Council approves amendment for FEMA grant application assistance

The Worthington City Council on Monday approved a second amendment with Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services of Sioux Falls that will allow for that company's providing of additional services associated with preparation of a FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant application for the city's drainage improvement project.

This amendment increases the agreement by an amount not to exceed $15,000, bringing the total contract amount from $30,000 to $45,000. The city of Worthington made the agreement with Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services in August 2023 for professional services related to drainage funding assistance.

City Engineer Hyunmyeong Goo said Monday that he believes Worthington's grant application to FEMA will be approved. If that's the case, that money would fund construction for the pond located behind W-2's on two lots previously purchased by the city. Goo noted that the city's recent flooding history that necessitated repairs to the trail in Olson Park should help the city's application — which is due at the end of July — move forward.

The amendment approved Monday includes development of pre-application materials, completion of the FEMA GO sub-application, updates to project cost estimates and benefit-cost analyses, revisions to previously completed reports, coordination of environmental review requirements, and response to state review comments.

Also Monday, the council accepted an amended aeronautics grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation for design and bidding of the south taxilanes project at the Worthington Municipal Airport.

The amended grant now covers the construction portion of the project.  The city recently bid for the work and awarded the project to Gee Asphalt Systems Inc.

The amended amount of $118,644.30 brings the total grant amount to $134,044.30, with a cost breakout of $93,831 from the state DOT and a city share of $40,213.30.

In additional business, council members approved position description guidelines for the Police Chief/Director of Public Safety, which Worthington City Administrator Steve Robinson noted were last updated in 1999. Also approved were Worthington Police Department dispatch position guidelines. Robinson added that city administration and human resources are continuing their efforts to review and update position descriptions as warranted.

Also meeting with the council's approval was an application to the city's residential property tax abatement program submitted by Craig and Karen Pfeifer. The applicants are planning construction of a single-family home on Aspen Drive, in the Glenwood Heights neighborhood.

A new five-year agreement between the city and Waste Connections of Minnesota -- or, Schaap Sanitation -- for residential refuse and recycling collection, as well as yard and tree disposal, was also approved Monday.