Anoka County Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Will the clerk clerk call the role, please? Commissioner Heinrich here. Commissioner Bradstead here. Commissioner Reiner here. Commissioner Schulty here. Commissioner Gamash here. Commissioner Jepson here. Commissioner Meisner here. All present and accounted for. Next, we will consider accepting the regular claims paid over $500 and purchase card claims paid for the period ending March 23rd of 2026. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Motion by Commissioner Brad. Is there a second? Second. Second by Commissioner Jeepson. Any discussion? Seeing none, this is a roll call vote. Commissioner Brastead. I. Commissioner Reiner. I. Commissioner Schulty. Hi. Commissioner Gamash. Hi. Commissioner Jeepson. Hi. Commissioner Meisner. I. Commissioner Hinrich.

I. And that item passes. Next, we'll look to approve the minutes from March 24th, 2026, the county board meeting. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. A motion by Commissioner Meisner. Is there a second? Second by Commissioner Hinrich. Any changes or corrections to the minutes as presented? Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. I. Anyone opposed?

And those minutes are adopted. We have a couple items under chair's remarks today. Let's uh start with uh Spring's arrival brings renew focus on mosquito activity throughout the region. The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District remains committed to managing these pests and minimizing their impact on residents. To lead our discussion today, we'll turn to Commissioner Reiner, who serves on the MMCD executive board, and we'll introduce our guests from the district. Commissioner Reiner,

thank you. If you live in Minnesota, um, killing mosquitoes is job security for you guys. Mosquitoes can carry diseases such as West Nile virus, western and eastern ecoin encphilitis, lacrosse encphilitis, and dog heartworm. While some people and animals experience only mild symptoms, these diseases have also led to serious illness and even fatalities. That's why controlling mosquitoes um populations is so important. This is where the MMCD comes in. Their experts um work to in interrupt the mosquito lifestyle or life cycle and reduce mosquito numbers throughout the metro area. They also provide helpful education on steps we can take in our own yards to limit mosquito uh breeding. We are lucky to have um mosquito uh Metropolitan Mosquito Control District Executive Director Daniel Huff and public affairs manager Alex Carlson here to tell us more. Also in attendance is regional operational manager in Andover Dave Dirkwagger. And uh thank you for joining us guys. And one more thing I want to mention about the MMCD u before you guys uh get going. Um it is the second largest entity like this in the United States. The only one larger is I believe LA County. Um most uh people handle uh this kind of uh activity uh either locally in in maybe a county will do it or a city will do it. But um you know years ago I think it was in the ' 50s this was formed uh 7ount metro and um and because of its size uh great efficiencies in managing it uh we we we gained from that. So just want to add that and uh take it away guys.

Uh Mr. Chair, Commissioner Riner, thank you very much and thank you all commissioners for welcoming us today. Uh my name is Daniel Huff. and the executive director at Metropolitan Mscoda Control District. And as Commissioner Reiner um said, I am joined by our public affairs manager, Alex Carlson, and the manager of our Andover facility here in Anoka County, uh Mr. Dave Derswagger. Um so, uh just a few things to to frame the discussion before I turn it over to Alex. As Commissioner Reiner said, um, diseases are our primary focus. We all enjoy the Minnesota summer and we enjoy it a lot better when the mosquitoes are down and we focus heavily on that. But ultimately, we're a public health agency. Last year in the district in the 7count metro area, we had 51 cases of Westnile virus. That is twice what we had the year before and 2024 had been a record year. Unfortunately, over 20 people were hospitalized in the metro area last year with neuroinvasive disease. That means swelling of the brain or the spinal column. And we had three fatalities including one in Anoka County. We are very intent on controlling the mosquitoes that carry Westnau virus as well as the other uh diseases that Commissioner Reiner mentioned. Couple of things that are new this year. We want to highlight all of our technicians are going to be wearing a new safety vest this year because we know people are sometimes concerned about who's walking around in their neighborhood or maybe you know out back you see someone trumping around the wetland and wonder who they are. So all of our technicians will be wearing a a safety vest that clearly says mosquito control. So if uh you or your constituents see those folks, wave to them, tell them to go get them. Um, but obviously if any questions, give us a

