Minutes: July 13, 2011

Village of Plain

Village Board Proceedings of July 13, 2011

The Regular Monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Plain was held at the Municipal Building on July 13, 2011. The meeting was called to order by President Ring at 7:30 p.m.

Roll Call: Raymond Ring, President; Stephanie Box; Cole Brunson; Raymond Ellenbolt; Walter Gerber: Kevin Kraemer; and, John Schluter, Trustees.

Others present: Phil Studnicka; Barb Studnicka; James Liegel; Dan Meise of Meise Construction; Marian Copus of the Home News; Officer Chuck Schreiber; Shawn Murphy, Green TTEC Director; and, Nick Ruhland, Public Works Director.

Notice of this meeting, along with the agenda, was posted at the following locations in the Village of Plain: the Municipal Building; the Plain Post Office; and, The Peoples Community Bank on Friday, July 8, 2011. Notice was emailed to the Home News and the Baraboo News Republic on the same date.

Schluter motioned to approve minutes from the June 8, 2011 Regular Board meeting. Brunson seconded. Motion carried.

Agenda Guests

Shawn Murphy, Green TTEC Director, and Dan Meise presented the Final Pay Request and Change Order No. 2 for Meise Construction. The change order includes additional costs for the water main because of an unanticipated utility conflict; additional costs due to the construction being suspended; rebuild an existing manhole section not in the original contract; materials purchased but not installed; water usage deduct; repair bill deduct; water main crossing Highway 23 transferred to the Rule contract; and, crediting uncompleted items at the time of suspension of the Meise contract. The net deduct is $342,304, which brings the final Meise contract price to $1,015,416. The original contract was $1,355,478. The remaining $345,930 of the budget is not too far from the Rule contract which was awarded at $350,950.50.

Shawn commended Dan Meise’s cooperation in the difficult process to transfer the contract to Rule. Dan Meise thanked the board and the Village of Plain for the opportunity to start the project with the only regret being not able to finish it.

Ellenbolt motioned to approve the Meise change order and application for the final payment. Gerber seconded. Roll call vote: Ring – Yes; Box – Yes; Brunson – Yes; Ellenbolt – Yes; Gerber – Yes; Kraemer – Yes; Schluter - Yes. Motion carried.

The board next reviewed Pay Request #1 from Rule Construction. Shawn Murphy highlighted some details of the project and recommends the payment of $98,045.57. Kraemer motioned to approve Pay Request #1 in the amount of $98,045.57. Brunson seconded. Roll call vote: Ring – Yes; Box – Yes; Brunson – Yes; Ellenbolt – Yes; Gerber – Yes; Kraemer – Yes; Schluter - Yes. Motion carried.

Joel Gaalswyk, Sauk County Board Supervisor, addressed the board regarding the desire to have an opponent in the April 2012 election. He wishes to retire and has had serious health issues.

Gaalswyk is impressed with Sauk County Healthcare Center management in regards to reducing their “red ink” from $3,000,000 to $2,000,000 annually. He is still a believer that Sauk County should not be in the nursing home business.

The Economic Development Committee is evaluating ownership of the county forest in the Town of Spring Green. Gaalswyk was assigned to a special sub-committee to oversee the development of a recreational trail in the Sauk Prairie area. The Planning & Zoning Committee is rewriting their zoning ordinance as well as updating the Farmland Preservation ordinance. 

Due to redistricting, the Village’s County Supervisor district has significant boundary changes, however the Village of Plain is still in the same district entirely.

Kraemer questioned the County’s financial status. The county needs to reduce their budget due to major state cuts.

Schluter asked if the Economic Development Committee focuses on business retention. Gaalswyk commented that the committee ensures the resources of the county are used to support business development, job growth and the Sauk County Development Corporation.

Schluter questioned the reduction in new home construction and concern of no staffing changes in the Planning and Zoning department with the reduced work load. Gaalswyk answered that the department has more responsibilities than approving new construction, but there have been reductions in staff. The Land Conservation and the Planning and Zoning departments are merging. Sauk County is saving money by only having one director.

