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City looks at joint powers formation to explore funding feasibility study
Might Ely one day be home to a vast recreation complex, perhaps one covered with a dome?
It’s a question that Ely’s city parks and recreation board would like to answer.
After months of informal discussion and the formation of an ad hoc committee, the next step is exploration of a potential joint powers board that would bring numerous entities together to pursue the project.
City council members accepted the park and recreation board’s request to direct city staff “to investigate joint powers when it comes to a possible joint recreation type facility.”
Adam Bisbee, the council’s representative on parks and recreation, said the goal is “to investigate and see if there’s desire from surrounding townships to help fund a feasibility study for a possible recreation facility as a joint powers effort.”
Bisbee said discussions have determined that the largest obstacle in conducting a feasibility study would be funding, and that it best be pursued through the potential formation of a joint powers initiative.
Ely and neighboring townships are already entered into joint powers agreements for ambulance service and economic development and clerk-treasurer Harold Langoski said “the thought is do we have an existing joint powers entity that could take this on and ask these entities if they’re interested in scoping the feasibility (of a recreation complex).”
“It’s a baby step to see if it’s got legs to move forward,” said Langowski.
There are numerous indoor domed recreation complexes in the state, but most are in southern Minnesota or in the Twin Cities suburbs.
A multi-use facility with artificial turf could serve numerous purposes, providing indoor recreation space particularly during the winter months.
Supporters say a feasibility study could explore many aspects of the project including engineering, bonding, maintenance, life cycle and funding sources potentially through the arts, events and wellness grants.
The recreation complex discussion came during a brief council session Tuesday night at City Hall.
Mayor Heidi Omerza briefly addressed ambulance- related issues and her recent visit to St. Paul, and faced questioning from council member Jerome Debeltz about the potential for state solutions to local ambulance funding woes.
“I think the issue is nobody quite knows how to fund it,” said Omerza. “If it’s funded this year, it’s just a band-aid.”
Omerza said the ambulance issue is particularly vexing given that areas across the state fund their ambulance operations in different ways.
“There’s no long-term fix for it,” she said. “Everybody is looking for long-term fixes and quite frankly nobody has the magic formula yet.”
Ely faces additional issues given the size of its service area.
“It’s the size of Rhode Island and essentially 5,000 people are funding it,” said Omerza. “There’s not only state land but federal land involved. It’s very complex when it comes to our area.”
In other business, the council:
• Heard that new police officer Christian Debrey has begun duty and that interviews for another vacant police position should be completed by the end of April.
• Extended the G-Men’s contract for commercial sanitation service for an additional four years.
• App oi nt e d Mi ke Banovetz to serve on the city’s sanitation committee as a planning and zoning representative.
• Gave permission for both basketball and pickle ball lines to be drawn on the courts at the city recreation center.
• Set the city’s annual spring clean-up days for April 26-27.
• Noted that the local board of appeal and equalization meeting will be held April 11, at 5 p.m., at City Hall. Council member Paul Kess reiterated that the meeting is only related to property valuation and not property taxes.
• Appointed Catherine Helm-Clark to the Gardner Trust and Joseph Prioreschi to the planning and zoning commission.
• Granted a temporary liquor license to the Ely Folk School for a May 8 bonfire event at Semer’s Park.
• Heard from fire chief Dave Marshall that the department responded to 16 medical emergencies and two fire calls since council’s March 19 meeting, and that one of the fire calls was related to carbon monoxide detection.
“I want to remind people of the importance of good working carbon monoxide detectors in their home,” said Marshall.
