HURON – As part of a packed schedule on Monday evening’s Huron City Commission meeting, five items were sent to bid that have budgets that total nearly $6 million in city projects to begin this year.

City engineer Brett Runge presented the bid projects to the commission. The first project was a re-bid of the 3rd Street Bridge project. The cost estimate for this project is $155,000 and will have a bid opening on April 9 at 2 p.m.

The other four bid items will all open on April 16 at 2 p.m. The first of those is a bid for CRS-2P asphalt emulsion, the fluid used when chip-sealing city streets. The emulsion has a budget of $144,773. The next item to go to bid is work on the sewer main lining project for approximately 60 blocks of sanitary sewer at a budget price of $2,610,000.

The next project to bid was a bid for the 4th St. reconstruction project to go by the lift station, including re-alignment of the road and grading to be done this year with paving done in 2025. The total cost estimate on the project is $2,180,000.

Finally, the commission approved to go to bid on lift station improvements throughout the city over the next two years that has a cost estimate of $910,000.

In total, the five projects have cost estimates that total $5,999,773.

The commission opened the meeting convened as the board of adjustment to approve two variance requests. The first was submitted by Brittany Anderson to operate a commercial gym at 1685 Dakota Ave. N. The second was a variance request filed by Donald Hoskins at 577 Utah Ave. SE to construct a detached garage with entry that would be ten feet from the south property line, where code requires 20 feet. Both were approved.

Sharing the cost of milling and overlay to the parking lot of First Congregational Church was presented to the commission. The city has an easement with the church for use of parking during Huron Event Center events, and has done repairs and snow clearance on the lot as part of that agreement in the past, but the church was willing to pay thirty percent of the total cost for mill and overlay of the lot, which had a total bid price for this year of $60,256.56. This was approved.

Runge explained a change to the plans for street mill and overlay for 2024 due to room in the budget based on the bid for what was originally planned. Portions of Idaho Ave. and Riverview Ave. will be added to the 2024 plan to maximize street maintenance dollars.

Finance director Paullyn Carey discussed a change to delinquent accounts to charge a flat rate of $20 for late accounts as well as streamlining shut off procedures that are on record. To that end, a first reading of an ordinance to make these changes officially part of the municipal code was read and approved. Second reading for the ordinance will be April 1.

Commissioners also:

• Approved a special event on-sale alcoholic beverage license filed by Top Floor Events for the Heartland Pool and Dart Tournament on April 5-7 at the Huron Arena.
• Authorized the Mayor to sign the annual loan renewal with the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force for the aircraft display located at 76 15th St. NW.
• Recognized that volunteer fire fighter Benjamin Sharon has completed his probationary period.
• Approved renewal of the agreement with Top Floor Events, LLC for management of the Huron Events Center and authorized the Mayor to sign.
• Approved additional $7,500 for library flashing install and soffit replacement project that was preiously approved.

The commission held a work session to discuss city departments helping to clean city properties and potential citywide cleanup efforts and finished the meeting with a contractual executive session.