City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening, welcome to the City of Woodbury's Economic Development Authority meeting for today, August 26th. It is actually now 7.33 p.m. As I said a minute ago, we're a few minutes late kicking this off. This EDA meeting is taking place virtually and here in person. Meetings are recorded by TruLens Community Media. They are broadcast live. They're also replayed on cable channel 799. and they're available to watch on Woodbury's YouTube channel. Public comments are accepted during the meeting in person. I don't know if I have any green sheets for that part of the meeting. I've got them for the next meeting after this. So we're ready to kick off and begin. Would you please do the roll call?

Janelle. Commissioner Morris.

Here.

Commissioner Santini. Here. Commissioner Stafford. Here. Commissioner Wilson. Here. President Byrd.

Here, we are all here tonight so we can connect this business for the Economic Development Commission. All we have tonight is a consent agenda. So all items listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the EDA Board, will be enacted by one motion and an affirmer vote by roll call of the majority of the members present. There'll be no separate discussion of these items unless a commissioner or citizen requests. In which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered a separate subject of discussion by the Board. So with that, I do always turn to our live audience here and ask if you want anything removed from this consent agenda. SAYING NONE, I THEN TURN TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I DON'T NECESSARILY WANT ANYTHING REMOVED, BUT I DO WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT BEFORE 3C.

AND, MAJOR BIRD, I DO HAVE A COMMENT FOR ITEM 3B, WHICH IS THE MINUTES. 3A, EXCUSE ME, THE MINUTES. I'M SORRY, YOU HAVE A COMMENT? OH, NOT THE MINUTES. I'M SORRY, THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT'S ON 3B. ON 3B, OKAY.

GO AHEAD.

So you do have in front of you a corrected, I did find a rounding error of $1, so we did produce a corrected sheet, a balance sheet for the EDA. So I just wanted to make sure you were aware of that. So that is the correct.

Where specifically is that $1?

The cash amount was, the original in the packet had $1,121,305. It should be $1,121,306. Okay. So it was just a rounding thing within the spreadsheet that was corrected.

All right, so that's your only comment on 3B. Okay. Do you need to comment on 3C before we vote or should we vote and then you just want to make a follow-up comment or?

I'm struggling with this vote only because.

Do you want to pull it? I guess I'm going to ask that question.

We can pull it.

Okay. So if anyone would like to put forth a motion for 3A and 3B.

I'll move to approve consent agenda items 3A and 3B. Second.

Motion is second. Any further discussion on those two? Hearing none, the roll call, please.

Commissioner Morris. Aye. Commissioner Stafford. Aye. Commissioner Wilson. Aye. Commissioner Santini. Aye. President Byrd.

Aye. Those items pass. The item on 3C is the approval of authority property acquisition of 8130 Afton Road. Council Member Wilson.

I'm very happy to see that this is being taken care of. I know we had discussed earlier maybe I'm not sure how the EDA is getting involved in this as opposed to open space or parks or give me something else. Parks. When the developers pay. Park dedication. That kind of money being used for it as opposed to the EDA. I feel like the EDA puts it into Just to be clear, for this resolution of taking care of this property and the amount, my question is where the money is coming from. I would like to see it have come from Park Dedication as opposed to the EDA.

I'll just add a comment that I think we have not yet as a body determined the highest and best use for this property. Right now there are funds available in the EDA to purchase this. At some point when there is a policy decision on what happens with this property, then does it become park dedication or does it become something else? And we're just, we're not at that point yet. The transaction opportunity came available. This is the timing for it.

And Mayor Byrd, if I may add, the funds in the EDA are eligible for this type of purchase. Some of the other funding sources that we talked about are more restricted or just are already spoken for essentially throughout or for future park projects. So we feel like this was the best for the city and also will give us the flexibility after an engagement process has been completed to determine what it ultimately is gonna be used for.

PERFECT, AND THEN JUST FOR MINUTES PURPOSES, AS THIS MOVES FORWARD THROUGH THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO OR WHATEVER, I SAID YES TO THIS BECAUSE I WAS HOPING THIS WOULD BE TURNED INTO PARK AND OPEN SPACE AS OPPOSED TO ANY SORT OF TYPE OF HIGH DENSITY HOUSING OR WHATEVER. SO THAT'S MY CONCERN IS THAT NOW THE EDA OR THE EDC IS NOW KICKING IN AND TAKING IT. SO THAT'S MY CONCERN.

WELL, A FUTURE BODY WILL THEN BE DECIDING WHETHER, WHOEVER THAT MIGHT BE.

A FUTURE BODY CAN DECIDE IT, YES, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD SOMETHING LAID OUT, LIKE THIS IS WHAT OUR INTENT WAS. YOU UNDERSTAND? SO THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.

YEAH, I THINK IT'S ONE THING TO, DO YOU WANT TO, WERE YOU GOING TO SAY SOMETHING?

MAYOR, I WAS JUST GOING TO MENTION THAT WE, UNFORTUNATELY, WE NEED TO ACT NOW ON THIS GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT WE STILL HAVE THE AVAILABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY TO DETERMINE ITS ULTIMATE FATE.

RIGHT, AND I JUST WAS HOPING THE MINUTES WOULD REFLECT. That's all. Your preference.

Not just mine, it was stuff that was discussed. Yeah, and then which is why we chose not to use. Potentially like LAHA funds, because I think, you know, then you were really off.

Right, right. We wanted flexibility.

So we would be looking at other options besides possibly a park for use of this land, but as of today, we don't know. We don't know, correct.

We just, there's an opportunity to get this piece of land at this negotiated price.

The EBA funds does not restrict us. Correct, yep. I make a motion to adopt Resolution 26-02, a resolution authorizing the acquisition of the remaining 50% interest of the property located at 8130 African Road. Second.

Motion to second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, the roll call, please. Commissioner Stafford? Aye.

Commissioner Wilson? Aye. Commissioner Santini? Aye. Commissioner Morris?

Aye.

President Burke?

Aye.

That passes.

We have no public hearing, no discussion items, so I make a motion that we adjourn this EDA meeting.

Second.

Motion is second. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. All right, we are adjourned from that meeting. Cable Commission. Good evening, welcome to the City of Woodbury's City Council meeting for today, August 26th. It is 7.41 p.m. This meeting is taking place virtually and here at Woodbury City Hall in the Council Chambers. These meetings are recorded by TruLens Community Media. They're broadcast live, replayed on cable channel 799, and they're also available on the City of Woodbury's YouTube channel. With that, would you please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance as is our custom. Angela, would you please do the roll call?

Council Member Santini? Here. Council Member Wilson? Here. Council Member Stafford? Here. Council Member Morris? Here. Mayor Burt?

Here, we're all here tonight, so we're able to conduct tonight's business. We have a couple of special orders of business to kick things off. Recently, our communications team received many wonderful awards. So we've got a presentation from the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators to talk about the Northern Lights Award, and Don Reeder, is it Don Reeder?

No, Don Gore.

Don, okay, oh, okay, I knew there. Yes, I get that. I heard the other Don name before, and I'm like, you don't look like that, Don. No. That's why, because you're Don Gore. Okay, Don Gore, welcome back. We've seen you before.

Thank you, yes.

And we do like your sister.

Thank you, so do I. We'll be sitting a couple weeks, so I'm very excited about that.

Not the sister.

