East Grand Forks allows gate across 20th Avenue Northeast in industrial park
Feb. 6—EAST GRAND FORKS — The East Grand Forks City Council allowed RJ Zavoral and Sons to install a gate across 20th Avenue Northeast.
The right-of-way encroachment agreement between RJ Zavoral and Sons and the city allows RJ Zavoral and Sons to install a gate on 20th Avenue Northeast, near where it intersects County Highway 17. The street is the main
access for the asphalt plant there, and the Zavorals
had concerns about liability for both them and the city.
The asphalt plant is the only development on that stretch of road and is only used during the summer months. Because the city minimally maintains the road and doesn't plow it during the winter,
concerns about unauthorized access to the
Zavorals'
land and people getting stranded there were brought to the council in early January.
"In a wet (weather cycle), if you didn't know where you were going, you could get to the end of that road and get stuck in a hurry," East Grand Forks City Administrator Reid Huttunen said.
The Zavorals will provide access to the gate to the city public services, and the gate will be removed or moved to be on the Zavorals' property when development occurs. The gate will cost the city nothing and would have to be removed within 10 days of the agreement being terminated.
The City Council also approved a contract with The Teamsters Local 120, which represents Public Works and Parks Maintenance employees. It was the last union to agree to a contract for 2024-2025. The other three unions representing city employees already have settled. The contract will be back-dated to the beginning of the year.
The new contract includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment as well as the adoption of a 10-step pay schedule. Juneteenth also became an official holiday for employees. The contract will expire at the end of 2025.
The council also authorized Huttunen to submit the grant application for the RAISE grant for the ongoing Red River crossing study. The grant is part of a federal program for infrastructure planning and would help reimburse costs for the continued planning and environmental documentation for a new crossing.
East Grand Forks is the lead partner for the project and the
city of Grand Forks
,
Grand Forks County
and Polk County have all given their support for the grant application. The associated budget amendment costs $28,404 spread equally among the four entities for $7,101 each.
East Grand Forks Mayor Steve Gander thanked the other entities for helping continue the study forward.
"(This study) is going to yield some pretty good results," Gander said. "That first bridge goes (up at Merrifield Road) will be a huge win in and of itself because we've been talking about bridges in the south part of our region for a very long time."
In other news, the council:
* Appointed election judges for the Minnesota presidential primary on March 5. Information on polling places and who is on the ballot can be found on
or by contacting the East Grand Forks City Administration at 218-773-2483. Absentee voting is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at City Hall through March 4 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.
