Becker City Council met Tuesday to discuss a domestic clarifier coating project, grant writing, Snuffy’s Landing, city rule changes for COVID-19 and a video presentation recently created for the business park.

Video Release

Marie Pflipsen told council the Becker EDA has been working with a videographer to capture current business attraction and expansion projects taking place within the Becker Business Park. The video will be used to showcase to local residents and national site selectors.

Pflipsen told council she wanted the video played during the city council meeting for its official launch before publishing the following day. 

Pflipsen also noted the city is working on further video projects moving forward.

Clarifier Coating Project For 2020

Phil Knutson said the domestic WWTF was constructed in 2008 and noted that as of 2019, the clarifier mechanisms in both domestic clarifiers were showing significant signs of corrosion, especially on the center feed column. 

Knutson said WWTF staff expected to get 20 to 25 years of life out of these mechanisms, however, to get that life out of the existing mechanisms, the corrosion that is occurring needs to be addressed. 

In 2019, council approved the coating of domestic clarifier #2.  Knutson says staff are now asking council for approval to address the corrosion on domestic clarifier #1. 

Staff spent time discussing this work with an industrial coatings’ expert and were able to get three bids to apply the coating recommended for this application.  Staff would like to hire Nelson Industrial Coatings, LLC. to prep (sandblast/chloride wash), prime as specified, and apply two coatings of Sher-glass Flake filled epoxy finish to the metal mechanism of domestic clarifier #1.  Sher-glass FF is a glass flake reinforced epoxy coating formulated to protect concrete and steel in a range of harsh industrial environments including wastewater treatment facilities.  By taking this action now, Knutson says, the city will be taking the necessary steps to ensure the clarifier mechanism will be in operation for the service life expected.

Knutson said the 2020 Domestic WWTF CIP has $45,000 budgeted for the coating of domestic clarifier #1. The winning bid came in at $45,623. Fresh Blast quoted $47,400 and Swanson & Youngdale quoted $119,251.

Grant Writing

Knutson said the city is looking for possible grant opportunities for projects within the CIP or budgets. The particular grant Knutson spoke about Tuesday would be for a cooperative effort with the Becker Youth Basketball Association and the city to establish a new full court basketball court either at Kolbinger Park or the BCC campus.

Knutson says the grant  writing will be performed by HKGi for $560 and the amount of the grant is for $10,000 for health and education initiatives through the Bernick’s Foundation.

Snuffy’s Landing

Knutson said staff has been working with the  DNR and the Sherburne County Water/Recreational Patrol regarding the current landing and river access to the Mississippi river at Snuffy’s Landing.

Knutson said over time the river has pushed sediment and boulders into the current landing. He says the project would coordinate efforts with city staff and the DNR to move the sediment and boulders to create a more accessible landing. 

“We will be adding additional length to the existing ladder and looking to create a better ‘pool’ for  loading/unloading watercraft into the river,” Knutson said. “We are really trying to spruce up our parks.”

Knutson says there is no cost for the additional plank or to enter into this agreement. Once the DNR has the agreement, the city will schedule the work and coordinate the efforts. The DNR is hopeful they can do a lot of the work with their equipment, but if the water is too high, the city might need to hire a contractor with a larger excavator to reach into the river. Knutson said that is to be determined and will come to council if they need to authorize funds outside of the operating budget.

Suspension of Rules

Pflipsen said due to COVID-19 and multiple executive orders from Gov. Walz, businesses are having to change operations. In order to ensure businesses are able to advertise their change of operations, staff proposed to suspend the code related to temporary signage. With restaurants expanding or adding patio space, staff also recommended extending the suspension of rules related to outside sales and consumption of alcohol within the patio areas to the end of the year.

Up Next

The next Becker City Council meeting is Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.