Just being able to see the kids. Yes. So, yeah, welcome. Thank you for welcoming me back. It's good to be here. It's kind of a nice habit to get into. Madam Mayor, council members, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Don Gore, and I represent the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators. I'd like to talk to you tonight about leadership, not in theory, but in practice. Specifically, how Jason Egerstrom's leadership of a team of, spoiler alert, award-winning communicators sets a standard worth celebrating. Great leadership, as I'm sure you know, is not about titles or authority. It's about creating conditions where talented people can thrive. It's about being the example that you want your team to follow. As a senior community relations coordinator, Jason understands that communication is more than just press releases or polished campaigns. It's about public trust, clarity, and connection. Under Jason's leadership, his team has consistently delivered award-winning, impactful work for plenty of reasons, a few of which I'll speak briefly about. Trust. With over 20 years in public service, Jason, as the City of Woodbury's primary media contact, delivers clear, accurate, and unbiased information that strengthens public trust and the trust of his team. Collaboration and innovation. He brings together department directors and city leaders, whether on AI project management, cannabis, or water treatment steering, to ensure alignment and shared success. Mentorship. Jason's become a go-to advisor across the organization, offering guidance, supporting colleagues, and going beyond to ensure clarity, credibility, and purpose in communication. And professionalism. Jason's well regarded for his calm, deliberate approach, something that we can all appreciate in a time of escalating concerns and frankly, frantic shifts of public opinion. Leadership and communication is about creating connection. When residents understand what's happening, when they feel heard, when their stories are reflected back with respect, that's when trust in government grows. His team's awards are not just pieces of pretty plastic sitting in a display case. They're proof that effective communication strengthens communities, evidence of excellence. Jason's leadership allows a talented group of communicators to be an exceptional one. He shows that when you lead with trust, collaboration, mentorship, and calm, excellence cannot be far behind. I'll give you a quote from his nomination. He not only elevates the work of his organization, but also strengthens the relationship between the city and the community it serves, embodying the very best of government communications and public service. Jason Egerstrom's example reminds us that leadership is not his title or his authority. It's about creating an environment that attracts talent and allows it to thrive while creating communication that serves the public good. That is why his leadership deserves your recognition and why I proudly present him with the Northern Lights Award for Communicator of the Year.

Don or Shelly, can you just say more about that? Like, that's kind of a big deal across how many cities or counties or people or, you know, we know he's outstanding, but tell us how well he, how much outstanding he really is.

So I'll tell you really quick about the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators. It's a peer group. It's a nonprofit. Communicators across the state of Minnesota. There are, oh gosh, we have over 500 members. Cities, We have nonprofits who are involved, counties. I represent the state of Minnesota as a member of the board. So it's government communicators across the state. What we do is we have an annual award ceremony where people can submit in many different categories. to win awards. We do it every year. It's called the Northern Lights Awards. And there are a few very special awards that we give as a board. And they are nominated by someone within their organization. And as a board, we look through and we deliberate a lot of very high quality candidates. These are the best of the best. And it's a distinct honor to win Communicator of the Year. There's only one award given each year for it. And it's prestigious, and it's really, really an amazing thing that doesn't happen, as I mentioned, without incredible leadership and just clarity of purpose. So it's a very impressive thing.

Great. Well, congratulations again, Jason. Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor. We didn't want to speak.

A communicator doesn't want to speak? He's really good at the written word, really good.

He is incredible, and we're so lucky to have him. And thank you, Don, for being here tonight. You are one of the best in the business. He sits on the board of MAGIC, and I'm grateful to have him here and share his words. It is truly an honor to be here tonight to celebrate the awards that our team received from the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators. I'm especially proud of Jason for the well-deserved award. He's one of the best in his field and an asset to the city. I also want to recognize our entire community relations team and the creative, innovative work that they do to keep our community informed and engaged. So along with Jason and myself, we also have Ashley Bendar, Genesis Suttereth, and Sam Verdict. who are here. This team puts their heart and soul into the work they do, and it has paid off because at this year's Northern Lights Awards, our team took home ten awards, including Jason's, and nine additional awards, including the Best in Show, which is the top award for all categories, and we were incredibly grateful to receive the recognition. So along with Jason's award, the team received three Northern Lights awards, which are the top awards in each category. And those included in the best use of humor category, our game day Woodbury snowplow operators video. And this submission is the one that also won best in show. We're gonna show that at the end of my remarks so everyone gets a chance to see it. Next, in the social media engagement category, we won for putting people first, a step toward real connection in Woodbury. And this recognized our work to include our staff and community more in our videos, highlighting the people who make up our community, much like the snowplow video did. And then our third Northern Lights Awards was for our in the video campaign or series category. We had two video series, one for the Asian American Pacific Islander Month and then one for the Hispanic Heritage Month. and we won for those video series. Then in the silver awards, we had three. Our first under the newsletter or magazine category, we won for our updated design of our city update newsletter. The second under special events, we had the new format for our state of the city. And then third, under the public health or public safety video category, the video that was entitled from collapse to come back, A Community's Race to Save Scott, which I think Jen Santini was a part of. And then finally, in the bronze award category, we had two awards. One was in the community interest video category. There was a video entitled Minnesota's Push to Honor Hmong Veterans of the Secret War. And then lastly, in the interview talk show or news magazine programming category, we have Ashley's internal series that she does highlighting staff called Spotlight On. So as a team, we are always looking for new and exciting ways to tell our story and the stories of our community members. And I would be remiss if I didn't give a huge shout out to True Lens Community Media for their incredible partnership with the city. It has been a pleasure to work with them. We come up with the vision and they bring it to life. And it's just been a joy to collaborate with them. So thank you to council and city leadership for being supportive of the work that we do. Thank you to our great team and thank you to Dawn and Magic for being here and for the recognition. So now we'd like to show you the video that won us best in show and then afterwards we'd love to get a picture with council, Dawn and the team afterwards.

Just before you start that. Yes. You came home with a lot of hardware. Did you bring all the hardware here so we can see it all?

We have. Each of us has one or two that we'll bring into.

So if we do a group photo, then we can have all the hardware included? Absolutely. Because they're, I mean, just the, I know it's just beautiful plastic, but they are beautiful. Absolutely.

We have a new trophy case.

We're going to need one. We have talked about that. We need it. It was a good day and we are very grateful for it.

And then just to kind of go back to Don for a minute for a question. Okay, how many awards? Nine? Is this a little unprecedented or?

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

You have to go to the mic, otherwise you won't be, yeah.

In particular, from my viewpoint, the most impressive part about it is the video. It's a very hotly contested category. We get no more submissions in any category than video, which is.

And for this one to win the top spot. So, yeah, it's tough to win.

I don't. I've served on the board for a better part of four years now, and I have not ever seen one group win this many awards.

Wow.

Yeah. That's fun.

All right. That's awesome. Okay. On to the video.

Welcome to Winter Game Day.

At 5'11", from Cottage Grove, undefeated against Snowbanks, Brady Burbank! Standing at 5'9", out of Stillwater, with more winter hours than daylight, Eric Nelson! Ending at 5'11", hailing from Rosemount, battling snow, ice, and a lingering back issue. At six foot, representing Red Wing, known for precision passes and perfect plow lines, Aaron Pearson. At 5'9", from Lionel Lakes, The Closer, Ryan Rose. When winter hits, this is our starting lineup.

Jason? Okay. Oh, he's going to come up and say something now.

Okay. It was a combination. Evan, our streets manager, mentioned we should do something. You know, we're not sure what. So Bob McSherry, the lead producer at True Lens, and I got together. We threw out some ideas. But it's truly the crew that brought it to life. Like Sam and I went over there the day we shot it, and we noticed they brought their own fog maker from Florida. So without, it's the characters that we have over there that really brought it to life.

