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The search is on for new hosts for the city campground.
Current hosts David and Carol Schinker sent a letter to inform the city they would not be returning for the 2025 season.
“The principal reason is that we will be selling our RV as we have bought a house in Mount Pleasant, Iowa to be closer and spend more time with our family,” the letter stated. “We thank you for giving this opportunity to be your inaugural camp hosts.”
Council member Paul Hoheisel said, “The Schinkers did a great job out there.”
Hoheisel said the Schinkers would be willing to come up next year to help open the campground.
The city paid $40,000 for the campground host work this year after increasing the original rate from $30,000.
The council approved raising monthly rates from $1,250 to $1,500 and the tent monthly rate from $750 to $900.
There was discussion on possibly closing on Oct. 21 instead of Oct. 31 if there are no reservations.
Switching sites nine and 10 as seasonal was also approved. The council voted to spend $5,199 for a new mower at the campground with mayor Duane Lossing voting no.
The campground fund has a projected end of season balance of $53,375.40.
Council member Jim Lassi said the new lighting on the outside of the Municipal Building is “overkill” and too bright at night.
“When we had the power outage I actually slept pretty well,” said Lassi, who lives nearby.
A proposal to pay Amptek $4,804 for additional lighting work passed the council 4-1 with Lossing voting no.
“I could live with a dimmer light,” said Lassi.
A video on a proposed deep winter greenhouse was shown at Tuesday’s meeting.
Heather Hohenstein of Iron Range Partnership Sustainability pitched the project. A similar project is underway at the Rock Ridge school.
She said this would be a project that could involve students as well.
The city will study the proposal further.
Lassi said Hohenstein is looking for a long term lease from the city for the land.
A recommendation to put reshingle roofs on eight city recreation structures was approved at a cost of $18,850.
Lassi said the beach house building was built in 1972 and wondered if it still had the original shingles.
Emergency lighting at the arena was discussed. Recreation coordinator Caitlin Stern will gather quotes for the work.
Stern also proposed improving the lighting in recreation facilities owned by the city. The council did not take any action.
Hoheisel said the paint job at the arena “looks really, really good.”
Replacing a 15 year-old mower for the Recreation Department was approved at a cost of $12,993.83. Lossing voted no.
Stern also requested posting for two casual laborer positions to be used as necessary. The council approved the request.
Hoheisel said the grandchildren of the founder of the town will be coming to visit at the end of September. Lassi noted Babbitt is named after Judge Kurnal R. Babbitt of New York City.
The city is also faced with a huge increase in the cost of the annual audit to $42,650 from $28,650.
Reasons for the increase by Walker, Girous and Hahne listed in an email to Jaeger include cash not reconciling at year-end, clearing account not reconciling at year end, payroll not reconciling, and campground transaction that were posted in the wrong periods.
Hoheisel asked that Tom Kelly of Walker, Girous and Hahne come to a council meeting.
“I know it was a mess. We had three different clerks in there at that time. We had Cathy (Hoheisel), my wife, we had Kathy Vraa, and we had you for one month, Becky,” said Hoheisel. “And no clerk, and everything was put on to Sarah. And the books, yes, they were pretty screwed up. And things weren’t getting done, but how can you get anything done when you only had one person in there?”
The council agreed to pay $32,650 of the $42,650 and schedule a meeting to discuss the additional $10,000 in fees.
Hoheisel was also able to make a change to how expenditures are approved by the council. Every individual bill will again be approved instead of a summary of bills.
In other business the council:
• Approved paying Iron Range Plumbing and Heating $4,285 to rebuild two heat pumps in the Municipal Building.
• Heard from city clerk Robecca Jaeger on the West Babbitt Development project. She said a recent meeting included possibly getting up to $2 million in funding from the IRRRB for new housing.
• Approved increasing casual labor pay to $15 an hour.
• Approved an increase to $82,596 for the cost of a new excavator.
• Heard a request from Roxanne Wright for information on having the Hide Away annexed so the business can be hooked up to city water and sewer. She was told the IRRRB may be able to help with the costs.
• Will again hold a city-wide clean up day on Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.
• Approved a resolution to access $200,000 in special state funding for city parks.
• Received an update on the New Range Copper Nickel Project (more in next week’s Babbitt Weekly).
• Approved waiving rental fees for the library for events on Sept. 14 and Oct. 12.
• Granted a bingo gaming license to the Friends of the Library.
