By Anne Thom

Stacy Bar and Grill manager Kathy Stevens and a contingent of employees walked the short distance across Forest Blvd. from the bar last Tuesday night, April 11, with a concern for the council.

During public comment, Stevens asked if she could speak. Stevens said she had been told that all employees of the bar are under investigation for theft.

Councilman John Walz, acting mayor for the night, responded first saying the council ìhas initiated nothing like this.î

He asked where she had gotten that information and the group said the information had come from Councilmember Barbara Otterson.

Wait staff Kim Brennan, Deanna Graber and Gina Hubley, seated with Stevens, said, ìWeíre very upset to hear this is going on.î

Walz said again the council has not initiated an investigation of any of its employees.

Councilmember Mel Aslakson told the audience that for the council to investigate, a complaint would have to be filed first. No one was aware of any complaint being filed.

Walz said if there are any specific allegations a closed meeting would be held on the matter. The employees were then encouraged to bring their concerns to a meeting of the Liquor Committee.

Workers puzzled

If there was a complaint, the committee would be the first place to present it and any people involved would need to be present. Hubley said, ìThe point of us coming tonight is just to bring it up.î

City Clerk Sharon Payne told the staff they could also send a letter to city hall requesting a meeting if they felt one was necessary. A meeting is now scheduled to be held on April 23 at 9 a.m.

Yard refuse

Citizens were present to discuss the problem of yard refuse across the city. The mayor and City Attorney Peter Grundhoefer were attending a meeting on April 12 of the Chisago Lakes Joint Sewage Treatment Commission (CLJSTC) to get information on this issue.

ìWhat hours is the compost station open?î. The station that had been set up by the CLJSTC in October is now closed. Residents who have yard waste cannot send it out with the normal trash. Other cities around Stacy have a place to take compost, it was noted. The next question was, ìIsnít that (CLJSTC sewer connection) the reason our taxes went up so high, the sewer deal?î

Stacy Wine and Spirits manager Brian Hachey, who was seated in the audience, said most counties provide a compost site, including Anoka County where he is a resident. He wondered, as did the audience, why Chisago County doesnít provide a compost site.

ìWeíve got to have a place to bring stuff,î was the consensus. The councilors said they would find out if there was any designation for a compost drop off by the CLJSTC and notify residents immediately, probably through the city newsletter.

Newsletter ready

The cityís newsletter will also contain the annual Drinking Water Report required by the state. City Maintenance Supervisor Tom Archibald and clerk Payne talked about the results of the report. Archibald said the Stacyís water quality is good. Payne talked about how to best make the large and detailed report available to citizens. Copies of the report will be posted on the cityís Web site at stacymn.org.

Archibald advised the council of his progress in spring cleaning the city landscape. Councilmember Mel Aslakson reminded everyone that Stacy Clean-Up Day will be the first weekend in May. The contractor Hydrovac has started on the cleaning of the storm sewers and the cityís new mower has been delivered.

Archibald asked about placement of portable bathrooms at the park on the west side of the freeway. Last year vandals dumped the units in the creek. The council was concerned about vandalism and tried to weigh those concerns with the fact that the community does use the fields in that park for t-ball games.

The city will hire a part-time maintenance worker to assist Archibald. The city has waited to fill this position permanently until a personnel matter over a previous city maintenance worker was resolved. The council is now ready to place an ad to fill the position soon.

Profits up some

In March, Stacy Wine and Spirits reported a modest profit of $700. The city will be closing on the sale of the liquor store property on April 12. Store manager Hachey said sales are good. He had assembled a sales report for Mar. 10 to Apr. 10 and gave a breakdown of product sales with hard liquor being approximately 2/3 of sales. The grand opening weekend had gone well, Hachey said. Customers were pleased with the size of the store and the selection. Hachey requested $69 to attend the Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association conference in May. Hachey uses MMBA programs and materials as a vehicle for employee training and education for preventing youth access to alcohol.

Rezoning rejected

The council has done much zoning and ordinance work over the past year. and in relation to that rejected Dustin Thompsonís request for rezoning of his property located in the Central Business District (CBD).

Thompson was requesting a change from single residential to business district zoning. Councilmember Otterson told Thompson, ìWe did not know what to do, truly.î As a result of discussing what direction to take, Otterson said there was nothing to go on in terms of precedent in how other properties were handled and in terms of what the present zoning ordinances state.

Notices about the requested zoning change had been sent to surrounding property owners and a public meeting was held but Daher said the council had not received much public input. The properties within the CBD are zoned differently. The vision is to someday have a downtown area from the freeway into the city. Eventually, the council speculated, everything from the freeway to the bike trail along Stacy Trail, would be rezoned to achieve a Central Business District. The matter will be referred to the planning commission which will try to work with Thompson regarding his property.

Slower traffic

Two years ago, the City asked Chisago County to lower the speed limit on Forest Boulevard. The council discussed the lack of response from the county board because no one knew if a speed study had been done. The speed study would be the first part of the process of changing the speed limit. Otterson said she thought they should simply tell the county the speed limit of 45 mph needs to be extended on the roadways coming into Stacy. Attorney Grundhoefer said to get the question of whether the speed study was done answered before they proceed. The change in the speed limit will be on future city council agendas. Traffic control has been on ongoing concern. Last summer two boys crossing at a city intersection in the crosswalk were hit by a vehicle that failed to yield to the pedestrians. There have also been problems with vehicles failing to slow down near where bike trails are intersecting with roads that run through Stacy.