Priceless, priceless, priceless. Oh my gosh. Okay, so Shelly, you want to do a photo? Is it something else to say or are we doing a photo? We are done, yeah. Okay. Do you want us standing back here and you guys in front? Does that work? Okay.

All right, say cheese. All right, get it both ways. Very good, all right, thank you.

Shelly, Shelly, can we just have everyone introduce themselves, because it's good to see faces with names. So the rest of the team, yeah.

I'm Sam Burdick, Community Relations Technician.

Hi, Mayor, City Council. I'm Ashley Bednar, Community Relations Specialist.

Hi, everyone. Good evening. I'm Genesis Sutter, Community Relations Coordinator.

Thank you. Of course, we know who you are. We wanted the rest of the world to know who you are. But congratulations again. What an honor. I don't know if you're going to be able to bring nine home next year, but fantastic. That was very fun. Thank you. And thanks to the Public Works team that did the video, too. It was fantastic. Sweet. Okay, now moving on to our next special order of business, and this is getting an update on our destination marketing organization. Eric Satre is here for that. And drum roll, the organization is called Destination Woodbury. Welcome, Eric. Thank you.

Go ahead.

Okay. Mayor, good evening, members of the council. My name is Eric Satre with Destination Woodbury. the marketing and tourism arm of the city. Happy to be here. Really, I think I'm a one person show within community development, but certainly all the city staff, project management team, certainly the city council and economic development commission really supports this role. So really grateful for that. So my audience is visitors. So this is something fairly new with the city of Woodbury. So really we're trying to market to visitors And what that does is support hospitality and leisure jobs within the city. It also brings economic activity to local businesses, which is very important, and also generates local taxes. For me personally, I've spent nearly 20 years in hospitality and tourism. The majority I visit St. Paul, but when this position opened up about two and a half years ago, a little less, just jumped at the opportunity. What an amazing city. So certainly just happy to increase that visibility with our amenities, the local businesses, support community outreach and events, and then bring intentionality through authentic storytelling. That's really what I'm focused on. So just real quick, brief agenda, DMO background, our strategic plan goals, which we're getting to the end to, metrics, milestones, and marketing, and what's next, which I invite you all to be a part of. A little bit about the background. So the city authorized a 3% lodging tax on Woodbury hotels, which took effect in April of 2023. and that's the funding for my position as Destination Woodbury. The city appointed DMO Task Force, so they created the strategic plan, the name, the logo, a lot of those things, so thank you to the Task Force. The Economic Development Commission serves as the advisory board, so there is a line item on regular meetings that the DMO presents to. And then a special revenue fund was established and budgets are approved annually by the city council. Just really quick, just a review. We're getting into the end of our strategic plan here from 22 to 24, five goals, pretty simple. Connect visitors, activate central park space, cultivate local and industry partnerships, promote and support hotels and city facilities, and transparent financial reporting and planning. So I'll be talking about some of those. First of all, again, the funding, the local hotel lodging tax. So you'll see 24, 25, and 26. The tax is collected and administered by the Minnesota Department of Revenue. These are actually the months that they occurred, so it is a couple months behind in their collecting. So far so good for this year. You know, every year, 24, 25, 26, we keep raising the bar. It's been a little bit slower summer from what I've seen. So I just look forward to connecting with the hotels. Actually our next quarterly hotel meeting is tomorrow. So looking forward to connecting with them just to kind of see like trends and opportunities they see, you know, ways that we can engage and then just help them understand as well, like different initiatives that we're doing. Certainly we want their input. And we do track this so we have external measurements and more internal measurements These are more like how do how does the DMO influence hotel stays and people visiting the area? external measurements and Then one thing to mention per state law these funds can only be used for attracting visitors It's all the state law was written to the community by a demo so Couple things, milestones, I'm super excited. Destinationwoodbury.com, we launched last April and put our name in the hat for the best website and Explore Minnesota acknowledged it for best destination website at the 2026 Tourism Conference. That's not a one-person thing. It's definitely a team of people, including the Economic Development Commission, who helped just certainly bring their reactions and feedback too, which was so helpful. It's definitely a team effort. Top website pages. I love this because Woodbury is not one thing, right? This shows quality of life. So it's not just tourism. Tourism affects and relates to other things, to things that already existed. So dining, certainly. Restaurants, people want to know what's going on in the city with events. We have new attractions, certainly. Things to do, shopping. First year goal from April to April was 70,000 users, and 82,000 users was the results that we got. So super happy with that. I'll also mention, while we launched it, the work is just beginning. There's a lot of behind the scenes things happening with search engine optimization, You know, certainly, you know, making sure we're in line with ADA standards for our website and some of those things. So just continuing to work on that part of it. You know, in terms of social media, which is another important tool for Destination Woodbury, we're right now we have 2,300 followers, but kind of year to year looking at that goal. We wanted 500 followers. We got 1,800. So like super excited about that. About half of the audience is from Woodbury. Half is outside of Woodbury. So again, just kind of getting people outside of the area interested and coming in and spending money and having fun. Instagram, 250 followers was the goal. And April to April, I'm missing an arrow, was 499 users. I just needed one more user to get that 500. So thankfully, we're there already.

I know, you guys.

Thankfully, we're at 600 now, so don't worry about it. So this is just kind of the chart of growth that we've seen. Something I'm really excited about working with a community relations team is, you know, very intentional about just not throwing money at it right away, just not throwing advertising money at it, necessarily just trying to grow organically. So people are very excited about new business openings. Feast Buffet, when I read it on Woodbury Newsnet, I went out there like day off, got there right away, did a quick reel, and it got 100,000 views. So just amazing, and it was completely free. The only thing I had to pay for was my lunch, which I was happy to do. And then just continued growth. It's like, okay, so as a marketer, people are really interested in restaurants. Okay, let's do a blog about 11 new restaurants in Woodbury. We had a lot of new business openings. Okay, Topgolf is coming. People want to know when it opens. So I was able to get that information and post on it and worked out really well. And then roughly six months later, started to do advertising leading up to Central Park reopening, obviously a very big investment. SO I HELPED MARKET THAT FACILITY FOR MEETINGS AND EVENTS, AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. AND THEN WE DID, LIKE, A SMALL AD FOR, YOU KNOW, THREE HOLIDAY PARTY LOCATIONS TO LOOK INTO TO BOOK IN WOODBURY. SO CONTINUED GROWTH. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO MENTION ALL OF THEM, BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, MAIN EVENT OPENING, THAT WAS SLICK CITY AS WELL, OPENING A LOT OF INTEREST AROUND THAT. AND THEN RECENTLY, SAVANNAH BANANAS WAS THAT DAIRY QUEEN. was great to just, I think the best part about this is like being able to grow the relationships with the local business owners and said, hey, is there anything we can help you out with? You know, I feel like that part of, you know, the attraction gets built and certainly there's relationships, but I feel like that's a role for the DMO is to continue that. And it's like, how can I help you from a marketing standpoint? You know, a lot of these, you know, they don't have a marketing budget. So it's like, how can we tell that story to the broader audience? And then just different marketing activities as well. So this parks and trails map was brought back after a number of years where we didn't have it. Perfect opportunity for the DMO to fund this project. Worked with city staff to help produce it. The goal was 4,000 maps. Today we've delivered 7,000 maps. So happy with that. And then the first ever Woodbury Visitor Guide launched in 2025. Goal was 5,000. Result was 6,000. So super happy. There also is a digital version. So definitely promote that as well, depending on what people are looking for. And then to finish up with this slide, there's new versions. We're redoing, like every other year, going to be redoing these two resources. So look for them in 2027.

