Grand Marais city councilors said June 9 they do not want to get involved with writing and adopting a lawn-mowing ordinance.
The discussion began when City Administrator Mike Roth asked how he should respond to calls from people complaining about high weeds and grass, and otherwise unkempt yards. Roth said there aren’t a lot of these complaints, but one vacant property in town has generated some concern. “How do we want to handle these calls?” he asked.
Roth noted that the city does have a weed ordinance, but nothing governing high grass. Roth said the house in question is vacant and has an unmowed lawn. It is reportedly in foreclosure and owned by a bank. However, he said, it’s possible that there may be more complaints coming about other properties in a similar condition.
Options for dealing with the problem include appointing a grass and weed inspector (the mayor currently acts as the de
facto
weed inspector); having the property mowed by city workers and sending the bill to the owner; sending a letter to the owner asking for cooperation; adopting an ordinance requiring that the yard be mowed and maintained at a specified length; or doing nothing.
Councilors balked at the creation of a new ordinance, saying it would be hard to enforce and is probably unnecessary. “Can’t the city’s responsibility stop at notifying the owner?” asked Councilor Kay Costello.
Mayor Sue Hakes said the banks “don’t care…and will do nothing.” Roth said that’s probably true, and suggested that the city workers could
mow the lawn in question. But, he asked, what if more requests to mow shabby lawns are received?
City Attorney Chris Hood said the city has the legal authority to go on the property, mow the lawn, and assess the owner for the costs. There seemed to be consensus that that course of action would be pursued if the owner does not respond satisfactorily to a letter requesting clean up of the property.
“I don’t think we want to adopt a lawn ordinance,” said Hakes.
In other business:
• Public Library Director Linda Chappell gave a brief update on the expansion project. She said Requests For Proposals have been sent to 10 architectural firms who may be interested in designing the 3,000-squarefoot addition and renovation plans, and a pre-proposal conference is scheduled for June 18. Chappell said the deadline for submission of proposals is Aug. 2, and the library board hopes to choose an architect by the end of that month and present its final drawings to the county board by the end of the year to request construction
funding. “It would be nice if we can start to build in
2011,” she said. Estimated cost of the project is $700,000.
• A permit was issued to the Superior Cycling Association allowing the brief closure (15 minutes) of
Broadway at 10 a.m. Aug. 28 for the annual Sawtooth
Challenge Mountain Bike Race.
• Water Superintendent Tom Nelson presented the city’s revised Water Emergency and Conservation Plan, which council approved. Nelson said the DNR requires that the plan be updated every 10 years.
Nelson outlined the plan, noting that overall water usage has decreased over the past 20 years despite an increase in population, and the amount of “unaccounted for” water has gone down steadily over the past three years. The former is primarily due to conservation efforts and increased use of efficient appliances such as low-flow toilets and washing machines; the latter is the result of recent infrastructure improvements that
decreased leakage, and installation of more and better
water meters, Nelson said.
• Tristan Beaster of Cook County Water & Soil received council approval for a $16,670 cost-share agreement with the state to repair streets damaged during the June 2008 storm. Beaster said the projects need to be completed by June 3, 2012 and require a $4,165 city cash or in-kind contribution.
With the agreement approved, Beaster said Soil and Water will work with city staff to prepare a plan for each of three projects by seeking participation with affected property owners. The grant funds will be used in those areas where the property owners are most willing to cooperate with financial commitments for things such as driveway culverts that are not covered by the grant. The projects involve three gravel streets that have
inadequate ditches and culverts: 10th and 11th avenues
between 1st and 2nd streets, and Humphrey Circle.
• City Attorney Chris Hood was asked to look into claims made by Burbach Aquatics that the firm is entitled to act as the architect of a new pool project if the city has any involvement. Hood said it is not a foregone conclusion that Burbach can move from design consultants to construction, and he will take a more in-depth look at the contract and Burbach’s involvement with the city over the years. Obviously, said Hood, the
county can’t be forced to work with Burbach because of
the city’s previous ties with the Wisconsin firm.
• Mayor Hakes reported that she had a “very productive” hour-long phone conversation with Bruce Leng, owner of the abandoned theater building on Wisconsin Street. Hakes said Leng was receptive to the idea of making repairs or even razing the building, and asked for some information about the city’s Storefront Loan Program and availability of grants for demolition. The information will be sent.
The mayor made the call in an effort to resolve safety concerns without escalating the problem into a legal confrontation.
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