City Council - Regular Meeting

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All right, good evening everyone. This is the May 6, 2026 Cottage Grove uh City Council meeting which I'm calling to order. Uh the first order of business is the Pledge of Allegiance, so if you can please rise. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right, will the clerk please do the roll? Councilmember Clauson. Here. Councilmember Olson. Here. Councilmember Thiede. Here. Councilmember Garza. Here. Mayor Bailey. Here. Uh next on our agenda is open forum. This is the opportunity for anybody who wants to speak on something that's not on tonight's agenda is welcome to do so. I did see that we do have um three different people uh signed up uh for the same item. I will mention uh this particular item uh is on the agenda and it's in our consent, but as I think I mentioned to Paul, Paul? Yep, I uh was I'm planning to pull that off consent, so it'll give you an opportunity to speak. Our staff can also uh share any insights and then the council can ask questions, so if you're here for anything on that, I'll pull a wait until we have that opportunity uh during uh right after we're done with consent. But is there anybody else that wants to on anything that's not on tonight's agenda? All right, then. I'll go ahead and close uh the open forum, and we'll move to adoption of the agenda. I move I move to adopt the agenda.

All right. So, we've got a motion by Councilmember Klausing, second by Councilmember Bertothy. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Uh number six is presentations, and boy, do we have a lot this evening. Um so, what I think we'll do is I I'm I got asked that that we'll just kind of go kind of in order. We'll start with Councilmember Olson. Uh there's a bunch of proclamations. It is May, so there's it's like proclamation month. And so, what I'll ask is um for us to go through each one uh through it, and then at the end, we'll just do one motion to accept all of the proclamations, if everybody's good with that. Okay? So, the first one uh is National Public Works Week week uh publication, and Councilmember Olson, you're taking that one. Thank you, Mayor. Again, this is a proclamation declaring the week of May 17th through the 23rd, 2026 as National Public Works Week. And this year's theme for National Public Works Week is rooted in service, powered by community, and it reads as follows. Whereas public works professionals focus on infrastructure, facilities, and services that are of vital importance to sustainable and resilient communities, and to the public health, high quality of life, and well-being of the people of Cottage Grove. And whereas these infrastructure, facilities, and services could not be provided without the dedicated efforts of public works professionals who are engineers, managers, and employees at all levels of government and the private sector, who are responsible for rebuilding, improving, and protecting our nation's transportation, water supply, water treatment, and solid waste systems, public buildings, and other structures and facilities essential for our citizens.

And whereas, it is in the public interest for the citizens, civic leaders, and children in Cottage Grove to gain knowledge of and to maintain an ongoing interest and understanding of the importance of public works and public works programs in their respective communities. And whereas, the year 2026 marks the 66th annual National Public Works Week sponsored by the American Public Works Association and Canadian Public Works Association, be it now therefore, the mayor and city council of the city of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, do hereby designate the week of May 17th through the 23rd, 2026 as National Public Works Week. I urge all citizens to join with the representatives of the American Public Works Association and government agencies in activities, events, and ceremonies designed to pay tribute to our public works professionals, engineers, managers, and employees. And to recognize the substantial contributions they make to protecting our national health, safety, and quality of life for all. Passed this Wednesday, the 6th day of May, 2026. Signed by Myron Bailey, Mayor. All right, thank you, Council Member Olson. Uh we'll move to B, which is another proclamation. This one is National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day Proclamation. And Council Member Council Member Clausen, you're going to read that one. Uh thank you, Mayor. Um this one kind of hits home. Um cuz I actually I have a very good friend of mine whose name is on the wall in Washington, D.C. And sadly, if you stay in this business long enough, you're going to know somebody on that wall. So, uh this is a proclamation uh designating May 10th through 16th as National Police Week and uh Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15th. Whereas there are over approximately 900,000 law enforcement officers serving in communities across

the United States, including the dedicated members of the Cottage Grove Police Department. And whereas some 600 assaults against law enforcement officers are reported each year, resulting in over 16,000 injuries. And whereas since the first recorded death in 1791, over 25,000 law enforcement officers in the United States have made the ultimate sacrifice and have been killed in the line of duty. And whereas the names of these dedicated public servants are engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. And whereas uh this year two police officers names from Minnesota will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial from 2025, in addition to the national number of 109 officers who died in 2025. And whereas the service and sacrifice of all officers killed in the line of duty will be honored during the National Police Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund 38th Annual Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C. on the evening of Wednesday, May 13th, 2026. And whereas May 15th is designated as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of the fallen and their families. And whereas the first recognition of Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day was signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, it was resolved in Congress that May 15th be designated as Police Officers Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as Police Week. The purpose of Peace Officers Memorial Day is to honor the police officers at all levels of government who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. Uh now therefore the Mayor and City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, proclaim the week of May 10th through 16th, 2026 as National Police Week and Friday, May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, uh, Councilmember Lawson. Like, I didn't realize that that is fairly fitting that you were doing that one.

Uh, then we'll move down to, uh, C, which is the EMS week EMS week proclamation and, uh, Councilmember Garza, you're taking that one. Thank you, Mayor. [snorts]

This proclamation is for the week of May 17th through the 23rd, 2026, the Emergency Medical Service Week. Whereas emergency medical services are a vital public service and whereas the members of emergency medical services teams are ready to provide life-saving care to those in need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And whereas access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illnesses or injury. And whereas emergency medical services fill healthcare gaps by providing important out-of-hospital care, including preventive medicine, follow-up care, and access to telemedicine. And whereas the emergency medical service systems consist of first responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, police officers, educators, administrators, pre-hospital nurses, emergency nurses, emergency physicians, trained members of the public, and other out-of-hospital medical medical care providers. And whereas the members of emergency medical services teams, whether career or volunteer, engage in thousands of hours of specializing excuse me, of specialized training and continued education to enhance their lifestyles life-saving skills. And whereas it is appropriate to recognize the value and the accomplishments of Emergency Medical Services providers by designating the Emergency Medical Service Week. Now, therefore, the Mayor and City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, hereby proclaim the week of May 17th through 20 through the 23rd, 2026 as Emergency Medical Services Week in the City of Cottage Grove. Thank you, uh Councilmember Bergarza. Uh Councilmember Thiede, if you would

take the next one, which is D, Military Appreciation Month proclamation. I certainly will. [clears throat and cough]

