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City ponders second I-35 overpassBy Barbara Brown The City of North Branch could pursue eminent domain for a small amount of privately-owned land along the proposed 410th Street extension. The city has plans to extend 410th over I-35 as an alternative to the Hwy. 95 bridge for crossing from the east side of the city to the west side. Extending the road and creating the overpass could promote future development and ease traffic problems on Hwy. 95. However, the city has not taken the idea further than saying it plans a possible future overpass at 400th St. or 410th St. The plans would not take attention away from the Hwy. 95 overpass. The council approved a resolution that would allow the city to take the property by force if the owners, Thomas and Shirley Borchardt, do not sell the land to the city for a fair value, said city attorney Tom Miller. The Borchardts believe they own and control the land in question. Miller said the city would request the Borchardts sell about 33 feet of land that the city believes it controls along the proposed 410th Street project. A judge would have to decide whether the city or the Borchardts are right. The council voted to support the second National Night Out celebration planned for Aug. 3 in Central Park in North Branch, Schoolhouse Park in Harris and Stacy City Park in Stacy. Councilman John Pace and Mayor Gloria Karsky will represent the city on the NNO planning committee. The city will not financially sponsor or support the event. City Administrator Joe Lynch said the HRA-EDA needs permission to work within the city because the planned library site land could be used for security on a bond and the countyís agency needs to control the land before it can offer it as security. Also, information presented to the council on a staff report said the city has heard from three groups interested in the current library building on Main Street. Chisago County may consider putting the county Extension Service offices there. However, Extension only needs 1,000 of the 4,400 square-feet in the building. Two private businesses also have expressed interest in the building, the report stated. Only one of the two would be willing to share the building with the Extension through a sublease. In other business, the council: ï Approved the certificate of mileage within the city as 129.24 miles that make the city eligible for municipal state aid; ï Approved a request to seek bids to pave the city-owned parking lot between the Post Office, American Legion and laundromat. The project was scheduled for 2003, but was delayed to 2004. The council agreed to transfer $104,449.72, budgeted in 2003 for the project, to the 2004 budget; ï Removed liquor store employee Amanda Dudrey from the mandatory post-hire 6-month probationary period after a good recommendation from the store manager; ï Agreed to pay $5,137.07 to finalize the fire station utility extension project and $905,195.15 to Madsen Johnson for work the company has done on the cityís wastewater treatment plant upgrade; ï Voted on the official designations for the year. Councilmember appointments to committees were Amy Oehlers, planning commission, cable television board and Community Education advisory council representative; Rod Lofquist, acting mayor and Economic Development Authority; John Pace, Economic Development Authority and fire department/fire relief; Kathy Blomquist, water and light, library board and park commission. The council named the Cambridge Star the legal publication. The city attorney is Tom Miller and the city engineer is Julie Dresel. ©ECM Post Review |