The Fairmont City Council approved the sale of $2,725,000 General Obligation Improvement Bonds on May 13 at 11 AM to finance the 2019 Street Improvements and approved a Financial Advisory Service Agreement with Northland Securities.

The council Monday approved setting a public hearing for April 22^nd for consideration of submitting an application to DEED for a grant of $300,000 to assist Zierke Manufacturing with their business expansion.With the state funding, the company must purchase the designated equipment and create 20 new full-time jobs at a cash wage of $16 per hour.

A public hearing on a conditional use permit for an electronic messaging sign at St. Paul Lutheran Church drew protests from two neighbors who previously expressed their opposition to the sign at a recent Fairmont Planning Commission meeting. The planning commission unanimously supported the sign which would be mounted on the church’s west wall close to the Victoria/Oxford intersection.

One neighbor believes an electronic sign is not appropriate for a residential neighborhood and asked the council to reconsider or deny the request or send it back to the planning commission.

The other said she would get the greatest impact from the sign because her house was closest to it.

Council members noted that the conditional use permit requires the sign to be off from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. and that other electronic messaging signs at St. John Vianney Catholic Church and Immanuel Lutheran Church had drawn no complaints from neighbors.

On a 4-1 vote, with Councilor Ruth Cyphers dissenting, the council approved the sign permit.

The council set two other public hearings for 5:30 p.m. April 22 to transfer an open lot and a house to Habitat for Humanity of Martin and Faribault Counties.

The council also approved rezoning property at 651 Fairlakes Ave. from single-family residential to multiple-family residential to accommodate the 77,000-square-foot expansion of the Lakeview Methodist Health Care Center. The council also approved the preliminary and final plat of the Lakeview addition and approved advertising for bids for the 2019 street improvement projects.

The Council heard the 2018 Aquatic Park Year End Report that stated the pool generated $159,000 in income, but expenses ran about $500,000. Additionally, more than $99,000 was spend in capital improvements to refurbish the pool slides and to replace a splash pool heater at the aquatic park. Rates will be increased this summer to $6 for daily admission, $3 for fitness classes, $75 for student season pass, $95 for adult season pass and $175 for a family season pass up to five members, with $25 for each additional member.