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A fishing pier is returning to Beach Park in Lindstrom. The public pier was offered to the city by the Department of Natural Resources after another city previously ranked ahead of Lindstrom for the pier, backed out. Council was glad to have the amenity back after the last pier was damaged by ice and a replacement wasn't found. If it doesn't get installed this fall the pier will go in next spring.

The city council also heard last week that the Holiday station/convenience store seeks an extension of zoning timelines.

The company was unanimously given an extra 30 days until a public hearing must be held on its application for a Conditional Use Permit.

Holiday Stores and the state have been trying to reach agreement on access points for a proposed new store and also redeveloping the adjacent vacant lot Holiday owns. City Administrator John Olinger said a meeting is set for all the involved parties for this week, to see if state highway rebuilding plans can accommodate Holiday Stores' design.

Overlook redux

The council heard from a park board member and a resident about an earlier council vote not to move ahead on the "Linden Street Overlook."

The council recently declined to act on doing costly stormwater and structural improvements and building an overlook/dock for the end of Linden Street, at the shores of South Lindstrom Lake.

Resident Brad Wilcox told the council the spot where the street empties into the lake is an "eyesore and an embarrassment."

He said his family pulled out a truckload of weeds last year from the small lot where the street meets the lake. They didn't cleanup this year, because they thought a city project would be underway. Busloads of tourists often stroll down the street from the veterans' memorial and Wilcox said he feels badly when they stop and look upon the lake from such an unsightly spot.

Ian Dudley, of the park board, asked council to reconsider just approving the cost that the park board supports for a final design.

Dudley said grants are available for the overlook and for water quality measures and stormwater controls-- but the city needs a design to even qualify for outside funding. He continued, "This to me seems like a logical first step."

Dudley said the whole project doesn't have to get done all at once, but the city can't even apply for outside funding without a design to show what it wants.

The council okayed the design expenditure 3-2, with Council members Jim Singer and Roger Lindgren opposed.

There'd been a lengthy conversation on curtailing "discretionary" spending at the city level by council at this same meeting.

Singer declared that the overlook is not a necessity and he wouldn't support it. He predicts the city will end up spending lots more money on this than just the design phase.

The majority felt that by having the design (a $9,000 estimate) the city will at least be able to leverage greater funding.

In other business:

Upon engineering recommendation council "accepted" the Glader and Lakelawn sewer line extension. The acceptance starts the one year warranty. The city's retaining money for next spring if seed and sod doesn't take root and costs are incurred restoring the work areas.

Engineer Jon Herdegen also reported the Minnesota Avenue and County Road #14 sewer extension saw four township properties serviced with stubs for future hookups plus the requested connections.

County Road 14 has reopened to through-traffic.

In that same neighborhood the council approved SEH Engineering to do a feasibility study for Lake Lane East.

The dirt road behind Lindstrom Foods will become a well-used street when the intersection of Hwy. 8 and 14 is rebuilt and medians and other traffic controls are installed. The city needs to make sure the water service is adequate on lake Lane, for relocating the NABPCO auto parts store from the highway to between Arby's and Lindstrom Foods.

The council also set a hearing date for November 18 on a Tax Increment Financing District plan that will aid the auto parts business in its displacement due to the highway project.

And, new legislation allows cities to use excess TIF to help "create jobs" so Lindstrom plans to redirect about $282,000 remaining from the Scottsdale Mall TIF District into a project, probably this one. City Administrator John Olinger said the increment must be committed to a project by June 2011. Normally, the city would remit any "excess" to the county and the county would distribute the total to appropriate entities. There is excess because the Scottsdale project generated taxes either faster or at a greater rate than what was projected as needed to support costs for redeveloping that parcel. (A trailer home neighborhood and variety store used to sit on that corner.)

City Administrator Olinger reported he offered to buy 14 acres at $5,000 an acre, to the owner the Morning Sun housing development in an effort to see if a site for a business park could be purchased and the offer was declined.

~ Council appointed Nancy Johnson to the EDA.

~ Mick Campbell was placed as at-large rep on the All County Veterans Memorial Committee; along with Gaylon Brandt a permanent member; Dan Cunnien will replace Orin Smith. Existing members already serving: Chuck Johnson, Wyman Detzler, John Broecker, Don Bungum, Lloyd (Poik) Anderson, Bill Straub and Dorothe Stream.

~ Payments that appear to be uncollectable from the developers of The Oaks were certified to taxes. Council heard there's almost $4,000 unpaid in sewer and water billing and engineering fees owed to the city come to $11,134.

~ The yard area and building size ordinance was revised by recommendation of the planning commission. The setback for a deck (as defined in Chapter 55) may be 25 feet from rear lot line.

The planning commission continues to struggle with revisions for ordinances on Accessory Uses in R1-A and R-1 districts and plans to continue discussions on this topic in October at its meeting.

The council meeting for October was changed to October 19.

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