Tower to seek new Ambulance Director
MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2016 — The Tower City Council learned that Matt Tuchel was giving notice of his resignation as Ambulance Director, effective December 1, at its regular meeting on Monday, June 13. Tuchel has served the city as Ambulance Director for nearly five years. “We really appreciate your service, Matt,” Mayor Josh Carlson said, adding that he was sure the city and ambulance would miss having Tuchel’s leadership, but fortunately there are other “very talented individuals that can fulfill these duties.”
Alderman William Hiltunen made a motion to accept Tuchel’s resignation, with support from Alderman Lance Dougherty. The motion passed unanimously. The city council then entered into a discussion on how it should proceed to fill the upcoming vacancy. City Clerk-Treasurer Linda Keith suggested the city council post the vacancy, internally, within the Tower Ambulance Service, and accept applications due in July. Keith also asked the council to appoint an interview committee and said that she believed that Tuchel should be asked to serve on that committee. Alderman Dougherty made a motion to appoint Tuchel, Alderman Hiltunen and Alderman Joan Broten to comprise the committee; accept applications until August 1; and conduct interviews during the first week of August, making its recommendation to fill the position at the city’s August 8 meeting. Mayor Carlson provided support for the motion, which passed unanimously.
Turning to other city personnel issues, the city council unanimously voted to hire Ms. J. Moundson as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) to serve on the Tower Ambulance Service.
Dean Dowden and Jake Schmidt have been serving as Emergency Medical Responders (EMR) for the ambulance service, and having completed additional training are now qualified EMTs. Alderman Broten moved, and Alderman Hiltunen seconded a motion to promote both Dowden and Schmidt to serve as EMTs. the motion was unanimously approved.
The city council approved changes to the pay scale of the first and second assistant ambulance directors. Steve Altenburg serves as the first director and Dena Suihkonen as the second director. Tuchel, as the ambulance director, suggested changing the pay schedule to reflect additional work which henceforth will be preformed by Altenburg as Suihkonen begins to handle less responsibility due to new out-of-town employment. The council approved a pay increase for the first assistant director to $700, from the present $600 and reduced the pay of the second director to $300 from $400.
Two applications for the position of Emergency Management Director had been received by the council. Jesse Anderson, Soudan and Douglas M. Workman, Tower each applied to fill the position. Mayor Carlson made, and Alderman Dougherty supported, a motion to appoint Anderson to the position. The motion was approved unanimously. Anderson is currently the Breitung Chief of Police and will now also serve Tower as its Emergency Management Director. Alderman Hiltunen made the motion approving the suggested changes and Alderman Dougherty supported the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Presenting his monthly report Chief of Police Anderson informed the city council that he had determined that five youths were responsible for vandalism to the Tower School concession stand at the football field and to the city owned pole barn. Chief Anderson indicated that he would seek restitution from the youths by having them complete community service and that he would like to learn of any projects the city might determine that would be suitable for them to perform.
Chief Anderson made a presentation to the city council regarding the new speed warning sign which he has placed into use on Tower’s Main Street and at different locations throughout the Tower-Soudan community. The unit is slightly used, having been purchased new by the Virginia Police Department for about $7,000, however, Chief Anderson was able to purchase the unit for only $2,000. He explained that the Breitung Town Board had agreed to pay for half its cost at that board’s meeting on June 9. Chief Anderson asked the council to approve spending $1,000 for the other one-half of its cost. Mayor Carlson said that he was, “100 percent for it,” and made a motion to approve the $1,000. Alderman Broten supported the motion which the council passed with unanimous support.
The council and Chief Anderson discussed how the council should handle the sale of property, such as automobiles, or other vehicles forfeited due to the commission of crimes while driving. Chief Anderson suggested that the city earmark its receipts from the forfeitures to drug awareness and education programs. Chief Anderson explained that on property claimed by the police department within the city limits, 30 percent of any sale proceeds goes to the city’s attorney. Property which is forfeited through violations outside of Tower are prosecuted by St. Louis County, and in those cases the county claims the 30 percent. Currently the police department is anticipating the sale of one vehicle which was confiscated within the city limits, according to Chief Anderson. Mayor Carlson suggested that the council table the matter until its June 27 meeting so that state statutes governing the process could be studied before a decision is made. Alderman Broten made the motion to table the matter. Alderman Dougherty provided support for the motion and the council approved tabling further discussion until the next meeting.
As Tower and the Town of Breitung continue to plan for a new building to serve as the community’s fire hall, ambulance and police facilities it has been decided to pare down the original plans and to consider a 15,000 square foot facility, Mayor Carlson reported. He explained that the original proposal called for the optimum facility and now the committee was looking to downsize the plan to exactly what was needed as a cost saving measure. The Mayor noted that soil tests on the Highway 135 site were completed while soil testing at the Breitung Monument Park location was underway. “The future idea is forming a ‘fire district,’ and it only makes sense to have Eagles Nest included,” Mayor Carlson said.
