LINN — Linn aldermen continue to seek a resolution with Hometown Lumber over the installation of a garage door at the city’s maintenance shed.

At the Linn Board of Aldermen meeting on Monday, Oct. 19, Mayor Mike Troesser noted that Johnny Knollmeyer of Hometown Lumber had reached out to him after the city sent a letter noting that if the garage door is not fixed within a short period of time, the city of Linn will find another company that can fix the door and deduct the cost from Hometown Lumber’s bill.

Hometown Lumber said that they wouldn’t get the garage door in working order unless they were paid $5,600 and that an additional $300 to $500 would be paid after installation was complete.

“It’s been three years, and we still don’t have anything,” Troesser said. “They have to have $5,600 to do $300 to $500 worth of work? That’s bad business. Why can’t we just write him a check when he is done? We just need to get this done. He’s holding us hostage.”

Troesser noted that the additional $300 to $500 had not been brought up until after the city sent the letter requesting the job be completed, even though he has personally been up to Hometown Lumber to discuss the project several times.

Troesser said that he was told the additional money was needed to stabilize the runners. “He said that if we pay him now, he will have the work done in a couple of days,” Troesser said. “I don’t have a lot of faith in that.”

“I don’t trust it,” Alderman Bill Turner agreed. “We’ve had too many issues of him stating that he is going to do something and it never gets done.”

“There was no discussion about wanting extra money until we sent the letter,” Troesser added.

The project started in December 2023 after the fire at the maintenance building, and the city was supposed to frame out the door. Although city employees framed out the garage door, Hometown Lumber felt that it was inadequate and rebuilt it.

“They knew what they were installing when they came out and measured it,” said Alderman Dustin Flamm. “They were the ones who are garage door experts, but they can’t install a functional door in three years.”

“This has gone on way too long,” Troesser agreed. “I’m not sure why we made a deal like this where we would frame out the door. We are not carpenters. We don’t need to volunteer something we are not an expert in.”

Troesser will call Dulle Overhead Doors to get a quote and report back to the board so aldermen can decide what to do.

In other business, aldermen approved Resolution #2026-023 authorizing the mayor to execute a new agreement with Concrete Solutions LLC for $1,500 less than the original bid. City Clerk Carrie Grellner explained that the original specifications were not followed exactly, and both parties agreed that $1,500 would cover the change.

• Aldermen also approved Resolution #2026-022, which allows the city to pursue a grant with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to complete the Lee Mar Hills Wastewater Regionalization Project.

Bartlett & West Project Manager Hope Drennan reported that the plans and specifications for the project have been sent to DNR. The firm is awaiting review, which is expected in early November. Currently, construction projects are taking three to four months to be issued, and Drennan is hoping the project will go out for bid in February 2027.

Bartlett & West plans to meet with aldermen in December to discuss street repairs for 2027.

• Boy Scout Isabell Backes asked the Board of Aldermen for permission to make the flower bed near the City Park ball fields her Eagle Scout Project. Backes explained that she was working with Linn Park Board President Neil Loethen.

One major alteration is that Backes wants to change the shape of the flowerbed into a rectangle instead of a triangle. Backes is not sure that the shape can be changed, but plans to work with Loethen and Midwest Block & Brick on the structure.

“I plan on getting my Eagle Scout in March, so I hope to have this completed in the next several months,” Backes said.

Aldermen requested that final plans be approved by the board.

Later in the meeting, Loethen expressed concern with changing the shape of the flower bed.

“A rectangular retaining wall may look simple, but to get it perfect is not easy,” Loethen said.

He may take over the building of the retaining walls and have Backes focus on the new sign he would like in the flower bed and the landscaping. Loethen assured aldermen that he and Backes would have the final plans approved by the board before proceeding.

• Concrete work on Ninth Street was supposed to be done by Oct. 31. The check valves installed at the Highway 50 lift station are working well. City employees have been cleaning up and organizing the utilities shed, including gathering and selling scrap metal.

The city is also reaching out for additional bids for new tires for the trucks.

“The price for the tires on the red Ford 550 was $350 each,” Troesser said. “That price is just ignorant.”

The mayor plans to look for additional bids for cheaper tires, noting that the city just needs a basic tire. He also wants to start looking to replace a truck soon.

• The city has the pool scheduled to be winterized. Alderman Bill Turner noted that he had reached out for a bid to fix the leak in the kiddie pool but had not received an official quote.

“He told me between $2,000 and $2,400, but it wasn’t an official bid,” Turner explained. “If I get a quote, are we going to move forward with the repair? Are we going to be able to afford it?”

