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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole Minutes 03.02.1999 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE March 2, 1999 6:30 P.M. Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Chuck Rodgers Dirk KrolI Gary Temple Ken Olson Miles Walton Gay Easton Norman Orr Bill Staudinger Bud Johnson OTHERS PRESENT: V. Joe Leckie Larry McCann Don Hackmann Mary Embleton Rick Musson Jim Stevens Duke Nieskens Rick Musson mentioned that two police officers are in their third week at the Police Academy. Rick distributed the Police Department Case Report Register for February. Jeff Fowler has been actively arresting underage smokers at the high school, and the school superintendent is pleased. There were 218 traffic stops and 25 citations for no insurance during February. Cheryl Marshall is on sick leave at the present time. Mayor Rodgers introduced Mary Embleton, the new Clerk-Treasurer. Larry McCann mentioned that Dean Askim would be offanother six weeks and should be at one hundred percent when he returns. Larry said that work would begin on the South Pond walkway along Eighth Avenue later this month. Jim Worthington has surveyed the property and it will come to the council for annexation. The cemetery is also being surveyed. Duke Nieskens distributed a handout of tables and graphs showing the effluent averages at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The linc'on the graph specified the design limitation. From 1990 through 1998, the averages exceeded the design limitation for average flow. Duke highlighted the data for 1987 and 1995, and it showed the specific times when the average was exceeded, causing the year's average to exceed the design limitations. When there is an excessive amount of flow through the Treatment Plant, we do not meet our discharge pen'nit which is handled by the Department of Environmental Quality. We are going out of permit on BOD percent removal and total suspended solids pement removal. It looks like we are infiltrating the problem into the sewer system, either by groundwater from homeowner's sump pumps or through deteriorated sewer mains. Duke distributed the information so the council would be knowledgeable about the problems at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. In the past, the state has questioned this, but Duke does not know what the response was at that time. He informed the council that an infiltration study should be done to try to correct the problem. Duke mentioned that the plant does a good job most of the year, but the summer is definitely a problem. Miles suggested that the summer problem is caused by irrigation, indicating that there are major leaks somewhere within the system. Some sump pumps run all summer, and this indicates that groundwater is going directly into the sanitary sewer system. This means there is more water than solids to remove. The water is going through at such a high rate and the limits cannot be dropped down far enough, causing the plant to be out of compliance. An infiltration study should be done to determine if the plant is actually over capacity or if too much water is being infiltrated. Duke has added some money to the budget to implement an infiltration study, which could cost $50,000 to $I00,000. Don asked anyone planning to attend the Elected Officials Workshop to turn in their registration form. Joe Leckie has surgery scheduled for Monday, March 8th, and will be unavailable next week. Bill Staudinger questioned why the underpass has not been swept with the street sweeper. Mayor Rodgers contacted the Highway Department about the excess sand in the underpass, and he expects a response this week. Bill mentioned that there have been cars parked in the area north of Thomson Park, south of the high school where plans are to put in grass. There is a no parking sign, but people continue to park cars anyway. Mayor Rodgers asked the Police and Public Works Departments to look into the problem. Miles Walton thanked Rick for the great job the Police Department has been doing in traffic control. The police have been patrolling Eighth Avenue and it has helped control the traffic speed in the school zone. The Lennox Apartments have been closed up. Joe Leckie withdrew item i. from the agenda in order to do further research on the correct wording of the ordinance. Mayor Rodgers informed the council that each individual ordinance on the agenda would not be read during the council meeting. Every councilman had a copy of the ordinance, so only the ordinance number would be read before the motion. The meeting adjourned at 6:52 p.m, Respectfully submitted, Cindy Allen City Council Secretary