Eric, just real quick, are both of those print versions still available, or are you now, you've distributed everything, and now you're out of print?

Thank you. Great question. They are still available at Central Park, so you can pick them up for free, free resource. They're also available at the Sports Center, but we're telling people Central Park is, you know, the DMO has a physical presence there, so we want to make sure people get there. But yes, they are still available. Thank you. Next is a new e-newsletter. I do a lot of different things, but they're all done for a purpose. There's different ways to market to people, and really it's just based on preference. I think the great thing about an e-newsletter, and this is just a quarterly basis, is really being able to have an audience to control the messaging and just really talk very, obviously, uplifting about Woodbury, which is very authentic. But then also talk about things to do you know new businesses Coming up sort of behind the scenes look so this kind of gives us a little bit Different promotion in terms like this is if you want to be like an insider join this Subscriber group and look for the e-newsletters so these come out like I said quarterly really on a seasonal basis to start we thought okay hundred signups and We got 238. So we're on our way. We're about 275 now. And so look for the next one in next month. I had to think about that for a second. So this is just for fun, one that I threw in. It's insane. I know Maple Grove named themselves like dining capital of Minnesota or whatever. I'm like, okay, we got to come to Woodbury because, I mean, 146 restaurants. These are all on the destinationwoodberry.com website. It took me a long time and work with a lot of different restaurants. So the goal here besides to promote Woodberry is to like get users on the website and then get them to these businesses, right? So we want to support local businesses. I've not dined at all the restaurants. But here's just a few visuals. So again, just great to be able to meet with the local owners, support local restaurants and minority restaurants. So just I've had a lot of fun. So I just have to, you know, like I said, I pay for this myself. I got to watch my waistline, you know, so I'm trying to, you know, average it out here a little bit. So And then Central Park, obviously very important in the strategic plan, really a city or a facility that's prioritized in addition to the Sports Center, among others. But we launched a marketing campaign in July of 2025. and really a team effort and really had great results. The booking goals, that was the bottom line goal was booking a certain number of events. And we ended up just destroying those goals and it was in a good way. It was amazing. So for this year, we have roughly 80 events in the Woodlands Room and 80 events in the amphitheater. The goals were much lower. So really just continuing to get the word out. I think when people walk in, they're like, you know, I think trying to like bring some like brand identification to it's, We love the library, but this is Central Park. And they're all great facilities. And with that, like I mentioned, the DMO having a presence there, we're bringing in new signage for the welcome desk. So that'll definitely help. And then, like I said, I'm working with Central Park staff as well. My role is more of like if they book a wedding, book a meeting group, Sort of, I'm the next point of contact. Okay, staff says, talk to Eric, book your hotels. If you need group dining, talk to Eric. So really trying to make it seamless for that and really trying to generate that economic impact for the city. And then one thing I worked with the, it's pretty unique, worked with the Economic Development Commission on, it's called an event rebate program. So there's lots of regional and national events and tournaments that kind of rotate around the United States. Like this is our opportunity to get these events that generate a lot of economic impact and hotel room nights. So the first one that we've gotten was actually this past summer. is called, and I know Steve, Councilmember Morris, he commented on my post, appreciate that. Yes, I know, I know. So it was their super regional event, which is Midwest and East region. So love this photo, True Lens. Shout out to them. Nikki interviewed the director. And check out sort of the highlights video on the City of Woodbury YouTube page. But a great event. Generated hotel room nights for the hotels. And they had such great things to say about the Sports Center and their experience. They want to come back next year. And then really quick, just to mention local sponsorships. I really feel like outreach is a huge part of this role, according to the strategic plan. So Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce, I'm a member. I'm on their golf committee. I just signed up for their ambassador. Thank you, ambassador committee. So great to work with. So this is the first time this year they were in at Central Park in Woodbury. So they've never been in Woodbury before for their gala.

BECAUSE WE NEVER HAVE HAD A SPACE BIG ENOUGH.

BECAUSE WE NEVER HAD A SPACE BIG ENOUGH. SO FIRST OF ALL, KUDOS TO CENTRAL PARK. AND THEN WITH A SMALL SPONSORSHIP, THE DMO WAS ABLE TO HELP THEM OUT TOO. FOURTH OF JULY HOMETOWN CELEBRATION. I HEARD THE CITY COUNCIL, LIKE, HEY, MAYBE THE DMO SHOULD SUPPORT THIS. WE SUPPORTED IT. SO SUPER EXCITED. AND THE BIGGEST REASON, IT DEFINITELY DRAWS A LOT OF PEOPLE, RESIDENTS AND VISITORS, AND THAT WOODBURY DAY'S KICKOFF DINNER IS THEIR FIRST TIME IN WOODBURY BECAUSE CENTRAL PARK. And then also the DMO supported them. And then the last thing is we have a Wi-Fi sponsorship at Central Park and Sports Center. So we were thinking, like, how do we connect visitors that come to these facilities? People go on their Wi-Fi. And so it's an easy advertising opportunity for the DMO. All right. What's next? This is where you can all help me. And certainly the EDC is involved as well. The EDC has mentioned leveraging influencers. It's not just my voice. Like, we're trying to spread it out and get other people involved and build that user-generated content. It's part of our strategy. Really, we're looking at, we're doing a sort of a foundational video. It's a marketing piece that we'll introduce Woodbury to the masses. Promoting it as a destination, obviously, promoting facilities and amenities. AND THEN THESE ARE FUN ITEMS. FUTURE HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA.

ARE THEY BOOKED THAT FAR OUT?

THEY ARE BOOKED A FEW YEARS OUT, BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF PLANNING INVOLVED. WOODBURY HOCKEY WOULD BE INVOLVED. From a DMO standpoint, it's really perfect timing because this is a way that the DMO can lead these types of initiatives. The 2028 NFL draft is coming to Minneapolis. So I can work with Minnesota Sports and Events, Minnesota Vikings. How do we leverage our strategic position within the Twin Cities to get fans here? There's hundreds of thousands of people that come from out of town. Do we throw special events to get people here? There's all sorts of things that we could do. So really excited about that. And then I mentioned we're at the end of our strategic plan, just involving the EDC and you all for a DMO action plan to help plan some of these things out. So appreciate your time. I'll open it up to questions.

Well, I thought that was really thorough, so I don't have any bad time. Did you just turn your mic on?

I did just turn my mic on. I noticed, Eric, that in May, the hotel occupancy jumped. I suspect that may have been your efforts around the Lions Club garage sale and the people coming from out of state and out of town.

I will say on an annual basis, there is, I would say, very distinct spikes of website traffic. And it happens around the 4th of July and it happens around the Lions Club garage sale. So it's definitely an opportunity and the 50 years next year, right? So there we go.

Outstanding.

All right. Eric, if anybody, so you do work in essentially marketing the city, but if somebody were to, like, say, a nonprofit organization or a local group that has an event that they're working on, how would they get a hold of you?

I would say the website's the best way. That's what I was trying to figure out. Yep. Yep. Contact us, Paige. Thank you. Appreciate that. All right. And you can get a hold of me there. And there's already been a lot of events coming in that people are saying, hey, promote on the website. I've been doing that. And individuals reaching out as well. So thank you.

