Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Okay, there we go. Sorry, everyone. Roll call, please.

Jebin Singh.

Here.

McGuire. Here. McMurtry. Here. Miller. Here. Moran. Here. Jong. Here. And Ortega.

Here. Stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance... Land acknowledgement, Commissioner Young.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Every community owes its existence and vitality to generations from around the world who contributed their hopes, dreams, and energy to making the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will. Some were drawn to leave their distant homes in hope of a better life. And some have lived on this land since time immemorial. Truth and acknowledgement are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference. We are standing on the ancestral lands of the Dakota people. We want to acknowledge the Ojibwe, the Ho-Chunk, and the other nations of people who also call this place home. We pay respects to their elders past and present. Please take a moment to consider the treaties made by the tribal nations that entitled non-native people to live and work on traditional native lands. Consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us here together today. And please join us in uncovering such truths at any and all public events. Thank you.

Thank you. We now have a proclamation for Asian. Oh, I am so sorry, yeah. I'll entertain a motion on the agenda of May 26th, 2026. So moved. Second. Any discussion? Roll call.

Zhong. Aye. Jebben Singh. Aye. McGuire. Aye. McMurtry. Aye. Miller. Aye. Moran. Aye. And Ortega.

Aye. I'll entertain a motion on the minutes of May 19th, 2026. So moved. Second. Seeing no discussion, roll call.

Zhong.

Aye.

Jebin Singh. Aye. McGuire. Aye. McMurtry. Aye. Miller. Aye. Moran. Aye. And Ortega.

Aye. We now have a proclamation on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. Commissioner McGuire.

Thank you. This year's Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month theme is the power in unity, strengthening communities together. It reminds us that our communities are strongest when we lead with connection collaboration, and belonging. And it is my honor on behalf of the board to welcome our representatives from the community and to my colleague, Commissioner Mai Chong Zong, to be up here with us. So the Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander or AANHPI communities continue to help strengthen Ramsey County through leadership, resilience, innovation and care for community. This month is an opportunity to celebrate the rich diversity, cultures, histories and contributions of these communities in Ramsey County and beyond. We celebrate the diversity of AANHPI communities across Minnesota, representing many nations, languages, and cultures, including Asian Indian, Burmese, Chinese, Hmong, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Native Hawaiian, Thai, Vietnamese, and many others. We are grateful to the Asian Descent Network, employee resource group, and community leaders who continue creating spaces of visibility, advocacy, and belonging for employees and residents alike. And with that, I will read the proclamation and present it. Whereas May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander or AANHPI Heritage Month with the first recorded Asian immigrant arriving in Ramsey County in 1875. And whereas Minnesota's AANHPI population has grown to include but is not limited to Asian Indian, Burmese, Chinese, Cambodian, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Karen, Korean, Lao, Native Hawaiian, Thai, and Vietnamese ancestry or ethnic origin. And whereas Ramsey County is committed to creating a vibrant community where all Minnesotans are valued, belong, and thrive. And whereas Ramsey County is committed to advancing racial equity and ending racism in systems and institutions that have created unfair disparities, and whereas Ramsey County acknowledges, celebrates, and honors the rich histories, languages, cultures, and contributions of the AANHPI community in Minnesota, And whereas the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners recognizes the Ramsey County Employee Resource Group Asian Descent Network, and particularly those individuals, families, and businesses who have been impacted by the aggressive tactics used by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And whereas the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners recognizes the importance of leveraging the county's collective power and resilience in order to protect the well-being of its residents. And whereas the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners affirms its commitment to ensuring that all Minnesotans have value, belong, and thrive. And whereas the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners sees, hears, and values the AANHPI community in Ramsey County and Greater Minnesota, now therefore be it proclaimed, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners declares May 26, 2026, as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Ramsey County. Thank you.

Hello. My name is Arison Parkman, and I'm honored to accept this proclamation on behalf of myself and my co-chair for the Asian Descent Network, Pa Shatsky, who could not be here today. We would like to acknowledge our fellow Asian Descent Network board members, some of whom are standing here with us today. Ka Vang, Pamela Vang, Plaiku Tao, C. Shia Lee, and our sponsors for the Asian descent network. Dr Ogawa Ramsey County medical director and paying Yang, the director of Ramsey County library, Ramsey County's creation of the employee resource groups has provided an opportunity for the Asian descent network to exist and create a space for us to feel welcome, understood and supported in a smaller community within our broader Ramsey County network. We have found that there is a great need for a space for Asian employees to feel seen and heard. And while we have spent time and great effort to ensure that we are hosting networking, social gathering, or training events every other month hosted by the Asian Descent Network, we have found that this group provides more than just a social forum, but a safe space for when our community needs to come together the most. In fact, it is notable that our highest attendance at events was in 2021 when we hosted a mental health panel shortly after the shootings at an Atlanta area spa, and then again in 2026 when we hosted listening sessions during Operation Metro Surge. So, while we each carry our own individual history that should be uplifted and celebrated, we are reminded during challenging times that we also walk together in solidarity. To our Asian Descent Network members in Ramsey County, may Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month remind you to honor your story and your resilience, that you deserve to be here, and that you deserve to take up space. Thank you.

Should we go join them, Jason? Okay.

Oh, yeah. Sure. I hope so.

All right. All right.

I will do a couple. So, three, two, one. Three, two, one. And three, two, one.

Hello, my name is Pang, I am the library director.

Harrison Parkman, assistant Ramsey County attorney. Pam Loving, public health nurse.

Lynn Ogawa, medical director for St. Paul Ramsey County Public Health.

And Jason Ying, chief clerk.

And of course, Commissioner Zhang, just a quick remarks. I just want to take this moment to really acknowledge the work of our Asian descent network who first invited me when I got elected about almost four years ago now to talk about the Voting Rights Act. And since then, with the concentration of Hmong speakers in our community, that was actually the first time I was aware of it. And so they brought that issue forward. And I'm pleased to share that we've since implemented a lot of that to meet those standards of the Voting Rights Act. And I just also want to be mentioned and be remiss if I didn't mention this and name this. about how the model minority myth continues to persist in our communities to show that there are exceptional model minorities, and that if they can do it, anyone can do it, when that's really a myth, and how that harms our communities to be able to serve folks who need it most in the ways that they need it. and I share this because right now in our community the voting rights act is actively being torn apart and shredded with redistricting with a supreme court case and I just bring that up because when we continue to tear communities apart folks will continue to get marginalized and we are really going backwards in our community during this moment in time. So I just wanted to lift that up and intersect it together to really also name that with the midterm elections coming up, it's more important than ever for people to continue to exercise that right and utilize it. Otherwise, why else would folks try so hard to take away voting rights? Thank you.

I am now going to go to county connections. I'm going to move the agenda around as a courtesy to some of our guests.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the ability to go a little ahead of the agenda here because we have some outside guests. Before we wrap up on the proclamation, I think this is one of those times where I want to just acknowledge the importance of data de-aggregation. This is an occasion where I think it fits very well because we talked about, as Commissioner McGuire did that proclamation, all the different ethnicities within what is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander, and that's something we've been working on as a county, we continue to work on how to better de-aggregate data. It becomes really hard sometimes because other systems we use, whether it's federal or state systems, are not de-aggregated in that specific of a way, but we are continuing to have those conversations and push for the unique experiences of all various groups, even though sometimes they get talked about under the single umbrella of Asian American, honestly, in a lot of cases. Thank you. I have two other things, the last one being extremely exciting, but I'll just have you wait one second. The next one I just wanted to flag is take a moment to publicly thank David Triplett, our deputy director of property tax election and records. Dave and his team have been and will continue to be very busy as we move into the November election season. For David, this has meant many opportunities to be a public speaker at a lot of forums. Some of you have highlighted that for him. But I wanted to particularly note on Friday, David and Tracy West will be joining me at my regular city administrators meeting to talk about elections with our city partners and the administrators. This was at their request. And I continue to have those meetings about every other month with our municipalities. And they drive some of the agendas and things of the things they want to talk about at those meetings. So I wanted you to know those things were happening. And then now on to some exciting news. The National Association of County Engineers, NACE, I believe I can abbreviate that, has established the David P. Brand Safety Award as a lifetime achievement award in road safety. It honors individuals who emulate Mr. Brand's legacy in positively influencing local, regional, state, and national safety through policies, infrastructure improvements, and safety initiatives. I briefly had mentioned that we have the national winner here as our county engineer, Brad Estosian. And today, we're actually going to have him receive the award at the board meeting along with his colleagues and family. So I'd like to invite Wayne Sandberg, the public works director and county engineer for Washington County, as well as Brian Isaacson. And anybody else who came to celebrate Brad today, please join us. And we'll hear from Wayne first, or Brian first. Yeah.

