Water Matters: Trimont's $62 Million Infrastructure Challenge

Transcript

Introduction to Trimont City Clerk Kelly

Speaker 1 0:00

Okay, all right.

Speaker 2 0:01

Hey, here we go.

Speaker 1 0:02

This is episode. I mean season two, episode 10. I know, by the way. First of all, welcome to the show everybody. This is the Mark Kennedy Stars Newsmakers Podcast. I'm Mike, and with me today is Kelly Harder. She's a city clerk and you're kind of the one that runs the city in essence.

Speaker 2 0:24

I don't run the city, but I sure make sure that it keeps on. You know what I mean, though. Right, yes, okay.

Speaker 1 0:29

Yeah, she doesn't run the city, but you're the face behind what goes on. Sure, we have lots to talk about today.

Speaker 2 0:35

We do.

Speaker 1 0:36

But first I want to start with something. Let's breeze through the paper real fast.

Speaker 2 0:41

Okay, okay, yes, and.

Speaker 1 0:42

I can get your take on different things. Okay, we're going to blow off this first story for a minute because we're going to come back to it, okay. Okay, but the robotics competition for Martin County West Did you see that in the paper?

Speaker 2 0:54

I haven't seen it yet. Got yours yet. Okay, I got it this morning. You got it Okay?

Speaker 1 0:58

Okay. Well, they're having a big competition in Fairmont this weekend, and this is for the third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders. No, sorry, third and fourth graders, and you're invited to attend.

Speaker 2 1:10

Everybody is Everybody. That's great, but I'm not going to be able to come this weekend.

Speaker 1 1:13

You know I know, but everybody's invited to attend though, family and friends, it's free. You can go there Watch this. It'll be at the let me see where, where, where, where Five Lakes Gym. So it's a high school, a high school gym, and that'll be on.

Speaker 2 1:30

Saturday from 9am to noon Very awesome. It's so great to see stuff like that with the kids and them.

Speaker 1 1:35

Look at this picture. Here I'm looking folks at the. There's three pictures together on the front page and this one here. You tell me that little girl doesn't have attitude.

Speaker 2 1:44

Just a little bit, I think she's got some attitude.

Speaker 1 1:49

I liked it. She has confidence. Confidence.

Speaker 2 1:52

Yeah, confidence that she has the best robot. I'm sure she thinks so.

Speaker 1 1:58

That's the way to be. That's the way to be. I wish they would have had that when I was in school, but Jiminy Robot was, let me think. You probably don't remember this show. It was called Lost in Space, no Okay, and it was a show back in my time and they had a great big robot on wheels. Anyway, that was our robots.

Speaker 2 2:17

Nice yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 2:19

Front page Sherburn to change water usage billing. What they've been doing is they take a quarter at a time. They averaged it and I was talking to Sarah Kramer, who's on the council there, and she says it was stupid, it was she said it was so unfair?

Speaker 2 2:34

Yeah, I tried to help them, give them some ideas with what we did, because we used to be an average user during the winter months is how our billing used to be.

Speaker 1 2:48

Okay.

Speaker 2 2:49

So I gave them how much money more we had made in our sewer fund when they were talking about doing this, because they thought it was unfair.

Speaker 1 2:59

Good, good for them, good for them. I like it when towns say you know what? This is just not fair to our citizenship. Right, let's straighten it out.

Speaker 2 3:06

It's not fair to their sewer fund either, and to their sewer fund Well, yeah, both ways.

Speaker 1 3:10

It does go both ways.

Speaker 2 3:12

Yep.

Speaker 1 3:12

I was looking over here. Oh here we go. Let's stop, let's talk about it. City of Trimont has a new website.

Speaker 2 3:30

We do. You're pretty proud of this. I am. I'm so excited for it. It is going to be really, really exciting because it has much more features than what our old one does, so that part is going to be great for our citizens to be able to stay in contact about what is going on in Trimont.

