Pipestone council approves bonds call, pay requests and moves on blight, permits and airport work

The Pipestone City Council advanced a package of capital and permitting items at its July 6 meeting, approving multiple pay requests and resolutions and directing staff on blighted properties.

Financial and project actions

• Airport hangar pay request: Council approved pay request number 3 for the municipal airport 80x80 hangar project for $347,005.15 after the engineer recommended the work was in compliance with plans and specifications.

• Safe Routes to School: Council approved pay request number 2 for $663,647.44 with an added direction that engineers require contractor corrections where sidewalks or sections do not meet leveling specifications.

• Bonds: Municipal advisor Rebecca Kurtz (Ehlers) presented a resolution calling for the sale of general obligation bonds, Series 2026A, to fund the 2nd Avenue Southwest improvement project, 7th Avenue Southeast street repairs (with a tax-abatement component requiring a public hearing), and an airport fuel tank replacement. The council called for a public hearing on Aug. 3 and will consider awarding the bonds that evening. (Transcript includes a large printed figure for the total issue that appears to be garbled; staff and the municipal advisor will provide corrected figures ahead of the hearing.)

Permits and donations

• Conditional‑use permits: Council approved a corrected address for a secondary structure at 312 4th Avenue Northwest and approved a conditional‑use permit for the Southwestern Minnesota Opportunity Council (SMOC) to build an educational facility at Hiawatha Avenue and 11th Street NW, with conditions including down‑pointing lights and tree buffering to reduce visual impact from the nearby National Monument. One council member recorded a dissenting vote on the SMOC permit.

• Temporary liquor license and donations: Council approved a temporary on‑sale liquor license for Pipestone JC's to serve at the county fair (Aug. 5–8) and accepted donations totaling $150 for the Pipestone Family Aquatic Center daycare day.

Blight and abatement

Community development director Justin Schroeder presented ten priority blighted properties and urged a mix of approaches: declaring hazardous buildings under Minnesota statutes, pursuing removal or restoration agreements with owners, or using approximately $100,000 remaining in a blight fund to take down the worst structures and bring lots back to the tax rolls. Council discussed civil‑penalty ordinances as a tool but emphasized that direct abatement and court orders are often required to remove hazards and secure remediation. Staff were directed to begin hazardous‑building notice processes and to prioritize unoccupied hazardous structures for abatement.

Ending: The council scheduled a public hearing on the 2027 municipal budget for Aug. 3, where funding priorities such as blight remediation and capital projects may be discussed; staff will return with bond sale details and corrected figures prior to the hearing.