City Council - Regular Meeting

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We have a quorum. The first item on the agenda is discussion items, is EarthCam. Lisa Workman requested action is recommendation to the council to approve the placement of an EarthCam system on city property at Speece Riverfront Park and provide the standard electrical and internet connectivity. With that, over to Lisa.

Good morning, Mayor Hicks, honorable city council members, city staff, community members. I'm Lisa Workman. I'm the president of the Fergus Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. And we were contacted by EarthCam, a national company, contacted the Fergus Falls Chamber this spring. They were looking at growing their network of worldwide cameras into some smaller communities in celebration of America's 250th anniversary. So we've been working with the company and the city staff since this spring. We had proposed several different locations to EarthCam, the first being on chamber property focusing on the river. However, EarthCam did not approve that site. We're looking for someone or some place with a little more activity, a little more representation of the community. And so we researched a few other spots, including the Otter at Adams Park. And finally, we're approved for a location on city property at Speece Riverfront Park. So just a little background information. And I did send a fair amount of information in your packets. But EarthCam is a national company. They feature... 24-7 live broadcasts of many different areas around the world. One that I find was interesting is in Philadelphia, they've got an earth cam at the Liberty Bell, so you can watch visitors visiting the Liberty Bell. THE SIGN THAT SAYS, WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS, AND HOPEFULLY SOON, SPECE RIVER FRONT PARK IN FERGUS FALLS. THEY REALLY LIKE THE ACTIVITY OF SPECE PARK, THE HISTORIC MILL HOTEL IN THE BACKGROUND, THE OUTER TILL RIVER. THEY'RE LOOKING FOR PLACES THAT HAVE COMMUNITY ACTIVITY, AND THIS WOULD BE A VERY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR FERGUS FALLS. A LOT OF TIMES YOU'LL SEE THE EARTHCAM SHOTS IF YOU ARE A WEATHER NUT LIKE ME AND WATCH WEATHER NATION OR SOME OF THOSE OTHER CHANNELS. BUT THEY DO PROMOTE THEIR WEBSITE AND THE VISITS TO THE SITE ACROSS THE WORLD. SO THEY APPROACHED US. WE'VE GOT THE SITE APPROVED. THEY ARE WILLING TO DONATE THE CAMERA, THE EQUIPMENT, THE SOFTWARE, LITERALLY EVERYTHING EXCEPT INSTALLATION, ELECTRICITY, AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY. AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED IS THAT We're looking for your approval today to approve the site, to approve the cost of the electricity on a monthly basis, and then to approve the installation and internet connectivity. Park Region has graciously donated the internet service for the device. So there'll be no charge for that. And they are also willing to do the technical installation at half their normal rate of $110 per hour. So we've been the conduit of pulling things together. We think this is a great opportunity to showcase Fergus Falls and our beautiful, historic, and bustling downtown. And I seek your support. APPROVAL TODAY TO INSTALL IT OR APPROVE TO HAVE IT INSTALLED ON CITY PROPERTY. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE BEST OF MY ABILITY.

WOULD SOMEBODY CARE TO MAKE A MOTION? I'LL OFFER. THANK YOU, JIM. I'LL SECOND. THANK YOU, SCOTT. ANY DISCUSSION?

I HAVE A QUESTION. AL? IS THERE ANY FEES, ANY COSTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE INCURRED TO THE CITIZENS HERE AT FERGUS FALLS REGARDING the EarthCam on a monthly basis?

Good question, Al. There will be no cost from EarthCam. Again, they're donating the product, the service, the software. They'd like to see a five-year agreement that we keep it live and connected for them. But over that time, there is no cost to them. There'll be a small... for electricity to run the camera. So they do require 24-7 power and again, Park Region has donated the electricity. They did also say that if there should be a tree that falls on the camera, they would replace it.

So Otter Tail Telecom was going to pay for the electricity too?

They're paying for the internet service, yes, correct.

I just want to clarify that. Yes, thank you. And then also their install would be half of their normal price, is that correct?

Correct, correct. And they've received, I've sent them the technical information. We've done a site visit to look at it, you know, Wanted to make sure that it was feasible before we got the site approved from Earth Camp. Again, we looked at having the otter statue, because that's really cool, but there's really not a place to install, mount, internet, electricity, all of that kind of thing.

I guess I have another question, too, but this is for the police chief attended this morning. Do you see any issues with that, Chief, regarding that camera being there?

No, none whatsoever. It's not designed to be like a surveillance camera. It truly is just a tourism and attraction camera.

Okay. Right. And I verified with that earth cam too. It's not recording. It's a live feed.

Can you tell us where it is going to be and where its view would be?

Yeah, so I think I sent a photo earlier in a separate email, but it would be on the east side of the pavilion facing west towards the Mill Hotel, the river, the crosswalk that goes on Union. So it's kind of, pointing doesn't help, I know, but yeah, it'd be right on the pavilion. on the side of the pavilion where the bathrooms are between the pavilion and the river.

Scott. Is this camera going to be, some of them have, they change angles, so they'll look here and then they'll look here, kind of backwards.

It'll be stationary. Yep, stationary.

Mike? I appreciate it, Your Honor. First off, Ms. Workman, thank you for doing the work that you did with this. I think it was great on that end, and I thank Park Region for it. I'm going to be in support of this camera. One, just to bring something new to the downtown with it. But I think as a council, there's a couple of things we got to look at. I talked with EarthCam a little bit about it. And I don't know if in our contract, and they stated the same as you, they said, hey, if it breaks this or that, kids break it down, they'll replace it. But I think we should have something for sure in the contract that states that they will do that. If not, I think the city should have some insurance on that camera to make sure that we don't come on the hook for, it's like $4,000 or $5,000 to replace that camera that's on there. The other thing that kind of was a concern when I was talking with EarthCam a little bit is that, and others, is that if it's too low to the ground and it's in an area where kids know where it is or people know where it is, this camera runs all the time. They have issues where people will be yelling profanities, doing things in front of it, a And I don't think that's what we want to portray as a community. If that occurs, we can't control that. But do you know the height of where it is? Is it 12 feet or lower to the ground?

No, it would actually be installed on the kind of in the roof line of the pavilion. Okay. So it's... I don't know, 20 feet off the ground. Okay. But it would be angling down towards that pavilion area.

Good. I think the other thing that EarthCam talked about is you can turn off the audio if you want to. So that's the thing that's there. So the other question I had is, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE RESIDENTS THAT RENT THAT AREA. IT'S KIND OF THEIR PERSONAL SPACE WHEN THEY RENT IT. OTHER PEOPLE AREN'T IN THERE. AND I JUST THINK THE COUNCIL SHOULD CONSIDER IF THIS SHOULD BE SHOOTING ON A PRIVATE EVENT THAT'S GOING ON IN THERE AND RUNNING, YOU KNOW, A LIVE STREAM FOR THAT. As far as the chief, yes, it's not a camera that the police chief in the Fergus City is monitoring, but he talked about the FBI monitoring these cameras and coming to us once in a while if there's a need for police services. I don't see that here, but it is part of what's there. So I'm for it. I support it. I just want it high enough that the residents aren't being filmed down there with their personal events that they rent for, and I want to see that we have some insurance if it is broken that we don't have to replace it on our own money.

