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Local News

Fish Hatchery ponds to be dredged

After a dust-up between Councilwoman Brenda McNabb-Stange and Mayor Frank Campbell about plans for veteran's monument in Tyden Park, (see related story) there was no disagreement about dredging four ponds in Fish Hatchery Park, which City Manager Jeff Mansfield said, "are a mess."

After years of trying, the city has secured permits from the DEQ to do the dredging. The ponds have water depths between six and 18 inches and four feet of sludge and sedimentation on the bottoms.

Removal of the sludge will increase the depth of the water, improve water clarity, reduce vegetative growth, and reduce odors at the ponds, Hays said.

The sedimentation will be spread out for drying south of the softball field and then graded and seeded.

The DPS crew will do the work and "hope to have it completed before the parks begin seeing heavy use," Hays said.

The council approved renting an excavator from Hertz with a 60 foot arm for the dredging $8,683 for four weeks to do the work.

The estimated $25,000 cost will be paid from the Park and Recreation Capital Improvement fund.

The berms in the park, originally part of landscaping when the city took ownership of the fish hatchery and developed it into a park, will likely be removed.

Council members will look at options for the trees in the area before any decisions are made on the berms and trees. //

In other public works items, the council approved spending $17,372.98 to low bidder Communication Specialists for narrow band radios so DPS employees can talk to each other while in their trucks and equipment.

Hays also reported since George Holzworth's level B license expired, he is no longer the licensed operator at the water and wastewater plants.

Casey Rose from Mead and Hunt is the interim superintendent and Matt Lumbert the licensed operator at the water plant.

Mead and Hunt hope to have a replacement operator in Hastings within the next eight weeks, Hays said.

Also, a total of 22 light poles were removed along State Street because of deterioration of the bases.

Crews relocated a number of the remaining poles to an every other foundation configuration.

That left a number of concrete foundations with bolts and the cables exposed, so fiberglass covers will be installed over the coming weeks to give the foundations a more finished look.

 

Jean Gallup

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