Posted: 4/14/04
By Barbara Brown
The St. Croix Scenic Byway Coalition wants Rush Cityís help to encourage the state to erect signs that would denote a scenic driving route along the St. Croix River.
Sunrise resident Milt Krona, a member of the coalition, asked the Rush City council at its April 12 meeting for support in the groupís effort.
He told the council Monday night that there currently are 20 scenic byways in Minnesota, but none along the St. Croix.
The coalition, made up of people from Wisconsin and Minnesota are working to change that.
The Minnesota byway would run about 120 miles from Point Douglas in Washington County to Askov in Pine County and run right through Rush City.
Krona said the byway not only would be a way to educate a more leisurely traveler about the historical events along the St. Croix and expose people to beautiful vistas, but it also would encourage tourism by taking travelers off the main highway and directing them through several towns, including Rush City.
The board agreed that the byway sounded like a good idea and Mayor Mike Skalsky said he would compose a letter for the coalition supporting its efforts.
The city council also received an appraisal report on the library building at the meeting.
The city is considering selling the building to the county so the library could be expanded as part of a library project underway by the county, which includes building three new libraries throughout the county.
The appraisal set the buildingís value at about $360,000.
The appraisal, which cost the city $4,000, will be sent to the county for review.
Also, it was learned that the city received a $500,000 grant for a senior housing project that would put 24 townhouse-style units in the city. The one- and two-bedroom units are expected to rent for $580 and $680 respectively per month.
The city had asked for $600,000, said City Administrator Daniel Hoffman. The city would still need to find between $200,000 and $300,000 to completely fund the project and keep rents reasonable.
Hoffman said the land set aside for construction, near the industrial park, still needed to be platted before any engineering can begin.
The council approved a cooperative purchase agreement to buy public works equipment including a new loader and tractor for a total of $243,579 through the Minnesota Department of Administration cooperative purchasing program.
Also, the council approved a builderís agreement with Melby Custom Homes to build two houses on Rush Landing and passed Planning Commission recommendations for a request from Loren Jennings and Jerry Schellbach to split off one section of a lot and combine it with another lot next to the car wash.
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