Sauk Rapids Herald - April 1, 2023

Rice City Council from front

Moore Engineering had yet to provide nancial information at the most recent Rice City Council meeting March 20.

“I think it’s a good start with where we’re at,” said council member Ken Nodo during the special meeting.

Council member Paula Kampa agreed.

“Then I think we have to this spring and summer look at what we have to do with these really bad ones,” she said. “And start thinking about bonding.”

The council has $36,000 in its street fund, and the summer 2023 maintenance will exceed that amount. In addition, other roadways, such as a portion of Sixth Avenue Northwest, may need repairs after the freeze-thaw cycle of spring has caused unexpected damage.

The council is faced with borrowing from itself, bonding or nding other sources of revenue to progress its roads or fall further behind.

Prior to the decision, Skroch acknowledged the city’s predicament is a re-

sult of underfunding and poor planning. However, he said when constituents hear the solution to better roads is higher taxes, some often renounce their complaints.

“We all hear it all the time from the public,” Skroch said. “‘Fix the roads. Fix the roads.’ I just had two calls. … Both times I mentioned to the person that we’re discussing this and with that might come a bump in their tax. (Their reply is,) ‘Well then the roads are ne. We’ll just drive on them.’”

And Rice, Skroch

said, is not the only city with this problem. He attended a conference this winter where 121 cities were represented. The No. 2 problem facing the municipalities was roads and road funding, he said.

Nodo said if the city moves forward with bonding for road projects, the council will need to analyze nancials and properly plan to address the big picture as the city will be responsible for repaying the bond as well continuing road maintenance.

No matter what the council decides, Nodo said Rice needs to earmark more in its budget for road repairs.

Kampa said the council may need to look

at adjusting its budget.

“We have supplied our re department, police department and public works department with a lot of updated, new equipment,” Kampa said. “They can function with what they have; now, we have to readjust some of that money that we’ve been very willing to give them to start coming back to some of our roads.”

Council member Chris Scheel said he agreed with Kampa, though both understand the needs of those departments as well. Scheel said year after year, when planning for the city levy, road funding has been cut to accommodate other city functions.

“We need to nd a way whether its bonding, whether its borrowing from ourselves,” Scheel said. “Whatever way we can do it, we need to get something started.”

The council will be presented the 2022nancial audit at 6 p.m. April 3. Fandel said following that meeting, the council will likely have more discussion on how to fund road maintenance.

Saturday, April 1, 10 a.m. to noon – Easter Egg Hunt. Free event that includes the Easter Bunny. Found eggs are exchanged for prizes. Hosted by the Rice Area Women of Today. Lions Building at Westside Park, 101 Fourth Ave. NW, Rice.

Saturday, April 1, 2 p.m. – Harlem

Quartet. Ensemble combines classical string quartet with jazz, Latin and contemporary works. For adults. Great River Regional Library, 1300 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud.

Saturday, April 1, 3-6 p.m. – Ham Bingo Hosted by VFW Auxiliary 6992. Sauk Rapids VFW Post 6992, 901 N. Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids.

Monday, April 3, 6 p.m. – Rice City Council Meeting. Rice City Hall, 205 E. Main St., Rice.

Tuesday, April 4, 9 a.m. – Benton County Board of Commissioners Meeting Benton County Administration Building, 531 Dewey St., Foley.

Tuesday, April 4, 10 a.m. to noon – Living Waters Lutheran Church Food Shelf Distribution. Living Waters Lutheran Church, 1911 Fourth Ave. N., Sauk Rapids. If in need of emergency food assistance, call 320-255-1135.

Tuesday, April 4, 1:30-3:30 p.m. – Cribbage

Tuesdays. Hosted by Helping Hands Outreach. Lions Building, 101 Fourth Ave. NW, Rice.

Wednesday, April 5, 9:30-10:30 a.m. –Senior Exercise. Hosted by Helping Hands Outreach. Lions Building, 101 Fourth Ave. NW, Rice. Call 320-393-4467 for more information.

Thursday, April 6, 3-5:30 p.m. – Rice Area Food Shelf Distribution. Old Village Hall, 30 E. Main St., Rice.

Thursday, April 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Tree Shakers Genealogy Club For ages 16 and older, inexperienced to advanced. Features educational topic and discussion. Great River Regional Library-St. Cloud, 1300 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud.

Thursday, April 6, 7 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting. Meets weekly. Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church, 1950 125th St. NW, Rice. For more information, call 320-293-9213.

Sunday, April 9 – Easter.

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

A portion of Sixth Avenue Northwest in Rice is deteriorated March 24 as the freezethaw cycle of spring has accelerated maintenance concerns. The Rice City Council is continuing conversations on road repair and maintenance funding.

DOCUMENT 00 11 13

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

2023 Overlay Improvements

Sauk Rapids, Minnesota

SEH No. SAUKR 169592

Notice is hereby given that Online Bids will be received by the Administrator until 10:00 a.m., Thursday, April 27, 2023, via QuestCDN for the furnishing of all labor and material for the construction of 2023 Overlay Improvements.