Speaker 1 3:40

What's the address?

Speaker 2 3:41

It is wwwtrimontmncom.

Speaker 1 3:46

Okay, got that. I've already signed up. Did you? I did? I've already signed up. Nothing's happened yet, but I'm waiting.

Speaker 2 3:53

Nothing has happened yet. No, but it has an alert system on it?

Speaker 1 3:57

Yeah, I was going to ask, so a water main break?

Speaker 2 4:00

Water main break, snow emergencies, things like that we'll put on there, things that are definitely something to interest the citizens that something's happening.

Speaker 1 4:11

What if trash is going to be picked up a day late? Will that be on there, or is that up to them?

Speaker 2 4:16

If I'm notified of it, I would certainly put that on there.

Speaker 1 4:19

Schools if they're going to close, will that be on?

Speaker 2 4:22

I'm not doing the schools, no, the schools have their own system, all right, so yeah, when John has set up a radar trap Is that. Well, yeah, we should put that on there.

Speaker 1 4:33

Boy, it'll be down here resting both of us, right, anyway, okay so that's exciting. It is, yeah, free of charge, it Free of charge.

Speaker 2 4:41

It is free of charge, and actually it's free to the city also. So we used to do what we called click send. It was our notification system that would send off a text message or give you a phone call, whichever you had signed up for. Well, it cost the city money all the time using that, no matter whether I was sending text messages or voicemail. It cost money. Plus, I have to pay a monthly fee for the usage of the phone number.

Speaker 1 5:07

So they always came from the same phone number.

Speaker 2 5:09

Okay, so it was costing the city almost $100 last year for that notification system. It's not terrible.

Speaker 1 5:16

No.

Speaker 2 5:17

But we only have 100 people that are signed up for it, or just under 100 people.

Speaker 1 5:21

Oh, that's a dollar a person.

Speaker 2 5:22

Yeah, just under 100 people. Oh, that's a dollar a person, yeah. So when we were researching, trying to find a different website, this one had the notification system on it and it's part of our cost already, so we went with that.

Speaker 1 5:37

Yeah, I noticed here. You told me yesterday I think it was the day before, whatever that it was $2,000 per year. The old site.

Speaker 2 5:45

The old site if we went with the ADA-compliant old site was going to be $2,000. To have the website the way it is right now is going to be $900 a year.

Speaker 1 5:57

I'm sorry, a year, yeah, and the new one, didn't you tell me, is $737 a year, $737 a year, and this is with municipal rural water impact.

Speaker 2 6:07

Yes, it is.

Speaker 1 6:08

I got it right. Yes, okay.

Speaker 2 6:10

So we're a member of Minnesota Rural Water, so this is a side company from them also.

Speaker 1 6:16

They do the websites through it.

Speaker 2 6:18

So we got a better rate because we are members.

Speaker 1 6:20

Now I know I'm online. I signed up already, but officially we go on when.

Speaker 2 6:25

Monday our members.

Speaker 1 6:26

Now I know I'm on, I'm online, I signed up already, but officially we go on when Monday the 14th.

Speaker 2 6:28

The only reason I picked that day is because Working the kinks out. Well, I have to put out the utility bills, and so I wanted to make sure that we had at least the current year's information on it and uh but you can go on it right now.

Speaker 1 6:42

Your utility bill will be on there.

Speaker 2 6:44

No, no, okay, no, I was just saying that I put those notes on the back of everybody's utility bill.

Speaker 1 6:50

Oh, I see what you're saying.

Speaker 2 6:51

Okay, and so I was going to put it on there, sure, that's why I picked that thing Okay, but it's up and running. It is up and running now. Yes, All right.

Speaker 1 6:59

Good back then, since we're already on talking about water and water-related activities, okay, okay, so I have a front-page story here. I got this notice from Marge Fogelman yes, our congresswoman.

Speaker 2 7:12

Yes.

