News

City Council holds August meeting

By Scott Wagar

08/12/2014

The city council held its August meeting and discussed a number of items concerning the city.

Councilman Harley Getzlaff started off the meeting and made a request to Ryan Thompson, city deputy of Bottineau who represented the police department during the council meeting to remind Sheriff Steve Watson that there still continues to be a lot of unsightly yards in the city and that the list of yards that need to cleaned up hasn’t shortened since the request was made last month. Thompson stated that he would give Watson the message.
Getzlaff also discussed with City Attorney Swain Benson III about the legality of going into private yards to clean yards and what rights the city has in cleaning these types of yards. Benson stated that he would study the ordinance on this issue and get back to Getzlaff.

An update was made about Wold Engineering’s projects in the community, which included:

● The 2013 Sewer Expansion Project: There are still areas in the project that need to be cleaned up by Utility System of America from Eveleth, Minn., and the city will hold its final check until the areas are cleaned.

● The Water Loop Project Phase II: To start at the end of August

● West Sewer Lift Upgrade Project: Will start sometime this month

● The Eminent Domain Process: Still in discussion

● Addition for the Lagoon Expansion Project: The city needs 10 to 15 acres of private land and are in discussions

● Future work on the Preserve Project: Roger Riley, owner of the Preserve, has not responded back to the city on items he needs to care for before he can move forward in his project

Deana DeFoe, director of Bottineau’s EDC, made a Gateway loan request for Lynn Evenson and Leann Mellum for $60,000 at 3 percent interest with a 10 year loan payment to assist them in their touchless car wash, which will break ground in the near future. The council voted in favor of the loan.

Two propane bids were open for the city’s propane, which included Ferrellgas at $1.59 per gallon and Northern Fuel

Partners at $1.79 per gallon. The alderman accepted Ferrellgas’ bid.

The city is having concerns with Touchstone, Inc., over its renovation project of the Stone Bank which is located on the corner of Main Street and Sixth Avenue due to three reasons:

● The open area around the basement on the west side of the building is too open and should be fenced for safety precautions

● Rain water that runs off the roof from the front of the building is draining into the basement on the west side and into the city sewer system, which is concerning the city

● Touchstone Inc., hasn’t renewed its building permit since 2011

Sharon Kessler, president of Touchstone, Inc., and who makes her home outside of North Dakota, sent a letter over the city’s concerns in which she responded that she would be in Bottineau in August to address the issues the council members have about the Stone Bank.

The final order of business for the council members was to vote on whether the city should sand seal coat the Highway 5 Trails, which will cost up to $15,000. The council voted in favor of the motion.