By Jolene FarleyJustin Hinks attended a Tuesday meeting hoping to persuade the council to build a skate park in Hills. "I did go and get a petition made up and 45 people signed it," Hinks said. He gathered prices from Internet sites on the cost of ramps and estimated the park would cost about $11,000."Hills has parks, but nothing really for people my age," Hinks said. Councilman Linus Svoboda asked if the ramps could be built at Hills-Beaver Creek High School. "I think that would be an excellent project for the school," he said. Hinks said there are plans available on the Internet for the ramps. The area would have to be fenced in and the council questioned who would open and close the park. Hinks volunteered to take responsibility for opening and closing the park. The council reviewed insurance quotes for the venture and found insurance is substantially more expensive if ramp heights exceed 48 inches. Hinks said Sioux Falls parks make skaters sign a waiver so they aren’t responsible for accidents. The council tabled the item until their next meeting.Mutual aid with Luverne Fire DepartmentLuverne Fire Chief Don Deutsch attended the meeting to explain minor changes to the mutual aid agreement between the Luverne Fire Department and the Hills Fire Department. The last time the agreement was updated was in 1981, according to Deutsch. With the wording change, if the Luverne Fire Department is called to a major disaster it could bill the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for time and equipment usage. "Our intent is not to charge locally," Deutsch said. Hills volunteer firefighter Jeff Bass assured the council that the update to the agreement is a formality and area fire chiefs have seen and approved the changes.The council briefly discussed the fire hall roof, an item included in the 2004 city budget. They discussed the pros and cons of replacing the roof with shingles or tin. "If it was my building I’d shingle it," Bass said. He said tin was more expensive, but lasts longer. But, he said he was concerned about snow and ice falling off the building during the winter and the esthetics of the building. Keep snow clear from fire hydrantsCity employee Wayne Ward informed the council he removed snow from around fire hydrants in town.Residents are asked to help keep the area around the hydrants clear of snow. Trying to dig out a fire hydrant could add precious moments to any attempts to fight a fire.