Right. Thank you, Mike. And when I did speak with EarthCam, they were clear that they wanted it on a public property, you know, a place that anyone could be at.

Laurel and then Scott.

My comments kind of echo Council Member Mortensen's. I was concerned about sound and if we wanted to have sound on or not from a privacy perspective. So that's the question I was going to raise.

Right. That's the one thing that we were looking at, too, is that the audio would be off. Okay. That's the plan. Okay. Thank you.

I generally I support this I've seen and I've used this kind of a thing in many places my folks were in Hawaii at one time and there was a webcam at a resort that they were at and we were able to be talking to them on the phone and saw them on the webcam you know at the beach where they were that kind of a thing I think is really cool many people probably also done the same thing up at Itasca at the headwaters you know that's another situation where we've seen it and we've used it and so I think it's really cool I think that the concerns that I would want to bring have to do with something that Mike had also mentioned in Laurel 2. is the expectation that people would have for privacy when they rent a specific space at the pavilion. And I'm wondering if that location is really the best. And I don't know what latitude we have since they have to go through an approval process. But my suggestion would be that rather than having it directly right next to the pavilion or right on the pavilion building, but to move one block further east and put it on the building that's the bathrooms for the splash pad. Aim at the same direction and gather then the same river view, the same mill hotel in the background and the activity downtown. And I think that when you're in that space, there's no expectation of privacy. That's a completely public thing. Nobody rents it for any special thing. Whereas if you're right at Speece Park, that can be used for lots of different things from, you know, weddings to political gatherings and whatnot. And I think that having such a close view of what's going on there would make people uncomfortable.

I think maybe it would help, Andrew, if you could just show the view that they're looking at because it's not really looking in the pavilion. It's looking down the pathway. Right.

And that was the other thing is we did look at the splash pad. They know we're in Minnesota. They want... 365, you know, year-round activities. And the splash pad really wouldn't offer that as a location. So that was brought forward because I love the splash pad.

Well, I'd seen this picture, too, when you sent it out, and I thought that was fine. But again, I've been to events down there, and when it's the farmer's market or something like that, I think that's terrific. But I think having a view that's a little bit further away that wasn't right on top of people would be

I think it's a public area. So, I mean, I think, you know, if we go down that road, then we almost, we're opening up another can of worms that, you know, that we shouldn't have cameras anywhere. So, Al, then Laura.

I just had a comment, too, as far as the splash pad that... I understand Scott's comment there too in placement, but what I don't really like about that is if there would be, that's around children and there's families there. And I know that would be nice, but there's some people that might take big advantage of that.

My thought is, I think we can do it in that spot. Can we just put something in our rental agreement or our usage agreement for Spees Park that notifies everyone that we do have EarthCam going? I mean, to me, if we have a document anyway that we're using, why don't we just add that to our document so it's disclosed?

Your Honor, too. It is a public place. And if it's communicated in the contract when they rent it, I agree 100%. But it's not, if you look at these webcams around the country, I've been looking at it for years, there's people in them all over the place. It's, you know, they're just everywhere. I think it's a really good deal. Good for our city.

Right, and I did speak with Ryan Tuxeth with Visit Fergus Falls and Dr. James Lamon with Economic Development and just asked, you know, what do you think of this and, you know, what are your thoughts? Because, you know, we all work together and they thought it would be a good supportive tool for both promoting Fergus Falls as a destination for tourism as well as future economic and current economic activity. So I'd love to put Fergus Falls on the same map like we did back with Chris Tongseth, you know, getting some nationwide publicity. You know, we're not Itasca State Park, nor are we Las Vegas, but we're Fergus Falls, and we've got a pretty cool downtown and a lot of good activity to highlight.

Mark, you had a question?

YEAH, THANK YOU. IT'S GOOD INFORMATION. THANK YOU. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CITY PROVIDING ELECTRIC, IT'S ONE THING TO HAVE AN ELECTRIC BILL, BUT WHO'S GOING TO DO THE INSTALLATION AND WHAT ARE THE REAL BUDGET COSTS OF THIS? NUMBER ONE, THE INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC, AND THEN WHAT KIND OF DRAW WE HAVE. I THINK THAT'S OUTSIDE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS CITY. I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING FOR A SERVICE CLUB TO DO, MAYBE THE CHAMBER TO DO, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OUR TAXPAYER. I've researched EarthCam myself. I don't have any ratios as to how many communities have accepted it. But I know there are communities that don't accept it. And it's a privacy issue. They're very concerned about their public. Mike brings up a point where people could go do goofy things in front of it. And like Kramer says, you know, there's people that do other goofy things on this thing. I just think it's outside the city's responsibility. I think someone else should do it if they want it. And I can't support this. Thank you.

I think one thing I would say is I think we probably should have the ability to terminate the contract. It doesn't seem like it's basically says on the modification amendment and assignment that basically once you've signed it, it's binding and we have no rights to change it. So I think if there was an issue of people performing goofy things in front of it and it obviously wasn't a good name for the city, we should have the ability to get out. somehow. You know, if there's kind of, if there's misuse of it.

Yes, as I read the contract, it says that either party may terminate at any time for 90 days notice.

Yeah. But it says you can't amend it or sign it. So, I don't know. Maybe we have to just have Rolf read the language to make sure we can get out. Right. I think we had a good discussion on it. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those against, say the same sign.

Aye.

The motion is approved. Is everybody good on the consent agenda?

No. Mark said no.

Mark said no. It will be an item on its own. Battery storage ordinance, Clara Beck.

