VILLAGE OF BRUCE
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
September 11th, 2023
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a scheduled monthly meeting of the Village Board was held on Monday, September 11th, 2023.
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 Galen Brainerd, Darlene Wundrow, Tim Dolan, Kim Grasley, Mark Zimmer and Jim Johnson. Clerk/Treasurer Jessica Hayes and Deputy Clerk/Treasurer Nicole Frisinger attended also.
– PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE –
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Motion by Grasley, seconded by Dolan to approve the August 7th, 2023 Public Hearing Minutes, carried.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Brainerd to approve the August 7th, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting Minutes, carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to approve the Treasurer’s report as given, carried.
EMPLOYEE’S REPORT: Casey Gudis attended the meeting to report to the Board that the Village has received all safe samples from the Water Filtration Project, so the last two laterals can be installed, and the road can now be graded and paved. Curbs and sidewalks are completed.
The sewer on Walnut has been dug up and capped.
Xcel Energy contacted Gudis to inform him that the Village is paying for 3 phase power at Round Lake. The meter hasn’t turned in roughly 15 years. To save the Village some money for unneeded service, Gudis asked Xcel to discontinue that service.
Bruce School & Rusk County Housing Authority Meter Purchase Approval: Bruce School & Rusk County Housing Authority are two large water users and are still running off of the manual read meters. The meter at the school was tested and failed. Gudis asked for approval to purchase two new remote read meters to replace the manual ones. The Bruce School meter would be a 3 inch meter at $2,495.00 and Rusk County Housing would be a 2 inch meter at $1,095.00. Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Brainerd to approve purchasing both meters, carried.
Stump Grinding on Trails End: There is a stump out on Trails End in the right of way that needs to be ground to avoid damaging the snowplow in the winter. Motion by Johnson, seconded by Zimmer to approve having Gudis get the stump ground, carried.
PETITIONERS-CITIZEN COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS:
Rick Ensenbach – Wreaths Across America: Rick Ensenbach attended the meeting to request a donation from the Board for ‘Wreaths Across America’ which is a program that places wreaths on Veteran’s graves during the holiday season. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Dolan to approve donating $500.00 to the ‘Wreaths Across America’ program, carried.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: Bob Lorkowski attended the meeting and asked the Board if there could be a sign installed on Main Street in front of his business to welcome larger vehicles to use his parking lot as a public parking lot to avoid blocking the view of traffic and also his business. He also asked if a speed limit sign could be installed as vehicles go dangerously fast on Main Street which is a safety concern. The Board responded that they would look in to getting both signs installed.
APPLICATIONS:
Operator’s Licenses:
Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to approve an Operator’s License to Richelle M. Heavilin, carried.
Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to approve an Operator’s License to Michael W. Hamm, carried.
Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to approve an Operator’s License to Rachel A. Smith, carried.
Bow Hunting Permit:
Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to approve a bow hunting permit to Jim O’Donnell to hunt on Village owned property, carried.
Building Permits:
Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to approve a building permit to Barry Frisinger to build a storage shed on his property located at 760 W. Arthur Avenue, carried.
Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to approve a building permit to Ken Bolduc to build a garage on his property located at 128 W. Washington Avenue, carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Utility:
Garbage Contract Discussion: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to send the item to committee to discuss further and to table the ‘Garbage Contract Discussion’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Sewer Main Replacement on East Arthur /S. Main St.: The project will begin as soon as easements are signed by property owners. The project will take about a day-day and a half to complete. One resident will not respond to the certified letter or phone calls regarding signing the easement. Larry Gotham suggested that the Clerk talk to the Village’s attorney regarding prescriptive rights, which could ultimately lead to a court case. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Johnson to table the ‘Sewer Main Replacement on East Arthur/S. Main St.’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Resolution #23-06 – Preliminary Resolution Declaring Intent to Exercise Special Assessment Powers under Wis. Stat. 66.0701, 66.0703 and Title 3, Chapter 2 of the Village of Bruce’s Ordinances for Levying Special Assessments for the Sewer Main Replacement on East Arthur/S. Main St: Motion by Grasley, seconded by Wundrow to approve Resolution #23-06, a Preliminary Resolution Declaring Intent to Exercise Special Assessment Powers under Wis. Stat. 66.0701, 66.0703 and Title 3, Chapter 2 of the Village of Bruce’s Ordinances for Levying Special Assessments for the Sewer Main Replacement on East Arthur/S. Main St, carried.
