Boyceville postpones Ohly Americas decision
By LeAnn R. Ralph
BOYCEVILLE — The Boyceville Village Board postponed making a decision Monday night on the Ohly Americas sewer use agreement.
The agreement has been a back-and-forth issue for the village board.
In October, a motion failed to require a minimum monthly payment of $25,000, or a minimum monthly payment of $15,000 or $825 per day of operation, whichever is greater, if the plant were shut down for a capital improvement project or for some other reason.
The failed motion included the provision that if Ohly Americas plant shut down permanently, the remaining debt owed by the company to the village would be payable in full and the monthly payments would stop.
At the October meeting, the village board voted three in favor and three against with one village board member absent.
The Ohly Americas agreement was then sent to the sewer and water committee for discussion at the October 29 meeting.
Prior to the regular monthly meeting in September, the village board had approved requiring a $25,000 minimum monthly payment.
At the September meeting, the village board denied a request from Ohly Americas to not require a $25,000 minimum monthly sewer charge. The previous minimum was $15,000. The minimum monthly charge is intended to help the village pay for wastewater treatment upgrades installed specifically for Ohly.
The company discharges an average of 87,000 gallons per day.
According to the minutes from the October 29 committee meeting, the issue remaining for the sewer use agreement is whether the company or the village would pay for the detention time if the company ceased operations.
If the Ohly Americas facility in Boyceville closed, it would be necessary to treat the wastewater already in the system for another six months.
The sewer and water committee agreed to place the item on the agenda for the village board’s November meeting with wording added to specify additional costs related to detention time.
At Monday night’s village board meeting (November 11), Village Trustee Jonathan Farrell suggested postponing the agreement because phosphorus discharge is now an issue, and the sewer use agreement should reflect the percentages for phosphorus in the company’s monthly payments.
Another sewer and water committee meeting will be held soon, he noted.
The company is adding more phosphorus, and the issue should be studied before the end of the year, said Don Rose, director of public works.
The village must consider what debt for the wastewater treatment facility would be related to phosphorus removal, Farrell said.
Dog bite
During Boyceville Police Chief Dan Wellumson’s report, the village board learned that of the 57 incidents handled by the police department in October, one was a dog bite.
Several children were raking leaves on an adjacent lawn, and the dog’s owner had warned the children to stay away from the dog, he said.
The dog was properly chained on the owner’s property, but the boy went up to the dog, Police Chief Wellumson said.
The dog was quarantined for a while at a vet clinic in Menomonie, and the proper reports have been filed, he said.
Boyceville Village President Gilbert Krueger wondered if the dog owner had been cited for the incident.
No citations were issued, Police Chief Wellumson said, because the dog was properly chained on his own property.
Several village board members wondered about the dog owner’s responsibility to keep his dog under control.
Police Chief Wellumson reiterated that the dog was on his own property, that he was properly chained, and that the boy had gone up to the dog.
In addition, the boy heard the owner tell them to stay away from the dog, and boy’s father heard the owner say they should stay away from the dog, Police Chief Wellumson said.
The police chief also introduced the village board to a new LTE police officer with Boyceville, Mike Sinclair from Menomonie.
Other limited term officers have become busy with other duties, so another LTE was needed, Police Chief Wellumson said.
Sinclair works part-time with the Durand police department, is a reserve with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department and comes highly recommended, he said.
Other business
In other business, the Boyceville Village Board:
• Learned from Rose that the village will be receiving another $5,000 in grant money for the Local Road Improvement Program for this year, and that the village will be eligible for $12,000 for the 2014-2015 street project.
• Learned that Specialty Pallet and Crate is planning to move its operations from Menomonie to Boyceville. The company employs 50 people now and is expecting to employ 70 within three years. The issue of a building permit will be discussed at a committee meeting later in the week.
• Approved the Safe Routes to School plan recommended by the Safe Routes to School committee. According to the minutes from the October 22 meeting, the committee is recommending starting with the lowest cost option of an estimated $18,000 to extend drainage pipes to accommodate the sidewalk on the west side of East Street. A sidewalk will be installed on East between First and Second Street.
• Approved on-call pay for public works employees of $8 per day for Monday through Friday. Initially it was proposed to pay 50 cents per hour for on-call status on the weekends or $12 per day, but then the issue of pay for on-call on holidays came up, and the village board decided to send the holiday and weekend on-call pay to the committee for discussion.