Water System Funding and Infrastructure

Speaker 1 7:13

And it says excuse me, this week the House Capital Investment Committee heard two of my bills that would provide building proceeds, bonding proceeds for local construction projects. The first would provide $16-. Bonding proceeds for local construction projects. The first would provide $16-plus million Yowch, how did that? Let me go on for the City of Triumf, for our water system. Now, how did that come about?

Speaker 2 7:36

So first our Councilman, Brad Flores, had reached out to her and stuff like that. He's been in contact with her and trying to figure something else out. So he contacted her and kind of got that started. And then we had Brian Crumweedy and Kevin Keel go up to the Capitol and did a day at the Capitol and talked to more senators and all of that kind of stuff is when we got in contact with Senator Weber. And so then they all got together and did a proposal of this bill for us. So yeah, we're asking for $16.2 million.

Speaker 1 8:14

Well, first of all, hats off to our mayor and two of our council members. That's great. Yes, it is. It's great to have people that want to do more for our city, absolutely, and then hats off also to our Congressman and our Senator, bill Weber, and anyway, so it looks like it's going before the Capital Investment Committee. I read in the article itself what she wrote, that this is something that will come up next month.

Speaker 2 8:38

Yes, it will. It will be decided yes.

Speaker 1 8:40

So $16 million. You gave me that list and it's going to be in this week's paper, but I don't know if you need it or not. But $16 million is going to go probably towards building the pond, and the pond you had in that list from Bolton and Mink was around $20-plus million, $20.2. Yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, boy, you're sharp as a tack.

Speaker 2 9:01

That coffee isn't it, it is the coffee it's. That coffee isn't it, it is the coffee it's really good.

Speaker 1 9:04

Anyway, we bribe her with coffee, folks. Yes, with lots of creamer. I'll make coffee, I'll cream you on, yes, yes, so that would take care of the pond.

Speaker 2 9:14

Well, about, About yeah.

Speaker 1 9:16

Yeah, close, close, close, yep and so, but we're still. You told me it's around $68 million for this whole project $62 million.

Speaker 2 9:25

$62 million for the whole project. Yes, Holy. I don't have that much. We don't either. That's why we're asking for money.

Speaker 1 9:32

Okay, all right. Where are we asking next?

Speaker 2 9:34

Well, it's also at the USDA, so we had an application that we put in with them back in September of 2023.

Speaker 1 9:44

So it's been a year and a half.

Speaker 2 9:52

It has been, and that was another reason why our councilman had reached out to somebody else trying to get money for it, to keep the project going, trying to get more money, anything that we can do to get this going, because we need money for it, and so USDA is not doing anything, because why? A lot of it probably stems because there hasn't been a farm bill that's been passed.

Speaker 1 10:13

They don't have any money.

Speaker 2 10:14

They don't have any money.

Speaker 1 10:16

Yeah, join the club.

Speaker 2 10:17

Yeah, so last I had heard there's several applications there. So last I had heard there's several applications there and I think there's 14 of them that he had told me he had on his desk.

Speaker 1 10:29

That's not too terrible.

Speaker 2 10:30

It's not terrible.

Speaker 1 10:31

So that's the USDA Minnesota USDA right, Correct?

Speaker 2 10:34

Yes, Yep, yep. So we're working with him trying to get some money for that. So we need a farm bill passed that things could move forward a little bit quicker. It's not that they can't move forward with it, it's just that they don't have any money.

Speaker 1 10:47

Yeah, yeah, they're not gonna do without money, right, all right. So I guess that's where we stand, isn't it?

Speaker 2 10:53

yeah, we, we asked for the moon. That's why it's 62 million dollars, uh, but you know it includes everything from infrastructure replacing the streets that we have to rip up because of putting new infrastructure in. That infrastructure would include getting rid of all cast iron and everything would be PVC. So if it's not PVC right now, we would be replacing it.

