Village of Laurium
Regular Council Meeting
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Present for Roll Call: Bausano,
Bonenfant, Harju, Junot, Koskiniemi, Lanctot (5:50PM), and Rastello.
Guests: Paul Baroni,
Dennis Engman, Jon Koskiniemi, Scott Madajewski, Daniel Mukavetz, Garrett
Neese, Julie Sprenger, Sharon Turovaara, Edward M. Vertin, and Eric Waara.
The meeting was
called to order in the Village Council Chambers by President Bausano at 5:30PM.
After changing UP
Engineers from New Business to the Communications portion of the agenda, a motion was made by Junot and
seconded by Koskiniemi to approve the agenda.
Carried 6-0.
A motion was made by
Rastello and seconded by Junot to approve the minutes of the March 15, 2005 regular council
meeting. Bausano, Bonenfant, Junot,
Koskiniemi and Rastello – Yes. Harju –
Abstain. Carried 5-0.
A motion was made by
Harju and seconded by Koskiniemi to approve the minutes of the April 11, 2005 Statutory meeting. Bausano, Bonenfant, Harju, Junot, and
Koskiniemi - Yes. Rastello –
Abstain. Carried 5-0.
A motion was made by
Junot and seconded by Rastello to approve payment of the merchandise accounts in the amount of $31,688.79 and the prepaid bills in the amount of
$222,376.43. Carried 6-0.
Julie Sprenger informed
the council of the plans for the May 4, 2005 reception for Laurium’s National Registry District
designation. The village will receive
two copies of the nomination for reference.
Letters will be sent to all residents informing them of this event. A representative from SHPO will be present to
go over the procedure for taking advantage of the tax credits.
A hearing will be
held on Friday, April 22, 2005 at 10:30AM in the council chambers for the MDOT Small Urban Projects. The villages of Calumet and Laurium, Houghton
County Road Commission and the Public Transit will review their projects at
this time.
A motion was made by
Koskiniemi and seconded by Rastello to approve the Copper Country Trail Resolution.
Carried 6-0.
Scott Madajewski from
the Copper Country Slo-pitch League
was present to discuss issues at the ball fields. The recreation committee will work with him
on the grass cutting frequency, advertising for the fencing and availability of
the field for the girls.
Lanctot voiced some concerns
regarding the statutory meeting. A
motion was made by Harju and seconded by Bonenfant to state that the function
of the Personnel committee will be to develop and implement policies and
procedures. Carried 7-0. Training issues, conflicts with employees and
union negotiations will be handled by the DPW and Police committees.
The village was
contacted about participating in a program called Gateway to Success: Better Development. These seminars will be held on May 10 and May
17 from 6:30-8:30PM. Someone is needed
to attend on May 10. Julie Sprenger will
go on May 17.
A motion was made by
Harju and seconded by Junot to have Eric Waara from UP Engineers and Architects
begin plans on the north end water
project, with costs not to exceed $1300.
Bausano, Bonenfant, Harju, Junot, Lanctot and Rastello – Yes. Koskiniemi – Abstain. Carried 6-0.
This project will be along Old Colony Road from Woodland Ave to North
Florida Street. The cost will be about
$125,000.00. The scope of service from
UP Engineering will be based on actual time and not a lump sum. Recommendations will be requested from the
fire department for the locations of the new hydrants.
Finance: Village Administrator Vertin will meet with the committee to
discuss transferring money from the General fund in to PIF. Their recommendations will be discussed at
the May council meeting. The audit is
scheduled to begin on June 22, 2005.
Personnel:
No report.
Recreation: The
money from the mite tournament has not been received yet. Vertin is to check with them.
Public Safety – Police: A
grant was received to purchase two PBTs at no cost to the village. $425.00 is available for training, schools,
etc. 1/3 of the fine/costs for tickets
issued under the state Motor Vehicle Code is going to be reimbursed to the
village. The county has applied for LETPPD
grants, which are cash grants for Homeland Security. This money will be
distributed to the local departments. Integrated
Biometric Technologies contacted the village to see if there is an interest in
doing print cards for CDL drivers with hazardous materials endorsements. They must be fingerprinted annually. The village would be paid $8.00/card and would
be the only department in Houghton and Keweenaw counties to do so. The bulletproof vests are here. They were ordered thru a grant and our
portion could be paid by the LETPPD grant so they would be at no cost to the
village. Police Chief Baroni would like
to meet with the Property/Building/Ordinance committee regarding new structures
in the village. The department is contacting
property owners in violation of the yard maintenance and junk car
ordinances. A motion was made by Lanctot
and seconded by Junot to waive the night parking ordinance so cars can get off
of the sidewalks. Carried 7-0. Next year all that have outstanding night
parking tickets will be towed. There are
many stop signs that need to be replaced throughout the village. New signs with engineer grade need to be ordered. The police and street departments will take
care of these replacements.
Public Safety – Fire:
The monthly report was presented as well as a picture of the chassis for the
new fire truck.
Streets/Equipment/Sanitation: A new pickup truck has not been found yet. For $100.00, a MML forester is going to come
to the village for a day to evaluate our trees and arbor plan. There are a few small sewer projects from
last year that still need to be completed.
Property/Building/Ordinance: Since the last council meeting, Sonny Laplander’s trailer at
110 Hecla Street has collapsed. Since
the property is now a public safety and fire hazard, a motion was made by
Rastello and seconded by Junot to consult the village attorney regarding the
contents of the letter for the demolition order for this property. Carried 6-0.
(Lanctot had to leave the room to take a phone call and was not present
for this vote). Also to be included in
the letter is that Laplander needs to check with Peninsular Gas Company before
the trailer is moved. The Unsafe
Building Ordinance indicates that the property owner has 21 days to comply with
the order.
A motion was made by
Rastello and seconded by Bonenfant to increase the hourly wages of the janitor by .50/hr. and authorize 40 hrs
of vacation/year. The position would not
be filled during those 40 hours. Carried
7-0.
A motion was made by
Rastello and seconded by Lanctot to approve the Police Department Code of Conduct. Carried 7-0.
A motion was made by
Lanctot and seconded by Bonenfant to increase the amounts for tickets/fines as follows: Overnight
parking: from $15 to $25, Parking meter violation – no change. Blocking a fire hydrant: from $10 to $25,
Double parked: from $5 to $15, Blocking a driveway: from $10 to $15, Parking on
a yellow line: from $5 to $15, Blocking a sidewalk: from $5 to $15, Blocking an
emergency exit: from $10 to $35, Obstructing traffic: from $10 to $15, Blocking
a cross walk: from $5 to $15, Parking in a handicap zone: from $25 to $35,
Parking in a loading zone: from $5 to $15, Improper parking: from $5 to $15,
and Other: from $5 to $15. The cost
would double after 10 days of issuance.
Carried 7-0. A motion was made by
Lanctot and seconded by Rastello to approve the printing of the new tickets for
$300.00 plus shipping. Carried 7-0.
The village attorney was consulted and the council prescribes the elected clerk and treasurer salaries whenever and whatever they deem appropriate. A motion was made by Lanctot and seconded by Rastello to keep the elected clerk salary the same at $2150.00/year. Carried 7-0. The treasurer will have a recommendation for his salary at the next meeting.
New Business: A motion was made by Junot and seconded by Harju to reappoint John Rovano to the Laurium Housing Commission for a five-year term. Carried 7-0. Bausano, Bonenfant, Harju, Junot, Koskiniemi, and Lanctot – Yes. Rastello – Abstain. Carried 6-0.
At 7:10PM, a motion was made by Rastello and seconded by Lanctot to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia M. Golus, Clerk
Village of Laurium