Organizers of the Stillwater Marathon received unanimous support from the Stillwater City Council Tuesday night on a preliminary concept plan for a first-ever marathon expected to traverse the city the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

Dave Eckberg, organizer of the marathon and president of St. Croix Events, presented to the council details of a series of four races - a marathon, half marathon, 20-mile and 12K - as a throng of event supporters filled the council chambers.

The four races are each planed to start just south of downtown, but with different finish lines. The 12K and half marathon are set to finish at Pioneer Park while the longer races are set to conclude in Lowell Park, Eckberg told the council.

Marathon runners, after jogging south on Highway 95 from downtown, would enter Bayport for a stretch before heading back into Stillwater. Eckberg said the marathon course elevation does not change more than 300 feet. The course is also set to be a Boston Marathon qualifier.

After a more than an hour-long presentation, the council approved the concept plans and directed Eckberg to meet with officials from the city, the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and the local Convention and Visitors Bureau to develop contract for the council's Dec. 1 meeting. At that time, the council may give final approval.

"I can find nothing but positive things in bringing the marathon to downtown," Councilman Wally Milbrandt said.

Councilman Rob Gag - who will work with Mayor Ken Harycki to fine-tune the details with St. Croix Events - said Eckberg's plans seem to be about 85 percent complete. Gag said he would like to see the details documented in a contract and also suggested a $5 fee, which would go toward downtown beautification efforts, added to the registration price.

Police Chief John Gannaway, Fire Chief Stu Glaser, City Attorney Dave Magnuson and Great Stillwater Chamber of Commerce Director Jen Severson each weighed in on the impact the marathon would have on the city.

Severson estimated the marathon has the potential to bring in around $1 million to the community.

Gannaway and Glaser both said hosting the marathon was achievable, but not without a lot of hard work and thoughtful planning. Gannaway said the course has 82 intersections, which would need to be staffed in some form.

In regards to having police and fire department staff working the event, Eckberg said St. Croix Events would reimburse the city for 100 percent of those costs, and all others.

Sandwich board policy approved

A policy for businesses wanting to put up sandwich boards in front of their establishments was approved on a one-year trial basis by the council Tuesday night.

Representatives from the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, the Heritage Preservation Commission, the Planning Commission and Gag developed the plan. Under the new plan, business owners will have to apply for an annual $50 permit for all sidewalk signs. The city will issue a sticker that will be placed on the sign to signify it meets the standards. Revenues from the permit will be reinvested into streetscape improvements.

The committee developed a two-page list of criteria the signs must meet. The guidelines cover the size and shape, colors, materials and installation of all future signs.

The new guidelines came to fruition after some in the community argued the current signs were a visual blight and clutter the streets, taking away from downtown's charm.

Although the signs were technically against city ordinances, the codes often went un-enforced.

Decision on sewer charges made

The council decided the 10 residents who were not billed for city sewer services because of a staff error must repay the backlogged charges.

However, Stillwater will not charge the homeowners interest or penalties on the charges. The homeowners have up to the amount of time they went unbilled to repay the charges.

The city missed out on $9,400 in sewer revenue from the households. The amounts of unbilled charges range from $11 to $3,100. At least one of households had not been billed since 1997.

In other business, the council ...

• entered into a fuel consortium program with Minnesota Department of Transportation to purchase fuel. The council voted to purchase 50 percent of the city's fuel under the consortium with the remainder purchased under conventional methods.
  
  
• appointed Councilman Adam Nyberg to the Water Board.