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Harris wastewater plant to start operation May 12 |
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By Clark Natalie
The Harris Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) is scheduled to start operation May 12. Paul Christianson of People’s Service (Peoples), which has contracted with Harris to operate the facility, confirmed the date at the April 14 City Council meeting.
Christianson said Peoples has been working with the city engineers, Boonestroo, other governmental agencies, to establish a date of operation. The date is important because it establishes repayment schedules.
Christianson said the May 12 date will allow Peoples to get the plant up and running. “It’s not as simple as throwing a light switch.” There are three binders on safety features the staff needs to be brought up to date on. In addition to a dedicated staff member who will start each day at Harris, the operators in Hinckley and Braham will also be able to operate the Harris plant. Currently, the plant is processing clean water to make sure when the facility goes on line, all systems will be in working order.
The plan for abandonment of the present wastewater ponds was also approved. The plan is to drain as much water as possible this spring, transferr remaining water from the primary ponds to the secondary ponds to allow the primary ponds to dry. This fall, as much water as possible will also be drained, according to proper procedures. Any remaining water will be processed through the new WWTF. Then all ponds will be breached and allowed to dry. The area will be left to lie fallow. The ponds can then be graded and grass seed planted. This process can take up to 2011, if the proper extensions are granted. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency requires a date of completion and a plan to reach that date.
The Well Head Protection Plan was also adopted. In addition to establishing procedures, the plan has a list of current contacts should an emergency arise. This list includes not only government officials, but also the new operators of the WWTF and contractors the city uses for specific duties.
The council also discussed the update of Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) of the flood plain maps. Harris has not participated in the FEMA program in the past. The consensus was that by participating, it would put undue hardship on some property owners. In the past the maps were so general and inaccurate, the actual flood plan was difficult to decipher. FEMA has dedicated $10 million to update the maps nationwide. When this process is complete, the city will have six months to review the maps and decide whether to opt out again of the flood plain program. By not being in the program, it restricts residents of Harris from obtaining flood insurance. The council will decide when copies of the new maps for Harris are complete.
The contract for building inspector and zoning administrator was also approved. The delay had been caused by the estimate of the cost of zoning. The inspections are paid by the fees generated when building permits are obtained. Zoning would be separate. Steve Thorp told the council that should any violations be found, letters would be written by the city clerk, which would keep that cost down. As major zoning problems arise, Thorp would bring those directly to the council. Thorp’s estimate of the additional cost to monitor zoning would be approximately $500 per year.
Assistant Fire Chief Henry Gregoire brought several items to the council. One was the purchase of six additional response bags for the First Responder program. Additional bags are needed as more department members have completed their training. The bags are with the responders at their residence. This allows for quicker response time. Additional bags are kept at the fire hall for use by those responders living close to the fire hall.
There was discussion on how many response bags the department has available. Gregoire said that three First Responders had quit, but had not turned in their bags. He also said there was ongoing difficulty in getting bags, pagers and other equipment issued to some members returned when they leave the department. The response bags initially cost $160 each, there is no cost to keep them filled with the necessary items. The council approved the purchase of four additional bags, with the understanding that they will not be distributed until necessary documentation is completed, setting up the required process to return all equipment should the firefighter/First Responder quit the department.
The next issue was the cost of training. There were three new applicants presented and accepted by the council. Gregoire said the three would join other members in the basic firefighting class Pine Technical College will conduct at the Harris Fire Hall. With the three new members, 12 will be attending the class in all. Gregoire requested that an outstanding invoice at Pine Tech in the amount of $1,800 be approved for payment. The class, which is scheduled to begin on April 24, will not begin unless the back invoice is paid. Once paid, it will be necessary to pay for the members attending the class at a rate of $680 per firefighter. The cost would be $8,160, and $5,400 had been allocated in the fire department budget for training. Mayor Smisson said any amount approved over budget would have to come from some other source, such as maintenance. The council approved payment of the $1,800 outstanding invoice, and to spend the remaining $3,600 for this training using up the training budget for the year. The department has expended 64 percent of its budgetwith 30 percent of the year gone.
In other action,
• Chops, Inc., was approved to sell pull tabs at Big Daddy’s. Their present permit is still valid, but Chops had recently renewed their state permit. In that process, all existing permits and licenses must be renewed.
• Maintenance Supervisor Mike Kriz had three bids to remove a large cottonwood tree that has grown onto the right of way at Gladstone and 441st. The low bid was from Professional Tree Care at $2,710 for the removal of the tree and grinding of the stump. The Council approved the bid. Kriz will see if the electric company will deal with the tree before executing the contract, as the tree may be interfering in electric lines.
• Treasurer Marlys Balfany brought up an ordinance to establish a policy to shut off those residents of Harris who do not pay their utility bills. Balfany found old council minutes that the council wanted to establish such an ordinance, but it was never done. So, it was decided to start from scratch, hold public hearings and set up a the ordinance on a shut-off policy.
• Mayor Smisson brought up a subject coming out of employee reviews. Kriz has accumulated a significant number of comp time. A new policy ends accumulation at 70 hours. If they are not used, no additional hours will be added. Kriz accumulated his hours when he was running the maintenance and city shop along with the wastewater treatment facility. With the new WWTF being run by Peoples, Kriz’ hours should not accumulate as they have in the past. Therefore, it was decided to pay Kriz for for 478 hours, a total of $8,470.39. This will leave him with 264 hours, which will be dealt with in 2009.
• City Attorney Peter Grundhoefer noted that he had sent two letters to Don Kennen about the agreement with the city concerning the hookups on his property. These letters were sent in January 2008 and again on April 4 by certified mail. There had been no response. Smisson asked to pull the agreement, as Kennen had not responded and the agreement had not been signed. Any future agreements will require Kennen to reimburse the city for attorney or engineering costs. This was approved by the council.
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