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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-27-1958Record of Official Proceedings of the Common Council 49' of. the .City. of_ Rochester,. Minn., August 27 , 1958 n 0 1 • 1 Minutes of a special meeting of the Common Council of the City of Rochester, Minnesota, held in the Council Chambers in the City Hall, in said City, on August 27, 1958. President Kamm called the meeting to order at 9:30 o'clock A. M., the following members being present; President Kamm, Aldermen Haas, Hanlon, McGuckin, Morris, Tingley, Wilkus. The call of the special meeting was read and President'Kamm ordered the same placed on file, the said meeting having been called for the purpose of commemorating the 100th anniversary of the City of Rochester; accepting bids (opened 8-18-582_ for construction work; adopting a resolution approving an easement for airport purposes; and any other business the said Common Council may deem proper. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and City Engineer that the bid of Graver Tank & Manufacturing Company, Inc. for the construction of a 1,000,000 gallon capacity steel water storage standpipe - Contract No. 7 (Northeast Area) be accepted and checks be returned Morris to the unsuccessful bidders was read and upon motion by Tingtay, second by Haas, the recommendatior was accepted. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and City Engineer that the bid of C. M. Boutelle & Sons for construction of a curb and gutter on the south side of lst Street N. W. from 13th to 16th Avenue Northwest be accepted at the unit prices bid and checks be returned to the unsuccessful bidders was read and upon motion by Haas, second by Tingley, the recommendation was accepted. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and City Engineer that the bid of C. M. Boutelle & Sons for construction of a curb and gutter on 12th Avenue Southeast from 8th Street to 82 Street Southeast be accepted at the unit prices bid and checks be returned to the unsuccessful bidders was read and upon motion by Hanlon, second by Tingley, the recommendation was accepted. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and City Engineer that the bid of Carlisle G. Fraser, Inc. for construction of sanitary sewer, water main and sewer and water service connections in 3rd Avenue Northeast in Edgewood Addition be accepted at the unit prices bid and checks be returned to the unsuccessful bidders was read and upon motion by Wilkus, second by Haas, the recommendation was accepted. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and City Engineer that the bid of Leon Joyce for the grading and surfacing of 3rd Avenue Northeast in Edgewood Addition be accepted at the unit prices bid and checks be returned to the unsuccessful bidders was read and upon motion by McGuckin, second by Morris, the recommendation was accepted. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and City Engineer that the bid of Gjellefald & Associates for construction of a sanitary sewer in Sunset Terrace 2nd Addition (including connecting main from 7th Street Northwest) be accepted at the unit prices bid and the checks be returned to the unsuccessful bidders was read and upon motion by Haas, second by Wilkus, the recommendation was accepted. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and City Engineer that the bid of 0 Record of Official Proceedings of the Common Council of the City of Rochester,,. Minn., August 27, 1958 OSWALO PUBLISHING CO., NEW ULM, MINN. 8195 Carlisle G. Fraser, Inc. for construction of a storm sewer in Sunset Terrace 2nd Addition be accepted at the unit prices bid and checks be returned -to the unsuccessful bidders was read and upon motion by Morris, second by Hanlon, the recommendation was accepted. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and the City Engineer that the bid of Carlisle G. Fraser for construction of a water main and service connections in Sunset Terrace 2nd Addition be accepted at the unit prices bid and checks be returned to the unsuccessful bidders was read and upon motion by Tingley, second by Wilkus, the recommendation was accepted. The recommendation of the Public Works Committee and City Engineer that the bid of Leon Joyce for the grading and surfacing of streets in Sunset Terrace 2nd Addition be accepted at the unit prices bid and checks be returned to the unsuscessful bidders was read and upon motion by McGuckin, second by Wilkus, the recommendation was accepted. The petition signed by Stanley C. Mohn and Haven H. Hodge to have the following described property annexed to the City of Rochester was read and upon lmotion by Tingley, second by Haas, the same was referred to the Planning and Zoning Commission: Description: The East Half (EZ) of the Southeast Quarter (SE4) of Section Twenty -Five (25), Township One Hundred Seven (107) North, Range Fourteen (14) West, which lies North of the center line of State Aid Road #2, excepting therefrom the following described tract: Commencing at the Southwest corner of the said East Half (E2) of the.Quarter section, thence North along the West line of the East Half (EZ) of the Quarter section a distance of 1213.9 feet, thence East at right angles to the West line of the East Half (EZ) of -the Quarter section a distance of 250 feet to the place of beginning, thence Easterly at a deflection angle of 3 degrees 40 minutes to the left from the previous course a distance of 220 feet, thence Northeasterly at a deflection angle of 27 degrees 26 minutes to the left from the previous course a distance of 476 feet, thence Southeasterly at a deflection angle of 80 degrees 00 minutes to the right from the previous course a distance of.342.8 feet to the center line of State Aid Road #2, thence Southwesterly along the center line of said road a distance of 1170.6 feet, thence North parallel with the West line of the East Half (EZ) of the Southeast Quarter (SE4) of Section Twenty -Five (25) a distance of 792.9 feet to the place of beginning; said exception being 10.59 acres; also less Geisinger Valley Subdivision according to the recorded plat thereof. Also the South 138 feet of the North 238 feet of that portion of the Northwest Quarter (NW4) of the Southwest