April 7, 2025, Meeting Minutes

Posted: May 7, 2025

City of LeRoy MN – Council Meeting Minutes, April 7, 2025

 

A regular meeting of the LeRoy City Council was called to order by Mayor Ed Koppen on Monday, April 7, 2025, at 6:30 PM at the LeRoy Community Center with the following members present:  Mayor Ed Koppen, Council Members Harold Shipman, Ashley Huntley, Chastidy Sweeney, Paul Apenhorst, Public Works Employee Nick Sweeney, and City Clerk Patty White.
Also attending: Terry Free, Dick Soltau, Brian Thiel, Axel Gumbel, Devin Wallace, Philip Whalen, and Patrick Whalen.  All stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Consent Agenda:

  • Council reviewed the items included in the consent agenda. There was some discussion about past due utility bills and shut offs due to non-payment.  Motion by Huntley, second by Apenhorst to approve the consent agenda.  Motion carried 5-0.

Police Report:

  • Sargeant Fisher had supplied a report to White. White reported deputies spent 6.4 hours per day in LeRoy over the past 35 days.  There were 58 total calls for service.  Of these 58 calls, there were 20 traffic stops and 11 medical calls.

Public Input Time:

  • Dick Soltau reported on a conversation he had with Jim from MnDOT pertaining to the Hwy 56 project. He noted the final lift of blacktop should fix the drainage issues Soltau had seen; it has not been decided if the bike lane will be painted or not; the roadway construction in front of the LeRoy Ostrander School was done according to the specifications.
  • Brian Thiel noted the property located at 210 East Frederick Street should be classified as a hazardous building. He would like a point person appointed to address this property and get something done with it.  He also commented about the continuing disrepair of the two Lucas properties.
  • Philip Whalen questioned about ash tree removal from the boulevards. Shipman noted he thought the trees were going to get marked and then advertise for bids for the tree removal.  Whalen noted he had been contacted by a resident that requested to have boulevard trees removed.  Koppen noted any resident can have a boulevard tree removed at their expense.  Huntley questioned about the tree removal that Stern Family Tree Service was awarded.  This work included tree removal in both parks and in front of one residence.  Koppen also noted the need to replant trees and have a plan for that.  He would like to get community members involved in this.  Shipman agreed with replanting trees, but he noted the dead trees need to be removed first.  Devin Wallace suggested hiring an arborist to come look at the trees and make a plan.  Shipman thought this was a good idea.  White questioned what the intent of the council is with the ash trees.  Does the council want to treat some of the ash trees for the emerald ash borer, or does the council just want to remove the ash trees?  It was the consensus of the council to have the public works department and a council member go around and mark the trees, get addresses of the marked trees to White so a bid sheet can be put together and advertise for tree removal.  Apenhorst suggested using the texting program to get the word out about people getting interested in trees and planting.

Standing Committee Reports:

  • Shipman reported Prairie Visions met. The engineering work has been completed to get the bike trail redone from the LeRoy trailhead to Taopi.
  • Huntley had nothing new to report on the LeRoy Area Ambulance Service.

 

 

State Highway 56 Project-Cooperative Agreement:

  • Council reviewed the cooperative agreement provided by MnDOT pertaining to landscaping. Motion by Shipman, second by Sweeney to pass Resolution 2025-04, a Cooperative Agreement between the State of Minnesota Department of Transportation and City of LeRoy.  Motion carried 5-0.

Lake Louise State Park-Shooting Star Trail-Tourism:

  • Koppen noted he had drafted letters pertaining to Lake Louise State Park and the Shooting Star Trail; he noted this does seem to be in the right time period to further pursue items addressed in these letters due to retirements within the DNR.