Speaker 2 11:20

We also have to make some of the lines bigger, so that's in there too. We've also proposed a new water tower, our water tower. I found out last week when we were doing the House of Representatives presentation that our water tower was built in 1915. So it's 110 years old. Wow so yeah, the Tin man style is not something that you see every day now so it would be great to get that updated.

Speaker 2 11:50

It would also include an ro system, and the ro system is going to be a reverse osmosis for our water okay, and what that would do is is gonna help to eliminate water softeners needed within the city. Wow, which would also reduce our I&I that we get down at the wastewater plant because water softeners produce a lot of yep, and so then we are cleaning clean water on top of it, so yeah, it's going to be great. It would be awesome.

Speaker 1 12:22

It's going to be great, yeah, when it's all done. Yeah, we're looking. All done, yeah, we're looking at. Even if the bill were passed tomorrow, which it's not, but if it were, we're still talking a couple, three years, aren't we for construction and replacement and all that.

Speaker 2 12:32

All I know is the ponds take two years to build. They do Okay.

Speaker 1 12:37

Okay.

Speaker 2 12:51

Can they build? Can they start start changing the infrastructure while the ponds are being built, or is that? Yes, okay, yeah, they could, it's, it's gonna. Some of that can overlap, it can. Yep, we were hoping to do two phases right on the first year, which would be phase one, and phase two, which, uh, the infrastructure in the southeast corner would be phase two. Phase one is the ponds being built. Okay so hopefully we could do those all at the same time. Okay, but it really depends on money.

Speaker 2 13:10

It always does it, does it always does it, does yes so.

Speaker 1 13:14

I went to the post office. I don't know the last big rainstorm.

Speaker 2 13:17

Yeah.

Speaker 1 13:18

Went to the post office and I noticed there's a lot of water out there on the streets.

Speaker 2 13:22

Oh yes.

Speaker 1 13:25

Yeah, there's a lot of water out there on the streets. Oh, yes, yeah. What's going on with that? What happened?

Eye on Water Monitoring System

Speaker 2 13:28

Why? Where are we at there? So obviously we did the Highway 4 project this last year, making the sidewalks bigger and redoing the streets and all of that. So they had called me and said that they were going to do the hydro spray and lay grass seed down and hydro spray.

Speaker 2 13:45

Yep, and so everybody had seen that we had the bright green along all of the boulevards. And anyway we had asked them about the orange mats that are over the storm sewers on Highway 4. On Highway 4. And they said that no, we are going to be leaving those until there is three-fourths of the grass grown in the boulevard. So once there's three-fourths of the grass has grown back along the boulevard, the state will remove that. The city cannot do anything with it because it is state. That's a state road, not the city.

Speaker 1 14:22

Okay, so those mats are just like a stopper in your drain plug.

Speaker 2 14:27

They are. They're trying to avoid debris going down in them and all that, and they know there's going to be wash off because of the dirt and all of that. Okay, so we're always going to have this flooding until.

Speaker 1 14:41

Until maybe mid-August. Yeah, could be, no idea, I don't either, I don't, either, I do not get to control how fast grass grows?

Speaker 2 14:49

if you did you would, I would put out there right away, because it's it's an inconvenience it is an inconvenience.

Speaker 1 14:55

It is and you know, okay, you're the water queen today, apparently, because that's really about all we've talked about here. We're going to talk about one other thing the Eye on Water.

Speaker 2 15:06

Yes, okay.

Speaker 1 15:07

So first of all let me explain. All right, so it is Eye on Water E-Y-E-O-N-W-A-T-E-R and it's on an app you can download that. So tell me a little bit about it.

Speaker 2 15:21

Okay, well, it's a great service that is free to all of our residents. What it does is you get to see what I get to see as far as what your is going on with your water, your usage, uh, you can check it on a monthly, daily, weekly, business, um day, anyway, um, it'll take a reading every 15 minutes. That's what all of the meters do, because it has some cell phone technology within the new meters. So everybody in town has one of these meters. They were ones that we updated a little over a year ago, back in 2023, we really started hitting it hard and everybody was done by the end of the year there. So they're great technology. If you go on there, you can see how much usage you've had on a daily basis, on a weekly, everything down to 15 minutes and you can see how, even what, the temperature is where your meter is at.