Okay, go ahead. As a public works director, I'll just say just a short thing. For those who are not in the public works industry, it's a very collegial group. One of the things that I think is most lovely about it is that they recognize those among them that really are truly leaders in the field, and that's what we have today. For those of you who might think that this is yet another award for some devastatingly handsome bald guy, it's not. It is for true lifetime leadership. And I think public works really benefit, Ramsey County Public Works and the industry as a whole really does benefit from the type of leadership and integrity that Brad exhibits every day.

All right, thank you, Brian. Good morning, Chair Ortega and members of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners. As was stated earlier, my name is Wayne Sandberg. I serve as the Public Works Director and County Engineer for Washington County. I'm here today, though, representing the National Association of County Engineers, or NACE. We are a professional organization of more than 2,300 county engineers and transportation professionals across the United States. Now, one of NASA's most important roles is recognizing the people who are doing the work that keep our roads safe and our communities whole, and that is why I am here today. I'm honored to recognize the Ramsey County engineer, Brad Astoshian, as this year's recipient of the David P. Brand Safety Award. before i continue i do want to pause you can see behind me we have a big group of people here to support brad we have people here representing the minnesota department of transportation minn dot state aid federal highway administration and of course counties i think that really speaks to brad's influence across his career to see people from local state and national levels here to be able to support brad Now this award was established in 2017 in honor of a man named Dave Brand, the Madison County, Ohio engineer who spent his career as one of the most respected local road safety advocates in the country. David was someone who combined sound engineering, solid science, and real people skills in the pursuit of one goal, fewer deaths and serious injuries on our highways. This award carries his name because we look for people who carry on that spirit. It's considered a lifetime achievement award, which means that we don't give it every year. When it is given is because someone has earned it across years of sustained effort, partnership building, and genuine impact. And Brad Histosian has earned it. Brad spent nearly 20 years at MnDOT, ultimately serving as a State Traffic Safety Engineer, managing the Highway Safety Improvement Program, supporting the Towards Zero Death Initiative statewide, and contributing to national research efforts through the Transportation Research Board, AASHTO, and numerous other organizations. He is a past recipient of the Minnesota Towards Zero Death Star Award for Engineering, one of the highest recognitions in Minnesota's safety community. Among his most significant contributions at MnDOT was leading the development of data-driven highway safety plans for all 87 counties in Minnesota. Brad's leadership changed how Minnesota approaches roadway safety, and the rest of the country took note. The Federal Highway Administration featured that initiative as a noteworthy practice, recognizing it as a model for how states can link local crash data to targeted safety investments. Now fast forward to today, that approach is now embedded in federal policy. Under the Safe Streets for All program, Safe Streets and Roads for All program, SS4A, counties must have a comprehensive safety action plan in place before they can access federal dollars. So what Brad helped pioneer in Minnesota is now how the entire country does business. since joining ramsey county in 2019 brett has continued that commitment he oversees safety and operations across more than 290 miles of county roads and more than 300 traffic signals he's led corridor studies lane conversion feasibility work active research partnerships with the university of minnesota and pedestrian safety intersections his approach has not changed he follows the data he builds the partnerships he keeps pushing for better outcomes Brad, the work you've done at every level and every role reflects exactly what this award stands for. On behalf of NACE and county engineers across the country, congratulations and thank you for your work.

Good morning Chair and Commissioners. My name is Chris Bird and I am the Stearns County Highway Engineer. But today I am here representing the Minnesota County Engineers Association and representing county engineers from all the other 86 counties across our beautiful state. It is an honor and a privilege to be here to recognize Brad and his accomplishments in receiving this National David P. Brand Safety Award. Speaking of accomplishments, Brad does have quite a few, and I think Wayne just touched on them. In fact, I think his list of accomplishments and achievements is so long that at a recent national awards banquet, when the presenter was listing Brad's accomplishments, the caterers had to bring out a second entree just to keep dinner extended. But in all seriousness, this award represents the highest commitment to what lies at the heart of county engineering, protecting the traveling public and ensuring that every person gets home safely at the end of the day. It recognizes leadership, innovation, and a steady dedication to safety, not just in projects, but in everyday decisions that make our transportation system stronger and more reliable. Brad, you embody those values. Your work has demonstrated not only technical excellence, but a genuine commitment to community well-being. Whether through improving roadway design, strengthening safety practices, or fostering collaboration across the agency, your efforts have made a meaningful difference not only for the people of Ramsey County, but also for the broader community across Minnesota. On behalf of the Minnesota County Engineers Association, I want to extend our appreciation and congratulations. Thank you for your leadership, your professionalism, and the example you set for all of us working to build safer transportation systems across the state.

Um, so, so thank you. Um, usually I'm not about, um, personal awards. I'm about getting agencies and other people awards. So this is a little different role for me, but I'm very humbled and, uh, appreciate the acknowledgement. Um, why I wasn't going to do this. Um, also the folks behind me, it's, it's a group effort. Um, again, this is an individual. So together we work hard and we get, we get good results done. So, uh, very humbled. I'm proud to be member of the Minnesota County Engineers Association and I'm very honored to be Ramsey County's engineer. And then we also celebrate celebrations in our family so usually I you know they're a big deal. I brought my two daughters who just returned back from the first year of college so we celebrated some big milestones with them. I said get your butts home I kind of like you to be at this thing on Tuesday. They did that too so thank you.

So I'm going to do a couple.

Three, two, one. Three, two, one.

And three, two, one.

I'd like to congratulate you. Thank you.

Okay, we have a next order of business as an ordinance procedure. I move the proposed Ramsey County salary ordinance for 2027, waive first reading and set public hearing date. Any discussion? Hearing none, roll call.

Zhang.

Aye.

Javen Singh. Aye. McGuire. Aye. McMurtry. Aye. Miller. Aye. Moran. Aye. And Ortega.

Aye. I now have the administrative agenda, Commissioner Song.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Item number five, I'd like to move the temporary construction easement agreement and permanent easement agreement for Vanna Snail Lakes Regional Park paved trail on private property. Item number six, temporary construction easement agreement and permanent public trail right-of-way easement agreement for Vanna Snail Lake Regional Park with the city of Shoreview. Item number seven, support for nominations to the National Association of Counties' 2026 leadership positions. And item number eight, support the City of St. Paul's federal grant application to U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration Bridge Investment Program for the eastbound Kellogg River Center Bridge reconstruction. May I get a second? Second. Thank you.

Any further discussion? Roll call.

Zhang?

Aye.

Jeven Singh? Aye. McGuire? Aye. McMurtry? Aye. Miller? Aye. Moran? Aye. And Ortega?

Aye. Item number eight.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll kick us off, if that's okay. And then I will invite some folks to come up and share more as well. So this is a later agenda item that was added to the packet. We learned last week that there's an opportunity for Ramsey County to support the city of St. Paul around a federal bridge investment program grant application that they are planning to submit this week to reconstruct the aging eastbound Kellogg River Center Bridge. Um, this 90, nearly 90 year old bridge is structurally deficient, serves as a key downtown corridor. connecting residents, businesses, transit, and the future rivers edge riverfront development, which is part of our building stronger together economic development strategy. And so as such, I am requesting a recommendation for you to offer me the opportunity to send a letter of support on your behalf that would include an $11 million local match. that will be aligned with our Building Stronger Together initiative as a support toward their application. So with that, I'm going to invite Director Isakson up along with Sean Kershaw from the city of St. Paul, and they can address any questions that you may have.

