Meeting draws extraordinary crowd

“What an incredible crowd this is,” said Keystone Town Board resident Rick Greene as more than 20 people packed the Keystone Town Board meeting May 3.

Some in attendance were members of local boards and were there to be appointed or to be sworn in.

Among those being sworn in were trustees Casey McNulty  and Will Parks. Trustee Sandi McLain was voted in as president of the board. 

Attorney Mitch Johnson  clarified matters relating to the deer ordinance that was voted down by the board at the previous meeting. Johnson was incorrect in saying  that since the board had killed the ordinance, it could not be brought up again, advising trustees that they can, in fact, bring up the matter again if they desire.

McNulty  thanked  finance officer Cassandra Ott and wished her the “absolute  best” as she transitions into her new role as business manager for the Hill City School District.

Ott’s last day in the office is May 24 and all projects Ott has been working on have been distributed  to board members. 

She will still be assisting the town through June. Ads for her replacement have  already been placed. 

Tax numbers for this year look better than last year but overall the numbers are “not very helpful at this stage in the game,” Ott said. 

Public works is busy conducting E. coli tests at the sewer plant.

The crew also met with KLJ Engineering about the Lake Oahe water pipeline. Samples from the Roy Street well have been sent in for testing. Public works superintendent Jerry Przybylski was concerned about insurance covering replacement costs for the sewer plant.

The Keystone water system met safety requirements  for the state. This is  the second award the system has won this year.

The board passed first readings for five ordinances  dealing with flood matters. Ott explained the reason for the changes. 

“This is how FEMA wanted wording in their ordinances. It  will not change meaning of our ordinances in any way,” she said.

Three proposals for drainage work near the Keystone Senior Center were discussed briefly with McNulty saying they “look like they’re bidding on three different  things.”

Contractors were not given specs about the project, according  to Ott.

The highest bid is $25,000 and the lowest $14,000. It was suggested to have Interstate Engineering draw up plans.

The board tabled the matter in order to find out what engineering costs for the plans will be.

Most of the people at the meeting, however, were likely present to hear the board response to citizen Bernard Cordes’ letter, which addressed eight points regarding town affairs.

McLain said she talked to Cordes personally and researched each topic using past history to respond.

“We’re held by codified law for many of these things,” she explained, noting it was an opportunity  to start a conversation. 

Cordes’ letter addressed the town dump on Harney Street.

Business owner Lisa Schaeffer asked why the board wasn’t looking for an option of where the “ugliness” could be moved to as opposed to the historical  response of why it’s there. 

The matter was tabled until the next meeting, giving the board time to look into  alternative  locations for the town dump.

The matters of the chamber and maintenance personnel were also taken off the agenda as the former will be visited in budget hearings and the latter is a matter of personnel.

The board did spend some time discussing the need for qualified staff to run the sewer plant, with concerns that Przybylski is the only certified staff member. However, the certification is difficult to obtain and other public works staff are trying to obtain that certification. Przybylski offered a sewer plant tour to any trustee or resident who wants one, calling the operation “pretty cool.”

The street to Watson Park, also addressed in Cordes’ letter, was also tabled as the park board is working on plans for a new park design.

The board denied a request to pay Dottie Cofoid for her work on the welcome sign in town. Rather, McNulty wrote a personal check thanking Cofoid for all of her excellent work.

The Keystone Board of Trustees meets again at 6 p.m. May 17.