BROOKINGS A months-long effort to update the citys equivalent to the U.S. Constitution formally known as the City of Brookings Charter had its day in the sun during a City Council study session on Tuesday night.
It was one of several topics including the citys winter operations plan, proposed downtown incentives for the coming year and an Edgebrook Golf Course water source update councilors heard about and asked questions of during a two-hour period. No actions were taken, though, since the presentations were for informational purposes only.
City charter
Aided by National Civic League, an 11-member panel led by Chairperson David Gilbertson and Vice Chairperson Lisa Hager has been poring over the City Charter, which was established in 2002 and last updated in 2006. The proposed changes theyve come up with are primarily update/cleanup in nature, according to Tuesday nights presentation. These include:
- Adding clarity such as roles, responsibilities and processes that would affect the City Council, city manager and city attorney
- Adding language to reflect the communitys values
- Updating outdated language, such as changing handicap to disabled
The proposed revisions will be voted on by the public in city elections set for April. Prior to that, though, there will be public outreach conducted, including reaching out to community leaders, group presentations, news releases, social media efforts, additional public forums and more.
More information on the charter review efforts can be found here.
Winter operations
Brookings is ready to roll when it comes to handling any punches Old Man Winter might throw at it in the weeks and months ahead.
Thats the word from Public Works Director John Thompson and Street Manager Jeremy Linstad during their presentation on the citys winter operations plan. Since winter is by its nature unpredictable, the plan is flexible and includes varying levels of responses depending on what hits the city. The duo detailed what would happen in a number of scenarios, ranging from zero inches of snow to more than 6 inches of snow and including ice storms.
Advances in processes and technology to better serve the city have also been included in the plan to account for changes since the last presentation several years ago, according to information from the presentation.
Naturally, a big part of the plans success or lack thereof to one degree or another revolve around how well the citys residents and businesses handle parking of vehicles when it comes to clearing the snow.
One of the times of the year that I get the most contact from residents are those that live in neighborhoods that have a high concentration of on-street parking. A lot of their neighbors park in the street, Councilor Nick Wendell observed. That first snow storm, that of course means that theres not as much snow removal on their block because there are cars parked in the street so the plows cant get down the streets.
I start to hear from folks in the second and third event where they say, I knew this was going to happen. My neighbors park on the street, so my street didnt get cleared well and were three systems deep into this now, Wendell continued. What is our response and what should we tell neighbors that are seeing this?
Weve had some struggles with towing companies in town over the last couple of years, too, and in some of those areas thats been a challenge to where what do you do if we issue a parking ban, Linstad said. If we cant tow everybody in this neighborhood, do we only tow one block, and which block do you choose so sometimes that becomes a challenge.
He said the department will work with the Brookings Police Department in situations like that and has also in the past distributed fliers to inform residents of their options and how to sign up for alerts. He also said that if vehicles are moved after the storm, the department can go back in and clear the snow especially if its properly notified through the SeeClickFix app/website, found here.
With the narrow roadway (and) parking on both sides, it gets to be a challenge with some of the things we try to deal with it as they come up one by one, Linstad said.
People can sign up for the Notify Me alerts here. The full winter operations report can be read in PDF form here.
Downtown incentives
Starting in January, the city plans to offer incentive options for downtown business and property owners. These include:
Downtown Brookings Faade Grant
Downtown Revitalization Incentive Program
Lights, Camera, Action Grant
City Manager Assistant Samantha Beckman, who made the presentation, said the effort is part of the larger downtown revitalization initiative. She noted that funding for the programs is part of the citys 2025 budget.
Complete details are available via a PDF document here.
Golf course
Councilors also received an update on the water sourcing issue at Edgebrook Golf Course from Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Kristin Zimmerman.
Currently, she said, the department is focused on a potential well site just south of the golf course across 22nd Avenue. If it proves viable, and the current landowner remains amenable to cooperation with the city, between 300 and 350 gallons per minute would be produced.
Zimmerman also said there are two other backup plans in place:
- Connecting to an existing well at the Southbrook Softball Complex
- Linking up with a BMU raw water line, which would require crossing Interstate 29
Her presentation can be found in full here.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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