Ellendale City Council
By JIM LUTGENS
Publisher
Social distancing was not a problem at the Thursday, April 23 meeting of the Ellendale City Council.
Tables were set up in the community center, allowing plenty of space between participants. Mayor Russ Goette and council members Steve Engel, Duane Goebel, Steph Kibler and Scott Groth were there, as was a representative of the Community Foundation of Ellendale, former city clerk Tiffany Krueger and her husband, Josh and, remotely by computer, Keith Langlie. Assistant city clerk Kim Zimprich took the minutes.
The representative of the Community Foundation passed out packets to the mayor and council members, outlining plans for refurbishing the kitchen in the Community Building.
“We’ve tweaked the equipment plan,” he said. “We looked at a second source. We were shooting for around $45,000 for project costs, and we’re pretty close there. We’re not looking at the Cadillac stuff, but we’re not looking at the Volkswagen either.”
The plan includes stainless steel counters and, on the west wall, replacing shelves with cabinets and a 36x24 rolling lock-in cage.
Groth brought up the possibility of going with regular stoves as opposed to commercial.
He was told that at least one church in town had problems with a regular stove.
“So it will be done by June 1?” joked Engel.
“Once we get the stuff ordered, it will still probably be another four weeks to get it,” was the answer.
The council gave the go-ahead for the plan to proceed.
“I like the way it sounds,” said Goette.
Eric Haefner, an engineer with the firm of Bolten & Menk, was again there to detail plans for road replacement in the Crown View Estates.
The plan calls for widening roads to 36 feet except for one road, which will remain at 32 feet. The biggest stickling point seems to be sidewalks.
“So we’re out on sidewalks?” asked Engel.
“Yes,” said Haefner.
Goette asked if the city was saving any money with oil prices plummeting.
“No,” said Haefner.
Groth wondered if the project would be completed this year.
Haefner figured it would.
“This is what the people out there wanted — a wide road,” said Goebel.
“It’s way it’s too much money,” said Kibler.
The Kruegers were in favor of a sidewalk.
“We can save $120,000 by not widening the streets,” said Tiffany Krueger.
Goette said he missed the times there were sidewalks on every street in town.
“When I grew up here, there were sidewalks in this town,” he said. “Now, they’re gone. Somewhere along the line the decision was made that we don’t want sidewalks in town.”
“What we got there was a half-developed development,” said Engel.
After much discussion, it was agreed to widen the streets, allow parking on one side and room for a walking path on the other.
Engel discussed Resolutions 2020-18 and 2020-19 dealing with mail-in ballots.
The council amended a fee for R.J.’s on Fifth for catering, eliminating $150 for a total of $300.
The mayor wondered if the city should make a motion regarding the second amendment, but was met with opposition from Kibler.
“I think everyone knows what the Constitution is,” she said. “It’s going down a very slippery slope.”
Goebel said he got the ball rolling on repairing the town’s generators.
Groth asked about a non-operational fire hydrant in town.
“It’s out of service,” he said. “Why?”
It was agreed to have city maintenance man Josh Otto take a look at it.
The meeting adjourned at 9:10.