call always. Um, but thank you for inviting us here today. I'm going to uh with your permission, Mr. Chair, turn it over to Alex uh to give our presentation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and commissioners. I always enjoy these presentations uh because one, I get really excited talking about mosquitoes and ticks and all that fun stuff, but also um you all are on the front line when dealing with constituents and residents and they probably come to you with questions and so we like to pass on as much information as we can. So when those questions come to you, um you're equipped with the information. Um so just some quick background, we've been around since 1958. U we were established um as a state statute and we're governed by county commissioners. So um as Dan mentioned, we are fortunate to have Commissioner Reiner on our executive committee as well as commissioners Meisner and Heinrich on our board this year. Our service area is almost 3,000 square miles and 3.2 million people. So we are um the second largest in terms of the population that we serve um just because of the way that the Twin Cities is kind of structured. Um we have uh 88,000 wetland habitats and that's very important when it comes to managing mosquitoes because their life cycle is dependent on water and their funding funding comes from property taxes. So the median home throughout the Twin Cities pays about $11 per year to fund mosquito control services and the main focus of our service is what we call integrated pest management. So the idea here is we want to target the specific uh mosquito species that are going to be biting people, spreading diseases that are going to reach people um and harming the environment as a whole. And so we want to do that while focusing on those larvae and those mosquito species with minimal impact on what we call our non-target species. Um so our program starts with surveillance where we're going out, that's what we're doing right now. We just started yesterday with our field staff and going out to find out where the larvae is developing. We send those samples back to our lab for identification where they're viewed under microscopes and determine if they're one of the human biting species that we need to be concerned about and then we do control measures using the most effective um environmentally sensitive methods that we have available. We're constantly reviewing our program um and then providing public education and engagement to making sure that everybody's aware of steps they can take to mitigate mosquitoes and ticks and stuff like that. Um other services even though mosquito control is in our name we also do some blackfly or biting nat control. So rivers and streams are

where these species emerge. So we do some treatments along with uh the DNR from permission from the DNR to control these species. Um we monitor tick populations and provide um outreach and education to local public health about any high tick activity that we're noticing. Um we have a website with interactive maps, a lot of information for people. Um as well as we do some source reduction which includes tire recycling which I'll talk about in a little bit. So the big stories from 2025, Dan already mentioned it, but the biggest story last year was it was a record year for West Nile virus, and that's a big concern for us heading into 2026. We're going to make sure that we're monitoring these species. The Cullex talis is the main species. We want to make sure we're looking out for these, monitoring their numbers, and doing our best to control areas where they're elevated. Um, last year was a big year for cattail mosquitoes, for the first time since 2020. So this is that unique species that actually overwinters in the water as larvae underneath the ice. Um, and then they slowly work their way to the surface in the spring and then emerge all at once around the 4th of July. They hadn't really been present since 2020 because uh just we hadn't had a lot of rain those years, but last year because of the 2024 rain, we saw a big spike in those numbers. So, we're going to be doing some extra treatments in those areas to keep those numbers as low as we can heading into 2026. And then the other story from last year was we just didn't have a very active spring. It was a very slow start to the mosquito season. Um, and that's demonstrated in this graph. So the the green line is the is 2025 and the gray line is the 10-year average. So throughout the year, we saw a very slow start to the spring last year. Mosquitoes didn't really show up until June and then we started to see them in in bigger numbers. Then they saw that big spike in the middle of July, which is the cattail mosquito surge, and then we were pretty much average throughout the rest of last year. So it's a little early to say exactly what this year's line is going to look like, but it wouldn't be unsurprising if it was very similar to what we saw last year. So in terms of the number of larvae control acres that we did, so we did a uh the most acres of treatment we had done since 2016. Most of our treatment is dependent on precipitation. So the more rain, the more treatments that we do. So you can see 2021 through

2023 were low years just because those were drought years with not a lot of rain and we didn't need to respond to as many mosquito broods. But the high rain in 2024 and 2025 and just our ability to expand to some more areas, um we did a little bit more treatments. Um, and then on the left it says, you know, most of these were done by helicopter, but we also expanded our drones. Um, we did we had eight drones in use last year and we're going to be adding an additional one this year. So, um, that'll really help us get to some of those hard to access sites, um, that are very high producers of mosquitoes. For adult mosquito control, we supplement our laral control with adult acres, which is where we're treating for the flying insects. Um, this one we really focus on areas where disease cases are a concern. So um the the laral control materials are the most effective widespread safest method. Um but adult control is a good supplement to um you know if if we're noticing a higher risk of West Nile virus or in coordination with local governments like cities or things like that where they say we have a big event we want to make sure people are protected from mosquitoes that's when we maybe supplement with some um adult control. But you can see the trend is really downward for adult control. We're really focusing on expanding and targeting our laral control and we really found a lot of success doing that. For in noa county last year numbers overall stayed pretty similar. Slight increase in laral treatment. Um slight decrease in adult treatment. That's really just kind of depends on the environmental factors and what we're seeing in terms of um overall mosquito activity. We did a lot more catch basin treatments. The catch basins are a big source of disease mosquitoes. So the storm water drains. Um so we expand that when we see high disease activity. And then this is a big story throughout the whole district. You can see we went from 1,300 tires in 2024 to almost 6,000 last year. Our tire recycling program has just exploded in demand. Um it's become really big burden on our staff and so I'll talk about how we're restructuring that in just a bit. Uh and I also always like to put in a plug. We received a lot fewer calls last year than we did despite normal mosquito activities. Want I hope that means that people know that we're out there doing the work and they can trust that we're getting uh the the to the places that we need to do. But we