Speaker 1 16:20

You'll even know. In the summer, when you tell your son to go out and water the lawn and he says, oh sure, dad, I took care of it, but it's all dead, you can tell. You can look and say what time was that, uh-huh, but why wasn't there any water used? Yes, unless he's got a you know rain barrel, but we can't help that. Okay, so that sounds great, it is.

Speaker 2 16:39

It's a great feature. It's free and it will alert you if you have a potential leak. A potential leak is something that you can set up parameters at on this application, but a lot of times what it does for me is I have it set up for if there's continual usage over a 24-hour period.

Speaker 1 16:58

Now, it doesn't send you your water bill, you don't pay on there or anything like that.

Speaker 2 17:03

Send you your water bill you don't pay on there, or?

Speaker 1 17:04

anything like that.

Speaker 2 17:05

No, this has nothing to do with your water bill. It is just monitoring of your water usage and potential leaks.

Speaker 1 17:09

Great. Yes, I mean, that's terrific.

Speaker 2 17:12

I know it's a great feature that is offered to our citizens.

Speaker 1 17:16

Absolutely.

Speaker 2 17:17

They have it in Wellcome also, do they, they do.

Speaker 1 17:22

Oh, this reminds me. I'm glad you said that here on page hold on folks, Let me grab it real quickly. Welcome has been yes or no on chickens.

Speaker 2 17:32

Yes, you know, for some time they did pass it.

Community Updates and Activities

Speaker 1 17:34

They did. I know, look at my little. I got to show you that picture. Hold on, I'm sorry I make a lot of noise here. I like it, thank you Chickens are welcome and welcome. Yes, Now are we that. Are we welcome? I mean, are we chicken-friendly? Here in Tremont we're chicken-friendly here? Yeah, how many can a person have in Tremont?

Speaker 2 17:56

Here you can have five, five, no roosters.

Speaker 1 17:59

No, no roosters.

Speaker 2 18:00

Welcome, they can have up to 10.

Speaker 1 18:01

Yes, yeah, the mayor, dan, he told me he's a buddy and he told me he said you buy them in groups of 10.

Speaker 2 18:09

So that's why we did that.

Speaker 1 18:10

Yes, yeah. I guess that's so the cat can kill two and you still have eight, maybe.

Speaker 2 18:15

I don't know, could be.

Speaker 1 18:16

I did chickens one year with the boys. Yeah Chicks, yeah chicks. They lasted about three days, oh, and the cats were grabbing them and taking them. Well, good night yeah. You know, that was my, I'm done.

Speaker 2 18:28

Yep, but anyway. Yeah, chickens are not for me, but yeah.

Speaker 1 18:32

But if somebody Like doing it, hey, more power to them. Exactly With the cost of eggs.

Speaker 2 18:38

They're priceless these days.

Speaker 1 18:40

They may make a lot of money. Yes, they might, Anyway. So chickens are welcome in Welcome. Chickens are welcome in Trimont and in Sherbourne.

Speaker 2 18:49

Yes, yeah, you can certainly go on our website and get the form for an application for a chicken permit and drop that off.

Speaker 1 18:59

What does that cost?

Speaker 2 19:00

Zero, really. Oh, welcome it's $20. Yeah, we don't have a fee on ours? No, we just need everybody to just apply for it.

Speaker 1 19:09

Yeah, yeah Now. Did the police here go out and monitor it? Did they check it out a couple times a year to make sure it's all up to standard?

Speaker 2 19:15

They sure can. Oh, okay, well, I know in Wellcome they do. Yes, I think it was twice a year. Yeah, that was part of their ordinance. Yeah, right, right, A couple times a year, yeah.

