Mt Lake Police Department reported 14 calls in the week of November 12th to November 17th. Officers assisted Brown County Sheriff Office with locating a vehicle owner and assisted an employee at Dollar General with extra patrol during closing. Officers assisted Mt Lake Fire Department with gas leak reported at Country Pride Services and verified a 911 misdial. Upon gaining information on drug activity, information was shared with the Windom Police Department. A vehicle was issued a warning after being pulled over for no headlights use during fog and expired registration. Officers transported a Juvenile to Dakota County Juvenile Detention Center and checked on a suspicious unoccupied vehicle at the boat landing. Officers assisted the Mt Lake Fire Department with a vehicle fire. After investigation, it appeared to just be a vehicle issue, nothing suspicious. An Officer assisted DVHHS on a juvenile matter and the incident remains under investigation. The officer checked on an alarm at Casey’s and investigated property damage to a store front.
————————————————————-
Windom Police Department reported a one vehicle accident on the 18th at 11:24am a driver from Omaha NE was traveling Northbound on Highway 60 and was navigating the turn and then steered straight and struck a City of Windom light pole causing unknown damage to the pole. Windom Police Department reported three thefts on the 19th. At 12:48 a Windom Male reported his apartment was broken into in the 300 block of 8th Street a window was busted out and a vacuum was stolen sometime on the evening of 18th. The vacuum and other items were later recovered in a search warrant search in the 800 block of 4th Avenue. At 1:28pm a report of a delivery trailer, believed to be a Hussman brand, with a drop down back gate, and unique with a winch on the front of the trailer was taken from a parking stall south of Johnson Hardware at 858 4th Ave on the 19th at approximately 11am. Approximate value of loss is $2,500. This matter remains under investigation. At 1:25pm Agape Counseling Center reported the theft of various items from a back building sometime during the night hours on November 13th. Missing was a Soleil Heater, two dream catchers, cigarettes, and other items. Total value of loss $192.99. Many of the items were located during the execution of a search warrant in the 800 block of 4th Ave.
————————————————————-
Windom City Council met on Tuesday the stop lights in Windom by HyVee was part of the discussion. Windom City Councilwoman Jenny Quade was in studios to help explain what representatives from DOT were saying.
Answer Councilwoman Jenny Quade:
So, the traffic light information, one of the things I had done was a timeline to express to the DOT to be aware of where our frustration came from on City Council. In May have 2024, that’s when the council wasn’t informed that we need to replace that stoplight by HyVee and that the city’s portion would cost $177,000 which we thought, wow, that’s a lot of money to replace the stop light, that’s a lot of money for the city’s share of that and then shortly after that, on June 3rd, and we had to fight for carbon reduction program brants, which we thought then we could use some of that money to help offset that cost of the stop light and we were awarded that it was a $141,600, but, the department transportation made it contingent that we keep that 3 lane striping, in order to get the carbon grant. On June 4th, as most people know, we had that public comment open house with the Department of Transportation and people were able to go through their open house and then we had a Council Meeting, where everybody spoke and we had many, many people come and speak up. I think they were well heard during that time period, and the Council
heard and appreciated all the community coming out and then at our next Council meeting June 18th is when we passed a resolution rejecting the restriping and asking the state to return it to a four-lane. Then within 2 months on August 6th, that’s when the Department of Transportation informed the city that the increase of price for the stop light was now $420,000 for the city share. I was pointing out to the Department of Transportation, people that you know, we were told, you know, and then looking back in all this information that there were these new federal standards, which dated back to 2015-16, and that the statement to comply with that by 2019 or then they asked for an extension on being able to comply with that, but I pointed out what you guys knew there were changes you knew there was something coming. Maybe, you didn’t know it was $420,000 but you knew, things and we had all these meetings and all these opportunities to have conversation about it and nothing was ever said to us and I feel like that’s the frustrating part. Then during our meeting Council Member Marv Gruenig, said he wanted to echo what I had said on being frustrated, but he said he would change that word, he wasn’t frustrated, but intimidated by what the DOT said, because they had come back with this amount after we had pretty much had the public comments saying we don’t, we want to back to four-lane, and everybody saying this, the council passing a rejection of resolution, on rejecting that re striping and asking it to return to a four-lane, and then the Department of Transportation comes back and tells us so your stop light that we said it was a $177,000 is now $420,000 and then when we reply to them on that, we can’t believe this! Is there any other funding or ways? Then they came back telling us, well if you don’t do this, we’ll take out the stop light and we’re just going to put in a stop sign and so again, Marv Gruening says that was very intimidating for the Department of Transportation to come back with us saying if you don’t do this, then you just get a stop sign. The company that did their study had already stated that was NOT a feasible thing to have a stop sign there. It’s so definitely that that wasn’t going to be a possibility. I think we all knew that. Then finally, when they kind of talked through this little bit more Council Member, Dennis Esplain made the comment to the Department of Transportation that if we were to fund, you know, say this next year if we were to fund the $420,000 that they’re saying, it would increase our Levy by 16.5%, so our tax levy here in Windom then would go up from where were at another 16.5% to pay for that traffic light and that the council was not, you know, the city, the citizens of Windom would not want that kind of increase, so that’s our dilemma is where do we have this funding?
And now you know, they rejected us even getting, the $141,600 in the carbon reduction grant, that’s gone in the end, when we went back and forth a few different times the Department of Transportation recommendation was to delay replacing that stop light now by 1 or 2 years. DOT said you know, we should replace it sooner rather than later. It is outdated and they will keep a better watch on it instead of coming once a year, they’ll look at it evaluated, they’ll becoming more often because of how dated it is like delayed a bit maybe as this new system is being installed and people start to work with it. Maybe that price will come down a bit. We’ll see where that goes. For right now, we’re delaying that process, and the Mayor did make a comment that he really hopes that the Department of Transportation will keep our city informed of bids and quotes and in letting us know if they’re seeing some changes. in that we need to plan we and advances for that kind of funds if that’s what’s going to happen.
Thanks, Jenny, for your comments
—————————————————————————————————
Whole Headline Newscast if you would like to rehear: