ELY— Police Chief Chad Houde urged Ely residents to be patient this weekend due to a number of detours and road closures in advance of the Ely Marathon, set to be held on Saturday.
“There will be some traffic and parking impacted,” said Houde. “Not only in our community, but outside as well, up the Echo Trail, and along County Rd 88.”
Houde made his comments about halfway through the Ely City Council meeting on Tuesday.
Houde advised that several of Ely’s most heavily traveled corridors will be impacted by the race, which annually draws hundreds of racers to the community.
“It will affect Pioneer Rd., Miner’s Drive, 17th Avenue, Camp Street, Sheridan Street, and Second Avenue, I believe,” added Houde. He noted that no overnight parking will be allowed on portions of Sheridan Street and several avenues near Whiteside Park to minimize risks to racers. “There will also be detours posted and I just ask for patience,” Houde said. “It’s a long day with a lot of events, but it’s a good thing for our community.”
A complete listing of marathon-related events and road closures can be found at www.elymarathon.com/weekend-info.
In other business, the city council approved the sale of several pieces of surplus equipment along with two city lots in East Spaulding First Addition.
The council approved the sale of Lot 4, Block 1 to Wild Haven Investments LLC, but not without some questions about the company’s intended use of the property. Council member Al Forsman noted that the city ordinance prohibits the construction of “spec” homes. “Are they planning on living on this property,” he asked. “We don’t know,” said Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski, “but right now I can tell them with certainty that there will not be any short-term rental licenses available by the time they build. I think we only have two or three of them left right now.” After a bit more discussion, the council approved the sale unanimously.
The council also approved the sale of Lot 2, Block 1 to Mark and Audrey Hentzen, with little discussion. The price of the lots in the addition are set by ordinance.
The council also approved a motion to move forward with the annexation of two lots on W. Shagawa from Morse Township. Langowski explained that one of the properties is already connected to city utilities and the other is connected to city water but now wants to connect to city sewer. He noted that under the city ordinance, both properties should be annexed as part of any connection to utilities. Langowski said the township is amenable to the annexation in exchange for payment of four years’ worth of property tax receipts for the properties in question, or a lump sum total of $606.36, according to Langowski.
The council approval will mark the start of a several month process that will require the homeowners to file a petition that both the city and township would need to approve before it would be forwarded to the state Board of Adjustment for final action.
In other action, the council:
• On Langowski’s recommendation, approved the for sale listing of several pieces of city surplus equipment, including a 2006 Chevrolet HD 2500 Diesel pickup with Boss snow plow, a Husqvarna garden tractor with mower deck and a Toro wheel hose tractor with mower, broom, and snowblower attachments. The equipment will be sold at auction through Ely Auction Service.
• Approved the survey and pinning of a city lot being sold to Daniel Krings, with Krings to split the $975 cost of the work with the city. Bear Island Surveying will be handling the work.
• Heard from Mayor Roger Skraba in his report that he met with individuals who are interested in purchasing the WELY radio station and he expects there will be bids submitted for the station, which could keep the financially-troubled station on the air.
• Approved the purchase and installation of a new Boss snowplow for the city’s GMC one-ton pickup. The work will be handled by Trembath’s machine shop for $9,225.
• Approved the hiring of Jessie Cornwell as a new city firefighter. The hiring puts the fire department’s current roster at 33 members, just two shy of the limit of 35.
• Authorized the fire department to spend up to $30,000 to upgrade the department’s recently-purchased used vehicle.
• Heard from Library Director Rachel Heinrich that the library will be celebrating its 100th anniversary on Friday, Oct. 7, with a full day of activities.
• Heard from Chief Houde that the city’s Public Safety Day is set for Sept. 28, from 3-6 p.m. and activities, including canine demonstrations, will be happening in front of the fire hall.
• Approved the new utility easements for the schools.
• Approved a resolution appointing election judges for the Nov. 8 general election.
• Approved a residential rehab loan in the amount of $9,000 for Brittany Foster and $7,500 for Maria and David Archer.