A full Stanley City Council met on January 6th at City Hall to approve the proposal from Tamarack Wetland Services for the Wetland Delineation-Stanley Central WTP. Mayor Mike Henke spoke about the …
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A full Stanley City Council met on January 6th at City Hall to approve the proposal from Tamarack Wetland Services for the Wetland Delineation-Stanley Central WTP. Mayor Mike Henke spoke about the proposal explaining that there is going to be an addition put on at the central water plant and they have to make sure it’s not in the wetland. He also mentioned the need to verify that the pipeline between the existing plant and Well #3 isn’t situated in a wetland area. The $3,900 project aims to confirm these details, though, as Henke noted, “We don’t anticipate any (issues) but you don’t know.” He added that the area has not shown any signs of being a wetland, and no maps indicate otherwise.
Streets/Grounds Foreman Joe Schmitt addressed the Council with necessary repair needs for the beds of the City plow trucks. He explained that both plow trucks beds are “way overdue” for repairs, with the beds either “too far gone or about to be.” The bed on the 2000 white truck is repairable for $6,500, which includes removing the bed, sandblasting, priming, painting, and reattaching it to DOT specifications.
“For $6,500 that truck gets a brand-new bed,” he said. However, the 2010 orange truck’s bed is too far gone to be repaired. Schmitt shared that replacing it would cost $30,960, which includes a new bed, new hoist, and hydraulic system, as the new bed has different hookups. He also mentioned options like adding a thicker floor and transferring the sander and salter from the old bed while ensuring everything meets DOT specifications.
“How’s the rest of the truck?” Alderperson Jacob Huff asked about the condition of the 2010 truck. Schmitt responded that both trucks are in really good shape from chassis to cab, “considering as old as they are.”
Henke pointed out that the total cost for both trucks would be $37,460 and told Huff that it was covered in the budget.
Schmitt confirmed that the company doing the work is a “credible company” and has also worked on trucks for the City of Chippewa Falls.
“I can get references, if need be,” Schmitt added.
Alderperson Mark Fitzsimmons motioned to approve the repairs for the 2000 white truck and the replacement of the bed on the 2010 orange truck for $37,460 as the council approved.
The council approved a proposal from Flo-Rite to televise and clean all city storm sewers, with a cost not to exceed $74,992.78. Mayor Henke explained, “As far as I know storm sewers have probably never been done.” He added that the project would address all of them, cleaning and televising each one. “I would anticipate some cost going forward to fix some of them. Until we got them cleaned and televise them, we don’t know what’s in there,” Henke said. Huff agreed, noting, “You got to think there’s got to be some repair somewhere.” “They’ve never been touched,” Henke mentioned.
Fitzsimmons asked if Flo-Rite would provide GPS mapping of the televised sewers. City Administrator Nicole Pilgrim responded that Flo-Rite does not offer this service, but she hopes to obtain the mapping from CBS2. She added that she doesn’t believe Flo-Rite has the capability to provide it.
The City of Stanley is purchasing a new jetter truck from EnviroTech for $428,000, with delivery expected by April 1, 2025.
“Going forward our city crew would be able to put in all our sewers,” said Henke, noting that the new truck will allow the city crew to clean all sewers and storm sewers, a program the city needs to implement more frequently. “That’s a program that we need to get into and do. We can’t wait every fifty years to do it,” he said, emphasizing that regular cleaning is important.
“Sewer is in probably the best place it’s been in years,” Henke commented that the budget is in good shape for this purchase, with an expected carryover of $150,000 from the previous budget. The current truck is expected to be sold after the new one is delivered.
Alderperson Laurie Foster asked how often the sewers will be cleaned, to which Henke responded that the sewers would be cleaned annually, or more often as needed.
Fitzsimmons inquired whether EnviroTech provides a warranty and training for the truck as he wants to make sure it is utilized correctly.
Henke assured him that training will be provided and emphasized that the investment is “a chunk of money,” but the truck will pay off in the long term, potentially allowing for annual storm sewer cleaning.
Alderperson Aaron Dickson noted that the truck should pay for itself in six years, assuming it costs $75,000 per sewer cleaning. Alderperson Ben Wald asked if the truck would meet all the city’s needs moving forward. Henke confirmed, “It will do all our sanitary and our storm sewers. If it didn’t do that, I don’t think we’d be interested.”
The Sewer Department Overtime Proposal for 2025 for belt press operation and sludge hauling was approved by the council. Henke explained that currently, the belt press runs on Thursday and Friday, with cleanup between sessions, and sludge hauling doesn’t occur until Monday, tying up the truck for 4.5 days a week. With the proposed plan, the truck would only be tied up for a day and a half, freeing it for snow hauling if needed, thereby saving the city money. Pilgrim noted that hiring a truck for snow hauling costs about $5,000 annually.
Henke explained that the most overtime expected would be five hours, but in two to three years, he anticipates the reed beds will handle about half the sludge, reducing the need for overtime.
“We won’t have any reason to have overtime running the belt press because it will all be done in one day,” Henke said. He shared that the reed beds were checked on that day. “It appears they’re doing fine,” he said, adding that it’s important that they don’t get oversaturated and die again.
Henke then noted that while he’s not a big fan of overtime, he sees the long-term savings potential.
“It’d still cover what we need to do now. I guess I’m ok with it,” he explained.
Wald asked if the budget supports the proposal, to which Henke confirmed it does, as summer help will no longer be needed in the sewer department.
Fitzsimmons asked if the proposal would be revisited in 2026. Henke confirmed it would and Alderperson Jason Meyer also confirmed that the overtime is needed on Thursdays for the operation.
In other news
Henke appointed Lia Campbell as the school representative on the D.R. Moon Memorial Library Board.