Whereas, the City of Cottage Grove remains committed to supporting our local veterans and active duty personnel who have dedicated their lives to preserving the liberty and values we hold dear. And whereas, families of our military members serve with resilience and strength, providing the essential support that enables our heroes to protect our freedoms. And whereas, the month of May is recognized nationally as Military Appreciation Month, encompassing significant observances such as Loyalty Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day, Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day, providing a dedicated time for residents to express their profound gratitude. And whereas, public and private organizations across country urge the residents of our communities to acknowledge the sacrifices made by those in uniform and to support our military members and their families throughout the year. Now, therefore, the Mayor and City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, hereby proclaim the month of May 2026 to be designated as Military Appreciation Month. Thank you, Councilmember Thiede. We'll move to E, which Council member Rolston will be building safety month proclamation. Thank you, Mayor. Again, this is a proclamation declaring May 2026 Building Safety Month, and it reads as follows: Whereas, the City of Cottage Grove is committed to recognizing that our growth and strength depends on the safety and essential role our homes, buildings, and infrastructure play both in everyday life and when disaster strikes. And whereas, our confidence in the resilience of these buildings that make up our community is achieved through the devotion of vigilant guardians, building safety and fire prevention officials,

architects, engineers, builders, trades peoples, design professionals, laborers, plumbers, and others in the construction industry who work year-round to ensure the safe construction of buildings. And whereas, these guardians are dedicated members of the International Code Council, a nonprofit that brings together local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal officials who are experts in the built environment to create and implement the highest quality codes and standards to protect us in the buildings where we live, learn, work, and play. And whereas, these modern building codes and standards include safeguards to protect the public from hazards such as hurricanes, snowstorms, tornadoes, wildland fires, floods, and earthquakes. And whereas, Building Safety Month is sponsored by the International Code Council to remind the public about the critical role of our communities' largest or excuse me, largely unknown protectors of public safety, our code officials, who assure us of safe, sustainable, and affordable buildings that are essential to our prosperity. And whereas, Built to Last is the theme for Building Safety Month 2026, which encourage us all to get involved and raise awareness about building safety on a personal, local, and global scale. Now, therefore, the Mayor and City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, hereby proclaim the month of May 2026 to be designated as Building Safety Month, passed this the 6th day of May 2026 and signed by Mayor Bailey, Mayor. All right, thank you, Council member Olson. We'll move to F, uh which is the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month Proclamation, and that is going to uh Council member Clauson. Uh thank you, Mayor.

Um whereas Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage was first celebrated in the United States in 1978 and was made into a month-long event in 1992. Uh during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our community recognizes the numerable contributions, um vibrant cultures, and rich heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. And whereas the Asian American and Pacific Islander community represents a wide tapestry of languages, ethnicities, and cultural traditions, contributing to the social, economic, and political fabric of the nation. And whereas the celebration of this month provides an opportunity to reflect on the collective resilience and achievements of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. And whereas we acknowledge Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have thrived and worked in Cottage Grove for generations, and that Asian Americans represent the largest minority group in in the city. And that Pacific Islanders represent a small but strong portion that illustrates the city's welcome diversity. Uh now, therefore, the Mayor and City Council of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, hereby proclaim the month of May 2026 to be designated as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Thank you, Councilmember Ellison. Uh two left. Uh we have G, which is Mental Health Awareness Month Proclamation, and that is uh Councilmember Garza. Thank you, Mayor.

[clears throat]

May 2026 Mental Health Awareness Month. Whereas, Mental Health Awareness is more important than ever and essential to our overall health. And whereas, Mental Health Awareness allows us to maintain relationships, take care of ourselves, learn, take care of our physical bodies, and respond and adapt to daily life changes. And whereas, Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also affects how we handle stress, relate to others, and makes and make choices. And whereas, the pandemic caused many people to struggle with their mental health and well-being, especially our children and youth. And whereas, historical and collective trauma from racism and heterosexism is a source of chronic and intense stress that challenges our mental health and well-being. And whereas, the World Health Organization found that the number of people with depression and anxiety and anxiety went up to 25% worldwide. And whereas, there are steps we can all take to improve our mental health. And with early and effective treatment, people with mental illness can recover. And whereas, Mental Health Awareness is critical to the well-being of our families, communities, schools, and businesses. And whereas, all Minnesotans have a real a role to play in promoting good mental health, and there are range of essential community resources to to promote mental health and well-being for all Minnesotans. And whereas, citizens, government agencies, public and private institutions, businesses, and schools should commit to promoting good mental health and increasing awareness and understanding of mental health mental illnesses. Now, therefore, the mayor and city council of the city of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, state of Minnesota, hereby proclaim May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month. All right, thank you. Uh Councilmember Garza and uh finally I shouldn't say

finally. H, uh the last one, is uh Councilmember Bettenhausen that's ALS Awareness Month Proclamation. Whereas [clears throat and cough]

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease in which a person's brain loses connection with their muscles, slowly reducing a person's ability to walk talk eat and eventually breathe. And whereas thousands of new ALS cases are reported every year and estimates show that every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS and someone passes away from ALS. And whereas on average patients diagnosed with ALS survive only two to five years from the time of diagnosis. And whereas the exact causes of ALS are unknown and there is no known cure for ALS. And whereas people who have served in the military are more likely to develop ALS and die from the disease than those with no history of military service. And whereas serving securing access to new therapies, durable medical equipment and communication technologies is of vital importance to people living with ALS. And whereas clinical trials play a pivotal role in evaluating new treatments enhancing quality of life and fostering assistive technologies for those living with ALS. And whereas the ALS Association is the largest philanthropic funder of ALS research globally and has committed more than $154 million to support more than 550 projects across the United States and 18 other countries. And whereas the ALS Association is committed to make

ALS livable and cure it for everyone everywhere. And now, therefore, the mayor and city council of the city of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, state of Minnesota, hereby proclaim the month of May 2026 as ALS Awareness Month in the city of Cottage Grove. Fantastic. Thank you, Councilmember Theede. Thank you to all the council members for reading those various proclamations. Like I said, May is like proclamation month for a lot of a lot of agencies and important memo memories. Move to approve the mall, mayor. Thank you. I saw I was just going to ask. We have a motion to approve all the proclamations A through F by Councilmember Olson. I believe we got a second by Councilmember Theede. Any other discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Motion [clears throat] carries. Thank you all again. All right. Now we're going to move to seven, which is our consent. I will mention, as I mentioned during open forum, I am going to pull our council for um the individual that would like to speak to us on this or anybody else that would like to. Um and then staff also will share some information if needed. Um so I'll pull that up for a separate vote. Is there any other item that council wants to pull on consent this evening? Okay. If not, I will look for uh, council to approve everything on consent minus R for separate vote.

minus R. All right. So, I have a motion by Councilmember Bethea. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Councilmember Garza. Any further discussions? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Motion carries. So, if you happen to be watching or here for anything that is on tonight's consent agenda with the exception of R, which the council will vote on separately, uh, they have all been approved. And so, uh, as I mentioned, uh, we have, uh, gentleman in the off, uh, in the audience and I believe he was, uh, it is Paul, uh, Paul Preblich? Um, and Lisa, uh, I believe your wife. Yeah, thank you. Um, uh, would like to speak on this item and it's the 10200 Kimbro Circle Accessory Structure Addition Variance. And if you want to come up and just state your name on and the record and we do need to limit it to 3 minutes, please. Uh, my name is Lisa Gerli. I'm at 10176 Kimbro Circle South. Thank you. You're welcome. Can you hear me okay if I'm over here or do I need to move? I would, I would move closer, yeah, so cuz it's for the public, too.