Good morning, mayor and council members. Who's ready to talk about city code? Yay. Okay. So the planning commission has been working on a battery energy storage systems ordinance to be added to our code into chapter 154, which is our zoning code overseas. all of the planning related materials in our ordinances. If you want to move to the next one. Why do we need a battery energy storage ordinance? Battery energy storage is a newer and upcoming technology that is already in existence being used in many locations and the tech is just continuing to get better. We're going to be seeing projects popping up. We have seen projects pop up here in Fergus Falls over the last few years. They haven't moved forward, but at this point in time, we do know that Otter Tail Power is going to be doing a very large utility-scale battery energy storage project, so kind of UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT'S ON THE HORIZON, THAT OTHER UTILITIES OR EVEN JUST INDIVIDUAL USERS MAY BE INTERESTED IN ACCESSING AND USING TECHNOLOGY LIKE THIS, WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE HAVE A FRAMEWORK FOR REGULATIONS HERE IN THE CITY OF FERGUSON FALLS. GO TO THE NEXT ONE. IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO SEE, SORRY. THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS APPROVED TO MOVE ON TO THE CITY COUNCIL IS TWO TIERED. SO, ONE TIER IS SMALLER SYSTEMS THAT ARE PRIMARILY ACCESSORY TO OTHER Solar systems, either installed on houses or just smaller projects, kind of picture what's been going up at the government services center, those smaller arrays. There are opportunities for users to also have battery energy storage attached to that. So we would be reviewing those as a smaller scale project. And then we have a second tier, which is the larger, more utility scale. I will note something that we've learned recently in our discussions with Otter Tail Power is that projects that are 10 megawatt or larger are being reviewed and regulated by the state of Minnesota rather than your local municipalities. So just of note, I may make some changes between now and Monday in our code just to reflect the fact that we wouldn't be necessarily the ones regulating those very, very large projects. OH, SORRY, CAN YOU GO BACK ONE? I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE ZONING. SO, SMALLER AND ACCESSORY STRUCTURE SYSTEMS, WE ARE PROPOSING TO ALLOW THOSE IN ANY ZONING DISTRICT, BE IT RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL, SO THAT PEOPLE JUST HAVE THE OPTION TO USE IT ON THE SYSTEMS THAT THEY MAYBE ALREADY HAVE IN EXISTENCE OR ARE THINKING OF ADDING TO THEIR CURRENT PROPERTIES add to their electrical systems. The large utility scale systems or those larger systems would be only allowed in residential agricultural or industrial districts. This is very similar to the language that we have in our solar ordinance, which is only allowing things like solar farms in the residential agricultural We actually don't have options for industrial at this point, but kind of restricting that zoning a little bit to areas with a lot larger space, maybe not next to residential areas. That lends itself better to the residential, agricultural, and industrial lands.

Okay.

So going along with the two tracts of sizes that we would be regulating, we would also have different permitting structures. The tier one review would be strictly administrative, which we do for other kinds of systems that are coming into the city, like a small telecommunications facility is something that we can review administratively. THE APPLICATION WOULD BE COMING IN, IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE OUR BUILDING OFFICIAL, SO JASON SHOOTSLEY, WHO WOULD BE THE ONE TAKING IN THAT APPLICATION INITIALLY, AND THEN SHARING IT WITH FIRE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. WE WOULD ALL DO A REVIEW TOGETHER. BUT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT IS THE ONE WHO KIND OF OWNS THAT PERMANENT PROCESS. THE APPLICATION WOULD THEN BE REVIEWED, AND A NOTICE OF EITHER APPROVAL OR DEFICIENCY WOULD BE PROVIDED TO THEM, TO THE APPLICANT, WITHIN 60 DAYS. The tier two we would run through a conditional use permit process. So that's a familiar process with our planning commission and with our city council. It involves notification to 350 feet around a project area and then a public hearing component as part of that approval process. And then the final approval process is having it before city council. So a little bit more control can go into those larger projects. The city would have the ability to be placing conditions, whether that be depending on the location, extra screening requirements, access, making sure that access is controlled, things like that. So stuff that you could add in there to make a specific project a little bit safer for the community. So the ordinance, we did not recreate the wheel with this ordinance. Some of the language is carrying over from our solar ordinance, but a lot of it is based on model ordinances that have been done around the country related to battery energy storage projects and relies very heavily on fire code and international building code regulations. So we are referencing specifically a lot of national safety standards that are then adopted at the state level. AND THEN ARE REGULATED ON A LOCAL LEVEL. WE ARE ALSO TOUCHING ON EXISTING REGULATIONS THAT WE HAVE IN CITY CODE LIKE OUR NOISE ORDINANCE AND THEN AGAIN USING THAT FAMILIAR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT PROCESS TO DO THE ACTUAL APPROVAL OF SOME OF THOSE LARGER PROJECTS. ONE OF THE THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT THESE LARGER PROJECTS, AND WE DO ALSO HAVE LANGUAGE REFERRING TO SMALLER PROJECTS, IS THAT AS SOON AS IT'S NOT OPERATIONAL ANYMORE, SO THERE ARE LIFESPANS TO THESE PRODUCTS SIMILAR TO SOLAR PANELS, WHICH GET 25 TO MAYBE 30 YEARS OF LIFE. I THINK SOME ARE EXPANDING BEYOND THAT NOW AS THE TECHNOLOGY IS GETTING BETTER, BUT IN GENERAL, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A LIFESPAN TO THESE BATTERIES. THERE MUST BE A DECOMMISSIONING PLAN ON FILE WITH THE CITY. THAT DECOMMISSIONING PLAN IS ENSURING THAT THERE IS A CLEAR REMOVAL TIMELINE, SO IF THE PROJECT IS ESSENTIALLY ABANDONED OR IS NOT USED ANYMORE, THEY NEED TO GET THAT, ALL OF THOSE MATERIALS OFF OF THE SITE WITHIN 12 MONTHS. AND THEN THE, IT ALSO ENSURES THAT THERE IS A FINANCIAL COMPONENT TIED TO IT SO IT'S NOT THE CITY WHO'S ON THE HOOK FOR ANY KIND OF REMOVAL, IT IS THE COMPANY WHO HAS BEEN OPERATING THAT SYSTEM THAT IS GOING TO STATE TO THE CITY and update every five years a plan that says we have this bond in place or this financial assurance in place that we can financially remove these products so they're not just sitting in your community. So this has been kind of a long process. We did start this discussion with the Planning Commission actually back in 2025. After we had been approached as a port authority about a battery energy storage project, we kind of slowly started talking about what does it look like to include some of this language in our city code. We started some work back in 2025, and now we've gotten to the point here where we're feeling really comfortable with the ordinance language as it's been presented. So Planning Commission did their final review at their July meeting, passed it on unanimously to City Council for review, and that's where we are today. So I'm happy to take any questions or make any changes or adjustments to the language as you see fit.

Somebody can make the motion. I'll make that and have a question. Thank you, Scott. Thank you, Scott.

Actually, two questions. You've mentioned the state and their 10 megawatt level. Will you end up creating a third tier then, or will that still fall under the same category as the tier two that you had presented?

It's going to be kind of its own category, but Andrew can maybe help kind of guide this part of the discussion a little bit, but the state is handling all of that permitting. The only possible touch points that we would be having as a community for these really large projects would be related to emergency response. AND SOME POTENTIAL PIECES OF BUILDING CODE, BUT THAT IS STILL KIND OF UP IN THE AIR WHAT THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE. SO IT WOULD BE A SEPARATE APPROVAL PROCESS THAT WOULD NOT BE USING THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT PROCESS.

