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The Center City Council last week signed-off on a replacement for a deteriorating  under-road culvert between Pioneer and North Center Lakes. The failing culvert was affecting the integrity of Main Street north of the government center.  

The flow is out of Pioneer Lake into North Center Lake.  The relatively low water quality of Pioneer Lake and its impact on North Center has also been figured into this project.  The  bid includes a filtration apparatus with a changeable media component, serving to trap both particulate and dissolved phosphorus.  The idea has been used successfully in parking lot stormwater management applications, council was told, but this installation is more uncommon.

The filtration device may or may not have to be removed when temps dip below freezing, and the useful life of the media product, encountering biologic organisms and other materials not found on parking lots, can only be estimated now.  

Chisago County Soil & Water Conservation District Specialist Casey Thiel explained this is worth investing in because  “conservatively” it will trap and hold 40 pounds of nutrients annually that the lakes don’t need.  

Research is unclear on the source of the phosphorus loading found in Pioneer Lake, she added.  The basin almost behaves as the giant rain garden of its watershed.

The project will cost Center City residents $16,000. The Lake Improvement District contributed $9,000 of the remaining SWCD’s share of about $32,000, for a total project budget of about $48,000. Soil and water staff oversees efforts in Center City and watershed-wide,  using a Water Fund Grant, and the LID has agreed to cost-share.

The full city council awarded the job to Shoreline Landscaping, Chisago City,   coming in at a few hundred dollars lower than the second quote.  

The project is scheduled to be done yet this year.

In other business:  

~ Council approved the use of city hall by the local Republican Caucus for caucus night. Normally the pre-election event would be at Chisago Lakes middle school.

~ Gave the go-ahead to Shawn Dunne to use public lakeshore for a dock for Captain Shawn’s Charters and Rentals.  He will be using the former “Cotton Candy” frozen yogurt building for his base of operations and the access is on the west South Center Lake side.  He had no details on how big the dock will be.  He basically needed city permission to use the publicly-owned lakeshore.  He is required to let non-paying customer boaters use the dock.

 The agreement is being drafted by the city attorney.

Dunne said he hopes to run this location in addition to his existing boating business on South Lindstrom Lake.

He plans to open in Center City and have boats, kayaks, etc. ready to rent by opener of the 2018 fishing season.

~ Council heard from staff the city EDA recommends “cancelling” the  WI-FI hotspot due to records showing it is not being used.

~ Council member Madonna Higgins gave a report and brought some information back from  a preservation conference she was sent to by the city, held in Albert Lea.  The ideas discussed and presented at the conference may be useful in Center City to market and promote the area.

~ Mayor Larry Houger reported the parks booster committee made $400 from the brat feed at Pleasant Valley Orchard and said the group is to be commended for their hard work.

~ A special council meeting will be needed to award the bid for the fire hall expansion. Council will meet at city hall October 25 at 5 p.m.  Bid review by the ad hoc committee,  to make sure bid conditions have been met and math is accurate,  takes place Oct 23.

Roadside litter pickup is set for Friday, October 20 at 9 a.m.  Join the council members and if you can’t show up Oct. 20 pitch-in  and gather litter whenever you can.

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