The December meeting of the City Council of Garretson was a very informative meeting, and included a resolution to re-plat the land that encompasses Devil's Gulch, an overview of the condition of the arch bridge going over Splitrock Creek on 5th Street, and an overview of what winter park use may look like. The council began with the Pledge of Allegiance, with all council members except Dave Bonte in attendance. The Consent Agenda was amended to allow for the re-platting of the land owned by Owen Wiese also known as Devil's Gulch, then the council moved on to committee reports.
Mayor Greg Beaner began with natural gas prices, which were approved as recommended, then moved on to the Parks Board report.
The Parks Board had not met in the past month, but was looking for approval from the City to keep Splitrock Park open during the winter months, if having ice skating available was an option, and if it would be possible to set up a Winter "Frosty Frolics" day. The council was open to keeping the park available for public use when the roads are frozen as long as some parameters were set, and City Maintenance Officer Craig Nussbaum said he could have the City plow make a pass to the parking lot area. As for the option of having ice skating on the creek above the dam, City Finance Officer Anna Uhl said that City property and equipment would not be allowed on the ice due to liability reasons, but if the public were to clear a space and skate at their own risk, the City would not stop it. Having the bathhouse available for a Frosty Frolics day would be allowed as well, but the City could not sponsor such an event due to liability. The next Parks Board meeting will be on January 16,2019 at 6:30 pm at O So Good.
Next, there was a discussion regarding a recent meeting with SD Forestry expert John Ball, with Uhl, Mayor Beaner, and Parks Board member and master gardener Colleen Collier in attendance. During conversation with Ball, the City and the Parks Board learned that even with treatment, the cost required to maintain outweighs the benefit. Ball recommends waiting until the Emerald Ash Borer is discovered in the city, and then at that point, choosing 40 trees to save and eliminating the rest as quickly as possible. Once the borer has infested the tree, it has approximately 5 years before it tips over (and often without much warning). Ball estimates that all untreated ash trees in the area will be gone by 2025, which makes the lengthened timeline suggested by the Park Board moot. Parks Board member Kelli Schleuter suggested having tree sponsors, and the council encouraged the Parks Board to move ahead with that idea.
The council then moved on to the Fire Department report. This year so far, there have been 109 calls and 1,180 hours put in by volunteer members, 275 of which have been training hours and 172 hours of work detail. The department is planning on replacing one truck in the coming year, which is in line with their replacement plan. They currently have 28 members, which is a full roster.
