This transcript features the Hastings City Council meeting. Please note that while most speakers are on your provided list, a few additional individuals (Councilmembers Lund and Fox, and developer Jeff Richter) are identified through the context of the dialogue. [0:00] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** ...the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States... [0:21] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Welcome everyone and let the role reflect that a majority of the council members are present with the absence of council member Folch and council member Leifeld this evening. We are here to recognize recent employee promotions and new hires. Ryan, would you like to step forward? [0:45] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Yes, thank you Mary, members of the council. First I'd like to call Joel Spagnolletti—gonna make you come right up here. Joe Spagnolletti, we call him "Spags," started with the city in 2013. He came from a utility contractor and brought real hands-on operator experience to the public works department. Joe quickly took on every challenge that presented itself and broadened his experience and knowledge base. Joe moved up to the public works supervisor role in 2021 based on his proven competencies and natural leadership abilities. Tonight we recognize Joe for another promotion yet again to the public works superintendent and my new right-hand man in operations. Joe was mentored into this role and was a unanimous choice for the department. Joe comes to work every day with a positive attitude, a sense of efficiency, and constant continuous improvement. It empowers others to be their best, which is the sign of a true team leader. He is my policy creator and my policy follower. Joe lives nice and close just outside of town with his wife Alicia, his son Nikki, his daughter Ali, and his dog Bodie. He enjoys hunting out west, fishing, and is a die-hard Bucks, Brewers, Packers, and Badgers fan. I'll give them the Badgers because that's my alma mater, that's it—but you'll find this if you ever stop by his new office with all his decor. Congratulations, Joe. [Applause] [2:16] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Thank you. Matt Lindemann, please step up. Matt Lindemann started with the city in 2006 as an LEO or, as we call him, Public Works a light equipment operator. Soon after, Matt took on a big interest in learning the utility side of the house. He cross-trained for many years, transitioning into our first official Public Works operator. After the transition, Matt spent the next decade as one of our main utility operators. His specialty was everything sanitary sewer, from jetting and lift stations to televising and documenting all of our sewer work. Matt has been the go-to for public works and engineering. Matt also has been one of our lead trainers; he has the gift of patience and the ability to explain complex utility issues to new employees and residents alike. In February of 2023, Matt was promoted to Public Works supervisor where he continues to support our operators with the same patience and empathy he did before. When not at work, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife Mandy and two boys, Aiden and Layton. Matt stays busy with Layton in hockey and Aiden in hockey, baseball, and band—and I know how that hockey parent life goes. So, congratulations. [Applause] [3:50] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Jake isn't with us tonight, but Jake Garsky is one of our new hires. On March 1st, 2023, we welcomed Jake Garsky as our newest Public Works operator. Jake is a lifelong resident of Hastings; he attended Hastings High School and the University of Minnesota Duluth. Jake brings with him an immense amount of heavy equipment operating experience and is no stranger to snow removal operations, which we definitely need. He also has an extensive knowledge in water and sewer construction. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing the slopes of Welch Village and taking his Jeep on off-road adventures. Jake is excited to use his talents in his hometown and we are thrilled to have him on board. Thanks, Jake. [Applause] [4:51] **Dan Wietecha (City Administrator):** Hey everyone, this evening I have the pleasure of introducing our newest paid-on-call firefighters. I am not the Chief, nor do I play one on TV, but I will step in in his stead with just a little bit of information. We do have four of our paid-on-call firefighters with us here this evening, so if you would join me. The paid-on-call firefighter is a heroic role for the city and we could not function in the manner that we do without them. They go through extensive training just like our regular firefighters, but they are there at a moment's notice at the drop of a hat if we need them. They are trained in EMT and firefighter, and if I'm correct, you guys have completed firefighter courses or EMT, one of the two, right? This fall? EMT. All right. Firefighter starts shortly, right? They're all over it. So they are going to be well-trained and you'll see them out and about as we get moving forward in completing their training. They're a wonderful, necessary complement to the work that our firefighters do here in the city. And so I will introduce them all to you, and not all of them are new. The first name on the list, John Jameson, is actually a returning paid-on-call firefighter. So not all these folks are new; they come and join us and then they come back and hang out with us: Mason Johnson, Lucas Canal, Duncan Croissant, Wendy Menka, Krista Mose, Jason Stapleton, Jesse Vial, Mike Wagner, and Bobby Wood. So welcome aboard, we're glad to have you here. These folks represent two recent classes that we had start with us late last summer and last fall, and they were too busy to join us with the classes and things that they were in, so they conflicted on Mondays. So welcome aboard, we're glad to have you here. Thank you. [Applause] [6:55] **Kyle Linscheid (Police Chief):** Thank you. Mayor, City Council, city leaders, thank you for the opportunity to present some of our new reserves. Gino Messina and Terry Ajay, if you could step forward please. For those of you who do not know, we do have a reserve unit with the Hastings Police Department, and this group really is a huge support for our sworn staff. Just to give you an example, they help out and really cover Rivertown Days—we probably couldn't do it without a little support from the law enforcement sworn officers—also