Granite council receptive to senior center proposal

GRANITE FALLS -- A proposal that would place the community's senior citizen center in the Riverview Apartment building received a favorable review by city council members at their meeting on Tuesday.

Council members indicated they are open to exploring the possibility of a senior center in the building as a step towards improving its financial situation, said City Manager Bill Lavin.

The Granite Falls Economic Development Agency has approved a $5,000 loan to the non-profit organization which owns and operates the senior apartment facility, Valley Promotions, Inc. The EDA has also expressed an interest in working with Dean Doyscher, Security Management Realty, Inc., to investigate possible funding sources for a plan that would incorporate a senior center within the Riverview Apartments.

The Granite Falls EDA will be deciding whether to employ an architect to develop a concept proposal for the facility.

In other business, council members learned that they could be calling for bids on developing a new water treatment plant in upcoming weeks. Plans currently call for splitting the project into two separate bidding packages, according to a report from Miles Jensen, Bonestroo Engineering.

He indicated that the city appears to be on track to call for bids in late April on a portion of the project to retrofit water meters throughout the community so that they can be automatically read.

The city could call for bids in late May on the construction work for a new plant.