Council discusses roof issues at event center and liquor store

By Robert Williams

Editor

The Frazee City Council approved a franchise agreement with Midcontinent Communications to allow the company to operate cable television and internet systems in the city, and run cable on and through city-owned right-of-way.

Midcontinent vice president Justin Forde attended the Frazee City Council meeting last June to seek permission for his company to construct a state-of-the-art fiber network in the community to provide broadband internet, phone and television access.

“This system would open with five-gigabit symmetrical speeds to every address, which is as fast as anybody else is doing in the country and perhaps the fastest,” Forde said. “In the not too distant future, we’ve already made a $500 million commitment for 10-gig speeds that will probably start launching in 2025 and throughout our Midco network by 2030.”

Over the past year, Midco has been installing fiber in Detroit Lakes and is now offering services to customers. Plans are to extend those services to Frazee and down Highway 10.

The city approved a new franchise agreement with Arvig in 2022.

Event Center

Grant money totaling $25,000 will be used to replace 11 toilets and a hot water heater at the Event Center. A bid from T and T Plumbing & Heating Inc. was approved in the amount of $24,549, which included a water heater circulator replacement. The other bid of $23,800 was from Seaberg Heating Inc., which did not include the circulator.

Liquor Store

Liquor Store Manager Tanya Mastin presented estimates for gutters, but further examination showed the building is in need of more extensive roof repairs regarding water issues.

“We need a heck of a lot more than gutters,” Mastin said.

Public Works Supervisor Larry Stephenson reported there are structural issues with parts of the roof, including rot.

Exploratory and potentially demo work will need to be done for a further inspection. Bids from contractors will be sought for roof work on both the liquor store and event center.

There are no leaks in the bar interior, it is currently limited to doorways and areas of the event center.

Fire

The Frazee Fire Department responded to four calls in January, two structure fires, one hazmat and a vehicle fire. According to Fire Chief Nathan Matejka’s report, one of the firetrucks was damaged by the extreme cold during a structure fire. The truck is back in service, but awaiting parts for a full repair.

Two firefighters left the department in January due to moving out of the area.

There were two calls in February, one for a landing zone and one for a lift assist for emergency medical services.

The Frazee Fire Department Relief Association will be hosting the 15th annual auction fundraiser at the Event Center on Saturday, April 15, beginning at 5 p.m.

Police and Rescue

Frazee Police saw a dip in numbers during February responding to 57 calls, 11 of which were traffic-related. 

Frazee Rescue responded to 18 calls, four in town.

Public Works

Stephenson reported that 2,913,000 gallons of water were pumped, 53.5 pounds of fluoride were added, along with 483 pounds of chlorine added in February. There were 2,020,000 gallons pumped to the wastewater plant for treatment for the month.

Stephenson also submitted a satisfactory city water quality report.

Eagle Lake Sale

City Administrator Stephanie Poegel reported that a survey has been completed to finalize the sale of Eagle Lake Park to the Eagle Lake Park Association, Inc., a non-profit corporation made up of area homeowners. The agreement was made in 2022 after months of discussion, but a formal approval of the sale for $190,000 was never signed. 

According to City Attorney Thomas Winters, the remaining paperwork is being completed by the title company and a closing date is expected in the next few weeks.

Water meters

In looking for an applicable project to purchase using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, upgrading water meters in Frazee to  an automated meter reading (AMR) system was discussed.

ARPA funds came from a federal stimulus bill to aid public health and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible uses of the funds include premium pay for essential workers and investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. A plan to spend the funds needs to be in place by the end of 2024 and the money needs to be spent by the end of 2026.

AMR is the communication technology water utilities use to automatically collect water consumption and status data from water meters.