always do like calls from people to report high mosquito activity. If you're noticing, you know, high blackfly activity or ticks or anything unusual, call us and let us know. That just helps us with our data collection to make sure we know, you know, where those hot spots for mosquitoes are. For the budget side of things, um the Anoka County difference is about $100,000 2025 to 2026. Um and again, the median home throughout the Twin Cities pays about $11 per year. Um so that's spread out among the residents of Anoka County. The projection for 2026, this one of the big questions we always get. How are mosquitoes going to be this year? So, it's still a little early to say. Most of our mosquitoes are summer flood water mosquitoes. So, they don't show up until we get those summer rains, and though it's hard to predict uh what the storms are going to be like in June and July here in April. Um, but we do have some pred projections that we can make. Um, it's looking like we're going to have an average precipitation year. We have an equal chances of high and low precipitation means it's probably not going to be super dry or super wet. Um, so that means we'll probably see average numbers of of rain events. Um, but we are kind of even though we've had a lot of rain recently, we're still a little drier in some of the places, especially here in Anoka County. Dave was just telling me that they've sent staff out yesterday to look at some of the sites and it's a little bit, you know, less productive in terms of the mosquitoes that we typically see this early. So, still a little bit dry um in this part of town. Um, we are expecting another cattail mosquito emergence this year. So, if you look at the graph down there, that's our model. Um, so we're projecting more mosqu more cattail mosquitoes than last year, but less than we projected last year. Last year, because there weren't a lot of spring mosquitoes, we were able to shift our focus and a lot of those control materials were redirected towards those cattail mosquito larva. So, we saw real impact. Um, our projection was um was much higher than the actual because of those additional acres of treatments we were able to do. So, we're learning from that and we're continuing to adjust. Um, and then another concern um from our entomologists this year is there may be a slight increase in Lyme disease risk. So, the nymph ticks emerge in May and June. Um they're the ones that came that were born last year um and they overwinter and they'll reemerge in the spring. Um they're the ones most likely

to spread Lyme disease just because they're so teeny teeny tiny. Um and so it's really important that this year people take extra precaution, excuse me, to uh make sure you're checking for ticks most importantly, but also putting the preventives on your pets. Uh you know, checking your your kids and things like that and just making sure you're avoiding those long grasses and and wooded areas in those early spring months. Tigers for 2026. So last year we did a pilot program in Scott, Carver, and Dakota County where we switched instead of going to residents homes and picking up tires, um we would have them bring their tires to us for specific tire recycling events. And that was very successful. And we're doing that districtwide this year. So uh instead of going to people's residences to pick up tires, we're having two tire recycling events for each county, one in the spring, one in the fall, where every every person who has a valid um residence in an NOA County can bring up to 10 tires per household to us. and we'll recycle them at no cost. So, these dates are published on our website. So, if you want to find out when they're happening, um we're going to have a live sign up form in probably about a week or two available for people to sign up for an appointment to drop off their tires. But, this hopefully going to help just eliminate this mosquito habitat that we're finding out there, but also help the the burden on our staff to try to get to all these tire requests that we're getting. All right, I'm just going to wrap up with a couple of the frequently asked questions that we get when people call us or stop at by our fair booths and things like that. These are the questions they ask. Number one, what do I do about mosquitoes? I'm having issues with mosquitoes or other insects. What can I do? So, we've created a residence guide on our website with about 40 different tips from protecting your home to protecting yourself, recommended bug sprays, um you know, ways to eliminate mosquito habitat, things like that. So, I highly recommend people look at that. But also, we have a submit a tip form on our website. So, if you're noticing high mosquito activity, you don't have to even pick up a phone and call us. You just go to our website, fill out the form. it goes right to the field staff and they can do some investigations and determine if additional actions need to be taken. Next question we get is what are you using and is it safe? It's a big question. People want to know what are the helicopters dropping? Are they safe

