The Minonk City Council discussed a complaint about a request to move the Fieldcrest baseball games from Minonk to Wenona. Minonk resident Christie Ruestman told the council that the Fieldcrest baseball coach (Coach Brown), who is a teacher at Fieldcrest East in Wenona, has requested the Fieldcrest Board of Education to move the home baseball games from Minonk to Wenona because the ball diamond at Minonk does not drain well and makes some games unplayable.
Ruestman said the proposal will be brought up at the Fieldcrest Board of Education meeting Thursday night (Feb.15). She said she was concerned about the transportation issue as these students (freshman to senior) will be in charge of getting themselves to the diamond in Wenona. Ruestman said she was concerned about the safety of these students as there have been two fatalities of high school students on Route 251 in the last two years. In both of these fatalities there were other students in their car at the time of the accident.
Ruestman said "I bring this up is because it would be up to our kids to get other kids up to Wenona that are not capable of driving and as a result there will be more than one person in a car. You know that it is going to be a rat race to get up there on time. I have already told the school administration that I do not want my son responsible for other children to be taken up to Wenona. I would not want other students injured in my son’s car if there was an accident."
Ruestman added that the High School is in Minonk and she would like to see the activities stay here in Minonk. She also specified economic reasons stating that when there are double-headers on Saturdays people come to town and they spend money in town for gas and food.
Mayor Bill Koos said that the city has never been approached by the Fieldcrest School District to make repairs to the ball diamond and no complaints have been received regarding the drainage problem. He added that the city has budgeted $9,000 for a new scoreboard and a total of $20,000 for repairs or for a new field this year. Koos stated that had Fieldcrest told the city they are going to leave unless the city improves the playing conditions, the Council would have come together and issued a priority and amended this budget and fixed those fields in order to keep the games here in Minonk.
Koos said, "This community has a long tradition volunteering work out there and paying for work out there. We are putting up state of the art scoreboards, bleachers, fencing, and buying dragging equipment, all prior to us even knowing about this problem. I find it kind of disheartening that the coaches would make a proposal after 40 years of tradition and not give us an opportunity to rectify the situation."
The mayor concluded with, "This proposal, if it is a matter of field conditions, then give us an opportunity to rectify the situation. If that what it truly is. But if it is about something else like convenience, then say that and do not drag Minonk into it. We can fix any problem that comes our way, but say what the problem really is. If it is our ball fields, you did not tell us. I am not going to allow Minonk to be held liable or held to a standard that it is because of our ball fields that those kids have to get on Route 251. Those fields are playable and in good condition and we are making upgrades through the budget process to the tune of $25,000 this year."
Minonk resident Rodney Ruestman reported that he had called Bill Lapp (Fieldcrest High School Principal) and talked to him about the transportation issue and car accidents involving teenagers. Ruestman thinks that it is a bad situation with the students driving to Wenona. Ruestman also felt that since the baseball coach teaches at Wenona it is more convenient for him. Ruestman also expressed concern for the senior citizens who park their cars at Minonk and watch the games as this would not be possible to do at Wenona. Ruestman also said that there are more positive things at the athletic field in Minonk than Wenona.
Ordinance 2007-01 Utility Code Amendment discussed
Mayor Koos said that back in December 2006 a group of landlords appeared before the City Council addressing the water bills when the tenant vacated and who was actually and technically responsible for their water bills. Koos stated, "The landlords cited a couple of towns and we went to those towns and we extracted their ordinances and our ordinances are right in line with the ordinances of the other communities. Ultimately the landlord is responsible for the water bill (the owner of the address) which is unpaid. Out of that discussion and a Finance Committee meeting came changes to the ordinance."
City Administrator Trent Smith said that there are two additions to the existing ordinance. (1)The deposit is raised from $75 to $150 and (2) if the tenant does not pay the outstanding water bill the owner has to pay it, but the city will turn the account over to their collection agent. The city will refund that amount to the landlord minus any collection charges.
Mayor Koos said that this is the first reading and without any changes it will be brought up at the February 19, 2007 meeting for a vote.
Public Comments
Gene Oncken asked about the status at the truck stop on the increase for truck parking.
Mayor Koos said that the owners have fixed the drainage issue problem and they wanted to insure that the work done would solve the problem before investing in additional parking area.
Gene Oncken asked about the speaker system for the Council chamber.
Mayor Koos responded that it is coming up in the budget process and once the new budget is passed in May it will be purchased.
Gene Oncken asked when is the closing going to be on the racetrack.
Mayor Koos said that they have until the close of business on March 1, 2007 to come up with the money to meet the requirements of the redevelopment agreement. Koos said that the city is operating under the assumption that in the very near future we are going to get a phone call saying that we have got the money and this is the closing date. Koos stated that he has not heard that they do not have the money and has not heard that they do have the money. Koos said that the city has to have the money at the closing of business on March 1, 2007 and the closing can take place between March 1 and March 31.
Koos said that 2 years ago what the City purchased for $25,000 was an assignment of an option to purchase the property. He added, "When we put the redevelopment agreement together, we had a deadline of March 1, 2007 on the agreement. That gives us as a City 30 days in order to do what we have to do in order to either secure or deny an extension of the assignment of the option. If they have not met the requirements of the redevelopment agreement by March 1, 2007, then the City is not obligated in any way to that development any more."
Rodney Ruestman asked if the racetrack does not go through and the City wants to purchase the property do you have a set cost figure on the purchase.
Mayor Koos responded yes and the cost is $3250 per acre. Koos said the city is not purchasing the property but is purchasing an option. He said, "It is going to be an interesting 23 days."
Larry Hill reported that the truck stop owner told him that nothing was done on the additional truck parking because the ground was just recently excavated and must set and he would be getting on it in the spring as soon as it was dry enough.