Before approving the report, the CTS proposal to finish the telephone work project, which will replace analog with digital, was debated. The original quote for the work was roughly $16,000; now, due to unforeseen extra work, that number has jumped to about $26,800. The council agreed that the work will be put on hold until the issue is resolved. The Care Center report was approved.
Next was the Peoples Service report. Options for the removal of roots, primarily in two locations, that are closely adjoined to the 3rd Street/County Road 12 project. Because the engineers associated with the project do not want side work getting in the way of the project, the best solution currently would be to cut out the roots. However, this is only a temporary solution. The Council agreed to wait on a decision until quotes for root removal options are found and compared.
The Maintenance Department report consisted of a very lengthy discussion on the purchase of new water meters, and costs were reviewed, although no actual decisions were made. A request for the purchase of mix to fill potholes was approved at the cost of $373.50. The report was approved.
Finally, the ambulance report was presented. The report stated that 13 runs were made by the ambulance in February, and four members signed up for a First Responders class. An application for said class was received from NRHEG senior Laura Ranniger, which was approved. The following requests for funds were made: $4,946 for 10 new pagers, approved; $200 for a paper shredder, denied – a suggestion for a “lockbox” was made; $1,400 for clothes, which was reduced to the purchase of sweatshirts for new members that don’t have them. EMS week will be from May 18-24th this year, and activities and events for this were discussed. The ambulance report was approved.
The Council then debated about hiring another Maintenance worker for quite some time, and a motion was made to advertise for “part-time help for maintenance work up to 20 hours per week at Ryan’s discretion,” which was approved.
The purchases of two new administrative computers (with one additional monitor and Microsoft Office 2013) and a new router plus extender, to increase Internet access speed, which severely lacks due to the concrete walls, were requested, as well as switching the payroll software to provide direct deposit, which will save $160/year. The total cost equals $3,522.82, and the purchases were approved.
The Council then approved the lifeguards for the 2014 season. The last order of business, the concession stands at St. Olaf Lake and Legion Field, also involved quite a bit of heated discussion, although no decisions were made. The meeting was adjourned, after almost 2.5 hours.