BrandonInfo.com

The city council is talking about having the water tower painted next year. I remember that last time the tower was painted, the council couldn’t agree on what color to paint it. Sometimes at city council meetings, little stuff like paint color takes up a lot more time than issues that are a lot more important. Sort of ironic.

Anyway, if you were to recommend a color to the city council, what would it be? Just the same color it is now, or lighter, darker, more green, maybe white, or what?

Do you like the Brandon logo painted on the tower? Or would you leave that off?

A fancy Brandon swimming pool would cost $9.5 million. Do you think it’s worth it?

Paul Boerboom of TSP, Inc. presented a proposal to the city council recently. City Administrator Bryan Read said the plan could be built in phases. The people would have to vote on a bond issue to pay for the project, though. Right now, the city budgets money for pool maintenance and upkeep, but that isn’t nearly enough to upgrade the facility.
If the city council decides to pursue the plan, there will be public input meetings. But you can voice your opinions here on the blog. What do you think about making the pool bigger and fancier with more slides, a lazy river and other amenities?

The city continues to upgrade city parks. Aspen Park has been undergoing a five-year plan of upgrades, and Pioneer Park recently got a picnic shelter.

Do you go to the city parks? If so, what activities do you enjoy there?

If you don’t use the parks, why not? Do you mind that your tax dollars help maintain and upgrade the parks even though you don’t use them?

What amenities would you like to see in the parks that aren’t there now? Statues? Fountains? More picnic tables? More playground equipment?

Some people would like a park on the east side of town, east of the river. Are you one of those people? What kind of park would you like there?

Brandon Police are replacing their shotguns with semi-automatic rifles. Police Chief Dave Kull said it’s part of a nationwide trend to keep up with the kinds of firearms bad guys use (my words, not his).

Do you think this is a good idea? The guns cost about $1,000 each, and the department bought seven of them. They will keep the shotguns for now.

What do you think of this move? Do you think it is a smart idea? Do you think it’s worth the money?

Estimates for turning the Pace property into a City Hall and community center are more than $12 million. Do you think it’s worth it?

The Pace building looks like it has big spaces that would make a good gym, but architects say that a community center would have to be an addition to the building. It’s possible the ceilings in the existing building aren’t high enough for a gym.

Architects say that the Pace location wouldn’t be a good place for a city shop because of residences nearby - noise and outdoor storage would bother them.

City administrator Bryan Read said the police department could use more space. How about the rest of the city offices? Do you think they have enough room?

It might be cheaper to tear down the Pace building and start from scratch.

Do you have any ideas that city leaders might not have thought of already?

Are you going to the meeting tonight to learn more about planned increases in our water and sewer rates? What questions do you have? (A story about the proposed rate increases is on this Web site, www.brandoninfo.com, under the headline “Public invited to learn about proposed water, sewer rate increases.”
City administrators are saying that the rate increases are needed for the city to save up money for future improvements.

As the population of the city grows, more water and sewer lines are needed. Eventually, the city will need a second water treatment plant. Is it wise for the city to increase rates now to save up for that stuff, or would it be better to just find the money for it once it’s actually needed?

If you’re going to the meeting tonight, why or why not? If you read this after the meeting and went to it, what did you think of it? Were all your questions answered?

What do you think of the cost estimates for upgrading Aspen Boulevard? They range from $250,000 to $1 million, depending on how extensive the work is.

The drainage at Aspen Boulevard and Main Avenue is bad. There is deep water there every time it rains.

Would you be willing to vote for a $1 million bond if that’s what it takes to avoid flooding at that intersection?

A group of people on east Redwood Boulevard have asked the city to pave their gravel road.

They don’t want to be annexed into the city, though.

Do you think the city should do it? Assuming, of course, that it’s legal. The city doesn’t own the road in question. The county and township do.

The residents have asked the county and township to pave the road and have been told the county and the township doesn’t have enough money to do so. It costs about $1 million per mile to pave a road, city officials have said.

If you think the city should pave the road, do you think the properties should come into the city limits?

Do you use that portion of road? What do you think of it?

Bob Bruning and Steve Dueis will face off April 13 for a Ward III seat on the City Council.

Bruning says he has a lot of experience working with the business sector in Brandon and also with city administrators. He says he’s a proponent of continued city growth and a strong police force.

Dueis says he is a regular guy with no political ties who favors no-nonsense fiscal spending. He’d like to see improvements to things like city streets.

Which approach appeals to you more? Which candidate do you favor? Why?

Are you a Ward III registered voter?

If the school district does sanction soccer, the school teams would play on city fields. The golf teams already golf at the city course, the cross country runners have their meets at McHardy Park, which is a city park, and the tennis teams play on city courts.

