Sarah Ebeling | Editor

Almost two dozen people filled the Parker city office on Monday, Nov. 11 for the city council meeting. Some were there to listen, some to speak and some, students at Parker School, were there to give a presentation. 

It was during public comments that the city council was addressed on several issues. 

Dale Waysman spoke first, telling the council that the city was supposed to send someone to trim his trees and when they didn’t do that, he hired it done. He also questioned curb and gutter in his neighborhood and told the council he was upset to learn he had been delinquent on his city payments in the past. 

Tonya Wickstrom questioned the council in regards to a recent piece in The New Era that talked about garbage service. She noted that she doesn’t think it is fair that the city would do that and choose one service for the town. Mayor Ron Nelson explained that he believes bidding out one service would save the residents money. He explained too that the biggest issue is the streets and how they struggle to maintain them with multiple garbage trucks on their roads. 

The Parker FFA Ag Issues team gave a presentation. Advisor Kelly Dunkelberger explained that the group needed to give the presentation multiple times before going to contest. 

Bob Masters then addressed the council about the slope from his curb to his sidewalk. He explained to the group that he is concerned that if they get a snowmelt in the springtime and the storm sewers are plugged, all the water will go to his house. 

Masters passed around photos to the council, while explaining that Banner engineer Kent Johnson said there is a four-inch difference between the back of his apron and the street. He noted he did not have a water issue before the city put in the curb and gutter. Master said after last month’s city council meeting, Finance Officer Adam Jans got back to him about some questions he had. He noted Jans said the road elevation had not changed but the width of the road and location and height of the curb had. 

Masters said the ordinances were created so that water would flow down to the street. 

“I didn’t have a water issue. The water issue came when we put a curb in and sloped it towards my property,” said Masters. 

He noted that he feels someone did something wrong and that it was either the engineer, the contractor or the city with the ordinances and that the liability lies with one of them. 

City attorney Drew Duncan asked Masters what kind of liability did he mean? 

Masters said he was put in a situation where if he raises his sidewalk, his yard will flood and he doesn’t want to pay for it. 

“That’s what it boils down to Bob,” said Nelson. “You don’t want to pay for that thing.  And when we put the curb and gutter in six inches above that’s going to, even if you put sidewalks in and slope it to the road, the water for the sidewalk to the road will go in the curb and go round the corner and go. The only water that’s going to affect you is the water that lands in the immediate front of you house.” 

“Which will be there this time,” said Masters. “Because it can’t go anywhere.” 

Nelson replied, “It will run to the east, just like it always does.” 

“I have to put in a four-inch apron and the only way I am getting from the four-inch apron to my driveway is to fill that. I have no choice,” said Masters. 

Masters asked the council to please discuss this issue amongst themselves if the issue is worth plowing through with an engineered plan to get this taken care of right. 

The council also approved the use of the Parker Community Building for both the Parker School wrestling program and the Pee-Wee wrestling program.