Oh, thank you. I'm sorry about that. Okay, um, so good evening, Mayor and City Council members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening regarding two variances requested for the property 10200 Kimbro Circle South. For the sake of time, we provided some pre-read materials that you should have and there are some photos that I would reference and demonstrate that not all variance criteria have been met. Um, my name is Lisa Gerli, as I mentioned. My husband is Paul Preblich. We live at 10176 Kimbro Circle South and we are noted as the north property in this. I am speaking on behalf six of seven affected homeowners in our eight home cul-de-sac neighborhood, which is noted on the front cover of your document. We oppose the variances and respectfully ask that they be denied based on city code title 11-2-5 criteria F3C and F4. In addition to the property In addition to the property address, it's also registered as a principal place of business for the property um owners are also into the construction business. As identified in the application, the primary use of this accessory building is to store commercial business equipment at a residence where restrictions usually do apply. This further impacts the neighborhood with noise, dust, safety concerns, and all that come with a commercial storage yard. Sorry about that. My mouse is moving here. Um If you want to take a look at at page five real quick, this shows the distinct and consistent characteristic characteristics of our neighborhood. Homes are set back from the street, there's sprawling front lawns, mature tree lines, and accessory buildings that are clearly subordinate to the primary residence. This development pattern has been intentionally maintained since the

neighborhood was established in 1998. Many of the home owners have also invested significantly in code-compliant accessory structures. The proposed building located in the front yard is fundamentally different, and it will forever alter the character of this neighborhood. On page six, um non-representative comparisons were submitted to the planning commission. During the planning commission meeting, comparison photos were shown of properties located outside of our neighborhood. These properties are not visible to our neighborhood. They do not reflect or establish um our established development pattern, and these addresses were used as justification and were material to the committee's decision. They don't provide accurate neighborhood context and they are clearly not in our neighborhood. On page seven, visibility from all angles. With this add-on building, the total building in the front of the house would be over 2,400 square feet and up to 20 feet in height, highly visible in the front yard. To put that into perspective, this is roughly the size of a three-bedroom home. It would visibly take over the property and surrounding homes. It's the first thing you'll see when you enter the cul-de-sac. It's inconsistent with every other home in the neighborhood. On page eight is a street view. This proposal also raises significant concerns about the removal of green space and mature trees along the north property line. Not only for the building itself, but for the future extensive driveway, including gravel all the way down to the curb. The city, as I understand it, doesn't allow pavement at this time. So, limited information has been provided regarding the timing and the permitting of the driveway. The driveway may also require additional variances and tree removal. We don't know yet. Given this uh prac- um the

proximity to the north property line that tapers closer to this new driveway. The mature tree line needs to be protected. It contributes to the curb appeal and the neighboring property values. This loss would be real and lasting. Page nine. Uh the differential the proposed uh location. I'm almost done. While alternative locations have been described as more difficult or costly, economic convenience is not a reason under the city code. The property was purchased 2 years ago with existing zoning and setbacks requirements in place, and those limitations are foreseeable at the time of purchase. Neighboring homeowners should not bear the aesthetic and property value impacts due to the oversight in planning. This building is simply in the wrong location. So, in conclusion, we recognize the city of Cottage Grove takes variances requests seriously. Our neighborhood has benefited from it over all these years. We hope the information we provided you with tonight offers clear reasons to deny this request. Lastly, we understand a final decision is May 25th. As a resi- as a resident, we are not attorneys. We've done the best we can in a really short period of time. So, if necessary, we respectfully request continuation until May 20th to allow us time to seek legal advice on any material details we just have missed. It'll also allow you to do some fact-checking if necessary. So, I want to thank you for your time and your thoughtful consideration. A lot of my [clears throat] neighbors are sitting here that have lived in this neighborhood for 20 to 30 years, and so we really um are asking for protection. Thank you. Thank you, Lisa. All right. Uh questions for the Lisa? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Um I did see on the uh the sign-up sheet because I like I said, if anybody wanted to speak on this

item is welcome to do so. And I believe the next person on the list here was Rod. Did you want to speak or Okay. If you just go up here, just state your name and uh and address for the record, and I didn't want to butcher your last name. [laughter]

If you want to say it at the podium here. Uh my name is Rod Springsteen Addict. I live at 10252 Kemper Circle South. I appreciate the opportunity to speak. Uh my wife, Lynette, and I have been in this home since 2011. I did write a letter in regards to this matter, and I would just like to briefly read a couple paragraphs out of that just to re-reiterate my statement or re-reiterate my position on this. In 2016, I [clears throat] inquired with the city about building a small detached garage on the west side of my driveway similar in the size to the one that is existing on Mr. Lincoln's property. I was promptly told there was no way the city would approve a building permit for a structure that it extended in front of my home or within 20 ft of the sideline. I was told the only place I could build an accessory structure was behind my home. I researched all the requirements for building in an R1 zone which we reside in. I decided to build a 30 by 40 shed. I hired a builder and made a down payment only to be contacted by the city to say I was denied a permit because my lot size didn't meet the requirements of R1. The city eventually admitted that I had followed all the requirements to be awarded a permit. Had the city allowed me to build a garage just off of my driveway, it would have been a lot easier to build, more convenient, and a lot cheaper to build. By following the set building code, I had to remove a bunch of trees and buckthorn at the back of my property. My property slopes into a ravine, so a large amount of fill and compaction material had to be brought in to create a level building site. I have a walkout basement with rolling terrain which prevented me from getting any large equipment to the building site to make the project easier. Everything was done with small equipment and manual labor. My builder charged me a premium in labor for that reason as well as the company that did my concrete work. The point of my story is that a structure behind the home is entirely possible. It's just going to be a little tougher and more expensive of a project, all of which falls upon the homeowner and not the rest of the neighborhood. Aside from being an eyesore, I feel it would be a negative impact on

surrounding property values. After all, this would be a commercial building operating a commercial business operating right next to the street in a residential area. We pay ridiculously high property taxes to the city and county in order to live in a nice neighborhood. The least that could be done for us is maintain the current building codes and protecting the curb side aesthetics of the neighborhood. That's all I have. Thank you. All right. Thank you. And then the last person that actually signed up was Steven. I'm Steven, but I'm good. It's been covered. Okay. Sounds good. Those were the three that had signed up during open forum. Before I have our staff give some feedback, is there anybody else I think of the applicants here, correct?