As far as I know, the school doesn’t pay rent to the city for using the city facilities for school sports. Some people might say the city gets the short end of that stick by not getting reimbursed for the cost of maintenance that school sports cause. Others might say the city and school should work together and it’s all for the kids anyway, so what’s the difference.

What are your thoughts?

I remember burning “cookies” in the parking lot at Brandon Lutheran Church many, many years ago. (Wait, maybe it was someone else.) Anyway, back then, the most police could do if they saw me (or anyone) doing that is give me a warning.

The Brandon city council is considering updating the ordinance, though, so that police could issue a citation to someone spinning their car around in a church or other private parking lot.

Do you think it’s about time the ordinance was extended to private parking lots, or do you think that police already have enough power and shouldn’t be trying to grab more? Do you think it’s a good idea to spin your wheels for fun on someone else’s property, or do you think anyone who does that should be punished?

It’s official. Bob Bruning and Steve Dueis are running against one another for the city council seat being vacated by Don Hammond, who chose to not run for re-election.

Bob Bruning is self employed. Steve Dueis works at Helping Hands Assisted Living Center in Brandon.

Do you have a preference? Do you know anything about either candidate that you think is important for voters to know?

Ward 3 residents who are not already registered to vote must do so by March 29 in order to cast their ballot in the April 13 election.

There will be a forum with the two candidates on March 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chambers on Main Avenue. What questions would you like to see posed to the candidates?

Two people have filed petitions to run for city council. Barb Fish in Ward I probably will be unapposed in Ward I, unless someone else files a petition by end of day tomorrow.

In Ward III, Bob Bruning may be the next city councilman, although Steve Deuis also has taken out a petition. Only Fish and Bruning have fled so far, though.

Both Fish and Bruning are past Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce presidents. Does that make a difference to you? Some people might think that makes them good candidates, in that they have a working knowledge of business in Brandon and have worked in the past for greater sales tax revenue for the city. Other people might say that the candidates might be inclined to lobby for business over residents, given their background.

What do you think?

Do you feel the city water rates are fair? Would you be in favor of higher water rates if the extra money went toward a new water tower?

How high would you go?

A new sign has appeared on West Holly Boulevard, near The Bluffs. It tells eastbound traffic how fast they are going. The speed limit at the sign is 45 miles per hour. Have you caught yourself going faster than that?

Some people might think the sign is pretty dandy as a way to check their speed, and a great reminder. Others might think the sign nags them.

What are your thoughts?

End-of-year building permit totals show that more people are remodeling the homes they already live in as opposed to building new homes.

My husband and I haven’t done any remodeling in the past year. We’ve been in our house 31 years now. Within the past eight years, though, we finally finished off the basement, and we had all new cabinets installed in the kitchen. Both things add to the value of our home, and are nice to live with to boot.

Next, I would like to replace the flooring on the main floor. I’d also like to paint the master bedroom. Actually, I wouldn’t like to do these things myself. I would prefer that someone do the work for me.
What kinds of improvements would you like to make to your home?

Did you use the free city leaf drop off Saturday? The city hires Marv’s Sanitary to take away leaves that people bring to the garbage truck. I’m not sure what Marv does with the leaves. Do you?

My husband mowed over our leaves. Chopped them up into little pieces and left them on the lawn. No raking, no hauling. Eco-friendly. Do you know of any other eco-friendly ways to take care of fall leaves?

If you like the leaf drop off, you may be interested to know that the city has another one scheduled for Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the grocery store parking lot.

Do you think the Brandon Golf Course green fees are too low, just right, or too high? The rates that were set in 2007 have stayed the same in 2008 and 2009, but it looks like there will be an increase in 2010. The rates for 2010 haven’t been set yet, but fees might go up as much as 5 percent.
Of course, the course needs income to stay open. If costs go up but green fees don’t, what suggestions would you have to get more income?

Brandon will get a new city administrator Dec. 1. Bryan Read of Iowa will take over the position from Dennis Olson, who has been Brandon’s city finance officer and administrator for 23 years. Bryan has 20 years of experience himself, in smaller towns in Minnesota and Iowa.
What advice do you have for Brian as he starts his new job? Dennis Olson will stay on with the city part-time, so he will be around to provide Bryan with background on city issues. What do you think of that?

City Hall might move a few blocks west in the future. The city council has approved an architectural study of how to turn the Pace Manufacturing building at S. Sioux and Aspen boulevards into a new city hall, police department and community center. Certainly the property is big enough for all those uses. Do you think it is a good fit?

Pace has built a new facility in the industrial park and wants to eventually move its entire operation there. That would leave the current building empty.

If you don’t think that’s a good location for a city hall, what do you think would be a good use for the property?

If city hall does move in a few years, what do you think would be a good use for the current city hall building?