The Becker City Council met Tuesday to discuss committee reports, the purchase of a seal melter, a temporary CUP, a bonding bill and hot water storage tank replacements.

 

 

Public Services Director Phil Knutson presented a request to purchase a Cimline Magma M2 Crack Seal Melter.

 

In the 2019 operating budget, Knutson says they have a line item for crack sealing roadways and SEH has given the city an  opinion of probable cost for $78,700 for the identified areas for this summer. 

 

Knutson told council that with the right equipment, city staff can provide the same services for less money and put the City of Becker in a better position to maintain the roads in a timelier and more cost-effective manner. 

 

“We can cover the cost of the machine, materials,  labor, fuel and a small contingency for $67,060,” he said. “We will save money this year while getting the proposed work completed, possibly additional miles, for less money than the cost estimate.” 

 

He added, we will also have a new piece of equipment, so our savings will roll year over year.”

 

Swanston Equipment has the Cimline Magma M2 Melter for $44,000 and the funds will come from the public works CIP. The crack fill material will come in at around $12,320, the loaded labor will be around $7,740, fuel will cost around $1,200 and miscellaneous items are estimated at $1,800.

 

Public Works had discussions at their last meeting and were in favor of moving the project forward. 

 

 

Marie Pflipsen said AMCON has applied for the installation of a temporary concrete batch plant to be located at 11300 125th Ave. S.E. She said the property is currently zoned I-PG, which allows for asphalt, tar and cement facilities as a principal use. 

 

AMCON currently operates a concrete plant on the site that is a permitted use. However, the city code requires that any temporary use apply for and receive a CUP regardless if the use is permitted under the zoning. 

 

Pflipsen said the proposed plant will be used for the construction of the Northern Metals Recycling facility; however, the company would like the option to retain the facility for future construction projects in the area. She says the city is adding a condition to the permit that it will be reviewed every two years to determine if the permit should be renewed. 

 

 

Pflipsen said the 2018 Minnesota bonding bill for a frontage road in the IP included $3.3 million in funding for the project. In order to move forward with receiving the funds and kicking off the project, Pflipsen said the city needed to adopt a resolution showing the project is funded. 

 

Pflipsen said the non-state bonding source(s) of funds in the total amount of $5,599,774 will come from the city's capital reserves, water and sewer capital  account, and a Minnesota DEED BDPI grant award.

 

 

Josh Kuha said earlier this year, the maintenance department at Becker Community Center identified leaking and  deterioration of the hot water storage tanks. He said these two tanks work in concert to hold 400 gallons of hot water to service the demand of the domestic water at the facility. 

 

He pointed out the tanks are original to the building and far beyond their useful life. 

 

“It is the opinion of staff and contractors that the tanks need to be replaced as soon as possible,” he said. “The replacement would entail shutting down water service at the facility for approximately six to eight hours.” 

 

For that reason, Kuha proposed to align this project to occur at the same time as the water slide restoration project scheduled for the end of July. 

 

He told council city staff recommends awarding the project to H2O Pro out of Clear Lake, as they have the low bid and have done good work at other city properties. 

 

The replacement cost would be $15,500 and would be funded through building repairs and  maintenance within the operating budget. Kuha noted this expense will not cause that line item to exceed the  budgeted amount for the 2019 year. His staff added a line item in the capital improvement project list so that funding will be properly allocated when future replacement is needed. 

 

 

The next Becker City Council meeting is July 16 at 5 p.m.