New Richland City Council
By JESSICA LUTGENS
Staff Writer
The New Richland City Council held its second meeting of April on Monday, the 28th. All members were present except Amy Ihrke. The agenda and consent agenda were both approved, with one addition for a request added.
A guest was in attendance to request the purchase and installation of new “Panther Nation” signs to take the place of the current “Welcome to New Richland” signs outside of town. There will be two signs per entrance. The signs will also recognize the Panther girls’ basketball state championships for 2013 and 2014, and the state champion Panther cheerleading squad. The project will be completed by students at NRHEG High School. The council approved the request.
The Care Center report was presented next. The council approved accounts payable and financials for March, and a request for the use of general funds to purchase 10 new pagers was approved at a cost of roughly $1,300. The Gift of Memorial Fund recently covered the cost of a new 65” TV and stand, as the center’s current one was broken. As for the installation of the new computer and phone system, so far the computers are in place, and the phone system is still in progress; the project is estimated to be complete in less than three weeks. Legal fees totaling around $2,500, originally billed to the City of New Richland, will be paid by the Care Center’s general fund, as approved by the council. Before her departure, Care Center Acting Administrator Lyn Sebenaler announced her resignation, which was regretfully approved by the council. She will be greatly missed by everyone at the Care Center, and we wish her all the best in the future. The report was approved.The PeopleService report was next; quotes for the replacement of 200 feet of sewer main on 3rd Street were presented. Due to the high cost, and the fact the new pipe may potentially have the same problems in the future, the council discussed cost-saving options. It was agreed that the sooner the problem is fixed, the better, but the topic was tabled, requesting another quote and agreeing to further investigate the issue before the May 12 meeting. The report was approved.
The maintenance report was next, with an initial request for the purchase of oil, which was approved at the cost of $1,290. The public restrooms in the New Richland City Park were discussed, as the building needs maintenance. A major issue with the building, besides the many necessary repairs, is the possibility of vandalism — a recurring problem that severely limits options for maintenance. Options for new walls, floor and lighting were discussed, as well as the ventilation/moisture problem in the building. The council agreed to look into more options and tabled the discussion to the next meeting. Items approved included: repairs to the City Hall women’s restroom from Bohlen’s, $420; ambulance garage roof repair, $496; delivery cost of mulch to school playground. The report was approved.
The council approved costs up to $400 from Dad’s Good Stuff in New Richland for the painting of the community room, pending Lions Club approval. It was decided that Wayne Billing will attend the “B.E.S.T. Waseca County” meeting on Monday, May 5th, as they requested a representative from the city. A request was made by the New Richland Public Library for the use of City Hall’s projector for a presentation on May 17th, which was approved. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.