Council votes to remove infected trees

The City of Geneva city council meeting took place Wednesday, Aug. 12, moved from its usual Tuesday schedule because of the statewide primary election on Aug. 11. 

 

The council approved $2,400 to have six trees removed from City Park by Woodpecker Tree Service of Ellendale. Although council members had learned about the possibility of receiving money toward the cost of removal from the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), city council member Garry Gordinier reported the city could not possibly meet the DNR’s application requirements. After attending a 1.5 hour meeting about the program and its expectations in Faribault, Gordinier explained it would not be feasible for city staff to meet the Aug. 31 application deadline, since the application would need to include an inventory of damaged trees and completion of an official bidding process for their removal. Gordinier shared that the emerald ash borer beetle is most active from May thru September. The DNR recommendation is that affected trees should be removed between September and May. Cutting trees down during warm months leaves room for the beetles to move to another tree. 

 

Minnesota Pump is in the process of building an electric panel for the city’s north lift station; the council also acknowledged the south lift station needs electrical work. City maintenance worker Jim Beenken also said city staff cannot keep up with mowing city-owned properties, and suggested the city should make arrangements for additional help. The Geneva pump house now has a landline phone and in Beenken’s words, “Makes things a whole lot simpler.”

 

Geneva resident Scott Francisco received authorization to install drainage on his property located on Second Avenue Southeast. 

 

There are three properties in Geneva that were notified about mowing their grass last month. There is one foreclosed property that the city is taking care of, and will charge later, the other two are now being kept up by the residents.

 

RadioLink has filed for bankruptcy. An attorney for Geneva recommended the city file for lease payments from RadioLink, saying there are a lot of businesses doing the same. There is still RadioLink equipment on the Geneva water tower and council officials are being told they cannot touch it until bankruptcy court files the equipment as abandoned.