I have been speaking quite a bit about the need for water and the problems associated with providing it that we've experienced. Well #5 has failed and needed to checked out to see if it could continue to be used by the city. This is one of our bigger wells. Bringing this well back on line has been interesting and frustrating as there area number of steps to go through to see if the well can be rehabilitated and reused. The city started the process only to determine the well is no longer viable and a new well is needed to be constructed.

Several options have been considered for replacement. The city had been going down the path of constructing a new well on the east side of the river to address future needs. This path of construction had a number of issues which were felt to be workable but required a good deal of coordination with Sherburne County, as we were going to use their right of way, and the Department of Health. When establishing a new public well there are numerous steps that must be undertaken to meet their standards. One of these requirements is a Well Head Protection Plan and subsequent zone. Presently the city has a plan and zone but it doesn't include the proposed well on the east side of the Elk River. Expanding the plan and designating a new zone takes considerable time and effort. Given the need for a replacement well before next summer it was felt it may not be in our best interests to pursue this option at this time. That being said it is important that we move in this direction with a new well field in a different area in the immediate future but we need to focus our energies on what will meet our needs in the shortest time frame.

Looking at our existing wells and present wellhead protection plan it is easier to locate a new well within our existing boundaries of the established zone. Two options were discussed which involve new wells near existing ones which can take advantage of the present well houses and also avoid some of the more lengthly requirements from the Department of Health in establishing a new well. The first option was to build a new well near the existing failed well. This well is located in the golf course. We hope we can find a location where water can be pumped without influence on the other existing wells in this location. The second option would be to replace the small well located in Carl E. Johnson Park off of Riley with a larger well. This too would take advantage of an existing well house. The replacement well could be reused for irrigation of the park as an added benefit.

Both of these options have merit and only upon doing the preliminary pilot wells and hydrology studies will we know if one or both sites will work out. We're optimistic that at least one site will work but until the preliminary work is completed it is difficult to be certain. Establishing a new municipal well is not an inexpensive endeavor. It has been estimated that costs will range from $70,000 to $80,000. This figure could increase if additional piping is needed. The goal is to get a well on line prior to next summer. This is achievable but also means we need to act as quickly as we can.

I want to recognize the efforts of Karla Eggink, the city's Public Works Director and City Engineer, for considering all options and thinking outside of the box. Given the existing use and need for additional water resources, sooner is better. With any luck we'll have some answers for the council to consider at their next meeting.

Milestones

At the city council meeting on August 7, 2007 the council discussed and approved the sale of property along Highway 10 for a proposed bowling alley. The property is between Starcor Credit Union and County Lumber along Bank Street. This is another milestone event for the city when it gets built. The city in the past had done a public opinion survey to ask what businesses the residents wished to see in the city. A bowling alley ranked 7th as a need within the community behind some of the things already accomplished. These included fast food, grocery store, pharmacy and clinic. Having a bowling alley accomplishes another goal and provides an outlet for recreation and entertainment that was lacking in our community.

The proposed facility is contemplated as a 15,000 square foot building that would start with 8 bowling lanes and a 4,000 square foot banquet area. The building would also include a bar/dining area and potential game room. The plans include an expansion for an additional 8 bowling lanes as demand dictates. Mr. Gary Cox, a resident of the Becker community, is the developer on the project. He hopes to start construction next spring.

A lot needs to happen over the next several months to pull all the pieces together. We wish Mr. Cox the best in this pursuit. Having this facility within the community is not only a change in the landscape but another way to bring the community together. Hats off to Mr. Cox for recognizing the need and taking action.

Preliminary Levy

The Minnesota Department of Revenue (DOR) made a large change this year with the way utility and pipeline property is valued. The result of the change involves a devaluation of Investor Owned Utilities in Electric an average of 27%. In Becker the overall reduction in net tax capacity will be 15% by 2010. Given the large decrease in values the rule change made by DOR will be phased in over a 3 year period. In 2008 we’ll see a reduction of 20% of the difference between the old value and new reduced value. For 2009 that difference will increase to 50% and with taxes payable in 2010 the reduction will be complete with the total devaluation, due to the change in rules, taking place.

The city council has been working on a budget that anticipates cutting of some expenditures ($173,900) and a small increase in taxes. The preliminary levy shows an increase of $35,944. This increase is 0.69%. Keeping the increase low is good news but the resulting estimated tax rate, given the reduction in taxable property values, has been estimated to increase from 31.33 to 32.9075. This is an increase in rate of about 1.6.

The council, by law, must set the preliminary levy by September 15, 2007. This means the preliminary levy will be set on September 4th. With the preliminary levy set the amount can not increase but can decrease. The city will continue to look for ways of trimming the budget until the final levy is set at the end of the year. Any feedback the public may have concerning the budget would be appreciated prior to the September 4th meeting and subsequently thereafter.

As many of you know legislation this year was pursued to address the loss of value. A bill was passed in both the House and Senate and included in the final omnibus tax bill. After the session closed the governor vetoed this bill for other reasons. By doing this the rule change became effective and created the loss in value we’re addressing within this budget. As indicated above we have two more years of phasing to address. We also have a strong desire to again seek legislation to resolve the problem of lost value with the legislature next year.