Yeah, I'm happy to speak. Did Would you like to or anybody else? Yes, you're welcome to come up. Just state your name and address for the record, please, if you want to speak.

to present it first or or not? Um let's actually have you go up and speak and then she can share with what she's going to share with the the council. Um my name is David Lincoln. And I'm trying to expand onto the existing garage, which um back when it was originally built was found to have all the requirements met um in order to build the structure that exists in front of the house and none of those uh um features have changed. Um in fact, it's gotten slightly harder or more um difficult because the new garage or the garage that was detached is also there now as well. Um I would just want to address two it seems like main points that have been brought up and one is this mature tree line and uh what's going to be happening, you know, as far as removal of trees and things like that. Uh we have one of the most, if not the most heavily wooded lot in the neighborhood. Um that includes both the front, side, and backyards. Um and we're trying to maintain that. Um I'm not sure how much information you guys have gone through as far as being able to see the description and those requirements that were met in order to do this, but I worked very closely with Kelly to to sure that we were covering all of our bases in terms of making sure that we had our requirements met in that regard. Um one of the main features or reasons for doing this in this area is because it's the least impactful spot on the entire property. Um personally, I'd prefer to have a whole lot more space and build it in the back or off to the side as well, but it's just not possible. And to Rod's point, um not all these lots are the same. And yes, it may have cost

him more in order to build it, but it was possible to build it. Um as described in the statement, um we have everything from mature trees to um valleys. We actually have the one of the main uh drainage runoffs that go right through our backyard into the ravine behind us. Um we have septic covering the entire uh side of the left side of the house property including a mature prairie that was planted there at some point by the original homeowner. And to the other side, we have access to a wall, steep hills, and of course this detached garage that's in that area as well. And we're trying to preserve all of the trees uh that we possibly can. There are only four questionable trees right now along the that property line that are There's actually three rows of um mature um pine trees. And so one of those rows is on my property in that area. We're not planning on removing any of them. We're actually just going to try and prune the sides of the trees. So if anything is obstructive, it just continues to grow over the top. Um that has all been addressed with Kelly in the city planning. These are some of the same questions that came up in the last um uh meeting as well. And I think we had addressed them pretty fully and comprehensively. You know, we have an eagle's nest on the left side. So, even if we're referring to like removing our entire septic system drain field and everything and trying to move it, that means that in order to put anything through there we have to cut down about a I think it's about eight gigantic mature white pines housing an eagle and their nest. And I don't think that anybody wants

that. It's actually one of the main reasons why we purchased the property to begin with. Um, we're trying to preserve everything as well as we can. We're not building a commercial property. Um, I I I personally am very upset that that was something that was brought up. Right now as a I am a general contractor. I'm a builder. And I'm a a small one-man show. Um, I drive home in my truck. I drive out in my truck and it sits in the driveway. As well as you know, whatever other Oops, sorry. Equipment or anything else that I need in that area. Right now I have been keeping it as tidy as I can up along the sort of limited driveway that I have in that area. Trying to be considerate of the neighbors in that regard. Nothing's going to change. I'm not operating a business out of there. It's perfectly legal to be operating the way that I am. It's not a commercial shop. It's not anything like that. I have my own personal boat that I would like to be able to to put in there as well as other personal items and I don't think that there's any reason why I shouldn't be allowed to do that just like anybody else can on their personal property. Um, that being said, there won't be any more dust created than there currently is if that was a a real concern or or not. I'm not not exactly sure. Um in fact uh um we've gone through great lengths. I don't know if you've seen the rendering. Uh just an AI rendering that we had to put together. We were told originally that we didn't need one uh by Kelly, but but as a result of some of the opposition, there was some concern that it was going to look like a big pole barn in the front of the yard, and that's simply not the case. It's going to be laid out so it looks exactly like the rest of the house. From the street view, it'll just look like you're looking at the house. Um including the

garage doors being similar to the same as the existing ones, pitched roofs, and limiting the height of the doors. Um I don't know if there's anything else that I need to address in that regard, but um I think I've said everything I need to. I'm happy to answer any questions as well as they come up. So. All right. Uh well, thank you. Thank you for uh sharing that. So, why don't uh yeah, Emily, our community of development Oh, I'm I'm sorry. Did you want to speak to, ma'am? I'm sorry, Emily. I didn't realize I had to Yeah, if you just want to name and address again for the record. My apologies. Hello, my name is Carmen Lucia Lincoln, and I apologize for my accent. It's very strong. If you don't understand, please let me know, and I will try to address it as best as my capabilities.

[snorts]

First than anything, uh thank you for this opportunity uh to clarify the concerns that are totally legit from our neighbors. Uh in addition to the prior meeting where it was unanimous already accepted. Um I just want to clarify three things. One, as they, we are very concerned and very uh we want to take care of the place. The reason we moved to Cottage Grove, specifically to that area, is because we love the environment, the feeling, the connection with the nature. Uh we moved from that St. Paul uh from due to like, you know, all the stuff that were happening there. And yes, we buy the house uh, 3 years ago with the hope to build our family. And the first thing what I I saw when we when I get into the house, it was my kids running there in a safe environment. So, I just want to super clarify to neighbors that we are not building a business or commercial thing at all. This is a homey environment that we are trying to preserve that we also felt when we moved here. Uh, second is what um that I believe there are some miscommunication that hopefully with the presentation that the city will do, I think so. Um, it can be addressed all the concerns. There is not going to be such a driveway that is going to cut the trees. My husband is a professional constructor contractor, and he will take care profoundly of doing and and making it look beautiful as the rest of the houses. And third, the there was some concerns about the devaluation of the neighborhood per se. Uh, of course, we are very careful about it as well because we invest every penny we have to pay off the house

and be there. So, it's not like we want to do something uh I don't know how to say it that it doesn't sound bad, but like, you know, like it's it's bad though. We want to we take it seriously. We are building our family here. And as they have their opportunity to grow a family there for 20 or 30 something years, we are starting. So, I'm I'm just asking you please let us start our family here too as well. And protect our rights as well. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Okay. [gasps]

Was there anybody else then? I think we're good. All right, so Emily, do you want to um Emily Smith is our community development uh director. Um staff asked or we council asked us for kind of an overview and better picture, if you will. All right, mayor, council, good evening. Uh you have a lot of detail and information in your packet, and you've also heard a lot of detail and information this evening. So, I'm going to run quick through just the handful of slides that I do have for you today, but really just wanted you to see overall uh the property and a little bit of background. It was constructed, as you've heard, back in the late 1990s. Um and they were granted a variance in 2001 for the the detached structure that you do see uh in front of the principal structure. So, that variance at that time was approved to allow for that structure to be constructed in front of the principal structure. We did take a look at the surrounding properties, um not only uh you know, within this direct area, but also in the vicinity. A huge portion of the area along Kimbro Avenue is zoned R1. Uh so, we look at it very similarly. So, we wanted to see uh the general area as an overall and uh kind of that visual perspective from the right of way. A lot of these properties are uh for lack of a better put, it's larger in nature, right? Uh acre, if not more, right? All the way up to uh five or larger parcels. Um And uh a lot of them do have additional accessory structures. So, we really wanted to make sure that we were taking a look at the general vicinity um and and uh making sure that we are consistent there. Overall, this slide I'm going to focus on is all of you uh have been around long enough, and you recall that a variance does require what we consider

to be practical difficulties. Sometimes they they range but they are situations or or unique circumstances to a property that certainly were not created by the property owner. So even as we look back to 2001 and the challenges with this particular lot that they did take a look at as you can see on the screen before you that blue outline. This lot is quite narrow as it reaches the cul-de-sac there. So it pushed the house back on the lot a bit and so they did actually in 2001 take a look at this as well. And so it really limited the area to be able to push that structure behind. And again looking at the real nature of the lot and wanting to preserve and maintain the wooded areas is certainly something we took into consideration as it related to a practical difficulty. Both of the sides of the lot are sloped obviously away from the house to ensure that drainage and then finally as you had heard the property owner reference the septic location. What I'm going to say on the south side of the driveway we certainly take into consideration especially because we do know that city utilities are not going to serve this area for likely quite some time and so we want to make sure we're not only preserving the existing system but an area for that alternate system if at such time that system does fail. So those are the unique components of this particular lot as you can see on the screen before you just that that lot shape and then maintaining that drainage and of course preserving that area for a septic location now and in the future. And as the applicant had referenced this was the rendering that they had put together to have a very good visual of the proposed structure. Um, do want to clarify home occupations are permitted per the code as long as

