Concerns about damages from last week’s storms took center stage Monday night at the Albert Lea City Council meeting.

The discussion came after resident Bob Arnold spoke out during the public forum portion of the meeting about sewage that backed up into his basement on Abbott Street and into the basements of some of his rental properties in the same area.

“It’s disgusting. It’s unacceptable, and the city should be embarrassed it even happens,” Arnold said.

He said this is his fifth time in about 10 years to have sewage backup in his basement. He said he had as much as three feet in some areas and has had to put in new furnaces and hot water heaters.

“We’re not going to accept the sewage in the basements,” he said.

Fifth Ward Councilor Larry Anderson said on any given day the city’s wastewater treatment plant handles between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 million gallons of water a day, but during the storms last week, that flow was boosted up to about 20 million gallons a day.

“That amount of inflow coming in in such a short amount of time,” Anderson said, “it’s a huge issue.”

That, combined with already saturated soils, a power outage and problems at a lift station, contributed to already present problems, said City Engineer Steven Jahnke.

Jahnke said the city put out 15 pumps to keep the system from backing up further. The city also sent out a notice asking residents to limit water use however possible.

Second Ward City Councilor Larry Baker encouraged the council to look into possible solutions that would prevent future backups into people’s basements.

“I’ve been in a basement helping clean it out one time,” Baker said. “It’s not very fun.”

Third Ward Councilor George Marin said some homes in his ward have had similar problems.

“I think we really as a council need to buckle down and step up to the plate on these,” he said.

Marin asked Mayor Vern Rasmussen to contact District 27A Rep. Shannon Savick and District 27 Sen. Dan Sparks about possible flood mitigation on East Main Street in front of Godfather’s Pizza. The route is also U.S. Highway 65, maintained by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

“We take the blame for that, your honor, but that’s a MnDOT road,” Marin said.

The councilors said people in their wards had positive comments about the city’s efforts to clean up trees debris after the storm.

In other action, the City Council:

• Rejected the bid for the improvements to the Fountain Street sanitary sewer lift station.

The city received one bid for the project from GM Contracting Inc. for about $603,000. The engineer’s estimate was about $322,000. Staff are looking at ways to rebid the project.

• Approved an appeal from Albert Lea’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon organization to allow alcohol to be served at its Freedom Festival from 4 to 10 p.m. July 3 at Fountain Lake Park. The event honors present and past veterans.

Albert Lea Police Chief Dwaine Winkels said he was concerned about allowing alcohol throughout all of Fountain Lake Park at the same time as the Third of July Parade because the parade is attended by families with children.

The council approved allowing people to have alcohol within a fenced-in area in the lower part of the park.

Any music being played during the event will be turned off during the parade.

• Called a public hearing for Aug. 25 about establishing a tax-increment-financing district for the proposed St. John’s on Fountain Lake on a portion of the former Albert Lea Golf Club property.

The market value of the facility once completed is estimated at $29.1 million.

• Awarded a contract to M&W Blacktopping of Faribault for $187,400 to reconstruct three city parking lots. The bid was the lowest received, and the engineer’s estimate was about $195,000.

• Authorized the sale of properties at 816 W. William St., 928 S. First Ave. and 2216 Eunice Drive that the city acquired through tax forfeiture.

• Awarded a contract to Doyle Conner Co. of Rochester for about $39,000 for paving an alley between First Avenue and Main Street. The engineer’s estimate was about $43,000.

Baker said the project was requested by the residents whose property is on the alley.

• Authorized a grant agreement between the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Albert Lea Police Department. The grant will reimburse the city for overtime wages and benefits for officers who are assigned to work shifts during times of increased enforcement.

The grant period runs from October 2014 through September 2015.

• Approved excess property to be sold at an auction at 5 p.m. today at the former wastewater treatment plant in Frank Hall Park.

• Accepted a $6,000 donation for the purchase of six sets of permanent posts and nets for pickleball courts, along with $100 from Big Island Grille & Bar for summer Parks and Recreation Department programming.

• Declared the upcoming Wind Down Wednesdays for the summer as “community events,” which allows alcohol to be served there.

 

Money back 

Albert Leans who paid to get rid of branches and other tree debris at the city’s transfer station on June 17 will get reimbursed for their cost of doing so, the City Council voted Monday. The city approved free debris disposal the next day. The rate goes through Saturday.