OKAY, I GUESS WITH THAT, comes to how it might affect us is whether or not we've got any say in the project going forward or not and to what degree we'd have any say in where it might be cited and that kind of thing. So if the state says we approve it, the city just says, well, thank you very much? Is that kind of how it could go if they were to do that?

Essentially. over Kwame, if they fall into that category of over 10 megawatts, then they are regulated by the PUC. They're preempting everything, including local zoning. So we really, you know, we trust that our partner, if it's Otter Tail Power, and it likely would be Otter Tail Power if it's of that scale, we trust that our long-term partnership with Otter Tail Power would come into play and we would you know, be able to have dialogue about something that wouldn't be good for our city or that would be good for our city. But in essence, the PUC regulations and oversight would preempt all local rules, regulations, zoning, the whole nine yards. Okay.

Well, it's very interesting. And I guess we have the advantage of good relationships with our local utilities and with our state people that we work with and our lobbyists and all of that. So we've We've probably got a good chance of having some input even though it wouldn't be in an official position. The second question I had regarding the removal plans, if they were to have a cash bond or escrow or something like that, would that be with the city? Would that be something that we would hold the money then or is it something that we're just informed that they've got it in the piggy bank somewhere or how does that actually get done?

We could probably do it a few different ways. In my head, it would be something that they're just assuring us of in a written form every five years, updating those costs, letting us know that they have the financial ability to be removing it. If we feel more comfortable having an escrow, having some sort of bond in place, then we could probably discuss that. But in my mind, it's always simply been there's a written agreement that they're going to be removing this and they're on the hook for it.

Laurel. Al, then Laurel. Go ahead, Laurel. Al's being a gentleman this morning.

Go ahead, Laurel.

A couple of things. On the bond thing, could we have a situation where in the agreement with the city, if they don't come forward within the 12 months and pay for it, where we could then certify it to their property taxes? So that would be one question. Could that be in the agreement? Because that would give us some backup. And then the second is, is when you referred to the zones that this would be allowed in for the Tier 2, Is there anything, one, do you have a map that shows so everybody can see what that is? And then two, is there anything in there that we want to have a buffer off of our regular residential zones where so many feet from adjoining other zones? To me, that might be something that we should look at so we have buffers from our homeowners.

Yeah, we can certainly, I'm just making notes on my ordinance here to add some changes. So yes, I think that is something we could add language about certifying to property taxes if it is not removed within 12 months. Would the intent then be that the city would be doing that removal?

I don't know if that's the intent, but I'm just trying to figure out a way where we're not having to have Bill and our financial staff hold money and create more rigmarole, but yet if we get on the hook for something or something's not getting taken care of, we've got to know financially where we're covered.

I might have that worded as if the city has to remove any pieces of the system that it would be certified. I can work on that language a little bit with Rolf before Monday. And then buffering for zoning. Yep, I think that's something we could absolutely add in there. The difficulty just becomes that one of the options for our larger projects is a residential zone. So we just have to be careful about how we would craft that so that they're not somehow having to buffer themselves into their own site. But that's certainly doable. Do you have an idea of what we would like to see for...

No, I guess I just, I want it to be a situation where we're not negatively impacting health and well-being of neighboring property owners and or negatively affecting our property values because you look at the places that are close to the solar, for example, there is some negative impact to those property owners and we can't decrease our tax base. We need to be growing our tax base, not decreasing it.

Yeah, I can think about what that could look like and what would make sense.

Al? I've had a discussion probably a year and a half ago, two years, with an acquaintance of mine who happens to live just outside the city limits, and his brother actually is employed by the city of Fergus Falls. This individual works for the federal government. He controls a lot of the grid of the United States, and I would definitely talk to somebody like that before we jump into making a lot of decisions on ordinance, because he is... I don't think there's anybody more well-versed than him, and I'd be glad to give you his name or I can have him reach out to you also. But I think that would be a wonderful idea to do that and to continue on with this. This is what he does every day, and he is connected all over the country. So I would recommend that.

Okay.

Mark.

I yield to Mr. Mortenson.

Thank you, Mr. Layton, Your Honor. I'M GOING THE OTHER WAY. EVERYBODY'S LOOKING AT THE BIG STUFF ON THE BIG SIDE, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT AND AFFECTS A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT I WANT TO GO DOWN TO THE TIER ONE, THE SMALL SIDE, AND THAT AFFECTS MY NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR TO ME. THE ONLY THING THAT I REALLY NEED IS I NEED TO MAYBE HAVE A DESCRIPTION OR A PICTURE OF WHAT THAT TIER ONE SYSTEM CAN LOOK LIKE IN MY NEIGHBOR'S BACKYARD. IF IT'S JUST, LIKE YOU SAY, A SMALL GREEN BOX AND UP TO WHAT LEVEL CAN THEY HAVE IN THIS R1 DISTRICT, BECAUSE if this thing can be growing up to, I know there's so many kilowatts, but if it can be growing pretty big in somebody's backyard, I think I just want to know that before I have the ability to vote on it, what I'm voting on for my neighbor next door to me.

You got it.

Mark. Again, I agree with Mr. Mortenson. What facilities are we talking about? Is this a single box like a cargo container, or is this a battery farm? What is Otter Tail's initial thoughts as to what they want to install?

It's a very large system, over 10 megawatts, which essentially is going to be a multiple-acre site. So it is large, and it has standalone... There's a component that's on the ground that they place the batteries on, and they are large like a structure. I can try to bring a picture of what that looks like, but that is not what you would see in a home system. It's very much a utility scale, very large system.

Well, I heard you and maybe I misunderstood when you said that this policy was being developed because of the initial contact with Otter Tail Power.

They are good- It's actually a different company, but yes.

Okay, so I'm focusing on that. not really focusing on the smaller units that may be in a backyard. But regardless if it's big or little, I'm not so sure has anyone talked to the fire department in regards to what we do when these things catch on fire.

YEP. SO ON ONE OF MY SLIDES, I NOTED WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS ORDINANCE DRAFTING PROCESS. IT HAS INCLUDED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT. SO THEY HAVE REVIEWED MULTIPLE DRAFTS OF THIS AND FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH WHERE THE LANGUAGE IS. IN OUR LARGER SCALE SYSTEMS, THERE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN, WHICH WOULD BE DRAFTED WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE GETTING INTO WITH A PROJECT LIKE THIS AND HOW THEY WOULD BE RESPONDING.

JIM? Is there noise involved with this? There is.

It's minimal noise, but there is. It has been reported that there are noises, which is why we include restrictions on noise levels tied to our other noise regulations elsewhere in code.

To follow up, Mr. Fish, yes, I've heard some communities don't like them because of the noise. And I've also heard, do we have equipment to fight them, Ryan? Just a regular fire, throw foam on it? A lot of times they just need to burn out.

But the technology's changed.

There's different components now that are, quote-unquote, safer. They're not quite as reactive.