Morning, Mr. Chair, Commissioners. Opportunities like this come along periodically. This one happened to pop up at just the right time. We've been in conversation with our friends at the city about a number of different types of investments and that's consistent with all the conversations we've had with you as the board relative to building strong together and how public works can help support that. This opportunity moves a very large piece of infrastructure WITH A PRETTY SIZABLE REQUEST OF FEDERAL FUNDS WITH MUCH MORE LIMITED INVESTMENT NEEDED SHOULD WE BE SUCCESSFUL FROM THE COUNTY AND THE CITY. THIS IS A PLACE WHERE I THINK OUR PARTNERSHIP CAN REALLY MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN CREATING THAT CONNECTION FROM PARTS OF THE CITY THAT ARE VITAL AND THRIVING INTO DOWNTOWN AND CREATE THAT CONNECTION THAT LINKS THOSE AREAS TO THE PARK AT RIVER'S EDGE. I'd be happy to entertain any questions. And Sean and we have our friend Dag Dazein here as well. If there's any detailed questions you might have about the project or the scope, that might help.

Welcome, Sean. Could you begin by giving us, Sean, exactly what is the work that's going to be done?

Yeah, Chair, Commissioners, my name is Sean Kershaw. I'm the interim operations manager and special projects manager for the city of St. Paul. Most people who are watching this probably don't even realize that this is a bridge. If you think about eastbound Kellogg, underneath the skyway that goes over to River Center, it's a 90-year-old bridge, and it's about 1,000 feet long. It has the viaduct that goes down, and it also is part of the connection to the River Center loading dock. This is, you know, if you think about a keystone and an arch, this bridge kind of serves this purpose. It's the River Center, it's the Grand Casino Arena, it's the parking ramp, it's behind it, it's a science museum, and it's absolutely as a part of building stronger together, the River's Edge Project. The bridge is long past its usable life. We actually have to go out there. I usually bring along a piece of concrete as a display every month to pick up concrete that's fallen off the bottom of the bridge. It's weight restricted. We had a short-term opportunity come up. A couple years ago, 18 months ago, we put in an application for the bridge investment program. That was put on hold. They came out just about 10 days ago. and have a May 28th deadline for resubmitting previous applications, which is what we hope to do. And so it's a great opportunity. Dag Degene is here with me, and he's done all of the work and deserves all the credit. He and Brent Christensen from Public Works. The commitments would be part of our application that we submit this Thursday to the Department of Transportation for this project. And I'm happy to answer any questions.

Well, that was one of my questions, why the short timeline?

Many things, Chair, are hurry up and wait. Was it 18 months ago or two years ago? About two years ago, we submitted our second application for the Bridge Investment Program. We've improved each one as we've gone along. The notice came out with a very short timeline, and we think the best opportunity for us is the May 28th resubmittal. There's also a deadline in June, but we think our best chance is the resubmittal that's due this Thursday, and that's the reason for the short timeline here, which we appreciate.

And what's the, any impacts to the River's Edge? You mentioned that.

Well, this is, there are a number of impacts that it has on the River's Edge project. Replacing the bridge will include a new bicycle and pedestrian path down to the Sam Morgan Trail and down to, you know, leads over to River's Edge. We are hoping to avoid weight-restricting the bridge any further, so this is a key transportation link to the River Center, to Grand Casino Reno, the Science Museum. It's a freight corridor as well along here for the Port Authority, they use this. And so it's key to redeveloping Kellogg Boulevard, which is critical spine downtown where River's Edge. So it really, both above on the bluff and down below, it supports the River's Edge project.

So there is no, I want to make sure that it is congruent with the work that we're going to be doing on Riverside. So the question was to Brian. We've looked to make sure. Mr.

Chair, if I understand the question right, I think the question is, Is the scope of this bridge, does that actually reach into the area where we're going to be constructing for Parker Rivers? And the answer is no. It doesn't go quite that far.

Chair, it goes up to Washington on the east. The bridge is 1,000 feet long.

I do have some more. Oh, did you have some? Yeah.

Good morning, Chair. Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Doug DeGeneres. As Sean mentioned, I am one of the bridge engineers, and I'm the project manager for Eastbound Catalog River Center Bridge Project. It's 1,000 feet long, so it starts just west of the skyway there at the river center and extends all the way past the Science Museum. So it passed closer to Market Street, actually, between Washington and Market Street. It predates World War II, so it was built in 1936. Typically, we design our bridges for 75 years. It is way past its life. There's really no way to repair it, to get it to where it can continue to function for generations of families here in the county and St. Paul. What I'll say is that overall, this is the gateway and the critical link, as Sean mentioned, to really just downtown core, these regional attractions. It's hard to really put it in words how critical it is. when we redesign you know the plans and specifications are completed we're going to do some refresh to be able to get it out to construction here so the point i'm trying to make here is that really the bridge is is the it brings in you know without it it's it's hard to imagine how even kellogg and downtown can function it is the only load posted bridge on kellogg boulevard Right now, the city is undertaking the Kellogg Third Street Bridge Project that will be completed next year. Eastbound Kellogg University Bridge Project will be the only bridge that's load-pulsed. That means there's going to be weight restrictions. The truck traffic, it is connecting I-95E to I-94 through downtown St. Paul. And that link is essentially nonexistent because it is weight-restricted. So our goal is to be able to reconstruct it and restore its weight-carrying capacity.

Jeff, go ahead.

uh mr mr chair commissioners i think as as dag mentioned there is going to be a refresh of the design and so as we progress in our design of park at river's edge are there things at the tail end on the east side of this replacement project that we could refine as we think about what type of infrastructure we're going to need on kellogg in front of the park at river's edge i think we have that opportunity think we have a project that is largely ready to go and so we would just be refining the ends to make sure that what we think is the right answer here does dovetail well with what we think we need in front of park and rivers edge and if I can expect the question to be like as we think about that entrance from Kellogg into a potential parking ramp is maybe where the concern might be. I think we'd have the ability to adjust for that should there be tapers or turn lanes that are needed. We can adapt to that in real time.

Well, I certainly would want to make that a condition of what we're doing today and the $11 million. And that is to make sure that there are no negative impacts to the parking on Rivers Edge and that we can work out any solutions to that effect. I had Wiener and then Garrison, and now I'm down to wine.

Thank you for bringing this forward under the Building Stronger Together. I believe maybe five, six, seven years ago, I carried a bonding bill for the East Bridge. When I was also a member of Visit St. Paul, we advocated strongly for this work. Lifespan for a bridge is only 50 years. And we're way past that 50 years at this very moment. Even when we look at the parking lot across from, we see what's happening there, right? And that was a big issue several years ago. So it's good to see this work happening now through another alternative type of way. And hopefully the federal government will show up and see the value in the partnership in this. I really aspire What we're doing here, looking at building stronger together in the partnership that we are creating with the city of St. Paul. I think partnerships are really critically important. And it's also critically important to remember the partnerships and the investment that we're making into this project. $11 million is not a small amount of money. And that's just the part that Ramsey County ourselves are putting forward for this project. And so as we move forward, it's really critically important that St. Paul note this strong partnership that we're putting forward on something that is critically important for the city of St. Paul that I love. So, and strongly advocate for it too, but it is a strong investment for Ramsey County. So I just wanted to say that out loud that together goes both ways, it's a partnership.

Thank you, Commissioner Garrison.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had one clarifying question on the county's commitment to the $11 million match. And coming from counties dedicated transportation sources, just for clarifying purposes, that 11 million dollars be impacting any existing projects that we may be working on or or any funding um towards in any specific initiatives that that's coming down the pike is this something that will have an impact on that mr chair commissioners the

From a 10,000-foot level, Public Works has been planning for and programming funds that are attached to a downtown initiative. And so this is part of that parcel of funds, and it's comprised from a couple of different sources, depending on the type of work that we're doing and the ability for those funds to match up with those elements. But this is part of that overall scheme of how we spend funds and invest in downtown. So it is all planned for, I mean, in the broader sense. Gotcha.

Thank you.

Sean?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just had a question in general about, more so about the project, what it would look like. Are you widening sidewalks and we're adding, Can you also talk more about sidewalks and also bike lanes, if any? And then also you mentioned below the bridge. Right now basically there's like no sort of infrastructure or like no connection for pedestrians at all. May you speak a little bit more about that?

