The Litchfield City Council approved of plans and specifications on Monday evening for a couple of projects. Bids are being sought for a 6-unit T-hangar at the airport, and for the Johnson Drive/260th Street project.
Mayor Ron Dingmann says Johnson Drive will be connected to 260th Street on the west side of Walmart and 260th Street will be widened and will include a 10-foot bike path. That project is estimated to cost $3.4-million. He says the City received a $1.5-million state grant to help fund that project, so the City will bond for the rest; and most of the $1.4-million hangar project will be covered with federal funds with the City and State each contributing $35,600.
Mayor Dingmann says HRA Director Jenny Klima spoke to the Council Monday evening about a lot at 502 South Hubbard Avenue that the HRA is hoping to purchase from Ecumen for $115,000. He says the HRA will receive $95,000 in a state-wide affordable aid funding stream from Meeker County, and then Meeker County and Litchfield will each contribute $20,000 in a 0%, 5-year deferred loan toward the lot purchase for a future affordable housing complex.
Mayor Dingmann says the Litchfield City Council also had the annual Board of Review hearing on Monday evening and approved of a reduction in valuation for 9 Cedar Meadows lots from $43,000 to $36,500 each. He says the Council also had some discussion about the possibility of a 4-way stop at 5th Street and Gilman Avenue, but that item was tabled and it may lead to a city-wide traffic study in the future.
A jury trial date has been set for a Litchfield man accused of stabbing a man he was trying to rob last year. 26-year-old Tre Ertl is charged with Attempted 1st and 2nd Degree Homicide, Robbery and Assault for allegedly attacking an Olivia man whom Ertl and two others allegedly lured to a site south of Litchfield on the pre-tense of showing the victim a trailer for sale.
Ertl will stand trial August 11th in Meeker County District Court. A pre-trial hearing takes place July 8th at 11a.m., and a trial management conference will be held August 1st at 9:30 a.m. Ertl is also facing charges of attempted 2nd degree homicide for allegedly attacking a man with baseball bat during a robbery attempt in Litchfield on March 15th of last year, and Assault for allegedly attacking a fellow inmate in the Meeker County Jail in February.
The Litchfield City Council had a visit last evening from officials of Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) and Great River Energy regarding a future voltage conversion project. A 70-mile power line, supplying electricity to Litchfield, will be upgraded in about the next 5 years.
The aging power line will increase from its current 69KV to 115KV, with 50 miles being rebuilt and 20-miles of new line. Great River Energy’s portion of the project will cost about $82-million, while SMMPA’s share will be about $20-million, with up to $15-million dollars for substation infrastructure. City Administrator Dave Czoik says the costs of the project will affect future electricity rates in Litchfield.
The Litchfield City Council has approved of a request from the Litchfield HRA for a $20,000 deferred loan from the hazardous building fund to help with the purchase of a parcel of property near Meeker Manor that could be used for an affordable housing complex. HRA Director Jenny Klima says Ecumen owns the land and is willing to sell it for $115,000. She says Meeker County approved of a $95,000 loan to the Litchfield HRA toward the project earlier this month.
The Council approved of plans and specifications for the 260th Street/Johnson Drive project on the west side of Walmart and gave City Engineer Chuck DeWolf permission to seek bids for the project. The Council also approved of plans and specifications for the t-hangar project at the airport, and gave DeWolf permission to seek bids for that project.
The Litchfield City Council also approved of an updated landlord agreement with First District Association with CoBank as administrative agent which will help get the pre-treatment project underway; and approved of a variance request for Thomas & Deborah Holtz at 711 Capwood Avenue for a fence extension project at their residence.
An open house is being held later this afternoon in the Meeker County Government Center at 114 North Holcombe Avenue in Litchfield. The public can see the remodeling that took place in the building today from 4:30-to-6:30 p.m.
County Administrator Andrew Letson says the project began in October of 2023 as several of the departments that were housed in the Court House moved over to the building on North Holcombe Avenue – which was originally the Litchfield High School in 1930, then the Litchfield Junior High from 1965-to-1995, and then became an office building for the Litchfield School District and Meeker County. He says the Litchfield School District still uses the Bernie Aaker Auditorium in the building, but the rest is mainly Meeker County offices and they tried to maintain the art deco style of the 1930s.
Letson says the work at the LEC and Court House is continuing as that will be known as the Justice Center and an open house will likely take place there as well after the project is completed later this summer. He says light refreshments will be served during today’s open house at the Meeker County Government Center.
Letson says the Meeker County Commissioiners had a discussion last Tuesday about smoke-free policies, and a public hearing will be held on the issue on May 6th as they are looking to implement this policy in Meeker County parks. He says the Commissioners had a meeting with local legislators last Thursday as the Governor is trying to implement cost shifts onto counties which could make it necessary for the County to double its levy amount over the next couple of years.