By MaryHelen Swanson

First on the North Branch Council agenda, Monday, Oct. 9, was a request from city residents in the Wildridge Northpointe neighborhood to address the gunshots being heard.

Chris Kendall, one of the residents in that development on the west side of the freeway, wanted to know what the cityís firearm ordinance said about shooting in city limits.

In a letter to the council, she said several times over the past few months there has been gunfire near her neighborhood.

Audience members from that same neighborhood agreed.

Kendall said the shooting appears to come from a home located between their neighborhood and Hwy. 95.

She said they have called the police twice and other neighbors have also called.

She told the councilors they have not gotten a definite response from the police.

What they say, she said, is that they donít know what the current ordinance is regarding the discharge of firearms in North Branch.

Interim City Administrator Bridgitte Konrad pointed to a memo from Police Chief Steven Forner that said what he had heard, while researching the issue, was shots from outside the city limits.

The residents of the neighborhood say they are afraid to walk in certain areas, and seemed to know exactly where the shooting was coming from.

Kendall, in her letter, said the folks were appealing to the city council to review its ordinances and update them, if necessary, before someone is injured.

The council took no action that night.

Also, during public comment, Veronica Korby, a realtor and resident of North Branch, asked the council to follow through with the original plan to include moderate income housing in the ESSBY project, as the need for homes for first-time buyers is real. Come to a conclusion on the development, she said.

Travis Giem and Jonathan Partak, two young skateboarders, were on hand to thank the council for the additional equipment that is going to be installed at the skateboard park near the high school. Using park dedication funds, the city will install $8,570 worth of new equipment purchased from TrueRide. Mayor Gloria Karsky commended the boys for coming to the park board with their request.

The council voted 4-1 (Theresa Furman opposed) to approve the the sale of a $600,000 General Obligation 15-year bond for three lift station projects and one utility project. They are Wildridge 4th Lift Station, Wildridge Lift Station Abandonment, Luchtís Crossing Lift Station and the Marketplace Utility project. According to city finance director Dave Stutelberg, the bond payments will be funded by assessments to benefiting property owners and sewer trunk fees.