Schluter brought up Gaalswyk’s concern for spending too much in law enforcement and pointed out that a pod in the county jail was closed last year. Sauk County is a tourist area and needs good protection. Law enforcement should not be trimmed too much.

The Development & Planning Commission hosted a Public Hearing earlier in the evening for Cole and Kristin Brunson in regards to a variance for placing a storage shed further than 20 feet from a structure. The storage shed will be 60-70 feet from the house. There were no objections from neighbors. Brunson’s lot is not currently covered under Westbrook covenants. The Commission recommends approving the variance. Schluter motioned to accept the recommendation from the Commission and approve the variance. Box seconded. Motion carried with Brunson abstaining.

Police Department Report

The Police Department currently has the radar trailer placed on Highway B. The Police Department is looking to hand out something to kids during the 3-Day parade. Many options were discussed. Gerber feels that it is not necessary for anything to be handed out.

Green TTEC Director Report

Shawn Murphy, Green TTEC Director, informed the Village Board of the construction status of the Green TTEC building. The roof decking is complete and the rubber roof will be finished next week. The floor was poured and the interior partitioning is completed. The fire protection, plumbing, HVAC and electrical is approximately 70% complete. The exterior masonry will be completed early next week. The exterior trim and cement board siding will be installed after that.  The site grading will start next week. The solar panels installation will start next week. The curb & gutter, sidewalk and window installation is scheduled for the first part of August.

The parking lot and street paving was looked into being consolidated to better coordinate installation and reduce expenses. The EDA would not approve reassignment of the work component from one contract to another as proposals were solicited from each sub-contractor for the resulting credit/costs.

MATC’s state board approved the lease agreement today. MATC also hired a program coordinator to work on programming at Green TTEC. Work continues to finalize equipment listing for furnishings.

In the Honey Creek Business Park, the lot grading is complete, seeding and restoration underway and will be complete by end of week. The streets are scheduled for paving on Thursday and Friday, July 14^th & 15^th. Alliant installed street light poles early this week and will install gas main and streetlight cabling next week. Detention pond work will also be completed this week. Murphy will coordinate with Randy Liegel to seed open areas next week. The Meise contract final quantities have been confirmed and agreed upon. The Village will have a quantity of surplus topsoil to sell. Murphy plans to seek direction from the Green TTEC Committee on disposal.

The first reimbursement request with EDA was submitted for approximately $640,000. In order to obtain the reimbursement, the Village must grant a lien on the Green TTEC Building to the EDA for 20 years. The EDA approved form which must be used to record the lien is not available at this time. Murphy is working with the EDA and Senator Kohl’s office to expedite the availability of the form.

Schluter brought up a concern about keeping the new street lights lit throughout the park even though the business park is not full. Murphy explained that it is for safety. The street would need to be closed in order to do that.

Ring questioned if there would be an additional cost to the Village due to windows being on backorder. The contractor will endure any additional costs. The other windows will be installed in a couple of weeks.

The building is on track for MATC to take occupancy on time.

Ring questioned if there have been any new business prospects. Murphy has not been aggressive on that aspect due to the construction process consuming his time. Murphy will be meeting with SCDC Director Gene Dalhoff next week to discuss design a formalized marketing plan. A meeting is also scheduled with an MATC coordinator of programming to look at additional options for use of the building. Murphy is attending an incubator conference tomorrow.

Kraemer asked about the detention pond. It will be a wet basin, so there will always be water in it. The pond will need to be maintained periodically. The maintenance cost will be the responsibility of the property owners in the park.

Public Works Department Report

No Public Works report.

Committee Reports

Finance & Green TTEC – Schluter

The Finance Committee met on July 5^th to discuss an evaluation process. Discussions will continue at a meeting scheduled for July 26^th. The budget kick-off meeting is scheduled for September 7^th. At the September 14^th board meeting Committee Chairs will be asked to start their budget spreadsheets. October 19^th the Finance Committee will meet with Committee Chairs. October 26^th the budget will be reviewed. On November 2^nd there will be a final review. The budget hearing will be set for November 30^th.