Excellent. Any other questions? Thank you. That was a wonderful overview. Thanks for all the work you're doing to bring more attention to Woodbury. Visitors, always welcome. Okay, we'll now move on to the open forum portion of this meeting. This is an opportunity for the public to share comments, concerns, or input on subjects which are not part of the meeting agenda. If you're wishing to speak, please set up a sign-up sheet. I have several here. When you come forward, please state your name and your city of residence with your question or your comment. That's for the official record. We limit you to three minutes. We do a maximum of 20 minutes set aside for this entire meeting. A SECTION, NO MORE THAN THREE SPEAKERS PER TOPIC, AND I, YEAH, I THINK WE'RE WELL WITHIN THAT. SO THAT SAID, LET'S JUST KICK THIS OFF. THE FIRST PERSON I HAVE UP IS SHAMIM. YOU AND I HAVE MET BEFORE, I CAN NEVER BEGIN TO PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME, SO YOU GET TO SEE THE WHOLE THING WHEN YOU GET UP HERE. BUT GOOD TO SEE YOU. AND I THINK YOU'VE GOT A GROUP WITH YOU AS WELL.

THERE ARE, YES, THERE ARE SOME FRIENDS AND FAMILY HERE AS WELL. providing moral support, which is well appreciated. My name is Shamim Moshefsadeh. I live here in Woodbury. Has my time started? My time has started. So good evening, friends. I'd like to talk tonight about a message of goodwill and hope entitled A Common Endeavor that was issued by the Baha'is of the United States on the 250th anniversary of the signing of declaration and the founding of this country. The message is addressed to all who hold the promise of America in their hearts, and I wanted to invite Mayor Burt, members of the city council, and everyone else here tonight to read this letter and consider how its contents might affect our community building efforts here in Woodbury and surrounding areas. As some personal background, my wife Emily and I have lived in Woodbury for the last six years, and my parents and grandparents have lived here for about four decades or so. After immigrating from Iran, to escape religious persecution against members of the Baha'i faith. I speak tonight as a representative of the local Baha'i community here in Woodbury. For anyone who may be unaware, the Baha'i faith is an independent religion founded by Baha'u'llah with followers in virtually every country and territory on the planet. And the central principle of the Baha'i faith is the oneness of humanity. And in my remaining time, I'd like to read a few selected passages from the message, A Common Endeavor. Quote, The founding of our country was based on ideals like freedom, equality, and justice that reflect deep shared human aspirations. Generations have labored to realize those ideals and to build a more perfect union where all can flourish. The Baha'i sacred scriptures envision a destiny for America that fulfills and even exceeds the principles of its founding. These scriptures also recognize the gravity of America's challenges, and they offer the insight that there is a moral and spiritual dimension to the task of shedding the ills that blight our society. At the heart of the change required for true prosperity is the recognition that all people belong to one human family. Only in unity can we thrive. And yet the principle of oneness is not based on uniformity. Instead, it embraces and nurtures the diverse expression of our common humanity. We all have a part to play in fulfilling the hope of this country. Whatever the adversities that lie ahead, the Baha'i writings offer a hopeful vision for our country, that our varied communities and peoples can live in peace and justice. Let us not falter now. Let us see through our differences and recognize the sincere, fair-minded souls around us who long to contribute. Let us join in common endeavor. Together, let us bring about the spiritual renewal that will lead us to the realization of our highest aspirations," end quote. And the Baha'is of Woodbury have prepared printed booklets of A Common Endeavor for Mayor Burt and all the members of the city council. For anyone else in the room who's interested, I have additional extra copies which I can place on the table out back. And it's also available online at acommonendeavor.org. Thank you very much for your time and for everything you do for the city. Thank you.

A very kind message, and especially in this year of the birth of our country, as you stated. So thank you for bringing those with us. And I think your group always is participating every year in the Woodbury Days Parade. You are again? Okay, wonderful. Looking forward to seeing you there. Thank you again for coming and sharing that message. Chris Holbrook.

Thank you for having me again Chris Holbrook. I live here in Woodbury Sorry to be the wet blanket on all the celebratory presentations here But I've come here again to discuss the flock situation the surveillance camera the contracts that we have in the city I've come here a couple times before and have talked about the abuses that have appeared in the news as well as The data breaches and the mistakes that have happened, I am again requesting that we have a risk assessment study on privacy, that we have a public hearing where everyone can give input, and that we have a vote on possibly pausing or suspending this. You've seen the breaking news, I'm sure, out of St. Paul. They just had a public hearing and voted the same thing, not saying they're a model that we should necessarily be like St. Paul. The fact is I think that it's time for having an open discussion on building a mass surveillance database for a private corporation, of all people, without warrants or probable cause or opt-outs. The amount of trust is a deciding factor for several other offices that have announced since my last appearance here that they are cutting ties. Sherbourne County, the sheriff said that he puts a high value on the relationship with the people in the community. They don't want to erode the trust that this program is causing. City manager in St. Paul said a very similar thing. The concern that has grown around this technology is not about the people, it's about the system and whether a tool like this belongs in the city. At this time, the community is saying no. I would like to read, I know I only have a few minutes here, actually today from the flock contract itself. And in it, they do say that they do not own and they do not sell the data. However, they share it, and they can give access to it. That's separate from owning, that's separate from selling. Paragraph 4.2 in the FLOC contract, between FLOC and the agency, that's Woodbury, title, interest, and right to the data of the agency, that's Woodbury, belong to and are retained by the agency. The agency grants FLOC a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use the data to perform all acts with respect to the data that may be necessary for FLOC to provide its services, including, without limitation, a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid license to use, reproduce, modify, display, and distribute the agency data. So I just wanted to point that out as a clause in here, which, again, is deceptive, I believe, and contrary to what FLOC or Axon is telling the cities that they are setting up programs with. So I, again, want to ask for a hearing, a vote, and an assessment.

Thank you. And next we have Ian Frankel.

We can continue that with more of the same. Madam Mayor, council members, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I'm Ian Frankel. I'm 20 years old. I've lived in Woodbury my entire life. This is my first time actually at Woodbury City Council meeting. I'm also here to share my concerns about flaw cameras and automated license plate readers in general. In 1755, Benjamin Franklin said that those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. And I think that having flock cameras in the city of Woodbury gives up our essential liberty by giving a private company with no accountability access to data of hundreds of thousands of people in the city with continuous warrantless tracking shared to agencies outside of Woodbury ICE agents without the consent of those in Woodbury. According to Flock's own website, over 400,000 cars in the city of Woodbury in the past 30 days have been tracked with these Flock cameras. And reiterating what was said previously, Flock is a private company that hasn't passed a data security audit. And because of their vulnerabilities, people have been able to get into their systems and track where anyone has been, even not as members of law enforcement. The police department does not fully own this data, which just leads to an erosion of trust between the police department and the community and residents of Woodbury. And we've seen how there have been so many abuses with plot cameras. They've been used to target women crossing state lines for reproductive health care. They've been used by police officers to stalk exes, to know and track what political events and actions one may be taking. And it's, in general, building a private surveillance state that doesn't necessarily forward the security of citizens of Woodbury. Instead, profiting off of our privacy, profiting off of our data, profiting off of where we go. Every time I go shopping in Tamarack Village, that is a private company that gets to know that I chose to go shopping. Every time that I drive my car anywhere, any of these people who are not elected officials, not held to any public accountability, get to know where I've been and what I've been doing. And so I'm going to reiterate asking for what was asked for previously, which is a public hearing on automated license plate reader use with Flock and Axon, a independent study on privacy risk and it being brought to a vote to You know, instead of this thing being pushed onto us without citizens' consent, instead allowing us to decide as a city of Woodbury whether or not it supports our mission or instead erodes our trust and erodes our privacy and our ability to go about our day-to-day without a private company watching us like Big Brother.

