March 9, 2005 - Village Board Minutes

VILLAGE OF FALL RIVER
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
BOARD MEETING ~ FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC HEARING
(The Public Hearing begins at 6:00 PM~ Fall River School Multi-Purpose Room~150 Bradley St)
BOARD MEETING
Fall River Municipal Building ~641 South Main Street

AGENDA

I. Call to order

II. Approve Agenda

III. GENERAL ENGINEERING
*Discuss and possible action on Oak Shore East Preliminary Plat (Eugene Niehoff)
*Discuss and possible action on Final Resolution To Exercise Special Assessment Powers Under Section 66.0703 WI Statutes for sidewalks in
Rolling Meadows Estates, Rolling Meadows Estates 1st Addition,
Sunrise Hills 1st Addition, Sunrise Hills 2nd Addition
Crystal Knoll Estate, Bayview Estates and Bayview Estates 1st Addition
*Discuss and possible action on easements required for Centurytel in the Industrial Park
*Any other engineering issues for discussion

IV. PUBLIC WORKS REPORT

V. POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT

VI. OLD BUSINESS

VII. NEW BUSINESS
*Discuss and possible action on bartender licenses for Noel K Neuman and Sukhpal Kaur
*Discuss and possible action to authorize borrowing funds from the State Trust Fund Loan Program for the proposed sidewalk assessment project.

VIII. MINUTES, BILLS AND FINANCIAL REPORT

IX. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

X. ANY OTHER BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION

XI. ADJOURNMENT







Agenda is subject to change

PUBLIC HEARING
Wednesday, March 9, 2005 6:00 PM
Fall River School Multi Purpose Room

President Lubenau called the Public Hearing to order.

President Lubenau introduced himself, Kory Anderson of General Engineering and Village Clerk, Marie Abegglen. Trustees present: Abegglen, Schulze, Robbins, Durtschi, Kennedy and Standke.

Pres Lubenau informed the attendees of the bids received for this project. We received very good proposals. The lowest bid would take the project cost from the estimated $375,000.00 to @ $220,000.00. This would take the individual estimates down by @ 1/3. The floor was turned over to Kory for plans and questions.

Sidewalk is going in wherever there is existing curb and gutter in these subdivisions. Most areas have a terrace area of 10 feet. Sidewalks are four feet wide. Concrete is 4” thick and 6” thick in the driveway areas. Sidewalk can be put in by property owner. They must have it approved by General Engineering before the concrete is poured. Restoration will include seeding, not sod. The meeting was opened for questions.
Can owner do his own sidewalk? Yes, it must be approved before pouring concrete. And it must be completed before the contractor comes in to do the job. Cost for inspection will be added to the assessment.
Can owner do his own restoration, seeding or use sod if wanted? Yes, it must be to standards set by Village Ordinance.
Can trees be planted in the terrace? We need to check on the Village Ordinance for this answer.
When is the contractor going to start? If the bid is awarded to Fehrman(the low bidder) he indicated he would start in early spring – April or May. The only stipulation in the contract is that the project is completed by September 15th.
Would the contractor do more individual work for property owner? Kory will have to verify with the contractor.
Why are we putting in sidewalk here when other areas are busier and need it more? The other areas referred to need curb, gutter and road work. They will be done as finances allow. This is an assessment project and there is not as much Village cost as there is to do street and utility work.
Do we have documentation that having sidewalks saves lives? President Lubenau did not have statistics with him but verified that he has read information verifying that it is so.
Why not put sidewalk on only one side? The village has made a practice of putting it in on both sides unless the topography does not allow for it to be feasible.
Will water pool in my sidewalk if neighbors property is higher. The engineering is calculated so that this does not happen.
Can assessment be paid in full and before it is put on the tax roll? Yes.
What is the term of the assessments? It can be 5-10 years.
What is the interest rate? It will be 0.5% higher than the Village’s borrowing rate. The current State Trust Fund Loan Program is at 4.25% for borrowing term of 5-10 years. This would mean an interest rate charged of 4.75%.
If you own a property but do not reside there or have a home on the property, are you required to shovel the snow? Yes.
Is the concrete guaranteed? The contractor gives a one year guarantee.
Will the contractor cost go up if many properties elect to do their own work? The contractors were made aware that property owners would be given the option of doing their own work.
Can we get set times for inspection when property owner is doing their own work? It has been noted that it would be more economical to inspect several properties at the same time rather than one at a time. Inspection requests must be 24 – 48 hours in advance and we will do our best to coordinate the times to do several at once.
The public was invited to come up to speak with the engineer with individual questions regarding their property. The Village Board members moved to the Village Hall to meet for the regular Board Meeting.













































VILLAGE OF FALL RIVER
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
BOARD MEETING ~ FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC HEARING
(The Public Hearing begins at 6:00 PM~ Fall River School Multi-Purpose Room~150 Bradley St)
MINUTES

The Village Board met after the Public Hearing held at the Fall River School Multi Purpose Room.