The Village is receiving very low interest rates on all bank accounts. All of the accounts have a cumulative balance of $1,433,431.

The Green TTEC Committee did not meet in the last month. A meeting will be planned to update the Committee.

Park, SCDC & Cable TV – Ellenbolt

Nick Ruhland had a resident that wants to donate towards backstop netting at St. Luke’s ball diamond. In the process of measuring for it, it was discovered that a tall pole needs to be replaced. The problem is that the Village does not own the ball diamond. Kraemer suggested putting a sleeve around it. Ruhland will check into that solution.

The Parks Committee met at the pavilion due to drainage issues in the back of the pavilion. Mark Alt was present to shoot a grade and it was found to be 20 inches low. Mark believes he can make a sloped ditch to eliminate a lot of the water. The ideal repair would be to bring in sand and black dirt, but that would be expensive. The ditch will cost $750-$1,000. There use to be a ditch there, but it has filled in over the years. The ditch runs from the pavilion to the road that enters EKS’s lot, approximately 300-400 feet. Ring asked if the Fire Department or the Plain Lions may be willing to make a donation to help reduce the cost. The Parks Committee will discuss further.

Library, Police & RV Court Commission – Gerber

The Library received two donations, $25.00 from Jean Kast and $2,000 from Kraemer Brothers. Thank you letters were sent. Library Board President Shirley Meise suggested the need for a Vice President. Kathy Nachreiner will be approved tonight by the Village Board as a Library Board member. The air conditioning needed to be repaired. The new sign has been started.

Streets & Utilities– Kraemer

Water Pumpage for June:

Well No. 1:   633,000

            Well No. 2:   2,106,000

Total for June: 2,739,000 gallons, which was 422,000 gallons less than last year.

Two bacteria samples were sent to the State Lab. Both samples tested safe.

            Monthly fluoride average: 1.25 p.p.m.  Monthly chlorine average: .25 p.p.m.

Wastewater Report for June:

            Influent Monthly Average B.O.D.:    124 mg/l

            Effluent Monthly Average B.O.D.:    8          Limit: 15 mg/l

            Influent Monthly Average T.S.S.:      156 mg/l

            Effluent Monthly Average T.S.S.:      10        Limit: 20 mg/l

Monthly Average Nitrogen Ammonia: .1297 p.p.m. 

Limit: 20.0 mg/l Monthly

                        29.0 mg/l Daily

            Total gallons treated: 3,835,161

The Streets Committee will be scheduling a meeting. The Cedar Street/Nachreiner Avenue project is completed. It will look nice once the new grass can be mowed. Frontier has yet to come back and repair a hole with a bunch of wires in Bob Neuheisel’s yard. They have been asked to repair it, but they only say they have it on the docket.

The Utilities Committee met on July 6^th. Water and sewer rates were discussed. Impact studies were asked for from the Clerk. There will be a change in rates in the future.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant needs a cover for the trickling filter. The pumps are 30 years old and some have been replaced. They are all being watched closely. In the next few years, more will need to be replaced. A gas compressor is near the end of its life. An estimate is being obtained for replacement of that in early 2012. Otherwise the plant is in pretty good shape.

Ruhland is looking into pricing for dredging by the outfall at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. It is hopeful that the Village’s expired permit can still be used. The question arose on what department would cover the cost. It would be a benefit to the sewer, golf and parks department. Once prices are obtained, it will be decided where the funds will come from.

Building & Ordinance – Brunson

No Building Committee report.

The Ordinance Committee would like to meet soon.

