City Council Approves Bids to Expand Cantine Courts

The regular meeting of the Milbank City Council was held on Monday, May 13, in the Community Room of the Milbank Visitors Center. The minutes from the previous council meeting on April 8 were approved. Bills in the amount of $460,885.27 were approved for payment, along with the March and April treasurer’s reports. The board voted to accept the annual report and submit it to the Department of Legislative Audit. 

Cantine Courts Expansion and Resurfacing
Bids to facilitate the expansion of Cantine Tennis Courts by adding two new courts and resurfacing the courts already on the site were approved. The total cost to complete the project is estimated at just under $386,000. The estimate includes nearly $50,000 for fencing.  

The board approved bids from Beyond Concrete at $174,778.88 and Nelson Electric of Ortonville, Minnesota, at  $55,550.77. (Conroy Electric, also of Ortonville, submitted a higher bid  of $57,879.34.)  The bid from Pro Track & Tennis at $105,900 was also approved. The Pro Track bid includes a base of $86,900, color coating of the new courts for $17,000, and adding pickleball lines for an additional $2,000.

The City of Milbank is responsible for one third of the costs. The Milbank School District and  Valley Queen have each agreed to shoulder one third of the remaining costs. The trio has assigned a cap of $145,000 to their contributions.  The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the three parties is to be updated to reflect the ceiling on the contributions before it is signed. 

$300,000 Remains in Covid Era Grant Money 
Approximately $300,000 remains in Milbank’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). The grant money must be used this fall or by the end of the 2024 calendar year and must support a project that qualifies as a “new” project. The board suggested Steve Pendergrass, administrator for the City of Milbank, explore and develop a storm water plan to improve drainage on Milbank’s south side. Pendergrass was directed to again tap Banner Associates for assistance. 

Liquor Licenses
The board approved malt beverage and South Dakota wine license applications for Triple C Bar, Pizza Hut, The Pump 2.0 LLC, Top Hat Lanes, Berens Market, LLC, and 15 Hotel Group Inc. dba GrandStay Hotel & Suites.

Personnel 
The board approved the transition of police officer Braden Johnson to full time at $26 per hour,  effective May 11. Milbank Police Chief Corey Hooth reported the Milbank Police Department currently has seven full-time officers.

The board also approved the hiring of Ethan Owen and Ryan Keeton as building attendants at Unity Health and Fitness at  $12.55 per hour and to increase the hourly rate to $15.50 for class instructor Judy Frink.

Council members accepted the resignation of Dennis Lesnar, custodian at Unity Health & Fitness, effective June 30; Gene Mattice, a member of the Unity maintenance team, effective June 21; and Abby Larson, a part-time member of the Unity maintenance staff, effective April 30.  

Real Estate and Business Agreements
The council voted to sell a parcel of city-owned property on Diggs Avenue by way of sealed bids. The city obtained the property approximately seven years ago under a state program. The new owner must construct a single dwelling home on the property within four years or the lot will revert back to the city to be resold.

The council approved the sale by sealed bid of a parcel of land at Diggs Avenue,  Lot 8, Block 59, Original Townsite. Two bids were received. Michael Schell submitted the higher bid of $8,600 and Gerald Lewno’s bid came in at $6,000.

Resolution 5-13-24  was approved for the Lot Merger, of Lots 9 and 10, Block 4 West End Addition.

.Easements were approved for Otter Tail Power for new power lines that will come into the city.

The board authorized Mayor Raffety to sign the engineering agreement with Helms and Associates for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) – #3-46-0034-021-2024, Amendment Number 1, Runway No 13 Turnaround, Milbank Municipal  Airport – $88,078.27.

Events
Two events were approved for summer 2024: The Legion Field kickoff on May 23 will feature a community meal, a scrimmage game between the Post 9 American Legion baseball team and the VFW Teeners, and fireworks. On July 18, Main Street will be closed from 4-8 p.m. to start Farley Fest. Carnival games, food trucks, a ping-pong ball drop giveaway, and music are scheduled. Many merchants plan to keep their businesses open until 8 pm. The  Main Street parade will take place on July 20 at 10:30 a.m. and Main Street will also be closed at that time. 

Water and Lead Pipes
The Water Department reported water use in the City of MIlbank has increased considerably from last year.
Pendergrass noted that the City of Milbank’s website contains information to assist people in making a quick assessment of their water pipes. If lead is discovered, funds are available to help resolve the issue. 

Projects and Department Updates
Due to an anticipated  increase in insurance costs that would be incurred by the recipient of a FEMA grant, the board rejected FMA-EMD 2022-FM-005 per the homeowner’s request.

The 5th Street project is on schedule. The board approved bids for base materials: Peters-Kranz Gravel – 2000 tons at $11.75/ton. and J & J Earthworks 4,100 at $14.90/ton.

Pendergrass provided an update on the storm shelter project. The plan is to move it to the northwest corner of Farley Park by the soccer fields and RV Park because water and sewer already exist in that area.  No formal action was required from the council.  Click here for more information on the storm shelter project.

Pendergrass also reported he is working on a Master Fee Schedule for the City of Milbank. It will be a comprehensive list of the rates the City charges for everything from landfill and airport fees to Unity memberships, police fines, etc.

The next regular meeting of the Milbank City Council is scheduled for Monday, June 10. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Milbank Visitor Center.