President Lubenau called the meeting to order at 8:02 PM.

Trustees present: Abegglen, Schulze, Robbins, Durtschi, Kennedy and Standke. Village representatives: Bob Niehoff-Public Works, Brent Van Gysel-Chief of Police, Marie Abegglen-Clerk-Treasurer. Kory Anderson-General Engineering.

AGENDA
Trustee Standke would like to add items for discussion under Old Business: Community Hall, the Village properties that have hail damage, and the bridge in the Village Park. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Robbins and seconded by Trustee Durtschi to approve the agenda with the additions as noted. All Trustees – aye – motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS-BOB NIEHOFF
*Bob stated that Craig is doing an excellent job. He has finished his classes and is waiting to take his tests. Bob asked if the Board was planning Craig’s six month review. Craig started in October. It would be in March to schedule a review. He will get an increase in hourly pay after successfully passing the tests.
*Ross Firary (Firary Construction) allowed the Village to use his skytrack and employee to remove trees from the creek. Bob asked to compensate him for this.
*There are still trees that need to be removed. Letters are to be sent to the parties involved. They were sent letters awhile back. They will be given 2 weeks to comply.
*The WRWA Drinking Water Taste Contest and conference are coming up the end of March. Craig and Marie will be attending on March 31st.
*Amanda Ladwig asked if she would be asked to mow part time during the summer. If Bob and Craig cannot get all the mowing done, then he can have someone come in to help. It would be at the same wage as last year.
*The discharging at the lagoon can start in April. They are allowed to discharge into May
but at lower rate than in April. They have to wait for the ice to melt off. They will apply the shock treatment after that and only to the upper lagoon. Bob continues to work with Jerry Foellmi on this. *The 2004 water pumpage report showed a little less than last year. Bob is keeping up the dam record book and records gates pulled and when he notifies Columbus of gates pulled.

GENERAL ENGINEERING – KORY ANDERSON
*Oak Shore East Preliminary Plat- This plat is located outside of the Village Limits and falls under the Village’s extraterritorial zoning rights to review and approve the plat. The Planning Commission recommended approval at their meeting on February 23rd. Eugene Niehoff, the developer has verified that the drainage will be done as shown on the plat and it is recommended that the developer install the drainage ditches as part of the plat to certify that the work is complete. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Standke and seconded by Trustee Kennedy to approve the Oak Shore East Preliminary Plat contingent upon payment of local platting fees and review fees and accepting the commitment that the drainage will be completed as shown on the plat.
*Subdivision Sidewalks – The bid opening was held on Tuesday, March 8th. We received four bids with Fehrman Construction of Sun Prairie being the low bidder with a bid of $176,462.50. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Kennedy and seconded by Trustee Schulze to award the contract to Fehrman Construction for the sidewalk project. Trustee Standke abstained, all other Trustees – aye – motion carried.
*Final Resolution – The Final Resolution for the sidewalk project was read entirely. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Robbins and seconded by Trustee Kennedy to approve Resolution No. 030905, Final Special Assessment Resolution in Accordance with Section 66.0703 WI Statutes for Sidewalk Improvements Benefiting Properties in the Following Subdivisions: Rolling Meadows Estates, Rolling Meadows Estates 1st Addition, Sunrise Hills 1st and 2nd Additions, Crystal Knoll Estates, Bayview Estates and Bayview Estates 1st Addition, proposed to collect the special assessment in 7 installments, at an interest rate of 4.75%, (0.5% over the average interest rate of the borrowing. The current State Trust Fund Loan rate for 7 years is 4.25%). Roll call vote was taken with all Trustees – aye – motion carried.
*Jim Grothman, the County land surveyor has proposed verifying property corners with a plat of survey prior to the start of the project. If the corners are disturbed by the contractor during the project, it is the contractor’s cost to have them replaced. The surveyor would verify the corners again after the project is completed. The cost would add about $5,000 - $6000 to the project. The Board liked the idea, especially in the older sections of town, but they did not feel it was necessary to do in these new subdivisions. The Public Works Dept will be asked to use the metal detector to find and mark as many corners as they can.
*Centurytel Easement – Centurytel has proposed relocating their fiber optic line that runs through our Industrial Park vacant land to the outside perimeter within a proposed 20 foot easement. The Village would benefit from this because it would free up more property that could be used for development. The Village will pick up the costs of the surveyor, engineer and attorney. These costs should total less than $200.00. Centurytel would pay all costs for relocating the lines. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Durtschi and seconded by Trustee Kennedy to approve the easement for Centurytel to relocate their fiber optic lines within the Industrial Park. All Trustees – aye – motion carried.
*RAM Development CSM for new Post Office site – The CSM meets all the requirements of the Village Ordinances and Kory has recommended approval. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Robbins and seconded by Trustee Schulze to approve the CSM for RAM Development contingent upon payment of application and review fees. All Trustees – aye – motion carried.
*Corporate Boundary Updated – Grothman’s have completed the corporate boundary description of the Village. This must be submitted to the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of WI. The Board asked if there was a map. We were not provided a map and there would be an additional cost to do a map. President Lubenau will call Jim Grothman to see if we can get a map.