Pool & Golf – Box

The Pool Committee met last evening. A state inspector found numerous items not in compliance. Most of the items have been taken care of with the exception of a need for phones in both pool areas. Nick Ruhland is researching the phone issue.  The pool is in very good condition mechanically. There were code changes with a deadline of March 15, 2012. One accessible area or a wheel chair lift or ramp into the pool is needed. There is no grandfathering in. The Head Lifeguard reported no recent complaints. Expectations of the lifeguards, discussed at a meeting before the season, are not being followed. They are sitting on one bench together and texting on their phones while on duty. The Committee informed the Head Lifeguard that she is in charge and to let the lifeguards know that. If the lifeguards are not going to follow the policy, it was suggested that those lifeguards do not get scheduled any more. They have been reminded numerous times. Chelsey is going to be gone most of August. She is going to assign her duties to the most senior lifeguards. It was suggested that a board be put up with the name and pictures of lifeguards on duties for patrons to become more comfortable with the lifeguards. The Committee discussed a handbook for the lifeguards to sign with expectations and consequences. The lifeguard to patron ratio is one to 60 and two lifeguards for anything over 60. This will be talked about for next season. The rest period was discussed to be changed from 30 minutes to 10-15 minutes due to loss of people during that time. People may stay at the pool if the rest period was shortened. The Committee also discussed activities, pool pass fees and special fees for daycares. Also discussed at the Pool Committee meeting was changing the opening day for 2012 because the pool was open all day before River Valley was done with school. It may be better to only be open 4pm-8pm until school is out. St. Luke’s wants to use the pool again this year at a cost of $150 per day for September 1^st and 2^nd. The Pool Committee also desires to do a mock emergency. The Village has an employee handbook that addresses disciplinary procedures.

The Golf Course Committee also met last evening. The discussion focused on increasing memberships, getting people interested in the course again, rates for students and senior citizens and a tiered rate system. The Committee wants to get the clubhouse open. The golf course is losing golfers because it is not open. Box is going to contact the American Legion Commander to try to get on their agenda. The preliminary idea is for the Village to rent the space and manage the clubhouse. Marketing the course and having a membership sign up day was discussed. Officer Schreiber was in attendance at that Committee meeting and noted that if anyone is playing without paying to contact the Police Department. Also discussed was reciprocal course use with Spring Green. There would be a need for a higher rate that both courses would agree on which would be optional. The golf course usage is down this year. Nick Ruhland stated that the Men’s League is interested in building up Hole #9. Black dirt from the Honey Creek Business Park would be needed. It would be better for the new asphalt in the business park if the dirt was stored there. There would need to be preparation to the site to store it there. Hole #9 would require 10,000 cubic yards. Not all of it will be black dirt.

Development & Planning – Ring

The Development & Planning Commission held a Public Hearing for Cole and Kristin Brunson for a variance for placing a storage shed further than 20 feet from a structure.

Other Business

Ring reported that the judge in the non-residential sewer case is asking for affidavits to be submitted. The non-residents need to submit affidavits and the Village will then do a response affidavit. The judge will then review the affidavits and make a decision in October to determine the next steps. Facts must be undisputed to make a decision at that time. Any further discussion of the case should be in closed session with the Village attorney.

Next the board discussed vacant lots in the Village. There is a lot next to the water reservoir that is owned by Jack Schluter and had asked if the Village would be interested in purchasing it. The property would be challenging to develop. A few years ago the Village had expressed an interest in the lot, but the deal did not go through. The vacant lot next to Cenex, owned by the Village, could be sold. Any profits from that lot would need to be returned to the County for their development fund. The upside to selling the lot would be tax revenue for the Village. There have been offers from people to buy benches for that lot for use as a park. Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital has also been willing to sell the property behind that lot as well, if a larger lot is needed. The lot is not designated as a floodplain. This lot could be added to Shawn Murphy’s realm of commercial property to sell. Both lots will be scheduled for action on a later agenda.

Murphy reviewed the Ideal Builders, Inc. Pay Request No. 3 with the board. Cliff Goodhart, Architect for Green TTEC reviewed and approved the payment. Schluter motioned to pay Ideal Builders, Inc. Pay Request No. 3 in the amount of $212,094.64. Gerber seconded. Roll call vote: Ring – Yes; Box – Yes; Brunson – Yes; Ellenbolt – Yes; Gerber – Yes; Kraemer – Yes; Schluter - Yes. Motion carried.

