MnDOT engineer Mathew Thibert talks to the Wells City Council about plans for the Highways 109 and 22 upgrades coming up.

While the Highway 109/22 project inside the city of Wells has been getting the most attention at the Wells City Council meetings lately, the council members at their meeting on May 12, received an update on the stretch of Highway 22 that runs south of Wells to the Iowa border.

“The 17 miles of Highway 22 from the southern city limits of Wells to the Iowa border is planned to be resurfaced as early as the summer of 2026, though the schedule depends on funding availability,” Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) project manager, Nick Ollrich, told the council members. “This pavement maintenance project, which includes a thin mill and overlay, will provide a smoother surface and improve the ride quality of Highway 22.”

The full reconstruction project is not scheduled to be undertaken for another six or seven years.

“The ultra-thin wear course is designed to last 10 years,” Ollrich added. “The work on the highway will be done under traffic, no detour is anticipated. A flagging operation with pilot cars will be in place to accomplish the work without closing the road.”

Cost of the mill and overlay project plus the wear coat is estimated to be around $4 million.

The council did discuss the highway project within the city also, specifically how to spend aesthetics funds from MnDOT which are available since the council made the decision not to install decorative light posts along Highways 109 and 22 during the reconstruction project.

MnDOT project manager Mathew Thibert presented the council with three different options on how to utilize the funds.

“You could put a fence around the southern end of the pond that will be north of Highway 109 since that part of the pond will be in MnDOT’s right-of-way,” Thibert said. “You could also have decorative concrete benches, trash receptacles or bike racks that wouldn’t otherwise be in the project or you could make use of colored concrete in walkways.”

During discussion, Thibert mentioned that it would also be possible to plant trees south of the pond to soften the visual effect of seeing the pond from the highway. He also reminded the council that the upkeep on any of the aesthetic enhancements would be the responsibility of the city.

After further discussion, the council decided to put trees on the south end of the pond and use colored concrete in the walkways with the color of the concrete still to be determined.

City engineer Ben Rosol gave an update to the council on the Fifth and Sixth Avenue projects.

“A punch list of items remaining to be done has been completed,” Rosol commented. “There is still some concrete work left to be completed. Letters have also been sent to residents about the tree replacement plan along with guidelines for new sod management.”

Regarding the Broadway project, Rosol said it has been a smooth transition switching from the former contractor to Ulland Brothers.

“The railroad has been contacted so they know about the change,” Rosol said. “The project will be completed later in the year since it was not originally on Ulland Brothers’ schedule.”

The city also received the bid-bond payment from the former contractor, in the amount of $48,000, which will cover the added cost of switching to Ulland Brothers.

At the request of council member Nancy Kruger, the council revisited a request by a softball booster group to obtain a design plan for updating the softball field, and other amenities, at Thompson Park.

“After the last meeting, I talked with members of the group,” Krueger explained. “They need to at least have a plan so they can begin raising money. I thought we should bring it back for discussion since it would not cost the city any money.”

“If they want to raise the money and do the work, I don’t have a problem with it,” council member John Herman offered.

Council member Crystal Dulas expressed her concern that work needs to be done at Half Moon Park also.

“Maybe when we bond for whatever we decide to do with the Municipal Building, we can include the money necessary for the shelter at Half Moon Park,” mayor David Braun said.

The council voted 4-1 to get started with the project with Dulas casting the no vote. The council then voted to accept a donation from the volunteer group to cover the cost of developing the design plan.

The council then moved on to discuss card transaction fees at the Wells Liquor Depot.

“Currently, the liquor store absorbs the fees incurred when customers use credit or debit cards,” city administrator Tiffany Schrader noted. “These fees typically consist of a percentage of the transaction amount plus a fixed fee (e.g., 2.6 percent plus 10 cents) and are charged by the payment processor, card networks and the cardholder’s bank. According to our point-of-sale processor, this practice costs the city approximately $30,000 per year.”

Following discussion, the council voted to implement a policy where the card transaction fee will be paid by the customer instead of being absorbed by the business.

“There are regulations that require clear and accurate disclosure of such fees to the customers,” Schrader commented. “I will work closely with our legal council to ensure proper labeling and notification is given on receipts.”

A decision was made by the board, at the request of Schrader, to perform a mid-year job performance review for the city administrator at the next meeting during a closed session. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, since the normal meeting day falls on Memorial Day.

In other business:

• Schrader announced that Hallie Raimann is the new staff representative for CEDA (Community and Economic Development Associates).

• The council voted to accept a $2,000 donation to the Wells Public Library from the family and friends of Renee S. Burns.

• The council voted to accept a $200 donation from the Colvin family to the Wells Golf Course as a memorial for Bob Schultz.

• Approval was given to the Wells Library Foundation for a road closure request for June 7, from 8-11 a.m. for the Eighth Annual Fun Run/Walk event.

• The request for a gambling permit from the Wells Firemen’s Relief Association for a raffle on July 26, at the Wells Fire Station was approved.

• A bid of $15,625 from Smith Concrete Construction was approved for various concrete repairs around the city.

• With council member Dulas abstaining, a bid for storm sewer repairs from Dulas Excavating, in the amount of $21,900 was approved.

• The council discussed the possibility of having more work sessions, either before a council meeting or by replacing the second meeting of the month with a work session.