BLUE EARTH– At a Blue Earth City Council meeting held on Monday, the council discussed the 2022 Street Improvement Project’s dwindling to-do list and the condition of its newly-installed sod.

”The street project is about wrapped up,” city engineer Ben Rosol, of Bolton & Menk, summarized.

However, he informed the council that Bolton & Menk’s biggest concern is project contractor Holtmeier Construction’s insufficient watering of newly-planted sod.

“So far, about seven blocks of sod has been placed on this project, about a month ago,” Rosol said. ”We are not impressed with the watering job.”

Rosol said he has been in coversation with Holtmeier Construction about the issue. The company has been informed that Bolton & Menk will be carefully evaluating the condition of the sod next spring.

”We’re not willing to approve the condition of it now — we want to see how it takes in the spring,”  Rosol explained.

In other business, the Blue Earth City Council:

– Approved the implementation of a new Honorary Council Member Program, which will allow a Blue Earth Area High School junior or senior to sit as an honorary member of the Blue Earth City Council next year, from January through May.

Applications for the position will be due on Dec. 7, and the student selected for the position will be announced on Dec. 19.

— Approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for the Statewide Monitoring of Per- and Polyfluoralkyl Substances (PFAS).

The MOU allows the MPCA to conduct testing in Blue Earth for PFAS, a known class of environmental contaminants.

— Approved Resolution 22-28 accepting a donation to the Blue Earth Community Library and Fossil Discovery Center from Jim Pollard. Pollard is donating a fossilized male Pteranodon Longiceps to the library with an estimated value of $40,000.

— Approved Resolution 22-27 adopting assessments for unpaid charges for mowing services against Joseph Sanders in the amount of $425.

— Discussed rectifying longstanding city code violations at a Blue Earth property located on E. Sixth Street. The city will take steps to clean up the property’s yard and store the items which are in violation of the city code. City attorney David Frundt also informed the council he is moving forward with court proceedings regarding the property.

The council voted to direct Frundt to contact the property owner and see if he would be willing to sell the property to the city for $1.

— Approved a sewer forgiveness request from Blue Earth resident Beverly Dummer in the amount of $12.21.