Chair and Commissioner, yeah, improving the connections, both bicycle and pedestrian, is one of the key benefits of this project. So certainly above, on the bridge at the surface, the sidewalks will be better. There's really no connection right now between the bluff down to below the bluff. And so this will install a 12-foot bike and pedestrian dedicated protected pathway down the viaduct for that portion, which it connects it to things down by Shepherd, Sam Morgan, River's Edge down there. And so pedestrian and bicycle improvements and safety overall. One of the things that I didn't mention is this dock will improve, this bridge will improve the loading dock connection for River Center. And that connection right now is extremely unsafe as those trucks exit the loading ramp onto Exchange and down below. So that's a vehicle safety question. So it'll hit safety, bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicle. All of those improvements will come out of the project.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I definitely support investing in our community and in our infrastructure. Just a few clarifying questions as I'm reading this. So you're asking for an $11 million partnership contribution from us, and the city's putting in $5.2 million. So we're putting in 11, and you're putting in 5.2. So just explain that difference just for those of us that want to know.

Yeah, the city's investment, and Dag can speak to this, we've secured in terms of that commitment. Our ongoing issue right now is really the money that we're putting into maintaining that current bridge. The costs of that are significant. We've secured the funds. The local match will be coming from TIF and from MSA programming, so those are secured. towards the total project. So the grant is for request is about 50 million and the county's contribution or a commitment of up to 11 million is greatly appreciated.

Is that tip just just keep asking the researcher that typical for projects that we would put this much more just just great minds. Mr.

Chair, Commissioner, Every project has its own story. And every project has a different mix of funding. Take Dale Street over 94 as an example. MnDOT was only into that for less than $2 million of a $15 million project. And in other cases, so it kind of depends on how the project gets put together. And sometimes those pieces look a little funny. And in this case, we have the ability to pay for some elements that are substantial as parts of the project, but they really are part of the county's value in terms of the trail and some of the bicycle and pet connections, which is another position we've been taking in some other projects. So I think that that should work out well. I understand the, sorry, the proportionality of it looks a little funny, but I think, like I said, every project has its own story and how it comes together. I think these are the types of things where if we can put a match together and secure $50 million plus of federal funding, that's a huge win for all of us.

Thank you for that perspective, that background. I'm guessing that we'll be... How will Ramsey County be part of the project moving forward then? We're part of the partnership now. Because we do have, I know we have very common values with our bike and pad and our mobility and all of this. So will we be part of, I want to make sure that we're going to be able to be, as this project moves forward, that will be part of those discussions so that we make sure that it aligns with our river's edge and that we're talking to each other.

It's a great question, Mr. Chair, Commissioner. It is a great question. And I'll say that if we think about Building Stronger Together as a program of projects, and I think that it is a number of projects, And we haven't necessarily ironed this out yet because we're building the plane as we're flying it a little bit. But I'll say that... as the county invests in various aspects that are not necessarily ours, but we're a partner in it, I'd expect that each agency would have, would be part of a team where we would be there delivering the project and we're there to help, we're there to advise and think through what are the connections that we're making, what are the elements that we want to see look particular ways. And so that is not inconsistent with how we've done a number of other projects.

Yeah, Chair and Commissioner, I think that's a great response I want to pile on. I mean, the importance of the county relationship has been clear throughout this year, and I've been lucky to work with Director Isaacson for a number of years, that we can't do our work in isolations. So whether we're contributing in funding or the county's contributing in funding. And this location is really key. With the planned investments, there's hundreds of millions of dollars within a quarter mile of this spot. All of those will involve close coordination with the county, with Met Transit, with MnDOT, and with the city. So I just echo everything that Director Isakson said.

I appreciate it. Just one final question.

I was just going to offer a little bit of a more high level answer to that too. I do think timing is everything sometimes. And we just happen to be in a moment where this opportunity came up post us rolling out the building stronger together framework. And I think that gives us now some new agility for even the selected body to understand how we do work with a little more. flexibility based on the overall goals of what we're trying to do. There was money slotted not only for River's Edge development, but also for the housing conversion, also for public realm improvements. Not all those are completely baked out in terms of the mechanics. We are working on that. You're getting some workshops even today on a couple of components of building stronger together. But I think having that framework allows us to lean into when these opportunities come. It's very similar to the plans we have. Now we have a compilation of plans that is centered around a comprehensive economic development strategy so we can get the motors running with a little more assurance that everyone's tracking on the ultimate goal. I appreciate what Commissioner Ortega is talking about in terms of the actual making sure the projects are not incongruent with each other as we have the big umbrella. That will be really important. I'm going to lean on, you know, Deputy County Manager Collins and Director Isason and Director Olson to work with our partners to make sure that happens. But that's not really that different than even what, like, the Downtown Alliance is doing, what the city's doing in partnership with, you know, Ward Wilkins. There's projects popping all over. We've now created a broader table where we're all kind of in with some of the same goals. And I think that's Um, really helpful. And I also know what commissioner Moran is saying. Um, I think my message to the city, um, as I work with the deputy mayor, um, and also as you all as policymakers to your counterparts should be, we're all in this together. Like we're, we're not locking arms under. The county is building stronger together strategy. We are able to be nimble to step up to this moment to be a good partner to you. And there will be times under this umbrella where we will need good partnership from the city as well. And those are going to be times where we're going to have to corral our staff. I want to thank our staff. Brian and I had this conversation Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend, and you're looking at this. RBA. We did a lot of work over the weekend. There was a team. And that's not to, you know, say tit for tat kind of city-county. It's just we're doing the work collectively. What's good for St. Paul, what's good for downtown is good for the Ramsey County tax base, and that's why we did that, you know? So I hope that broader message will get sent from me to my counterparts, but certainly from you as policymakers to your counterparts that to get this downtown into this next iteration of this 2.0, we don't get many shots at this. I've said this very publicly. And we have to all be all in. And so we just have to figure out the right way to do that to protect a little bit of our interests and assets while connecting the dots maybe with more nimbleness than we have in the past. And so both things can be true at the same time. We want to make sure a really strong connection to our River's Edge project while we're also being really thoughtful about how we support the city on some of these really critical connections.

Well, Sean, I think Commissioner McGuire has a very good point. We are putting twice as much money as the city, basically, but that's not the point. The point is that we're hoping, and I hope you send this up the chain, and I will send the same message to the mayor. That when it comes, when we got to work on Rivers Edge, that we get the same kind of reciprocal support to move forward on all of these projects.

chair we're grateful for the support here and the ability to work together on river's edge and projects in this area absolutely thank you i was it on this point i have could it wait is it on this point because i have three other hands reena

Well, let me move forward to Kelly, then Singh, then you. Go ahead, Kelly.

Well, now my question kind of feels like a Debbie Downer question.

I'm trying to give everybody equal time here.

I know. I'm sorry to bring down the mood. I was just going to ask, more or less, our team and Elsa's, because we have other cities within Ramsey County that sometimes may need this same support. So have we done this in the past with other of our cities help contribute to their infrastructure? And how will this set the precedence for going forward?

Mr. Chair, Commissioner, this is a great question. I think... I would characterize it in a broader sense of three, four years ago, I don't think we had the resources or the agility to be able to have this kind of discussion. Today we do. And that's all a function of the decisions that you as board members have made. and you put us in a position where we can. We are in conversations with some partners about things like this that are not necessarily on our system, but they are important to our system and they more broadly reflect the value that you transmit to us as implementers ABOUT THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE WANT TO SEE RAMSEY COUNTY LOOK LIKE. THAT CAN LOOK LIKE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE OR TRAIL OR PARK AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS IN OTHER CITIES THAT WE ARE we are actively in conversation about that would look similar to this. I just think that, um, it's taking everybody a little bit of time, both us and our partners to say like, Hey, we can, we can talk about some of these things and maybe some things are a little further along. Like this one had been waiting for a long time, which makes it easier for everybody to know what they're getting into. Other projects are more developmental and it takes a little bit more time for you to figure out what the different elements are and what the need is. And so, I'd say that you can expect more of this. Obviously, our priority is our system, and we have to steward that system, but there are certainly places that are going to be important where we can make this kind of investment, and I hope that you're seeing that in each of your districts that we are partnering with our cities and want to actively be helpful in that setting.