Seeking city approval for his proposal to expand the Hoodoo Point Campground facilities, manager Randy Pratt appeared before the city council again. He presented his expansion ideas at the May council and reiterated his desire to have the city add an additional seven seasonal campsites and have the city consider a bonding bill to upgrade the electrical service throughout much of the campground to 50 amp service. The seven additional season sites would increase revenues by $15,000 a year, according to Pratt. It was estimated that a $200,000 bond issue, to complete the proposed electrical upgrades, would take approximately $23,000, each year, to amortize. Clerk Keith suggested that the council enlist the engineers at Short, Elliot, Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH) to prepare a plan for the upgrades which would be brought back to the council agenda at a later date. The council instructed Clerk Keith to seek quotes from SEH to prepare the plan.
“I’m in the second year of our three year contract,” Pratt told the board, “and I’m looking at financing a new camper.” The bank would like to see that I have a five year contract, before issuing the loan, Pratt said, asking the council to consider extending his contract before it was up at the end of 2017. The council decided that it would refer the contract issue to the Hoodoo Point Campground committee.
Fourth of July
Both Randy and Carol Semo, Good Ol’ Days Bar and Grill and Dave Erickson, D’erick’s Tower Liquor store, requested street closures adjacent to their businesses, to create room for beer and cocktail drink gardens and space for live music entertainment during the Fourth of July celebration. In addition to the street closure Erickson requested the use of the city’s maintenance garage, for the day. Approval was given for each request, with condition that alleyways at both locations must remain open.
The city council also determined that the Fourth of July fireworks display would be conducted at dusk on July 4, capping off the Independence Day celebrations.
Correspondence
The city council acknowledged it’s receipt of correspondence from:
• Jason Jenson, Conservation Officer Pilot, MNDNR. Jenson thanked the airport staff and city public works staff for assistance at the airport following his experiencing mechanical troubles while stocking fish in Trout Lake.
• Kjelsey Polzin, program manager, Emergency Medical Services for Children Resource Center of Minnesota. Polzin provided the city a hand drawn thank you note from a Minneapolis grade school student expressing appreciation to the Tower Ambulance Service for providing emergency medical service to children in need.
In other action, the council:
• Reviewed correspondence from Christopher J. Virta, Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick, P. A., the Duluth law firm which is advising the city on the transfer of lands to Nordic Business Development, Inc., an Edina, Minn. developer wanting to build town homes on the Tower East Two River. The attorney has advised the council that following his preparing an agreement, the next step will be to hold a public hearing on the proposed sale.
• Approved spending an estimated $3,920 to repair the broken concrete steps to Tower’s City Hall, taking care to preserve the architectural details of the main entrance
• Approved sending a letter to Dave Rose outlining the requirements he must fulfill before his conditional use permit can be considered
• Held the second reading of an amendment to the Ordinance 82 zoning map changing parcel 080-0020-00010. The amendment will change the parcel from its current Open Lands designation to Commercial 1 on only one acre of the parcel. The acre is adjacent to lands where Vermilion Properties Company, LLC currently offers storage facilities for rent and expansion of those facilities will be possible when the change is made.
• Authorized the purchase of 50 replacement street light banners at a cost of $42 each. It is anticipated that the banners will be printed and ready to install before the Fourth of July
• Approved issuing 2016-2017 liquor licenses for Good Ol’ Days, D’Erick’s Tower Liquor Store and Benchwarmer’s Grille
• Authorized the city to act a lead applicant on behalf of the Tower-Breitung Wastewater Board’s loan request of $2,460,000 from the state’s Drinking Water Revolving Fund. The loan would be used for anticipated 2017 improvements to the water treatment plant
• Discussed an offer from Vermilion Housing Corporation to sell the undeveloped lands it holds adjacent to the Lakeview Manor Apartments in Tower. The city will attempt to determine the value of the land as its first step in considering the purchase.
• Accpeted a $7,500 grant from the Minnesota Historical Society. The funds will be used by the Tower-Soudan Historical Society to conduct a drainage study for Tower’s Duluth and Iron Range Railroad depot
• Approved the transfer, upon receipt of the required one-percent fee, of a city lot lease at 5751 Hoodoo Point Road from Daniel and Corrine Hobbs to Ronald and Gwen Potter
• Approved slight changes to the lease of lands from Tower to American Tower, subject to approval by the city engineering firm, SEH. For the modest increase of land leased Tower will receive an additional $300 per month
• Hired Elsie Dahl, Margie Johnson, Sheldon Majerle, Mandy Northrup, Carol Pratt and Pat Raj as election judges
• Appointed Clerk Keith as Head Election Judge and Deputy-clerk Stephanie Carlson as Deputy-head Election Judge
• Canceled the city’s BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota contract
• Approved the Lake Vermilion Chapter, Minnesota Deer Hunter’s Association’s application to conduct a charitable gambling operation at Benchwarmer’s Grille
• Approved having the city’s maintenance department remove a deadhead at the confluence of East Two River and Lake Vermilion
• Discussed the city’s All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Ordinance No. 8 and changes which might be necessary in light of St. Louis County’s new policy allowing ATVs on county roads. Deputy-clerk Carlson will contact Dan Broten and Larry Folstad to enlist their aid in determining a proposal for the council to consider
• Received monthly reports from the Tower Ambulance Service, Tower Fire Department, The Breitung Police Department and Historic Harbor Renaissance project. The council learned that Clerk Keith will be traveling to St. Paul later this summer to advocate for Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resource funding for harbor improvements.