Putnam Park and some tiny houses | News, Sports, Jobs

This aerial photo shows the new tennis courts and swimming pool. The small houses would be located on the property east of the new courts.

Two possible new major projects were presented to the Blue Earth City Council during its meeting last Monday, August 19th.

One of them dealt with a proposal by the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee to further improve Putnam Park.

The other proposal came from the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority and involved building a group of small houses that the HRA would rent out.

City Administrator Mary Kennedy presented a 19-page report on the Putnam Park master plan.

“I present this plan to the Council on behalf of the Parks and Rec Committee,” said Kennedy. “Four of those members are here tonight.”

The plan went into detail about the park and included information from several community surveys on people’s wishes for the park.

In the end, the proposals consisted of two phases. Phase 1 included the creation of a 9-hole mini golf course south of the swimming pool, the creation of a natural-surfaced amphitheatre with a stage pavilion, and the creation of mowed nature trails in the lowland area on the west side of the park.

In addition, additional picnic tables and benches will be installed, ash trees will be replaced, educational signs will be put up and the green space will be maintained.

The cost of Phase 1 is estimated at $814,725. The highest costs would be $250,000 for the miniature golf course and $200,000 for the pavilion stage area.

The report shows funding sources such as a DNR Outdoor Recreation Grant ($350,000), a bond ($400,000) and an amount added to the levy ($39,725).

The council had numerous questions about the project. Council member Jacque Drew wondered who would manage the amphitheater and who would manage the miniature golf course.

The response was that city staff was already approving requests for the picnic shelter and adding the amphitheater to the list.

“Mini golf could be supervised by the swimming pool staff,” A council member also responded.

After much further discussion, Council Member Mike McNerney said he would like more time to review this proposal, and the rest of the Council agreed to put it back on the agenda for the next meeting for further discussion and possible action.

The other major project, a group of tiny houses, received mostly positive comments – and a positive vote from the council at last Monday’s meeting.

Kennedy presented the proposal again, this time from the Housing and Rehabilitation Authority (HRA).

The HRA Board of Directors has been working with Aaron Lambrecht of Square Construction of New Ulm on a project to build a complex of tiny homes on the property east of the new tennis courts in Putnam Park.

The complex would consist of 15 similarly sized buildings, including 11 mini-homes, two storage buildings, a utility/laundry building and a unit that could be used by residents for larger group activities.

The small houses would be 45 square meters in size and would have a combined living/kitchen area, a bedroom and a bathroom. They would also each have a veranda.

A paved parking lot with space for 19 cars is to be built in the center of the building group.

Lamprecht compared the tiny houses to one-room apartments, only without connecting walls.

Kennedy said the units would be owned and leased by HRA and the plan is not to sell them.

Council members expressed their support for the project and voted to have HRA handle the details and staff explore various funding options.

The estimated cost of the project was $2.4 million.

The Blue Earth Council addressed several issues affecting both the old and new City Hall buildings during both its regular meeting and a work session.

During the work session, held one hour before the regular meeting on Monday, August 19, the council discussed what should happen to the current City Hall once the new City Hall in the former Wells Fargo bank building is fully renovated, which is planned for later this year.

The discussion included questions such as: Should the product be sold as one unit or divided into four units?

One unit would house the current City Hall offices and the City Council meeting room. Another unit would be the attached garage with large doors that was once the fire station. A third unit is an office space currently leased to BEAM (Blue Earth Area Mentors). And the fourth unit would be the detached garage behind City Hall that would house vehicles impounded by the police.

The Council discussed the advantages and disadvantages of selling the entire group as a single entity or splitting it into four companies.

Currently, the estimated market value of the entire building complex (all four units) is $290,000. The city collects $3,900 in rent annually.

Council Member Ann Hanna suggested selling everything as one unit and asked if the property had four separate heating and water/sewer connections.

Mayor Rick Scholtes suggested considering dividing the land and then allowing an individual or company to purchase it in its entirety if they so wish.

Since this was a working session, no further action was taken.

During the regular meeting, an amendment to the New Town Hall construction project was submitted.

The issue was that during the interior demolition of the project, it was discovered that the exterior walls had no insulation, a problem with a roof drain, and a problem with the HVAC system were also discovered.

The amendment to correct the problems totaled $76,809 and was approved by the council.

Other topics discussed at the meeting included:

• Heard an update from Allison Wagner of CEDA on a Minnesota DEED Small Town Development grant program that helped rehabilitate nine homes in Blue Earth with things like siding, windows, doors, electrical, etc.

The grant was for $102,150 and the project will be completed this fall.

• A public hearing was held on a tax abatement for the construction of a new home at 906 Valley Drive. After the hearing was completed, the Council approved the abatement.