The Nasinec (Bruss-Heitner) Funeral Home, above, in Wells, is the proposed site for a new daycare center

The Wells City Council did not have a long agenda to work through when they met for the first time in 2022. One of the items they did approve was a conditional use permit (CUP) for Connie Stanke to operate a daycare center in an R-2 zone.

The proposed site of the future daycare facility was previously operated as the old location of the Nasinec (formerly the Bruss Heitner) Funeral home. The principal structure sits on two lots and Stanke applied for both lots to be granted a CUP.

“We have a great need for childcare in the city,” city administrator Connor LaPointe commented. “This property meets all of the conditions.”

No questions were asked and the CUP was passed unanimously.

With January of this year marking the 20th anniversary of National Mentoring Month, Mary Jo Volkman, a program coordinator at Success Through Adults Reaching Students, based in Albert Lea, was at the meeting to talk about the importance of mentoring in communities.

“Students who meet regularly with their mentors are more than 52 percent less likely than their peers to skip a day of school,” she pointed out. “They are also 46 percent less likely than their peers to start using drugs and 27 percent less likely to start drinking.”

She presented many other facts about the benefits of mentoring before mayor David Braun signed a proclamation declaring January 2022 as National Mentoring Month in Wells.

The council also approved a motion to seek quotes for sealcoat and crack fill projects for 2022 and approved two downtown alleyway reconstruction projects utilizing State Transportation Aid to help cover the cost of the work.

In other business:

• Meeting dates for the City Council were set for the second and fourth Mondays of each month beginning at 5 p.m. The meetings will be held at the Wells Community Center.

• The council also approved the fee and rate schedule for 2022. The only change from 2021 was combining the two different golf cart permits into one permit.

• Non-union and part-time wages were also set for this year with the minimum wage adjusted to reflect current federal policy.

• A vote was passed to put a personnel committee in place for the city. No appointments were made to the committee at this time.