Geneva pool to stay closed unless manager is found

At the Geneva City Council meeting on April 8, council members approved a request by city resident Jason Tieskotter to install a solar panel array at 102 West Main. The array will have 26 panels each 2.5 feet wide; no part of the array will be more than 18 feet tall. In order to approve the project, the property had to be rezoned as commercial.

Although staff has been found for the concession stand located at the city swimming pool, the pool itself still needs a manager and lifeguards. City staff announced that, if no one can be found for those positions by next month (May), the Geneva pool will not be available this summer.

Steele County engineer Phil Wacholz let the council know that installing speed limit signs with solar augmentation as requested would cost between $6,500 and $8,000 each; the cost would be shared equally between the city and the county, with the county taking care of installation. Wacholz stated the county supports installing signs at the south and west approaches into town. Council members responded there should also be one to the east because the Stop sign located there is difficult to see; Wacholz agreed to acquire more information about the possibility and report back.

Wacholz also informed the council that warning signs such as “Watch For Children,” “Blind Child” or “Farm Crossing” have proven “completely ineffective” and are no longer replaced once they become faded or damaged. He stated the most effective speed reduction technique is the combination of a speed sign and an officer being present. Other cities which have had positive results from new signs include Alden, Twin Lakes, Emmons, Clarks Grove and Hayward; two more are due to be installed near Freeborn.

A discussion regarding ash trees infected with emerald ash borer reached the conclusion that the city is not responsible for the cost of removal or disposal of infected trees located in people’s yards. A deciding element is that the city did not plant the trees.

Council members instructed city staff to get two bids for the repairs needed on a citizen’s vehicle after a city fire truck accidentally backed into it. The city will cover the cost of the lower bid.

It was noted that the specifications for the city sidewalk construction project have appeared in the NRHEG Star Eagle, the city’s legal newspaper. After the specifications have appeared three times, the city will begin accepting bids at 11 a.m. April 29 at the Geneva Community Center.

Council members granted a request from NRHEG Community Education Director Macy Whiteside for a $500 donation toward park and recreation programs, community education and Panther Preschool.

With the warmer weather, it will now be possible to finish repairs associated with a water main break which occurred on a resident’s property prior to Thanksgiving. The city is responsible for the repair since the break was in a city-controlled pipe. About a yard of concrete will be needed to repair the sidewalk; black dirt and seed or sod will be needed for the lawn.

After a recent inventory regarding the possibility of any lead water pipes connected to the city system, there are 35 city residences which are not yet confirmed as to whether they have lead pipes or not. The city system has only plastic or copper lines; the city requests that any residents who know of lead pipe in their homes contact the city.

John Farr, developer, recently asked the city for specifications regarding setbacks, sewer, water connection fees, and elevation requirements for new builds in the Lakeshore development. The city clerk provided him with the ordinances as well as an application for any necessary permits. Council members voted to grant Farr’s request that every house he builds in town be gifted with a seven- to 10-foot-tall tree, at a likely cost of between $200 and $300 each. His request gave the city flexibility regarding what type of tree and what nursery supplied it.

The heater at the community center heater was fixed; it needed a new motor. The fire department building has the same model heater, so now both have extra parts.