Tri-County News

Watkins approves expanded policing


By Jean Doran Matua, Editor

At its Sept. 10 regular meeting, the Watkins city council approved expanding police coverage by the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office to include more hours on the weekends. The county will present a revised contract to the council for approval.

The council approved im-
provements at the Clippers ballpark, bringing water and sewer up to the dugouts, and finishing the retaining wall.

They approved a quote from Mid-MN Development Commission to spend about 80 hours updating city ordinances, zoning, and city codes.

They approved replacing lights in the Village Hall with LED lights, for a cost of $2,546.

They discussed CARES funding and accounting, and additional needs for hand sanitizers and other COVID-19-related protective and preventive measures.

They will discuss (and possibly approve) a Development Agreement between the City and Watkins Leased Housing LLC at the Sept. 16 budget meeting.

The council heard from several residents of the Watkins Trailer Park. Their concern is that the new owners are moving in several new trailer homes while leaving several abandoned ones to collect and proliferate black mold, mice, rats, and snakes, and that children in the neighborhood play inside these unlocked and dangerous structures. Five were abandoned just this year, and there are 13 empty lots of the 49 in the park. The owners – one lives in Tennesse and the other in California – need land use permits for any new trailer homes brought in (and none have been requested). It would cost the owners about $700 each to haul them to a landfill.

Various vehicles parked illegally around town were discussed. This will be addressed more thoroughly in the ordinance updates that will begin next month.

The next regular meeting of the Watkins city council will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.

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