By Sara Strong
A zoning change will update city code maps in a few blocks by the hospital, courthouse and Catholic Church.
The Luverne City Council Tuesday night approved the rezoning recommendation by the Planning Commission. The area will change from the current R-1, or low density residential, to R-I, residential/ institutional.
In examining the 30 affected lots, Councilman Jim Kirchhofer said the decision seemed simple. He also serves on the Planning Commission.
Kirchhofer said, "The function of the Planning Commission is to anticipate what zones should change, and this seems like a natural move from residential to institutional. If we look forward we need to provide some growth area."
Garbage issues
The council also passed an ordinance clarifying what "garbage" is to the city when picking up residential refuse.
The city reviewed the garbage ordinance almost two years ago, but language wasn't specific enough for private collector Bill Ketterling.
The city's past ordinance specified that the city of Luverne would be responsible for collecting residential refuse. But in the case of extra large clean-up projects, Ketterling often gets the call and then has to refer that potential business to the city.
He, Mayor Glen Gust and Councilman Tom Martius questioned whether it was fair to make customers wait for weekday services if a home needs to be cleaned over a weekend.
Major cleaning projects, situations that require a home to be emptied or fires are the most common circumstances when Ketterling and the city may be called for extra pick-ups.
Previous garbage ordinance discussions ended in a decision to draw a line between residential and business garbage collection, with the city collecting residential and private haulers doing businesses.
Gust said, "What's wrong with customers getting a choice? Especially if they want a dumpster on Saturday or Sunday."
Councilman David Hauge said that if residences can shop around for garbage service, so should businesses. Doing that would cause "chaos," he said, in the cityÕs system of trash collection.
Darrell Huiskes, public works director, said he and his staff have made special arrangements to deliver dumpsters to homes over weekends in the past.
Residents have called Ketterling for extra large pick-ups in the cases of a couch or mattress that needs to be disposed of. Under the more well-defined garbage and junk ordinance, the city would still collect those.
Ketterling will continue to haul all demolition materials, from residential or business sites, to the landfill.
Ketterling said he feels better knowing more clearly what his role is. But he added that he is slightly disappointed that his services aren't able to be used for the larger jobs.
Huiskes said that if the city ever needs extra help in the case of a tornado or other major clean-up, the city would likely ask for KetterlingÕs services and not strictly watch what was residential or business.