Brunson read the second reading of Ordinance 172-11, creating the Green TTEC Board. Kraemer motioned to adopt Ordinance 172-11. Ellenbolt seconded. Motion carried.

Kraemer motioned to adopt Resolution 2011-09, a final resolution to exercise special assessment powers under Wisconsin Statute 66.073 for the removal and replacement of curb and gutter on Cedar Street, from its intersection with St. Luke’s Avenue to Nachreiner Avenue; and, on Nachreiner Avenue, from its intersection with Cedar Street to Main Street. Ellenbolt seconded. Motion carried.

Schluter motioned to adopt Resolution 2011-10, borrowing $60,000 for Cedar Street/Nachreiner Avenue project. Kraemer seconded. Roll call vote: Ring – Yes; Box – Yes; Brunson – Yes; Ellenbolt – Yes; Gerber – Yes; Kraemer – Yes; Schluter - Yes. Motion carried.

The Village Board then considered the Stewardship Grant application for the recreation trail through Honey Creek Business Park. This application is the other half of the funding for the trail in conjunction with the Recreational Trail grant submitted in June. Decision on grant awards is expected in late August or September.  DNR visited the floodplain site in late June and indicated they intend to designate the parcel a wetland area. This does complicate and probably increase the design costs for the trail and bridge. Murphy is fairly confident the Village can still accomplish this within the grant budget parameters. Murphy will continue to work with DNR and an engineer once grant awards are announced. No funds were needed for upfront costs. Box is concerned about future maintenance costs. Schluter believes this another great amenity to add to the Village of Plain. There are a lot of people in town that walk. Kraemer commented that once the business park is graded it will correspond nicely to the area. Gerber mentioned the convenience of people visiting downtown businesses from the business park. Box would like to wait and see how successful Green TTEC is before a decision is made. Ellenbolt stated that if we do not apply for it, we will not get it. Schluter pointed out that in the past the Village of Plain has not had opportunities to be a grant recipient. Ellenbolt motioned to proceed with the Stewardship grant application. Gerber seconded. Motion carried with a 6-1 vote. Box voted no.

Ellenbolt motioned to approve operator’s license for Cheryl J. Larson and Tiffany Faber for the period ending June 30, 2012. Box seconded. Motion carried.

If a new Assessor is ever desired, the process has to be started around Board of Review time. The process is similar to hiring an employee. It was pointed out that Wendorff’s pricing is reasonable. Kraemer commented that after the initial Board of Review when the Village was reassessed, the Village has had many years with no complaints and that says a lot. Kraemer believes she has done a good job. Schluter motioned to approve the Wendorff Assessing contract for the next assessment period. Kraemer seconded. Motion carried.

Box motioned to appoint Kathy (Jeff) Nachreiner to the vacant Library Board position. Gerber seconded. Motion carried.

Correspondence  

Ring received a Sauk County Housing Rehabilitation Program brochure. It is a no interest and deferred payment loan for low to median income people that need to upgrade their homes. The loan is not required to be paid until the house is sold.

Review and Audit of Invoices:

Kraemer motioned to pay Voucher #16684 payable to Energenecs, Inc. in the amount of $837.00 from the Sewer Replacement Fund. Ellenbolt seconded. Motion carried.

A motion to pay the monthly invoices as presented was made by Kraemer. Gerber seconded. Motion carried.

Schluter motioned to adjourn to closed session per Wis. Statute 19.85(1)(c) Considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercise responsibility at 10:10 p.m. Box  seconded. Roll call vote: Ring – Yes; Box – Yes; Brunson – Yes; Ellenbolt – Yes; Gerber – Yes; Kraemer – Yes; Schluter - Yes. Motion carried.

The board returned from closed session at 10:30 p.m. Schluter motioned to adjourn. Kraemer seconded. Motion carried.

Sheila Tafs

Clerk/Treasurer