Yeah, I mean, it could be very caustic. I would like to see more information come in front of the Committee of the Whole and, you know, maybe some presentations from Otter Tail. Then I think we can make a better decision. Thank you.

I think what we're looking at is an ordinance. I mean, I think if the specific projects, Otter Tail Power is going to have to come and there's going to be CUP. This is like, I mean, we're not talking about, we haven't got anything specific that we're kind of really discussing. handling. This is basically the broad basic rules of application. You know, for tier two systems, you know, then it's going through the planning commission, it's going through conditional use permit, it's going to go through public hearings. So I think asking Autotel Power to come and give a presentation on what they want, they don't necessarily know what they want at this point in time.

We'll end, Your Honor. They don't need to.

No.

Like I said, they don't follow our rules. They follow the state's rules. They may do a conditional use permit because they want to be good partners. They don't have to. They don't have to ask us for anything on the project that they're looking at. So whether or not we pass those ordinance, they can proceed with the project that they're proposing, they're working on. I can sit here today and confidently say they're gonna come before you at some point as a courtesy and as a partner and tell you exactly what's happening. And just to take it a step further, maybe to ease the concerns of Humphrey and Relayton, we have appointed Ryan and Jason, the building official and the fire chief, as the points of contact from this point forward on that project with ottertail power so that's the angle in which we're looking at it from that we want them to be aware of exactly what that structure that component that project is made of because these guys will be the ones responding should something ever happen so i want them to be very intimately involved but i don't want that to be confused with the fact that we have any role quite frankly in this process

And I appreciate everything being done at the administration level. Don't get me wrong. But I've not heard of those conversations. I didn't know that Ryan was working with them. I didn't know Shootsy was working with them. I didn't know that Otter Tail Power, and I'm assuming they would come in with a battery. And I appreciate Hicks' position. This is more procedural. But how can we... establish a policy when we don't even know what we're doing and we don't know what's potentially coming in and Otter Tail would be our first friend. I'm not saying that they need to come in, I'm just saying What's up?

What I would say, Your Honor, comes in related. You've got to separate the two issues. They're not related, what Autotow Power is doing in this ordinance. So I think we need to separate those two. And we're just getting prepared because this battery energy storage system concept is becoming more and more popular. throughout the country and so we want to be prepared for this the projects that fall within our oversight to make sure we have the rules in place to do that but I I don't want to confuse the two because this has nothing to do with a project again the size of Otter

I think as well, this is a council that wants to deregulate, not regulate. So we're going down a path now where we're adding regulation, stacking regulation. And, you know, that's kind of one thing that we've always said that we want to get away from, you know, rules and more rules and more rules and make it easier for people to do things that they want to do. So I think, you know, we have to kind of bear that in mind. It's like, you know, we keep writing, you know, the more rules and regulations we put in place, then the less likelihood anybody wants to do anything.

And I guess that's a good point. If I were to bring something in my backyard, do we really need an ordinance? It's most likely a UL-approved product.

Yeah, per our ordinance, they must be UL-approved.

Yes. So why are we in the way?

Yeah, exactly. I mean, that's kind of where it's like if we're not careful, we're going to regulate ourselves out of doing anything.

I THINK IN A GENERAL SENSE, WHETHER IT'S THIS SPECIFIC KIND OF AN ORDINANCE OR ANY OTHER ONE, THE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BUILD THINGS, THE MORE THAT THEY CAN JUST READ THE PERMIT, KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, AND FOLLOW IT AND GET THEIR PERMITS AND MOVE ON WITHOUT HAVING TO GO THROUGH PLANNING COMMISSION, WITHOUT HAVING TO GO THROUGH ALL THE COUNCIL REVIEWS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THE EASIER IT MAKES IT FOR THEM. AND TO YOUR POINT, ANTHONY, I THINK THAT THAT'S BUSINESS FRIENDLY. THAT'S HELPFUL TO PEOPLE. But you need to have the ordinance in order for that to work. So in a sense, we're writing a rule, and it maybe sounds like, oh, we're adding to it, but it actually is working toward opening the door, making things easier by having this in place, and so I support it.

Mike, your honor, I agree with you 110% on the big end of this, the big end where the corporations come in, we, you know, the revenue and this and that, the thing that, that we're looking at here, those were writing an ordinance for also the little homeowner and the big guys at the same time. So all, like I said before, all I really need, cause I'm going to let the big guys roll. We're going to do it. I just need to know what's going to be in my neighbor's backyard. And once I have a picture of that, this thing can go on the consent Jen or whatever it is, and I'm good to go.

And I think if we're going to do that, Mike, I think we then should add, I mean, do we have an ordinance about generators in people's shots?

Not in zoning code. I don't know if maybe it exists elsewhere.

Because at this point, I mean, you can have a generator in your yard, and then there's no ordinance. So what's the difference? We allow a generator, but we're not going to let you have a battery backup system. So if you're going to regulate, then regulate everything. Are you saying we don't even need Tier 1? Take away people's ability to make a decision for themselves, and we'll regulate everything.

So are you suggesting we don't even do Tier 1, and we just concentrate on Tier 2?

I mean, what's the difference between a generator and a battery backup?

I mean, that's not a bad point. Generators are really noisy. Yeah, exactly. They are.

So, I mean, I think we have to kind of start understanding that we're regulated and we're putting our thumb on people, which is exactly what we say we don't want to do.

I agree 100%, Your Honor. I'm not opposed to just tier two.

I still think you should follow, get a picture of what they look like. And I agree, I'd like to see a picture of it. But you're right, the generators can be from the size of this desk to three times the size, and you can have one in your yard.

So what we could do for tier one, then, is take out the requirement for receiving some sort of a permit from the city, but still maintain that they have to get, they must meet building and fire code for those things. So there's still language in there for somebody who's like, I would like to add a battery to my house.

And I think you could probably have a size requirement. I mean, I think, obviously, if it gets so big, there should be a size limit.

I agree with you, Your Honor. I agree with you very much. I brought in engineered buildings before, and then the city has to put their engineer on it. It's already been done by the manufacturer. And when it comes to electricity, you all have already got it done. It's already legal to be sold in Minnesota. Get out of the way.

On that note, I guess if they're being installed, they're being installed most likely by a licensed electrician. That means it's being inspected. So then at that point, does building and fire code, I mean, isn't the inspector dealing with that to some extent?

Yeah, so it would still be Jason who would be going, like if they are having an electrician. Well, the electrical inspector is the state. The state, but then Jason would still have, I think, under his, he would still be accompanying on an inspection. Right. Yeah.

So I think Monday night, obviously some language tweaks, but I think it would be good to bring a picture. You know, pictures tell a thousand sort of words. So everybody good to move on?

