Mar. 24—- Despite the hesitation of the
to approve a land purchase agreement for Willmar Municipal Utilities to construct its new facilities, the
Commission is still very much in favor of its chosen location.
“Our planning committee here … has met many, many times to talk about … the needs of this utility and every time we have championed the same set of needs and we keep trying to find locations,” said Municipal Utilities Commission Chair Shawn Mueske on Monday during the commission’s regular meeting.
The 27 acres of land that Willmar Municipal Utilities is currently seeking to purchase is located east of the Highway 71/23 Bypass and north of Willmar Avenue Southeast, adjacent to but outside the city limits.
If the land were to be purchased, it would be considered city property and be annexed to the city, according to City Attorney Robert Scott.
City sewer and water infrastructure would have to be extended to the property, or Willmar Municipal Utilities could, by city ordinance, operate with a private sewer and water system until such time that the city can extend its infrastructure, according to Scott.
One estimate that has been provided by the city’s contracted engineering firm Bolton & Menk to extend sewer and water under the bypass is $2.7 million. This cost includes infrastructure with the capacity to serve 450 acres, not just the property Willmar Municipal Utilities wants to purchase.
Of the $2.7 million, Willmar Municipal Utilities would be solely responsible for $800,000 to extend the water infrastructure to the property and the remainder would be the city’s responsibility for sewer infrastructure.
However, another option suggested by Willmar Municipal Utilities Director of Administration Janell Johnson during Monday’s meeting was Willmar Municipal Utilities paying the entire cost of extending sewer and water infrastructure to only the 27-acre property it wishes to purchase. The city engineer has been asked to create an estimate of what that would cost.
It is expected to be in line with what Willmar Municipal Utilities would have had to pay to extend infrastructure to any of the five properties located along Civic Center Drive that it previously investigated purchasing.
Mueske said he does not think the Municipal Utilities Commission will change its position on wanting to purchase the current property because it has done its due diligence in finding an appropriate location.
“This isn’t our first round. … This is round six. We have the dollars, we have the plan, and we just need to execute the plan,” Mueske continued.
Willmar Municipal Utilities has approximately $18 million saved for the project and has been planning for it since 2010.
“The questions surrounding this land acquisition are land cost, services, why not the industrial park, as well as a lack of communication with city staff,” Johnson told the commission during Monday’s meeting.
She explained that the perceived lack of communication with city staff was due to Willmar Municipal Utilities keeping the land negotiations confidential, at the request of the seller, until the purchase agreement was achieved. She said the commission, along with Municipal Utilities staff, have communicated and done as much due diligence as possible.
If the City Council approves the purchase agreement, it allows Willmar Municipal Utilities to work in cooperation with the
to have access to the property to continue its due diligence — with soil borings, water testing, wastewater review, zoning and permitting — before closing on the purchase agreement and beginning construction.
If anything is not up to Willmar Municipal Utilities’ or the Planning Commission’s satisfaction, the purchase agreement can be withdrawn within the contingency period.
The property in the
that has been dsicsussed — in the vicinity of the Hawk Creek Animal Shelter — is not conducive for the new facilities due to that location involving crossing the railroad tracks in three of the four directions of travel for service calls. Johnson added that the oddly-shaped lot would constrain its layout for functionality and limit future expansion for green energy projects.
“What happened to the idea that the industrial park was supposed to be (preserved) to entice new business to Willmar?” Mueske asked. When planning first began years ago, the industrial park was purposely avoided.
Johnson agreed that Mueske is correct in what he remembers.
Mueske noted that he does not think there is a location currently within city limits that meets Willmar Municipal Utilities’ needs for acreage or the criteria it has set for its new facilities.