Property clean-up, move to new City Hall top Claremont agenda

A discussion on how to get Claremont residents to clean-up their properties and the city led to a decision to let the Public Health and Safety Committee head up the effort.
Public Works Committee members Marie Lindblom and Dean Gray brought the subject up with Gray saying they wanted to know “how to get people to help clean up the city.” Some properties, they said, are not in compliance with city ordinances.
Lindblom said the committee thought perhaps there should be a campaign to get residents involved in the cleanup. They suggested a couple of city residents, along with either Public Works or Public Health committee members, could start a campaign and send letters to clean up properties.
Lindblom added she knew of some residents who would like to be involved.
The Building Committee also reported that they had toured the building on Front Street that is being remodeled into a new City Hall and it is ready to be occupied. Juveniles from the Sentence to Serve Program were available to move some items into the building on Saturday, March 12, with the majority of the move taking place on Wednesday, March 16, again with a large crew from Sentence to Serve from Dodge and Olmsted counties.
The council also approved a City Hall sign to be placed on the building. The sign was designed by National Fleet Graphics and will cost $350, including installation.
Several other related topics included purchasing six window shades at a cost of $97 each for the new building.
The council also considered prices for filing cabinets and cupboards with the lowest bid being $2,990. The filing cabinets the city is currently using are rusty on the bottom, City Clerk Liz Sorg said, and a rug will need to be put underneath them to protect the floor.
Councilmember Rick Butler said he would look around for a used refrigerator and stove for the facility.
Councilmembers also said that new chairs might be needed as the ones currently used in the council meeting area could scratch the wood floor in the new building. A cleaning person for the building was also discussed with Mayor Daniel Martinez suggesting that perhaps a volunteer would come forward.
Sorg said most of the budget for the City Hall construction has been used up and that she will look for other areas in the budget for funds.
After discussion on what to do with the existing City Hall area, the council decided that the back office in the building s