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A two acre parcel is being developed on the corner of Hwy 8 and Sportman's Drive that will include a McDonald's restaurant, several retail spaces and a bike path. While speaking after the Chisago City Council meeting May 11, developer Mike Hursh said that he was still working to lease retail space in the strip mall.

Included in the development agreement are stipulations to connect McDonald's to Sportsman's Drive via a bike path (behind the car wash), and design a one-way lane of travel through the west parking lot to alleviate traffic congestion.

Council member Larry Parker made the motion to accept the design after a lengthy discussion concerning the placement of the trail. Parker also wanted the height of the McDonald's sign reduced from 35 feet to 25 feet.

After two years of hard work researching and completing FEMA grant application forms, the Chisago City Fire Department was awarded $80,000 to buy replacement self-contained breathing apparatus.

Fire Chief Bruce Peterson and fire fighter Mike Behm described the lengthy application process as well as the equipment necessary for the department to function properly. Quotes were received from Alex Air Apparatus in Alexandria, MN and Municipal Emergency Services in Fremont, NE. The justification for going with the higher bid from the Alexandria company had to do with the quick connect and disconnect valves on the air tanks, a heads-up display integrated into the mask, and being able to use the department's existing air bottles for another two years. The fire department also has an established relationship with the company through purchases of equipment in the past, it was stated.

The proposed Chisago City mineral extraction ordinance was unanimously approved by the council upon Sue Skow's motion and Larry Parker's second.

Quite a few neighbors of the Dresel asphalt plant spoke to the council concerning their views of truck noise and odors emanating from the plant. Since Dresel added an odor-reducing chemical to the asphalt process, several neighbors said that they no longer smelled the sulfurous odor. Others stated that they have not yet noticed a reduction in the smell. The noise complaint concerning the truck traffic and the back-up truck alarms seemed to be settled when Josh Dresel advised the council that quieter, alarms could be installed on the trucks.

The neighbors were satisfied with the speed of the trucks, but wanted the numbers of trucks per hour reduced to two at night. City attorney Tom Miller told the council that the entire ordinance will be published..

In other business:

The Chisago City Fire Department received a $750 donation from Recycled Wardrobes.

The next meeting of the Chisago City Council will be 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 25 at City Hall.

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