Jerry Allen sworn in to open Ward 1 seat vacated by Rick Hodowanic

By Joseph Back

The seat left vacant by Rick Hodowanic just recently, has been filled. Showing up to the July 5 city council meeting to sit in and being sworn in on Wednesday, July 6, Jerry Allen will take over Hodowanic’s seat in Ward 1, with Allen promising to listen and also taking notes at the July 5 meeting.

Meanwhile and pending DNR review, a low spot in the southeast corner of the intersection of 345th Street and Maple Streets, could be getting raised up.

The prospect of layered fill in comes as the ongoing Northside development west of 345th needs a place to put dirt, while the site

on which fill will be potentially deposited, is too low at present to see development. The move to raise the terrain on site—which still needs further review—wouldn’t cost the city anything, but would euectively rectify this deficit while keeping a record of what was put on site, for future development.

“And if someone were to come later and build they’d have to do this anyway?” Ward two alderman Kevin Hendrickson asked Haas of the fill site just across the road from development.

“Correct,” Haas replied, with silt fence bordering the site on the north and west. In the meantime, there was the water report to catch up on July 5, with current water operator Don Goettl (Dan Demske is training) giving the council an update on the water tower by the prison.

"They're continuing to blast inside and get the epoxy ou," Goettl said of Lane Tank. “That’s the most important part. With some pitting that might need to be spot welded, work continues on the water tower and its upkeep ou Highway 29. Flipping back across the highway, the Council voted July 5 to pass a rezoning ordinance, with word out on the map as of Monday.

"The ovcial map has to be done by the county and they won't give me a map until I give them a resolution,” clerk-treasurer Nicole Thiel said of the new city addition.

Along with the addition, meanwhile, is a new ward, to be designated ward 9 but with no constituents to speak of. “Nobody will ever live in that piece of property,” Mayor Al Haas said as the formalities were gone through to create a new ward in the city’s industrial park. With recommendation being made to hire another public works maintenance person as soon as the money is confirmed to be available, the city should see more upkeep-and that means taxes. Keeping up with the costs of upkeep, isn’t free.

Above, a land parcel bordered on the north by West Maple and on the west by 345th. A proposal heard by the Committee of the Whole would see layered fill put on site to raise the ground level, pending DNR approval. Below right, Craig Haas of Haas Sons Inc. presents to the Committee of the whole on the plan. Image from July 5 Council packet.

Jerry Allen arrives Wednesday July 6 at City Hall to be sworn in for the Ward 1 Council seat vacated by Rick Hodowanic for work and time constraints. Submitted photo.