The Monday, January 13 meeting of the Garretson City Council focused mainly on a request for a variance on the Paterson-owned land located west of Granite Ave and on the need for a new community center/city hall.
Two councilmembers were absent from the meeting, along with City Maintenance Supervisor Craig Nussbaum. The council started by approving natural gas prices, and received committee updates.
Jeff Frerk with the Garretson Fire Department presented, noting that overall in 2019, the GFD put in over 1700 combined training and volunteer hours. They had 140 total calls, which was slightly above 2018’s 135 and 2017’s 134 calls, but still within average. Mayor Greg Beaner recognized the GFD for its service, noting that all of those hours are volunteer, and are valued at $150/hr.
The ambulance report was given by Anna Uhl, who noted that at 198 calls, 2019 was the second busiest year on record after 2015’s 225 calls. They are more stable financially, but they are still having trouble attracting and retaining qualified staff and volunteers. While this is an issue nationally, it is a trend the Garretson Ambulance would like to see reversed.
Continued on Part 2- Online subscription required
The next meeting of the City Council will be held at the Legion on Monday, February 3, at 6:30 p.m.
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