Fountain Council votes to proceed with plant

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
for The Chatfield News

The Chatfield News/STPNS

July 11, 2008

CHATFIELD, Minnesota (STPNS) -- "I resubmitted the plans and specs to the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency), and it's reviewing them," said engineer Dave Morrill of McGhie & Betts as he addressed Fountain's city council July 2, concerning the city's new wastewater treatment plant under consideration for construction.

"I received yesterday a list of sampling and testing permit conditions, and you have to have once-weekly sampling of influent and effluent at the plant. I sent a copy of the list to Minnesota Valley, the company that does your sampling, and the other items on the list that need to be done by the city's operator for the permit include monitoring flow, measuring precipitation and visiting the site once a day."

He added, "A month ago, when we received the first discharge standards, we learned that the requirements the state added include ammonia and dissolved oxygen limits. We talked about whether we can meet those standards... we got a response from the plant manufacturer about cost, and whether the standards would add to the cost of the equipment."

Morrill noted that the price of steel increased the price of the plant - Ashbrook, Inc., of Houston, Texas, originally quoted the city an estimate of $417,000, but with the increased cost of steel, the plant will cost $474,521.

"Currently, Ashbrook has only a letter of intent that Fountain will buy a plant from them. My understanding is that the city is not certain it wants to go beyond that before securing finances, but the MPCA wants plans and specs so that it can give us approval. That puts the city in a position to have to make a motion."

Mayor Richard Kujath asked, "Does that mean we'll lock in a price if we commit to it?"

Morrill answered that Ashbrook would require a 5 percent non-refundable deposit for shop drawings done of the proposed wastewater plant - a total of $23,000.

Kujath asked, "The MPCA can't turn the company down, can they?"

Morrill replied that Ashbrook has built at least seven other plants in Minnesota and that a warranty is included in the $1.35 million cost.

"The price is an issue, but it's time to make a commitment, so you can get where you want to be," he said. A motion passed to allow Ashbrook to begin drawing plans for the plant.

Other business

Fountain Police Chief Tom Mosher requested that the city work out a way for him to purchase new items for the police department, as he had been trying for the past month to buy a flashlight, but found no companies that would set up accounts instead of billing him directly. The city's most recent audit recommended that instead of Mosher purchasing items using his personal funds and being reimbursed, he should establish accounts with the companies he deals with. The council agreed to further investigate the matter.

In other business, he informed the council that he had spent time reviewing the number of pet owners who had licensed their animals. As of July 1, 27 residents licensed their pets, and another 35 on record had not done so. Fountain's dog ordinance requires that pets be licensed and have current rabies vaccinations. After hearing Mosher's frustrations with repeat non-licensers, the council concurred that he should be able to issue citations at the end of the week, with the provision that former pet owners be allowed to contact the city regarding their pet's demise or new home.

Finally, the question of who to bill for mowing the yard of a foreclosed property arose, as one house is owned by a Florida mortgage company and had tall grass and weeds growing in the yard.

The council determined that the yard should continue to be mowed and after the bill recipient is established, a charge will be incurred.

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