for me, my kids, you know, pets, pollinators, wildlife, things like that. So most the vast majority of the treatments that we do are laral control treatments where we're dropping those dry granules, not a liquid, a granle into the wetlands and they have an active bacteria on the granule that dissipates in the water table. The larvae feed on that bacteria and it disrupts their digestion and stops the larvae from developing into adults. Um, these are very specific to mosquito larvae. Mosquito larva have an alkaline gut. No other animals in that environment in that habitat have that same gut. So, it disrupts a mosquito larva gut, but it's not harmful to fish or other aquatic insects um or other animals. It's not harmful to anything outside of the water. So, bees and butterflies and things like that. It's very specific. It's very safe. Um, it's why we do that product and why we use it the way that we do. Final question that we get a lot. Can I ride in the helicopter? And unfortunately, the answer is no. Uh, every year on our Facebook page though, people ask. So, all right. I like to put in a plug for our maps. Um, if you go to our website, you can look up your neighborhood and you can find out where the areas of mosquito activity are. Um, where when we last checked them, you know, the wetlands that are producing different types of mosquitoes. So, it's a really cool um resource. Data is updated real time throughout the summer. So when staff are updated their their their apps on their phones, it goes to our website immediately. Uh and then public outreach. We're also always looking to get out into the community and we go to parades. You can see here um there's our in our foreground is our mascot. Her name is Victoria. So she makes public appearances throughout the year. Um also our giant mosquito float, but we also do tableabling events. We do safety camps. Um we'll be at the In Noa County Fair. I know we'll be at the uh Anoka, Andover, and Ramsey safety camps this summer. Um we'll also be at other public events um as we have availability. So if you know of any events that we should attend, uh we bring live mosquito larvae and microscopes u but and lots of educational materials for people to know how to protect themselves from mosquitoes and ticks. So please let us know if you know of any opportunities. And with that, I'll open it up to questions.

Commissioner Hinrich, Mr. Chair, thank you Daniel and Alex. And thank you for uh for your passion. And it's uh fun serving on the MMCD board with you, too. Um and I admit full disclosure if I can get a helicopter. Yeah. Really? Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner.

Mr. Chair. Uh yes. Um and putting the maps thing I have I get a annual call usually from Kuners um down in Mo Lake and Fidley uh because Mary T wants to get her tent going for the music at night and the and um I usually direct them right to the map. Here's when they've been there and you guys have done a great job in handling that. So I really appreciate that. and the helicopter. Um, I live about I live one block off of Creek up in Andover and I get a show every year watching these guys fly the helicopters down and it's one of the one of my favorite times of year going on and it's impressive. Thank you so much for all you know in the area where I live in Andover. I've always um appreciated the fact that uh even back when I cool um we could time of day at about 30 in the summertime you might want to go in for an hour and then you can call that because they'll be they'll be pretty what are doing or you're doing it right

commission commissioner meer thank you Mr. Sure. Yes. To just echo the appreciation for this presentation. I think it's great and I think we all get called included. It's always under the context of being a nuisance. But uh what I love is being able to just Kate that this is indeed public health number one. And then also what what are you using is another common thing that just about congratulations on your entire program. So, to be able to be that efficient, um, fantastic. And I'm glad you figured out a way to to help your staff too with that program. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Meer. Commissioner Jeepson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, just echoing what everybody said. I really really miss being on this committee. So, thank you um to the commissioners who are representing us there. Um, but I also just wanted to mention that, you know, addition to doing, you're very, very good regional partner for other organizations, and I sit on Melsa, the Metropolitan uh, Library Service Agency, and they will be coming. They've had a really hard time with their uh, rental space with lawyers, with accountants, a long, longtime um, office manager is retiring. And so just sharing legal services, HR services, and I just wanted to publicly thank you guys for welcoming them in and bringing a partnership um together to to save both of you all some some hardships. So,

thank you, Commissioner Jeepson. Well, thank you for joining us today to talk about the important ways in which the MMC works to reduce our mosquito population. On behalf of the board, we thank you for your time today and wish you luck in the upcoming season. Thank you, commissioners. Our second item today for chair's remarks is a resolution proclaiming April 12th through the 18th as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Commissioner Brastead will lead our conversation and introduce our guest. Commissioner Braid.

Great. Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm honored to help recognize April 12th through 18th as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Our in noa county emergency telecommunicators perform an essential role in our community. They are the first and most critical point of contact for residents in need of emergency services. Anoka County's 911 staff handles more than 400,000 emergency and non-emergency calls each year with 95% of those calls answered in less than 10. That responsiveness is extraordinary and it reflects the dedication our tele telecommunicators for the public. The public safety telecommunicators of Anoka County play a vital role in the apprehension of criminals suspens suspression of fires and care of patients. Over the past year, each dispatcher has demonstrated compassion, professionalism, and a deep commitment to helping others. We have Assistant Director of Emergency Communications, Kevin McN here to tell us more about the great work our ECC staff is doing. Welcome, Kevin.

