Cornell City Council; CDBG-CV grant officially accepted for riverwalk project
Cornell city administrator Dave DeJongh (left) swore into office, left to right, mayor Mark Larson, and council members Steve Turany and Terry Smith, during an organizational meeting April 19, after they were re-elected. Also sworn in, was council member Bill Kvapil (far left). Photos by Julia Wolf
By Julia Wolf
The Cornell City Council voted to officially accept $599,700 in Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds, during an organizational meeting April 19.
The grant can only be used for outdoor recreation improvements, which Cornell’s proposed construction of a riverwalk along Mill Yard Park falls under.
Board members also acted on electing Steve Turany as council president, and approved the mayor’s appointments of officials and committees.
City administrator Dave DeJongh also reported he had a phone conference earlier in the day, with an attorney about drafting a pole attachment agreement.
“We have another communications company that would like to attach to our poles and our pole attachment agreement was somewhat out-of-date,” said DeJongh.
He said he hopes to have a draft available for the next meeting.
Council members tabled a decision on an application for a Class B Beer License for the Wisconsin Veteran Farm LLC.
DeJongh said the Board of Zoning Appeals met and approved a Conditional Use Permit, which paved the way to bring the request back to the council.
Mayor Mark Larson says, from his understanding of information they received from the state, the council can approve the license with contingencies and once those contin- gencies, such as fencing, are met, the license can be issued.
Alderperson Bill Kvapil says he and a few others met with Wisconsin Veteran Farm owner Dan Osborn, to look over the area in which Osborn would like beer to be able to be consumed.
“We feel it should be contained somewhat,” said Kvapil. Kvapil says they still need to figure out how big of an area to have contained.
“It’s up to the committee on how big of an area you want me to put my fenced-in area or what you would like it to look like,” said Osborn.
Turany asked for clarification if Osborn is asking for a 5-acre area and Osborn said he would like it to be a manageable size, if law enforcement needs to issue a citation, as well as some control points so vehicles are not near where customers are sitting.
Cornell Police Chief Glenn Rehberg said his concern, from the law enforcement perspective, is if you license a larger area and then fill that area with people who are all having a good time, it could be 1,000 people, easy.
“And there is no way that we have the capacity to police 1,000 people,” said Rehberg.
He said one potential solution they discussed, was the business hiring security for large events.
Rehberg says a representative from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), made it clear the license can not be revoked without a history of problems, after it is issued.
“I would rather not have any problems,” said Rehberg. Osborn also mentioned some events, such as if the business were to host a wedding, would probably want to go later than his required 9 p.m. close time. He said that would probably require an exception from the council.
Rehberg says the premises must be empty and shut down at the end of the operating hours, unless there is another permit. He said he doesn’t know what type of permit or license that would fall under, and he would have to research that.
Kvapil says the ATF representative said he would look into it more, as well.
Turany asked what the timetable to determine what the contingencies are.
“I want to see those contingencies in front of me,” said Turany. “I think it needs to be tabled until there is something in front of us that we can see.”
The application will be on an upcoming agenda, hopefully, the next regular meeting, for discussion and possible approval.
