By Elizabeth Reiss
Beacon reporter

Baltic residents will soon have a choice in cable providers beginning in August.
At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting in City Hall, council members decided to enter into a franchise agreement with both remaining cable providers, MidContinent Communications, and Alliance. Midco’s contract with Baltic has been renewed and Alliance has signed on to the city’s contract.
The city has had an exclusive contract with Midco, and it has been the only cable provider in town, Mayor Mike Wendland said. Now, “Alliance is going to be offering cable TV in Baltic as well,” Wendland said.
If more cable companies want to come into Baltic in the future, they must sign on to the ordinance with permission from the City Council.
Also Tuesday, the ongoing problem with vehicles speeding on Fifth Street on the east edge of town was addressed. Several residents in that part of town have expressed concern about reckless drivers in that area, where the speed limit is posted at 25 miles an hour.
The problem has slowed since school was dismissed for the summer, said Sgt. Preston Evans of the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Department, who was at the meeting.
“It’ll probably pick up again when school starts back up,” he said.
Residents in that area have been asked to look at the make and model of vehicles before making a report, Evans said.
During the public comment section of Tuesday’s meeting, resident Willette Reichert asked the Council to find out if federal land in Baltic could be used to construct a veteran’s memorial.
The city must get approval from federal government because it paid for the tennis courts. The courts were removed last year with federal permission because over time they became run-down and were in disrepair.
The Council agreed that it would find out if a memorial could be built in that area.
Finally Tuesday, Maintenance Supervisor Ken Johnson introduced Steve Dix, a new summer employee with the city. Dix said he is already busy working to design a disc golf course at Baltic Heights Park that he hopes will be installed this summer. Dix is a graduate student working toward a master’s degree in architecture. He also plans to help design a bike path and says he want to work on upgrades at River Park campground by adding fire pits and more camping spots.