City Council Round-Up: New Meeting Time, Pavement Project at Inver Wood Approved

The Inver Grove Heights City Council took action on a number of items during a comparatively short council meeting on Monday night.

Posted Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 2:13 am CT|Updated Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 2:15 am CT

The council approved the first reading of an ordinance amendment that would change the time of council meetings from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The first regular meeting affected by the time change would be Sept. 12. Meeting dates would not be affected by the proposed ordinance change. The reading on July 25 is the first of three required readings before the ordinance takes effect.

With the development of Heritage Village Park and the Rock Island Swing Bridge proceeding along the Inver Grove Heights riverfront, the city is now turning to the railroad crossing at 66th Street. The city plans to make several improvements to the road, including upgrading the pavement surface, installing curb and gutter and storm drainage systems and a new trail to complement recent park improvements in the area. City staff believe that improvements may be needed at the railroad crossing, which is under the jurisdiction of the Union Pacific Railroad. The council unanimously voted to approve the proposed agreement with the railroad on Monday. Under the terms of the agreement, the city would cover the costs incurred by the railroad to complete a design study for improvements to the crossing. The cost to complete the study is estimated at $8,000.

The council unanimously approved a $90,000 golf cart trail pavement project at the Inver Wood Golf Course. The course has a total of 25,800 feet of trail, but the original trails were installed on wet, unstable soil in 1991, which compromised the quality of the paths. As part of the proposed project, The city will replace more than 5,000 feet of pavement, reroute 112 feet of trail and remove more than 600 feet of the path this year. The council awarded the contract to Vermilion-based Pine Bend Paving, Inc. Total costs for the four-year, four phase pavement program, approved last year, are estimated at just over $400,000.

The council unanimously confirmed a 30-day suspension for Inver Grove Heights firefighter Luke Nightengale. All firefighters must maintain a minimal call percentage of 15 percent for each quarter of the year. Any firefighter who fails to meet that minimum twice over a 24-month period will be suspended for 30 days. Nightengale failed to meet the minimum, according to a memo provided by Fire Chief Judy Thill.

Veterans Memorial Community Center is getting several new pieces of exercise equipment, after the council unanimously approved the purchase of three pieces of cardio exercise equipment and a handful of weight training pieces. The total cost of the new equipment came in at $23,197. Newer equipment that is easier to handle and safer will benefit the 35-50 age group, the primary demographic using the community center.

The council approved a conditional use permit for Grace Nazarene Church in Inver Grove Heights. The permit would allow the church to operate a 60-100-child daycare at its existing facilities on Blaine Avenue.

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