“We won’t know until we see the estimate,” Flamm said. “Honestly, we don’t need it done until pool season next year.”

“Here is the problem with that,” Troesser said. “Everything we talk about, we are going to get to later. We are going to get to it, and we never get to shit.”

“But if we don’t have the money, we have to wait until the next fiscal year,” Flamm said.

• Loethen reported that the walking trail was completed and is being used by the community. Linn City Parks received a Green Tree grant from Three Rivers Electric, and the Boy Scouts have planted over 90 plants in the City Park.

“It looks awesome over there,” Troesser said.

Loethen is also working on completing renovations to the ball field at the Linn City Park. He planned to pour concrete at the end of October and install new black, galvanized fencing along the baselines on each side of the field.

“The dugouts will be black with all new padding behind home plate,” Loethen said. “I’m going to paint the support poles black and add black netting behind home plate. It will match the dugout fencing, and I think it will look great. It’s been a lot of work.”

Loethen has scheduled to have the concession stand winterized and would like to close the restroom in both the Linn City Park and Maguire Park from Nov. 15 to April 15.

Loethen noted that not a lot of people are using the parks in the winter months, so he could avoid cleaning the bathrooms, and it could deter vandalism.

Grellner noted that the dates could be changed if the weather is nicer earlier in the spring, and that she could have the bathrooms unlocked for special events.

Loethen had met with the contractor and installer for the automatic doors into the bathrooms at the Linn City Park.

“To be honest, they worked,” Loethen said. “You have to be careful with the sensors, and we tried breaking them, but they did work. It is nerve-racking to know that someone could get locked in it.”

“It’s an intermittent problem,” Turner said. “It might work for two days, and then it doesn’t work. It could be devastating if someone got in there when the park wasn’t active or if they didn’t have a phone with them. They could spend a day in there.”

Loethen suggested that the city go to a manual handle that was still ADA-compliant.

“I don’t feel comfortable with the liability of someone being trapped in there,” Troesser said. “We may just want to cut our losses. If we are going to use these, we have to accept the responsibility that someone could get stuck in there, and I don’t want that responsibility.”

Loethen noted that he had found a different system that could be locked by using a cell phone.

“We’re not going to put in another electrical lock,” Troesser said. “Haven’t we learned our lesson?”

Loethen plans to get an estimate to put levers on the doors instead of the automatic system.

He also noted that he is looking at putting in a new concession stand at the City Park.

“The project would be no cost to the city,” Loethen promised. “The concession stand under the bleachers has water coming up through it and is always moldy.”

His idea is to get a building from somewhere like Classic Buildings and use it as a concession stand.

He will have more details for the board soon.

• Aldermen received a proposal from Eric Reichel of Remote Computer Services LLC (RCS) for $4,864.90 for security for the computers for City Hall and the Linn Police Department.

Reichel explained that the police department had been using an expired version of Microsoft Office on their computers.

“No one realized it was going to happen,” Reichel said. “The office was also having problems sending encrypted emails. We are also trying to get all our clients more email security and move them into something that is a little more modern and a lot more secure.”

Reichel warned that email is one of the biggest areas where a municipality could get a virus, malware, or ransomware attack.

“Small municipalities are a huge target anymore because you don’t have the money and infrastructure to have an on-site IT guy to look at everything all day, every day,” Reichel said.

He suggested the city use software specifically developed for government agencies. Reichel noted that the city would not have to purchase the entire plan.

“This is my 100% recommendation, but I understand everyone is on a budget, so if you say we can’t do everything, we can skimp back on things if it is necessary,” Reichel said. “It takes one failure, one problem, and it can cost you more than that.”

Reichel warned that no system is 100% secure and that the cost would be an annual fee.

The city will reach out for additional bids and discuss options at the next meeting.

• City Hall and the Linn License Fee Office will be closed for Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

• Alderman approved outstanding bills totaling $182,636.37.

• Linn had the following ending balances in its governmental fund accounts: general ($347,725.55), pool (-$9,371.35), park ($64,778.47), police training ($2,881.66), general fund improvement ($237,655.02), park improvement (-$7,670.67), and pool improvement (-$1,117.01).

• The city has the following ending balances in its business-type funds: water ($562,293.15), water replacement ($181,158.36), sewer ($638,312.85), sewer replacement ($47,298.73), grants (-$106,856.09).

• Linn’s nine certificates of deposit total $1,439,648.15.

• The next regular meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m.