Development dominates Tower agenda, Lamppa project moves forward

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 — The City of Tower has been very busy with a full slate of business on the city’s agenda.  Tower moved the Lamppa Manufacturing project forward and agreed to administer a $125,000 grant request, to the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), on behalf of the Lake Vermilion Cultural Center. The council also eliminated a wetlands hurdle for Tower Harbor Shores.

The city engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) has completed drawings of a new Lamppa Manufacturing building, which will be built in the industrial park in the southwest corner of the city.  The city council unanimously voted to utilize SEH to request bids for the project. A ten year lease of the building to Lamppa Manufacturing was also unanimously approved by the council. Lamppa will pay the city $234,600 in lease payments over the initial term, starting with a $1,200 monthly payment and gradually increasing over the ten years to a monthly payment of  $2,625. It is expected that construction on the building will be completed and Lamppa will begin leasing the property in October of this year. With these details accomplished the city council gave its approval to seek an IRRRB non-recourse loan to fund the site preparation and construction costs of the building. Lamppa will utilize one-half of the building to build its wood stoves and furnaces leaving the other half available to lease to another business or a future Lamppa Manufacturing expansion.

Many have been concerned that work has long been idle on a project to develop a cultural center on Main Street, leaving the historic former Episcopal Church building left unfinished and exposed to the elements with building wrap serving as much of its roof and much of that wrap fluttering in the wind. The project was moving forward following its move to Main Street in 2015 but the construction site became idle in 2016 once the additions were roughed-in. That could soon change as the city council approved a request that it administer and move forward a $125,000 IRRRB grant application by the Lake Vermilion Cultural Center (LVCC) towards its 1.2 million dollar project. City Clerk-Treasurer Linda Keith reported that the organization hopes this grant will be able to fund a new roof for the building. Mayor Josh Carlson emphasized that it is imperative that organizations who seek IRRRB funding coordinate their projects with the city first. The city is able to obtain grants and administer them on behalf of organizations, but it must be informed of potential projects up front so the city can coordinate the many projects it already has on its agenda, Carlson said. Keith reported that she developed a set of guidelines for LVCC as the organization works with the city and she recommended that the city to hire SEH to handle any required bidding for the project. LVCC utilized Architectural Resources Inc, Hibbing, to create specs for the construction and develop a budget outline, however the city likes to rely on SEH to handle much of its work. The city council was unanimous in its decision to accept oversight of the project and approved the set of guidelines for the project.

The city council approved spending $38,777.11 to purchase nearly 90 percent of an acre of hardwood and coniferous swamp wetland banking credits to move forward a development project it hopes can get underway on Tower’s harbor this summer. The City will impact the floodplain of the East Two River as it develops a new roadway to access townhomes planned for the harbor. Because the new road will partially impact existing wetlands, mitigation is required before any development can commence. The city agreed to purchase the wetlands to comply with the requirements of the Minnesota Wetland Act following its receipt of a final decision on the project by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.

Following the implementation of the Tower Ambulance Service’s new paid-on-call employees, Director Steve Altenburg requested that the city adjust the wages it currently pays the Ambulance Assistant Directors. The recommendation is to increase the pay for Josh Villebrun from $300 to $400, decrease the pay for Dena Suihkonen from $400 to $200 and fully eliminate $300 in pay for Kim Mattila. These changes are compatible with the duties currently performed by these employees and are approved by the parties themselves, Altenburg said. The city will realize cost savings of $400, monthly, under the new pay schedule. The city council was supportive of Altenburg’s recommendation quickly, and unanimously, approving a motion for the changes.

In other action, the Tower City Council:

• Learned that Clerk Keith believes it is time for the city to upgrade its accounting software, a project which comes with an estimated cost of $8,000. The clerk’s office looses a considerable amount of time dealing with glitches caused by antiquated software according to Keith

• Referred an offer to sell the city disc golf equipment from Leiviska Disc Golf Design to TEDA for review and its recommendation

• Approved the minutes of the March 12 and March 26 regular meetings of the city council

• Accepted the 2018 elections calendar and approved resolution 2018-005 establishing the Tower Civic Center, 402 Pine Street, Tower, as the city’s polling place, appointed Linda Keith as Head Judge, Terri Joki-Martin as Deputy Head Judge and Marjorie Johnson as Emergency Head Judge should an emergency situation unfold where the Head Judge and Deputy Head Judge become unable to conduct an election

• Approved the transfer of Hangar Lease No. 14 to Dave Engesath from Dale Burgess

• Again entered into an agreement for cooperative fire protection services between the city and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

• Tabled a request to have the city upgrade the Spruce Street sidewalk adjacent to the Scenic Rivers Clinic

• Fine-tuned the maintenance workers job descriptions and replaced Dave Bjorgo with Alderman Brad Mattich serving on the maintenance worker interview committee

• Authorized spending $3,387.50 to purchase and instal video door system to improve safety at the building leased to the Vermilion country Charter School. The school will contribute $600 for installation of the equipment which will be supplied, and installed, by Perpich TV and Appliance

• Acknowledged the receipt of the February Minnesota Department of Health haloacetic acids and trihalomethane water test results. Communities which require disinfectant as part of its drinking water treatment must monitor for these chemical byproducts