Meeting in regular meeting session March 16 at 7 p.m. in the Council chambers, the Cottage Grove City Council covered many topics. Included in the night’s agenda was the appointment of a Plan Commission chairman, three separate appointments to the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission, and a city finance director— but also potential street work in the Thompson Grove neighborhood, the better to enhance the lifespan of its roads.

Starting off with the finance director, the Council was due to approve the hiring of Brenda Malinowski as CG Finance Director, for a salary of $144,352 plus benefits within the approved budget, approval being contained in the consent agenda.

Malinowski’s hire comes following the interview of seven initial candidates later narrowed to two for second- round interviews February 24th, with Malinowski the successful finalist accepting an offer of employment, made subject to Council approval.

Up for approval by the council as well March 16 was a new police-labor union contract 2022- 2024, calling for a 3.0 percent Cost Of Living Adjustment in each of the three years of the contract, plus market adjustments in July of each year. The annual uniform allowance will increase three percent per year for each employee under the police-labor union contract with the city.

Also tied to finance but in a somewhat different manner, was the scheduling of an open book meeting at Cottage Grove City Hall this April 7 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., along with acknowledgement of three regional meetings in the county.

Shifting back to the March 16 consent agenda and new appointments, there should be some new faces on the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission. Susannah Brown was appointed chair of the Commission, with Dave Olson and Shane Waterman being appointed as commissioners for the Parks, Recreations, and Natural Resources Commission.

Shifting in turn to the Plan Commission and the chairman’s post specifically, the Cottage Grove Council was due to re-approve Evan Frazier as Plan Commission Chair, following recommendation by Council member Dave Thiede to the City Administrator, Mayor, and fellow Council members. The reappointment of Frazier has to do with the fact that terms on the Plan Commission run through the last day of February and renew in March, necessitating the otherwise procedural move.

As to street in the Thompson Grove neighborhood, the Council looked at plans for a course to take two years, replacing the top layer on streets in the historic neighborhood to increase their lifespan.

With 2.8 miles of roads successfully resurfaced in Timber Ridge for 2021, the Council is looking big, with proposed work in Thompson Grove to cover 13.5 miles of roads as sequel, bids to include a base project along with four alternatives.

With the base project to include 5.1 miles of roads including Hadley Avenue between Grange Avenue and 90th Street, the first alternate calls in addition for work to take place Grenadier Avenue and Greystone Avenue between 85th and 87th Streets, along with a portion of 87th.

Alternate 2, in contrast, calls for additional work on Granada Avenue, Green Avenue, and Greenway Avenue, all three between 85th and 87th Streets, as well as a portion of 87th Street.

Alternate 3 for the proposed project calls for the base bid along with resurfacing of the Hamlet Park parking lot, while Alternate 4 calls for the base bid along with final streets improvements for the Hamlet Heights addition, to be funded by the developer.

Should the street work as proposed go ahead, ADA improvements to the existing pedestrian infrastructure would be addressed as well, financed with the Sealcoating Fund rather than assessed to adjacent property owners.

In other Council news from March 16, Justin Olsen and others presented checks to the Public Safety Board for the Woolery Scholarship Fund, while precinct boundaries following the 2020 Census were reestablished as well, under consent agenda item 7C.

Meanwhile, and touching back on infrastructure, the Council was due to approve a resolution for street construction in the south business park, with the feasibility report prepared by Stantec encompassing a project area including 100th Street, 103rd Street, 105th Street, and Hadley Avenue in south Cottage Grove.

More specifically, the street improvements to be seen in the 2022 construction season would see 105th Street west of Ideal Avenue constructed with B618 curb and gutter and bituminous (i.e. “asphalt”) pavement, among other street improvements.

Also in the mix for streets on the south side as a result of the feasibility study and resolution will be a new segment of Hadley Avenue South, to the north of 105th Street, with the existing stretch of Hadley Avenue between 100th Street and 103rd Street removed and reestablished with topsoil and seed once construction of the new road segment is complete. The current 100th Street would be realigned and a new section of 103rd Street built as part of the new road to come.

Finally and for the present, a special meeting to take place before the council at 6 p.m. was due to, “receive information from Front Burner Sports regarding potential partnership for recreation facility sponsor and/or naming rights program(s),” the meeting summary stated. Financials were also to be discussed at the workshop open to the public, with few specifics known beforehand.

Included in the packet materials for March 16 were updated voting precinct maps following the 2020 Census. With seven voting precincts in all for Cottage Grove, residents in precinct 3 and Precinct 7 will be traveling outside their precinct boundaries to cast a vote, with Precinct 3 voters heading to Crestview Elementary School and Precinct 7 voters heading to Pinehill Elementary School. Image from March 16 Council Packet.