WILLMAR -- A community garden will be springing up behind the Senior Citizen/Community Center next year on North Business 71.
The City Council approved the recommendation of the Public Works/Safety Committee to approve the use of land behind the center for the garden.
The garden would replace a community garden voluntarily started last year by Jerry Gesch on his land located at Seventh Street and Willmar Avenue Southeast.
Gesch has said he has other sites available if the land where the garden is now located is sold.
During the council meeting Monday night, Steve Gardner offered an amendment to direct city staff to research and identify other potential community garden sites on city-owned land and to report back to the council by April 2008.
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The amendment was seconded by Bruce DeBlieck.
Gardner said the Gesch property is for sale and might not be available in the future.
Gardner asked if city staff could inventory under-used city land that could possibly be used as community gardens and community gathering-type spaces.
DeBlieck commended Gesch for starting the garden and supported the inventory.
"Council member Gardner is not asking for any great time effort on staff; just look over our assets and what could function as spaces for community gardens,'' DeBlieck said.
Council member Doug Reese said the council never established the garden at the Gesch property and said the garden is not a policy issue.
"If there needs to be another site, Mr. Gesch has sites available,'' said Reese.
The amendment failed with Gardner and DeBlieck voting in favor and Reese, Denis Anderson, Cindy Swenson, Ron Christianson and Jim Dokken voting against. Rick Fagerlie was absent.
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The motion to establish the garden at the Senior Center was unanimously approved.
During the open forum, John Sullivan of Willmar said he was asked to speak on behalf of citizens about the recent approval of the conditional use permit for Earthtech Energy Inc.
"After consulting with a land use attorney, we have a concern about whether the process for the conditional use permit was followed appropriately and whether the Board of Zoning Appeals is the proper body to approve a conditional use permit with conditions of their own or whether the board could have limited itself to reviewing the basis for the Planning Commission's findings,'' said Sullivan.
He said other legal issues are being studied for propriety and legality.
In other business, the council was told the city has received a preliminary report on the cost of establishing quiet zones at local railroad crossings.
The report by Railroad Controls Limited of Benbrook, Texas, estimated the cost of installing four-quadrant gates, roadway medians and wayside horns at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway crossings to reduce train horn noise. The report, which has been reviewed by the Community Development Committee, was discussed Monday by the full council.
The council will use the cost estimates in the report to determine whether funding can be included in next year's city budget to implement quiet zone improvements.
