Council digs into dog ordinance
LAUREL — Laurel City Council members met July 13 with a lengthy discussion on reforming a dangerous dog city code among other items.
The dog code has been a topic of discussion at previous meetings. City attorney Keelan Holloway said the city has a dog ordinance that was adopted in 2013 that includes basic code and state statute references.
Council members are asking the local veterinarian to take a look at the documents suggested for a revision of the city’s hold on dangerous dogs through ordinance 587-2020 by amending ordinance 503.
Holloway said the issue is deciding between dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs.
A special meeting will be set for next Wednesday to discuss architect details for the Laurel Community Center project.
Star Smith was recognized for 48 years of service to the Laurel Swimming Pool.
Special liquor license requests for the Claramont Steak and Chop House/Knuckleheadz Bar for the Aug. 8 Poker Run and Street Dance were tabled.
Virginia Lundahl, administrator of Hillcrest, said she’s finished testing her staff for COVID-19. “Testing was accomplished by our nursing staff and supplies were free from the State of Nebraska. The tests will be delivered by staff to Lincoln. Results should be available by early next week,’’ Lundahl said. “We update families weekly about COVID-19 status and processes.”
She said families will be notified as soon as possible if: 1) there are any positive test results of staff or residents; and 2) when the facility plans to re-open Hillcrest to visitors.
“We continue to receive free supplies from the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department. These supplies have been crucial to keeping our staff in compliance with guidelines related to COVID because our usual suppliers have been unable to meet our needs in a timely manner and sometimes not at all,” she said.
Lundahl said the Elsie Jacobsen Family has donated money to Hillcrest for two whirlpool tubs for the facility. “We are so grateful to the family for helping Hillcrest in its mission to provide the best care to its residents,’’ Lundahl said. “We celebrated Father’s Day in June with balloons and gifts for our male residents. We celebrated July 4th with hymns and patriotic songs provided by Sherie Lundahl. Sherie performed on our patio with the door open while residents listened in our dining room. Live music is always a favorite activity of residents. They enjoyed Sherie’s patio concert.” Hillcrest has had increased costs dealing with COVID-19: staffing, personal protective equipment, thermometers, sanitizers, dietary supplies, tables to accommodate social distancing needs. “We have received government funding for increased costs. We have also applied for Assisted Living grants through the State of Nebraska. We have not received information on that funding yet,’’ Lundahl said. “Fire Marshal inspections have resumed.”
Officer Ron Lundahl said his department responded this month to two fix-it tickets, gave out 13 warnings, responded to five animal complaints, helped three motorists, completed two outside assists, two open doors, received six citizen complaints, assisted with one funeral procession, six noise complaints, four alarms, assisted the ambulance twice, had one nuisance vehicle call, two suspicious people were reported, one disturbance call and three traffic complaints.
The Tree Board has worked on the City Tree/Tree Board ordinance and have made suggestions to update the Ordinance.
The council heard the first reading of the ordinance. The Tree Board had a Zoom meeting with Graham Herbst, UNL Community Forestry Specialist. He is forwarding software for the Tree Board to use to do a Community Forestry Inventory.
Another meeting will be held to learn to use it in the near future. Having an inventory will help the Tree Board and the Community Forestry people down the road, for planning purposes and help with problems.
The training meeting for the Tree Inventory software had to be postponed because one of the presenters was unable to make the meeting. It will be rescheduled.
The Council also learned the Community Forestry specialist in this area is retiring and the new person hired has expressed interest in helping the Tree Board and City employees with the Tree Inventory.
The Council also learned the Chamber is planning Ribbon Cuttings and Coffee Calls with Chamber member businesses including July 23 - Galyen Boettcher Baier PC, LLO-Alissa Baier at 10 a.m., with an open house to follow from 10 a.m. to noon; Sept. 18 - ACE Hardware Grand Opening weekend, with ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m.
Other Chamber member businesses have expressed interest in hosting Business After Hours events, and those interested will be contacted.
Housing Study/ Comprehensive Plan/Zoning: Hanna Keelan’s Keith Carl and his team met with the Laurel Planning Commission on Tuesday, July 7. Carl provided updated information from the last meeting, and discussed nearly completed Community Housing Study and zoning and subdivision regulation recommendations.
Some of the results of the housing study that were shared are that we need to encourage downtown housing (apartments above the businesses); Make a plan and follow through to rehab or demolish dilapidated housing. Laurel needs more of every type of housing...assisted living, elderly housing/senior living units, apartments and other multi-family units, and more single-family units. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and they are planning a Community Open House for sometime in August, to provide the opportunity for the public to come and ask questions. That date will be announced.
Downtown Revitalization project: JEO and Convergence were in Laurel Monday, June 29th for their Design Charrette. Their group and members of the DTR committee took a walk around Laurel and discussed their ideas and the options for the DTR project. The meeting continued with presentations at the City Auditorium. From 4 to 6 p.m. the JEO and Convergence team hosted a meeting for the public to come and see the ideas, ask questions and share their opinions. Community Center Committee:
Community Center Committee: The Community Center committee has put up a sign to keep everyone up to date on where we are at for the fundraising. It is on the southwest corner of 2nd St. and Oak St. It does show we are ‘on track’ for the future.
Laurel City employees have fixed a few limited power outages during this summer heat. Most were not heat related.
Water Wells 601 and 2009 are both working. The wells together have been pumping 350,000 gpd to 450,000 gpd.
In the month of June they pumped 8,500,000 gallons. With the help of JEO Engineering we will be drilling a test hole as part of our search for a new well in the 110 acres that the CRA purchased last fall.
The inside of the water tower is scheduled to be repainted around Sept. 1. Maguire Iron is the company that will be doing this work. It will take 2 or 3 weeks to complete the project.
WASTE WATER: Rutjen’s Construction is coming to give an estimate on replacing the top 18”of the wall of the oxidation ditch at the sewer plant for approximately 20 ft. They will examine the rest of this wall as well. Half of the wall was replaced 10 years ago and is in good shape. Rutjen’s put in the new lift station. Another estimate will also be obtained.
The pool season lessons for the season ended on July 2 with 66 participants completing the program.
Detlefsen Construction was selected as the contractor for the Laurel Northwest M-375(49) (Logan Creek/870 Rd FEMA Project) and the project has begun.
The project consists of embankment stabilization on the south embankment of the creek, moving 870 Rd 10’ south, extending the box culvert and metal culverts south as well, re-doing the entrance and exit driveways of Central Valley Ag, removing the berm on the north side of 870 Rd and installing a guard rail for 3400 ft.
JEO is continuing to work on the Design Phase for the downtown revitalization project.
A design meeting was hosted on June 29 with about 30 percent of the design work completed at that time. This included a project area walk through with design team members from JEO and city officials.
The public was invited to the meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. to give input. The construction phase will begin in the summer of 2021.
The next regular City Council meeting will be Aug. 10 at 6 p.m.
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