歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� In a lengthy session on Tuesday night, the Bemidji City Council awarded a bid for $11.3 million on a project to install a final clarifier at the city鈥檚 wastewater treatment plant, adopted a comprehensive plan and heard from the Heritage Preservation Commission on several hopeful projects.

The first item of business was a unanimous vote following a public hearing to approve the 2024 street renewal project, which will redo 6/10s of a mile in two sections along Third Street Southeast.

Following this approval, the council heard from the Heritage Preservation Commission, which outlined its priorities and some projects it hopes to undertake.

The two biggest projects discussed were the potential of digitizing the city鈥檚 records, including old meeting minutes, ordinances and resolutions going back to 1896 and restoring an old pumping station built in 1909.

鈥�(Digitizing the records) would allow historians and researchers to access our city records without concerns for further deterioration or mishandling of old papers,鈥� explained Linda Lemmer, a commission member. 鈥淚t would also save staff time because they would be available online.鈥�

The commission has already discussed the possibility and has received a $34,000 quote for what the process would cost

The second project would restore Pumphouse 1909, which is located on Park Avenue Northwest and was responsible for providing water to the downtown area up through the early 1960s.

鈥淚t is a humble-looking building, but it serves as really significant history in the city of Bemidji,鈥� shared Joan Dreyer, a commission member. 鈥淚t was the main source of water for the main part of the downtown鈥� it serves as a symbol of clean water and we are very proud in our city that we have clean water.鈥�

Dreyer, who has been researching the building, shared its history with the council and what the Heritage Preservation Commission would like to see it become.

The concrete structure is starting to develop cracks that could lead to further deterioration if not addressed, and the commission is proposing that those issues be addressed and the building turned into a learning installation.

While the interior wouldn鈥檛 be accessible, storyboards on the history of water could be installed by the windows. The area around the station, potentially including neighboring city land, could be turned into a small park.

The commission members explained their goal and also provided an estimate for the restoration they had received two years ago, which placed the cost at $150,000.

While no decision on whether to pursue these projects was made, the council responded favorably to the presentation and thanked the representatives for their work.

鈥淚 really appreciate the work you guys have done,鈥� said Ward 1 Councilor Gwenia Fiskevold Gould. 鈥淚 think that kind of thing is really important for us, being able to engage our community in the history of the place that they鈥檙e living.鈥�

The meeting also included the approval of a comprehensive plan for the city, which outlines its visions and goals regarding land use and planning and zoning. It had previously been under the purview of the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board prior to its dissolution on Dec. 31, 2023.

Local

Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board to dissolve Dec. 31

The Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board will dissolve on Dec. 31, with important deadlines for applications prior to Bemidji and Northern Township taking over responsibility, respectively.

Dec 31, 1969

 · 

By  Pioneer Staff Report

The version presented to the council during Tuesday鈥檚 meeting was adjusted slightly from the original JPB document to reflect the new circumstances.

While it was ultimately approved unanimously by the council, several members brought up a desire to see it reexamined in the future and with an opportunity for public input.

鈥淚 just want to make sure we have a lot of input on the plan from our community,鈥� said At-large Councilor Audrey Thayer.

The other planning and zoning business brought before the council was to decide how to review the city鈥檚 ordinances. The options presented were creating a city council committee, letting the Planning Commission take on the task, or delegating the work to city staff.

Several councilors had different preferences, debating the issue with points of community involvement and workload. The last time an ordinance review was conducted in 2018 it took nine months of work.

The council eventually decided to table the topic until the Planning Commission could respond to whether they鈥檇 be willing to take on the responsibility.

The last point of business related to the wastewater treatment plant, which was to approve a bid for a final clarifier project for the amount of $11,374,600 to Rice Lake Construction.

The wastewater treatment plant has two clarifiers, but a third is necessary to meet the state鈥檚 redundancy requirements.

With additional costs included, the project would be budgeted for $12,832,600. Of this, $4.4 will be covered through a bond the city received in 2022 to improve its water infrastructure. The remaining amount will come from utility bonds.

The bonds will also necessitate an increase in Bemidji鈥檚 water and sewer rates, which would increase by 6% in 2025 if the city follows the recommendations provided to it.

A unanimous vote by the council awarded the bid.