Quarter (SW4) of Section Thirty (30) Township One Hundred Seven (107) North, Range Thirteen (13) West, which lies Westerly of the center line of State Aid Road #2. The following resolutions were each introduced and read, and upon motion made and seconded and all voting in favor thereof, President Kamm declared the said resolution duly passed and adopted: Resolution authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the agreement with Haven H. Hodge and Stanley C. Mohn relative to the northeast service area water tower project. Upon motion by Haas, second by Hanlon, resolution adopted. Resolution authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an agreement with the owners of Edgewood Addition relative to the cost of special assessments. Upon motion by Hanlon, second by McGuckin, resolution adopted. Resolution authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an agreement with the owners of Sunset Terrace Second Addition relative to the cost of special assessments. Upon motion by McGuckin, second by Morris, resolution adopted. L' C1 1 1 • 1 0 Record of Official Proceedings of the Common Council of -the City of Rochester, Minn., August _ 27', 1958 4:5: 1 • 1 1 • 1 Resolution authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an agreement with the Olmsted County Development Company relative to the Northeast service area water tower project. Upon motion by Morris, second by Tingley, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting the bid of Graver Tank & Manufacturing Company, Inc. for the construction of one 1,000,000 gallon steel water storage standpipe and erection of to be located in the Southeast corner of the Southwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter of Section 25,Township 107 North, Range 14 West, in Northern portion of the City of Rochester. upon motion by Tingley, second by Wilkus, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting the bid of C. M. Boutelle & Sons for construction of a curb and gutter on 12th Avenue Southeast from 8th Street to 82 Street Southeast. Upon motion by Wilkus, second by Haas, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting bid of C. M. Boutelle & Sons for construction of a curb and gutter on the south side of 1st Street Northwest from 13th to 16th Avenue Northwest. Upon motion by Haas, second by Hanlon, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting bid of Carlisle G. Fraser, Inc. for construction of sanitary sewer, water main and service connections in 3rd Avenue Northeast in Edgewood Addition. Upon motion by Hanlon, second by McGuckin, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting bid of Leon Joyce for grading and surfacing in 3rd Avenue Northeast in Edgewood Addition. Upon motion by McGuckin, second by Morris, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting bid of Carlisle G. Fraser, Inc. for construction of storm sewer in Sunset Terrace 2nd Addition. Upon motion by Morris, second by Tingley, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting the bid of Gjellefald Associates for construction of sanitary sewer in Sunset Terrace 2nd Addition (including connecting main from 7th Street Northwest). Upon motion by Tingley, second by Wilkus, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting bid of Carlisle G. Fraser, Inc. for construction of water main and service connections in Sunset Terrace 2nd Addition. Upon motion by Wilkus, second by Haas, resolution adopted. Resolution accepting bid of Leon Joyce for grading and surfacing of streets in Sunset Terrace 2nd Addition. Upon motion by Haas, second by Hanlon, resolution adopted. Resolution directing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute and deliver to the County of Olmsted, Minnesota an easement for the relocation of County State.Aid Highway No. 16 and rescinding a resolution passed and adopted on August 18th, 1958. Upon motion by McGuckin, second by Hanlon, resolution adopted. Mayor Smekta introduced Mr. Ian Maclntyre of Glasgow, Scotland to the members of the Council, Mr. Maclntyre was visiting in the City of Rochester. Mayor Smekta then gave the following address to mark Rochester's observance of its 100th anniversary. "This meeting of the City Council to mark Rochester's observance of its hundredth anniversary as an incorporated city is truly an historic occasion. It is an occasion in which we, as public officials elected by the people, can take pride. Record of Official Proceedings. of the Common Council of the City of Rochester, Minn., August 27, ' 1958 OBWALC PUBLIBHINB CO., NEW ULM, MINN. 5195 I know that yours must be a sense of honor in holding office at the time of this centennial. I, too, am aware of that honor and with that awareness I should like to express our debt of gratitude to all those officials who have served in the past. If you read through the minutes of City Council meetings of another day you will find that the aldermen and mayors served the City faithfully and well. You will find that they faced problems similar to those we face now. But you will find also, that changing times and increased functions of municipal government have brought problems undreamed of a century ago. At the same time it can be said that those officials of long ago wrestled with problems now non-existent. We in Rochester today are residents of a thriving community, one built on solid foundations laid in the past. And in honoring the City's incorporation in 1858 and the occasion of the first Council meeting a century ago we should pause to honor those who have served in the past. In our City's 100th year we can take note of those solid foundations -- foundations on which the late Mayo Brothers and theri associates in Rochester's rise to medical fame built so well. Rochester's history is indeed a rich one, particularly in its second halfecentury. It reveals to us a steady but slow growth during its half century. In fact in the 1905 census, Rochester lagged well behind Winona, Mankato, St. Cloud and Red Wing in population. Today, the picture is much different. Rochester has surged past those cities, and it continues to grow. Land annexation petitions are before you, these after a record year in which appr&ximately 885 acres were annexed. This is not the occasion