Perfect, thank you. Yes, so I just want to say that I appreciate that while this was a quick turnaround for this item coming to the county and to the board because of that reapplication project, just to not have it be lost that this is a project that you all have been working on. that you've applied for this. It's a very well thought out and deliberate plan. It's just this particular opportunity was really fast. And so I think that is very reassuring. I didn't want that to be lost in our conversation of us being able to be nimble and responsive.

Chair and Commissioner, it's a great point. This is a rare project. Bridges are really expensive. They take a lot of approvals. If you think about all the approvals we had to get for 3rd and Kellogg, this bridge is essentially 100% designed. The things that are in the final finishes, we would certainly work on together. It's also gone through an environmental review, which is unusual, and so Part of our goal here is if we can get the federal funding, which is significant, it frees up all of our ability to go to the state and other places for other projects that we have. So part of the advantage of this application is how ready the project is to start construction.

And then my other kind of point to bring up is just that as goes St. Paul, goes Ramsey County. When we say we're one Ramsey County, when we're saying we're building stronger together, it doesn't just mean internally the departments within our Ramsey County enterprise working together. It also means how we're building up these relationships, these tables where our municipal partners are at our sides, as well as other community partners. And it is because of the work of folks like you who have been coming together at tables around this issue that when this opportunity comes up, that we have the trust, the capacity, the bandwidth to move quickly. And I just want to encourage all of us as we do all of the work within our county and our broader ecosystem that those relationships, those one-on-one professional relationships across departments, across the county manager and our city administrators, between the elected, between any of our of our department-to-department connections only make it possible for us to provide good governance to our community. Because frankly, many residents would not know the difference between a city road, a county road, a state road. But if that bridge goes down, everybody's going to be impacted. And so the safety of our infrastructure, I think, has to always be of top priority. The fact that this also is a gateway to important economic drivers for our region. Um, and then it also is connected to, um, some projects that we think are very helpful to invigorators, the cherry on top, but honestly making sure we have safe pathways, um, uh, for transportation in our region, I think is really critical. So I a hundred percent support this and, and encourage us any way that, that, that, uh, Whether content experts at the staff level or elected officials or county managers, whenever we all can find greater opportunities to continue to meet when there aren't these specific issues that have time sensitive needs. So that when these opportunities come, we're ready to move, that we continue to do our part to keep those relationships strong.

Thank you. Rena?

So can you share with us whether, I was thinking about, you know, we're using language called Building Stronger Together, and that's a Ramsey County, you know, slogan that we're using. I'm just wondering, what type of language is in federal language right now that will maybe give us a lift up because there's a partnership here between the county and city? Is there any, do you know?

Yes. Mr. Chair, Commissioners, I think it's a little gray. I think that there are some aspects that we know the USDOT will expect, and it tends to look more, and it's not critical, it's more observational, it tends to look more like a traditional public works type of language. They don't want to see a lot about As an example, FTA projects now are exploring, if you're building a bus rapid transit corridor, if you're taking lanes for general traffic and giving those lanes to transit, that enacts a different type of review from the federal government. And so I think the benefit that we have here with this project is, even though it incorporates things that we really value, it doesn't trip that flag for USDOT and you've already been through a process and done 98% of the work. And so it is largely ready to go, which is usually attractive for folks who are granting funds. If you have a project that's ready, then you can ensure that the people that wanna have a ribbon cutting are gonna have a ribbon cutting in a timeframe that they'd like to have a ribbon cutting. And so it's a little bit of both, but it's a little bit of a moving target.

Yeah, so I'm thinking, so you're coming to Ramsey County to ask for $11 million. And so that's going to be language that's going to be in the application to the federal government. And so my thought is that kind of shows a buy-in or collaboration that the federal government can see that's happening between city and county. Is that kind of like the thought process that is why you're coming here so quickly?

Mr. Chair, Commissioners, I will say in my experience, grantors, and in particular the federal government, like to see that there are commitments from multiple agencies that have a stake in it. They like to not be, you know, the overall contributor. They like to see real money on the table from others. They like to see projects that are ready to go. And the lens of the type of project changes from administration to administration, but I think this one rings bells from a variety of lenses, which are the right things.

Okay. One more question. So I see here on this document that if, what is BIP first of all? What is BIP?

I believe it's Bridge Investment Program.

Okay, Bridge Investment Program. If four VIP funds are secured and a grant agreement is reached, the city will make final revisions to the plans and seek federal authorization for construction. And so I think my concern would be like the county position is that we trust the city, but we want to make sure that the investment that we are making is at the full completion of the project, right? That you're not just, we're not investing the 11 million and then we don't know where we go or what the next steps are. So is there some assurance that within the process that the $11 million that we are putting in this application is going to be wisely invested correctly?

Mr. Chair, Commissioner, so maybe it's helpful to just walk through the steps. So where we're at today is a letter that commits should we be selected through the program, that the city would have X amount, the county would have X amount, and the federal government would commit to X amount. Then the federal government would work with I presume the city as the federal grantee to come to an agreement on what the funding level is and what the timeframes are and the scope and all of those details. There's probably some steps on our part. Once we have a better, have a more detailed look at the project, we can assign different types of funding to the different types of elements where it fits. And that probably will look like a step that we'll come back to you, either in a TIP context or even in a TIP amendment context, where we would come back to you and say, okay, we've been selected. We're identifying the funds for these various and very specific elements. We know we're ready to go. And at that point, we would be committing the funds. So at this point, we're back here and saying, We're going to apply. If we're selected, we'll be there with X amount of money. I hope that clarifies.

That's helpful. Thank you.

I thought Garrison had his hand up.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Director Isaacson, may you also remind us again of our Building Stronger Together plan about how much we had allocated for infrastructure again of our transportation funds?

I can, I'm sure I can do that. I'm sure I can do that. So we had, let me grab this here. There are 50 million set aside for public realm. improvements, which I think this is where it would lie most directly, Brian. And then there was $50 million for housing conversions. And then the rest of the $120 million, which $100 was sort of via the transportation and transit money. And then another $20 million was a capital bond. So $120 million was for River's Edge. Does that make sense?

Great. OK. May you also discuss or share more? I realize you have a web page, so please share with the public about your web page on this project and also just the overall community engagement that has led up to this moment.

Yeah, for sure. So we do have a website where we do keep the public informed of the decisions. I apologize about that. And as far as the public engagement piece, this was something that was very unique when we did it back. So we started a project that is back in 2020. And advancing in 2022 is COVID times. But we had quite the outreach. We even created a dedicated website and ArcGIS map to be able to do a fly through of the project because you know, it's kind of hard, like Sean mentioned earlier, it's kind of hard to see like, know that it's a bridge, and so we actually did a fly-through. We have these 3D images that we created of what the proposed is. Honestly, the feedback has been great, especially when it comes to having that dedicated 12-foot shared-use trail through the viaduct. It's gonna transform this place. It will create that great gateway feel, but it will connect that direct link there between the San Morgan Regional Trail and then the Capital City Bikeway. And we'll continue to inform the public through our website as the project progresses. The funding piece being the key, I mean we can't deliver without it obviously, but also aligning the timeline has been very difficult for us. It's a huge ask and we have a huge opportunity now with the BIP to have the lion's share. But as soon as we have the funding that we need to deliver the project, we'll continue to engage. WITH OUR PROJECT WEBSITE AND OBVIOUSLY WITH THE PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS WITH RAMSEY COUNTY TO MAKE SURE AS WE MOVE ALONG, WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, DID YOU HAVE TO GET ANY OTHER APPROVALS FROM THE CITY OR LIKE THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AND OR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE?

yeah so we essentially follow through the process at a project staff level we're coordinating with all the divisions uh traffic engineers our water our all of the public works divisions excel energy is another one we had to relocate utilities ahead of the project they actually have a really critical fee like um power sources going through that stretch. And one of their actually intent is to leave or abandon their, you know, these power cables they have through a tunnel. This bridge will actually, or this construction will actually help them have a dedicated space, duck bank we call it, through the bridge. So there is a lot that happened in the background to really make sure we are in sync with our project stakeholders. The river center loading dock is another one. We have to make sure when we build this bridge we're not impacting the river load operations. And that's 24-7. can't stop because you know there's events coming in gatherings uh you know naturalization ceremonies waiting i mean all you know you can name it we cannot interrupt that so that's all being considered as well so we really made sure that we're working you know with our project stakeholders and informing us and i should have um clarified like the planning commission like i'm talking about like community input uh like from the plan commission to its transportation committee like it got all those approvals already right yes

Yes, ma'am.