it's the property owner uh who's navigating that home occupation. And I'd also like to clarify uh the driveway perspective. Um, that will be required to be paved as it is in front of the principal structure and then part of that building permit process will ensure that it's meeting all of the setbacks, etc. Um, and as well as the architectural materials um as they had pointed out uh aligning with those code standards. So, again, I just wanted to give a very clear overview as it related to the code standards and the application that we reviewed and that the planning commission reviewed. Um, if there's any questions, obviously staff is available. Okay. Uh, Council, is there any questions that you have for staff at this point? Councilmember Olson. Thank you. I'm lucky because I got to see the presentation in full at the planning commission meeting. And [clears throat] um, after that meeting, I walked away with some questions myself. Um, I have a couple of more questions based on the information that um the neighbor provided and came in [clears throat] Lisa, is that right? Came up and spoke. So, I just want to um address some of these things and make sure that uh first of all, I understand and second of all, that we follow the law. Um, [snorts] I thought it was beneficial that prior to the planning commission meeting, we had the annual planning commission training by our city attorney. Um, where she uh very well, as she always does, uh went through definitions of things like practical difficulties and that sort of thing. Um, so I heard what you said. One of the um statements made earlier was it could go in the backyard. It might be more expensive. Um might

take a little extra uh labor etc. to get that done. Is it factual to say that it could go in the backyard? Could Could this structure go in the backyard theoretically on this property? Council member Olson, I am certainly not an engineer. However, uh I would anticipate there is a potential that it could find a way back there but impacting some of those challenges. Okay. And then uh I'm going to aim this one at Corey but you two can do whatever you want. Um so if it can go in the backyard what's the practical difficulty that says it has to be up front? Um [clears throat and cough]

Thank you, Your Honor, members of the council and council member Olson. I uh you attended the training so you you heard the uh the three-prong test that we have to put all variances through. Um a practical difficulty doesn't mean that there are no other alternatives. It just means uh that there are challenges to those alternatives and in this case I you know the homeowner has certainly presented those for your consideration. I would be considerable number uh removal of trees. There's septic systems that need to be addressed. Uh there's certainly obviously some um preservation of natural uh the eagle's nest and those kinds of trees that are there now. Um and a retaining wall on the other side. So there there are certainly findings for you uh that have been presented. On the other hand, you could also find that well there yes those might be challenges but you have a viable alternative to this variance. So I think you do have a difficult decision in front of you. Um it is certainly your prerogative to decide whether or not you think that the findings for uh the variance support enough of the practical difficulties that um the removal of all of [snorts] the trees is a significant impact both [clears throat] not just to the property owner but also to the neighborhood. Um, so I think that certainly you have enough information in front of you. I don't want to, you know, influence your decision, but I think you have enough information in front of you either way uh to make the decision that they meet the test or you can make the finding that they don't. And the next question I have um and it it also came up during the training was for every application there's a clock. And there has to be a decision made based on whatever the clock tells us relative to when the application was filed. Uh, otherwise if no decision gets made, it becomes approved.

So my question is, what is the clock on this? Mayor, Councilmember Olson, it is a 60-day review requirement. So from the moment we accept that application, we have 60 days. I believe it's May 25th is the 60

Which is which is what we were told earlier. And the neighbors had asked for uh potentially uh an extension to do some more work um and have us uh take this up at our May 20th meeting. That would still be meeting the clock requirements. Is that accurate? Okay, perfect. Thanks. Um, that's what I have for now. I may come back. Okay. Uh yeah, uh Councilmember Garrison. Thank you, Mayor. Uh I think uh this question will probably be for one of you all, but I just want to understand. So the gentleman that came up that um that applied for the variance in 2016 and that was on property um 10252. I believe that's the correct one. Just to clarify, I did not apply. I just had a bit of a conversation with an employee of the city about it. So it was not an actual application. Okay. So maybe then I won't be able to go down that road cuz I wanted to understand what the difference at that time that the variance wouldn't have been granted versus now. Um so, if we didn't if we didn't not

[laughter]

um have a variance, then there's nothing that we can compare to. So, um that's sort of where I was going with that just to try to understand what the difference was. But, I mean, looking at the lot, just the shape of the lot itself is it's quite different from um several of the other ones that are in that cul-de-sac as well. So, just wanted to understand the difference, but don't have anything to compare, so sorry at that. Maybe I could Thank you. Thank you. Uh yeah, Councilmember Clawson. Uh thank you, Mayor. Um I'm learning a lot on the council here that uh these things aren't these are not easy decisions to make on the council here. Um so, there's really two or three big tests that we have to we have to get over, hurdles. Um one is it consistent This is an easy one. Is it consistent with a comprehensive plan, which is yes. Um the other one is about the uh practical difficulties and the unique characteristics of the property. And the applicant has pres- pre- presented few uh a few of them, and one is the well, the drain field, elevations. Um so, I in my opinion, I think he's um passed that test. And the other big one is where I think everyone is held up here on is does it alter the essential character of the neighborhood? And I think that's the stumbling block that we're trying to figure out here tonight.

[snorts]

Um so, thank you, everyone, for all these uh pieces of paper. This is We've We've I've seen more documentation on this than any other case. Um I also drove in your neighborhood today and looked around at everybody's property and um took some time today to think about, you know, how this was going to how this was uh does it so my opinion that you know, does it alter the essential character of the neighborhood? And I was a bright now I'm not so sure does alter it. So that's kind of where I'm leaning. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Uh Councilmember Methia. Yeah, I guess uh you know, the I think one of the key things is that uh we've got a significant number of the of the neighbors that that have some issue with it. They actually live in the area. Um and uh with with all the different discussion and and kind of looking at the the property and so forth it it's probably the least expensive to drop a building in front of that the existing garage that's sitting there but but I could see where there could be some alternatives. Uh you know, that uh that may be more um agreeable with the with the neighborhood. I always I always like getting along with the neighbors and so actually I think that it might be a good idea that I would support maybe a you know, a stay that uh you know, and take a look at it again and in a couple weeks and have a another chance to just look at what could be other alternatives and what other you know, and and just getting some some more input from the from the neighbors what they think uh you know, with what you want to try to do uh what do they think would be a solution and just to kind of look at a