Was there a motion? To make sure we're clear, like a generator would still be subject to noise ordinances. Right, yeah. I want the narrative leaving today to be... you know, you can put a generator anywhere, everywhere with no regulation. Because the reality is there are some things that are regulated, but the point's well put. I just want to be clear that there are other, there are quote-unquote rules that still apply despite the fact we don't have zoning and things like that. Just to be clear.

So basically there's a motion obviously for, you know, to adopt this proposed ordinance to move it forward to Monday evening. Yep. So.

But are we going to want to do, we're going to want to review changes before we get to that point. But I think it would be good to review the changes on Monday. Yes. So I would say this would just, we wouldn't be getting to that first reading. An agenda item on Monday. Yep.

Your Honor, there's no rush to this. No. It's not tied to anything. It could be years before we see a project. I think it's probably most prudent to just push it to another committee of the whole. and have extra time to bring information, let you all think about it, grab those pictures, and not clog up a city council meeting with the discussion, because it won't be ready for action after that discussion.

Your Honor, would it be prudent to send out, remember, was it three years ago we had a presentation from somebody that came in about the battery storage? Yep, Port Authority. Maybe just to send that out so we can see what was really going to remind us again what it was.

Yeah, that would have been a utility scale one. That's a good example to pull back out.

It would be good just to see what it is.

Okay, so it'll just move on then.

We do have a motion on the second on the floor, and it was Kwame and Rachel, so perhaps they could amend their motion to direct us to bring it back to the next committee in the hall.

So moved. Yeah, I'll agree to that. All those in favor?

So the motion is approved to bring it back to committee of the whole.

The next item is a mutual non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement with GFY Custom Crafts LLC. Again, Clara Beck requesting action as a recommendation to the council to authorize the mayor and city administrator to execute an NDA with GFY Custom Crafts LLC.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. There is a group of individuals interested in either potentially redeveloping, purchasing some sort of project at the regional treatment center, which the city owns. They would like the ability to speak to council slash port authority about staff, et cetera, with some sort of agreement in place that says that unnecessary details or proprietary information is not being shared more widely. The city would still obviously be beholden to data practices and open meeting laws in relation to any project discussions. But this is an agreement that, in my mind, essentially is saying we're willing to play ball with these people who are interested in looking at our RTC and trying to find some sort of a project that would be a right fit. So the request is allow the mayor and city administrator to sign and then move forward with some discussions. I'll make that motion.

Second.

Thank you, Laurel and Laura. Any discussion? Scott?

Having an NDA with this company or any other one would not prevent us from talking to anybody else. This isn't the kind of exclusion thing that we've had in the past where, okay, these guys are making a deal. We can't talk to anybody else until that deal either happens or not. So this is not that kind of an agreement, right?

No, and neither party is under any obligation to move forward with a project. This is just saying that we're not going to be sharing proprietary information outside of conversations.

Very good.

And in fact, I believe this group is open to other people coming in and saying, hey, we'd like to fit ourselves into a larger project. So if people are interested.

Any other questions? If not, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All those against, same sign. Thank you. Hearing none, the motion is approved. Everybody good with that on the consent agenda?

Yes.

Yeah. The next item is a Wright Park donation discussion. Council member Mortensen has been working with a local company on getting some funds. So over to Mike.

Yeah, I appreciate it, Your Honor. It's kind of ironic that I'm not the flower guy, but I'm in the flower business here with getting this done for the city if we can. I want to bring it to the council and to the community today to just discuss kind of what's going on to – kind of get the thumbs up and have them aware of where we're at. A local company had come to me as a council member and said, hey, we'd like to do something in the community to beautify the community, and we'd like to put in some money to do that. And so it was Bimbo's Bakeries Corporation that would like to couple with the city and with Nature's Garden World to put flowers down in Wright Park. And so many of you in the community or on the council probably remember when we were younger that that area was lined with flowers all the way down the backside of it. And you could see through to the trestle bridge. And it was just, I think every spring when they went in there, you'd be like, wow, this looks really good. And that's kind of the goal that Bimbo Bakeries and I and Nature's Garden World are looking for again. What we're looking at, and this year for sure, is they're going to put in 330 perennial plants in the first third of Wright Park. Now I can't even imagine what 330 plants looks like in an area, but these are going to be put in as perennials, pollinators, all different things spread out through the first third of the park from about the statue going south. And they're going to be along the edge like they used to be years ago. They're not going to be up where the flags are, up where the sidewalk is. So they'll be on the back edge of the probably 20 feet or so with it. Nature's Garden World has volunteered to professionally design the project so this is not just a couple of flowers thrown in here or there. There is a design that's out there that we're going to share with the city here soon that shows these put into different clumps and patterns to really make them look good for the long haul. The exciting thing about this is that it's the first step to kind of restoring that park for visitors that are downtown. We've got Spee's Riverfront Park, we've got the Boutique Hotel, we've got everything right in that area now. And I think the one thing Bimbo's Bakery and I were looking at is we're kind of lacking in that right park. And this is designed to make this kind of a destination when they're walking down there that they will walk through the park. And so in the future, there may be looking at some walking paths, maybe some lighting, some different things in that area. But the first step this year is to put 330 plants along the first third of it. Now, Bimbo Bakeries and I have discussed this and they can't commit totally, but they're committed to wanting to do this. They want to make this a three-year project. And so this first year will be the first third with 330 plants along that wall. Next year will be another 300 and some plants along that wall. And then the last year, the third year, should take all of Wright Park along that wall from the statue all the way down to the railroad tracks on the south. And so this should leave that whole area about 20 feet wide with all kinds of perennial plants and then some annuals just speckled in every year that will be in the front of it. This is, in my mind, a pretty substantial change to that park, a pretty substantial change to what we view and the traffic that goes by there. And I think it'll be a pretty substantial change to how people walk around the boutique hotel and that area. So I appreciate their participation in it. I appreciate the city so far in doing it. And I really appreciate Nature's Garden World for the professionalism and designing this to go forward. There's a few things that come from the council to talk about. How do you maintain this? How do we water it? How do we do those things? But I'll do that with city staff. But for now, I think this is a great project that I'd like the council to support going forward, and I'm here to answer any questions for you if you need it.

I don't know if it would be for Mike or Guy, but I know that doing this, there's going to be maintenance throughout the whole summer, and we have the staff to take care of it. Is it going to be maybe John? Nature's going to tell you how much maintenance it's going to take to do it, too. I don't know.

Yeah, definitely will take a lot of time. When it was a garden in the past, probably 15 years ago, we had a dedicated staff person there all summer long. So if we get to the point where the whole length of the park is planted, it will require additional staff.

It does need. I mean, I'm agreed 100%. I just want to know. Mr. Layton, I'm sure, is going to talk about that in his budget.

That's all.

Mayor Scott, since it's a significant donation from both Bimbo and Nature's Garden World, will they be recognized with any signage in the project or any other way that it would be known that they're doing this? Or does they just doing this without any recognition?

