The Fountain Green City Council addressed a Main Street project and planning and zoning concerns among other items at its council meeting last week.

The city council is considering plans for dealing with the elevation change from the sidewalk to the street on the west side of Main Street. Currently the sidewalk and U.S. 89 are separated by a slight incline.

At the meeting, architect David Bell presented three alternatives, A, B and C, for the city council to consider. All three plans incorporate steps from the road to each business, placed roughly where a recent Scout project put handrails. Each plan also includes planting trees and installing landscaping boxes.

Plan A consists of placing a second sidewalk on street level, with steps connecting it to the existing sidewalk. A retaining wall between the levels could also serve as a place to sit and contain landscaping areas.

Plan B includes placing a few planter boxes around trees but otherwise leaves the cement slope between the upper and lower sidewalks.

Plan C calls for extensive planter boxes around trees and only the existing sidewalk. The planter boxes would extend to the street as a retaining wall. There would only be a curb between the retaining wall and the street with the steps coming directly from the curb.

Bell said plan C was the most expensive because of all the cement work, and would cost over $119,000. He said plan C was not his preferred choice.

He said plans A and B were much better, as well as cheaper; Plan A would cost about $93,000 and plan B about $75,000.

Bell told the council to look over the proposals and suggest changes. He said the council could add something to or combine elements of the plans.

He said he would then make another draft, which could be sent to engineers.

The city is looking at applying for a highway enhancement grant from the state to pay for the project. Bell said the city had about a year before they could apply for the grant.

City employee Roger Aagard recommended the city put in new water services to businesses on the street before it started the improvements.

In other business, Planning and Zoning Commission members Joe Papenfuss and Larry Woodcox addressed the council about rewriting the city’s zoning ordinances to match state requirements for land use.

They said the city needs to identify a plan to provide water for growth before it becomes a problem.

They also said the city needs to decide whether or not it wants a zone for light manufacturing.

The zoning members also broached a longstanding problem concerning the narrow width of lanes south of 400 South. Some sections, they said, are as narrow as 30 feet. The city’s standard width is 66 feet.

Papenfuss said the city doesn’t have easements or deeds on those lanes and suggested the city work with the landowners to get the problem cleared up.

The council will contact the landowners to try to resolve the problem.

The council also decided to ask Sue Player and Tennille Bailey to be alternate members for the Planning and Zoning Commission.

City Fire Chief Allen Christensen addressed the council and said the fire district is considering proposing a fee increase.

Currently all residents in the county are paying $2 per month for the fire district. Christensen said the proposal is to increase those fees another $2. The fee appears on residents’ power bills.
He said he was sent to see how the council felt about it before appearing next month to formally ask for the increase.

According to Christensen the district needs the fee increase because it can no longer afford to purchase fire trucks for the 14 community fire departments within the district.
He said the last communities that requested fire trucks were turned down because the district didn’t have the money.

The council said it saw no choice but to accept the fee increase, and council member Mary Gilgen said the city would certainly get phone calls about it.
Christensen will appear before the council next month with a formal request for the city to approve the fee increase.

Gus German, the Youth City Council advisor, tendered his resignation and gave the council a list of people he recommended for the position.

The council asked him if he had anyone in mind, but he said he didn’t feel like he should pick the next advisor.

The council will use the list to name the next advisor for the council.

source : www.sanpetemessenger.com