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•The council approved the preliminary plat of Heatherwood Plat 3, which is being developed by Keith and Mary Dombrovski, Chris and Krista Dombrovski, and James and Mary Meyer. The council also approved a report on street and utility improvements for the development and set a public hearing about the improvements for Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 6:30 p.m.

Thirty-two lots are included in the plat, which also calls for an extension of South Street and roads branching both to the north and the south of South Street that end in cul-de-sacs. The street and utility improvements are estimated to cost $630,900, to be split between the lots, costing about $19,700 per lot.

Included in the improvements are the construction of sewer lines with manholes and a water main with hydrants and service lines, both of which will connect to the existing utility lines at the point where they now end on South Street. A storm water collection system will be constructed, as well, which will empty into a pond on the north end of the development.

South Street will be extended with its current 40-foot width, while the additional streets will be 36 feet and will each end in a 100-foot diameter cul-de-sac. Sidewalks will also be constructed on one side of each of the streets.

The council discussed keeping an easement at the end of the southern cul-de-sac wide enough to allow for possible extension of the road in the future. A 30-foot easement is already planned for city utilities, but a 66-foot easement would be necessary for a road extension.

City attorney Bill Spooner was directed by the council to prepare a document that would allow the developers to begin working on the project if they agree to cover city engineering costs incurred if the project falls through before the improvements have been finalized.

•The council approved a variance request from P.C. and Beverly Johnson of Belmont Street for a detached shed exceeding the city's height limit of 16 feet. The shed is not to exceed 19 feet in height.

•The council approved allowing a one-time weekend sale at two different locations in town, as long as the city is notified enough in advance to allow notification of adjacent property owners and renters. Complaints were received concerning continuing sales at these addresses, and after a discussion at a city council meeting earlier in July, the city attorney sent a letter to the property owners informing them that continuing sales were considered a commercial enterprise. The residents holding the sales requested additional time to sell collected items, and the council agreed to allow one more weekend of sales.

•The council approved covering one month's health insurance premium for new city administrator Renee Eckerly, up to the cap of $550. There is a 30-day waiting period before the city health insurance begins, and in contract negotiations, it had not been clarified whether or not the city would cover the first month of insurance costs.

•The council heard an update on labor contracts for city employees. The first negotiations will occur on Tuesday, Aug. 8, in a closed meeting.

•The council approved payment of $165,253.45 to R.L. Larson Excavating for work completed on the 2006 Street Project through the end of June. A limited-use permit was also approved for the sidewalk to be placed on Pomeroy Avenue. The city will maintain the sidewalk, because no landowners will be there to provide for snow removal.

The council was also updated on the progress of project. Initial pavement of all streets was to be finished last week, and driveways and sidewalks are set to be done by the end of this week or next.

•The council approved the purchase of a second thermal imager for the fire department for $8,514.68. The purchase will be made with reserve funds donated specifically for the device, which is hand-held and less cumbersome than the helmet-mounted thermal imager currently owned by the department.

•The council approved paying expenses of up to $5,000 for costs associated with the ethnic festival, with the understanding that the city will be reimbursed when donations for the ethnic festival have all been received.

•The council approved a $2,500 deferred loan for Trever J. Schmitz and Ember E. Cherne for a Tri-CAP home on Coakley Street. The loan - which is forgivable after five years and helps cover closing costs and other expenses for first-time home-buyers - is the 27th such loan provided by the city.

•The council approved a reviewal of the capital improvement plan for the airport by the city engineer, which is not to exceed $2,000.

•The council was updated on progress on the bid advertisement for a segment of the Lake Koronis Recreational Trail. Bids will be accepted by Stearns County until Monday, Aug. 21, at 11 a.m. for the section from the city to the city beach.

DNR grants will be announced soon, and it is hoped that the trail will receive at least $50,000 and up to $200,000 in funding.

The design for the segment from Burr Street all the way to the Glacier Lakes Trail may be completed in time for the next trail committee meeting. Part of that design will be a storm sewer installation in the high school parking lot, a $3,000 project that the city may partially fund.

•The council extended an agreement with Master Mark Plastics, a division of Avon Plastics, Inc., that sets surcharges for discharges to the city's wastewater treatment facility. Under that agreement, which was extended for 90 days from the council meeting on Wednesday, July 26, Master Mark pays surcharges for monthly discharges of over 100 pounds of either BOD5, a certain strength of waste, or total suspended solids.

This extension is meant to allow time for the agreement to be looked into further, because the city's facility can accept up to 5,000 pounds of BOD5 per month. AMPI has bought and paid for rights to dispose of 4,000 pounds per month, and Master Mark averages 600 pounds per month, leaving the rest of the city with a maximum discharge of about 400 pounds per month. The city would like to look into creating an agreement with Master Mark in which it would buy rights to a certain number of pounds, as well.

•The council was told of the resignation of cable coordinator Terry Hacker, who is moving. A replacement will be sought.

•The council approved an amendment to the documents approved in June allowing a lot split of Jeremy Nelson's property on Lake Avenue. The legal description of the lot contained an error in the previously approved documents.

•The council approved a gambling permit for the St. Louis Catholic Church for a bingo event that the children's choir will hold at the church on Sunday, Aug. 13.

•The council approved a gambling permit for the West Central Quality Deer Management Association, which will hold a raffle at the Paynesville American Legion on Tuesday, Aug. 22.