Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Summer?

With spring (hopefully) here the city is in the process of changing directions in what we do to accommodate the summer season. Plows have been taken off and stored. Trucks have been cleaned of sand and salt. Brine containers have been emptied and removed. The grader is now grading roads rather than plowing and mowing equipment has been readied.
The wastewater treatment plant begins its season with a survey of conditions in the spray irrigation fields. Trees that came down in the winter are cleared where they were in the way. Spray heads are tested, fixed and replaced as needed. Pumps are reviewed and irrigation starts. The system we have relies on winter storage and summer disposal of effluent, so every day counts. With summer comes construction season for many. That means the city locates utility lines among other needs.
Parks are being to be maintained on a consistent basis. The bathroom has been opened for public use at City Park. Inspections are done on a regular basis and the beach is readied for summer use. A new barbeque grill will be installed in City Park.
The dock at the landing has been reinstalled. Most years the dock at the landing is not removed but this past season one of the floating sections developed a leak and needed to be replaced or repaired. Replacement was costly and welding of the plastic float seemed iffy. One of the public works crew thought that filling the float with foam was a good idea. After checking with those that know, we filled the float with closed cell foam at about one third the cost of replacement. The dock looks and works great.
The Cemetery Commission has set a date for spring cleanup for May 9th at 9:00 am. Anyone interested in helping out is encouraged to attend. If the day brings foul weather they have reserved the May 15th at 9:00 as an alternate date. The friends of the Cemetery meet every Monday at 9:00 am throughout the summer to spruce up the grounds and make it look as nice as possible.
I think we’re ready for summer if it ever gets here. The influx of summer residents and visitors makes for Breezy Point to be a very dynamic place. We all look forward to warmer weather and the fun that comes with summers in northern Minnesota. Make it a great year!