GRUNDY CENTER- During a relatively brief regular meeting on Monday evening, the Grundy Center city council heard from new Chamber-Main Street Director Katie Rasmussen and Rite Environmental Sales Manager Alex Tungland.
Rasmussen, who has been on the job for two months now, provided an update on recent events and plans to host two Rock Around the Clocktower gatherings at the courthouse square this summer. In the fall, she plans to get back to a more normal post-COVID events schedule with things like the fall open houses, Girls Getaway, holiday open houses, Main Street Mingle and Small Business Saturday. She also asked the council for any guidance on coming up with a way to celebrate National Historic Preservation Month in May.
Tungland returned to discuss recycling carts and the larger carts that were previously proposed before the city received some pushback from residents. The plan this time, he noted, is to make the new carts optional. Tungland said that participation in the recycling program is high in Grundy Center at between 55 and 60 percent, and forgivable loans are available through the DNR to implement the new carts.
During committee reports, Police Chief Doug Frost told the council that Officer Alissa Loew has accepted a new position outside of Grundy Center but did not provide a set date on when she would be leaving.
Near the end of the meeting, Councilmen Rick Smith and Butch Kuester engaged in a discussion with Public Works Director Dan Bangasser about backup generators and testing them periodically to make sure that they work properly in light of a recent power outage in town. Smith added that he did not mean to criticize anyone but was unsure of how to respond to residents when they asked about which situations the generators were used in.
“Turning them on and off whenever there’s a brown out is one thing, (but) there’s other times where (power) has been out for four to six to eight hours, and they never came on,” Smith said.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, the board:
· Approved publishing for the open Community Center Co-Director/Head Bartender position.
· Approved a resolution proclaiming May 2021 as Historic Preservation Month for Grundy Center.
· Approved the consent agenda as listed.
