Photo Credit: Kristin Hassel / Gary MN Mayor Buck Engen
(GARY, MN) — The Gary City Council meeting June 10 saw updates on city works projects, as well as concerns surrounding preparations for upcoming events and celebrations.
After public issues were addressed, Carl Olsen began with updates on city works.
He noted that all required DMRs were completed, and he received the proper paperwork to move forward with work on the lift station. Spraying for weeds surrounding the lagoon was successful.
Olsen continued, saying the water treatment system was cleaned, organized, and working as it should. After a brief discussion regarding respraying for weeds after the recent rains, the council ultimately decided it wouldn’t be necessary.
Concerns regarding mosquitoes during the upcoming Gary Days celebration June 19-21 were presented, but members didn’t feel the rainfall would create enough of an increase in mosquito activity to spray prior to the event. Other maintenance around town included weed whacking at the school playground, cleaning public areas in preparation for Gary Days, and setting out more benches and garbage cans for the event.
Olsen agreed he would handle roadblocks and the council discussed preparations for the volleyball tournament, city grounds maintenance, and the potential addition of extra sand to the volleyball court. Further plans were enacted to arrange for a street sweeper to help clean up the area prior to the event, so it would be clean for the parade and street dance.
Mayor Buck Engen brought up discussions surrounding the auction of property from the former school, and a timeline was set to organize sale items by late June, with the online auction taking place July 13-20. Equipment appears to be the primary sale item, but discussions also included potentially adding buildings to the lot. If buildings are included, property boundaries and legal descriptions will be required. The council also discussed the possibility of including community consignment items.
Photo Credit: Kristin Hassel / City Clerk Bindy Thronson and Mayor Buck Engen
There isn’t any news on when the Pines Recreation Area cleaning and maintenance will begin, but the Council discussed needing specialized equipment to complete the project. It was noted that large trees, storm damage, and ruts and holes make navigating the trail area difficult for ATV's.
The Wellness Center and Tanning Salon is still in the works, but not yet operational, and without a completion timeline. Most expenses are in for the Water Tower, and the city is currently waiting on word from the insurance.
Decisions were made regarding emergency preparedness, primarily to make the Fire Hall the primary gathering place in the event of a tornado, power outage, or other disaster. The Fire Hall was chosen because it has a backup generator. The Council discussed using the Gary Community Facebook page as a way to notify residents during emergency situations, but did address the issue with many elderly residents not using social media.
This led to an agreement that door-to-door communication may be required in some instances.The City of Gary also has an emergency siren system, which is often utilized in the event of dangerous weather (and can be heard from 15 miles away in any direction).
Property cleanup is still an apparent issue. Engen raised concerns about the number of unlicensed vehicles, trailers, and other discarded items in yards around the city. A discussion regarding how to deal with the issue began and it was decided to send letters to the property owners and give them 30 days to comply before taking further action.
Recurring issues regarding the sewer lift station clogging were addressed; maintenance continues to find items stuck in the grinder pump, including rags, towels, shampoo bottles, miniature liquor bottles, and other random items. Several council members emphasized the items were likely flushed, with Olsen noting that the issue is creating equipment damage and an increased need for maintenance.
As a sidebar on the agenda, Thordal mentioned that the local bar, Who’s Place, is hosting a wedding in August and the couple would like to hold a street dance. Owners contacted the county officials for permission to block off the area near the bar and received permission. The couple will be sending a letter to ask for approval from the Council in the coming weeks, at which point a final decision will be made, though no one was opposed to the idea.
A motion was made and approved to move July and August’s City Council meetings to Monday evenings at 6 p.m. and the Council approved the payment of bills, after which the meeting was adjourned.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at kristin.h@lead4earth.org.
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