Speaker 1 19:25

Okay, so anything new coming on in? Where are we at Trimont? We need to know about Any festivals coming up. Oh, we've, We've got Fun.

Speaker 2 19:34

Fest coming. It's a little ways down the road. It is down the road.

Speaker 1 19:38

Sins is having a tri-monthly chamber. It's having a pancake feed.

Speaker 2 19:42

Sunday, very nice.

Speaker 1 19:44

Palm.

Speaker 2 19:44

Sunday, very nice.

Speaker 1 19:45

They're raising money, I think, for the chamber itself.

Speaker 2 19:47

It's so good to have stuff like that going on in our city. I know it is.

Speaker 1 19:51

It's exciting to see a lot of activities.

Speaker 2 19:53

Yes.

Speaker 1 19:54

You know the new park? I see kids out there playing already. Yeah, I drove by and I thought well, shoot, I know.

Speaker 2 19:59

There they are. It makes me smile every time. I see the kids down there having a good time.

Speaker 1 20:02

My favorite part is still the musical instruments.

Speaker 2 20:04

Yeah, mine too.

Speaker 1 20:06

If I lived there I'd be okay. Just somebody tinking on those the music, maybe not midnight, but you know, yeah, I bet the neighbors would. Yeah, probably, so we have to take the little bell dings off. Yeah right, All right, Anything else new? Oh yeah, the tool cat.

Speaker 2 20:24

Oh yes, Our tool cat hopefully will be in by the end of the month. I don't know. They haven't called me yet to say when they need some money. They will. The guys are super excited for that. It's going to be a great asset for our city. You guys are super excited for that. It's going to be a great asset for our city. The broom that we're putting on it will help, even with the street sweeping and trying to get closer to the curves and things like that.

Speaker 2 20:47

All that trying to get the rocks away from down at Crystal Valley and also pushing the snow away from our fire department and stuff. It's very difficult trying to get that big loader in and maneuvered around on that small driveway there.

Speaker 1 21:04

Things that we don't think about.

Speaker 2 21:05

I know, yeah, we are so blessed to have these two guys that can operate that loader the way they do. It is definitely a task.

Speaker 1 21:16

It is a task, and I saw them out or flushing some hydrants yes, the guys have been busy flushing hydrants.

Speaker 2 21:23

I already had calls about, uh, discolored water and all of that that normal that is normal, yeah, so a lot of times the reason why we flush the um fire hydrants is that it knocks a lot of things loose. So those fire hydrants sit stagnant, you know, for quite some time and anyway, so sometimes it causes some discoloration. Just run your faucets for, you know, 5, 10 minutes and it should be okay.

Speaker 1 21:47

Clear back up. Yeah, they mix, stir stuff up. I'm guessing probably in the system.

Speaker 2 21:52

Yeah, so we do put antifreeze down the fire hydrants because they're up high you, you know for the winter and stuff, so getting that cleaned out yeah, I need that cleaned out. Yeah, okay and we got ryan out on the street sweeper yet this today again.

Speaker 1 22:08

So if it's a busy time, that's something I always thought looks fascinating.

Speaker 2 22:12

Now oh, all I can think of is it hurt my back just saying they're hanging out the window all day.

Speaker 1 22:16

That's why he's a younger guy he likes it.

Speaker 2 22:19

Jason gave him the option which would you like to do? Flush hydrants or street sweep?

Speaker 1 22:23

he goes street sweeper he likes it, so good for him it's great to have the guys that they're willing to do all that. That is true. Uh, the, the, uh leaf dump is open. Uh, I don't know what to call that, but the compost, compost yeah yeah, and the brush site out there.

Speaker 2 22:39

Yeah, so anything that you're cutting down four inches or more, you can take to the brush site.

Speaker 1 22:45

Four inches or less right.

Speaker 2 22:47

Yes, you're right, I said that incorrectly.

