TOWER— The city council has approved the sale of 2.376 acres of land along the south side of the Tower harbor to a development group, for one dollar. The decision came following a non-controversial public hearing on the transfer held by the Tower Economic Development Authority on Monday evening.

The transfer clears the way for Tower Vision 2025, headed by Orlyn Kringstad, to move forward with a planned development at the harbor. The initial proposal called for the construction of 20 town houses, with possible condominiums and some commercial space in subsequent phases. Kringstad said the project is still likely to evolve somewhat, based on the interests of investors and potential buyers.

While the contractual terms of the purchase are still being finalized by attorneys, City Clerk-Treasurer Linda Keith said it will contain a “take-back” provision, under which the land would revert to city ownership if the developers have not made substantial progress within a set period, most likely two years.

While the council approved most of the purchase without a hitch, the council made the transfer of a small triangular piece of land included in the deal contingent on approval by the Department of Education or the authorizer of the Vermilion Country School. The grades 7-12 charter school maintains a five-year lease on the property and will need approval of a lease modification before the land can be freed up for the development. Charter school director Kevin Fitton said the change could have some affect on the availability of parking at the school. “I’m fine with the change, but we want to work with the city to address the parking needs,” said Fitton.

“I don’t see that being a problem,” responded Mayor Josh Carlson.

The transferred land includes the former ski trail parking lot, the current intersection of Enterprise Drive and South Second Street, and the small wooded hill located northeast of the charter school. The engineered drawings for the project suggest that Enterprise Drive and South Second will merge through a curve rather than an intersection, that will be moved slightly to the east of the current intersection.

The city will retain ownership of the land immediately adjacent to the harbor edge, to allow for the construction of walkways and trail connections. The city has funding for that work, which is expected to begin later this year.

Construction on the town houses isn’t expected to begin before next spring, although Kringstad has suggested that a fall groundbreaking is a possibility.

In other business, the council:

‰ Tabled action on hiring a new ambulance director after a lengthy discussion on a proposal by Steve Altenburg to make changes in the chain of command for the city’s ambulance service. A city hiring committee has recommended hiring Altenburg as the new ambulance director, starting in December. Altenburg has indicated interest, but said his acceptance of the position is contingent on expansion of the service, a director pay raise to $1,800 a month, and a reduction in scheduled office hours. Matt Tuchel, the current director, is paid $1,300 a month.

While council members had few objections to most of Altenburg’s requests, the pay increase combined with a reduction in scheduled office hours proved a sticking point. Tuchel currently schedules six hours of office time on Mondays, but Altenburg is requesting that be reduced to two hours. He said he wouldn’t be working fewer hours, but would have less scheduled time. “The job is to get the job done. It’s a service that’s 24 hours a day, 365 days,” he said. Altenburg said his request reflects the growing demands on the service. “For six years, the pay has been the same, but the service and calls have increased substantially,” he said. “The service needs to keep progressing into the future.”

But council member Lance Dougherty questioned how the increase would look to others. “In my eyes, Matt did a wonderful job as director, and he is paid a lot less than this. It’s hard to justify starting out at $1,800. That’s $500 extra.”

“That’s been my concern all along,” said Mayor Carlson.

Council member Joan Broten questioned whether a pay increase of that amount should prompt the city to readvertise the position, which might attract more applicants.

In the end, the council tabled a decision until Carlson and Dougherty can meet with Altenburg and others on the ambulance service to assess their views on Altenburg’s proposals. They plan to discuss the issue again at their Sept. 12 regular meeting.

‰ Denied a request by Steph Carlson to reopen the city’s employee contract regarding compensation for unused sick pay. Carlson, who recently resigned as deputy city clerk, had requested payment of her unused sick time, but that’s only allowed in the current contract for employees with ten years or more of service. Carlson had worked about three years prior to her resignation.

‰ Denied a request by the AFSCME union for a four-day work week for the deputy clerk position. Steph Carlson had made the request before her decision to resign, and the council was unwilling to consider the change, at this time, for a future deputy.

‰ Certified the August primary results in the city, which included only a Supreme Court race. A total of 17 voters cast ballots, with ten votes for sitting Justice Natalie Hudson, four votes for Michelle MacDonald and three for Craig Foss.

‰ Approved the purchase of a new civil defense siren to replace an old one that has failed.