New Market appoints new member to council

By Patrick Fisher

The New Market City Council appointed a new member during its Wednesday, Oct. 27, meeting.

The council unanimously named Jason Ponsonby to the council to fill the vacancy left by Dustin Stendel, who stepped down from the council when he moved out of the community. Ponsonby was one of two people to apply for the position. The other was Kevin Seurer.

Ponsonby is employed by HealthEast of St. Paul and has been a resident of New Market for about two years. He informed the council that his three top goals as a member of the council would be to ensure water and waste resource issues are resolved, to provide a strategy for population and business growth, with an emphasis placed on New Market maintaining its small town image, and to develop an economic plan that would include the broadening of the economic base and enhancing the city revenue.

The council unanimously appointed Councilmember Tom Michaud as acting mayor, or vice-mayor, a position previously held by Stendel.

The council approved the awarding of the bid for the 2005 joint snowplowing contract with the City of Elko to Premier Outdoor Solutions. The business was chosen out of two bids, B & S Seasonal Services put in a joint bid with Gallagher Inc.

The wiring for the New Market Library and the rental/lease policy for the New Market Area Hall were both tabled.

The council unanimously approved the purchase of the Vodavi Phone System from Minnesota Telephone. The city staff had reviewed an earlier recommendation to not purchase a phone system and found that under further review it needed a different system. The purchase price of the system from Minnesota Telephone is $2,755.