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Senior housing will expand in Wyoming |
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Alice Pickering
Wyoming Reporter
An expansion of senior housing in Wyoming is coming as part of the Ebenezer Fairview Senior Housing Campus, near the existing Meadows-on-Fairview facility.
The new housing is planned for very low income seniors according to Karen O’Toole, director of senior housing for Ebenezer, who went before the Wyoming Council on Tuesday, Nov. 20.
Drawings of the Meadows 202 HUD Independent Living Building presented by Architect Jay Nelson show the location of the three-story building east of the existing Meadows-on-Fairview. Design elements in roof, pillars, masonry, and other exterior materials, will be in a style similar to that of the existing building.
The two buildings will be connected.
Meadow Lane, an east-west street south of Meadows-of-Fairview, will extend farther east to reach the new residence. The north-south street, Fairview Ave., eventually will be extended and connect with the planned Xccent site located south of the Fairview campus. This information came as an answer to questions from resident Linda Yeager.
Related action was approval to vacate a utility and drainage easement along the east property line. The new facility is to be located where this easement now lies. It will be re-routed further east.
There may be more expansion, but for now the existing drainage pond with be used, but will be made larger.
In his comments and explanations, City Engineer Mark Erichson cautioned against vacating the easement unless the new housing project is approved. Included in the approval is reference to his letters to the council.
Erichson said water access and sewer access charges (WAC and SAC) are just over $108,000. City Attorney Dave Snyder told the group the standard forms for site development will be developed.
Council member Gary Menne asked whether the new facilitywould pay property taxes. Ebenezer will pay taxes as would a normal business, according to Snyder.
O’Toole said all HUD project are required to pay property taxes. The rates may be a bit lower than other businesses, but that is determined by the state legislature.
Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center, a non-profit, annually gives the city $162,000 as payment in lieu of taxes, according to City Administrator Craig Mattson. Ebenezer pays $32,000 annually in property taxes for the Meadows-on-Fairview facility.
For the new housing complex, Ebenezer will pay between $25,000 and $30,000 annually in property taxes.
Council approved the PUD application and change in drainage easement by a vote of 4-0. Council member Joe Zerwas did not attend the meeting.
Other topics
Discussion and a decision about a city personnel policy were tabled until Dec. 4. Mattson explained the need for the city to have a more formal policy. Up to now, it has consisted of several memos related to travel expenses and some residency requirements for employees.
Mattson explained there are legal requirements for the city which are not now included in the personnel policy. The city owns vehicles, tools, electronics, and other communications equipment. Those authorized to use equipment and their qualifications should be specified.
Security related to electronically-stored and transmitted data, privacy issues, and use of property for other-than-official uses, needs to be addressed. The city, as employer, and all employees have responsibilities and limitations related to the use of city tools and equipment.
Council member Blake Tiedeman has experience with personnel issues and expressed the opinion the draft is an excellent template. By a 4-0 vote, a decision was tabled until Tiedeman can meet with Mattson and Snyder and review the proposed policy. More discussion is certain and a decision is likely Dec. 4.
The city must develop a public water supply plan, a requirement of the Minnesota DNR. Erichson and WSB & Associates were authorized by council to develop the plan for water supply in emergency situations. It formerly had the title of Water Emergency and Conservation Plan. Cost of the plan is not to exceed $7000. The vote was 4-0.
Watershed vote
As part of the consent agenda, council voted in support of the Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District legislative designation as a Metropolitan Watershed Management Organization.
About 40 percent of the watershed is non-metro (Chisago County) with the balance in Washington County under metro jurisdiction.
Instead of having regulations for the watershed split between out-state and metropolitan water management, this would place the entire watershed under the rules (MS 103B) which focuses more on managing water resources in metropolitan areas.
According to documents the change in designation will result in more collaboration with local stakeholders, and a more efficient and less costly process of implementing projects to address district water quality impairments.
Legislative support comes from State Reps. Bob Dettmer (R-52A) and Jeremy Kalin (DFL-17B), and State Sens. Rick Olseen (DFL-17) and Ray Vandeveer (R-52).
Other supporters of the change in statutory designation are Board of Water and Soil Resources, Chisago County Board of Commissioners, Chisago SWCD, Washington County Board of Commissioners, Washington County Conservation District, city of Forest Lake, and Wyoming Township.
As another part of the consent agenda, council authorized payment for three landowners for sludge application. These payments are to landowners who consent to have sludge from the decommissioned waste-water treatment ponds applied to their land. Payments are $200 an acre.
A total cost of $18,830 is being paid to landowners. The land lies fallow for a year after application of the sludge.
Other business
In other business the council:
•Authorized the annual retirement compensation for firefighters from $1050 to $1150.
•By a vote of 3-1, minutes of the last meeting were approved. There was one change requested in the minutes. Council member Menne asked to have the word merger in the minutes changed to annexation. LaBarre cast the dissenting vote because he disagreed with Menne’s request for the change in wording. |
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