Community Planning Grant agreements approved

The City of Hill City applied for two facility planning grants from the state and was approved. One grant was for drinking water, and the other was for wastewater. 

The Hill City Common Council reviewed the Community Planning Grant agreements at ots meeting Feb. 12. 

Both agreements were from the State of South Dakota Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources Division of Environmental Funding. The drinking water grant was for $8,000, and the wastewater grant was for $10,000. 

Funds would be used to conduct comprehensive evaluations of both systems by an engineer registered in the State of South Dakota. The purpose would be to assist in planning for current and future improvements that may be necessary. 

City administrator Brett McMacken said the agreements are a formality since the state is receiving federal money to allocate and the money needs to be spent in compliance with the scope of the program. 

Alderman Dale Householder asked if Hill City’s engineer had looked at the agreement. McMacken said AE2S was familiar with the form and deals with it all the time. 

Householder also asked about the wording on the second page of the agreement reading, “Payment will be made by the state after the state determines that the report meets the requirements outlined in the work plan.”

“So if all of a sudden that doesn’t happen, then we pay the whole enchilada?” asked Householder. 

McMacken said this was correct, and AE2S would send an outline of everything it would cover in the facility plans to the state. McMacken did not expect any problems. 

Alderman Ethan Walker clarified that completing the facility plans was a requirement to move forward with other plans, and McMacken confirmed this. 

McMacken said he read through the agreement and did not have any problems with it. The language was plain and simple. If the city attorney was asked to read the agreement, McMacken said the city would be spending $500 to $1,000 on it. 

During public comment, Connie Wolters asked the council to read the funding terms of the agreement which said, “If for any reason the legislature fails to appropriate funds or grant expenditure authority, or funds become unavailable by operation of the law or federal funds reduction, this agreement will be terminated by the state.” 

Alderwoman Lori Miner said from what she has heard from multiple sources, the state does have money from the federal government. 

“I feel comfortable that there is money to cover this should we meet these things,” said Miner. “And on the other hand, if we don’t do this, then we can’t move forward with either water or sewer projects.”

The council unanimously approved both Community Planning Grant agreements. 

Pat Wiederhold, owner of Granite Sports, requested approval of a special event for the 16th annual Run for the Rangers. The event will take place March 24 at 11 a.m. at Granite Sports, and the runners will make a three-mile loop through town. All proceeds from the event go to scholarships for Hill City High School track athletes. 

For the last three years, Wiederhold said they have requested to close Elm Street, which is between Granite Sports and the Alpine Inn, from the alleyway to Main Street. 

“Just because we get close to 400 runners, and they don’t have a really good spot to start. So it’s more of a safety issue than anything,” said Wiederhold. 

The council unanimously motioned to approve the event and waived the fee. 

Additionally, the council reviewed the Bridge Reinspection Program Resolution. McMacken said it is a state requirement to inspect the bridges in Hill City at least every two years. 

“The state has an approved list of engineers that are certified to inspect and design bridges. So you’ve got to use one of those engineering firms off of that list,” said McMacken. 

AE2S is not on this list, but Hill City has used Brosz Engineering for bridge inspections for the past five years. 

“We’re dealing with some grant money here. The state goes into agreement with these different engineers, and they’ll pay for 80 percent of the cost of the bridge inspection. The city pays for 20 percent of it,” said McMacken. 

It is time to complete bridge inspections, and McMacken recommended going with Brosz Engineering again. 

Walker asked why the resolution did not require seeking three competitive bids. McMacken said the state rules for competitive bidding have a much higher threshold. For internal processes, the city gets competitive price quotes for anything over $3,000. This resolution is under that amount. 

“We’re always trying to get competitive bids. With Brosz Engineering, it makes sense to do them because they’re literally out here all the time,” said McMacken. 

Walker said it made sense and would probably be cheaper than working with someone new. He said it is a small amount to squabble over, but from a personal standpoint, he would make sure people were staying honest. 

Householder said, “When they come to give us reports, they give us a very thorough, in-depth report. I’ve been very impressed with their reporting.” 

A motion was made, and the council unanimously approved the resolution. 

The council also reviewed the Hill City Public Library volunteer list for 2024, which included Mikal Lewis. 

Finance officer Stacia Tallon said Lewis is the only volunteer who does a lot of physical labor for the library. That is why he is required to be on the list due to the city’s work compensation policy. 

It ensures that “if something happens to him while he is doing some of this that he is covered under our insurance,” said Tallon. “It’s only $10 for them for the entire year.” 

The council unanimously approved the library volunteer list. 

The next meeting of the Hill City Common Council is Monday, Feb. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.