connected to the city water system, or illegally reconnected after a first inspection.

Residents who pump water from a lake or have their own shallow wells must have their alternate water source inspected one time, for a $25.50 fee. The city permit must be displayed on the public right-of-way.

The alternate source may be used for only one residence. With this permit, these residents have no restrictions on lawn watering. Information and required forms are available at the city offices.

CM Joe Zerwas asked why two property owners are not allowed to share the cost of one shallow well and both pump from it. Miller said the city did not want to get into a property dispute or get involved in enforcement issues.

The history about the city lawn-watering ordinance stems from a DNR mandate to institute water conservation practices in the city, before the permit was issued for the third city well. There have been instances in dry weather when the cityís water reserve in the towers has been severely depleted during large fires, while some residents have continued to water lawns.

There have been complaints from some residents who have been ticketed for watering on the wrong date or during daylight hours. Police officers usually give one warning and then ticket those who violate the watering ordinance.

Zerwas was concerned about residents putting in new lawns and not knowing sod could be watered daily.

The ordinance specifies residents using city water for irrigation must adhere to the odd-even watering schedule. Those with odd-numbered addresses can water only on odd days of the month; even-numbered addresses can only water on even-numbered days, with no sprinkling allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Those with new sod or newly seeded lawns can obtain a permit from the city to water for 30 consecutive days with city water, provided there is no declared water emergency. Hand-watering of shrubs, bushes, and trees is allowed at any time, if there is no water emergency.

A committee consisting of the city administrator, engineer, maintenance supervisor, and police chief determine when a water emergency situation exists to such an extent it could prohibit lawn sprinkling.

Inspections have revealed some cases where cross connections to the water system have circumvented the municipal meters; residents tapping water from the system without paying for it. Violators face steep fines and disconnected water service until corrections are made by a licensed plumber and the inspector has approved the work.

They are also subject to shut-off and turn-on charges, plus the violation charge.

All aspects of the ordinance are directed toward providing enough, clean water for residents and adequate supplies for fire fighting, while conserving water whenever possible. Inspections are designed to identify and correct plumbing problems.

The city has been making efforts to account for all the water it pumps. Related to this, the city addressed the problem of unpaid utility bills at the end of 2004, certifying the list to the Chisago County auditor for collection with 2005 property taxes. The list contained individuals and businesses more than three quarters behind in payments. The total owed the city then was nearly $31,000.

Other topics

Council approved a common interest community, East Viking Commons Business Condominium, in the area of the old Broadway Video Store. The planning commission heard the request from Mike Muske and Brian Salokar at its meeting April 4, and made the recommendation.

The business condominium concept can increase property values and allows for flexibility in operation.

Miller said the documents for the agreement are standard. The preliminary and final plats were approved by a 5-0 vote.

Contingent upon the development agreement and final plat approval, council approved the preliminary plat for Sunrise Meadows. Miller said the annexation process may need to be redone and approval is contingent on the completion of the annexation of the property into the city.

Council asked streetlights be added to the plans for the development and sidewalks where possible. Plans must still come back to the city. The vote was 5-0.

Scott Dexter is the recommended choice for filling the position of police investigator. The position was advertised internally, with Police Chief Tony Pangal, Zerwas, and Acting Administrator Sandy Berry conducting the interviews.

There must be a meeting with union representatives before a final decision is made about the appointment. Currently, Dexter is a sergeant, but his duties have evolved from a supervisory role into primarily an investigative one.

At the last council meeting, Jennifer Hegsted, park board chair, had received bids for $44,000 to complete Phase II of Goodview Park. This is for materials only, with volunteers to complete prep work and installation.

There have been many requests from residents for completion of park work.

A check of funds shows slightly less than $105,300 earmarked for parks. Council approved the requested amount for the work.

Council approved a change order for the joint sanitary sewer pipeline for an additional meter, at the cost of $28,182, to be paid by Chisago City; sanitary sewer at CR-19 and CR-77, at the cost of $9,141.85, to be paid by Stacy, and full removal of CR-19 and CR-36 with the construction area, at the cost of $122,278.83, to be paid for by Chisago County.

Elfering made the recommendation because it keeps the work with one main contractor. There has also been a dispute about a delay on some work. The two parties have reached a compromise. The city will not be charged for some extra costs and the company will not be charged some late fees.

Re-zoning of property owned by Gary and Linda Menne from light industrial to general business was approved unanimously by council. To avoid spot zoning, Miller recommended sending the comprehensive plan back to the planning commission so the zoning change is in agreement with the comp plan.

Kevin Teel asked for information from the council about the sudden resignation of City Administrator Jill Teetzel. Miller recommended a written request for the information and said the city is obligated to disclose public data. There can be no disclosures from personnel file.

Other business

In other business, council:

ïLearned new employee Thomas Denaway was on the job as management analyst with the city as of April 22. ïLearned from Elfering that the Minnesota Department of Health has reviewed water test results related to radium in Well 3 and determined pumping from that well cannot exceed 74.4 million gallons this calendar year. Last year the total pumped from the well was 45 million gallons. Mixed with the water from the other city wells keeps the concentration of radium at a safe level.

ïOn Elferingís recommendation, approved a partial pay estimate to Utility Systems of America for work on the trunk water main project, in the amount of $25,521.75.

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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