One of the decisions the Austin City Council will make Monday night concerns the city’s grant requests to the Hormel Foundation for the year 2000.

Saturday, August 14, 1999

One of the decisions the Austin City Council will make Monday night concerns the city’s grant requests to the Hormel Foundation for the year 2000.

A $350,000 request for the multipurpose arena comes in as the most sizable request, but the decision the council must make is which requests are priority. Also included on the list are the following requests: $10,179 for replacement canoes and related items at the JC Hormel Nature Center; $25,000 to take the skate park from a tier one to a tier two skate park; $2,500 for smoke detectors and batteries from the fire department; $25,000 from the Austin/Mower County Joint Home Ownership Program and $61,000 for a new portable stage for the Park and Rec Department – the stage is used during the SPAMTOWNTM USA festival and at other city events.

Also on the agenda are the following items:

– Public Hearing on a request from the city of Austin, the Housing and Redevelopment Agency and St. Olaf Hospital Association for vacation of public right-of-way at 4th St. and 1st Drive NW.

– Approval of an unpaid leave of absence for building official Don Busse, for medical reasons.

– A motion approving the 1999 fall leaf collection program.

– Approval of the replacement of the existing trunk sanitary sewer lines behind the Eagles to Driesner Park.

– Resolution approving extension of completion of Carriage Homes Development. The development should have been completed – according to the agreement with the city – by the end of April. The developer is asking for an extension to the deadline.

– Approval of agreement between the Groh Depot and Fox Electric and the city of Austin for improvements to the portion of 4th Ave. NE between the two businesses.

– Authorization of installation of electrical transmission line by Austin Utilities on Mill Pond Bridge.

The council meets at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on the lower level of the Municipal Building at 500 4th Ave. NE. Citizens wishing to address the council on items not on the agenda may speak at the beginning of the meeting, when the Mayor calls for citizens to address the council. The public is welcome.

Also Monday, the Council Finance Committee will meet in the lower level conference room at 4 p.m. to discuss year 2000 budget requests from the Development Corporation of Austin, the Hormel Foundation grant requests and the need for more Christmas decorations.

At 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Council Park and Rec Committee will meet at the Park and Rec offices to discuss selection of an engineering/architectural firm to undertake the renovations at Riverside Arena. Four firms were interviewed Tuesday evening, but no decision was made at that time.