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*The council voted to dissolve the Ad Hoc Pool Committee following the defeat of bonding for a proposed aquatic park at the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The aquatic park proposal was rejected by a vote of 792 to 466 in the city and by a vote of 541 to 323 in Paynesville Township, wider margins than the previous vote in April.

*The council approved a final plat for the Diekmann Business Park Plat Three, a lot on Highway 23 south of Alco. The lot, which is currently owned by the city, is being sold to Paynesville SuperValu for a new store. (See related story.)

*The council approved a final assessment for Ridgeview Sixth Addition. Under an agreement with the developers, the city will pay for street and utility installation in the subdivision, which is located on Spruce Street on the south side of the city. The cost will be assessed to the lots as each is sold.

The total price of street and utility work is estimated at $221,450.The assessment rate will be $16,128.58 for each new lot for grading the property, building the street, and installing sanitary sewer, water, and storm sewer. Existing residences on property affected by the new street construction will be assessed $42.60 per foot of frontage property while side lots will be assessed at half the actual amount.

Typically, the city waits until a project is finished to set assessments, but city engineer Pete Carlson recommended setting the assessments based on bids because doing so now will save the city some interest by getting assessments on the 2005 tax rolls. If the project is finished for less than the bid, the city will reimburse the difference to assessed property owners.

*The council approved ordering an appraisal for property in Ridgeview Sixth Addition owned by Phillip and Amy Carlson, as the first step in the assessment appeal process. The Carlsons had filed an appeal to the assessment but have since withdrawn that appeal. The city council held a special meeting on Monday, Nov. 15, to adopt the Carlsons' assessment for the improvements in the Ridgeview Sixth Addition.

*The council approved a payment of $89,021 to Randy Kramer Excavating for work completed at Ridgeview Sixth Addition.

*The council approved a preliminary plat for Minne Villa, owned by Midwest Property Solutions, LLC. The property consists of two lots on Minnie Street that were recently annexed to the city.

*The council approved the following purchases for the Paynesville Fire Department: Mini Mate SIMO Power Unit (to provide power to tools, including the jaws of life) for $6,500; an X-Tractor II Cutter for $3,500; and a Quick Kick Ram Support (to brace vehicles while extracting people) for $550. Adding $685 for tax gives a total of $11,235 for these purchases, all of which will replace equipment that is 20 years old.

To purchase this equipment, $2,500 will come from a matching grant from CenterPoint Energy; $2,500 from the fire department budget; $5,300 from nondesignated donations; and $935 from a fire department fundraiser.

*The council approved authorizing public works director Ron Mergen to get quotes for replacing the city's dump truck. The city truck is a 1977 model that the city has owned for about 15 years, said Mergen. He hopes to replace the old truck with a late-1980s model. Mergen estimated the replacement cost to be in the low $20,000 range.

*The council approved transferring $38,313 from the airport capital improvement fund to the Paynesville Municipal Airport construction fund to pay the city's share of the airport fuel system. A grant from the state will pay for half of the fuel system. *The council also approved reimbursing the following hangar owners for 80 percent of their relocation expenses: Steve Brown, $8,411; Larry Moser, $6,896; John Swanson, $7,644; and Ed Webb, $8,684. The city was reimbursed for 80 percent of the moving costs by the state. *The council approved hiring Joe Dooley for $1,800 to put on an air show at the Paynesville Municipal Airport in 2005. Dooley's fee includes organizing a show and helping the city submit required paperwork to the FAA.

*The council approved a design for a new irrigation system at the city's waste treatment plant. The new system will include the installation of 9,300 feet of 18-inch PVC pipe to be buried four feet. Early estimates for the project were $24 per foot and $40 per foot for directional drilling on property where pipe needed to be placed under a wetland. According to Carlson, new estimates could be double that because PVC is a petroleum product and the rising cost of petroleum affects PVC price. However, recently, fuel prices have begun to drop, and Carlson will wait to see how that will affect the price of PVC.

*The council approved a variance for Donald and Helen Brossard at 154 Mill Street. The Brossards requested the variance so they could put a 6' by 20' addition on their home. The addition, however, will only be 12' from the street and will not meet the minimum 20' setback requirement.

*The council also approved rezoning the Brossard property from highway commercial to single and two-family residential, which is how the property is currently used.

*The city approved certifying delinquent trash, water and sewer, snow, and moving bills to the county auditor to be put on the respective residents' property taxes.

*The council approved a deferred payment agreement and mortgage for Derrick and Angela Mum for a home located at 1010 Stearns Avenue in the Project 55 Addition. By participating in the Tri-Cap first-time homeowner program, the city provided the Mumms with a $2,500 forgivable loan to help with their down payment and closing costs.