VILLAGE OF BRUCE
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
March 2, 2020
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a scheduled monthly meeting of the Village Board was held on Monday, March 2nd, 2020.
Village President Shane Trott presided and called to order the meeting at the Village Hall facility at 7:00 p.m. Board members present were Gayanne Skogen, Mark Zimmer, Galen Brainerd, Avery Newman & Larry Cabak. Jessica Hegeholz attended also.
Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Newman to approve the Agenda, carried.
Motion by Skogen, seconded by Cabak to approve the February 3rd, 2020 Regular Monthly Board Meeting Minutes, carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Skogen to approve the Treasurer’s report as given, carried.
EMPLOYEE’S REPORT: Darlene Wundrow attended the meeting and reported to the Board that the employees are busy working on an emergency preparedness plan so employees know what to do if an emergency arises. She also reported that there were some Coleman Street lift station malfunctions in the last week. The part has been delivered and the employees will be fixing it this week. There was some discussion on the air handler at the new Village Shop. There were electrical problems but they have been fixed.
PETITIONERS-CITIZEN COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS:
Boy Scouts Chili Feed & Silent Auction Donation-March 8th, 2020: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Brainerd to approve donating $100.00 to the Boy Scouts Chili Feed & Silent Auction on March 8th, 2020, carried.
Rusk County Youth Council Donation Request: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Newman to approve donating $50.00 to the Rusk County Youth Council, carried.
Mike Mirr-Sidewalk Concerns: Mike Mirr from Mirr’s Gateway Motel attended the meeting to discuss some concerns he has about the sidewalk in front of his business on Main Street. Discussion was held and the Board came to the decision that the cracks in the sidewalk have been an issue since the Main Street project years ago and that they will look in to having the maintenance workers repair it.
APPLICATIONS: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Brainerd to approve a building permit for George Aiken to do interior remodeling updates on his house he owns at 1028 N. 2nd Street, carried.
Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Cabak to approve a building permit for Jim Johnson to do a kitchen remodel on his house he owns at 619 N. Johnson Street, carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Public Works:
Committee Meeting February 3rd, 2020 Report: A committee meeting was held on February 3rd, 2020 to look at and discuss the sewer line/parking lot replacement in the alley in front of L’Cars Automotive. No decisions were made.
New Village Shop Update: Larry Gotham of Morgan & Parmley, Ltd. attended the meeting to give the Board an update on the New Village Shop. He is busy working on the final paperwork and loan closeout for the project. A DNR inspection was done on February 25th, 2020 and a punch list of unfinished items was updated. The items will need to be completed no later than June 15th, 2020. Most of the items on the list cannot be completed until the frost is out of the ground. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Newman to table the “New Village Shop Update” issue until the April, 2020 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
A-1 Excavating Inc.-Pay Request Approval: The Board reviewed the pay request that was submitted to them from A-1 Excavating, and after much discussion and debate, motion by Zimmer, seconded by Brainerd to approve paying the pay request in the amount of $16,347.38, and holding $10.082.50 in retainage until the Shop completion date of June 15th, 2020, with Cabak opposing, carried.
North Main Street Reconstruction Project: Larry Gotham reported that Morgan & Parmley, Ltd. & Cooper Engineering are still working on the applications for the project and updating the plans. Motion by Newman, seconded by Brainerd to table the “North Main Street Reconstruction Project” issue until the April, 2020 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Public Welfare:
Committee Meeting February 4th, 2020 Report: A committee meeting was held on February 4th, 2020 to discuss unsightly properties. No action was taken on the subject.
Potential Skate Park in Village: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Cabak to table the “Potential Skate Park in Village” issue until the April, 2020 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Pursue Legal Action on N. Wester Street Property: Trott advised the Board that the parcel in question is still in the previous owners name and that we will not be issuing building permits to the occupant of the property until the accurate homeowner submits the correct forms. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Cabak to table the ‘Pursue Legal Action on N. Wester Street Property” issue until the April, 2020 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Administration:
Update Ordinances: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Brainerd to table the “Update Ordinances” issued until the April, 2020 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
CDBG Program & Possible Action: Carolyn Martin, Community Development Block Grant Coordinator for the Village of Bruce attended the meeting to discuss the future for the CDBG Program for the Village. She explained to the Board that regulations are getting more difficult to keep the program going and she recommends closing it. The Village would still contract with Carolyn to handle any outstanding loan activity. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Skogen to close out the CDBG Program with the Village of Bruce, return any future monies to the State, and to contract with Carolyn Martin to handle all future administration for any outstanding loans in the program for the Village, carried. Motion by Newman, seconded by Zimmer to remove the ‘CDBG Program & Possible Action’ issue from the agenda, carried.
Finance:
Municipal Property Insurance Company-Policy Premium: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Brainerd to approve paying $5,735.00.00 for the Village of Bruce’s Municipal Property Insurance Premium, carried.
Worker’s Comp., Liability & Crime Insurance-Policy Premiums-Discussion & Action: Some discussion was held on keeping the ‘No Fault Sewer Backup’ coverage included on the premiums. The Board decided it was in their best interest to keep the add-on on the coverage.Motion by Skogen, seconded by Zimmer to approve paying the annual premiums for the Village’s Worker’s Compensation of $7,184.00, Liability package of $10,295.00 and Crime Policy of $471.00, carried.
APPROVAL OF BILLS: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Newman to pay vouchers and electronic payments totaling $228,897.65, carried.
ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Cabak to adjourn, carried. Adjournment was at 8:59 p.m.
Jessica Hegeholz
Clerk/Treasurer