Granton Village Board Hears A Fall Fest Update and More...

Saturday, August 14th, 2021 -- 6:52 AM

The Granton Village Board heard a Fall Fest update at their meeting.

According to the unofficial minutes from the meeting, the Fall Fest Committee is looking into renting porta potties, the Queens Tea is set to be held at the Methodist Church, and the Clerk will set up dumpsters. There will be a DJ on Friday from 8a-12pm. The White House Players will perform on Saturday from 8p-12a, and Fox Fire will perform after the parade at 1pm. The Clerk will set up police for the music on Friday and Saturday and for the parade on Sunday. This year they will also have the Badger State Dirt Flingers Truck Poll.  The Board also heard an update on the road project and engineers. They pulled out a large chunk of clay pipe while cleaning out the clog on Cty K. This is further evidence that the sewer system is in need of replacement. They forwarded photos and a note to the engineers on Aug 5th and received no response. There has been no contact from Cedar Corp since April’s walk through. They were supposed to update the changes and send them to the Village and to the County. They had called them previously to ask if they were still doing the project. The Board also approved a $1,000 donation to the Fall Fest Committee. The Board also reviewed budget numbers and fund balances. There is currently $11,000 in the budget for equipment and the Fund balance is $86,000. The Budget prep will begin next month. The Board also discussed replacing a city truck. The truck is currently parked as the bed has split and cannot be welded. The board agreed that they would not purchase anything this year but to look into the costs and possibly ordering this year as it may take 6 months to come in.

The Board also discussed replacing the lawn mower. The Village owns two commercial mowers. One with a cab and one without. The cab mower has been into the shop multiple times this month and now needs to be rewired for an estimated cost of $1,200. Tractor Central quoted $13,200 with a $1,500 trade for a new John Deere Z994r Diesel with a 72” deck. Power Pac is $300 more and they are sending someone out to quote a trade in value. The Board approved to purchase the mower locally from Tractor Central if the prices end up comparable. Any warranty/maintenance/repair issues is much more convenient to handle locally. The Board heard the President’s Report.  He stated he attended the Annual Joint Library Board meeting and all agreed that the collaboration is working well and no changes need to be made. He also advised the fire department will be voting on replacing a worn part of the fire truck with an estimated cost being $8,000. The Board also heard the library update. The library policy is to follow the guidelines from the CDC. Current guidelines strongly recommend wearing a mask so the library will post the CDC guidelines and suggest people wear a mask. The Board also heard the Water Report. Monthly samples and TTHM and HAA5 samples are completed. They studied materials for an upcoming test. They helped spray chemicals in the wastewater ponds and root cut sewer lines. They kept the park mowed and prepped for ball games. They trenched at the campground for the install of the electrical pedestals and cleaned out porta potties. They kept the cemetery mowed, filled potholes and relocated a speed limit sign. They also worked on multiple mower repairs and cleaned up after storms.

The Board also heard the Waste Water Report. They sampled pond 3 and began discharging all 3 ponds as they are full. They exercised the generator, cleaned the lift station basket and jetted lines on Main Street. They also treated pond 3 with RE2, ordered new swings for the park, updated the Campground sign, and met with the health department for campground and concession stand certification. They’re also supervising summer help, trimmed trees, and installed a new light on the Welcome to Granton sign. Finally, they investigated pricing for a new mower to present to the board.  The Board heard the Clerk’s update. 50 Reminder Texts and 12 reminder calls were completed 24 hours prior to the Utility deadline. She sent out 15, 10 day courtesy letters. They then disconnected water at a residence that did not answer calls, respond to grace period note or disconnect notice. The resident paid in full the next day. She also met with the health department to certify the concession stand and campground. She also provided an update on the election equipment maintenance agreement. The County purchased the election equipment last year with a one year maintenance agreement. The company is offering an extended warranty that will include any upgrade for $390 per year with $147.50 for the DS200 Hardware, $80 for the software, $97.50 for the EXPRESS Vote Hardware, and $65 for software. Per the County Clerk, the company advised that if they choose not to take the maintenance agreement and they need to service the machines it will be a minimum $1,700 fee. The board discussed this and agreed the contract is expensive and the minimum fee for service outside of the warranty was outrageous. The board discussed the fees and the number of voters they process and the worse case scenario should the machines quit working and decided to decline the maintenance agreement. Finally, the Board heard the Treasurer’s Report. The Deposit and Expense report was presented. The Checking balance is $175,901.31, the Money Market balance is $541,836.02, the Cemetery CD is $16,927.29, the CDBG balance is $32,212.88, the Library balance is $35,322.96, and the ARPA balance $18,002.99.

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