| Wolf Lake sliding hill open again |
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Abbreviated report City saw record liquor sales in '09 The Wolf Lake Sliding Hill is open to the general public again! The community’s top winter recreation attraction was closed following a late-December vandalism incident at the Wolf Lake Lions Chalet, which sits at the base of the hill. Crews of volunteers have taken on the arduous task of cleaning up all the broken glass in the snow that came from the chalet's windows. Wolf Lake Lion Tom Mickelson gave an update on the incident to the Wolf Lake City Council during its Tuesday, January 12, regular monthly meeting. "It's quite nasty," Mickelson said, referring to the damage at the chalet, which is estimated at several thousands of dollars. He informed the council about the $1,000 reward now being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the damage to the chalet/warming house. Mickelson also praised Wolf Lake Councilmember John Aho for his recent letter to the editor in the Review Messenger following the incident. As a token of appreciation, Mickelson presented John with a gift during the council meeting. Two officers from the Becker County Sheriff's Department have been assigned to investigate the case. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to please contact Sergeant Mark Gagnon or Investigator John Sieling at the Becker County Sheriff's Department, 925 Lake Avenue, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501, or call 218-847-2661. In light of the volunteers’ clean-up effort, the 2010 Wolf Lake Winter Fest remains on the schedule as planned on Saturday, February 20. Record Sales at Wolf Lake Liquor The City Council was pleased to learn that its main source of revenue – Wolf Lake Liquors – had record sales in 2009, with receipts totaling $424,907. "Never in Wolf Lake history have we gone over four (hundred thousand)," said Councilmember Janelle Lake. The 2008 sales were $381,989. Increasing sales alone do not, however, portray a complete picture of the store's overall finances, including rising expenses. Still, taking profit margins into consideration, the store cleared nearly $50,000 in profit after expenses in 2009. Mayor Cory Ylitalo said those profits go a long way toward helping the City pay down its debt. City Clerk Lori Laine told Ylitalo and the Council that a new card control system implemented at the liquor store Friday, January 1, appears to be working so far. The system is used for inventory control and for checking inventory. City buying tree replacements A number of local residents lost trees when the new sewer system was installed last year. So, in a goodwill gesture, the council approved a motion to help residents plant new ones. As part of the motion, the City is purchasing up to 125 trees from the Becker Soil and Water Conservation District. The trees range in cost from $1.15 to $1.25 apiece, and would cost the City close to $170 for 125 of them. As part of the motion, the City would make up to three trees available to each Wolf Lake property owner on a first come, first serve basis. After each property owner who wants trees chooses up to three trees to plant on their property, the City plans on planting any remaining trees on City property where deemed appropriate by the Council. Contractor coming back this spring When weather conditions become more favorable, the sewer project contractor plans to return to wrap up some loose ends. This includes planting grass seed, laying gravel and leveling out some of the areas of the ground that settled after installation of new sewer pipes. The council reviewed a letter from Timothy and Elaine Sycks of Park Rapids, who are the current owners of the four-plex apartment complex on the west end of Wolf Lake (215 W Johnson St). The couple disagrees with the City's assertion that the new sewer system is "a bargain." In their recent letter to the City the Sycks stated: "We emphatically disagree. We had a septic system on the property that was only four years old. It only cost us $200 EACH YEAR to have it pumped. Sewer service before your system cost our tenants NOTHING. Now, you are forcing upon them an expense of almost $600 per year. How is this a bargain for your city's residents?" Mayor Ylitalo pointed out that the Sycks were aware that the new system was going in, but did not express any desire to opt out of it until after the system was installed. He also said that had they put in a new system on their own, "the cost would be astronomical." Council approves designations/appointments The council approved the following designations/appointments during the Tuesday, January 12, meeting: John Aho as vice mayor, Review Messenger as official newspaper, 1st National Bank of Menahga & Sebeka as official depository, mileage reimbursement at the federal rate that is dropping from 55 to 50 cents per mile, John Aho as Lions liaison, Rodney Aho as park board and Wolf Lake Baseball liaison, Vernette Gilbertson and Mayor Ylitalo on the liquor committee, Gilbertson on Harvest Fest and Winter Fest committees, Janelle Lake as weed inspector and liaison on the Wolf Lake Fire & Rescue Committee. Authorized check signers for the City of Wolf Lake are the mayor, clerk, treasurer and two alternates. The alternates are John Aho and Janelle Lake. Fire Department officers approved The council approved Wolf Lake Fire Department officers for 2010. The officers are Bret Anderson, fire chief; Dale Hillukka, assistant chief; and Cory Ylitalo, Andrew Keranen and Dennis Hass, captains. Chief Anderson reported the department had 30 total calls in 2009. The calls included 12 in Wolf Lake and surrounding townships, 13 in the Carsonville area and five in the Frazee area. |