ADMINISTRATOR DALL, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THIS?

MAYOR BURT, I JUST, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DOVETAILING OFF OF SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE'VE HEARD OVER THE LAST FEW MEETINGS AND THEN ALSO WHEN CHIEF POLZL WAS HERE, HE PROVIDED SOME UPDATES BASED ON SOME OF THE NEWS STORIES THAT WE'VE HEARD. AND I JUST WANT TO REITERATE KIND OF HOW WE GOT STARTED AND ALSO WHERE WE ARE NOW AND WHERE WE'RE GOING. SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN THIS SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN THIS EQUIPMENT WAS FIRST DEBUTED EQUIPMENT WAS FIRST DEBUTED WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. PRIVACY WAS A HUGE DEAL AND PRIVACY WAS A HUGE DEAL AND DISCUSSED AMONGST COMMUNITY LEADERS, DISCUSSED AMONGST COMMUNITY LEADERS, THE CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF. THE CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF. THIS TECHNOLOGY AND TOOL HAS WE PUT SHARED INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EQUIPMENT ON OUR WEBSITE RIGHT AWAY, OUR NEWSLETTER. WE'VE BEEN HIGHLIGHTING WHY WE USE THEM AND THE BENEFITS THEY HAVE IN TERMS OF KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFER AND MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WAY. WE PUT INFORMATION, AND THERE'S INFORMATION OUT THERE NOW IN TERMS OF WHERE THE PLACEMENT OF THE 19 FIXED FLOG CAMERAS ARE IN THE COMMUNITY, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY FOCUSED IN COMMERCIAL AREAS WHERE THE NEED IS THE GREATEST. THERE IS SOME DATA OUT ONLINE AND WHATNOT THAT IDENTIFY OTHER EQUIPMENT AS 19 CAMERAS IN THE COMMUNITY, JUST TO BE CLEAR. SO THAT'S THE BACKGROUND OF KIND OF WHEN WE GOT STARTED, WHY, AND WHAT THE CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOW IN THE COMMUNITY. WHAT WE KNOW, FAST FORWARD SEVERAL YEARS, BASED ON SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING, BASED ON SOME OF THE ACTIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND SHARING OF DATA, EARLIER THIS SUMMER, THE CITY FURTHER RESTRICTED OUTSIDE AGENCY ACCESS TO OUR AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READER DATA. WE NOW REQUIRE A WRITTEN REQUEST WITH A CASE NUMBER AND JUSTIFICATION FOLLOWED BY AN APPROVAL FROM A WOODBURY POLICE DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR. ALL REQUESTS FOR WOODBURY ALPR DATA, WHETHER IT'S APPROVED OR DENIED, IS DOCUMENTED. SO THAT CAN BE TRACKED IF NECESSARY. GOING FORWARD, WE'RE GOING TO BE UPDATING THE CITY WEBSITE WITH AN FAQ ABOUT AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS, AND WE'LL SHARE THE INFORMATION THROUGH ADDITIONAL COMMUNICATION ON OUR NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER MEDIA AVENUES THAT WE HAVE. as well as continuing to meet with community members to get the feedback from them, more feedback obviously, and then to inform too, because there's a lot of misinformation out there. And getting to the gentleman's point about an audit, we have had it on it from the BCA. We're currently exploring, especially after hearing about the misuse of some of the technology outside of Woodbury, AN INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY REVIEW OF OUR CURRENT SYSTEMS, PROCESSES, TECHNOLOGIES, SETTINGS AND SAFEGUARDS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT OUR COMPLIANCE EXCEED THE REQUIREMENTS AND FOLLOW BEST PRACTICES. AND WE WILL ALSO PUBLICLY REPORT THOSE FINDINGS. SO THAT'S WHAT STAFF'S DOING INTERNALLY TO A, KEEP UP WITH THE TECHNOLOGY TO DO OUR BEST TO MITIGATE AND ADDRESS THE PRIVACY CONCERNS AND ULTIMATELY MOVE FORWARD AND CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER.

THANK YOU JUST FOR SHARING THAT LITTLE BIT OF UPDATE. I UNDERSTAND TOO THAT THERE'S AN UPCOMING SOME GROUP IS HOLDING A MEETING NEXT WEEK TO SHARE MORE INFORMATION. WE HAVE ONE OF OUR I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS ATTENDING THAT, ATTENDING THAT, POSSIBLY TO JUST ANSWER MORE POSSIBLY TO JUST ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS, GET INTO MORE QUESTIONS, GET INTO MORE DETAIL.

DETAIL. EXACTLY. EXACTLY. WE'RE GOING, WE'RE INFORMING WE'RE GOING, WE'RE INFORMING THE PUBLIC AND GETTING MORE THE PUBLIC AND GETTING MORE FEEDBACK AS WELL. FEEDBACK AS WELL. AND AVENUES AND VENUES EVEN IN AND AVENUES AND VENUES EVEN IN ADDITION TO THE COUNCIL MEETINGS.

ADDITION TO THE COUNCIL MEETINGS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MAYOR BURT, JUST FOR MAYOR BURT, JUST FOR CLAR is hosting it, I don't know, it'd be. Oh, okay, if anyone didn't hear that at the mic, it's, you just have to sign up and you can go. How might people find out about it? Sign up, yeah. Okay, community conversation at Devani's, September 2nd. Okay, and what time is that gonna be?

Seven.

Okay. That's helpful to know. Great. Very good. I think that'll be helpful. We don't take any more comment unless I have green sheets, but we're moving on from that. But you're welcome to hang out and chat with somebody after the meeting. We're now moving on to our consent agenda. All items listed under the consent agenda will be considered by routine by the City Council, will be enacted by one motion, a firm vote of roll call by the majority of the members present. There'll be no separate discussion of these items unless a council member or citizen requests in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered a separate subject of discussion by the council. Would anyone, I always turn to the audience first, would anyone like anything removed from the consent agenda? SEEING NONE, I THEN TURN TO COUNCIL MEMBERS, ANYBODY TO REMOVE ANYTHING. HEARING NONE, OR I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY CASE, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO PUT FORTH A MOTION?

I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEM 6A THROUGH 6K.

I'LL SECOND.

MOTION IS SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION NEEDED? HEARING NONE, THE ROLL CALL, PLEASE.

COUNCIL MEMBER WILSON.

AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER STAFFORD. Aye. Council Member Morris. Aye. Council Member Santini. Aye. Mayor Burt.

Aye. Those consent agenda items pass. Those of you that are sticking around, you're going to be very happy to know this is going to be a short meeting, and you're sticking around for the most important part, and that's the transportation update by Chris Hartzell. Always good to know what roads are closed, what roads are open. Everyone wants to know about Woodbury Days. Is Wood Lane Drive in the section needed for the parade going to be open? So take it away, Chris.

All right, thank you, mayors, members of the council. I'm just getting off a 11-day road trip, so this is an update for me as well in many ways. So we have a number of active construction projects.

I thought you were going to share slides of your road trip.

That would be really cool.

Would be cool.

