Centerville Tidbits
Two New Faces At City Commission
There will be a couple of new faces at the next Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
James Wekseth and Jesse Lange were appointed to the commission at the Nov. 12 city council meeting after interviewing with members of the Centerville City Council.
The appointments will bring the commission back up to full strength after two members stepped down.
In interviews prior to the regular meeting, both candidates spoke of their interest in becoming more involved in their community.
“I would like to help the city; I have enjoyed living here since 1992,” said Wesketh, a car dealership manager for 25 years.
Wesketh said he had a few ideas about small improvements he would like to see addressed in Centerville.
“I know the roads are a big concern; still there are a lot of roads that need to be fixed or repaired,” he added.
Lange said he could bring 13 years of experience in construction to the position.
A resident of six years, he told council members he felt the commission was a good place to start getting involved in city issues.
“Taxes seem to be a big concern,” said Lange. “The city needs to try to bring in more commercial business to the area; I think that might ease some of the burden.”
Both candidates were appointed during the regular agenda of the meeting.
In other action, the council:
• Agreed to submit a grant application through the Safe Routes to Schools program in the hope that the old adage, “Third time’s a charm” will be true for this particular project. The application for funds to construct a tunnel crossing under CSAH 14 near Centerville Elementary School has been rejected twice previously, but city engineer Mark Statz said the city had been given a “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” from MnDOT that the application would likely succeed this time around. Council members expressed concern that if successful, the project would require the digging-up of a section of the newly relaid Main Street, but agreed that they would make a decision on whether to proceed if the funds were allocated to Centerville. “I’m just baffled at how this stuff works,” said Council Member Jeff Paar, commenting on the news that the application might be successful after the reconstruction of CSAH 14 had occurred.
• Passed a resolution providing for $39,780 worth of delinquent sewer, water and garbage charges to be assessed through the county property tax statements in 2009. A total of 86 properties in Centerville were behind on their utility bills.
• Authorized City Administrator Dallas Larson to move ahead with plans for Centerville’s 2009-10 business directory. The directory, which is published every two years, is due out in the spring and will contain listings of all the city’s businesses and important city contact numbers. Advertising will cover some of the cost of the publication.
• Directed staff to plow the regional trail along CSAH 14 from the western city limits to the downtown area. “I see lots of people using that trail on a daily basis; it’s a wonderful thing,” said Council Member Tom Lee. “I think to not keep it open through the winter would be foolish.”
• Approved an encroachment agreement with Douglas and Julie Thompson at 1669 Lakeland Circle regarding a fence partially within the city’s right-of-way.
• Heard that various fees for services provided by the Otter Lake Animal Hospital would increase with regard to the city’s animal control service contract for 2009.
• Acknowledged the successful completion of a performance review by John Meyer, the city’s finance director.
• Authorized the Centerville Lions to work with city staff to identify storage for the Lions’ Haunted House equipment at the city’s former public works building on 20th Avenue.
• Approved final payment of $17,633.67 on Hidden Spring Park to the contractor Veit and Company.
• Agreed to submit Centerville’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan to the Metropolitan Council and announced that a public hearing will be held following review by the Met Council.
• Heard that election day in Centerville had been a busy one. A memo prepared by City Clerk Theresa Bender thanked the election judges and voters for their patience. “We had a fabulous turnout—Way to go, Centerville residents!” wrote Bender. Council Member Lee suggested using a queuing system similar to that practiced in banks in future years to resolve issues with high turnout.
“I heard one complaint on election morning that it was a little chaotic and a lot of people showed up at quarter to seven,” he added.