Late at Monday night’s Clarkfield City Council meeting discussions turned to a string of recent vandalism incidents at North Park.
The most recent incident is reported to have occurred last Thursday night. Public Works Director Jeff Lobdell reported to the council that he had arrived at the North Park campground Friday morning to find, in the bathroom facility, a broken towel rack, shattered glass littering the floor and several bathroom doors which appeared to have been forcibly kicked in.
Clarkfield Police Chief Ian Hodge photographed the most recent damage and pieces of evidence left at the scene. After earlier instances of vandalism at the park, additional lighting was installed in an effort to curb the problem. Yet with the latest instance of vandalism, those measures have seemed not to have an effect.
The council is currently considering installing cameras at the park to dissuade and or identify would-be vandals.
2009 Annual Audit Report
Nancy Aageson from Dana F. Cole & Company presented the Clarkfield City Council with their annual audit report Monday.
Aageson lauded the city’s efforts to improve their accounting practices and their implementations of organizational controls. Aageson’s report found the city to be in good financial standing.
After surveying the report the council’s attention turned first to the Economic Development Authority (EDA) Apartments. The report showed the apartmen’s inability to properly cash flow. If the apartments could operate with an average of only two vacancies conceivably the apartments could be profitable. Yet, the apartments usually operate with around five vacancies.
Near the end of the discussion focus turned to future sewer and water projects that have begun to be undertaken by the city. Councilman Biermaier asked Aageson how much debt the city could conceivably and safely take on in the pursuance of the sewer and water infrastructure projects. Though Aageson admitted that her opinion could not be completely substantiated, she believed that the city could safely take on roughly $1 million in debt to pursue capital improvements. Yet, Aageson admitted that water and sewer rates for citizens would almost surely have to be raised.
