Two Centerville Pond Projects Postponed

The Centerville City Council learned at its March 11 meeting that two of the city's pond projects have encountered obstacles.
The 2009 Pond Dredging Project could not be completed before warm weather and weight restrictions imposed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation set in. City Engineer Mark Statz said the project would be abandoned until January of 2010 or earlier, depending on when the ground freezes again.One pond project was originally meant to drain water from downtown redevelopment into land owned by St. Genevieve Catholic Church. According to City Administrator Dallas Larson, it was suggested that the proposed pond be relocated to the southwest corner of Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park due to complications at St. Genevieve.
Now there are complications at the park.
The city's Parks and Recreation Committee said the southwest corner chosen for the pond is the only area in the park suitable for a soccer field, and that the Soccer Association has already invested money in that field.
The parks committee recommended that the pond be located in the southeast corner of the park for safety reasons, but the city preferred the larger storage capacity of the southwest corner.
On March 4, the Parks and Recreation Committee unanimously opposed the pond being located in the southwest corner of the park.
If the city is unable to secure the southwest corner, Larson and Statz said they’ll look at other alternatives and keep the southeast corner in reserve, in case they don't find another site for the drainage pond.
Quad Press