We don’t want the virus imported into the city. We have an elderly population that is highly susceptible. My job is to somehow protect the city.”

Ely Mayor Chuck Novak

ELY –The city council chambers here were practically empty Tuesday night for their regular business meeting as members instead convened by computer or cell phone from various locations around City Hall or from home.
In the council chambers, Deputy Clerk Casey Velcheff monitored the technology and called a roll call vote for every action taken. Technicians broadcast the meeting live over the local cable access channel and social media.
Mayor Chuck Novak stressed the importance for Ely residents to continue to stay at home during the Governor’s emergency order.
“Get your necessities, but don’t mingle,” he said.
“There is a concern in our city I hear from a lot of people in that we have visitors coming up to the summer homes and visitors who don’t have summer homes who are staying up here,” he added. “There is a concern that we may have (the coronavirus) imported into our city. There is no authority to stop anybody from coming, but we do have the ability to remind people that they need to not mingle in public and follow the Governor’s stay-at-home order.”
He referred to increased law enforcement in enforcing the state’s executive order. “The State Patrol doesn’t have much to do because there are not many cars on the road, so they are actually stopping vehicles with out-of-state license plates,” Novak said. Violators are subject to a $1,000 fine.
“We don’t want the virus imported into the city,” Novak continued. “We have an elderly population that is highly susceptible. My job is to somehow protect the city.”
Council member Heidi Omerza observed the alarming rate with which events are being canceled for this summer.
“The League of Minnesota Cities summer conference has been cancelled and quite a few other things are to follow very shortly,” she said. “I’m sure city-wide functions and gatherings will probably soon be canceled. We are taking our lead from the Governor and simply not doing these things.”
She did not comment on plans for the city’s Fourth of July activities, the Blueberry Arts/Festival or Harvest Moon Festival.
Novak told council members that he spends a lot of time communicating with the Governor’s office about the details of the shelter-in-place order.
‘We are getting inundated with information to the point of information overload,” he said. “Paying attention to the daily briefings coming from the Coronavirus Task Group in Washington, D.C. is important along with the Governor’s daily briefings and information from the Minnesota Department of Health. If conditions worsen, most of the decisions we make start in Washington or St. Paul. We don’t have much choice but to follow that. If something happens where I have to take further action, I will,” he said.
Novak said if conditions ease, the city would take actions accordingly.
Police report
Ely Police Sgt. George Burger reported to the council that as many as six methamphetamine arrests were made in the city over the last couple months.
“As many as five of the arrests were eligible for the pre-charge diversion program where the suspect can get clean and the charges go away,” Burger said. Of those five cases, just one suspect is in the diversion program.
“The other four either failed out of it or did not respond to our offer,” he said. “To me, that is a problem.”
Two Ely Police Department officers are assigned to drug investigations, according to Burger, along with collaboration of other officers from other law enforcement agencies.
“We can’t do this work in a one-hour episode like you see on television. It can take hours and days to make an arrest,” he said.
He pleaded to those struggling with drug addiction to reach out for help.
“We have the resources that we can put you in contact with to get you help,” he said. Burger noted that success stories do exist.
Burger reported that he is noticing an increase in mental health and domestic calls since the implementation of coronavirus stay-at-home orders.
“The biggest thing is to get out and walk and find some kind of recreation to do because it is not a fun time to be cramped up at home,” he said. ”Our whole life has changed.”
He mentioned that the Ely Community Care Team and Range Mental Health are available to help with mental health crisis.
“Those are two very beneficial groups that we are lucky to have in the area,” Burger said. “We have the ability to make referrals. Feel free to reach out to us.”
Burger also recognized the efforts of local high school students in providing protective masks to the Ely PD.
“Caleb Janeksela, Luke Olson, Harry Simon, Bryce Longwell, Eli Anderson, and Emmett Faltesek wanted to do something for the community, and they bought each officer in our department a respirator mask. It was a great thing to do and we really appreciate it.”
Other business
The council took the following actions:
• Approved a Storefront Rehab Loan of $17,500 for E Sheridan Properties LLC for work on the former Salerno Building to include sewer infrastructure and concrete work in basement, bathroom framing, and electrical wiring of furnace.
• Approved the first reading of an ordinance to amend the city code to include rules and regulations relating to refuse collection and disposal, and scheduled a public hearing on the matter for Tuesday, April 21 at 4:30 p.m.
• Considered a communication from the K America Foundation asking for a three-year extension on their six-year agreement to develop the Community Center and agreed to discuss the matter at their next regular meeting.