Speaker 1 22:49

Yeah, I was going to say you would be in trouble. Yeah, the guys would be mad at me. Yeah, they will be. Well, I've.

Speaker 2 22:54

Nope, no, it was four inches or less and you can take it down there. And then the compost. We did actually put out some signs out there that we have free compost dirt.

Speaker 1 23:06

Yeah, I've seen those signs.

Speaker 2 23:08

Yep, so go ahead and take that stuff and get some good dirt in your garden and all that stuff.

Speaker 1 23:16

Yeah, Candy's starting to work on that, or she wants to.

Speaker 2 23:19

Yeah, we have sent out letters to some residents about trees. So the trees it's time to get them all trimmed back up. We have a city ordinance about getting them at least 12 foot or more off of the street.

Speaker 1 23:33

Yeah, we got one of those.

Speaker 2 23:35

Yeah, you're welcome. I make lots of friends when I send that stuff out. I bet you do Snyder Logging, maybe one of those. Yeah, you're welcome.

Speaker 1 23:39

I already had yeah, I make lots of friends when I send that stuff out. Yeah, Snyder Logging, maybe one Right yeah. I already had Alec out and he's like, okay, this one here, that one, you know. Yes, I tell you he's a sharp guy.

Speaker 2 23:49

That's great to have people like that, that know that stuff.

Speaker 1 23:52

That's why it's good to call your local people, trying to get them to do some business for you Well you know, yeah, not only that, but like he was telling me he goes, mike, some of these are a little bit dead. We're going to have to trim them back and take them out, maybe even at some point you know, but he knows what he's doing. I always just say do what you have to do and just let me know what it is, because he takes care of us.

Speaker 2 24:15

That's great, he takes care. He's such a great guy, he takes care of us.

Speaker 1 24:18

That's good. Anyway, that's Snyder Logging. Yeah, he's just a friend. He didn't pay for anything here. I just you know, okay. So other than that, summer's on its way.

Speaker 2 24:31

Summer's on its way and it's going to be a lot going on this summer. There is a lot going on this summer. Yep, we've got a fun fest that is definitely always on the back of our minds.

Speaker 1 24:40

That's mid-June or July.

Speaker 2 24:41

The second weekend in July, july, okay.

Speaker 1 24:44

Yours and Welcome's are like a week apart, I believe yeah. I think, they're right there. Yes, yep.

Speaker 2 24:51

And then in September, the town center is going to be celebrating 10 years.

Speaker 1 24:55

I can't even believe that.

Speaker 2 24:57

I know.

Speaker 1 24:57

I cannot even believe that.

Speaker 2 24:59

It's fascinating. It's so awesome to see this business in our town and how they plan things and have community get-togethers and all of that stuff.

Newspaper and Town Center Reflections

Speaker 1 25:11

I had just taken the church in Sherbourne and I got a call from Tom Kramer and he goes Mike, you have a death in your church, which I'd literally been there two or three weeks. I didn't even know who they were because they'd been in a nursing home.

Speaker 2 25:24

Okay.

Speaker 1 25:24

And her name was Jane Quoddy Uh-huh, and I said, okay, so he goes, come out here and meet with the family and such. And so I did. And I came into town and I stopped to get a Pepsi, and I stopped at the town center and I walked in, I go what? And they had just opened. They had just opened, I don't know how, but I mean within a few weeks.

Speaker 2 25:46

And I said man, that's a nice store. My point is I can't believe it's been 10 years. Oh no, time flies when you come.

Speaker 1 25:53

Fun Gretchen's doing a great job. Yeah she is. You know the store was for a while, was just new, you know, and everybody's a little bit confused what's going on. And she's got her, I think, I think, straightened out.

Speaker 2 26:04

Yeah.

Speaker 1 26:05

She's doing a good job and the store looks great and it's so nice to have it.

Speaker 2 26:09

Yeah, it takes a while to get all that stuff just organized the way.

