Silver Bay sets rules on fences

Talk about it

Residents of Silver Bay are no longer allowed to have a fence in front of their homes that is taller than three feet.

The city council passed an ordinance reflecting that Monday, with six feet of fencing still allowed in the back of a home. Some of the main concerns revolving around the change are for safety and aesthetics.

Council member Dave Gustafson said the fencing issue was spurred by a Silver Bay resident building a six-foot fence around their house. He said it made it difficult for neighbors to see traffic while backing out of their driveways.

It also didn’t allow public safety officials visible access. Gustafson said it was like they had their own “country” back there.

Bushes are also not allowed to be above three feet in height in front of homes.

Storage containers

The council went forward with banning portable storage containers in the city unless they are there during a construction period. An example would be a Dumpster.

“We don’t have a big problem within the city, yet,” council member Joanne Johnson said.

Council members said portable storage containers are a nuisance and could affect property values while obstructing views.

Airport

Federal money set to go toward the Wayne Johnson Silver Bay Municipal Airport was rejected by the council. The city was due to receive $121,125 in federal funding for snow removal equipment and a study. It declined the money as council members discuss closing the little-used airport to trim the budget.

The council has approved sending $33,000 of unused entitlement funds to Thief River Falls Airport. If they hadn’t, Silver Bay would have lost the funds.

Drill is Monday

Silver Bay will be full of emergency responders by 5:30 p.m. Monday as they practice their responses to a fixed-wing aircraft crash.

Firefighters, rescue squad members, ambulance personnel and law enforcement officers will meet earlier in the day and the imagined “crash” will happen about 6 p.m. when flames and smoke will erupt from an aircraft fuselage designed for the drill.

With all the flames, smoke, and responders, it might cause quite a stir in downtown.

Bystanders can watch from the shopping center parking lot, and someone will be available to answer questions from the public.

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