Well, I appreciate that, Mr. Comey. And from my standpoint, we've talked a little bit as a city of maybe having a plaque there along the walk, you know, along the flowers and different things like that. I know that Bimbo Bakeries is not looking for big headlines on this. They're not looking for anything large. But I think it's a nice gesture on our end for both Nature's Garden World and for Bimbos to just have a plaque that say, hey, these were donated by them, if that's something. And I think that would be appropriate.

I know Beanbow has done a number of other things around the city and there is kind of, as you say, a small plaque that thanks them for their community support.

Laura. I thank you, Mr. Mortenson, for working on this and city staff. I think it's important for the community. I think it's very visible to people coming in and out of Fergus. And I think showing we're taking care of it and finding a way to do so is important. That being said, multiple years ago, there was a study about a future plan for Wright Park where there was kind of a master plan. I don't know if it's a master plan by definition, or what it was and there was a community meeting in which I attended down there and there was different options set up including like a viewing platform over the river and things of that nature. I'm wondering if there's been any conversation about looking back at that so what we're doing is in step with what at one point this community wanted to see along Wright Park.

Anybody recall that?

Up until now, we haven't looked at that plan in relation to this project, but that's a good point. That plan was, yeah, passed by the council and accepted. It was. Good look at it.

Yep. I forgot about that until you just said it for the first time. It was a student project, and I would estimate about seven years ago.

It was prior to COVID, I think. Yeah. Yep. So I'm not saying we don't do this. I think it's important to do this, but I think there were components of that plan. There was a very good community turnout to that meeting down there, and there were poster boards set up with different options. I just want to make sure what we're doing, if that's still out there as a potential initiative, that we're not spending money twice.

Al? My daughter was a member of the garden club here in town. And they would clean up the river walk ever so often. And I would like to see groups like that get involved with this. Because, you know, that might help alleviate some of the labor costs. And when people have skin in the game, they really take care of things. And I would love to see that because that just brings community involvement. I didn't know about that plan either, Laurel, so thank you for that. And I think, you know, so it does show that there was interest and involvement at that time. And I know that that garden club was still active, and I'm sure that we could get in contact with some of those people And there's others out there that like to garden and be outside and would like to help beautify our city. I'd also like to thank Bell Bank for their donation for those flowers around the statue itself. Going to them and ask them to, hey, can you help us beautify our city for our 250th birthday here of our country? And they did. So I really appreciate Bell Bank for doing that also. Kind of a good start.

So I don't think there's any decision to be made today, per se. It was just more informational. So I think once there's a design, maybe we can, and then they can, we can bring it back. Your Honor, I appreciate it.

The design is there. The plants are ready to go in the ground. They'll be soon. Good. So what I'm thinking and what Councilmember Kildee's talking about, I think this is just a good start to get going. This is, you know, 80 feet by 20 feet on the one top side of it. I do believe we should come back to the plan or a plan. Now, the thing is, the council can giveth and the council can taketh. You know, that plan was a long time ago. We can make a plan that we want, and I think it'll be built off of what we're doing here, and I think the council, once they see this kind of going in there... The plan that maybe was there could be, this could be completely different. But this is the top third, and I'd like the council just to say, hey, can we go forward with this?

I'd make a motion if we need a motion to move forward with us. Second.

Okay, so we have a motion and a second from Laurel and seconded by Al to move forward with the plan of working with Bimbo and Nature's Garden World on the first phase of a three-year project. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those against, same sign. Hearing none, the motion is approved. Put that on the consent agenda.

Can we at least dig up that plan so we can get that out and at least have it in our eyes?

I think, yeah, I've made a note of that. I think if we can dig the plan up and just circulate it to council prior to Monday, it doesn't necessarily have to be in the packet, but if we can find it and circulate it. Right, the next item on the agenda is project updates by city engineer Kyle, and there's plenty to talk about.

YES, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. JUST GENERALLY, CONSTRUCTION'S BEEN GOING VERY WELL WITH THE DRY WEATHER, THE HOT WEATHER THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING. WE'VE BEEN SEEING SOME GOOD PROGRESS. SO I'M GOING TO START ON LAKE ALICE GRIT CHAMBERS. SO THIS IS THE STORM SEWER WORK THAT WE'RE DOING JUST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE. WE'RE PUTTING IN SOME GRIT CHAMBERS TO ELIMINATE THE SEDIMENT THAT'S ROLLING INTO THE LAKE FROM THE STORM SEWER SYSTEM. The contractor has started work on Lake Alice grit chambers. They've started putting in some of the manholes, making some of the tie-ins. It'll be a short little project, but as of today, they're still waiting for the large chambers to come in. And once those come in, they'll install those, then make the final connection over to the lake. So getting close there on that project. Once they get those large chambers in and get those installed, then we'll finish up the street work and that project will be completed. Moving over to Cavour Avenue and the alleyway project. So we've been working there for a while. making good progress on that. Utility work is getting close to being completed. We're towards the east end on Mill with the utility work, working east, so about another block or so, and we'll have all the utilities installed. A portion of the street work has already been, and when I say street work, The dirt work and gravel work has been done on that first section on the west. The subcontractor that does that work will be coming in this week and start working from that point working east. So that gravel will start getting installed. Once we get all that gravel installed, then we move on to concrete work. So we'll put in curb and gutter, start paving and sidewalks after that. So, you know, on the next... week or so we'll start seeing some of that. So seeing good progress on Kavor. Out at the landfill, the new cell that we built, central specialties out there, completed work a couple weeks ago now on the new cell out at the landfill. So finished up some grading that they needed to complete. One of the rainfalls was right after they had done some of their sand work, so we got some We had some running out there that we had them come back and fix. Once they did that, we got some of that. Scott was going to throw some material on there to get it covered. So we didn't have that same running. So he was able to get that done. So that project, for the most part, is finished up. As far as construction goes, we're just going to do final inspections and final payment. moving to Cleveland Avenue. Cleveland Avenue, we basically have all of the curb and gutter and pavement completed on the project. So if you've been out there and seen where that's at lately, we're done with the road work. We'll be moving into driveways and sidewalk for concrete work and then final restoration. But if you go out there today and look at that road where it is now, You'll see on the curb we're leaving it just a little short of what the final elevation of the pavement is going to be. We're going to wait until next year to put that final wear course on, and we bid it that way. Now we'll get a winter, get our settlement out of it. If there's any settled spots or broken up spots in that road, we'll have the contractor fix those next spring, next summer, and do that final work for us so we get a nice, clean product when we're all done.

Do we know when that one will open up for traffic?

We can pretty much open it up now. Can I ask a question?

Just with the congestion of Freiburg, we're forcing traffic into places. I noticed the police chief's nodding because they've had people going around barriers. Sure.