Thank you, uh, chair and commissioners. Um, I just want to say every day our dedicated men and women of Anoka County Emergency Communications rise to the challenge. They answer the phone, never knowing what situation awaits them on the other end of the line. They keep up the radio, uncertain of what they might hear. They willingly fill open shifts to ensure the phones and radios are always covered. They simply do what's expected, and often much more, to help keep our communities safe. While the job can feel thankless at times, it is also one of the most rewarding careers in public safety. Uh today I want to take a moment to sincerely thank our telecommunicators, supervisors, radio technicians, and office staff. It takes every single person doing their part day after day for us to deliver the high level of service and care that Anoka County ECC is known for. As a team, we also like to extend our heartful thanks to Anoka County and each county commissioner for your continued support. We are truly fortunate to have resources and backing that allow us to make emergency communications the best they can be. We don't take that support for granted and I'm greatly incredibly proud to be part of this team. Thank you very much.

Any questions or questions for Kevin? Commissioner Gomesh? No question. I just want to uh thank you and thank your staff for everything you do every single day. I'm glad that the uh we have the new facility. Um just want to let the people of Andover that were making some um remarks on um Facebook not too long ago how comes there's never any cars parked at the at the 911 center. Are they working? I said we parked them in the back so their cars aren't facing. That's for the guest parking in the front. So that's why it's only a few cars unless there's people visiting um that will be there. But just wanted to let the residents know that don't worry, they're working every day, 24 hours a day is really hard. So, keep up the good work.

That is one of our most common questions. Does anyone work there? Yeah. Yes. Well, thank you, Kevin. We're so thankful for emergency communications and its staff members. I'd like to offer resolution 2026-29 proclaiming April 12th through the 18th as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and ask my fellow commissioners to join me in support. The resolution is before us. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. I. Anyone opposed? That passes unanimously. Thank you, Kevin, and thank your staff for us. Thank Thanks, Kevin.

Thank you. Uh, also under chair's remarks, I would like to take a moment to um acknowledge the passing of our former Anoka County Commissioner Dave McCaulay. Uh, he served the Rapids area, lived in Rapids and served that area. That district at the time was District 5 uh for quite some time. Prior to that, he served as mayor in the city of Rapids. very active u always him and his wife Lonnie both were incredibly active in local uh policy and uh just wanted to acknowledge their passing. He was also a leader in the Kunrapus Rotary Club for forever and a a really strong member close friend of our families. Uh it's always tough to see him go but uh Dave passed a week or so ago so thought I would pass that along. And then uh lastly, let's discuss a second about uh severe weather awareness week. I'd like to remind everyone that this week is also severe weather awareness week in Minnesota. This week is designed to refresh, remind, and educate everyone about severe weather. It's also a great time to make and practice emergency plans and to build or refresh emergency preparedness kits. And as a reminder for our live viewers, Thursday there will be two statewide tornado drills with outdoor warning sirens sounding. The first drill at 1:45 p.m. is intended for businesses and institutions. And the evening drill at 6:45 is for families. Use this opportunity to plan with family members what to do if it was an actual tornado warning. With that, that does conclude our chair's remarks and we will now move on to committee reports where we'll start with the management committee.

Commissioner M.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, and the committee of the whole management. They met on April uh, excuse me, March 24th of 2026 in this building. I would like to just take a moment to you. You actually covered that meeting. I was gone. Um to thank you and all of my colleagues for the so was um very um I had for some about first up is always public comments and I always put my email in terms of accepting public comments for any committees that I chair and so I just wanted to make some commentary about that. You are absolutely right. The public can contact any of us through email at any time. We're all very good about responding as a form of communication. I did want to make a little bit of a distinction because I to my knowledge I am the only commissioner that treats this as a public comment. Most people cannot make any of our committee meetings. You know, they're just during the day. So for myself, public access is really important. So anyone who wishes to make a comment or a question, I treat it as if they are in the meeting themselves uh physically. So a little bit of a distinction there. So, even though not very many people take it up um on that offer, I will still always offer that regardless. So, there are no public comments, I don't believe there were any uh live, anyone may reach out to me and submit their public comment via email at mandy.mmeisnermn.gov. So, before us, we have one consent item and it looks like a restructure and this is in the facilities management. Looks like two point FTEES. Uh one is being eliminated and the other one is being restructured to that is an item. We'll go ahead and move that

for us. Second by for sake combined to the be facilitated within the new 1.0. No. Any further? Seeing none, this is a roll call vote. Commissioner Reiner. Hi. Commissioner Schulty. Hi. Commissioner Gamash. Hi. Commissioner Jepson. Hi. Commissioner Meisner. I Commissioner Heinrich I Commissioner Braid I and that passes. I will go on to just do a really brief explanation on that because you did miss the explanation that Andrew gave us at that meeting. Uh these 2.5s long ago should have probably been made into a 1.0.

