Needed repair leads to equipment rental

by April Scheinoha Reporter A piece of equipment is in the shop, so the Thief River Falls City Council is now renting some equipment to locate faults during power outages. At its meeting Tuesday, June 4, the council approved renting an EZT12 EZ Thump from Megger USA at a cost of $1,875 per month or $125 per day. It’s unknown how long the city will need to rent the equipment to locate faults. During a recent power outage, an Electric Department crew was using a Megger ST16 fault locator when it began smoking. It was later determined that the only way to diagnose and repair the problem would be to send it to Megger. The company then offered to rent an EZT12 EZ Thump to the city. Electric Superintendent Brian Jacobson referred to the EZ Thump as a portable piece of equipment smaller than the city’s current fault locator. The fault locator cuts down on the amount of time needed to locate a fault when a power outage has occurred. Mayor Brian Holmer was previously told such a piece of equipment cuts staff time by many hours. Jacobson said it would be interesting if the city had a power outage and needed to locate a fault without any equipment the evening of the council meeting. Jacobson believed the city purchased the fault locator in 2020. Megger has told him that it will cap the repair cost at $11,500 for the $30,000 piece of equipment. Jacobson added that he had asked City Administrator Angie Philipp if the city had insurance that would cover the equipment. Given the city’s deductible, he was told it wouldn’t be worth it. Holmer said the deductible would be about as high as a new fault locator. Council member Mike Lorenson encouraged Jacobson to ask about an extended warranty for the fault locator. He also suggested that city leaders should look into obtaining a backup, simpler fault locator in the future. Jacobson replied that he would look into pricing. He noted the portable fault locator should help the city in the interim. Holmer told Lorenson that city leaders had considered such a purchase in the past, but they opted to instead only purchase a larger fault locator. City Council held a first reading for a proposed ordinance prohibiting loitering. If approved, the ordinance would prohibit loitering on any public street, public highway, public sidewalk, any other public place or building that would hinder or impede the free and uninterrupted passage of others. The proposed ordinance would also prohibit loitering on sidewalks, streets, curbs, crosswalks, walkway areas, parking lots, malls or other portions of private property open for public use that would hinder, block, obstruct or hinder the passage of others. In addition, the proposed ordinance would prohibit blocking, obstructing or hindering access “to the entrance of any building or part of a building open to the public. The council is expected to consider the proposed ordinance at an upcoming meeting. Natasha Reierson and Carol Ihle, members of the GFWC Zehlians, appeared before the council to provide information about the Zehlians’ Art and Wine Walk. Held since 2017, the annual event showcases local artists and Thief River Falls businesses while providing people an opportunity to sample wine. It will be held Thursday, July 11 from 4 to 8 p.m. in downtown Thief River Falls. Nonalcoholic beverages will be available at some businesses. After participating in the Wine Walk, attendees can then congregate at the Rusty Nail afterward for the chance to win some prizes. The Rusty Nail also caters the event. At least 29 artists have signed up so far, according to Ihle. She said their work ranges from paintings to basket weaving to jewelry. She indicated about 25 businesses have signed up to participate. Holmer thanked the Zehlians for bringing people to the community with this event. The Zehlians host the event with the help of 80 volunteers who staff the various sites. They expect 300 to 500 people will attend the event, which typically raises about $3,000. Both attendees and businesses pay to participate in the event. Last year, Reierson said the Zehlians saved half of the money to possibly purchase signage to promote Thief River Falls and its artists. The other half went to promoting art in the schools. Reierson noted that art lessons are sporadic in the Thief River Falls School District until middle school and high school art classes are available. Each year, the Zehlians help bring an artist-in-residence to Challenger Elementary School to work with fifth graders. Tickets can be purchased for $20 online or for $25 in person outside of the Carnegie the day of the event. To purchase tickets online, go to www.eventbrite.com and search for Zehlians. The council approved hiring Tiffany Tureson as a patrol officer. Tureson was formerly employed as a dispatcher with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Tureson fills the position vacated by Erik Jax, who resigned Jan. 23. With Tureson’s hiring, the police department now has 16 full-time officers. Full staffing is 17. City Council approved opening the position of GIS mapping technician. Norm Betland resigned from the position Sept. 29. The position will be open to Teamsters 320 employees for 10 days. After that time, the position will be opened to the public. The council approved opening the position of deputy city clerk. Renee Olson has resigned from that position, effective Friday, June 14. The next council meeting is scheduled Tuesday, June 18 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.