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FAIRMONT - With a blank slate, several topics came to the forefront of the discussion during the Fairmont Park Board meeting on Tuesday.
To start off, Board Chair Jodie Whitmore said she was thrilled with the coupons the city provides people for using the dump sites. In tandem, she spoke on the leaf collection and potential future changes to this program.
"Is it or would it be feasible for Fairmont to start having yard waste tubs?" Whitmore asked. "So many cities have yard waste tubs at everybody’s house, and a truck comes and gets them."
Public Works Superintendent Nick Lardy said consideration of this has already begun.
"I know there’s been some discussion with some stormwater catch basins and all the leaves ending up in them because people are leaving the piles and not raking their lawns anymore until leaf pickup day," he said. "Back in the day if you had leaves on your lawn, you’d rake it up, throw it in a bag and get rid of it, or burn it, or whatever you did. Now people just leave it there. Wind comes up, it’s blowing down the street, filling all the catch basins up. We’re actually going to start discussions with that, I think in December, something for next year, possibly."
At the previous park board meeting, discussion of what to do about certain parks came up during a master plan segment. Public Works Director Matthew York had mentioned Holden Park as an example of parkland that isn't legalizable for any other usage, and that there are very rarely kids there now. Lardy read a letter from Gerald and Pauline Bergt in response to these comments and regarding future park planning.
"We just talked to a family living across from the park with a young child," Lardy said. "They would be very unhappy to see the playground equipment taken out, as would we, who also live near the park. We see people with small children at the park quite often. We live just two houses away from the park, so we know how often it is being used. Our grandchildren also make use of the park on their visits to us. Please keep this in mind with your planning."
City Administrator Jason Baker then spoke on the potential Rail to Trail Program, which currently plans to start in Jackson and connect between there and Alpha, Sherburn and Welcome on its way to Fairmont. In talking with Project Lead Luke Ewald, Baker said the main part being worked on with a grant right now is that connection between Jackson and Alpha.
"We’re in that 10 to 15 years, depending on how quickly they can get grant funding," he said. "It’s not something that’s coming up next year or anything like that. They are doing their planning and starting their process for this."
The reason for this coming to the park board is a series of four community visits Sept. 29, including one at 3:15 p.m. in Fairmont and a planning summit Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sinn Family Celebration of Life Center in Trimont.
"I just wanted to pass this along as something for everybody to attend if they wish," Baker said. "That’s all I really know about it right now. If you’d like me to try and schedule time to get him out here to talk to you all, we can do that, too. He’s willing to come out."
Finally, Lardy brought up whether or not they would have another meeting in October. He said they have met in October before if they needed to. Whitmore spoke up, wanting another meeting for now, and if nothing comes up, they don't have to. Lardy said October would then probably be the last meeting until spring.
In other news:
-- Whitmore asked about the e-bikes and scooters and what is happening with the rules and regulations there. Baker said he and the chief of police are working with the legal team and have a draft ordinance they hope to bring forth in the next month or so.
-- Final numbers are in for rental shelter usage in town. Cedar Creek Park's was used 81 times, Lincoln Park 26 times and Sylvania Park 29 times.