The city of Edgerton has been awarded a Minnesota DNR park grant for $169,000. This is a 50 percent matching grant to update the city park. The matching funds can come in the way of dollars and in-kind labor by the city employees.

The city worked with DGR on making a plan for the park and has applied for this grant several times. It is a very competitive grant.

“Mary put a great deal of time into this process,” City Clerk Joel Farrington said.

The plan for improvements includes resurfacing and expanding the tennis courts and adding pickleball courts and a basketball court.

A major part of the plan also includes adding ADA compliant sidewalks to connect all the points in the park and make them accessible to all. Sidewalks will be run south to the ball diamonds as well. In all there will be 13,500 square feet of sidewalks.

The city of Edgerton is looking to buy a new pumper fire truck in the future. For the past few years they have been setting money aside for this purchase and have $180,000 in that fund. A new truck will cost about $342,000.

The city has started the process of applying for a USDA loan for the truck. City Clerk Joel Farrington was at a clerk training and met Jeff Van Buren with rural development. Van Buren told him that there is available grant money for fire trucks when a loan application is made.

A public hearing was held during the regular council meeting to get the ball rolling on that process. By submitting their application this fiscal year, the city could get some of the grant money and finance some of it.

The Edgerton Fire Department has two pumper trucks. The oldest pumper is a 1973 and the main pumper is a 1993. The old one would be retired and the ’93 one would become the backup truck when a new truck is purchased. Having a backup truck helps keep the insurance rates in town lower.

Farrington also updated the city council on the Capital Improvement Plan. The city’s environmental report has been accepted. They are waiting for the USDA representative to review the paperwork.

The Brands house was moved Monday evening. It is waiting a mile down the road at the Hulstein gravel pit. The house and garage were purchased by Milbank House Movers, a professional house moving company that has it advertised for sale.

The city will clear the remaining buildings on the acreage and empty the former swine manure pit. The cement can be buried, but the rest of the debris has to be hauled away.

After deconstruction, the city will work with the county on an environmental plan for the space.

Farrington met with Nick Bergman, the Pipestone County highway engineer, and representatives from the school to talk about putting sidewalk along 4^th Ave. from the Chandler Co-op C-store north to Fey Industries and the neighborhood north of Fey Industries.

Bergman thought that installing sidewalk, especially with the grade of the hill and boulevard, would be very expensive. The city is looking at possibly working with the Safe Routes to School program, but that program takes a long time. For now, the county offered to paint a bike trail line along the east side of the highway.

Farrington also updated the council on Edgerton Development Association matters. There is a purchase agreement pending on a lot on 1^st Ave. There is a private investor who would be buying the lot and tearing a house down. Once a buyer can be found for the half of a small townhome, construction would begin.

Farrington is also working on a small cities grant that would help bring grant money for commercial and residential property upkeep and updating.

The EDA is also meeting with a childcare provider who plans to open another daycare in town.

Doug Brands gave an update on the public works. He reported that the pool is operating as it should. It passed inspection last week, as did the campground.

There is a lot of patching happening in town. It has been a good year for roads. The patching expense will still be high because they are catching up on areas that have needed repair.

Mechanic Street was crack sealed and will be seal coated soon.

The generator at the EMS building stopped working. This was a used generator that the city purchased a few years ago. Brands suggested that the city wait to buy something new until he could do some more research.