group well, I'm I'm I'm for let's just say I'm for waiting. And staying at and and and looking at it again in May 20 in the our next meeting. Okay. So I'll just since everybody's kind of making comments. So, I also actually went out drove out there and kind of looked around myself earlier today just to kind of see where things are going. So, if you saw my car that has all these hail dents cuz it's company car, it was me. So, if you're wondering whether to call 911. But my intent was also to kind of pull into the into the cul-de-sac kind of look at sight lines and all that kind of stuff, too. Um the the other thing I just want to mention is you know, as I look at this parcel. Um the materials that he's going to use to make it matches the the house. Okay, it matches the the main structure. Interestingly enough, we had another in another in a different part of the city a similar situation where the individual came to us through the planning commission and the council and wanted to build a structure in front of his property. Which we said our staff did say to him, you can because you can you can prove hardships. However, it needs to match the structure of the house because it's in front of the house. And so as of this date, he has not built that because he really wanted more of a functional pole barn for storage of his his equipment and such. So, I just wanted to share with you that you know, the city and the council and the planning commission our staff does look at each of these each of these situations individually and then of course it does come up as we know to the council to discuss practical hardships and what does it do from a character

standpoint. Now in my opinion looking at it, I don't I don't live out by you. I did drive out there. But I do see a lot of uh accessory structures, some that uh look like the homes that you guys live in, some beautiful homes by the way. Um, and some that don't, uh but those don't are behind from the one that I specifically the one I'm talking about. Um, but you can still see it from the road. I mean, I could see it when I pulled in there the way the way it looked. Um, whereas I think in this particular case the the way the property is going to look um with the structure in front. Uh the only thing I would ask and I think it it got brought up in one of the questions by one of the residents out there is gravel. Um, which is not allowed. So, if he's going to put, you know, um something in there to get in and out of the the garages, it has to be asphalt or concrete, I guess, but the whole point of the matter is has to be something that's not uh gravel. Um, and then lastly, it was interesting uh sir that you made that comment about uh cuz I know that's where Council Member Garza was going about being told no. Um, a- and what I would share with you is is maybe somebody did because maybe somebody's somebody did to them too and say, "Well, you know, this is going to you got to follow this process in order to uh build um an accessory structure in front of your in in front of your property." It can be done, but again, we have to show that there's um some hardships there specific and that's what um I believe um that they have shown based on the the the lot. The lot is very unique and in my opinion, um warrants that we would go that direction, but that's where I stand uh Council at this point. Um, you can uh make a motion uh one way or the other. So, Council Member Garza. May I ask um

if we were to prolong or push it to our next Council meeting in 2 weeks, what does that change? I understand that there um the neighbors are looking to maybe reach out to a lawyer to see if there's anything more that they can do. But I'm I guess I'm asking you as far as the city goes, if we've done our due diligence and we see that it it's meeting those three criterias, I'm I'm not sure that prolonging it for 2 more weeks is going to change what we're factual what we're seeing right now. So, I I just want to throw that out there. Yeah. Your Honor, members of the council Council member Garza, that's a great point. So, I don't know that there's any more information that the city can provide for you. We certainly have given you the test. You are appropriately applying the test. Very proud of you for that. And I and I think we did cover in our training also is that just because there is public opposition, there are usually there is public opposition to projects and that's why we have a public hearing so that you can hear that. But you need to apply the test at the end of the day. And I don't know that there's any more information that you seek. If there is, we certainly could provide that for you, but I don't know what that information would be. Is there anything that the neighbors, if if we were to grant this and allow them to build this structure, is there anything that the neighbors would be able to do if the applicant decides to use it as a primary business um place? And because that seems like that's a a um of the neighbors. And so, is there something there that the city would be able to do then or Yeah. Your Honor, members of the council, we certainly have ordinances for home occupations. It is a permitted use, but there are rules. And so, as long as they are complying with those rules, then there's no violation. However, if it

does become a nuisance to the neighbors, whether it's because of dust, noise, those kinds of things, we have codes to address those things. So, certainly we would pursue code enforcement if it became a nuisance to the neighbors, but as long as they comply with the home occupation requirements, there shouldn't be a problem. As of right now, have we had any complaints of this um home being a nuisance to the neighbors? Mayor Councilmember Garza, we have no complaints on record for this particular address. And they've already been there 3 years. That's my understanding. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Councilmember CD, you had a question.

Yeah, did this uh uh did this require notification of the neighbors when it first came up and And so, how much time prior to like going to the Planning Commission was were the neighbors notified? Yep. Mayor Councilmember CD, as with all of our public hearings that are held at the Planning Commission, we notify within 500 ft, which is above and beyond the state statute for notification, 10 days prior to that public hearing being held. Okay. Okay. So, Council, there is a motion up on the on the screen or if somebody wants to do something different um at this point. Well, I'll I'll make a motion to adopt resolution 20 2675 approving the variance request for an accessory structure addition within the required 20-ft side yard setback and within the front yard of 10200 Kimbro Circle South. Okay, so I have a motion by Councilmember Clausen. Do I have a second? I'll second.

Second by Councilmember Garza. Any further discussions? Councilmember Olson. Thank you, Mayor. Um the only note I guess I will add is I still believe that um when we look at the practical difficulty here, um it's more a question of what it would cost to do it in the backyard like everybody else has done versus, you know, doing it the way that it's being proposed in the packet. Um, just as a a personal note, um, in terms of information, I think it would [clears throat] have been helpful to better understand if not this, what are some of the additional alternatives. Um, I know that that's probably something that uh you know, the neighbors are grappling with as well. So, I just want to state for the record I will not be voting in favor of this. Okay. All right, so we have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All right, seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I.

I. Opposed? Nay. Uh motion carries three to two. All right, thank you. All right, uh the rest of the agenda or the um consent items have already been a pre-approved so or approved I should say, so we're moving to eight which is approved disbursement. 8A is to pay the bills. Move the bills.

We have a motion by council member Olstad. Do I have a second? Second. Second by council member Garza. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Motion carries. Number nine is public hearings we have none this evening. Number 10 is bid awards. We do have one which is A the 2026 mill and overlay project bid award and Paul Spanholzer, city engineer, is going to take us through this one. Good evening, mayor and council members. In our capital improvement plan, the city has an annual mill and overlay program to rehabilitate our streets and keep them in good good condition. Uh city council approved of plans and specifications and authorized bidding on March 4th for the 2026 Miller Overlay project. Tonight we have the bid results, which I'll be presenting here. Just to kind of talk about the project a little bit here. This year's project includes uh resurfacing 95th Street from Hadley Avenue to Jamaica Avenue. Also included is Ideal Avenue from 95th to the cul-de-sac. Under Ideal Avenue, uh we have uh some storm sewer uh manholes needing some repairs. The Southwest or excuse me, the South Washington County uh uh Watershed District is providing funding for 50% of that work. Uh Council just approved that in the consent agenda tonight. We included this work as an alternative uh number two in the bid package. Ideal Avenue was separated out as a third alternative, which I'll get to in a bit here. Also included in the project are streets shown here in the in the pink here. It includes Hidden Heights and Oakwood Heights additions around the library. Uh the work on Hemingway Avenue in front of the library will have some changes made, adding some curb bump-outs and better pedestrian accommodations.

