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The winter overnight street parking rules were revised by the Taylors Falls City Council at the meeting Monday night Jan 27.  The time when vehicles are prohibited from city streets (until April 15) is NOW midnight to 6 a.m.  The former wording allowed vehicles until 2 a.m. but plow trucks were being dispatched earlier and finding it difficult to clear snow with cars and trucks still parked in their way.  Taylors Falls city officials re-wrote the removal time to allow deputies to address the few vehicles that were in the way.

A representative from Garland Companies roofing design, build and monitoring, gave an overview of an inspection and recommendations for proceeding on city hall/fire hall and community center/depot roofing.  

There will be a meeting with the city financing advisors Ehlers , in early February on options of how to pay for the projects.  

Mayor Brandon Weiberg said the city will have to borrow at least some of the whole cost, because the expenses for the work are not covered in an account in the bank.  Council still has to discuss which tasks can be paid up front and which parts of the projects should be bonded for.

Council member Tim Grote observed the city has been “band aiding” these roofing and mechanical issues for years, and while public works is doing a nice job, he added,  it is time to resolve these concerns.  The city hall flat rubber roof is untouched from 2002 and the depot is a shingle material that has come to the end of its lifespan. There are two rooftop air handling units due for replacement as well, estimated around $15,000 a piece.

Scuppers and ice in drain channels will be addressed with new technology.  Waterproofing and stopping leaks into city hall walls will be in this project.

All the work will be $400,000 to $500,000, according to the Garland Company representative.  

Grote explained the city will hold a public hearing prior to borrowing, probably to be scheduled sometime in March. 

There were a couple adjustments made to committee membership acted on in the last council meeting.  

New Council member Robert Bayer is still on the Economic Development Commission but the planning commission spot went to Council member Tim Grote.  Former Council member Larry Julik Heine applied to serve as a citizen on the parks commission and was named to that opening.

Two city staff were approved to attend the upcoming city clerk’s conference in Brooklyn Center. Maximum expense for the event and food, etc is $2,500 for both.

The city can expect to see some site work commence at the Hursh Ironworks location, west of downtown in the business park, in the spring. In an update council was advised there are delays in combining some lots for the land transfer to the company and there are reviews underway on a potential fence height variance and impervious coverage of the building site.

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