FAIRMONT — Fairmont City Administrator Mike Humpal covered a myriad of municipal topics as guest speaker Tuesday at the Fairmont Exchange Club meeting.

Club members offered comments and questions, with the proposed community center and cleanup from the recent storm creating the most dialogue.

Humpal, who has started his 24th year working with the city, told the group that the latest endeavor to build a community center is the fifth attempt at such an undertaking since he came to Fairmont.

Earlier this year, the City Council voted to give $125,000 to help the community center committee develop a business plan that would determine whether to continue with the project or stop the effort.

“Preliminary reports say its viable,” he said. “We want to do due diligence so it’s viable. Some people might consider it a stretch, but so were the Winnebago Avenue Sports Complex, the soccer fields and the aquatic park.”

Club members questioned the inclusion of a banquet facility for 300 people and a fitness center, creating facilities that could have a detrimental impact to similar private businesses that already exist in town.

One member commented on the lack of local market research to determine if the majority of residents really want it and are willing to pay for it. Using the local option sales tax vote, overwhelmingly passed by residents in the 2016 general election, as an indicator of support skews the fact that some voters, like him, favored the tax to generate funds for trails and parks, not solely for a community center.

Others had questions about the operating deficit for a community center, predicted to be $530,000 annually.

Humpal said he has been in discussions with the Mankato YMCA since March about possibly running the community center.

“We don’t have the expertise on staff to run a community center so we’re also talking to Mankato, Albert Lea and Worthington to possibly create some sort of partnership,” he said. “If we provide paid programming, that will make it successful. We’re trying to be creative.”

He added that at least one community forum is planned in October, and that will give residents an opportunity to get their questions answered.

On another topic, club members praised city staff for their efforts following Thursday’s storm, especially opening up two temporary tree dump sites in town.

Humpal said his neighbor returned from the city’s permanent tree dump off Lair Road late Thursday night and commented that the site was a mess. Humpal contacted Troy Nemmers, city engineer/public works director, and Nick Lardy, park and street superintendent, who quickly came up with the idea to open the temporary sites at the sports complex’s north parking lot on Margaret Street and in the aquatic park parking lot, since the city uses those two lots to dump snow.

The temporary lots are now closed, but the piles of trees and branches remain. Humpal said they are working on getting a contractor to do the wood chipping on site, but the contractors currently are inundated with work dealing with the storm’s aftermath.

Humpal credited Duane Rosburg of Rosburg Construction for getting the city’s original tree dump cleaned up and accessible after the storm. Rosburg, who was awarded the bid to demolish seven uninhabitable homes owned by the city, called Humpal after the storm, asking how he could help.

The seven houses, which the city acquired through tax forfeiture, have undergone asbestos abatement and now are in the process of being razed. A very visible one at 304 Woodland Ave. is gone, and next on the list are 26 and 30 Downtown Plaza.

“$92,000 — that’s what it will cost the city to tear these seven buildings down,” Humpal said.

The expenditure is covered through the city’s demolition fund, which is allocated $75,000 in the annual budget. Citizens can apply for grants to pay half, up to $5,000, to demolish buildings which are no longer useful.

After demolition, the vacant lots might be used for small starter homes or offered to a neighbor interested in buying it.

“We can get a nominal fee and put them back on the tax rolls,” Humpal said.

White Tail Ridge, the city’s newest residential development, has 8 of 20 lots sold. In a collaborative effort, the city purchased about 20 acres from the school district, valued at $200,000, for $1 and reimburses the district $10,000 for each lot sold. The city invested about $900,000 in streets, water and sewer services to the area and has recouped about half of that cost to date through the sale of the lots. Three homes currently are under construction with construction on others scheduled to start soon.

“It’s working out pretty well,” Humpal said.

He also touched on the preliminary budget for 2019, adopted by the City Council on Monday. The $9 million budget calls for an increase of $175,000, a 3.9 percent bump in the levy. Of that amount, $125,000 is being set aside for construction of a new public works building for the street and park department, and $50,000 will be used as an additional sum for street repairs.