TOWER— The city council here, on Monday, took steps to move forward with a plan that could potentially double the wastewater treatment capacity of the joint wastewater treatment system they share with Breitung township.
The council authorized seeking a logger to harvest a ten-acre site located just west of the three wastewater ponds managed by the Tower-Breitung Waste Water Board. Mayor Dave Setterberg said Breitung is expected to do the same on a ten-acre parcel the township owns that’s directly adjacent to the city property. Once cleared, soil borings will help determine whether the site is acceptable for what’s known as a Rapid Infiltration Basin, or RIB, system that could treat as much as 25 million gallons of wastewater annually, possibly more depending on the soil conditions at the site.
“Depending on the soil, it’s very feasible that we could double the capacity of our [wastewater treatment] system,” said council member Josh Zika, who has a background in wastewater management. Under a RIB system, a portion of the wastewater that would otherwise be discharged from the treatment ponds into the East Two River system would be land discharged within the RIB.
The RIB system could potentially be built for much less than adding a fourth treatment pond. Initial estimates suggest a cost of about $1.7 million, or less than half the cost of adding another pond. The RIB system would also potentially reduce the wastewater board’s surface water discharges, which are subject to much stricter regulation than land discharge. “That would certainly be the intent,” said Matt Tuchel, who manages the wastewater and drinking water systems for Tower and Breitung. “My ultimate goal would be to get rid of surface water discharges altogether.”
The wastewater board has already been allotted $1 million in federal funding toward expansion of its treatment capacity, which is needed to accommodate anticipated residential and commercial expansion in Tower over the next several years.
The city is currently exploring other options to cover the additional funding that would be needed to construct the RIB system. City officials are hoping that stumpage fees from logging the site will help to cover at least a portion of the cost of the soil borings, which will help determine the feasibility of the RIB system on the site.
In related news, clerk-treasurer Michael Schultz informed the council that the pre-construction meeting was held for the new drinking water treatment facility, with actual construction expected to start as of July 15. He said the contractors, Lakehead Constructors, had begun some work already but it was focused on repairs to the communities’ primary well, which has been out of commission for the past few weeks. The communities are currently relying on a backup well.
In other business, the council discussed but took no formal action on the draft ordinance to regulate short-term rentals in the city. The council heard again from Rachel Lockett and Brenda Broten, both of whom own and manage short-term rentals in town. Lockett cited steps she and her husband had taken, such as the installation of several security cameras, to prevent future problems at her rental, located in Northstar Addition. The planning and zoning commission had made some changes to the draft ordinance that allowed more short-term rental units, but that didn’t necessarily sit well with council member Bob Anderson, who said he’d like to see more limits on the use of the city’s housing stock for visitors. “I want people to live here,” he said.
Broten asked to get a copy of the draft ordinance, which prompted a brief discussion about whether the document was public. City attorney Mitch Brunfelt, who was present at the meeting, noted that because the document was being reviewed at a council meeting, it was public, even though it was still a draft.
Council member Joe Morin, who has been working on the ordinance, emphasized that the ordinance was a work in progress and that he hoped release of the draft wouldn’t lead to the spread of inaccurate information. Morin said he would take the latest input back to the planning and zoning commission and possibly have a version ready for a first reading in August.
In other action, the council:
• Passed a motion authorizing the hiring of an administrative assistant on a contract basis once final duties are set, with financial outlay limited to $8,500. Based on initial discussion, the assistant would most likely work about six hours a week and handle payroll and invoice processing. Setterberg said the intent is to free up Schultz to focus more on grant and project management. Setterberg said he hoped to be able to hire a contractor for the job in the next couple weeks.
• Heard that the city had received a $35,000 grant from the Blandin Foundation to construct a handicapped accessible dock at the city’s kayak and canoe landing on the East Two River.
• Heard from Schultz that the closing on the county building was delayed due to the flood damage from the June 18 storm followed by the July 4 holiday. He said he would reach out again this week.
• Approved a resolution to apply for IRRR funds to cover the cost of soil borings on the vacant lots between the Timberjay and The Car Wash, which are being considered for an apartment development. The site is the former home of the DNR trails division office and, prior to that, a county public works garage, so there are concerns about possibly contaminated soils on the site.
• Announced that recent advertising had recruited a few additional election judges for the upcoming primary and general balloting. Based on Schultz’s recommendation, the council approved increasing the pay for election judges from $12 an hour to $15 an hour. Schultz noted that two council seats will be up for election this year. Filings for the offices close Aug. 13.
• Encouraged city residents who experienced flood damage from the June 18 storm to report the damage on the St. Louis County website. The county is hoping that documentation of the damage to individual property owners could pave the way for some federal dollars to be allocated for damage to private property. Typically, federal funding in the wake of disasters goes for the restoration of public infrastructure, but exceptions have been made in some circumstances.
• Discussed but took no action on options for enhancing the city’s ability to communicate with residents, such as through automated texts. The issue is expected to be back on the council agenda next month.
• Briefly discussed the June13 presentation in Ely by SafeTech Solutions, which proposed a regionalized ambulance service for Ely, Tower, and Babbitt, to be operated by the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital. The council determined that proposal is in an early stage and that it is up to the hospital board to determine whether to try to advance the proposal. “They’re not even to hard numbers, yet,” said council member Anderson. “They’re just seeing if we’re willing to get more information.”
• Approved the first reading of a revision to the city’s forestry board ordinance.
• Authorized an already-submitted application for a grant to cover 95 percent of the cost of purchasing up to 45 new 800 megahertz radios to cover the needs of the city’s fire and ambulance services. Schultz said the one-time state allocation for a number of small town ambulance services, including Tower’s, could help pay for the city’s match on the purchase. The city has received a quote of just over $198,000 for the purchase of the new radios.
• Approved the transfer of a hangar lease at the Tower Airport from Brian and Lori Schanche to Dan and Pam Beihoffer. The Schanches have operated Adventure Air Seaplanes from the city’s airport for more than a decade.
• Approved submitting a $45,000 grant request to MnDOT for upgrades to the fueling system at the airport. Funding from the IRRR is expected to cover the 25 percent local match.
• Approved a motion to advertise for a member of the public to represent the city on the Lake Vermilion Trail joint powers board.
• Canceled a closed meeting that had been scheduled to discuss disciplinary proceedings against an unnamed city employee.