Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Hurley council approves park projects

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Hurley — The Hurley City Council on Monday approved a recommendation from the parks and recreation and finance committees to build a full court basketball court at Riccelli Park, a new court at Pena Park, and to continue researching costs for playground equipment at both parks.

Riccelli Park has an existing half-size basketball court and aging playground equipment. To make room for a full-size court two restrooms that are no longer in use may need to be removed. The need to bid out the work or advertise would depend on the project cost that is presented to the board.

Riccelli Park underwent tree stump removal and other work in 2020, but the city tabled plans to improve the park until a more comprehensive view of needs and costs for the park could be researched. The delay was in part for the city accepting the donation of Pena Park from Nancy Luppino in August 2020, which is now property of the city as of April.

The Pena Park donation includes an additional $15,000 donation for playground equipment from Luppino, if the city blacktops a basketball court in the park as a stipulation, along with a bench in memory of Angelo Luppino.

In the finance committee report, Joanne Bruneau, chair, said that Eagle Bluff Golf Course has paid all overdue lease payments. She said the city is due to receive $140,000 in COVID-19 relief from the American Rescue Plan.

Brad Simms, the territory manager for Dakota Supply Group of Plymouth, Minnesota, presented an advanced meter infrastructure system to the board for consideration in its pending decision to switch from a manual to a smart network water meter reading system. He said Hurley has approximately 860 water meters for residential and business use, with a mix of mechanical and solid state reading systems.

The smart system meters have a longer lifespan than the current meters, he said. The smart meters are an ultrasonic water meter with transducers that transmit signals wirelessly to produce hourly readings on flow and temperature with better accuracy along with real time alarms for leaks, reverse flows and tampering.

The smart metering systems are currently in use in Washburn, Ashland, and Iron River, he said. The other efficiency benefit is that the system can recommend adjustments to specific pipes that present freezing issues during low flow and repairs.

Data is provided in a cloud system that will convert electronically for use in billing to reduce the amount of administrative work, Simms said. The hourly readings would eliminate estimated billing, and provide instant invoicing for move-in and move-out residences, he said.

“There is no field work,” Simms said.

The residents can log on to a website to follow water use. The resident swill also get an alert when there are abnormal water readings that could signal a stuck toilet tank or a leak, he said.

“You can download the app and look at your own consumption,” Simms said.

In other business, the city council approved:

—Advertising for two part-time summer workers to support public works.

—Two bartender licenses.

—Donating $2,000 in support to the Hurley Area Little League in exchange for baseball field maintenance.

—Taking note of a Northern Iron County Engaged Residents (NICER) Earth Day community clean-up set for 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 24. The cleanup will be conducted in small groups with details at nicer715.com.

—Expiration of the resolution enacting Tax Increment District 3, followed by a one-year extension to use the resolution for an affordable housing related project.

—The resolution for capital outlay financing that was approved with the November budget.

—A finance committee recommendation to advertise for city hall cleaning services with the retirement of the current provider.