Staff will be meeting with Beryl Wernberg, Beltrami County Emergency Management Director, on Monday to discuss a variety of issues related to the flooding in Tyler Estates. We will be looking at response coordination but also want to find out more about what part FEMA may play. We are also coordinating a meeting with the county, township, SWCD, DNR, Steve Hill, and others for later this month to discuss what the next steps are for potentially resolving some of the problems that exist.
Facility Management RFP
Work continues on getting an RFP out for a facility management firm for the Event Center. We have agreed with Conventions Sports and Leisure (CSL) on a timeline for completing the process:
- Draft RFP to the City by April 17th
- Final RFP issued on April 24th
- Proposals due by May 15th
- Interview candidates by the first week of June
- Recommend firm to Council with anticipated starting date no later than July 6th
2009 Project Meeting
City Engineer Craig Gray will be meeting with Lori Paris and members of the downtown business community on Thursday, April 16 at 7:45 a.m. to provide an update on the many construction projects that will be occurring this summer. ( Utility work and reconstruct Irvine Ave from 3rd Street to 23rd Street; West Lake Bemidji Trail from Library Park to Diamond Point Park; Resurface Parking Lot #3—east of Harmony Foods) The meeting will be held at the Public Works Facility.
Irvine Avenue Reconstruction
With the reconstruction of Irvine Avenue this summer the City will once again have the opportunity to discuss and decide on the lane striping and parking options to accommodate pedestrians and bicycle riders. A traffic engineer has been hired to provide some possible striping options.
Lake Bemidji Sewer & Water
The City recently completed and submitted an application packet for Senator Klobuchar’s office for utilities around the lake. We requested funding for a feasibility report for the project which could cost $500,000. The application was for FY 2010 Appropriations and if the project is selected we could receive up to 55% ($275,000) towards the study.
Legacy Amendment
Bills are moving through the Legislature to decide the allocation and application process for the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment funding. John Winter, Beltrami County Parks and Trails, Council member Downs and Rita Albrecht have been following the legislative process. We want to do what we can to assure that greater Minnesota is treated fairly in the funding process. You can track progress of the House bill (HF 1493) at the House of Representatives Bill Search.
BREC Energy Efficiency
Our energy modeling consultant for the event center, Dave McFarlane, is doing some additional modeling for energy efficiency for insulation in the roof and walls and heat recovery in the BREC. According to the state’s B-3 Guidelines, we must meet a 30% target for improved efficiency and we are currently meeting 35% on the building. The City has had inquiries from the BSU Sustainability Coordinator, Erika Bailey-Johnson and Rep. John Persell about the potential for a solar energy system that could be used for heating water or air, or generating electricity. Dave will contact Jason Edens of Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) Pine River, MN, for information about their solar energy systems.
Downtown Development Authority
The DDA is planning their spring Downtown Project Pride Clean-up Night for Tuesday, May 5th from 4-7 pm. Block Captains will be contacting businesses for help with the project. For more information, call Linda Autrey at Kraus Anderson Realty: 759-3047. Other projects currently underway with the DDA include the Thursday night open late promotion, development of a new logo and website, review of the downtown plan, and kiosk poster inserts that will highlight the events planned for downtown this year.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Staff is researching the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project list for MN to see if there is any stimulus money to assist cities with retro-fitting City-owned buildings with energy efficient systems. Upgraded systems could benefit both our History Museum and the Carnegie Library building to reduce energy costs.
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