Manning Appointed To Wolf Point City Council

The Wolf Point City Council held their regular meeting Jan. 18 in council chambers. The meeting began at 7 p.m.

Carrie Manning was appointed to the Ward 4 seat on the council. She ran against Nourah AbuShaban. Manning and AbuShaban introduced themselves and spoke about their respective backgrounds and plans for the council. Both are homeowners and active community members.

Manning was appointed unanimously. The council thanked AbuShaban, who in turn congratulated Manning. Council member Dean Mahlum and mayor Chris Dschaak thanked both candidates.

“We really appreciate having two highly qualified people interested,” Mahlum said.

Council member Lance Fourstar asked that the council consider renaming Custer Street. The issue will be added to the agenda for the next regular meeting. Fourstar also provided an update from the Wolf Point Community Organization.

During the airport committee report, the council discussed a recent score of 70 percent overall as part of a state reporting effort. The score is considered a “good” rating. It was also reported that the power unit for the runway lights may need replacing.

Local residents have complained to city officials recently about the high number of nighttime visits to Greenwood Cemetery. The council discussed setting special winter hours of operation to limit traffic after dark.

Dschaak told the council that it will be necessary to create a new planning board specifically linked to the city’s growth policy. The new board will need a minimum of seven members.

Greg Lukasik from Great West Engineering told the council that a payout discrepancy related to water main repairs is being resolved. He added that applications for the water main improvement project are moving forward.

The Sherman Inn requested permission from the city to install locks on their dumpsters to prevent tampering during off hours. The council approved the request pending stipulations about hours of operation for use of the dumpster while it is unlocked.

Mahlum gave the council an update on progress from the urban renewal committee. He said start-up conditions for various ongoing anti- blight projects must be met before funding requests can be made to the state.

Public works director Ward Smith shared his monthly activity report. He thanked city crews for their efforts fixing water breaks and addressing other cold weather problems.

City clerk Jhona Peterson shared monthly and quarterly activity reports and receipts. There were no changes in securities. All reports were approved. Claims and payroll were approved, as were minutes for the Dec. 20 meeting.

The next regular city council meeting is set for Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m.