Opera house ready for Cruizin' Harrington, tow company rents McGregor building

Harrington Opera House

Members of the Harrington Opera House Society met May 6, in the Art Room for its monthly meeting with President Ellen Evans opening the meeting and the following present: Mark and Sheryl Stedman, Gordon and Billie Herron, Ed and Bunny Haugan, Marge Womach, Karen Robertson, Linda Wagner and Becky Moeller. A bill for $134 for the license for the elevator and the “Annual Operating Certificate” were received.

Reports were given on the status of the building. The roof has been repaired by Richard Johnson, service manager of ICON. A heat-bonded patch was applied in several areas on the roof. His work is guaranteed and the company will return if there are additional issues. Paperwork has been finished for reimbursement for the lobby furnace, and the rebate should be forthcoming. Furnace for the Rummage Room has been installed and the bill has been received. Discussion was held on the main lobby door which has been problematic since it was removed and refinished. A piece of the mechanism was lost in process and consequently the door does not latch properly. The building committee will find parts to make it function.

The Chamber Map Project was discussed after members viewed the proposed artwork by Les LePere. Various options had been discussed but the consensus seemed to be to go with the rendition by the artist.

The Chamber newsletter is now going out to 330 addresses. Discussion was held on the poster for Cruizin’ Harrington. No progress has been noted in locating a music or piano teacher.

Prior to discussion of the events calendar, Evans proposed using ribbons to section off the back pews to create an illusion of a fuller house for performances that are not well supported by the community. The idea received considerable resistance, not the least of which was that HOHS does not know ahead of time which events will draw a large crowd. HOHS will have the annual Quilt Show in the auditorium on May 18 during Cruizin’ Harrington and the Rummage Room will be open Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wagner said it would be nice to have background music in the auditorium during the Quilt Show.

The next actual event on the calendar will be Paul “Buck” and Elizabeth Stierle on June 1 at 7 p.m., performing Bob Dylan and Patsy Cline tributes. No discussion of details for the event were addressed. Billie Herron continues to speak with lecturers regarding human trafficking for a presentation here in the fall. Robertson is attempting to schedule a shared event to perform with the Hawk Creek Duo. Other discussions were curtailed due to the desire to keep meetings within a one hour limit.

Harrington City Council

Harrington City Council met May 8 at city hall with the following present: Tim Tipton, Peter Davenport, Cherie MacClellan, Scott McGowan, Bunny Haugan, Jess Silhan, Mark and Trevor Johnson and Sharon Schultz. Mayor pro tem Tipton chaired the meeting. A late start occurred due to waiting for a quorum. Discussion was held on the McGregor Building. Council decided in favor of the ad hoc committee’s recommendation to accept writing Mark and Trevor Johnson of Johnson Family Towing for the rental of the premises and building for $1,000 per month. Mayor Slack will later work out the specific terms with them.

Minimal discussion was held on the potential hiring of a part-time clerk to assist the city clerk by being responsible for the water books. Resumes are being accepted and an ad will be sent to the papers. A decision should occur for June employment.

Scott Hutsell, county commissioner, introduced a pilot project (regionalization) of the water systems for the county and he was in attendance at the regional meeting recently held in Davenport by the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, hosted by the EDC. At issue is the need for cities to streamline their water and waste water operations by addressing the needs of individual cities as well as working together to comply with federal, state and local water quality and sewer treatment regulations. Cherie MacClellan, Peter Davenport, Nathan Luck, Tim Tipton and Scott McGowan attended the meeting. They had anticipated more specific information than was provided on how to begin working with other towns in order to share resources for water systems. The next meeting will be May 15.

The Caterpillar sign on city hall was restored with funding from Harrington Historic Preservation Commission. The fee was $200 and the restoration was completed by local artist Gavin Wagner.

Discussion was held regarding mowing at the cemetery and city park since it is now being done by contract. McGowan requested specifically that the cemetery be cut one inch shorter. It is being mowed on Wednesday, and too much new growth will occur between Wednesday and upcoming Memorial Day. He hopes there won’t be complaints about it. McGowan could not achieve agreement with the company that day. The Parks and Rec Committee recently formed will address the issue with the contractor. All other reports regarding this new process seemed satisfactory. McGowan also reported that the “monkey” tree in the cemetery was diseased and had to be removed. This will be a most noticeable change in that section of the cemetery.

Jess Silhan, Code Compliance Coordinator, reported that he had received complaint forms and will meet with the committee before any further activity. Some dog owners are using the city park as a bathroom for their pets but are not being responsible by removing the waste. Davenport commented that he sees dog excrement at the park. Bags are available, but they are not always being used.

Curb and sidewalk damage during snow removal was mentioned, noting that repairs are expensive. Prior to the winter season, Davenport had admonished the maintenance crew to be careful. McGowan had commented that most of the damage was not of recent vintage. Meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.