The Newport City Council had a visit from two new fire captains at the Thursday, Feb. 5 council meeting. Introduced by Newport Fire Chief Derek Marson, Newport Fire Captains Jason Hennagir and Tyler Hiveley shared more about themselves to council members. Hennagir shared that he spent three years in Woodbury and was trained as a Firefighter EMT before coming to Newport in 2022, while Hiveley shared that he had been on Newport a few years” as well as being an instructor with the Northern Dakota Training Academy. Fire Chief Marson meanwhile shared that the city had moved to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) for fire reporting, bringing it in line with current state use. There were 16 calls for mutual aid in January, Marson said.
Newport Council from Feb. 5 also saw several road and other updates, work planned on County Road 74 near Newport Cemetery to stabilize the road for stormwater management purposes as well as Trunk Highway 38, with partial payment on a meter installation meant to supply water to Cherrywood as well. Public Works Superintendent Matt Yokiel shared that there had been 300 skaters this season so far at the rink, while Mayor Elliot shared notes from the Minnesota Association of Small Cities, where she serves on the board of directors.
Included in this year’s priority list for the Association are funding for EMS, local government aid, and the housing industry, while a bill passed at Washington will give Newport money for water inflow and infiltration matters. “I’m very grateful for that,” Mayor Elliot said of funds to address water inflow and infiltration. The Feb. 5 Newport Council meeting closed with a closed session related to threatened litigation by Ihla Klingbeil at 1657 Second Avenue, under the attorney client privilege exemption under state law. Newport Council meetings are held the first and third Thursday of each month. The public is invited to attend. Images courtesy City of Newport.