Uh that's that work's pictured here on the right. This work is being paid for by Washington County as part of the library remodeling project. The work in this project also includes resurfacing some trails. This includes the trails along 95th Street, which we are resurfacing uh the the street um and then we also are including a trail along Jamaica Avenue as a alternative one. Behind Park High School is a trail through Nina's Park that's shown in blue here on the right. And uh there's a trail uh that connects from there to Park High School shown in the orange. The school district owns that trail uh on the park on the on the school property. But uh we're going to be uh including that in a part of our project here. Um the school district is paying for that work to be done. We advertised for bids and then opened them in April 22nd. Three bids we received here from McNamara, Bituminous Roadways, and Park Construction. We also requested bids, like I said, on the three alternatives I previously mentioned. The results of those alternatives are shown here. During the original bidding of the project, we only presented originally the the first two alternatives. We added a third one via an addendum to the bid after we opened up the 2026 pavement management program bids. You recall they were quite a bit higher than we expected. So, to provide some alternatives here, um we added another alternative here to consider. We also needed to update the original engineer's estimates, which we provided to you during the feasibility report several months ago. Um alternative one was actually a little bit more. Um so, we added that, and then we split out the alternative three from the base bid. Uh so,

the low bid with the base and all the alternatives uh comes from McNamara just a little over $1.8 million, and that's slightly less than both of those estimates. The three alternatives are available for the council to consider awarding or delaying till another time. The total work for the base and the alternative is not only below the engineer's estimate, but it is within our budget. We could cut some costs now, perhaps make up some additional costs to that PMP project, but we uh will have additional ongoing maintenance expenses, and the cost for doing these alternatives later is likely to increase. Staff recommends that we do the base and all three alternatives. The low bidder, McNamara, is a responsible contractor by statute. They've done work for the city before, including last year's pavement management program project. So, here's the recommendation from staff. I'm here to answer any questions. All right. Council, is there any questions for Paul at this point?

It looks like some of Council member Council member Garza. Sorry, excuse me. It looks like some of the alternative bids came in a little lower than the one that we're going with. Couldn't like move that a little bit more? Sure. I mean, I see like there's a good significant difference. Like option three, I think it was. It's you know, like a hundred thousand dollar difference or something. So, Unfortunately, we have to bid the project or have to award a project based on the whole the bid. We can't piece meal or take them. And why they vary between bidders, it's hard to say. Sometimes a bidder might put more uh of their cost into the base bid perhaps, knowing they got that, but then go cheaper on the other ones because it's little little bit as long as you're doing work there, it's just cheaper in the long run to do it all. So, it's it's really hard to determine how the bidders change all those different uh alternatives here. So, but we did look at if if we um decided to leave off one alternative or not, it does not change the overall or the the low bid. McNamara is still the low bid no matter if you drop off one, two, or all three alternatives. So, Thank you. Okay. Any other comments? Yeah, I'll move we adopt resolution 2026-072 awarding the 2026 mill and overlay project to Mack Contracting Inc. including the base bid and the three alternates for a total of $1,836,706.16.

All right, so I whoop, yeah, it's on. Um, I have a motion by Council Member Olson with a second. Second. Second by Council Member Garza. Any further discussion? One quick comment. Yes, Council Member Clauson. Just make a note that McNamara did our did this project last year in the in our my neighborhood and um, in in my opinion they did very good work. So, I'm uh happy that they're coming back. There you go. Perfect. All right, all those in favor signify coming back. [laughter]

All those in favor uh signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Motion carries. All right, where 11 is regular agenda. There is no items on our regular agenda this evening. Oh, by the way, thank you, Paul. Um, number 12 is Council comments requests. I'll start with Council Member Clauson. Um, I'm going to pass tonight. Nothing to add.

Mayor. Great, sounds good. Council Member Olson. Thank you, Mayor. I have two things. First off, um, it is uh military appreciation month as was mentioned earlier today in addition to being mental health month. I invite uh everyone who is interested in uh both of those things to attend this year's Memorial Day event. That event will take place on the 25th of May at 10:00 a.m. at our Veterans Memorial right outside here uh in the front of City Hall. This event is put on by our Mississippi River Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network team and we expect that um we're going to have a gorgeous day. I've already asked Council Member Theodita predict the weather and he told me it was going to be just fine. Um, and we have a wonderful guest speaker this year who I think everyone will appreciate. Uh she's a local girl. Her name is Yvonne Miller, um, maiden name Chavez. Some of you may know George Chavez who passed away. George was wonderful guy, uh, Yvonne's dad. Yvonne is a 26-year veteran uh, of the Army who was a graduate of West Point, went on [clears throat] to uh, get her master's degree from the Army War College, which is a very prestigious assignment. She was a military police officer and uh, has some really compelling things to talk about as it relates to the meaning of Memorial Day, but moreover, um, her journey when she actually uh, got out of the military and what sort of um, impact that had on her personally and her mental health. So, we're going to try to [clears throat] layer some of the um, uh, military mental health conversation into our Memorial Day event this year and we have uh, several dignitaries coming uh, from our federal legislative

contingent. So, you can expect um, some interactions with those folks. We'll also have the Youth Service Bureau there to provide some information on the counseling opportunities that they provide to young people uh, who are from military families and uh, they also do family counseling for military families and veterans. In addition to a whole lot of other cool resources. So, more to follow on that, but please be sure to join us on May 25th, 10:00 a.m. right here at City Hall. Um, and [clears throat] God forbid it rains, we just move everything inside. So, uh, the the event will not get canceled. The next thing I wanted to mention Mayor is as it is getting to be a little bit warmer outside, although you wouldn't know it today, um, we're starting to see more and more people out on bikes and taking walks and the strollers, etc. And of course, with nice weather, we also have more people out driving around on our roads and I know that all of us have had people reach out to us recently about concerns related to speed and traffic control. Um I know that our current Department of Public Safety interim director Brad Peterson has been feverishly typing emails and responding to people who have those concerns. I thought I might might ask Brad to just step forward for a moment and tell us a little bit about some of the things that CGPD does and will be doing to help alleviate those concerns that come up every spring about speed on the roadways and you know people driving recklessly etc. So Brad if you have anything to add I'd love to hear it. Absolutely. Good evening Mayor Council. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about traffic safety. Something I'm passionate about and very proud of CGPD's efforts on this front. I just want to point out to start off with traffic safety is a significant priority

and strategic goal for our department therefore we dedicate a lot of resources and energy to that to promoting traffic safety. So I'd like to highlight a few things that we're doing to promote traffic safety. First and foremost we have three dedicated traffic safety officers whose primary focus is educating the public and enforcing our traffic safety laws. So they're out there every day and evening keeping our roads safe. Secondly we designate hot what we call hot zones internally. Of course our schools and construction zones are always listed in those hot zones. And what those hot zones do is designate those as areas for specific attention education and enforcement. So often times you'll see our officers sitting in those hot zones doing traffic enforcement, being very visible as a deterrent as well as being present to enforce the law if they have to. The remainder of those hot zones are um designated through a variety of reason or variety of ways, one of which comes from uh citizen complaints. Oftentimes a citizen will uh email or telephone an elected official or any number of people in the city. All of those concerns get forwarded to a central point, which is Officer Sorgard, and he triages and prioritizes those complaints, uh compiles a list uh that we then uh use to identify hot zones. Uh with those hot zones, we'll deploy a variety of different technologies from speed trailers to speed signs that will help us uh assess the situation. They provide things like traffic counts, average speeds, and they'll even uh pinpoint specific days and hours of the day uh where there are speed problems, and that will that helps us uh put manpower to that problem at the right time, the right place, so that we can make an impact in that area. Uh in addition to that, our officers our patrol officers are logging hundreds of