POLICE REPORT
*Chief Van Gysel distributed the monthly report. He updated the Board on the part time officers and the number of calls they take over the weekend, and the revenue generated since he has cut down their hours.
*They have finished the opening in the wall and need to get it framed. The electrical and plumbing work are done.
*The Rec director has given his notice that he is quitting. The Rec Board will be accepting applications and holding interviews.

OLD BUSINESS
*Trustee Standke would like to set a priority list of the Village properties to be repaired from the hail damage, then meet with Arnie Oelke to see about starting the repairs. Priorities were set as follows: 1. Village Hall, 2. Community Hall, 3. Pump House on Kane St, 4. Park shelters.
*The ceiling in the bay area of the Community Hall needs to be lowered for the future use of a retail store. The Lease/Contract agreement needs to be renewed. A meeting will be set with Mark Watters to go over some of these issues.
*Trustee Standke has talked with Eugene O’Brion about bringing the rock down to the creek to replace what was disturbed during the flood. This has been paid for previously.
*Trustee Standke would like to get some bids to see about putting up a building in the back for the Public Works equipment. He will contact a couple of local builders.

GREG ROBBINS – ROBBINS MANUFACTURING
Mr. Robbins came to the Board to express his desire to obtain more property for expansion. He has received a government contract and needs to decide where he will put the production of the product. He has options of Fall River, Clintonville or Fond du Lac. This would bring 20 – 60 new jobs over the next 2- 5 years. He is looking to the Board to see what possible ways the Village could help him to keep this work in Fall River. Nancy Elsing from Columbia Co Economic Development could possibly offer some help. Tax options will be investigated. We will contact our Financial Advisor, Dave Wagner and check with the State about the Revolving Loan Program. This is urgent as Mr. Robbins would like to have answers within the next month.

NEW BUSINESS
*The bartender license applications were reviewed. They have been approved by the Police Dept. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Standke and seconded by Trustee Robbins to approve the bartenders licenses for Noel K. Neuman and Sukhpal Kaur. All Trustees – aye – motion carried.
*State Trust Fund Loan Program – This borrowing is for the sidewalk assessment project in the subdivisions Rolling Meadows Estates, Rolling Meadows Estates 1st Addition, Sunrise Hills 1st and 2nd Addition, Crystal Knoll Estates, Bayview estates and Bayview Estates 1st Addition. The awarded bid was $176,462.50 plus engineering. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Standke and seconded by Trustee Durtschi to authorize borrowing funds from the State Trust Fund Loan program up to $225,000.00 for the sidewalk assessment project. Roll call vote was taken with all Trustees – aye – motion carried.

MINUTES, BILLS AND FINANCIAL REPORT
*A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Standke and seconded by Trustee Schulze to approve the Minutes of 2/9/05. All Trustees – aye – motion carried.
*A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Standke and seconded by Trustee Kennedy to approve the bills presented for payment along with $200.00 for Firary Construction for the use of their skyjack and $300.00 for Grothman & Associates to replace the property corner pins at the Herwig property. All Trustees – aye – motion carried.
*The State Investment report has not come in yet. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Robbins and seconded by Trustee Durtschi to approve the Financial Report as presented. All Trustees – aye – motion carried.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT
President Lubenau met with school representatives regarding allowing employees that are EMTs to leave during working hours for emergency calls. The school was in favor of allowing it as long as it was an emergency and not just a transport. Currently two employees, Sue Johnsrud and Jerry Traut are EMTs. The Fire District board met with the EMS to discuss possible solutions to having EMTs on duty during the daytime working hours. The part time office assistant in the Clerk’s office, Laurie Butterbaugh is an EMT and is on call duty while she is working in the Village. A suggestion was to hire her as a full time assistant. The Fire District might be able to help with the costs related. This will be discussed at the March 15th Fire District meeting.
The Board meetings will go back to Tuesdays from here on.

OTHER BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION
We have received a request from Dennis Buchda, owner of a property on Sleepy Hollow Rd, outside of Village limits to purchase water and sewer utility hook-up. He has unsuccessfully tried to get other property owners to annex into the Village. There are PSC rules governing rates to properties outside of Village limits. We will need to check into this. It will be put on the next meeting agenda.
A vendor from 7-Up contacted the Clerk’s office to see if it would be possible to put machines in our parks. The Board’s question is who pays for the electric service for the machine? If the vendor stops back in, it will be a question to ask him.

ADJOURNMENT
A MOTION WAS MADE BY Trustee Durtschi and seconded by Trustee Schulze to adjourn. All Trustees – aye – motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 11:10 PM.