ELY- “There’s a pretty cool waterfall coming down the road.” Ely Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski said that was the probably his favorite firsthand report on the city water main that burst just after the high school graduation ceremony here last week.
“The water main is a ten-inch wide line that comes from the water tower to the water plant and comes up Sheridan St. all the way to Central Ave.,” Langowski explained to the city council here on Tuesday. “That night they were able to find and isolate the leak so there was no service disruption for residents.”
“It just shows the importance of the water line project that we have been promoting and pushing on for a few years now. This is part of that project,” Langowski added. “We have had a couple breaks on that line in the last six months, this being by far the most major.”
A seven-foot piece of the pipe was replaced Monday, near the trail that goes down to Semer’s Park Beach along West Shagawa Rd. It is all back up and operational now. “Hopefully the money will come through, the congressional directed spending money we requested through our senators’ and congressman’s office. I’m real hopeful that comes through and we’ll be going out for bids on it yet this year and starting the work hopefully the beginning of next year.” Langowski added a big thank you to the city employees who came to the rescue. 

Mayor Heidi Omerza offered her own gratitude, “A huge thank you to the crew, some of which got called from their kid’s graduation to help out with that.”
“It could have been a pretty serious situation, the quick actions of city staff got it taken care of,” said Langowski.
In other news, the council:
• Shared reminders that drivers should drive slowly to accommodate increased summer traffic.
• Hired two new summer utility workers, Jesse Oelke and Jason Kalar.
• Heard that the library’s stained glass windows were taken down and stored temporarily after a recommendation from a surveying crew for the Harvey St. project. The library staff was told that vibrations from blasting during the project could damage the windows.
• Heard that Household Hazardous Waste Collection will take place at the Northwoods Transfer Station on June 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Approved payment of $266,401 for city and EUC claims.

• Approved payment of $129,954 for trailhead site rebid to Mesabi Bituminous.
• Approved payment of $548,743 for Harvey St. project to St. Louis County.

• Approved payments eleven and twelve of $62,810 and $23,556 to Max Gray Construction for the Ely Regional Trailhead Building.
• Approved raffle permits for Ely Arts and Heritage Center and Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. 

• Approved a request from Ely Young Life for in-kind services from the city for their Fourth of July activities in Whiteside Park.