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Taylors Falls City Council enthusiastically hired a new maintenance staff member to fill a department vacancy with the retirement of Bill Neska.  Paul Stenger, who brings experience and the ability to work odd, long hours, to the job-- was hired at $24 an hour, unanimously.
Interviews were done in a special session October 3. Eight applications were submitted and three made the interview cut.  Stenger starts October 29.

Mayor Mike Buchite told Neska, “It will be tough to replace you.”  

Council member Larry Julik Heine told Neska he had learned “quite a bit” from Neska over the years shadowing his duties and even riding in the plow truck with him, as Public Works Council Liaison.  

Ross Rivard said, “There couldn’t have been a better person in the job” than Neska, who worked for the city for 19 years.

Council then accepted a quote for replacing sidewalk in the Angel Hill neighborhood that has sunk, caused by run-off from city stormwater systems.  The quote of $2,100 from Lawrence Creek Contracting was approved. Work gets started as soon as possible.  The bill will be paid completely out of the city stormwater account because the damage was not the fault of the abutting property owner’s actions. Ordinarily the city splits sidewalk work 50-50.

Also, the fire department’s grant application for a new body atop an existing rescue truck chassis-- hopefully-- was okayed to be submitted 5-0. The end result will be a combined rescue-pumper truck. The 95 percent FEMA funding would make the city responsible for just five percent of the retro-fit expenses, estimated around $350,000.  Having the new combined apparatus means the city’s 1986 pumper truck can be sold.

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