New rules coming for RV campers at City Park

Two members of Elgin’s Young N’ Lively club Monday night raised issues with the condition of the city park last month.
Kathy Dinslage and Kimberly Young took issue with maintenance of the park during the October meeting of the Elgin City Council.
Dinslage raised a number of concerns she, Young and others encountered leading up to the Treasures in the Park event held Sept. 13. Among them were:
• A large amount of cigarette butts dropped near a picnic table
• Numerous holes in the park where dogs have been digging
• Dog feces not properly disposed of
• Unclean public bathrooms
• Small branches which had been mowed over and not picked up
• Overflowing trash cans
• Dogs belonging to campers being loose in the park
Dinslage said many of the problems are the results of campers at the park.
Mayor Mike Schmitt said he was aware of the problems being caused by campers, indicating city officials need to, in the near future, meet and establish new rules.
“It seems like we haven’t done a very good job,” the mayor said. “We have to police it.”
Council President Mike Dvorak, noting that Elgin no longer has a police department, said city employees will have to pay more attention.
It was noted that the Antelope County Sheriff’s Department does patrol around the park.
The issue of campers at the park came up again later in the meeting when City Clerk Kristin Childers made the council aware of problems with collecting rent from two campers. She said one individual is hard to find and another is unwilling to pay ahead, she said, because he can be transferred to another location at any time.
Public hearing
Earlier in the meeting, City Engineer John Zwingman spoke to the council on the city’s One & Six Year Street Plan. With all the work being done this year, he said the one-year plan will consist of maintenance. The six-year plan includes a number of projects on the east side of town. The council approved the plan on a unanimous vote.
Zwingman, turning his attention to the water main project which is wrapping up, said handrails where the sidewalk rises (like the KC Hall) were to be measured this week for installation in the near future. In other action:
Appointment — Kim-berly Young has been appointed to fill the posi-tion previously held by Marilyn Reilly on the Elgin Library Board.
Study — The council approved moving forward with a study of sewer rates. It’s anticipated that the rates will be increased in 2021. The last time the rates were raised was 2009. Currently the quarterly sewer fee is $25 plus 75 cents per additional 1,000 gallons.
Permit — A building permit was approved for Ross Schindler to do an addition to his home.
It’s done — City Superintendent Donnie Poulsen, Jr., reported work done on the inside and outside of the water tower has been completed. The new paint needs to cure and, beginning on Monday, the water tower will be filled.
Grant — The city has been awarded a $10,000 grant with a 10 percent match, to do mapping.
Sidewalk payments — City hall will create a plan whereby property owners needing more time can have up to a year to pay for new sidewalks.
Fourth payment — As part of the water main project, the city approved a payment of just over $640,000 to Rutjens Construction. Zwingman said the City will get reimbursed for a number of items related to the project.
Open house — Schmitt announced that an open house will be held at city hall from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in honor of former City Clerk Vicki Miller who retired last month after more than 36 years as clerk.