From the Marengo mayor

The council approved some new personnel recently. Officer Todd Jansen was hired as a full-time police officer and started his orientation March 3.

Shawn Huedepohl was hired as a seasonal pool manager. His official start date will be in May, but I’m sure he’s already out recruiting for lifeguards.

On that same note we are still accepting applications for Lifeguards. Information on how to obtain your lifeguard certification will be made available very soon. Watch the city’s Facebook page. You can be part of the very first crew for the new pool!

The council approved a bid from Vogt Earthmoving for demolition of the buildings at 699 Marengo Ave. for $19,820. The project completion date is May 1. It can be a slow and sometimes painful process, but the City continues to work toward making things more attractive and safe so people do want to stay here, move here and invest here.

I would like to explain a new request concerning structure fires. Some insurance policies provide coverage for fire department emergency responses and lost or damaged fire equipment. We are not going to charge property owners for structure fires, but we are going to request property owners submit an invoice to their insurance companies for fire department services.

If the insurance policy covers it great, if it doesn’t, it’s not a problem. In the unfortunate event of a structure fire, the fire department will send out a letter and invoice requesting the property owner submit it to their insurance.

The City has scheduled a public hearing for March 26 at 6 p.m. to consider adding stop signs on Lincoln Ave where it intersects with Main Street. Currently it is an uncontrolled intersection with occasional accidents and, most recently, a fatality.

Traffic on Lincoln Avenue would have to stop when it gets to Main St.

The council also approved V & K Engineering to design the specifications for street improvements on May Street between the new pool and the elementary school. Hopefully, we can get this project done this summer and get that street back in good condition after last year’s infrastructure work.