SOUDAN – Though this year’s spring is coming in much sooner and warmer than the last, at their Tuesday night meeting, the Breitung Town Board reported there are still three water lines yet to thaw: the Soudan Underground Mine State Park lines, and the Fifth and Fourth Avenue mains. Breitung will dig up Third Avenue on Monday to fix a water leak and use a jetter to thaw Fifth and Fourth Avenue on Tuesday. To prevent more water line freezes next winter, Board Supervisor Chuck Tekautz reported that the Tower-Breitung Waste Water Board approved the installation of a water booster pump to help with water circulation in the water lines servicing homes on Soudan’s hill. Breitung will open bids on the project later in May.

• Briefly reviewed the April 23 Tower-Breitung Joint Fire Department Committee meeting at the Tower Civic Center. Councilman Greg Dostert reported the committee is still in its first planning stages, laying out all the aspects that must be determined before a plan is finalized. Dostert said the biggest issue they’re discussing right now is how to equalize the two fire department’s pensions if they are combined.

“Once we get through that hitch, it’s going to be smoother sailing,” Dostert said.

At their next meeting on May 20 at the Tower City Hall, each fire department will present two potential building sites in their respective communities for the joint fire department to go. Dostert said they are currently taking suggestions.

• Will re-sod the Soudan baseball field with Dan Ehman Landscaping of Embarrass. The board didn’t have Ehman’s quote on-hand, but agreed the purchase and installation of the sod must not exceed $5,000.

• Decided against purchasing Ely’s baseball scoreboard to replace Soudan’s current 60-year-old scoreboard that was donated by Coke. The board said Ely’s minimum bid of $2,000 was too much, and the current scoreboard will have to do for now.

“It needs to be tweaked every year, jump start the bones,” Dostert said. “But, we’ll work with it.”

Dostert said he might ask Coke to donate a new baseball scoreboard, again.

• Set the time for the Fourth of July Soudan Picnic to go from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Board members decided against an inflatable bounce house for the event this summer, but will stick with the swimming pool, slip ’n slide and squirt guns for the kids. The Fourth of July choir may or may not sing at the picnic. The board said that choir members complained they are too tied up with other events on the Fourth of July and it is too hot to sing outside. The choir may end up singing at an undecided indoor location the weekend before the Fourth.

• Announced that Little League signup is May 12 at the Tower-Soudan Elementary School.

• Will flush the water lines on Wednesday, May 6, at 8:30 a.m.

• Gave Tom Gorsma the go-ahead to install a culvert in the alley at 88 Main Street. Gorsma will conduct the project on his own.

• Announced the Board of Review will re-adjourn on Thursday, May 7, at 1 p.m. at the Breitung Fire Hall.

• Will next meet on Tuesday, May 26, at the Breitung Fire Hall at 6 p.m.