The Windom City Council met on Tuesday and we have had Councilwoman Jenny Quade in for the past couple days talking about MnDot and issues dealing with the restriping and stop lights. We didn’t mention that MnDot reported the traffic count through Windom averages 11,000 to 13,000 a day and about 25% of that traffic is truck or commercial traffic and on a statewide level, the state of Minnesota as a whole has surpassed fatality accidents already this year. What I have learned is it isn’t a black and white issue and there is a lot more to the story and I want to give a shout out to our current City Council Members, Mayor and City Staff that have been dealing with and communicating on our behalf. The flood is still a major issue that the council has been dealing with and Quade gave an update on what the council is looking towards in building levy concepts by Island Park.
Answer Councilwoman Jenny Quade:
We talked about our levy concepts and the one was just doing that Levy, just behind the homes, in Island Park, and that we did approve to do a hydraulic study which needs to be done before we can look at doing that levy there. It’s $10,000 to do that hydraulic study and we did budget for that, as a council. So we did approve to move forward with the study. Once the study is done, than that, can go to our planning and zoning and DNR permits need to be done, and a public hearing will be held. More information would come from that, but what we were estimating is that levy behind the houses there, and that’s why we left that pile of material in Island Park was to hopefully use that for that Levy, so we don’t have to buy more new material that’s approximately a $175,000 to do that. We don’t have that money budgeted for. But that’s one thought we’re looking at and then the larger Levy that people have talked about. We just had them put together an estimate for that, because a lot of people talked about, why don’t you put a levy all around Island Park to save the whole Island Park area and that is more like $4.5 million, and the difference is all the different studies, permits, and different things you have to do. The little Levy behind the homes that’s in a flood plain, so that’s easier to get permits and permission to do. The levy, if you put by the river that’s in a flood way. IFit is in a flood way, then that’s more when you need the Army Corp of Engineers, you need a lot more people involved, a lot more studies to see how this would affect water upstream, downstream for those kind of things so that’s where there’s a big-ticket to that, so I don’t think at this point we’d be considering that, but we are moving forward, just with the hydraulic study to look at doing that Levy, just behind the houses in Island Park and we’ll see where that goes. That’ll come up in future talks.
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There was talk on the failed local option sales tax that would have benefited flood mitigation and we will get into that at a later date. I’d like to thank Jenny for stopping into the studios to talk and we will be talking about the Pool on Monday. If you have missed the conversation you can still hear it by going to KDOM’s Website and clicking on Local Headline News for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
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As you may know, John Holt passed away this past Monday November 18th. I am not going to pretend that I wasn’t shocked and saddened by this news. John was a special kind of human. His laughter and smile was just so genuine. I can honestly say that John’s compliments carried me on more than one occasion. I am going to really miss hearing him tell me that it is ME that he tunes into listen too. I know that he was just ribbing Steve but it was such a great and fun joke that he carried for more than two years. I called the man a Saint for his kindness ALWAYS. He would always just shrug his shoulders and say, “I don’t know about that”… I guess I just go ahead and keep giving my opinions and reporting in my own fashion because now I can say Saint John gave me the go ahead… I know I always only gave John the credit because he was in front of me, but I do know that his love for his family and community was pure and real. There is no doubt that his legacy will live in the hearts of many but show through the work of his sons and wife as they navigate a new path without him. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood but all I found for today was it is National Floss Day. I just had this conversation with my sister in law this past weekend. She loves the string and I love the new pics. Whatever you prefer today is the day to floss twice as much! And it is Go for a Ride Day. I am thinking if you want to get your ride in, do it early and make is a short trip… It’s too cold and staying home wrapped up in a blanket sounds much more attractive…
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Whole Headline Newscast if you would like to rehear: