(Milford)– Construction of Milford’s new fire station has the green light to begin.
The city council Monday evening awarded the low bid of 2,139,474-dollars on the project from Willcon Construction of St. James, Minnesota. The bid includes all alternates being put back into the project. They include trench drains, security light fixtures, parking lot lighting, additional glass in doors, and increased paving thickness. The total bid was still below estimates. Willcon officials, who were at Monday evening’s meeting, told the council they’ll begin moving equipment onto the site in mid-March with construction beginning when weather allows.
In other business, the council approved an agreement to purchase the former Smith Lumberyard property for 250-thousand dollars. A public hearing on the matter is set for March 23rd.
The council also heard from Pat McGee of Compass Point in Spencer. McGee works with the Iowa Department of Public Health as a local enforcer of the state’s smoking ban. She told the council she recently received four complaints of smoking at various establishments in Milford, with all of them coming on the same day. She speculates some of that may be related to what she calls a “get-even mentality”. McGee says she’s been especially busy here in Dickinson county investigating complaints of smoking in establishments. An establishment faces revocation of its liquor license upon receiving three or more complaints.
McGee says she’s disappointed that Dickinson county’s law enforcement agencies aren’t getting involved in the enforcement effort. She says the 100-dollars that’s currently going to the Department of Public Health to conduct site visits would stay locally if local agencies did them.
McGee adds she’s among those who don’t like the inequities in the new law. She points to the Eagles Club in Spencer which has designated itself as a private club. A loophole in the law allows smoking in establishments with that designation. She says it isn’t fair to the other bars in town.
In other business, the council went into closed session to discuss pending litigation against the county over the Lower Gar Outlet.