Set Date for Special Assessment Hearing: Motion by Johnson, seconded by Zimmer to hold the Public Hearing for Special Assessments for the Water Filtration Project, Sewer Line Replacement Project on East Arthur & S. Main and the Sewer Line Replacement Project on River Avenue for October 2nd, 2023 at 6:30 p.m., carried. Regular Monthly Board Meeting to follow at 7:00 p.m.
Public Works:
Veteran’s Memorial Park Site: A portion of the electrical and also the landscaping has been installed by Derrick Ewald for his Eagle Scout project. Gudis reported that the electrical boxes that Ewald installed were indoor boxes, not outdoor boxes and they would need to be replaced. The landscaping would also need to be fixed as it is not level. Trott asked the Board to visit the site at some point before the next monthly meeting to inspect the work that has been done so far. Motion by Johnson, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Veteran’s Memorial Park Site’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
LRIP (Local Road Improvement Program) Funds: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Dolan, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘LRIP (Local Road Improvement Program) Funds’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Water Filtration Project – Corrective Work on Village Wells & River Avenue:
-DISCUSSION & ACTION-
– UPDATE –
Larry Gotham of Morgan & Parmley, Ltd. attended the meeting to give the Board an update on the project. Curb, gutter and sidewalk are completed. The paving should be completed in the next couple weeks.
Dave Jandrt attended the meeting to let the Board know that during construction, part of his concrete in front of his building on River Avenue was damaged by the construction crew. He stated that he wants to do the work himself to get it repaired but wanted the Board to be aware.
Well House #3 is to be upgraded and roof replaced with part of this project. It is roughly 40 years old. Gotham said there was some water damage when they pulled the old roof off. There are two options for replacing the roof. One is to replace the roof as it previously was with a flat membrane roof. The second option would be to install trusses and put a steel roof on. The Board showed interest in installing a steel roof rather than a flat roof that is currently there, but they would like a quote first before approving the upgrade. Gotham said he would provide the Board with a quote for the trusses and steel roof at the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Meeting.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Zimmer to table the ‘Water Filtration – Corrective Work on Village Wells & River Avenue’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Morgan & Parmley Ltd. – Invoice Payment Approval: Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Dolan to pay the invoice in the amount of $5,625.00 to Morgan & Parmley, Ltd. for engineering work on the Filtration Project, completed thru August 31st, 2023, carried.
Haas Sons, Inc. – Invoice Payment Approval: Motion by Grasley, seconded by Wundrow to approve paying the invoice from Haas Sons, Inc. in the amount of $325,342.12 for work completed on the Filtration project thru August 30th, 2023, carried.
Resolution #23-07- Preliminary Resolution Declaring Intent to Exercise Special Assessments Powers under Wis. Stat. 66.0701, 66.0703, and Title 3, Chapter 2 of the Village of Bruce’s Ordinances for Levying Special Assessments along River Avenue: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to approve Resolution #23-07, a Preliminary Resolution Declaring Intent to Exercise Special Assessments Powers under Wis. Stat. 66.0701, 66.0703, and Title 3, Chapter 2 of the Village of Bruce’s Ordinances for Levying Special Assessments along River Avenue, carried.
Public Welfare:
Bruce Park Concession Stand Discussion: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Wundrow to table the ‘Bruce Park Concession Stand Discussion’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Park Dugout Update: Affordable fencing has ordered all supplies for the fence and backstop. The netting will not be installed until the Spring of 2024. The fence and backstop will be completed within the next couple months. Nothing more to report at this time. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Dolan to table the ‘Park Dugout Update’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Approval of contract between Bruce School & the Village on Park Use: Nothing new to report this month.Motion by Johnson, seconded by Zimmer to send the item to committee and to table the ’Approval of contract between Bruce School & the Village on Park Use’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Administration:
Maintenance Position Hire: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Zimmer to table the ‘Maintenance Position Hire’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Finance:
Rusk County Sheriff’s Department Contract Discussion & Action: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Rusk County Sheriff’s Department Contract Discussion & Action’ item until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Delinquent Bill from Village Owned Property Damage: The Board asked the Clerk to contact the Village attorney about garnishing wages of the individual that the judgement is against. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Wundrow to table the ‘Delinquent Bill from Village Owned Property Damage’ issue until the October, 2023 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
APPROVAL OF BILLS: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to pay vouchers and electronic payments totaling $666,920.65, carried.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Flushing Hydrants: September 25th thru September 29th, 2023, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Please refrain from running water during these times.
Village Wide Fall Clean-Up: October 13th and October 14th, 2023, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to adjourn, carried. Adjournment was at 8:18 p.m.
Jessica Hayes
Clerk/Treasurer