Additional February City of Tower briefs
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 — The Tower City Council met in a special session, Tuesday, February 20 to complete its business soliciting bids for demolition work at the Tower marina. The first call for bids resulted in two widely differing bid amounts to complete the work required for Your Boat Club, to begin remodeling its marina. One bid was was made at just over 32 thousand dollars and the other came in at 251 thousand. The city tabled any action at its regular meeting and called for the special meeting to again consider accepting bids for demolition costs and seek Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) funding to complete the project. When the city learned that the project should be bid again it met with Your Boat Club owner Luke Kujawa and the city’s engineers to finalize specifications for the project.
Because demolition of the sea wall along the river would require Department of Natural Resources permitting, it was decided to leave that part of the project for another time, City Clerk-Treasurer Linda Keith told the council. Other specifications regarding demolition in the marina’s main building were also put on hold to simplify the bidding process.
Mayor Josh Carlson acknowledged that the first call for bids would not be acceptable in anticipation of state funding. “We learned that there are certain processes that need to be followed,” Carlson reported. “We were kind of misled on how we should proceed,” Carlson concluded.
The original proposal to seek IRRRB funding for demolition at the marina was promoted by the Tower Area Economic Development Association, which undertook charge of managing the project for Tower.
The city council unanimously rejected the two bids it already received and called for bids, issuing new specs, to complete demolition work at the marina. Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc., city engineers, are writing the new bid proposal, Clerk Keith told the city council.
The city council unanimously approved Resolution 2018-003 authorizing Tower to seek IRRRB funding through its commercial rehabilitation grant program.
Tower Forestry Board meets for the first time in many years
Three members of the Tower Forestry board met to reorganize for the first time, in many years, on Thursday, February 15. With this quorum the board reorganized and approved appointing Sheldon Majerle to serve as its chairman. Brooke Jankowski was appointed vice chairman.
Members of the forestry board learned that the board manages all Tower’s lands, which numbers in the hundreds of acres and is funded by the Gunderson Trust. Two members of the forestry board were unable to attend the reorganization meeting and the board determined that it would contact the other people serving on the board and determine a date on which it can again meet. The Forestry Board is comprised of Majerle, Anderson, D. A. Carter, Mike Larson and Brian Clennon. When appointing Clennon back in January, Mayor Josh Carlson told the city council that he was making the appointment because of his experience as a forester and that he was asking the Eveleth resident to share his expertise with the board.
Gunderson Trust meeting postponed
The Gunderson Trust Board, originally scheduled to be held Thursday, February 22 was canceled. At this time a new date has not been set for the Trust board to meet.