plete the project and bill the project general contractor for the costs.

• Awarded a bid for a new rescue truck for the Maple Lake Fire

Department to Custom Fire Apparatus at a cost of $261,200. Money for the truck came from an equipment fund in the fire department’s budget.

• Heard that Liberty Landscaping had taken over landscaping repairs to residential properties on Birch Avenue.

October

• Approved a three-year proposal for audit services from locally-based

Schlenner Wenner, which came in with a lower bid at $18,830 than its nearest rival, KDV, which the city had worked with for the past six years.

• Complied with an edict from the state that required reclassification of the city’s airport from IFR (a rating for instrument-aided approach) to VFR (visual only) because of MnDOT’s contention that a row of hangars presents an

obstruction to aircraft landing or taking off in poor visibility conditions. The change renders the airport mainly as a recreational facility since commercial flights must be able to plan on landing or taking off, even in poor conditions.

• Approved the hiring of Tony Weiss and Chris Northenscold as new members of the Maple Lake Fire Department on the recommendation of Fire Chief Todd Borell.

November

• Settled on the option of full-depth reclamation over reconstruction in making repairs to the runway at the Maple Lake Airport. Fulldepth reclamation would include using machinery to grind up the existing bituminous surface and using the material as a base for new bituminous pavement. The process was estimated to cost $746,300, with the state’s share at $693,740 and the city’s share at $52,560. Full reconstruction would have cost

$1,021,200, with the state’s share at $909,710 and the city’s share at $111,490.

• Dry weather and work to slow down infiltration into the city’s water system combined to reduce sewer plant charges for the city to $18,000 for the month of October.

• Heard that the city’s engineering firm of Bonestroo had been acquired by Stantec.

• Approved an expenditure of $14,557.50 to repair 750 feet of 18-inch drainage pipe on the Charlene and Pete

Mavencamp property at 820 Spruce Ave. N. because of rain-induced blowouts in an area coming out of a city-owned holding pond.

December

• Passed the 2012 budget of $1,357,420 and levy of $786,313, reflecting an increase in budget requirements by about $54,000 and an increase in the levy amount for the general fund of $52,000. The tax rate was set at 56.128, an increase of 10.223 over 2011.

• Heard that City Engineer Matt Mohs was leaving Stantec to join another firm in Rochester. Replacing Mohs would be Phil Gravel of Stantec.

• Approved the final pay application for the 2008 Birch Avenue

Reconstruction Project in the amount of $100,755, withholding $900 until the city is satisfied that all tree warranties have been fulfilled. The payment closed the books on the Birch Avenue project, which had experienced numerous issues with deteriorating concrete and landscaping. An agreement was reached with the contractor in 2010 to replace areas of concrete and the city hired another landscaping company at the end of 2011 to repair poor work done by a company hired by the general contractor.

• Heard from the city engineer that insufficient information had been provided on the placement of a drainpipe connecting to property owned by John Haack, causing extra excavation expenses to Haack in his attempt to comply with sewer infiltration reduction requirements. The city engineering firm of Stantec apologized to the city and to Haack, and reached a financial settlement with Haack over the issue.

• Approved the final pay application for the 2010 Trunk Sewer Reroute Improvements in the amount of $15,504.66. The project prepared the city’s sewer system for connection to the Annandale-Howard Lake-Maple Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant, decommissioned the old sewer plant, and provided additional funding through its federal financing to tackle issues regarding water inflow and infiltration into the city sewer system.