Surveyor to present wetlands review in Littlefork, By FAYE WHITBECK, Staff Writer

The Littlefork City Council is scheduled to hear a review of wetlands, to be presented by Dave Serrano, it meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at Littlefork City Hall.
Serrano, proprietor of the company Arrow of the North LLC, requested the scheduled appearance before the council.
The Littlefork city maintenance department has begun reconstruction work on the city ice rink, and plans to report to the council on that project. Reconstruction is due to damage that resulted from the July wind storm that ripped through the town. The department plans to present an update with some suggested design changes at the rink.
City Administrator Mike Fairchild reports that insurance coverage for the storm damage will now include the removal of broken trees, which had been previously denied.
The council is expected to hear that the First Avenue sewer extension project is completed.
Bids for the long-planned Aspen Street water main replacement will be opened Sept. 15 in the Koochiching County board room with Fairchild, City Engineer John Mattonen and County Highway Engineer Doug Grindall scheduled to be present. The county will open bids for its portion of the project first, with bids for Littlefork’s portion to follow. Those awarded will be officially notified the following day.
Fairchild plans to present a letter of thanks to the council from non-residents who had requested that the city implement better air conditioning for the Littlefork Medical Center. The council has installed one air conditioner and continues to discuss additional units.
The council is also scheduled to continue discussion on a revised Littlefork Ambulance Service garage, and to set a date for all the entities involved. A previous proposal for a leasable facility by Sam Hege has been withdrawn by Hege.
“The council needs dialogue with the ambulance service and everyone involved,” said Fairchild, regarding the multiple ideas that have come forward from the taxing district. “That’s what’s needed for a productive discussion.”
Fairchild plans to ask the board to schedule a meeting in the first week of September to adopt the 2009 budget and the 2008 tax levy. He also plans to present a favorable water report from the U.S. Department of Health, showing that procedures for water sampling were followed correctly.
A two-week extension of the summer employment of Jeremy Popp in order to complete the city’s new water meter installments is scheduled to be requested.
The council is also expected to hear that the opening date for the filing of elected council positions is Tuesday.
An increase of $15,000 in legal government aid over the 2007 amount of $203,900 has been awarded, according to Fairchild.
He reports a $2,770 profit for the Littlefork Liquor Store, accumulating a $10,555 profit year-to-date.