hours um in different areas throughout the city uh with traffic enforcement and traffic safety as their primary focus when they're not responding to calls. Um there's a number of other things I could uh go on ad nauseam. Uh just know that we're doing a lot uh to promote traffic safety, and I'll just cut it off there uh and stand for your questions if you have any. So, if anyone has a specific concern, they should reach out to our public safety team either through the non-emergency number or uh an email, perhaps, something along those lines? Any of those options work. I'd also recommend using our online crime reporting tool. So, go to our Facebook page or website, you'll find the online crime report. It's a really good tool. Um you can uh you can add upload maps, you can uh upload videos and all kinds of stuff. Um it's very efficient way to to get your traffic safety concern to our attention. Thank you very much and kudos to the Cottage Grove Public Safety Board. I know that they work hand-in-hand with you on different kinds of devices and trailers and things that we can use to you know, grab data as needed when it comes to certain spots where it seems like there may be more activity versus other spots in the city. So, I really appreciate you filling us in and hopefully the folks watching at home have a better sense of what we're doing to make sure that we do address those concerns cuz it comes up as you know, all the time. And with that, Mayor, I'll turn it back to you. Thank you.

All right, sounds good. Thank you. Councilmember Ritchey. Just 6 weeks to Strawberry Fest. So, we're we're getting there. Otherwise, I think that's all I got. Yeah, I actually saw that it's so good staff actually puts it in there. 43 days. Wow.

6 weeks is Yeah, I know you like to say 6 weeks because it's shorter. Okay. Sounds good. Councilmember Garza. Thank you, Mayor. I just like to piggyback off of what Councilmember um Olson just said as far as our Cottage Grove Public Safety. I want to say kudos because I have seen them out there and I see them stopping and having conversations with the kids on their scooters and bikes and such and it's exactly that. They're conversations. You see the kids are engaged. They're listening and hopefully they're taking those warnings and and adhering, you know. So, I'm I'm really excited to see that and I'm hoping that we'll have a really safe summer and the kids will all be wearing helmets if you're under 18.

[laughter]

And with that, um we have some other fun exciting things that are happening in Cottage Grove in the month of May, of course. The Cottage Grove Ice Arena is having an ice show. We don't want to talk about ice, but I guess we will. Um we're having the Enchanted Toy Box at the Ice Arena on May 16th. So, that should be a lot of fun. It'll be indoors, of course, cuz hopefully it'll be nice and warm. Um and then um May 23rd to through the 24th at our Kingston Park, we're having our 6th annual Mong Memorial Sports Fest and Street Fair. So, that'll be a lot of fun. I'm sure there will be a lot of good food, sporting events, a lot of it's a street market there as well. So, come out and enjoy. Um one last thing I it looks like we have is an archery camp that it will be taking place on June 6th Excuse me. June 16th through the 25th. Um and that's at the Cottage Grove archery range. And just look on the website to get more information about that. And with that, I'll give it back to you, Mayor. Fantastic. Thank you. So, I've got uh three items I thought I'd bring up uh real quick. Uh one is um I uh and I'll provide this to our staff, too. Um I did we did get a a letter. I It was addressed to myself, but I want to let everybody know we got a letter that uh Cottage Grove has once again uh been selected as um Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. Um and uh and again, the recognition uh uh celebrates the community's unwavering commitment to the planting, care, and celebration of trees. So, I know sometimes we get beat up a little bit on the council about "Hey, you're cutting down trees" or whatever, but the reality is is uh we're being recognized for the fact that we do take good care of our trees and we care about our community. And once again, we're nominated as Tree City USA. Uh the other item I want to mention is uh we're up to um I should back up a second. So, the fourth fourth of July uh fireworks celebration again in Cottage Grove will be actually on the 5th of July. So, when people come back on that Sunday, they get to go to Kingston Park and enjoy some festivities along with the uh fireworks, which is

being uh uh uh put on by the Cottage Grove Lions Club. Uh but I we're currently sitting at this point at 36,500. We're trying to get to 40. So, we're still waiting for a little bit more to come in, but I did want to recognize the businesses that have already contributed. Uh just to mention, first of all, 3M, uh Renewal by Anderson, uh North Point, Tennis Sanitation, Hy-Vee, Old National Bank, uh Werner Electric, and Holensteins uh all have uh donated money towards the 4th of July fireworks. And again, it's a special this year, of course, because it's the 250th anniversary of the good old USA. So, I did want to mention uh those particular ones. And then, a last thing um uh and we'll put more of information out about this. The council, um as the public is aware, I'll start with that. Um uh the the council, myself specifically, have been getting a lot of phone calls uh due to sporadic uh outages and things happening around Cottage Grove. A lot of people were upset. Don't don't blame you. I get it. Um my area was too was having some of the same issues. Um and so, we did request a meeting with uh the representatives of Xcel to come in and uh did a uh pre-meeting here to this council meeting. And they shared with us a lot of information about what they're doing uh to correct the issues uh within Cottage Grove. And I'll just throw one particular number out there. Uh specifically in Cottage Grove, they're they will be investing in 20 million uh dollars worth of upgrades. Uh and that's not talking about major transition lines that are still coming in and they're working on that is dedicated to Cottage Grove. Um there's a variety of tools and things that they're going to be doing. Uh they're doing it now and then uh for the next 1 to 2 years specifically. Um so, for those that have concerns about the uh the power grid, and they

did tell us very specifically, cuz I asked the question directly, um I said, "Do is, you know, people are concerned, they think because of development happening in our community, whether it's business park or whether it's homes, that um there isn't enough power available. And the answer that was given us was absolutely there is absolutely enough power. They're just needing to upgrade some of the older systems and things in Cottage Grove and then bring they're bringing in some additional lines and things to help with that. So I just thought it was a good meeting. I think the rest of the council I know customer Brosam wasn't able to be here. He was just coming back from work. But I did provide him with the the information. I know Phil Gents who is our uh communications manager is going to be working with myself. They've even said they'll come and do a presentation of the council. We can do a podcast. They want to get the information out because there is going to be some interesting things that they're going to be doing that could involve some citizens and how they can maybe put the the power lines or the lines that go to their homes underground. So there is some of that that they're even looking at in the more the specific areas of our community that are are having more outages than others. So thought I would throw that out there. So very happy about the fireworks. Very happy to hear what they're going to be doing with Excel. And again also very happy to see the see the recognition of our green forest, our trees that we have in Cottage Grove. So with that without no council other additional council council requests, we do have a workshop which is open to the public. This workshop believe it or not is to talk about the 2027 budget. Yes, we're talking next year already. Staff's already been working on it for a while. That will be in the training room. There is no workshop closed to the public so you won't be adjourning specifically in here. We'll be in the training room to talk about budget for 2027 and we'll go from there. So with that thank you for watching and have a good one. We'll see you in a couple weeks.

Mhm.