But we decided to protect those two people that were in those halftime positions because it's what they preferred. But now that one of them is retiring, this seems to work out really well to convert it. So, this was um kind of a humanitarian thing we did for a really long time that uh now we're going to become a little bit more efficient and effective over in the Blaine Human Services Building. Perfect. All right. Anything on theformational calendar?

Yeah, it looks like the committee considered forformational purposes a employment agreement with Mike Fatten and to appoint him as the uh department director under economic assistance. I believe that one already went through and was ratified. So, that was just a review. And then there was some department updates. If anyone would like to comment about those department updates, I would welcome that. And if not, that concludes my report.

Thank you, Commissioner Meisner. We will now move to the Transportation Parks Committee report where we have uh four items on our consent calendar there. And I will ask now if there's any commissioner wish to separate any item out of the consent agenda. Seeing none, I will turn this over then to Commissioner Heinrich.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, Mr. Chair, the transportation meeting was held on April 7th, 2026 at 1 p.m. in the transportation division facility. We do have four items on the consent agenda today. Starting with uh number one, which is a contract in the amount of 11,457,9876 to North Valley, Inc. for countywide pavement preservation program. Uh this is our uh countywide uh overlay projects along with uh other needs for um safety upgrades and preservation of our uh asphalt and concrete surfaces. Um item number two is a contract in the amount for 2,559,4349 to Park Construction Company for the reconditioning of County Road 10 Northeast from Ael Street Northeast to Pleasant View Drive Northeast in the city of Spring Lake Park. Item number three is a resolution authorizing in noa county to enter into a contract which is a cooperative agreement between the city of Blaine and MDOT for Mandot uh project which includes grade separations on Highway 65 intersections at 99th, 105th, 109th and 117th along with other um ancillary projects. Uh item number four is a resolution authorizing Enoki County to enter into an agreement which is a partnership with Mandot to facilitate the transfer of general funds awarded during the 2023 Minnesota legislative session from Enokei County to Mindot for Mindot projects. Uh this would reference the same projects I just mentioned on Highway 65. Mr. Chair, with that that's the consent agenda.

Thank you, Commissioner Hinrich. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented? So moved. I have a question by Commissioner Jeepson and a second by Commissioner Hinrich. Is there discussion on any of the items? Commissioner Jeepson,

just a question. And Jason, I'm super sorry you're here for the first one few times, but I do have a question regarding the uh Spring Lake Park bridge project. Um just curious if Mandot is Mandot responsible for repairing that bridge. it. Just as a reminder, it's the pedestrian bridge from Rapids that went south literally um and hit that that bridge and now the what is it the westbound um is closed the rest westbound ramp is closed from central getting on that road. I'm just wondering if those projects are going to be sim done simultaneously or when that bridge fix will get done.

Thank you, commissioners. Uh I will follow up on that. I believe that's what they're trying to do. They're trying to minimize the impact to the to the motorists. So, they are trying to coordinate that and I know they are handling that through the contractor that hit it. So, I think it's been a uh a longgoing process, but I can probably give a uh a more thorough update if I I can check with MDOT and see where they're at on that and with the city, but I believe that there was they were trying to coordinate to minimize the impact. I know the county engineer was pushing that that method to minimize our impact on our system as well. So, thank you very much. Thank you, Jason. For the record, would you mind your name and position? I'm sorry. Uh, I am Jason Norett. I am the uh, engineering program manager for Inoka County. So, I handle all the design delivery projects.

Thank you. Appreciate you being here today. Thank you. Any other questions? Commissioner Gomesh. No question. Just a comment for all the people that travel on County Road 10. I'm sure they're going to appreciate that work uh, being done uh, there. It's um been a while and there was a lot of bumps, a lot of uh pavement fixes over the years and to have it um overlaid will make it much much smoother. Now hopefully Ramsey County will fix their part of it as well.

Well, and again on this project um if you recall earlier projects on Rapids Boulevard, we actually went down and removed the busted up concrete underneath. It's a very indepth, pardon the pun, uh, project because you got to get down there and remove all that heavy broken concrete from back when Highway 10 was there and it was a concrete highway. That has really made our, uh, longevity of our overlays and even just reconstruct projects last so much longer because it used to be we would overlay Rapids Boulevard and every three years we'd have to go back and do it again and that just got to be too expensive. So, we finally got into this process of figuring out how we could bust up that old concrete and get it out of there. That'll happen on this section as well. So, we won't see that alligatoring of the top surface the way we have in the past. Any further discussion on these four items on the consent agenda? Seeing none, this is a roll call vote.