Update-LeRoy Medical Clinic Property:

  • Koppen reported Regional Health Systems of Howard County have been on-site for an inspection of the property.
  • Koppen noted the equipment for the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program is still be housed in the clinic building. Koppen presented the email conversations he had with the L-O Superintendent and L-O School Board.  He has been verbally told the CNA program will not stay in LeRoy and may be moving to the Southland district.  Apenhorst noted the program could still be a consortium program.  Apenhorst offered to reach out to the Southland superintendent to get further information.  Council concurred this would be beneficial to have this information.  Koppen noted he would still like to receive an explanation from the L-O School administration for the reason behind this potential move.
  • Shipman reported the clinic building has been reshingled. Shipman updated council about a telephone call he received from a citizen about this roofing project.  Shipman noted he spoke to the manager of LeRoy Lumber and questioned who the roofing contractors are here in LeRoy.  LeRoy Lumber was not aware of any local roofing contractors.  Koppen noted the company that did the roofing is located in the Prairie Visions region.  Council concurred this doesn’t need to be addressed any further.  Huntley questioned if the shingle condition was caused by wind or hail; she questioned if this would qualify for insurance coverage.  Apenhorst updated council on possible insurance coverage.  White will stop at Cray Insurance and question this.

Lawn Mowing for 2025:

  • White had received a mowing quote from Brady O’Connor dba Blades of Glory for mowing the two city parks and the city cemetery for 2025. Motion by Shipman, second by Huntley to accept the quote from Brady O’Connor dba Blades of Glory to mow the city parks at $105 per time per park and the cemetery at $520 per time for the 2025 mowing season.  The motion carried 5-0.

Golf Cart Ordinance-Discussion:

  • Council reviewed the golf cart information provided by Sargeant Fisher. Apenhorst suggested amending the ordinance to allow only legally licensed drivers to drive a golf cart.  Huntley questioned about the ordinance wording and who will enforce this.  She felt the ordinance would need to be enforced completely, not partially, to be fair.  Koppen suggested enforcing the driving laws with the kids driving golf carts; if they are driving okay let them drive.  Apenhorst would like to be proactive about this instead of being reactive.  Shipman felt something needs to be done.  Sweeney noted she can see both sides of this.  Devin Wallace suggested making sure a phone number is visible on the cart; this would allow other people to make a phone call if they witness issues with the driving of a golf cart.  Apenhorst noted he would like to see a change in the ordinance to address the age of drivers.  Koppen noted that traffic laws need to be enforced on all vehicles, including golf carts.  Koppen suggested tabling this and request additional information from law enforcement.  Huntley noted law enforcement needs to enforce the laws, regardless of age.  She felt to keep the city out of this and let law enforcement do their job.

City-Wide Cleanup-May 10, 2025:

  • Council was reminded of the date of the city-wide cleanup. The hours of the cleanup will be from 8:00 AM until 10:00 AM in the gravel area north of the fire hall.
  • White questioned if any council members would be interested in driving around town making note of properties that may be in violation of the nuisance ordinance. Council took no action.

Land Use Permits:

  • Council reviewed three land use permits.
  1. Outlot 4, Original Village, 304 S West County Road, Pete Woltmann-build garage
  2. Lot 13, Block 2, Olson Addition, 175 Penny Lane, Deb Strelow-build house
  3. Out Lot 4, Original Village, 312 N East County Road, Dick Soltau-build shed
  • Motion by Huntley, second by Sweeney to approve said permits. Motion carried 5-0.
  • White noted Ms. Strelow planned on filing the tax abatement paperwork with Mower County. Motion by Huntley, second by Sweeney to call for a public hearing for tax abatement on May 5, 2025, at 7:00 PM.  Motion carried 5-0.

Communications File:

  • Council reviewed the LeRoy Public Library board meeting minutes, the information received from Mower County on the Open Book procedure, and the information on the LMC annual conference.

Sidewalk Maintenance Program:

  • Koppen noted the condition of the sidewalk adjacent to Everett Street by the wellhouse. Koppen questioned council how they would like to address this.  No action was taken.