for an array of statistics. But the occasion does, I feel, call for a prideful reference to the thousands of new homes erected since World War II, the extensive.building and services expanision of the Mayo Clinic, the coming of that industrial giant, IBM, to strengthen the sinews of our economy. We must not, however, forget that the groundworks laid a century ago and that on it the officials and citizens of that day and in the years following developed a growing superstructure. This occasion should not pass without calling out of the past the memories of leaders of other days --of various mayors, for example, their names will strike chords of memory in the old folk whom we are honoring today. Rochester has such living former mayors who served our City well-- Dr. W. A. Moore, Paul A. Grassle, Sr., and Adolph M. Bach. And in a list of its mayors who have passed on you will find the names of such mayors as Dr. William Worral Mayo, William B. Richardson, Dr. H. H. Witherstine, J. H. Wagoner, Burt W. Eaton,.A. C. Stevenson, Julius J. Reiter, John T. Lemmon, Claude H. McQuillan and others. On the City Council, gentlemen, you have been preceded by a long line of capable, devoted officials to whom we pay tribute today. And it is interesting to note that through all its history as a City, Rochester has had three wards, as it has today. The fact that a proposed Charter amendment now before the people would add three wards in striking evidence of Rochester's growth. But let us turn now to the past and picture the Rochester of a century ago. Its incorporation a few.years before the Civil War came in a period of economic depression. It came at a time when Minnesota was just admitted to statehood. The first City Council meeting was held August 20, 1858. Its first business was to name a committee to draft rules of order, and to put in motion the machinery of municipal government. Moses Fay was Rochester's first mayor, but the initial message of a mayor to the Council, as required by a Charter provision, was delivered by Acting Mayor C. W. Lindsley. In that message we find evidence of problems and conditions of the day. It is quite striking that Mr. Lindsley was deeply concerned as mayor with public school problems. For control of the schools was under the city government then. Mr. Lindsley told the Council then: "It will be necessary for the Council to determine the length of time school shall be kept the next 12 months so that the sum necessary to defray the expense thereof may be ascertained and added to the tax list for the year. 'In determining the sum you will no doubt take into consideration the hard times that are now upon us and through these the ability of the people to pay the taxes ... 'Holding as I do our common schools to be the bulwark of American institutions, I could never bring myself to recommend even at a time like the present the entire suspension of them.. I recommend to the Council; to make provision for a winter and summer session of rour months each, with an intermission of one month between... In my opinion schools should never be held over nine months in any one year...' Mr. Lindsley also took up the subject of liquor, declaring that the Council should give it immediate attention and adding that it could either prohibit sale or grant licenses. And he added this: 'Warmly attached as I am to the principle of prohibition, I cannot, with the aid of past experience, recommend the adoption thereof. So far as I am aware every attempt made to apply the principle to small communities has proved a failure, and I can see no reason why our City should prove an exception. I- F_ 1 1 is 1 Record of- Official "Proceedings of: the Common Council of .the.. City .of. Rochester,. Minn., ; August 27., 1958 1 • 1 1 • 1 'It is my decided opinion that the best system for the Council to adopt is that of licensing....I bespeak your prompt and earnest attention to this subject and have great pleasure in assuring you that any ordinances you lmay adopt, regulating the traffic or prohibiting the same, will be supported with all the rawer at the command of the Mayor.' It seems curmous to say that that Mayor of a century ago had to tell the Council that ---as he pit ---provision for the proper interment of the dead should be made at an early day.' Mr. Lindsley said back in 1858 that 'nothing indicated the character of a people more surely than the condition of the places where its dead are laid and no spot is more sacred or can cluster around it as many sweet and tender associations than that where the remains of our kindred repose.' It is noteworthy that the Council then moved to establish street, alley and sidewalk grades. And I think we should be grateful to those early Councils. For they saw to it that Rochester's streets were wide, especially in the business district. As a result, our City has not had to face many narrow street problems such as arise frequently in numerous communities. If you review the Council proceedings of those early days, you will find problems that no longer exist --such as the need for ordinances to prevent swine from running at large and to prohibit encroachments of property owners on street rights -of -way. That early day mayor said --very aptly, I think-- that economy in government is needed. He pmt it this way: 'I cannot too earnestly enforce upon the boards the necessity of observing the strictest rules of economy in all their measures. The burdens of the people are now heavy, and their interests require that as little as may be shall be added to their burdens. Upon the present Council devolves in a great measure the success of the experiment in maintaining a city government, and I hope that nothing will be done by you to render this success doubtful'. We are starting a second century. With it will come a greater Rochester. Its people will be enriched by the tradition and glory of the past founded upon the wWom and foresight of the men who preceded us. In closing, gentlemen, I think it is safe to say that the Council then did well, and that 100 years later we who are now honored to be in office are aware that our predecessors have earned Rochester's lasting gratitude. Upon motion by Haas, second by Hanlon, the meeting was adjourned. - i4 -;I_� Cit3OClerk 0