After Albert Lea City Council members expressed concern last month over the location of a replacement water tower, the Public Works director returned to the study session with a map that turned other city-owned parking lots into potential homes for the water tower to move off the lakefront.

The city’s overall water system was evaluated by engineering, planning and consulting firm Bolton & Menk, and an engineer from the company recommended replacing the tower in a similar location. Other potential sites presented to the board at that time were ruled out due to airport zoning restrictions.

Public Works Director Steven Jahnke suggested eight other potential sites Monday night that he said would both stay out of the runway zone and would still “complete the network” the towers need to keep water pressure high throughout the system, Jahnke said. The towers rely on water pressure to function efficiently.

Alternative sites for the water tower presented Monday included the Splash Pad lot on North Broadway Avenue, the city council and library parking lot just across North Newton Avenue from the current tower location, the lot behind Marion Ross Performing Arts Center on North Washington Avenue, the lot behind the Department of Human Services at the intersection of West William Street and South Saint Mary Avenue, the Eagles Club parking lot across the street at the same intersection and the Vitality Center lot at the corner of West Main Street and South Washington Avenue. Jahnke also included in the list a location on the Blazing Star Landing at the corner of Garfield Avenue and Eberhardt Street as well as the Vitality Center’s building site at the corner of West College Street and South Broadway Avenue in a move that, if chosen, would require the demolition of three buildings for the required water tower footprint.

“All of them are doable and we believe are feasible,” Jahnke said.

The engineer recommended replacing the tower because they thought it would cause the least opposition to place a tower where there already was a tower, Jahnke said. The locations Jahnke proposed would not do the same.

“Really, all of these locations — pick any of them — you’re taking away parking from somebody,” Jahnke said.

Jahnke only considered land already owned by the city when providing the list, he said.

The elevation difference between locations is about 30 feet between the two extremes, Jahnke said. This gap will not make a big difference in the price of the tower, which would be between 160 and 190 feet tall depending on location.

If the tower were to be built again in the existing location, the tower would need to be 190 feet tall, Jahnke said. This is a 30-foot increase from the current height of the tower. The tower’s capacity — one million gallons — would stay the same.

Second Ward Councilor Larry Baker said as conversation has increased among the council about the water tower, he has received a lot of comments on its location.

“They really don’t want it downtown, and I can’t say that I disagree with them,” Baker said.

Mayor Vern Rasmussen, Jr. did not disagree, either.

“It makes absolutely zero sense to put a water tower on your most valuable piece of property,” Rasmussen said.

Instead, the lot could be used for development into a restaurant or other business, Baker said.

“We don’t really know what we want there, right?” Howland said. “We just know we don’t want a water tower there, basically.”

Interim City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos offered to assess how much use the parking lots proposed as potential water tower sites get so the council could make an informed decision about usage.

Rasmussen said the council would like to have staff recommend two to three spots out of the nine as well as present the potential costs.

He also asked Jahnke to consider the parking lot west of Central Park at Euclid Avenue and West Clark Street. The site is not city-owned property, Jahnke said, but could work.

Jahnke said his goal is for design work to begin by March.

 

Taxes

The City Council also prepared for a special meeting to discuss the preliminary 2020 budget due Sept. 23.

The city is looking at a potential total debt service levy of 11.32% and a general fund levy increase of 5.08% for a total increase of 5.56%, Finance Director Kristi Brutlag said.

The city set aside $300,000 in 2017 to help offset the debt levy Brutlag said the city knew would be increasing in the future, and that money would be utilized in 2020.

But the preliminary budget does not set aside for an increase in personnel, 3rd Ward Councilor Jason Howland pointed out last month and 6th Ward Councilor Al “Minnow” Brooks mentioned again Monday. The Public Works director and Public Safety director both asked the council in July to consider adding positions to their departments.

“Any new position is gonna increase the levy,” Brutlag said.

However, should the levy already be set and a new position be required after, Brutlag said the city has options: to run a deficit year, evaluate where cuts could be made or discover areas in which the city may have over-budgeted.

“I think that the decision on whether to add those positions, it would be easier if we were able to make those now and start to look at it a little … but I don’t make those decisions,” Brutlag said.

Rasmussen said it was important to him for any cuts made in the city to be sustainable. He said the City Council will plan to talk further about the potential positions at Tuesday’s special meeting. It begins at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. It is open to the public.

In other action:

• The City Council approved work in half of the wastewater treatment plant after wiring failed. Jahnke said the city utilized generators for a week as the wiring was redone. It will cost between $110,00 and $115,000, Jahnke said. The second half of the plant, which Jahnke said essentially does the same thing as the other, was put into the capital improvement projects so its rewiring will be in the budget for next year.

• The City Council approved an ordinance annexing four properties from Albert Lea Township into the city. The properties are off of 780th Avenue and East Main Street.

• The City Council authorized the city to execute a grant agreement that would allow the state to provide a 5% grant to complete an airport master plan and airport layout plan. The board approved the federal portion of the grant, 90% of the cost, in August. The city would be responsible for the remaining 5% of the project cost.