Garbage rates will be increased; Council looks at clean-up of city park

RANDOLPH — Randolph city residents will soon be paying more for garbage service here.

Garbage rates were raised when the City Council passed Ordinance 703 at its March 2 meeting.

Rates were raised after a letter from regional landfill operator G.P. Gill was received increasing rates by over 70 percent.

Current rates were set in 2016 at a basic rate of $10 per month with seven different commercial account codes.

The new basic rate approved with this ordinace will be $11.60 per month.

All other residential and commercial rates saw an increase in order to make sure the city can cover this rate increase from L.P. Gill.

The new rates should cover the added cost to bring trash to the landfill, said City Manager Ben Benton.

Economic Development Coordinator Janelle Biernbaum told the Council she is working on website development.

A mockup of the site will be done and sent to her. Once the site is up, the city will be able to maintain it.

Two potential purchasers have been contacted for purchase of the old Miller-Authier eye clinic building.

One problem with selling the property, according to Biernbaum, is the building may have asbestos or lead paint. She looked into a grant that may help with $20,000 for abatement of this. Randolph Foundation currently owns the building.

“You are doing great on researching grants,’’ said Dan Tunink of the Randolph Community Foundation Board.

Tunink wondered if the process to sell the building would be a long one. Biernbaum suggested the Foundation do inspections of the building before selling it.

Biernbaum told Council members she is also working with Lowell Schroeder of Northeast Nebraska Economic Development on a planning grant and will need letters of support from community businesses.

She also noted she has found a possible matching grant for the clubhouse. Several local businesses and Purina have also expressed interest in helping with inside improvements.

Council members learned that street repairs are happening on 40 Randolph blocks. The city is also looking into getting a de-icer for the streets.

Council members were also informed the city police department received a bullet proof vest with a safety grant from League Association of Risk Management. This was a $700 grant.

The city has also gained a radio as the fire department had an extra one, according to Benton.

Tunink presented a proposal which was accepted by the City Council for a project to clean up Randolph’s city park.

“I am here as someone who uses the park for time with my grandchildren,’’ Tunink said.

Tunink put together a list of organizations that will be contacted for a clean-up project.

“We could have one big clean up, but then things may deteriorate,’’ Tunink said. “If we do one big clean up, each organization should have a leader to direct the members.’’

Tunink also suggested the city look into security measures to protect the bathrooms from damage from vandalism.

Organizations that may be contacted for help include:

Knights of Columbus, ROAR, Cardinal Kids Board, CYO group, Luther League, FFA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Volleyball league, Baseball program, the City, Randolph Woman’s Club and possibly others.

Individuals interested in helping should contact Tunink. These organizations may also help Tunink and the effort by contacting him.

The city will check if Randy Beck can get the city boom truck out and trim some trees at the park.

The park has quite a few needs if it is to be put back into good shape, Tunink said.

“Tables need to be replaced or fixed,’’ Tunink said. “There are weeds in the sandboxes and they need to be leveled off and weeds pulled out of them. Tennis courts need to get the tumble weeds and other weeds out of them. I could get the Knights of Columbus to work on tables. There are many farmers with know how to repair them. When Rick Remington and Vince Wattier took care of the park it was in the best condition. Maybe someone could be hired for several hours a week to do that kind of work at the park.’’

A new canvas canopy has been ordered for the park as the other one was destroyed. A fence will be put behind the volleyball court. One of the improvements may also be an enclosure for the field so the city can host tournaments.

The city will apply for a $2500 Cedar County Tourism grant for park improvements.

A code of conduct was adopted for summer youth program. A coordinator is being sought for the program. The code prohibits profanity among other items.

The high school is building a softball shed at school and will move it down by the field. The building will have a steel roof and is approximately 12’ x 12’ and West Hodson has the color on file for the roof.

Disc golf baskets have been ordered. Bids will be advertised for disc golf posts and cement for the softball building.

City manager Ben Benton said the city has switched to Lingo Communications which he expects will save several hundred dollars on their bill.

Benton also said he is considering sending city workers to a waste conference in New Orleans.