SE property owners protest pair of city street projects

Council includes projects in city's 2001 project list

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Several dozen property owners vented their feelings about a pair of street projects Tuesday at the Sleepy Eye City Council meeting.

The meeting, which lasted nearly 3 1/2 hours, included spirited verbal sparring among several citizens.

After lengthy discussion, Council Chairman Wayne Novotny told City Engineer David Palm to go ahead and include a pair of contested projects in the city's 2001 Street and Utility Project.

Most of the audience came to discuss the proposed city annexation of Cedar Street, in the northeast part of town, a block north of East Main Street.

The project includes curb and gutter, sewer, water and bituminous road work east of Seventh Avenue East.

The street ends with a barricade at its east end, where the Minnesota Department of Transportation has a shop and garage.

Property owners told the council they didn't want to pay the assessment costs of the project.

Some business property owners said paving the street would create additional snow removal problems.

Sleepy Eye Auction Market owner Dean Ibberson said he and all other property owners affected by the project are against it.

"I'm trying to cut business costs right now, not add to them," Ibberson said. "The road (Cedar Street) doesn't go anywhere. Why do it?"

Novotny said the project was created for the "general improvement" of the city.

"Seventh Street (East) is a piece of garbage and takes heavy truck traffic," Novotny said. "It's not fair but nothing in life is fair. It only makes sense to connect (Cedar) street to Ninth Avenue for future development in this end of town."

Ibberson said he currently piles snow where the future street would be built. He is also worried about the future of his business.

"Sales barns are closing all over the place. Mine probably doesn't have too many years left," Ibberson said.

Sleepy Eye Mayor Jim Broich told Ibberson that his property would be worth more if it were improved.

"You'll get another Pietrus property (if the project goes through). I'll give it to you for the taxes and operate out in the country. You haven't sold me on it being good for Sleepy Eye," Ibberson said.

Novotny told Ibberson, who currently uses city water but not city sewer, that the sewer cost could be deferred until it was put into use, but interest charges would accrue in the meantime.

"We only do projects like this every 15 years or so. This is the time to do this," Novotny said.

Sleepy Eye City Manager Mark Kober said the barricade at the east end of Cedar Street could be removed and it could be extended east to Ninth Street.

Broich said potential buyers have looked at the Burda commercial property, east of Cedar Street and that improving the area would help the city grow.

Sleepy Eye Bus LInes owner Tom Regan said Wednesday he was opposed to the way city projects are handled. He would prefer that property owners meet with city officials before details were set instead of being forced upon them without prior input.

Regan thought it was fruitless to attend Tuesday's meeting because he felt he would only be "bullied" by the council. He said he preferred that the city would provide options rather than forcing plans on property owners.

Kober told Ibberson that $1 in Home Township taxes would cost $1.30 in the city.

In other street project, the council plans to double the width of the west side of Allison Parkway from 16 to 33 feet and pave the dirt portion of it near Sleepy Eye Lake.

Councilor Harold Windschitl was vehemently against the project, saying it should be left as is.

Several property owners also voiced opposition to the project. They said it would disrupt what they consider to be an aesthetically pleasing area.

Sleepy Eye Fire Chief Bob Zinniel said some trees on the street need to be trimmed to allow fire trucks room to pass on the street, whether or not the project is completed.

Public hearings on the proposed projects are expected to be held in late April.

In other business, the council:

* Learned that bid letting date for the Highway 4 south project will be Feb. 23.

* Scheduled a Board of Equalization special meeting to review assessments on May 8.

* Heard from Park Superintendent Daryl Bergs that the cost of renovating the existing swimming is approximately $500,000.

Bergs suggested the council consider building some type of water park, similar to one in Fairmont recently built for about $2.3 million.

Kober suggested a city sales tax could help pay for such a project, as was done in Plainview, Neb., where he was the city manager.

Kober said the time to apply for a local sales tax was now since it would take state legislative approval which could take a year.

Councilor Gary Windschitl said the project needed to begin quickly.

"We are already behind many communities our size," Windschitl said.

Bergs was directed to proceed with further practical ideas and plans. and present to the council.

* Kober promoted the idea of adding decorative street lights in downtown Sleepy Eye and possibly other parts of town undergoing street, curb and gutter projects.

Conventional street lights cost about $900 each, according to Kober.

Lower, decorative, multiple-globe lights would cost about $1,500 each. They would give more light on the street, sidewalk, residential and downtown building fronts, he added.

Adding decorative lights could be the catalyst to renovate downtown Sleepy Eye, he said.