By the end of it, my kids were completely national parked out. Yellowstone, Glacier, everything along the way. But tonight I'm going to talk about the water treatment plant and pipeline projects, Valley Creek Road Trail project, the 2025 and 2026 road rehab, Wood Lane Drive, which is the one you're concerned about, Mayor Burt, Bailey Road and Settlers Ridge Parkway, Bailey Road and Manning, Intrepid Fiber to the Home, and the 2026 rejuvenator project, which has now been complete. So on the north end of the map, this is the water treatment plant pipelines, westbound Valley Creek Road east of Woodbury Drive remains reduced to one lane through September. Westbound Valley Creek Road is closed from Catalina Drive to Interlochen Parkway currently and is scheduled to reopen to one lane of traffic beginning August 31st with additional phased reopening continuing into the fall.

Doesn't look like it.

Wow. They can do some amazing work. We'll see what happens. Eastbound Valley Creek Road is fully open. Woodbury Drive from Valley Creek Road north to Bridgewater Parkway is scheduled to be closed from August 31st through the end of September.

Say that last one. Say that again? I know. Yeah, that one's too fast.

Yeah, so that's the difficult one. The last one.

I know, so you're trying to just pass through that one real quick. Trying to skate past it. No.

So essentially they have to cross the intersection. Say it again.

Say it all again. Woodbury Drive. Woodbury Drive. Oh, Woodbury Drive, yeah.

From Valley Creek Road north to Bridgewater Parkway, it's a little section on the north side of Woodbury Drive and Valley Creek, is scheduled to be closed August 31st through September. They've got to get the pipelines across the entire month.

Through September and an entire month?

Yep.

It's basically like how it was for Radio Drive.

That's 100% exactly like it is.

A month for six lanes of traffic.

Yes. Okay. Well, there's no other way to construct that pipe across the road.

And so what is the detour then if you cannot go northbound on Woodbury Drive?

A detour will be along Valley Creek Road because you'll be able to go westbound.

Okay.

You can also go eastbound because that's fully open. And then you can, any of the north-south routes, Manning Avenue, Interlochen, other neighborhoods, The official road will be most likely Radio Drive to Tamarack, but I think most people will find their way through where they need to go.

We don't publicly encourage that.

We don't publicly encourage it, but that's in reality what happens. Typically you go from county road to county road with a detour.

Just for clarification, will the intersection of Valley Creek and Woodbury Drive be closed or just the northbound?

Just the north leg.

So we can cross over it at Valley Creek?

You should be able to cross. If you're going up Woodbury Drive, you should be able to go eastbound or westbound.

Okay.

You just won't be able to go northbound after that intersection. I tried to go over that one quick.

Sorry, yeah.

Those are too smart for me.

Valley Creek Road Trail water main testing is completed along the trail corridor so happy to you know I know that it wasn't passing for a while now a lot of that's passing and so that trail is being paved in September on the north side of Valley Creek Road from the existing trail located east of Dancing Waters Parkway to the Colby Lake Park underpass and they already started doing some of that work up near St. John's Drive. The 2025 road rehab will continue with construction along Eastview Road beginning in early September and concluding in mid-October. If councilor remembers, the project was delayed last year to coordinate with Met Council and their pipe work and enforcement that's coming through along there. There's about 1200 feet of pipe at the end of Eastview Road that there's not really much we can do other than full sail, dig it up and replace it. And so that work is likely to be coordinated with the 2027 roadway rehabilitation project next year. Yeah.

Can I ask a question about that? Yeah. About our 25 and 26 roadway projects. As I was going through those neighborhoods, I'm noticing a lot of yellow pylons that are sticking up and seem to be permanent new fixtures in people's yards along the right-of-way. And tell me what's happening there with just little concrete slabs.

So, Mayor, members of the council, what I think you're probably referring to is when they do the bump-outs. So at those roadway crossings where the curb line goes in, they've been putting those pylons essentially for snow plowing efforts. So as they go by, they're not hitting the curb. and running up over it and damaging the yards.

Yeah, I feel like it wasn't at the bump outs and with the concrete, but I took some pictures, I'll show you after.

Yeah, off the top of my head, that's what I'm thinking, but I'd be happy to look at it and inform you further. This is an image on the left side showing asphalt paving along Columbia Court. So they milled up all the areas that are kind of highlighted in that red text. Everything else is either in design or is being planned and moving along. I am happy to report that I just talked with some of our construction administration staff And they actually have a website where they have resident complaints show up on Intrepid Fiber and they go and reconcile those complaints. And he's happy to report that Cottage Grove has lots of complaints, Woodbury very few. And he attributed that to himself and all the efforts that they're doing to be out there working with those fiber companies, checking on them every day, making sure they're following, setting the tone and our expectations. And so knock on wood, we hope that the good work in Woodbury continues.

All right.

In terms of our rejuvenator project, just under 70 miles of streets were treated. So this is darn near, it looks like 10% of the city. This was by far the largest rejuvenator project the city has ever completed. And we're successfully completed with that.

Okay, I have a question about that. Because I always thought that we did that rejuvenator the year after there was new asphalt laid. And maybe that is true, but you're doing streets in addition to that.

Correct. So what is happening now is they typically recommend that after that following first year, that every five to seven years you reapply it. Okay. Because it wears off. It's like sealing your driveway. It's like sealing your driveway, essentially.

Okay.

And so now we're on the second application.

Okay.

And five to seven years ago, we did a lot of projects. We had an extreme catch-up since 2014 of doing a lot of projects because our roadway rehabilitation wasn't keeping up with the infrastructure demands.

And that process uses the rejuvenator product and then sand on top.

Correct.

And then the street cleaner, street sweeper, goes in afterwards.

Correct. The sand is just an application to prevent a lot of tracking of that rejuvenator project, but it very quickly soaks in. Soaks in.

Okay.

And then does Public Works come back and repaint the lines? Because the street sweeper didn't, they left a lot. The streets are really muted. Muted is the word I'll use.

Yeah. No, they typically don't. That just happens to wear off in those lines.

If we could get some rain, it would be good. That would probably help some.

What lines are you talking about? Pioneer.

What? Pioneer is like all, like the road lane lines are all just. The paint itself?

Yeah. Because it's underneath.

Well, yeah, because it's got a lot of stuff on top of it and it hasn't rained.

But I just have a question regarding that. So we want it to rain, but is it oil and is it going down? And I'm confused on this. And where is it washing to and how is this affecting?

Most of it soaks in. There is some that comes off, but it's a safe product for it's not really oil. It's filled with maltines and other products, but the sand application picks up most of it. We watch our outlets and our stormwater pipes very closely. So if there is a rain event, we're making sure there's no sheens or anything else in the water that presents itself. We don't have any concerns with the product itself. And then as always, I'm really happy with this year and last year. Our roadway and trail closure map, this is in coordination with the water treatment plan, but we used it overall to show all of our road and trail closures and all of the detour routes. So I know you were asking about detour routes. If you want the most up-to-date information, sign up for this and go to woodburymn.gov, water treatment, and you'll see everything that's going on, current, up-to-date. And then, as always, we encourage you to sign up for InTouch. We have a number of different projects, not just street projects, a lot of construction projects, and a lot of things going on in the community. Sign up if you're interested, and you'll get emails keeping you up to date. Pat, do you have any questions?

I don't. Thank you for the thorough report. Anybody have any questions? I think we asked them as we went along.

Yeah. I can't believe that everyone stayed here for this.

Well, I know. And what was the best part of your 11-day vacation?

Spending 11 days with family. Honestly, it was wonderful. Visiting Glacier Park is one of my favorite parks in the world. We did Going to the Sun Road in Montana. So my parents actually have been building a home out there as part of retirement on my grandfather's property, which is just an hour and a half outside of Glacier. So we used it as a home base and we went out there. So I was both spending time with my mom and dad. What's that?

BUT IN EDUCATION.

