City checkbook details grader, police addition expenses

If there were any objections to this year’s property tax assessments from Stanley residents, they failed to materialize before the 2022 Board of Review when it convened May 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Stanley Fire Station, located at 239 East First Avenue.

With Al Haas, Mark Fitzsimmons, Kevin Hendrickson and Holly Kitchell present from the Council end to hear concerns and City Clerk Nicole Thiel present along with Jason Winter of Bowmar Appraisal, no one came to object to their tax bill.

Motion to adjourn was later made by Kitchell and seconded by Fitzsimmons, passing on a voice vote.

Come the regular council meeting on June 6, there were expenditures in view, including mention by water operator Don Goettl of a need to retrofit two water meters struck by lightning on May 12 with new generators.

“Working with Core and Main on the two meters that were hit by lightning,” Goettl wrote of Well No. 3 and the Reclaim meter at the Northwest Treatment plant. “These meters are around and over 20 years old,” he said. “The generators on these meters are obsolete at this time. We are going to have to retrofit the meters with new generators.” Still waiting on parts for repair of the May 12 lightning strikes, Goettl noted that, “it seems to be the norm nowadays to have to wait awhile to get parts.” Quarterly meter reading for city customers, meanwhile, was due to start that same week, while the air compressor problem at the northwest plant had been fixed.

Coming in for expenditures from the public works department, operator in charge John Hoel reported that repairs and updates had been made to the Maves Memorial Pavilion at Chapman Park, and that stumps left from the tornado had been removed at the cemetery with restoration completed.

“I spoke with Butch Plombon regarding the multiple headstones in need of resetting,” Hoel wrote. “He has contacted Stone Services to get an estimate to reset the stones on the Catholic Church side of the cemetery. When they are here we will have them look at the city side so we can begin resetting them as well.”

As to the Maves Memorial Pavilion, Hoel reported that public works had “added a new door, window, and siding to one opening.” In addition, a new counter had been built inside to add counter space to the building and three roll up doors had been ordered for the building to make it more open and user friendly. That wasn’t all though, as time and the weather continued their slow work.

“The three windows on the north end of the building along with the other service door will need to be replaced in the near future as well as the roof,” Hoel wrote of the near 70-year-old structure built to commemorate Earl ‘The Stanley Steamer’ Maves, a local athlete. “These updates will make this pavilion much more attractive for users and hopefully, draw more people to the park.” Last but not least, Hoel reported that the “the road grater has been repaired and is now back in service.” This last item came up later at the regular council meeting as it discussed accounts payable, recorded as check number 82517.

“I don’t recall the dollar amount we established,” Kitchell said of the grader repair as alderman Jason Meyer stated that, “The quote presented was $31,600.”

The check amount, meanwhile, was $38,926.69, paid to Road Runner Repair LLC. Hoel had come before the Council earlier to report that the grader’s clutch pack was going out, with the council authorizing repair in light of the need and coming development on 345th Street. Other notable charges on the bi-monthly check register inlcuded $27,986.14 to the Wisconsin Retirement System, $16,939.49 to Xcel Energy for Wastewater Maintenance of Sewage Collection, $45,512.28 to Jakel Plumbing, Heating and Electric, Inc. for work at the Police addition, and $14,600 flat to Nitz and Son Plumbing LLC, also for work at the police addition. Slowiak Masonry and Concrete LLC laid brick for $6,500 at the police addition., while $3,680 was paid out to The Gutterman, LLC for work at the police addition. With $8,451.33 to the Internal Revenue Service for Social Security and Medicare Taxes along with various and sundry other expenses, the city checkbook for May 17 to June 6 came out to a total of $235,946.74— financed in part with property tax assessments.