Wells facing several repair issues
Council hears of concerns for city hall roof, fire department HVAC

The Wells Municipal building, which houses the city offices and the police department, needs some roof repair the City Council learned.
The Wells City Council had a wide variety of business to conduct when they met for their first meeting of the month on Monday, May 8, at the Wells Community Center.
“We received three bids for a new furnace and air conditioner at the Wells Fire Hall,” city administrator Connor LaPointe told council members. “The lowest bid came from Jim and Dude’s Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning in Albert Lea.”
After reviewing the bids, the council passed a motion to accept the bid from Jim and Dude’s in the amount of $7,150.
The council also passed a motion to accept a bid from Schwickert’s of Mankato in the amount of $11,589 to repair the roof on the Wells City Hall building.
Assistant city attorney Cristina Cruz-Jennings was at the meeting and told council members that the owner of the property located at 203 First Ave. SE, did not accept the conditions the council had set forth to avoid abatement of the property.
“We will now begin the legal process,” Cruz-Jennings said.
The council also considered the request for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) from Robert Eischens to allow the addition of a one-bedroom apartment to the rear of the building at 28 W Franklin Street. The property currently has two, two-bedroom apartments on the second floor.
“This is located in the Central Business District (C-1),” Community Development director Tiffany Schrader said. “First floor housing units are a conditional use in the Central Business District.”
The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended denying the permit.
“One of the concerns of Planning and Zoning was that parking requirements are unable to be met,” Schrader commented. “Two parking spots are required per apartment so six are needed and only two are available.”
The Planning and Zoning Commission also raised concerns about the proposed apartment’s proximity to the Wells Ambulance garage, which is located across the street from the proposed apartment.
It was noted in their report that the ambulance garage averages about 40 emergency calls per month and the addition of residential occupancies, particularly on the main level, creates a safety concern due to additional pedestrians being in the area. The report concluded that it was not compatible with the character of the surrounding neighborhood.
The council voted 5-0 to deny the CUP.
LaPointe also brought up the condition of the asphalt apron for the Lions Pavilion located at Thompson Park.
“The apron is showing signs of significant deterioration and is a cause for safety concerns,” LaPointe reported. “Several chunks of asphalt are scattered across the pavilion floor and roof. Staff have notified me that individuals have been breaking off chunks and throwing them onto the roof.”
Three options were presented to deal with the situation. Those included pouring a concrete apron with a walkway to the Seventh Street pedestrian ramp, removing the existing asphalt and replacing it with gravel or replacing it with a new asphalt apron.
“It is time to do our homework and figure out what we want to do,” council member John Herman noted.
For now the council directed LaPointe to have any dangerous spots filled in with gravel until bids for the other options can be obtained.
In other business:
• The city-wide clean-up day will be on Saturday, May 20, beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing until noon.
• LaPointe reported the city still had not received any applications for the deputy city clerk position.