Holyoke Community Foundation formed
Holyoke Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Holly Ferguson informed Holyoke City Council members at their Dec. 7 meeting that Holyoke Community Foundation has been officially formed.
She said a committee of volunteers has been put together, and that as a 501(c)(3), the foundation will have access to more funding opportunities.
She said she hopes to work with other committees to see where they can write grants and get money back into the community for endeavors like updating the technology in the community sign, downtown revitalization, restoration projects and more.
Ferguson also talked about the chamber’s achievements over the last year and the chamber’s budget for next year. She asked the city to contribute $12,000 to the chamber in 2022.
“People are interested in the community,” she said, “and of course growth is only going to make us better.” She added that she gets a number of calls about Holyoke from people who want to move here.
She said the chamber has shown an increased presence in the community over the past two years, collaborating with the city and county not only on business and workforce issues, but also on housing, youth development, efforts to bolster local development and more.
“The chamber wants the council to see value behind their contribution,” she said. “We think we have shown this in 2021 and will definitely continue to show this in 2022.”
She added that the chamber is working with a software company to update the chamber’s website, which she hopes to launch by March.
City adopts 2022 budget
Council members adopted the city budget for 2022. It totals $12,311,885 in appropriations.
The budget includes:
General Fund $7,217,165
Utility Fund $4,624,920
Sale of Heginbotham Land Fund $150
Equipment Replacement Fund $20,000
Library Land Fund $190
Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund $3,295
Fire Pension Fund $10,965
Massman Memorial Fund $210
Cem White/Leeper Memorial Fund $14,120
Conservation Trust Fund $120,000
LeBlanc Estate Fund $870
Capital Reserve Fund $300,000
Total Approp $12,311,885
The general fund is up $1,619,681 from last year. Council members also certified a levy of 21.800 mills.
The city’s total assessed value for 2021 is $18,275,230, and city mills equate to $398,400.014.
Council hears visitors’ comments
Cherrie Brown attended the meeting to discuss Holyoke’s streets and housing.
She said she appreciates the council budgeting money to repair the streets. “It was really nice to see it in the budget, and I appreciate that you heard the people and that you’re taking care of business, so thank you for that,” she said.
Steve Brown also thanked council members for the progress made on the streets this year, saying that it looks like they have a plan for 2022 and are on the right track.
Cherrie brought a copy of the 1996 book “Land Use in America” by Henry L. Diamond and Patrick F. Noonan, which she noted is a useful book for planning cities.
Reading from the book, she said that communities that have studied their growth patterns have reached similar conclusions, which was that for every dollar of revenue collected from residential land, $1.25 is spent on services, and for every dollar collected from industrial, commercial, farm, forest and open space land, 19 cents is spent on services.
She said, “I just keep thinking we don’t really have a business coming, and so when you’re talking about putting in housing — and especially if we’re going to buy the land and do all those things — then it’s just going to make the utilities go up for the people that live here. Where does the extra money come from to do these things?”
She noted that she has learned to appreciate government and how it works. “I think if we plan ahead and we think about those things, maybe we could be ahead of the curve,” she added.
Council hears reports
City Superintendent Mark Brown reported one power outage at County Road 41 and East Hale Street due to bad secondary underground. The issue has since been resolved.
He reported that Inland Potable Services completed its inspection of the city’s potable water Nov. 19. The company has until the first of the year to get the report back to the city so it can be turned in to the state.
The water and sewer department has been working on yearly backflow device testing and methodology reviews.
The street department has finished picking up leaves for the year, and work has begun on the infield of the small baseball/softball field to change it to a red clay mix.
Mark Brown reported that Cornhusker Glass has looked at the glass of the windows and doors at Holyoke Swimming Pool to estimate a cost for their replacement.
Regarding the airport lighting project, he said the precision approach path indicator lights are scheduled to be shipped to Holyoke on Monday, Dec. 20.
Police Chief Doug Bergstrom reported that HPD handled or generated 89 calls for service from Nov. 12-Dec. 1, including one animal complaint under code enforcement.
He added that there were two recent vehicle thefts in Holyoke. Both vehicles were recovered, but some items inside them were not. Bergstrom said they have a person of interest and are working on the case.
He also informed council members that the police officer candidate whose conditional employment was approved at the Nov. 16 meeting passed her psychological evaluation, and it is now a matter of getting set for the academy.
He said another candidate is set to graduate from the academy and take the Peace Officer Standards and Training test Wednesday, Dec. 15. Bergstrom added that after passing the test, he won’t be done with field training and on his own until the end of February.
Recreation director Victoria Dunker reported that the small baseball/softball field is getting closer to being usable, and she’s excited to have it available for the summer programs.
She told council members that she’s planning to have basketball clinics for first graders one day a week in January, where they will learn the fundamentals of the sport.
She said the Showdown on the Plains cattle show is scheduled for the last weekend in January, and she has been working on getting sponsors, judges and more for the event.
Dunker said that a 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be held in February.
Other business
In other business at the Dec. 7 meeting, council members:
— Allowed publication of a notice for the 7% electric rate increase for usage in 2022.
— Accepted the quote for Pinnacol workers’ compensation premium for 2022, which increased from $36,346 to $58,892.
— Bought out 100 hours of Bergstrom’s vacation time.
— Approved the purchase of a washing machine from Reese Mechanical for Holyoke Swimming Pool for $799 plus the cost of installation.
— Appointed Terry Hofmeister to serve another three-year term on the Cemetery Board.
— Appointed Trisha Herman to another two-year term on the Recreation Advisory Committee.
— Approved the liquor license renewal for Kwik Stop.