City experiences problems with new well

City engineer Pete Carlson informed the Paynesville City Council at their meeting Wednesday that they have drilled five test holes south of Highway 55 and haven't found a good site for the second well.

"Our initial test boring near Stearns Avenue showed the aquifer would produce 1,000 gallons per minute," Carlson said. One of the test borings was within 50 feet of the original site, but the desired sand layer was not there.

"All the geological maps show the sand layer is there," Carlson said. "I don't have any answers or solutions."

According to Ron Mergen, public works director, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) feels there is a site for a good well in the area. The new well could be drilled in the location of the original test well; however, it needs a 50-foot clear zone and the site does not meet that requirement unless the city purchases more land.

Mergen suggested the city could drill two smaller wells and tie the two together to meet the water demand the city requires.

Carlson said the MPCA hydrologists are getting together to give the city a recommendation. "We know there is water there. We just need to find it," he added.

Carlson hopes to have answers for the council at their next meeting.

Intersection safety<,/font>
The public works committee met and discussed the safety suggestions for the intersection of James Street and Washburne Avenue. The committee recommends painting no parking areas at the intersections. This would make the intersection more visible for motorists and pedestrians.

The no parking areas have already been marked at the downtown intersection.

With the area painted, the Paynesville Police will be enforcing the no parking zone.

The committee felt a four-way stop would create additional congestion, especially during the school year when school buses use Washburne Avenue.

Councilman Dave Peschong stressed the city would not lose any parking spaces. It would eliminate the illegal use of an area where people park.

Other business
•Carlson informed the council he is unsure how much money the city will receive from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for the frontage road project from Hudson Street to Maple Street by the Lutheran church.

MnDOT originally agreed to cover $50,000 of the project. Since that time, they have indicated they will cover $21,000 of the costs for the new portion of the frontage road and not for upgrading the existing portion of the street.

"How do we make the existing street safe and eliminate two accesses without redoing the entire street?" Peschong asked. "Eliminating unsafe highway accesses was a goal of the project," he said.

Peschong added if MnDOT doesn't want to help fund the project, then the city will continue to use the accesses onto Highway 55.

MnDOT has had the city plans for the frontage road since early April.

•At a previous meeting, the council approved a street credit for Don Anderson for road maintenance in Alldon Park. Anderson pays taxes but maintains the streets in the private development.

Research done by interim city administrator Gayla Orbeck and city attorney Bill Spooner indicated there is no legal authority for this expenditure by the city. Orbeck checked with the state auditor's office and received the same answer.

To comply with the law, the council passed another motion rescinding the street credit.

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