space for the sale of ….

space for the sale of apparel, a feature he said that was popular in other places and which becomes a good fundraiser for groups.

Dale Rachu questioned if they needed to go with Point of Beginning, noting there are local companies capable of doing the plans.

Stuttgen said he was concerned about the timing to be able to get the project started in 2022. He said state approval of plans that have been submitted is taking three months. He said they would have to have an idea of what they want and plans draw up by early spring in order to do a fall project.

Beyond cost, another limiting factor for the size of the building will be the actual space available in the park. Alderman Mason Rachu noted there was not a lot of space there when looking at it in relation to where the bleachers and driveway are.

Stuttgen invited council members to give input on the project. “I would rather have more input than not enough,” he said.

Aldermen voted unanimously (with Kayla Nixdorf absent) to approve moving forward with design for the project. Stuttgen said they planned to visit similar projects on other communities to come up with ideas that could be incorporated into Abbotsford’s plan.

Snow removal

With recent snowstorms, members of the city crew are having issues with removing snow from the ally south of city hall.

Stuttgen explained that having cars parked in the alley does not leave enough room for the city’s plow truck to clear the snow. He said in the most recent storm, the operator had to back out of the alley leaving a large pile of snow that could not be cleared until the water department employees came on shift and were able to use their smaller plows to push the snow into an end loader bucket for removal.

City ordinance prohibits parking on streets from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. for snow removal. City administrator Josh Soyk noted that with more people living in apartments downtown there were not enough overnight parking spots. Given the increase in business traffic on First Street, it was not practical to designate any parking there for downtown residents. Soyk suggested using a part of the library parking lot for overnight parking during snow events, but Stuttgen said he would be concerned because the public works uses that lot for snow storage and that they would have to be plowing around vehicles.

Alderman Lori Huther suggested having set hours for the vehicles to be removed such as between 6 and 8 a.m. After 6 a.m. the residents could move their cars onto First Street and give the city crew time to clear the alley before moving the vehicles back. She noted that at that time of morning, it should not interfere with the businesses.

The item will be added to the agenda for next month for formal action, but between now and then, Huther said they could reach out to the residents and landlords encouraging them to get their vehicles moved during that window of time to allow for snow removal.

Mayor Jim Weix praised the work being done by the public works crew for snow removal this season. He gave special recognition that during the most recent snowstorm, the crew also had a water main break to deal and that they were able to get the roads cleared and the main repaired all without needing any overtime. “I compliment the city crew for doing an excellent job,” Weix said.

A Nebraska-based company is the low bidder for the water tower rehabilitation project that will be done next summer.

Mike Voss, a project engineer with MSA, reported that Viking Industrial Painting was the lowest of six bids received for the project. During the proj- ect, the water tower will be taken out of service for about 70 days as the tower is rehabilitated and repainted. Voss said there was a $265,000 spread between the lowest and the highest bidders for the project. He said there could be a variety reasons for the disparity, suggesting that some of the higher bidders already had projects lined up for the coming year.

Viking’s bid was $418,550 for the repainting with an additional $14,000 for installing a temporary pressure tank system while the project is taking place. Municipal water systems are pressurized with the pressure regulated by the height of the tower. With the tower out of service, the wellhead pumps would have to work harder to maintain the pressure in the system, the temporary pressure tank system will help keep pressure steady while the tower is offline.

Soyk said he felt much more comfortable having that system in place during the project.

n Council members discussed updating the city’s comprehensive plan. State law requires municipalities to have the plans and to update them every 10 year. Abbotsford’s plan was last redone in 2015 and will have to be redone in 2025.

Soyk said he was contacted by West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (WCWRPC), who did the plan in the past, who said it typically takes between 11 and 13 months. Soyk was directed to look into the material given to him by WCWRPC and bring a report to the city council.

n The council received an update on the fire department expenses with the explanation of the larger than normal bill. Weix explained that a hydraulic lift was installed in one of the ambulances to assist with patient transfers.

“It makes a lot of difference in getting a heavier person into the vehicle,” he said. The devices typically run between $32,000 and $33,000 each.

n Council members approved employee handbook changes adjusting language to be “paid time off pools” in place of other types of paid leave.

Aldermen also changed the language to the payout of accrued paid time off which required 15 years of employment with the city to being 15 years or otherwise approved by council.

n Mason Rachu noted this would allow the council to decide on a case by case basis such as with employees who would be just a few months from the 15 years.

n The council approved the formal contract with city administrator Soyk for a term from January 2022 to December 31, 2025. The contract had been reviewed by the city’s attorney and includes language that allows Soyk to revert to his water/wastewater supervisor position if he is terminated without cause or chooses to step down during the term of the agreement.

The base salary is $73,000 beginning January 1, 2022, with the city council to hold annual performance reviews to determine future pay amounts.

LET’S WORK TOGETHER -Abbotsford Alderman Lori Huther, at right, suggested working with downtown residents who park in the alley south of city hall to have them move their vehicles between 6 and 8 a.m. during snowstorms to allow crews to clear the snow from the alley as city administrator Josh Soyk looks on.