Safe Routes to School

The City of Becker received a Safe Routes to School grant this past year for a project consisting of a sidewalk along Co. Rd. 24 from Rolling Ridge Road to County 23 and 3 pedestrian warning lights for crossings. The project has had some administrative obstacles to overcome but it is hoped the project will be built in the next few months. The city was approached by a contractor to provide for a demonstration project as he knew we were pursuing the grant project. This contractor, Decorative Pavement Marking of Plymouth, was willing to provide a product and installation if the city was willing to participate to the extent of providing new asphalt for the crossing location. The product is made by DuraTherm Products from Canada. It is a plastic material made with bright colors and glass beads to provide high visibility.

To install this product the pavement needs to be fresh so that it can be heated and provide for some give. Once the asphalt is heated a template is placed on the surface and rolled with a compactor to make an indentation in the asphalt. The plastic material is them placed in the indentations and melted into place. The result is an extremely durable crosswalk marking said to last up to 40 years. The city paid $1500 to have the path installed and the contractor paid the remaining costs. Generally this crosswalk costs about $4600. This seems like a lot of money for a crosswalk but considering the painting costs on an annual basis it is cost effective in the long term. I wish to thank Decorative Pavement Marking for there efforts and contribution to our safe routes to school grant.

If you get a chance take a look at this crossing. It is located on Bradley Blvd. directly in front of the school. It is a great looking crosswalk!

Conservation

Last week I discussed the need for conservation of water. I also discussed the need to look towards the future but really we need to focus on now when we discuss water and its conservation. The City Council at its July 10th meeting placed a sprinkling restriction in place. This restriction provides for an odd even water schedule. What this means is if your house number ends in an even number you may only water on the even numbered calender days. With an odd number you may only water on odd number days. With this in place we feel we can manage water supply better to take care of domestic water uses while also preserving water for fire emergencies. Violations of this restriction will carry a penalty. The penalty involves a warning the first time a violation occurs. Subsequent violations will result in fines of $25 for the second offense and $50 for the third offense. Keep in mind that those with automatic sprinkling systems will need to change their system to address this. It is also important to remember to change it at the end of the month as with 31 days in a month we'll have two odd days in a row.

We ask residents to please think about water usage and conserve where you can. Having green yards is attractive and desirable but not necessary. Lawns are extremely resilient. They go dormant when water isn't available resulting in brown crunchy turf but will rebound when water is available again. With the sandy soils we have in Becker it takes a lot of water to keep turf up. Allowing your lawn to go dormant saves water and expenses.

Water is a valuable resource, please use it wisely.

water supplies

The City relies on wells to provide domestic water needs for the residents of Becker. We have 4 wells but only 3 are used at any one time. They provide a capacity of 1050 gallons per minute of output. This provides the city with a pumping capacity of 1,512,000 gallons per day a maximum capacity. These wells are considered shallow at 45 to 55 feet deep. We can't go any deeper as we hit bedrock with these. For the months of May and June the city delivered 56.8 million gallons of water throughout the city. This is generally a July/August amount of water consumption. In June alone we averaged almost 1.5 million gallons per day, just meeting our capacity to provide the water. What occurs is the pumps are running 24 hours per day and filling up the water towers and during the day the use draws them down. Looking at these quantities we can't help but look towards the need for a new supply well. But we also need to look towards water conservation. By far the largest use of water is sprinkling of lawns. Keeping our lawns green can be seen as important but meeting domestic water needs for drinking and other domestic uses is far more important. In addressing this problem the city council is considering the addition of an additional well but in the meantime domestic water usage takes a priority. Please consider water consumption as a valuable resource.

Freedom Day Parade

The parade that occurs on each Becker Freedom Day celebration takes a good deal of time and effort from all the participants as well as city staff. Some people like Walt Doring take considerable pride in showing off his tractors requiring weeks of advance preparation with cleaning, tuning and getting drivers. Others show up with a new or existing equipment to advertise their business, all in the name of fun, handing out candy or other items to parade watchers. The bands, horses and clowns are all appreciated.

This year was no different in terms of parade watchers. We had, I believe, a record number of participants. What was different was the way the parade was set up and managed this year. Jamie Cassidy set up a Freedom Days Committee this year to address all aspects of the days festivities. One change which was made was the assigning of "slots" or numbers for each participant. In the past the parade was set up mostly on a first come first serve basis with certain participants having select locations. As an example the fire equipment that attends are lined up on County Rd 24 and are first to go through the parade. They do this to have an avenue of escape to answer emergencies if the need arises. This happened last year with the Clear Lake Fire Department as they didn't make the parade but were lined up and ready to go when an emergency changed their plans.

The first come first serve approach worked well but had its pitfalls. It required participants to get lined up early if they wanted to be near the front of the parade. It also prompted problems with participants who were on a float that couldn't find the float. What would happen is they would drive up and down the parade lineup looking for their float. Lots of traffic was generated and some frustration occurred with this activity. The solution came with the assigning of numbers for each participant. With preregistration participants received a number and gave information concerning what type of entry they were participating with. With that in hand the proper amount of space was planned for. Stakes were then placed along the parade line up area and participants lined up. Those people who knew the number were directed to the appropriate location. Traffic hazards were reduced significantly, more order was achieved in the line up, and people could show up closer to the start of the parade rather than get there early. Many favorable comments were received from participants.

This didn't happen by itself as a lot of people who volunteered made this happen. The Freedom Days Committee needs to be congratulated and thanked for their good work. The parade organizers who worked to make it orderly that day also need to be thanked as we had a great parade. I hope you have fun enjoying the parade.