WPCC board amends rain garden budget, sets 2023 calendar dates
/
The Waite Park Community Council approved additional funding for its 2022 rain garden program and set calendar dates for 2023 at its regular monthly board meeting on Aug. 25.
The meeting was chaired by WPCC President Dan Haugen and attended by board members Nick Stroozas, Gary Arnteson, Chelsey Blanke, Scott Larson, Tiffany Moore, Leah Wallgren Price, Katherine Cornish, and Ali Nussbaum.
In April, the council entered a $19,375 contract with Metro Blooms Design + Build to subsidize the cost of installing up to 25 rain gardens for homeowners in the Waite Park neighborhood. A total of 15 residents signed up for this year's program.
The cost per rain garden was contingent on the availability of Conservation Corps Teams. Metro Blooms was allocated fewer crews than anticipated for the project, forcing it to use its own paid crews at a cost of $2080 per day.
The community council's final cost, prorated for 15 projects including higher labor costs, came to $20,750. The WPCC board unanimously approved allocating an additional $1,500 to ensure the rain gardens can be completed this season.
The board also voted to set Wednesday, February 1, 2023, as the date of its next annual meeting and board election. And it voted to set Saturday, September 9, 2023, as the date of its next fall festival. (This year's fall festival is set for Saturday, September 10.)
The Waite Park Community Council's next regular board meeting is scheduled for 7pm Thursday, Sept. 29, on Zoom.
