Bob Klug and Ben Oseien, from the Minnesota Rural Water Association, were present at Monday night’s City Council meeting to express their appreciation to City staff and the citizens of Silver Bay for their response during the water crisis on January 26th and 27th. There were four water breaks on the evening of the 26th and officials from a number of city departments including police officers, the Mayor and area residents all jumped in to figure out what was happening and find a solution. Staff from Minnesota Rural Water Association responded to the crisis and rushed to Silver Bay to lend their expertise and assist members of the City Utilities Department in diagnosing and resolving the problem. Both Klug and Oseien expressed amazement at how everyone came together in the time of crisis and tenaciously worked through the night, in very difficult conditions, to restore water service to city residents. Oseien said, “Your staff in this town and your community are amazing. How you all came together, it makes my heart full. Your city staff are second to none.”
The Minnesota Rural Water Association is a non profit organization that serves communities under 10,000 residents. They receive funding through grants from the State and Federal government and offer their services at no cost to municipalities. They provide technical assistance, training sessions for utilities staff, and development support for municipal water systems. Council members signed a letter of support for MRWA which will help with their lobbying efforts in Saint Paul and Washington DC.
The Council voted to authorize Bolton and Menk to apply for a grant to help fund replacement of the box culvert on Adams Boulevard, which is part of the Stormwater Management Plan that the Council approved in 2023. Bolton and Menk will develop the preliminary engineering plans and project budget at the cost of $5,000.
The next Silver Bay Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 18th at 7:00 PM.
