Hemingway residents oppose improvements

By Barbara Brown
Several North Branch residents told the city council Monday night they did not want to see improvements like water and sewer extensions and paved roadway at Hemingway Avenue at 375th Court.
After much discussion on the subject, the council decided to move forward with the project that would extend municipal utilities and blacktop the street at Hemingway Avenue, south of Lincoln Trail.
The goal of the eighth-mile improvement project would be to ultimately connect Hwy. 95 to CR14 with a bypass that would divert traffic away from the North Branch middle and elementary schools.
Improvements to be installed would be drainage, water main, sanitary sewer and street improvements for an estimated $2.10 million
Douglas Swanson, a landowner along the road said what the city called an improvement would be a detriment to his lifestyle. He said the upgrades were being made to benefit developers like those who have built Casselberry Ponds and Wood Duck Ponds, not to improve the traffic situation.
Jerome Nelson, another resident, submitted a letter to the council saying that his wifeís family had owned their acreage for 100 years and the couple planned to live out their lives peacefully there.
He told the council the improvements would be a hardship on him and his wife because assessments would be based on frontage, which the Nelsonís cited as owning 700 feet that would be assessed for city water upgrades.
The preliminary assessment roll for the project was what drew Daniel Rustom to the podium.
As a corner lot property owner, Rustom said he stood to be assessed $35,000 to have a corner of his property cut off, water and sewer lines run under his land where he already has two gas lines and paying for paving the road.
Rustom told the council he didnít believe he would be able to get $35,000 additional dollars out of the sale of his house even if the improvements were made.
The proposed assessment for the Rustoms was the highest of the private owner assessments put before the council.
He said he and his family could not afford what came down to an additional $200 per month in taxes for something they donít want anyway.
Other assessments for the project range from $226 for the Sunny Meadows Owners Association to $36,597 for Living Branch Lutheran Church and $273,925 for Wood Duck Ponds.
City Engineer Julie Dresel said the assessment proposals are only estimates and that more firm numbers would be available later. She also reminded Rustom and others in attendance that anyone can appeal a proposed assessment.
The council voted later in the evening, after discussing the question further, to continue with the project.
The council also accepted a change order on the 400th Street project for a segment of water main construction.
The change was for $29,865 to Bauerly Brothers to complete work to include the water main work in the Grand Avenue trunk water main extension project to save money rather than have two separate projects.
The council also approved special tax financing for The Bindery and Milcon Corp. for development in the Industrial Park.
The Bindery will receive $259,336 in tax increment financing and Milcon will receive $18,000 in tax abatement financing.
The council asked Finance Director Dave Stutelberg to seek bids for interest rates on an approximately $450,000 equipment certificate to purchase a snow plow, grass mower and pickup truck for Public Works, microfilm reader for the library, a new computer system for City Hall and several pieces of equipment for the police department.

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