by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
The City Council of Garretson met in regular session on Tuesday, July 5 (a day late due to the 4th of July holiday). All members were in attendance, and Mayor Mullin called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting began by approving the consent calendar, then Mayor Mullin opened the floor to New Business.
Francois Castle of Sioux Falls began by presenting information on the small home he hopes to build within city limits. His proposal had been previously rejected by Sioux Falls, and he was wondering if he would be able to purchase the small lot on 4th Street and build a home that was 449 sq feet on the first level. After some quick discussion regarding how he planned to deal with drainage, to which he responded that he planned to build the house on piers, pilings, or stilts, and build a cellar under for severe weather concerns. He also plans to keep as many of the trees as possible on the lot. As there is currently no ordinance against such a building in town, the Council gave a full go ahead for Castle to contact the building inspector and to proceed as long as he followed current zoning regulations and requirements.
Next, Neal Albers gave a passionate appeal regarding the notice of the Ordinance 627 violation he had received regarding his chickens. Chickens have been included as livestock within the ordinance since it was written, but it was recently visited by the City Council, which voted not to amend the Ordinance. He currently has 8 hens and gives away the eggs to his neighbors and has for the past 4 years. He petitioned the ordinance to be revisited, as he has made a substantial investment to ensure proper sanitation, including a coop, electrical system, and dirt removal every 6 months. He also acquired signatures from each of his neighbors, which stated that they did not mind the fact that Albers had chickens. Bonte then proposed an amendment to the ordinance, which could allow up to 6 chickens and 0 roosters on property that borders a minimum of 1 acre of undeveloped land within City limits. City Business Manager Anna Uhl asked if chickens should be removed under livestock and a second chapter added that specifically addresses chickens, what denotes "clean" & "undeveloped property" and whether or not they should be included or removed from the maximum of five pets limit that Garretson has. Tom Lines seconded the proposal, and it was passed with 5 yays and 1 nay. The motion will be incorporated into the finalized ordinance.
The next person was Margie Martens, who was at the Council meeting to clarify the budget line item for the Garretson Area Historical Museum for $1000, and how to claim it. They have done a lot of work at the museum, much of it paid for with grants, and the latest grant from the Sioux Falls Area Foundation for $5,000 was short $721 of the $20,000 that needed to be raised by June 1. The Museum had been able to receive an extension to September 1, but had not yet acquired the rest of the money. The line item from the City Council would help put them over to receive the grant. The Council members affirmed the money was in the budget and all the museum needed to do was submit an invoice.
Next, Chad Hanisch presented preliminary information regarding the construction of a recreational and bike trail to connect Garretson with Palisades Park along 485th Avenue. Further information regarding the trail can be found in the Gazette in this week and last week's issues. After some discussion, the Council decided that the detached option for the trail would be best, and Councilmember Bill Hoskins made a motion to authorize the preparation of a letter of intent to apply for the TAP grant by July 15, 2016. Councilmember Richelle Hofer seconded, and it passed unanimously.
Next, garbage handling was discussed. The renewal of the garbage hauler's licenses for Garbage-N-More, VanDyke's Sanitation, Boltes' Sunrise Service, and Waste Management were approved 5 to 1. For the City, only one bid had been received from Garbage-N-More for $2,040, which was three times the price of last year's bid and was non-itemized. The discrepancy between the number of dumpsters currently provided versus the proposed number and size of dumpsters was discussed. The bid from last year included 2- 2 yard dumpsters at City Hall, 1- 1 yard dumpster at Splitrock Park (seasonal), 1- 1 yard dumpster at City Park (seasonal), and 1- 1 yard dumpster at the ball field (seasonal), and currently there was only 1 dumpster at City Hall and 1 dumpster at each of the other locations. Councilmember Lines asked about whether they could request a proposal of charging by size rather than a blanket bill. Councilmember Gloria Sanders made a motion to reject the bid for lack of detail and request new bids, and the motion passed unanimously.
Next Councilwoman Richelle Hofer presented on Second Saturdays, the newest effort led by Grow Garretson. They would like to start this event on August 13, 2016, and do the second Saturday of September and October as well. This event will be held on Main Avenue and the intent is to bring people, both community members and visitors, together in Garretson for an enjoyable evening. They are working to have Main Street businesses open until 9, and would like to involve all the businesses in and around town in some fashion for each event. Annie's Coffeehouse will be taking the lead on the first Second Saturday, and Hofer requested that Main Street be blocked off and that a waiver to allow alcohol in the street as Annie's will be serving their full line of beverages. Grow Garretson will be carrying event insurance. This request will be repeated for each Second Saturday event going forward. For more information regarding Second Saturdays, tune in to the next couple of issues of the Gazette.
A discussion of the Severe Storm Shelter/Safe Place ensued. Zion Lutheran opens its basement for campers, tourists, and members of the community without basements when a severe storm, tornado weather, and the like are expected. Council members discussed who was responsible for making certain the doors were open, and what would happen if church property was vandalized or damaged by those inside. The need for a long-term disaster plan was addressed, but no action was taken.
Matt Penning with the Garretson Ambulance then gave a quick overview of the information that had been discussed at the County Commissioners' Meeting. Currently the budget is on delay to a map re-draw, which Penning decided to stay out of, as Garretson does not currently wish to gain or lose territory on its current map boundaries so that they can stay with their quick response times.
The latest from Grow Garretson was again presented by councilmember Hofer. The City is in need of a 5 year written plan to be placed in the budget for this coming year, as the infrastructure, water, and sewer needs to be accounted for if a housing development is to be pursued. Grow Garretson has also signed a letter of commitment to join Dakota Resources' Home Address program, which would like three sources of funding, and City funding is a logical third source. This would also need to be considered for next year's budget.
Next, a variance request for a metal building was again presented to the council by the Blue Dragon Foundation. They were initially planning on a Morton-style building on the corner next to the baseball field, and it was requested that they look into a wooden building that fit more with the residential neighborhood. Due to a prohibitive cost, they had again approached the neighbors, including Zion Lutheran, and acquired signatures of consent from all but one of the neighbors, who had been on vacation that week, for a metal building to be built on the site. The building will have twelve foot side walls and ten foot doors, and will be 40' x 40' to accommodate for the storage that was promised to the school. The measure passed unanimously, with Hoskins abstaining.
For other committee reports, the Parks Board was again addressed, and Councilmember Hofer and Uhl will work together to prepare guidelines for the Council to review. Visitors have been complimentary regarding the improvements at Devils Gulch, especially with regards to trail maintenance. At the pool, the need for different playground equipment was discussed. The property is insured by the City and the age and deterioration of the current equipment is a liability concern. The council intends to move forward with the pool board on possibilities. The $10,000 grant check awarded to the City and/or the Pool board is still unused.
The final item discussed that evening was the amount of campers, boats, and trailers left on city streets and in driveways for an extended period of time. These items present a safety concern, and Uhl will be preparing an ordinance to address the issue of the vehicles parked on city streets for the council to review.
The council then adjourned for the evening.