Speaker 1 26:13

It does. And have a good flow, and well, you know it's like the same with us here at the paper. Our first month or so we didn't even have phones that worked and we couldn't get them transferred over Long story, anyway, we did, but two months literally it was mid-July before we got our phones. We bought it May 1st.

Speaker 2 26:36

Oh, wow.

Speaker 1 26:37

And then, you know, I knew nothing about what's going on. The computers weren't working. Our first paper came out was I don't know how we did it Smoke signals or something. We barely got it together and at first I remember oh my gosh, I just wanted to pull my hair out. I was, I was just nervous as a wreck. And things are just oh my gosh. Now we're into a system and we have it pretty much down to okay, this is working, you know, and it's just one of those things Folks bear with us you know, yes, people have.

Speaker 1 27:10

They've been very kind, because I know I've made lots and lots and lots of mistakes, but they've been kind mostly, and you know we're starting to work it out now yeah we're kind of finding our stride and it's always tough. I know mine. I'm very different. I have a radio background, so I was very different, uh, as a newspaper person, than maybe some others. Yeah, I don't look at it the same way. I'm more of a radio guy and so everything to me is hey promotion.

Speaker 1 27:38

Yes, yes, but I've hit my stride and I've figured it out for myself, and so, going forward, I think we're on the track that was in relation to Town Center. Yeah, that's the way it works. Yes, it's a new mayor. I know Kevin's new, but he's also old, he's been here before and everything Not age-wise but experience-wise. He's done this a long time but you come back in after some years off and it takes a little while to figure out okay, okay, Personalities and all this, yeah.

Speaker 1 28:09

Well, and times have changed too, and times have changed, laws have changed and all that stuff. Laws have changed. Yeah, yeah, you were right.

Speaker 2 28:15

It is all different and he has said that he has.

Speaker 1 28:20

And I had the opportunity to sit with him at a funeral the other day. We had lunch together and I had never met Kevin before. Okay, I didn't know him at all. Yeah, you know, and he tells lots of dad jokes. I don't know if you do that or not. He tells lots of dad jokes, okay, and I sit there going holy smokes, Terrible jokes, but after about eight you start to giggle because you realize these are actually kind of funny, oh goodness.

Speaker 1 28:46

Yeah it was, but we had a nice, enjoyable time and I got to meet him a little bit Good.

Speaker 2 28:50

It's been a little time, yeah, and that was good and you know Well, we're glad that the newspaper moved here to Trimont. I'm glad to be here.

Speaker 1 28:58

Yeah, we're making strides, we're going forward and we're not trying to toot anybody's horn at all, but we're hanging in there and people are responding positively. That's great.

Speaker 2 29:10

Which is what we want. Yeah, kelly, yes, thank you. Thank you for letting me talk about our website.

Speaker 1 29:15

We're coming right up on 30 minutes. How about that?

Speaker 2 29:18

We are awesome. We love to talk together. We do?

Speaker 1 29:20

We have a lot of fun. I love having you here, Kelly.

Speaker 2 29:23

She's always so full of information.

Speaker 1 29:26

I've reached out to some of the others. I've got your counterpart in Danelle.

Speaker 2 29:31

Okay, melinda.

Speaker 1 29:36

She's going to be coming on one day. We're going to come in and update us, yeah.

Speaker 2 29:40

So that's coming also, but anyway, everybody goes in and takes advantage of our. Ion Water and our new website.

Speaker 1 29:48

Which is tribotmncom, right Yep.

Speaker 2 29:52

Yep. Sign up for the alerts so that you stay informed.

Speaker 1 29:56

Good deal, good deal, all righty.

Speaker 2 29:58

Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1 29:59

Thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. Have a happy Easter.

Speaker 2 30:01

Well, thank you, I appreciate that yeah.

Speaker 1 30:03

Yeah, you're welcome, everybody else also.

Speaker 2 30:05

Yes.

Speaker 1 30:06

All righty folks Thank you.

Speaker 2 30:06

Bye, bye-bye.