So we had to go through that step in order to get the federal authorization as well. And so we had all those major milestones.

Okay, that's great. Yeah, this is super helpful. I want to thank you for... BEING NIMBLE, TOO, IN IDENTIFYING THE SOURCES. I SEE ON THE PROJECT PAGE HERE THAT YOU HAVE ONE FOR CONSTRUCTIONS, LIKE, DEPENDENT ON FUNDING, YOU KNOW, AS ALWAYS. THIS IS TYPICAL OF A LOT OF MAJOR PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ROAD PROJECTS AND OUR TRANSIT TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. So that's very typical. And I just also want to thank our staff, County Manager Becker, for pulling together all the plans that the Board of Commissioners have adopted, especially as it comes to our all abilities plan, our... economic improvement or EGCI plan and all these other ones that have come together to put together building stronger together where we as a board are signaling where we want to invest our dollars, right? And we've identified that downtown as a core piece of building Ramsey County stronger together, especially in terms of we are trying to pivot off and take some of the burden off of our residential homeowners and this is a core project for I hear for the port for the city of st. Paul for our river center. this is a key to connecting to our project so i'm really supportive and i really do hope that we do get this federal match because this is a letter of support in addition to that i'm glad that this allows us this nimbleness to be able to act so quickly so thank you for looking to us as partners too maybe joe

Yeah, thank you so much. This is such a great discussion, and it brings up just questions about partnerships and how we solidify our partnerships. You three agree this is, we're all working together, and if somebody leaves, we want to make sure that that's solidified in the agreement that we're all going to work together on this since we're a big... partner in this and so i just want to make sure that that this this happens because we all want these partnerships to endure long beyond the person the people standing in this room right here so yeah i mean you're all we're all great and we we want that so just just talk to me a little bit about what that would look like mr chair commissioners it's a great point and but i think uh as as an industry and as you saw earlier with recognizing bradley

We're accustomed to working together. Our systems intersect in all kinds of ways. And to the commissioner's point earlier, that most folks don't necessarily see that intersection. Those are things that are behind the scenes. It's rare that we have a project that doesn't have an agreement, but to your point about larger things like this, frequently there is going to be some sort of agreement that we'll arrive at. We're not there today, but I think that there's enough meat on the bone relative to this for us to put together a fairly straightforward agreement about how we're going to do that. But I think it's largely baked into our industry. I know I go to Dale Street a lot, but the Dale Street interchange at 94 It involved the city, it involved MnDOT, it involved the county, and that's fairly common to have three or four partners. It makes tracking the money a little tricky sometimes, but I think in general, we are accustomed to working together on large projects like this. I appreciate it. Just to make another fine point, I think County Manager Becker was reflecting on the downtown investments are going to be a partnership. I think that there's also going to be partnership with folks like MnDOT and Met Transit. because there are system owners and there are things that we want to invest in that are going to be similar to that, and so there's gonna be an ongoing partnership, and that gets required for us to get all this done.

I appreciate that. Just two more questions, Mr. Chair. So that's great, and I appreciate that. And speaking of partnerships, so are we getting partnership from the business community, too? I know, like, I'm out in Roseville, so when we're building the infrastructure around Rosedale, we, like, want Rosedale to participate, because they're gonna benefit from this infrastructure that we are building on our roads. around Rosedale, so I'm hoping that we're getting some participation from the arena. I mean, I know it's tricky, and I don't actually know how much Rosedale's contributing to our roads. I think we want them to, but maybe that's just not a thing.

Mr. Chair, commissioners. It is challenging, and I will say I have worked on projects where the private sector and their businesses have invested in a project. It's less common. That being said, there are lots of times where we work with a private sector, say, property owner, and we partner with them on delivering things like a sidewalk or a different type of driveway or, like... There's a project in Shoreview that we completed a couple years ago on Lexington. There was private sector investment in a signal, in one of the signals, ironically. for business that didn't open. But regardless, it was somebody else's money that contributed to the project. And so it happens. We're accustomed to involving that. And we're definitely in conversation with our private business partners about what they are doing and what we need to do. And can they contribute? Sometimes it's more land than it is anything else, like cash. But sometimes it's cash.

Just encourage, obviously. Encourage those conversations. I'm always happy to take other people's questions. Of course, yeah. And my last question, Mr. Chair, is because this project has been around and we've acknowledged that we're just resubmitting now because there's an opportunity. So were we part of the original plan or you just now added us now to this plan? Because in the original submission, did you not get it? Just clarify that for me. And we've been added now as a partner. Just talk to me about that.

In the original, did we do one or two previously? We've done two previously. Pardon me. Each one is a little bit different. I think the current opportunity is a reflection of the cooperation between the city and the county over the last six months. So while I couldn't do my job without Brian, Director Isakson, so that partnership exists in conversation. I think with building stronger together and the new focus on River's Edge and down this area in general, that's what's changed since the last, time we submitted it. So at that time, we weren't having these conversations. The resource allocation was a little bit different.

And Commissioner McGuire, I'll just, you know, again, go more broadly. You know, there have been quite a few editorials recently in the paper talking about, you know, the kind of the partnership table in St. Paul's changed very dramatically, as Sean was referring to in St. Paul. And some of you know John Manillo, who is part of Inside St. Paul. He said, St. Paul's smaller size works in favor during a crisis. If you get the right people pulling in the right direction, recovery is easier to do. And so I also just want to remind us that downtown isn't necessarily at the most thriving state it could be right now. We are still in a recovery mode. I think what we've signaled with Building Stronger Together is that the public entities are leading and willing to be kind of kick open the door, as I've said. And I think the private investment will hopefully follow, but we've been signaling quite a bit and it has come through. Like when I know Commissioner Moran and and Commissioner Ortega were at the downtown. There were so many developers there and many who are now buying some buildings and we see some positive momentum. It doesn't mean that we don't expect more from folks like The Wild and Eco Lab and Travelers and all the things. But there were a few private corporations that said, We just got an invitation for, let's see, Securian, who just put a bunch of money into their, like, improving their building. So we don't see it all in the same ways, but people have to kind of figure out privately how they're going to make sure they're creating assets and capital in downtown and improving assets. So we're all kind of doing some different things. And so I appreciate your question, but I also think this board, I think while we did that press conference around Building Stronger Together, you may not realize the strong signal that that sent, whether it's to private folks, but also to the city to say, you know, the mayor showed up and we said, we're going to partner differently. And again, we have to expect the same of the city, but they may be now see us as a different kind of partner than we have been even, you know, six to nine months ago, as Sean is saying. So you, you did a thing in, in, in that, from that moment, And I think we should be expecting these types of people wanting to partner with the county. And fortunately for us, we have a lot of strong frameworks to make sure that we are in line with your direction. But I really didn't hesitate bringing this to you because I feel like it aligns with much of what you guys have already agreed to are your priorities. And that helps us to be more agile, having that framework that you have already approved.

And I appreciate that. And I appreciate your patience in our line of questioning, because this is exciting for all of us that we're investing in our infrastructure, which we all have decided we want to do. And so just how it happens is, I think, new for us. And I just want to get not so new, but I mean, this kind of thing is newer. And I just it's just I appreciate that we get to talk about how this is going to work. So thank you.

There will be no further discussion. Did you? No. Just ten more minutes. Chair.

I just want to end, you know, by a word of gratitude. Had you asked me a week ago, would we be having this conversation today? I would have said no. And two weeks ago, I didn't even think we'd have the opportunity. So, you know, on the city's behalf, we're really grateful. We appreciate the time. We appreciate the commitment and the sort of joint teamwork we can do as a part of building stronger together. So thank you very much.

