Following a council retreat held at the Jay C.

Tuesday, February 08, 2000

Following a council retreat held at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, the Austin City Council and Mayor Bonnie Rietz prepared a list of 13 goals on which to work in 2000. Those goals were outlined at the council’s regular meeting Monday.

Included on the list are initiatives to begin the necessary steps to acquire properties for the proposed airport refurbishments and relocating and removing those properties to accomplish an extension of the existing runway. The city hopes to receive federal funding to help cover the costs of the project.

Related to the airport issue, a draft of a newsletter was presented in the council’s agenda packets. The newsletter is aimed at informing landowners and homeowners about the ongoing project, possible land purchases and compensation for purchases.

However, discussion of the newsletter was tabled until Friday’s meeting of the Airport Committee.

Also brought forth as a goal for the coming year was planning for the expansion of the city trail system, bringing a connection to the nature center from 14th Street NE along the north side of 12th Avenue NE; constructing a trail along the Cedar River from the Mill Pond to the Community Park and looking into future trail extensions into the northwest area of Austin from the Mill Pond and from the city to Albert Lea.

The council hopes to move forward in the coming year with the redevelopment of Riverside Arena, with the hopes of creating the Austin Area Activity Center using state funding assistance.

In other council action, a joint resolution with Lansing Township was passed for annexation of the LaVerne Kehret property located west of the Target development and south of 18th Avenue NW.

According to Planning and Zoning Administrator Craig Hoium, a proposal is in the works to develop a threefold project for the approximately 121 acres that lie in the area and would include single-family, multifamily and commercial properties.

Included in the development would be a transportation plan, connecting the property to the Norman Park addition, which is scheduled for annexation later this year.

A resolution approving an agreement with an independent drug and alcohol testing firm was passed without dissent by the council.

The Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust will provide the city with risk management services in the areas of drug and alcohol testing that is required by federal law for operators of commercial vehicles over a weight of 2,600 pounds, such as snowplows, street sweepers and other municipal vehicles.

As testing is done randomly on a quarterly basis, and outside firm is contracted as there should be no bias on who is tested, according to City Engineer Jon Erichson.

"The firm sends the city names drawn at random," he said. "Austin has been in the program for quite a number of years."