OH, YEAH. AND WE LOVED IT. WE SAW ELK AND BISON AND BEARS AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS. AND WE WENT TO SIX NATIONAL PARKS, SO WE WERE DOING GOOD. THAT'S AWESOME.

DID YOU GET THE NATIONAL PARK BOOK, WHERE THE KIDS CAN GET THEIR?

NO, NO, WE DIDN'T. SORRY. I KNOW I SHOULD, BUT THEY GOT PLENTY OF SWAG AT THE GIFT SHOP, TRUST ME.

THANK YOU, CHRIS. WE'RE GLAD YOU MADE IT HOME SAFELY. ADMINISTRATOR DOLL, DO YOU HAVE AN UPDATE FOR US?

THANK YOU, MAYOR BURT. THANK YOU, MAYOR BURT. TOUGH PIVOTING FROM THAT, TOUGH PIVOTING FROM THAT, FROM CHRIS'S VACATION TO A FROM CHRIS'S VACATION TO A PUBLIC SAFETY ITEM HERE, PUBLIC SAFETY ITEM HERE, BUT I'M GOING TO TRY TO DO IT. BUT I'M GOING TO TRY TO DO IT. THIS IS THE LAST MEETING BEFORE THIS IS THE LAST MEETING BEFORE OUR PLANNED FULL-SCALE EXERCISE OUR PLANNED FULL-SCALE EXERCISE THAT OUR STAFF IS LEADING. THAT OUR STAFF IS LEADING. THAT FULL-SCALE EXERCISE WILL BE THAT FULL-SCALE EXERCISE WILL BE ON SEPTEMBER 8th, WHICH IS ON SEPTEMBER 8th, WHICH IS A TUESDAY, RIGHT BEFORE IT'S THE FULL SCALE EXERCISE. I'M GETTING THERE. THANK YOU. THERE'S GOING TO BE A LARGE EMERGENCY RESPONDER PRESENCE AND THAT WILL BE AROUND NOON OR SO, ACTUALLY IN THE MORNING FROM 7 A.M. TO NOON AROUND THE TAMARAC NATURE CENTER. IT'S A PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING EXERCISE. IT'S ALL PLANNED. THIS MESSAGE IS TO THE PUBLIC. THERE'S NO NEED FOR ALARM. THE PUBLIC IS ASKED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE TRAINING ACTIVITY. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SOME COMMUNICATIONS ALREADY IN SOME OF OUR MEDIA VENUES AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO ESCALATE THAT AS WE GET CLOSER, BUT WE THOUGHT WE'D USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND THE PUBLIC AS WELL. PARKING IN THAT AREA WILL BE PROHIBITED ON BOTH SIDES OF TOWER DRIVE. NORTH OF VALLEY CREEK ROAD BETWEEN 7 A.M. AND NOON ON SEPTEMBER 8th. HOWEVER, THE NEARBY NEIGHBORHOOD WILL REMAIN ACCESSIBLE VIA TOWER DRIVE DURING THE EXERCISE. THE NEW DISC GOLF COURSE, KIND OF THE TRIAL GOLF COURSE AND PLAYGROUND IN THE AREA, AS WELL AS ALL THE TRAILS AROUND, THE SOUTH END OF THE TAMARAC NATURE PRESERVE WILL NOT BE ACCESSIBLE DURING THAT TIME. WE PRACTICE FULL SCALE EXERCISES TO SAFELY TEST HOW OUR EMERGENCY PLANS WORK IN REAL LIFE, JUST IN CASE. WE HOPE WE NEVER HAVE TO USE THEM, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW. THESE LIFELIKE EVENTS HELP TEAMS SPOT HIDDEN CHALLENGES, TRAIN FOR HIGH STRESS MOMENTS, AND PRACTICE COMMUNICATING ACROSS DIFFERENT GROUPS LIKE POLICE, FIRE, AND OTHER CITY STAFF. PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES FROM NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES AND WASHINGTON COUNTY DISPATCH ARE ALL AWARE OF THE TRAINING EXERCISE AND WOODBURY PUBLIC SAFETY IS PREPARED TO RESPOND TO ALL REAL EMERGENCY CALLS DURING THAT TIME WHILE THE TRAINING IS GOING ON AND IT WILL NOT IMPACT ANY RESPONSE TIMES FOR THE REAL CRISISES THAT ARE GOING ON. WE'VE COMMUNICATED AS I MENTIONED ABOUT THIS ALREADY BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO ESCALATE THAT. MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. WE'VE MAILED LETTERS TO THE ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOOD. WE WILL HAVE AN ARTICLE OR WE HAD AN ARTICLE IN THE AUGUST CITY UPDATE NEWSLETTER AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO BLAST OUT EMAILS AS I MENTIONED AND IN TOUCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR AND LEADING UP TO THE SEPTEMBER 8TH DATE. GO TO THE WEBSITE NOW. GO TO EMERGENCY TRAINING. THAT'S THE BACKSLASH TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION. BASICALLY REITERATING WHAT I JUST SAID. MAYBE I'LL PAUSE THERE.

I WAS GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU SENT LETTERS TO THAT COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT'S A LIMITED NUMBER OF HOMES THAT ARE GOING TO BE RIGHT THERE. AND THEN MIGHT YOU PUT UP SIGNAGE OR SOMETHING SO PEOPLE THAT DRIVE BY WOULD SEE SIGNAGE, YOU KNOW, PRACTICE IN PLACE OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING.

IT'S A GREAT QUESTION, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND I'M SURE OUR EMERGENCY AND I'M SURE OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS WILL DO SO MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS WILL DO SO IF THEY THINK IT'S BEST PRACTICE. IF THEY THINK IT'S BEST PRACTICE. WE ALSO DON'T WANT TO DRAW UNNEEDED WE ALSO DON'T WANT TO DRAW UNNEEDED ATTENTION, TOO. ATTENTION, TOO. IT'S A GOOD POINT, I'LL CLARIFY IT'S A GOOD POINT, I'LL CLARIFY THAT WITH OUR STAFF. THAT WITH OUR STAFF. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? The only other thing I have is, of course, Woodbury Days. It's coming up Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of this weekend, obviously, in Ojibwe Park. Come by, everybody. Come by and say hi to our council members. Be nice to them, or be respectful anyway, right? And they'll be respectful back, I am sure, correct? BUT WE HAVE A GREAT STAFF PRESENCE. YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY, OUR PARKS, PUBLIC SAFETY, OUR GREAT ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND A BUNCH OF OTHER THINGS. INFORMATION ABOUT HOURS, PARADE, MUSIC, AND ALL THE EVENTS GOING ON, GO TO WOODBURYDAYS.COM. AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL THE FOLKS THAT VOLUNTEER, ESPECIALLY THE WOODBURY DAYS COUNCIL. THIS EVENT COULD NOT HAPPEN IF IT WEREN'T FOR ALL THE VOLUNTEERS inside of City Hall and way beyond City Hall as well. So thank you, community, for doing what you do, and I look forward to a great Woodbury Days this year. That's it. I'd just like to put a plug in.

We have over 100 volunteers for Woodbury Days this year. It's outstanding. We haven't had that many in years, so.

Just in case people at home, we've got over 100 plus volunteers, which is an unprecedented amount versus previous years. So thank you, Karen, for mentioning that.

That's awesome. And here's to good weather for the weekend for that. Have fun, everyone. Okay, I think that wraps up our meeting, so I'll make a motion that we adjourn.

Second.

Motion second. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. We are adjourned.