I'd like to move item number eight, support of the City of St. Paul's federal grant application to the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.

Second.

Hearing no further discussion, roll call.

Zhang?

Aye.

Devin Singh? Aye. McGuire? Aye. McMurtry? Aye. Miller? Aye. Moran? Aye. And Ortega?

Aye. Thank you folks for taking the time to have the dialogue.

Thanks for the support here, folks.

Outside board and committee reports. Who did I start with last week? Reno looks at me now.

Let's start with Tara. All right.

Well, May is a lot of months for a lot of really important things. May is, as we know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And when we had our proclamation, one of the individuals who was here was really calling for us as a board and all elected officials to center youth. in the discussions and the decisions that we make. And there was an invitation that I was able to participate in the youth mental health community conversation run by World Youth Connect. I will say it was a room full of probably 60 young people. And the courageousness of this generation to embrace discussions around mental health and mental illness is inspiring. And I just want to thank all of the individuals who are in that room and letting me be a part of that. I too have my own mental health journey and to be in a space where people are candidly in community talking about where they're at is good for everybody. May is also Older Americans Month, and this year's theme is Champion Your Health. A big part of our health is to make sure that we have a sense of purpose and connection. And I just want to lift up, for many years I've been part of the Vital Aging Network, specifically their anti-ageism work, Aging with Gusto. And I was able to be with a cohort of leaders that I have been with for over a dozen years, and we realized at that time that there are five decades of women who are part of that leadership, meaning that's five decades of where we are in our lived experience and where we are in our historical experience. And just want to thank that space for being a mentor and a support for me as we learn from each other and encourage folks to seek out those kind of intergenerational spaces, especially as we are leading to be hearing voices from folks who have been through any and all the things we're going through and can lead the historical wisdom, but also the young people who will forever be impacted by our decisions. I also was part of the Suburban Ramsey Family's quarter two joint powers board meeting where we adopted the strategic plan that had been worked out with the committee that has been meeting for months around this. And just to say that the county continues to be a participant in many of our collaborative work, which is a way for us to support many of the organizations that are doing work in community every day. And then also just to say that not any particular report, but I continue to hear from constituents, to meet with constituent groups, to have the conversations about the the ongoing impacts of Operation Metro Search. We continue to have individual sheltering in place. We have folks who are building their way out of the economic pause in their life. And there continues to be conversations of how the county can help support the community and its healing. There are things that we as kind of big rock solid, not as quick to pivot as the interpersonal one-on-one relationships of a neighbor bringing groceries to a neighbor. But there are a lot of things that we can be doing to support the organizations by way of convening, by way of content expertise or data. or influence and things like that, along with the policy decisions we make from these spaces. So I know that all of my colleagues continue to hear from our community, and I don't want us, just because the sun is shining and summer is finally here, the winter is still impacting our communities, and it's front of mind. That's what I have today.

Great. Thank you, Mr. Sheriff. Only thing I want to share is so last Friday I had a chance to tour the Kimball Court, the new added on facility. Kimball Court is supportive housing that is along Snelling Avenue in my district. And so they do a lot of great work. specifically for folks who are on their housing journey. And so it includes a number of wraparound services to make sure that these individuals are getting the services and their needs met as they go about their housing journey. And so we had a chance to tour their added units. They have about 22 or 23 added units that they've extended into the building. And so I had a chance to meet with a lot of the folks from Beacon Interfaith, from Avivo, and other community partners who were invited to be a part of this tour to just see the space and to hear more about you know the work they're hoping to do you know this is going to be an amazing opportunity for the residents who live there and now have a community space for them to congregate for for outside uh organizations to come in and to you know provide additional resources to the folks who are there i know that county the county did our part as well i know last year we approved I think a little over a million dollars through the support and stabilization housing solicitation for upgrades to their security. And so I got to actually see some of that as well, where those funds were going. And so it was just really great to see this organization expand their work. I think we oftentimes, especially along Snelling University, get caught up what we're seeing on the outside and attribute that to the things that are being done to support the people on the inside of that building and so I don't want to lose sight on the incredible impact that Kimball Court and other supportive housing organizations are making for folks on that journey. So really great tour and looking forward to it officially opening up and then they're going to be renovating the original side of Kimball Court and those should be completed by this fall. So great work and looking forward to that partnership. Thank you. Kelly?

Yeah, I'll be pretty quick. So last week we had a WIB membership committee meeting last Wednesday where our committee approved some new appointments and some reappointments to the WIB board. We also have the full WIB meeting this week. I just want to mention over the weekend, communities across District 7 gathered to recognize Memorial Day and to honor those who have served and sacrificed. There were ceremonies in Maplewood, North St. Paul. and even a paver brick dedication for Master Sergeant Nicole Armour in White Bear Lake at Veterans Memorial Park. So I just wanted to say that it was really meaningful to see residents come together to remember and support military families and veterans across our community. And then just also mentioned earlier this month, Wall signed legislation dedicating a portion of Highway 96 in honor of Master Sergeant Nicole Armour as well. So with that.

Kelly, why don't you mention you were talking to me earlier this morning about the park at Omaha.

I think that's- Yes, I just actually sent an email out to my colleagues and county manager Becker. So I was in Omaha this weekend for my niece's first birthday and my in-laws down there. And we stayed in downtown Omaha. And they have this park called the Green Leahy Park. And it's in downtown Omaha. It's big. They just redeveloped it. areas for kids to play parking there was food trucks around there's different sitting areas they have this huge pond that connects to their riverfront there's housing as we were walking through there i was like this it really helped like imagine what the parks at river's edge could be and let me tell you we didn't walk down there until like nine o'clock It was busy. I was so surprised. I was looking up in the area like, what's going on down here? What events are going on that has this park so lively and busy with adults, kids, kids like my kids' age running around? They have these big slides that are built into the walkway. I did go down the slides. I mean, they have these hills you can roll down. My son was rolling. Then we went and rented scooters, and we were scootering around with my kids at 10.30 at night in downtown Omaha. So I just got to say it really helped envision what the parks at River Edge could be and what St. Paul could be. And I even took pictures, which I sent to you guys, of, like, the developers of, you know, and the path of it, and they have different events there. So I think that was just really cool. It was really neat to see and be a part of, I mean, so late at night, too. I couldn't imagine how it is during the day. So it was pretty cool.

That's very cool. Thank you. Surely a downtown Omaha can do this. Surely.

Just a few things. I attended the Friends on the Lawn fundraiser for St. Paul College.