Commissioner Schulty. I. Commissioner Gamash. Hi. Commissioner Jepson. Hi. Commissioner Meisner. I. Commissioner Hinrich. Hi. Commissioner Brastead. Hi. Commissioner Reiner. Hi. That passes unanimously. We have a slew offormational items here. Commissioner Hinrich, anything you want to touch on?

Um, yes. Uh, I'll go through these uh quickly. Mr. Chair, uh, the committee did authorize the county engineer to advertise for bids for painting of various traffic control systems in the city of Lionel Lakes, Centerville, Blaine, and Lexington, and Circle Pines. Um, we authorized the county engineer to negotiate a joint powers agreement with the city of Centerville for pedestrian crossing improvements on Centerville Road between Hunter Trail and Dupri Road. Uh, the committee did also authorize the county engineered and negotiated joint powers agreement with the city of Fidley for replacement of bridge number 3310 on Old Central Avenue over Rice Creek. The committee discussed the status of current and upcoming mindot projects and initiatives planned for an county over the next few years. And the committee discussed the status of uh trunk highway 610 interchange improvements at East River Road in the city of Rapids. And uh we went through some division agreements that were executed in the last meeting um and uh other various corridor updates. That wraps up my report. Mr. Chair,

thank you, Commissioner Hinrich. I will comment on the bridge replacement in Fidley. That is our oldest bridge in Anoka County and it was our only load posted bridge. So after this work, we will have no load posted bridges and it will no longer be our oldest. I didn't ask what the new oldest one will be, but that's a question for a different day. Uh and then uh secondly, the 610 project that we got information on that will will require roughly an 8week shutdown of East River Road in that area. So residents can be aware that is coming.

Uh no dates of that yet, but that will require a complete closure of East River Road to facilitate timely work on that interchange at 610. Uh that concludes the highway. We got a couple of parksformational items. If Commissioner Reiner has anything to offer.

Sure. Um we had just one action at the uh our last meeting and it was um the committee authorized a new proposal for um um fees at Bunker Beach Water Park. Um basically um we've had requests for larger groups. And so um what we're going to do is charge $2,500 for a,000 people, uh 3500 for 1500, and 5,000 for uh 2500 people. And that would be the entire park. So you can rent the entire park, possible wedding venue. That'd be fun. Um, and then we do have a couple of um park items that were announced. Um, and for further information on this, you can just go to the county website, but on the 17th and the 22nd and the 25th of April, Mississippi River Cleanup Challenge, uh, we're going to clean up uh, river banks at Rapids Dam Riverfront and Mississippi West. On April 18th in Lino Lakes at the Wargo Nature Center, uh we're going to have Earth Day and uh we're going to have free spring um uh uh scavenger hunt. Got to read my own writing here. Um art projects, entertainment, and ecoair um and more. On the 19th, archery, icebreaker 3D shoot. On the 23rd, fat tire bike introduction at um Bunker Hills. Um and and there's a lot more. or go on the website. Um, we're just getting into summer, so lots of activity. Oh, and um, Shamay Golf Course is open, right? Okay, I think that completes my report.

Thank you, Commissioner Reinard. And just a a note before the wave pool gets inundated with too many calls. That's a very restricted time frame that they can lease this out for. It's like I think it's a couple hours on Wednesday mornings 9 to 11 if I remember right, but it's possibly hour period specific to Wednesday morning. So, it's it'll be uh hopefully beneficial to the public to have that opportunity. Commissioner Meiser. Oh, yes. And and thank you. And I'm sorry if I miss this. I was just going to add that with that fee, there's actually a public hearing first scheduled for April 28th. Yes.

All right. And that concludes that report. We'll now move back to our regular agenda. As a matter of fact, let's do the additional agenda right now if you would. and we will consider authorizing the county attorney's office and risk management to enter into a settlement agreement for claim 25-126 in the amount discussed by risk management and the county attorney's office. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Second. Motion by Commissioner Gamash, second by Commissioner Brastead. Seeing no further discussion, this is a roll call vote. Commissioner Gamash, I. Commissioner Jeepson, I. Commissioner Meisner, I. Commissioner Hinrich, hi. Commissioner Brastead, hi. Commissioner Reiner, I. Mr. Schulty.

I. And that item passes. Next, we'll move to item eight on our main agenda for committee appointments. We'll consider reappointing Jim Hafner to the Creek Watershed District Board of Managers for a three-year term ending May 27th of 2029. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Motion by Commissioner Jeepson. Is there a second? Second. Second by Commissioner Pastid. Further discussion? I'll just thank Mr. Hafner for his work and welcome him back onto the board for three more years at the uh Concrete Wershed. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. I.

Anyone opposed? That passes. Um we're going to go to commissioner reports and Commissioner Heinrich is off the hook. We're not starting with one today. We're starting with seven. I was ready today, too.

