Goessel council turns down request for private snow removal

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN CYNTHIA GOERZEN
The Goessel City Council affirmed its snow-removal policies at the Feb. 22 meeting.

City Clerk Anita Goertzen presented a request from a resident who wanted the city to open her driveway when it was blocked by snow. The council has been advised by the city’s attorney not to remove snow from private property because of liability issues.

It was pointed out that some residents are willing to use their own equipment to remove snow for others for a fee. Goertzen is willing to compile a list of such people to suggest to residents.

Mayor Peggy Jay said she is planning to attend the Emergency Management Command exercise that will be taught by Ted Hazelton of Johnson County at 6:30 p.m., March 25, in Marion. Public works director Arlen Goertzen plans to attend also.

Jay invited council members to participate. The training is planned for elected officials of Marion County cities and department officials.

Council member Jim Wiens mentioned a storm-spotters meeting scheduled at 7:30 p.m., March 13, in the Chisholm Middle School cafeteria in Newton. He encouraged interested people to attend.

Wiens, who is also on the fire board, reported the fire department has a new fire truck that is available to the city for weather-watching. Council approved member Larry Schmidt’s motion that the city purchase a scanner for the fire truck and consider it the city’s donation for use of the fire truck during storms.

Goertzen said the city’s pickup truck also has a scanner, and he feels the city has adequate storm coverage.

Goertzen asked the council to review the emergency plan he wrote. He said the city has a generator that would be used at the wells in case there is no electricity. He suggested it might be wise to have an additional generator to use at the city building as well, since that building would likely be used as a “command post” in the event of a disaster.

Council member Larry Lindeman said he’d like to see “a little dust control” on city streets. Goertzen said that calcium chloride or magnesium chloride would be the base chemical that would be sprayed on streets. It would bond with the surface and reduce maintenance and dust. It costs about $2,500 for a truckload, which would cover about a mile of streets. It lasts almost a year, depending on how much moisture falls.

He said in the past there had been concern about the chemical rusting cars. However, he said it can be easily washed off, just like road salt. He said there would probably not be any run-off, and it would not kill grass. He said Marion County uses the chemical in road stabilization projects.

The council made no decision.

In other business:

?Police chief Rollin Schmidt reported that the city’s police had driven 344 miles during the past month, issued four warnings, issued one notice to appear, issued two parking tickets, attended training and extradited a drifter. Police officers plan to attend an academy in May.

?Goertzen reported that Chris Cox has been in communication with McGuire Iron of Sioux Falls, S.D., to set up a meeting to discuss the water-tower project with the council. The meeting has tentatively been scheduled for the first week of April. McGuire Iron is the contractor.

?Goertzen said the new salt spreader has arrived and is almost ready for use. It will be helpful in salting icy or snow-packed streets.

?Emma Rath, a Goessel Goal Getters 4-H Club member, attended the meeting to ask permission to keep four goats within city limits. She would own two goats, and her brother, Chris, would own the other two as part of a 4-H project. They plan to have the goats only during the summer and will sell them at the fair.

Jay said last year the council granted the Rath children permission for the same request. At that time, the council stipulated that the request would need to be made yearly. The council approved the request for this summer.

?The council spent a considerable time discussing projections for the capital-improvement fund and the equipment-reserve fund. Since the motor grader is now paid off, they decided to continue putting $2,804 a year into the equipment fund to plan ahead for large-equipment purchases.

It was noted that a dump truck, mower and pick-up would be needed before long.

?Resident Jerry Toews asked for clarification on the sewer bill for his car-wash business. Wiens said sewer bills are calculated on an average of how much water a residence or business pumps into the sewer system. The sewer fee is recalculated every year.

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