The bid opening will be conducted via Microsoft Teams, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud:

2023 Overlay Improvements Bid Opening

Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. (CDT)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDg3MWQ0NTMtNGRiZC00OWZlLTg3NzgtNzhlOTkyMTY5MWNm%40thread. v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22642f455388f1-43dc-9a29-90842cd19d4c%22%2c%22Oid%22% 3a%2248472820-a408-4d5c-b262-d033b1c6fa20%22%7d

Meeting ID: 249 013 585 644

Passcode: MnQZBo

Or call in (audio only) +1 872-242-7640,,544731708# United States, Chicago

Phone Conference ID: 544 731 708#

Any person monitoring the meeting remotely may be responsible for any documented costs. Message and data rates may apply.

The Bidding Documents may be seen at the Issuing Of ce of SEH located at 2351 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 300, Sartell, MN 56377, 320.229.4300, Jarod Grif th, 320.229.4304, jgrif th@sehinc.com.

The Bidding Documents may be viewed for no cost at http://www.sehinc.com by selecting the Project Bid Information link at the bottom of the page and the View Plans option from the menu at the top of the selected project page.

Digital image copies of the Bidding Documents are available at http://www.sehinc.com for a fee of $30. These documents may be downloaded by selecting this project from the “Project Bid Information” link and by entering eBidDocTM Number 8443063 on the SEARCH PROJECTS page. For assistance and free membership registration, contact QuestCDN at 952.233.1632 or info@questcdn.com.

For this project, bids will ONLY be received elec-

tronically. Contractors submitting an electronic bid will be charged an additional $42 at the time of bid submission via the online electronic bid service QuestCDN.com. To access the electronic Bid Worksheet, download the project document and click the online bidding button at the top of the advertisement. Prospective bidders must be on the plan holders list through QuestCDN for bids to be accepted. Bids shall be completed according to the Bidding Requirements prepared by SEH dated March 27, 2023.

In addition to digital plans, paper copies of the Bidding Documents may be obtained from Docunet Corp. located at 2435 Xenium Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55441 (763.475.9600) for a fee of $100.

Bid security in the amount of 5 percent of the Bid must accompany each Bid in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders.

A Contractor responding to these Bidding Documents must submit to the City/Owner a signed statement under oath by an owner or of cer verifying compliance with each of the minimum criteria in Minnesota Statutes, section 16C.285, subdivision 3.

The City of Sauk Rapids, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 US.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby noti es all bidders that it will af rmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive irregularities and informalities therein and to award the Contract in the best interests of the Owner.

Ross Olson Administrator Sauk Rapids, Minnesota R14-2B

REGULAR MEETING

SAUK RAPIDS CITY COUNCIL

SAUK RAPIDS GOVERNMENT CENTER, 250 Summit Ave N. Monday, March 13, 2023 6:00PM MINUTES

1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance

Mayor Kurt Hunstiger called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. All members present.

2. Additions or Changes to the Agenda

Ross Olson requested to add Area Cities Meeting as agenda item 11-B.

3. Approve the Agenda

Motion: Moved by Councilperson Sauer and seconded by Councilperson Ellering to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried unanimously.

4. Approve Minutes

A. 2-27-2023 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes

Motion: Moved by Councilperson Thronson and seconded by Councilperson Seamans to approve the 2-272023 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes. Motion carried unanimously.

5. Receive and File NONE

6. Mayor’s Communications

• Eagle Scout Project Update—Carter McClure presented for the City Council the planning, prep work, and nal product of his Eagle Scout project. McClure’s project included the installation of two signs at Municipal Park as well as landscaping around the signs.

Mayor Hunstiger thanked McClure and his family for the work that went into creating and installing the signs at

Municipal Park. He congratulated McClure on the successful completion of his Eagle Scout project.

• Passing Away of Former Public Works Staff Person—Mayor Hunstiger extended his condolences to the family of David Bluhm. He noted that Bluhm had been an employee of the Public Works Department prior to his retirement in 2017. Mayor Hunstiger said that sadly Bluhm passed away on February 24th.

• Introduction of New Planning Commission Member—Mayor Hunstiger stated that the newest member of the Sauk Rapids Planning Commission, Samantha Dwyer, is in attendance at tonight’s meeting.

Samantha Dwyer noted that she is an alumni of Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. She returned to Sauk Rapids six years ago with her husband and son. Dwyer said that she looks forward to serving on the Planning Commission.