Look at that. Well, thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh yeah, I do have a couple things to share. In the city of Fidley, there will be a town hall on April 25th from 10:00 a.m. till noon. And that will be located in the Fidley Town Hall uh building in Columbia Heights on Saturday, April 18th. So that is this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. there is a buy nothing event. So essentially it's like a swap. There are is no money involved, but you can bring your things to be swapped out with other things. That event is happening at First Lutheran Church. It is recommended that you sign up early if you have a lot of things uh just so they can prepare. And in the city of Hilltop, you mentioned that it's severe weather alertness. Thank you. Awareness month. So they want everyone to know that the city hall is open uh for the severe um weather. So in the city of Hilltop, it is primarily comprised of three manufacturing uh home parks. there really isn't a lot of shelter, but uh underneath their city hall, there's a a small area and that is what they will be using for that. And then lastly for myself, I have a quarterly coffee with the commissioner. It is basically a town hall that I host throughout the district. My next quarterly one is happening this Saturday, the 18th at the Golden Nuts in uh Columbia Heights. One of the topics that we'll be talking about simply because this is something that I keep hearing about is the flock cameras and what their capabilities are. So, everyone is welcome for that. Coffee is free until it runs out. And with that, that concludes my District 7 report.

Thank you, Commissioner Meisner. We'll then go to Commissioner Jeffson in District 6.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um so as of yesterday's uh the trunk highway 65 project I guess is well underway uh with some tree clearing and so that is just one of the first steps. Uh this week Thursday uh the mindot will put the project out to bid uh they will let the project on Thursday which means that contractors can present their bids to um mindot who will then accept it in the coming weeks and the project can then really get going. Um, thank you to my colleagues for um, attending the Metro North Chamber panel discussion yesterday. That was a great event. I was corrected by Kent with Mindot in that the language that they're using now for Trunk Highway 65, it's going to go until 2030 because they're adding the Bunker Lake um, intersection onto it so it can just be part of the entire conversation. So, just wanted to let everybody know that as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Commissioner JSON. Commissioner Gamash, District Five. Oh, District Five. I don't have anything this week. Excellent. Thank you. And the only thing I have to mention is the connect the dots fundraiser for the technical college will come up Thursday this week 6 pm at the Bunker Hills Event Center. Uh you're all welcome. We'd love to have you there. I believe we have a table and you can pay Jim. Yeah. And there's a there's a shuttle. I'll be running. Oh, excellent. So Jim to be your butler for a little bit. He can shuttle you to and from the parking lot. Uh and the public's welcome. We'd love to have you. I got volunte. Yeah, I'm good. He does accept tips though. That's why he's doing it.

We'll move to District 3. Commissioner Riner

got a couple things going on. Um the area Chain of Lakes Rotary uh has their annual uh chain of giving um event this uh Saturday night. It's going to be Beach Bingo Bash. Uh I've they haven't done the Beach Bingo Bash before, but they always put on a good program. Um, also in Lo Lakes, it's uh recycle day on Saturday. Um, once a month on the third Saturday of the month, uh, they do r recycling um, at LO Park uh, from what I think 10:00 till 2:00. And then also, uh, the American Legion in Lino Lakes, um, is doing their Booya, uh, this Saturday. So, stop by, have a beer and a bowl of Booya. It's, uh, pretty good stuff. That's it.

Thank you, Commissioner Riner. Commissioner Braided, District 2.

Thank you. Um, I just wanted to mention this is actually countywide, but the next time we meet, this event will already be over, but the sheriff's office is conducting their where you drop off your unused pills. So, on Saturday, um, April 25th from 10 to 2:00 p.m., the county sheriff's office and the US Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public the opportunity to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted medications. You can bring your pills for drive-thru disposal to the Ina County Sheriff's Office. And again, that's April 25th from 10 to 2.

Thank you, Commissioner Breasted. Commissioner Heinrich from first to last.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, I have the distinct honor and privilege of representing District 1 and the county fairgrounds happen to be there and it's time for Springtime and Sunshine Festival. Free admission. Everybody likes that. May 8th, 9th, and 10th. Um, come and enjoy all kinds of cool stuff. No county fairgrounds. Uh, free admission, 100 plus handmade crafters, boutique vendors, food trucks, fair food, mini midway, live music, fair food, kids activities, games, beer garden, and more. So, if you're available and you want to have fun on May 8th and 9th and 10th, no admission to the no county fairgrounds. Should be a good time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Commissioner Hinrich. Thank you all for your reports. Is there anything else to come before the county board? Seeing none, we are adjourned. We will start the uh public comment period in about two minutes and then shortly after that, we'll convene in