Dump Cleanup; Cement Removal from Dump:

  • Sweeney noted the dump needs to be cleaned up. He had received a verbal quote from Koch, Inc. in the amount of $2,600 to remove the concrete that has been piled up at the dump.  Sweeney also had a quote from Cordell’s Dozing & Excavating in the amount of $3,850; this quote would get rid of the leaves and grass piles, clean up large logs, and remove the cement.  Cordell’s Dozing quote for just cleaning up the dump with no cement removal is $1,950.  Motion by Apenhorst, second by Sweeney to proceed with the $3,850 bid from Cordell’s Dozing & Excavating.  Motion carried 5-0.

West Street-West County Road:

  • Sweeney will reach out to the city engineer for this.

Second Well:

  • Sweeney will reach out to the city engineer to consider placement near the old sealed well.

Water Tower Service Agreement:

  • Sweeney reported he reached out to Maguire; they will be here to paint the tower and fully refurbish the tower in late June or early July. Sweeney reported the city had been under contract with KLM for tower inspection services.  This inspection should have been done last year, but it was delayed due to the Hwy 56 project.  Maguire will complete this inspection this year.  KLM has graciously cancelled their 12-year contract.  Sweeney presented a seven-year Inspection Service Agreement from Maguire in the amount of $7,500.  Motion by Apenhorst, second by Shipman to enter into this agreement with Maguire.  Motion carried 5-0.
  • Sweeney also noted the outlet pipe for pond discharge is made of corrugated steel; some of this has rusted away. Sweeney does have an inspection with MPCA at the end of the month; he will discuss this with them at that time.  Sweeney did have a quote from Cordell’s Dozing in the amount of $1,980 to replace 40’ of the pipe, to install a rodent trap, and install large riprap.  Sweeney noted he will know more on the process that can be done following the MPCA inspection.  It was council consensus to proceed with getting this repaired following the inspection.
  • Sweeney had two quotes for calibration of the well pump and booster pump at the well house. Sweeney noted this would be done as preventative maintenance.  He is not aware that this has ever been done.  Flow & Measurements from Waconia quoted $617 per time; this should be done every two to three years.  The other quote was from Calibration Controls from Buffalo in the amount of $356 per meter or $712 every year.  Sweeney noted that Flow & Measurements also services the pumps in Ostrander and Spring Valley.  Motion by Apenhorst, second by Huntley to proceed with Flow & Measurements from Waconia.  Motion carried 5-0.
  • Sweeney reported the last time the well was pulled and inspected was in 2011. This was done by Thein Well.  This should be done every seven or eight years.  Sweeney had a quote from Thein Well for this in the amount of $6,370.  Motion by Shipman, second by Sweeney to proceed with this project.  Motion carried 5-0.

North Park Improvements:

  • Huntley reported that Rolling Green Fencing quoted $2,898 for a ten foot gate; this will be installed within the next week or so. Huntley is getting quotes for a new 40’ x 64’ shelter.  Funds for this may be requested from the LeRoy Community Foundation.  It is being proposed to install three new basketball hoops at North Park and one at South Park.  Huntley and Brent Dohlman have reached out to Scheel’s for possible funding for these.  Sweeney also noted the condition of the backstops at both parks.  They would also like to install a double sand volleyball court.  They are working on getting a good solid layout of the electrical and lighting; they have not received any quotes on this yet.  It was noted the South Park shelter is also showing its age.

Service Award Recognition:

  • Koppen gave a shout-out for the very successful adult prom, A Night Under the Stars, that was recently held. He noted a tremendous amount of credit needs to go those who organized this.

Vacant & Nuisance Properties:

  • White reviewed information received from the city attorney pertaining to vacant & nuisance properties. White was directed to reach out to area cities to find a building official and/or health official to begin the process to get these three properties declared as hazardous.  Dick Soltau suggested offering so much off each water bill to try to get more use of the city-wide cleanup.

EDA & WWG Report:

  • It was noted there have been five new move-ins at WWG. LSI Consulting fully began their duties on April 1; they are in the process of taking over the bookkeeping.  Apenhorst gave a shout-out to LSI Consulting for the care his grandfather received at Grand Meadow Senior Living.

Being no further business to come before the council, the meeting was adjourned on a motion by Shipman, second by Sweeney at 8:45 PM.

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