7. Audience Items/Visitors Total Time Limit 2 Minutes for Items NOT on the Agenda

NONE

8. Public Hearings NONE

9. Consent Agenda

A. Approve and Authorize Amusement Permit for St. Cloud Antique Auto Club’s Antique Car Show

B. Approve Memorandum of Understanding Between City and LELS Local 366

C. Approve Purchasing Responder Tracking

D. Approve Extension of Gas and Electric Franchises with Xcel Energy

E. Approve the Clearing Park Bench Agreement

F. Approve Site Plan for C&L Distributing

G. Approve Bridge Recovery (Journey Home) Agreement

H. Approve Change Order No. 3 to the 2021 Pleasantwood Improvements Project

I. Approve 2023 Plumbing and Mechanical Contractor Licenses

Motion: Moved by Councilperson Ellering and seconded by Councilperson Thronson to approve consent agenda item 9A-9I. Motion carried unanimously.

10. Regular Agenda NONE

11. Other Staff Items

A. Citizen of the Year Ross Olson noted that the search is on for the 2023 Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year. Nomination forms are available at the Sauk Rapids Government Center as well as on the city website. Nominations are due on or before April 10th.

B. Area Joint Cities Meeting Ross Olson stated that the next Joint Area Cities Meeting is scheduled for May 30th with the City of Sauk Rapids hosting the meeting at Riverside Terrace.

12. Other Council Items and Communications NONE

13. Approve List of Bills and Claims

Motion: Moved by Councilperson Sauer and seconded by Councilperson Thronson to approve the List of Bills and Claims. Motion carried unanimously.

14. Adjournment

Motion: Moved by Councilperson Thronson and seconded by Councilperson Ellering to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously.

Mayor Hunstiger adjourned the meeting at 6:17 PM R14-1B

ASSESSMENT NOTICE

Important Information Regarding Property Assessments

This may affect your 2024 Property Taxes.

The Board of Appeal and Equalization for Mayhew Lake Township in Benton County, Minnesota will meet on Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 at 2:30 p.m. at Mayhew Lake Township Hall. The purpose of this meeting is to determine whether property in the jurisdiction has been properly valued and classi ed by the assessor.

If you believe the value or classi cation of your property is incorrect, please contact your assessor’s of ce to discuss your concerns. If you disagree with the valuation or classication after discussing it with your assessor, you may appear before the local board of appeal and equalization. The board will review your assessments and may make corrections as needed. Generally, you must appeal to the local board before appealing to the county board of appeal and equalization.

Given under my hand this 20th day of March, 2023

Clerk

of the Township of

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Sauk Rapids will meet in the Sauk Rapids Government Center—Council Chambers, 250 Summit Ave. N, Sauk Rapids, Minnesota 56379 at 6:00 p.m. on April 10, 2023, to conduct a public hearing for the statutorily required biennium audit of the police departments body worn camera program.

This public hearing is to consider the biennium audit for the years beginning March 2020-January 2023 Any person wishing to express an opinion on the matter is invited to do so in writing or orally at the time of the public hearing. Inquiries should be directed to Dana Furman, City Clerk, at 320-258-5303 during normal working hours or to:

Thell

Lawrence

Mayhew

Lake R-12-2B

Sauk Rapids Government Center 250 Summit Ave N. Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 R13-1B

Beefy bind

I stand at the kitchen counter and stare at the pound of white paper-wrapped hamburger. Beef, again. Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful to have the meat to prepare, but when living on a dairy farm, one is faced with a rather unique situation in that creativity is lacking when you consume ground beef three to four times per week.

Goulash, meatloaf, chili, hamburger gravy, spaghetti, patties, chow mein. Those have been my staple go-tos, but (yawn) after a while, it all gets humdrum. When time permits, I have been known to throw together a tasty lasagna, but that takes pre-planning because I don’t usually have cottage or mozzarella cheese on hand.

Beef page 2B

Carstensen strings together business to meet demand

Filling the gap with fence

BY MAURA WENNER STAFF WRITER

For some, spring means the start of planting season. For others, it means turkey hunting. But for Bryan Carstensen, owner of Popple Creek Fencing in rural Sauk Rapids, spring marks the beginning of another season building fences.

“This year is my third season,” Carstensen said.

When it took two years before someone became available to build fence on his beef operation, and with

other friends waiting for installs as well, Carstensen saw an opportunity in the agricultural industry.

“I knew there was a need in the area,” said Carstensen, who also owns Popple Creek Wedding and Events with his wife, Meghan. “There was a lot of demand for building fences and not a lot of people do it. I think because the old way of building fence wasn’t fun.”

The “old way” is difficult and timing consuming and consists of people having to dig holes and push posts by hand. However, Carstensen said the process of building fences

has evolved into a less labor intensive and quicker means over the years.

“A lot of the equipment, fence itself, type of wire used, techniques and quality have all changed,”

Carstensen said. “With the right equipment, it’s actually pretty easy, and I have fun doing it.”

The main piece of equipment

Carstensen uses as he constructs fences for area producers is his skid loader with a post pounder attachment.

Carstensen is entering his third season of fence building after filling a demand he saw in the agricultural

RUMINATIONS WITH MARY MARY BARRON-TRAUT

PHOTO BY MAURA WENNER Bryan Carstensen, owner of Popple Creek Fencing in Sauk Rapids, stands near his skid loader at his farm March 27 in rural Sauk Rapids.

industry.