Uh, so during the event, I had opportunity to connect with St. Paul college president, Dr. Deidre, uh, Peasley to discuss the college continued impact on workforce development, student access and educational access. Um, in our community, it was great seeing commissioner Ortega there also with Ken. Um, but, uh, Dr. Peasley has served as president of St. Paul college since 2019, and she continues to lead efforts, focus on equitable and student center, high education opportunities. really being connected to and in the best interest of those students. I also sit on the DCYF Intergovernmental Advisory Committee. DCYF is the Department of Children, Youth, and Family, where in this meeting last week was able to have discussion focused on really the collaboration and policy coordination and supporting children, youth, and families through the inter-government partnership effort. But a lot of that conversation was really focused on the new law around the Minnesota African American Family Preservation Child Welfare Disproportionality Act. But there was a great presentation around prevention. You know, as we look at this new law and, oh gosh, what county was that? Was it Scott County? I can't remember what county. It's like doing some really awesome work. And having some, just looking at through the work through a prevention lens. It's a small county, rural Minnesota, I'd like to come back, who's just doing some really transformational work there. And it was just really, really insightful to see the work that they're doing and the possibilities of what we can do in other counties. As we talk about the partnership that's needed to be done, the lack of funding, but the work that we can do in relationship with. And just reimagining this whole new system and doing the work a different way. So I'll come back maybe next week and talk about the county who's doing this transformational work. Missy, on Saturday, I was honored to be asked to speak at the AirTran 35-year independent celebration here in St. Paul. It is, you know, what a wonderful vibrant, um, community. Um, it was really, um, I was able to acknowledge the importance of the AirTrain, the AirTrain, uh, Independence Day as a celebration of resilience, identity, sacrifice, and cultural pride. Um, I acknowledge the strong present and the contribution of the AirTrain community in St. Paul and Ramsey County. you know, the thriving, looking at the small business and entrepreneurship, that their faith community, their cultural preservation, youth and family leadership, and really their great community support network that they have. There is a community center, Eritrean Community Center, that's really located, which is my neighbor, they're located right there in St. Paul off of University and Dale. I was able to note the communities are stronger when people feel seen, heard, and valued, and affirm that the Eritrean community is an important part of St. Paul and Ramsey County. And that St. Paul and Ramsey County is its strongest when we are creating space for our immigrants and refugees as part of who we are here in Ramsey County. But it was a really good time. I was also there with our mayor. Also, Representative Maria Issa also spoke there. And a good shout out to a community leader, Tyrone Terrell, from the African American Leadership Council, who was also present. But grateful, great music, just great, beautiful people. Yes, thank you. That's it for me.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Last week, I had the privilege and honor of being on a panel with local elected leaders from Philadelphia and also Chicago to talk about how we have responded to Operation Natural Surge. And I will say that, you know, because of our board action and what we've memorialized in our records, you know, that's how they were able to reach out to me as a member of local progress, as well as other commissioners from other counties reached out to about the actions that we have taken because they are looking to other counties and cities of where it has been impacted. And it's also to say that just because Operation Metro Surge is done, it doesn't mean that this administration is not locking up people when its goal is to lock up a third of Americans currently. So the work is going to continue and continue. They are looking to Minnesota and how we've responded and also shout out to our county attorney, John Choi, who is actually really leading the way in terms of holding the federal government accountable for actions that they have taken against citizens in violating their rights. Those were the highlight where I had that opportunity to present what we've done and also here. In addition to that, we also just learned a lot more about the use of AI data centers, about how that is increasingly prevalent across all governments, and about how us as leaders can take a closer look at what we are doing in terms of both policy, but also as things come across with agreements. So those are a lot of the highlights and takeaways that I had that I will definitely be bringing back here. In addition to that, the Hmong Committee of 100 celebrated their long, hard-fought win of many, many years of getting recognition for special guerrilla units at the state level. And this came about about two years ago when Representative Jae Jong was the chair of the Veterans Committee and also led to make sure that to create a task force to identify benefits where SU veterans may be eligible for state benefits. And Winona from my office was able to attend on my behalf and also bring back the legislation and share it with Director Ross of our veteran services where she's able to help identify how the county may be able to navigate those new benefits for residents and also encourage residents to identify themselves as residents now because of those benefits. So I know that that will go a long ways for many of the families who navigate and honoring their family members, especially when our veterans are at an age where many of them are passing and gone now. So that was really, just really, really exciting to see because that's actually what led me into community organizing in the beginning was about both identity, but also really seeing the connection of just how when certain groups are locked out of receiving support and benefits that they need, that moves to the long-term intergenerational poverty. And that would just go a long ways to a first step in just recognizing and honoring the work that our veterans have, the sacrifices and contributions that they have made. Thank you.

Thank you. I just wanted to... Make a comment when you mentioned data centers. Last week, I met with Met Council Chairperson Robin Hutchinson. And she brought up the data centers, and it seemed like she was making that a big priority. She wanted to know what we were going to do at the county. Just for your information, so you know what I said, I told her that that is a concern from the counties around us. But that it's not on this county's list right now that the economic situation and the property taxes, etc, etc, are priorities. But I do think we need to start looking at what that means. Because they're looking at buildings to put data centers in. And I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. You could have a downtown that's full of data centers. So I told them my concern, I wasn't concerned right now because our buildings are, those that could be converted will be converted to residential. The other ones are in such bad condition that the question is whether they're taken down or not. But I just wanted to let you know that that was my response. I didn't mean to minimize it, but that I wasn't going to jump on the bandwagon that now we have to right away deal with data centers. Ramsey County is not the same as Scott. Or even Washington, where they have a lot of land, or Hennepin, where they want to put these big boxes. But anyway, just a point of information. Mary Jo?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I love being last, because I get to comment on all the amazing things you're all doing. But thank you about data centers. I totally agree. faced with it right now, but it's definitely something that may come to us. And data centers may provide some financial resources as far as the rent, but they don't have any people. I mean, they just don't house people. They just house machines and things. And they take a lot of energy, right? So I think it's good to be looking at it, and you know counties across the country are looking at it, and NACO has lots of information on it. I think it's probably worth a workshop at some point because it may come to us sooner than we think. Anyway, but I wanted to comment on that. And I also wanted to just recognize Memorial Day yesterday, of course, and recognize all of the people that served in our wars and gave their ultimate sacrifice for us all and all the volunteers that really recognized that. all the flags that were put out at the different cemeteries, and my condo community had flags all around it. So I just want to recognize the volunteers that did that. And speaking of volunteers, the people that are still working on the, even though Metro Surge is technically, maybe they say it's done, but we're still feeling the impacts of it, and people are still nervous about it. And I saw four volunteers in their, you know, neon vests at a manufactured home park in Roseville. They're still escorting kids to and from the bus, so it's still out there, and people are still nervous, and we still are seeing the impacts of it. So I just wanted to recognize that this is all still happening. also wanted to just say how important it is that we actually get to visually experience what our river's edge could be. I'm so excited that Commissioner Miller talked about Omaha because any of us who have visited any of these cities on waterways, rivers or lakes or whatever, Milwaukee, Tampa, Savannah. I mean, I love that Omaha's doing this. We know that we can do better here, and that's why we're so excited about Rivers Edge, and I get all excited thinking about the possibilities, and I thank you for bringing that up. So I was lucky also to, I'm an alternate on TAB, and so I was able to go to the Transportation Advisory Board meeting, and we passed a, a scope change for a project in St. Paul that we had asked for and so we were able to do that. So I was glad to be there for that. And then we had the biggest conversation was on the Speed camera pilot update. So Minneapolis and another city has a pilot to do speed cameras. And I know we have not experienced speed cameras, but we, of course, had flock cameras. So the whole idea of flock, well, flock is the vendor, but it's the readers. It's a camera reader that reads cameras. cars that go by at intersections. And our sheriff has employed those in some of our cities. And I think I would just like an update on where we're at with that. Because I know during Metro surge, we were nervous about cameras taking pictures of cars. And so I just am going to put that out there that we had a big discussion. And these communities don't want the cameras taking pictures of everything, but they are in favor of speed cameras, and our communities, I thought, were the other way around, although now I think we're all rethinking all of it. So, just wanted to let you know that that was a study, and it was a great presentation, actually, on speed cameras, so we can probably get that. So, it's just, it's a constant theme, so I was like, oh, wow, I can't believe I just got a part of this discussion. So I think we might want to do a workshop on that as well. And just to let you know, our legislative team's been meeting and we're excited about the workshop that's coming up this morning. Our MELSA governing board met and we discussed our audit review and just shout out to our director, Pang Yang, who was there and giving great updates on our libraries. And so it's just always fun to see what our metro libraries are sharing information on. Speaking of sharing information, I am always excited when I can attend as an alternate our Suburban Ramsey Family Collaborative, and they are doing a grant program, and I'm excited that they're going to do a collaborative grant-making program. And so we talked about that effort that they're going to do on that. So I'm happy to be at that meeting. Just to let you know what's coming up, I'm starting to do my city council meeting. So tonight I'm speaking with our county manager, Becker, It's the St. Anthony Village City Council meeting tomorrow night in Little Canada. We're doing reports on what the county's doing, and we're going to be talking about our economic development plan, our Stronger Together work. And then also Active Living is meeting this Monday, so that's where we're going to do a lot on biking. bike and walking plans from different cities. Roseville's presenting and we're hearing from other cities on what they're doing about our pedestrian and biking plans. So that's what's coming up. Thank you.

Thank you. Following the The board meeting, we have a workshop. I guess we'll take about five minute break and that's it. We're a little behind schedule here. Board workshop on the legislative session. Commissioner McGuire will chair that. This afternoon, Commissioner Moran will chair a workshop on Rivers Edge and Rice Creek Commons. We are adjourned.

Hey, I just gotta say they have those speed cameras.

Recording stopped.