I had a question from a parent on the top of the sledding hill along Cleveland. If there's going to be an access, not just at the corners, like a lip that's easier for strollers and things like that, that's not just at the corners. And I thought that was an interesting question. I don't know if it's appropriate or not, but a lot of people park along there and they were just, you know, there's a long distance until you get to the corner where there would be a lip.

The answer is no. Okay.

And that's what I figured at this stage.

Yeah, at this stage, that's a high back curb, so it's a straight up and down curb. It's not the drive over curb like you've maybe seen in some other parts of town, but no, we are not putting any drive over type curb in that area. OKAY, MOVING ON TO OUR DOUGLAS AVENUE PROJECT. SO THAT PROJECT IS MOVING ALONG VERY QUICKLY. ALL OF THE UTILITIES ARE INSTALLED. ALL OF THE DIRT WORK AND GRAVEL WORK IS INSTALLED. WE STAKE THAT FOR CURB AND GUTTER, AND SO NEXT STEP THERE IS CURB AND GUTTER TO BE INSTALLED AND THEN START PAVING. SO THAT PROJECT'S MOVING QUICKLY. AND THEN FROM THERE, AGAIN, SIDEWALKS AND DRIVEWAYS AFTER THAT. moving along very nicely on Douglas. Freiburg and Pebble Lake, we just started that this week. Mayor just talked about that. Our plan, so where the work is gonna start is obviously it has started now on Freiburg and then they'll move over to Pebble Lake Drive. The work on Freiburg, we originally planned in there to have that left open to traffic while they did that work. We had a proposal from the contractor last week at the pre-con, and he proposed if we could close down Freiburg for a week and a half, we can get in there and get it completely done from A to Z in that week and a half and get it open and have it done prior to school starting. So as a city, we looked at that. and agreed that we'd allow them to do that. So this week, that's where we shut down Freiburg and we're detouring traffic around that. But by the middle of next week, that piece should be completed with the overlay work on the street. And then the contractor will move over to Pebble Lake Drive and we'll do that portion of the project as well. Okay, moving to D. Lagoon Park Road. Had the pre-construction on that project last week as well. That is the same contractor that's doing Freiburg and Pebble Lake. So once they finish up Pebble Lake, they'll move over and start on D. Lagoon. So that'll be in the next couple of weeks. We'll be starting on D. Lagoon.

Obviously, you're not going to close Pebble Lake like you did...

We will not do that on Pebble Lake. That is still traffic flow. Traffic flow will remain in place on Pebble Lake.

That's likely to be like a three-week project then?

Yeah, two and a half to three weeks, yep. Lead service line replacement, we're actually bidding that project on Monday. Once we get bids on that, figure out who that is. That work will get done yet this fall. The mill and overlay on Vine Street, that project is underway. The contractor is in there. We're replacing some of the curb around the corners for the most part, making that ADA compliant as required when we do this type of work. So once they get to those corners paved with concrete, then they'll go in and mill the street and overlay it. So about another week or so of concrete work, and then we'll get to paving. THE SEAL COAT PROJECT, THAT PROJECT HAS BEEN DONE AND IS COMPLETED AND TOTALLY DONE. AND THEN THE DAIRY TRAIL PROJECT THAT WE HAVE, WE STILL HAVE TO HAVE A PRECON ON THAT PROJECT YET, BUT THAT WILL BE THIS FALL. CONTRACTOR IS PLANNING TO START HERE THE END OF THIS MONTH OR EARLY SEPTEMBER. So those are the all of the active construction projects. We have started out on the dairy with the surveying as far as the railroad crossings go. We're working on putting together our cross sections there to submit to the railroad to get that final approval from them. as well as surveyors out on the 2027 projects that we approved our contracts for. So that work has already started as well. So questions, comments for me?

Kyle, got a couple. You'd mentioned Lake Alice. That's my neighborhood. So I happened to actually talk to the contractors yesterday, and they said they were going to be off for a couple of weeks as they're waiting for the next step. So even though it's a quick project, as you recalled it, it's not going to be done for at least three weeks or so.

Yeah, so there will be some inactivity. They're waiting on those large grit chamber structures. Those are precast concrete structures that come in. But, yeah, it's going to be a couple weeks before those show up. Okay.

And the last question I had was on Cavor and the parking lot area, is there progress on the charging stations, electric vehicle charging stations?

I do need to do a little bit of work on that. We did get some preliminary information from Otter Tail. So I've got the actual, what the charging stations are. which I was surprised that they're just a small little pole with some plug-ins on it. So very simple piece to put in, but I got to do a little bit of work on that to add that in or to bring that to you to look at anyway, so.

would just like to have a comment for you kyle thank you for your presentation it was great today i think also too i'd like to thank the city council personally for getting these roads taken care of it is great to see the city getting some new roads so i sincerely say thank you for those votes to get this passed. I know the citizens love it. And I believe Mr. Council Member Mortensen had mentioned he wants to hear all the complaints about all the road work because then we know something's getting done and it's time. So thank you all for supporting this.

There's been a few complaints on the road work, but for the most part, it's been pretty good.

Yeah.

I think I would concur, Al. I mean, I've got people complaining, but the caveat to the complaint is, thank God, finally.

They complain with a smile. Some of them do, though. Yeah.

In fact, I had a conversation with Douglas, someone who lives on Douglas, and their comment was that the contractors, the people that they had interacted with that were doing the work over there, were the nicest people. They really were very complimentary of the crews that were working there and how they had been dealt with there. So they were very, very complimentary.

It's good to hear.

Mike. Your Honour, not every complaint comes with a smile. My wife said last night, right next to me in the car, she says, what has the council done to us? She said. And I said, just our job. So she had noticed it, especially when Freiburg got shut off. That was a big one with it. And I think we as a community know how important Cavour Avenue is to us to have that out. That's a huge thing. One question, if you can just give us a little insight. We have residents on 7th Avenue between Vine Street and kind of going to the west there that got kind of an overlay of crushed asphalt or something on their street, different things like that. Can you just explain what that was for and kind of if you're aware of that and what that's going to be? Because we're going to fix that road in the spring, but just a little insight to them if they're listening.

Thank you. So the road was in such terrible shape that we did just put down crushed asphalt. So that actually sets up. There's a lot of oil left in it yet. So with the temperatures, we feel it'll set up and be a good stopgap measure until next year.

I would normally say that's kind of a improper thing to do, but for that road, I think it was the best thing you could have ever done for it, seriously. And I can't believe that a crushed asphalt road in town is getting so much praise, so I appreciate that.

Thank you, Kyle. With that, obviously, August 17th, 5.30, City Council meeting, and then September 2nd, 7 o'clock, Committee of the Whole, and thank you for all those that voted yesterday, and thank you also very much for the people that gave up time being judges and manning the polling stations. With that, we are adjourned.