The Silver Bay City Council passed resolutions on Monday night that move both the Library Building Project and the Silverpoint II Development forward. The projected cost for the renovation and addition to the library is $1,217,306. Library staff have secured $1.1 million from various grants for the project and in the interest of helping get the project under way, the Council voted to authorize the transfer of money from the city’s general fund to the library fund to make up the shortfall. Reimbursement will be made to the general fund via a levy of $35,000 from the library fund starting in 2025. Nor-Son Construction has been awarded the contract for the Library Building Project.
Several resolutions concerning the Silverpoint II Project were on the docket, including a variance request to subdivide the parcel of land that Silverpoint II will be located on into two parcels. In addition, the Lake County Housing and Redevelopment Authority requested a variance that will allow Silverpoint II to have a peak height of 42 feet. The LCHRA also sought a conditional use permit to develop a multi-family commercial building on the site. The Council unanimously voted to pass these resolutions and agreed that the city would submit an application to act as a legal sponsor for the Silverpoint II Workforce Housing Project. All of this is evidence of the effort that the City Council and officials from Lake County have made to address some of the affordable housing needs in Silver Bay.
In other business, the Council voted to refurbish, rather than replace the City’s fire engine. The cost of a new engine would have been over $500,000 and the existing engine can be refurbished for $237,000. Council members commented that the refurbishment would include every part of the fire truck except the engine and the chassis. Custom Fire Apparatus built the engine and will do the reconditioning work.
Police Chief Cole Ernest spoke with the Council about replacing the department’s existing body and squad cameras with a system designed by Lenslock Law Enforcement Technology. The Lenslock system is more cost effective than what the department is currently using and will provide the department with cutting-edge technological improvements. Lake County is considering Lenslock for the Sheriff’s Department and Two Harbors has installed Lenslock systems in their squad cars. The Council voted to approve the resolution.
City Administrator Lana Fralich will be going to St. Paul to meet with Senator Grant Hauschild and other legislators to talk about funding for the city-wide Street Improvement Project. Though it is not clear how much funding the city may receive, Fralich and Hauschild are hoping to secure $6.5 million. Stay tuned for further developments.
The Silver Bay Liquor Store will be closed at 5:00 on Tuesday, April 23rd for employee training.
The next Silver Bay Council meeting will be held on May 6th at 7:00.
