Fireworks and the celebration of our nation’s independence may be past but fireworks was a topic of discussion when the Superior City Council met Monday evening.

Last year the council had an advertisement published in this newspaper seeking to gain community repsonse to the city’s current regulation of fireworks or the lack there of.

Since then city staff members have been comparing the current Superior fireworks regulations with those of other communities.

Under current regulations fireworks may be sold within the city beginning on June 24 and conluding on July 5.

While no formal action was taken, the consensus of the council was to reduce the number of days fireworks may be sold and to limit the hours they may be discharged.

The proposal that seemed to have the most council support was to reduce the days of sale to June 30 through July 4. On July 3 and 4 it was prosposed fireworks could be discharged from 10 a.m. to midnight. On June 30 through July 2 they could be discharged from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Some members of the council thought the change should be even more restrictive.

As proposed ,it would not be legal to sell or discharge fireworks at other times.

Though the public swimming pool season is nearing an end for this year, the council approved hiring Dillon Edward to serve as a pool lifeguard. It was noted he had met the requirements to become a certified guard and expressed an interest in being a lifeguard next pool season.

The addition of four registered nurses currently employed by Brod-stone Healthcare to the city’s emergency medical technicians’ roster was approved. The nurses are Tierra Snyder, Katelyn Brown, Courtney Warren and Valerie Woerner.

In August, Central Community College will offer an emergency medical technician’s class in Superior. It is anticipated the graduates of that class will be added to the roster in early 2023.

The council approved a plan submitted by the Superior 3000 Foundation to add more wrap-around benches to the Central Avenue street lights. Earlier this yea, four benches were placed around poles at the Fourth and Central intersection. The benches have been designed and built by Superior Industries. They are round, four-feet in diamater and powder coated. Bench sponsorships are available for $1,000 each.

Permission was given the Superior Chamber of Commerce to host Homegrown 2022 in the downtown business district on Saturday, Aug. 20. Vendors are being solicited that will offer homemade or homegrown items and produce. Water slides and other activities are planned. The event will be held in the area around the Fourth Street Square Park. It will be necessary to close a portion of Commercial and Fourth streets.

The council authorized city staff members to enter into discussions with the Village of Hardy which may lead to an interlocal agreement and Superior Utilities employees becoming the licensed operators of the Hardy water and sewer systems.

The Village of Hardy employee who serves as the systems operator plans to retire later this year.

The council approved contracting with JEO Engineering to design a water treatment plant that would allow the operation of all nine of the city wells in the current well field northeast of Superior. Currently three of those wells are shutdown because of high nitrate levels. The contract price is $639,500.

It is proposed the treatment plant would be located near Well No. 3 and an existing gound level storage tank.

The council also approved proceeding with the planning of the 2013 sewer sliplining project.

The sliplinining project began 15 years ago with the goal of lining all existing sewer lines. Work is generally completed in the eastern part of town. For next year, it is poposed to line the mains between Central and Kansas Streets from Fourth to Fifteenth and the main on California Street. This will complete the lining of the long sewer runs.

Currently about 60 percent of the community’s sewer lines have been sliplined. The goal of the lining is to reduce surface water infiltration and to lower the amount of grit entering the wastewater treatment system. Lining also reduced potential blockage problems.

The design contract approved came with a $24,750 price tag.

Replacement of the water main along Bloom and Idaho streets from Second to 17 streets is all but finished. Water is flowing in the new main, the connection to the water tower was nearly finished by the time the council met. Some sidewalks remain to be replaced and grass must be reseeded.