The Nisswa City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, to decide on a strategy for recycling in the city.
Nisswa Sanitation pulled its recycling containers from behind the Nisswa Fire Department on July 1, so the city no longer has a recycling service.
The council learned at its July 16 meeting that its Public Works Committee had met with area waste haulers to discuss options to re-establish recycling in Nisswa, whether that be a curbside program or centrally located bins like before, as well as the costs. Haulers interested in providing recycling were asked to submit proposals, and the city received differing proposals from three companies - Waste Partners, Waste Management and Nisswa Sanitation.
The Public Works Committee will review those proposals and provide a recommendation to the council by the July 30 meeting. Public works director Tom Blomer said there was at least one good proposal that would allow the city to re-establish recycling, though a timeframe wasn't available.
Council member Gary Johnson said from a budget standpoint, one proposal would keep the city in line with where it was and would allow for re-establishment of recycling service in the quickest manner. But the committee needed to discuss the options.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nisswa Sanitation pulled recycling bins it had in Nisswa, Pequot Lakes and area townships, mainly because the growth in recycling resulted in program abuse that reached the point where the sanitation company could no longer keep up with demand.
Also at the July 30 meeting, the council will continue a public hearing from July 16 on a street reconstruction plan. The council was poised to adopt the plan July 16, but after hearing from residents decided to continue the public hearing to give the public time to review the plan.
In 2011, the city adopted a five-year reconstruction plan from 2012-16 and issued approximately $1.5 million in street reconstruction bonds to finance the city's share of Highway 371 and County Road 18 improvements. Now the city is considering issuing an additional $731,100 of street reconstruction bonds to finance the following projects in 2014 and/or 2015:
• Roy Lake Connection between Highway 371 and Lower Cullen Road, and Lower Cullen Road and Main Street between the Roy Lake Connection and Niswa Fire Hall for estimated cost of $412,604.
• Main Street between the fire hall and pedestrian tunnel for estimated cost of $123,693.
• Old County Road 18 between Main and Church streets for estimated cost of $56,301.
• Old County Road 18 between Church Street and new County State Aid Highway 18 for estimated cost of $138,502.
The city is also considering improvements to Hazelwood Drive between Lower Roy Lake Road and the proposed DNR boat landing in 2015 or 2016.
ADVERTISEMENT
Options include a 10-year repayment option at 2.35 percent interest and a five-year repayment option at 1.68 percent interest.
The city has been budgeting $230,000 per year for road projects. It has a $180,000 debt service for Highway 371 in the budget, so the $230,000 is above and beyond that.
Johnson said he was leaning toward the five-year payoff, so as not to hamstring future projects or increase the levy. The projects would be paid off in five years, which would free up the city for other projects.
Resident Don Jacobson said he didn't see a requested complete draft of the street plan until 4 p.m. July 16, and no member of the general public had looked at the plan.
"I hope this council doesn't decide to close the public hearing based upon a very limited time to take a look at this. Continue the public hearing to next month," he said.
Resident Harold Kraus agreed, saying more citizens needed bo be made aware of the plan.