Gobble Gallop, the Holiday Train, Pride Parade, and then routine patrol. So they will come in during their off-time from their regular job and help out our Patrol Division. Gino Messina, who is right here, we welcome him back to the team as he served as a reserve years ago. Gino is currently a dispatcher with the Dakota County Communications 911 Center and is a member of the Planning Commission for the City of Hastings. Gino enjoys camping when he is not working and serving the Hastings community, and we are very excited to have Gino back. So, thank you Gino. [Applause] Terry Ajay has been a resident of Hastings for the last three years. Terry served in the U.S. Army and has recently retired. Terry was looking to give back to the community, has a great sense of humor that fits in well with the unit, and we look forward to working with him as a reserve officer. So, welcome. Thank you. [Applause] [8:27] **Kyle Linscheid (Police Chief):** Alan Yeager could not be with us tonight. Alan is a resident of Hastings; he's 18 years old, so we look forward to bringing that youth into the group. He is set to graduate from Hastings High School this spring. He's looking forward to working with the community and gaining experience in the law enforcement field as he is planning to pursue a career in law enforcement and he will begin his schooling in the fall. We welcome Alan, we look forward to working with him as well. And that is no slight to you gentlemen, because I know you're young at heart, but we're not 18 anymore. So thank you very much. Thank you. [Applause] [9:15] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** We're going to have a photo with the Council, so if you want to go up there that would be great. All right. Yeah, congratulations. [Music/Photos] All right, thank you. Thank you. All right. Okay. All right. [Music] Okay. [10:30] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** It's always a very exciting time for the city when we have new employees and new promotions, so it's all good news. Today we have a presentation by our Dakota County Historical Society and the LeDuc Historic Estate. Matt and Mariah are with us tonight. [11:00] **Matt Carter (Dakota County Historical Society):** All right, well thank you for giving us the opportunity to come and present. For those that aren't familiar—I know there's a couple new council members—my name is Matt Carter, I'm Executive Director at the Dakota County Historical Society. Our organization was founded in 1939 in South Saint Paul and we operate three historic sites within Dakota County: the LeDuc Estate here in Hastings, the South St. Paul location which is our Lawshe Museum, and then the Sibley Historic Site in Mendota. Those are the three sites we operate within the county. One of the things that I wanted to talk about was our Lawshe Museum in South St. Paul was closed in November 2021 and we just reopened for the first time in January of 2023 after undergoing renovations of that museum. We have six new exhibits, and one of them Mariah helped put together on the Hastings Needlework Company. So we have that, as well as a suffrage exhibit that deals with women's suffrage but also the MWSA that was founded here in Hastings as well. Some of the projects we have going on as an organization that impact Hastings and the LeDuc Estate is our George Daniels project. That's really looking at the story of George and Chloe Daniels on the site of the LeDuc Estate. With that, we received a $97,000 grant to hire an outside consultant to come in and, through their design team, create a concept plan for a brand new exhibit that's going to take over the carriage barn, the Simmons shed, as well as portions of the grounds. We started that project in December of this last year; it was funded through the Minnesota Historical Society's Legacy grants. With that, we should be able to get through the next two design phases for that with schematic design and design development. Our goal is to have that completed by about 2025. Most of what we're doing is about $350,000 total that will be put into this project, with about $150,000 remaining for the final two design phases once this $97,000 grant is complete, which we expect to have done in about June of this year. So hopefully we'll be able to go forward with another application to the Minnesota Historical Society's Legacy funds and continue that process. Another one that we're looking at is based off of the conversations that we had with our stakeholders. We had some City Council members—council member Folch was involved with that as a stakeholder group—that came together to talk about what this exhibit for the George Daniels project at the LeDuc Estate could look like. The conversation quickly expanded; the story of George and Chloe Daniels is an important one for the site, but it's not unique to the history of the county or the region. If you're not familiar, George was a former slave that served in the Confederate Army, so it's an interesting story in its own, but the project itself is a lot larger than that. So one of the things we're looking at doing is expanding the history of African Americans in the region with this project, as well as a new partnership that we formed with "BR4R" or Building Remembrance for Reconciliation, where we're going to try and receive a grant through the partnership program through the Minnesota Historical Society to hire consultants to help us envision what a Black Heritage Trail throughout the area could look like. We quickly realized that we need to hone it in and focus just on the city itself and then from there we can expand it to the rest of the county. The Minnesota Alliance of Churches is looking at how we can expand beyond Hastings and the county through Saint Paul and Minneapolis and further up into the outer Metro. This project is the starting point for something that could grow into a much larger project and we'll be working with City staff as we get going forward. And then the other exciting thing, which Mariah can elaborate on more: In 2005, when the city was turned over the LeDuc Estate by the Minnesota Historical Society, the Historical Society took all the LeDuc artifacts out and put them in storage at their facilities. Mariah spent hours over the last couple of months going through at least a hundred boxes of these artifacts that the Minnesota Historical Society is looking to de-accession from their collection, turn them over to DCHS, and give us the ability to put the original LeDuc artifacts back into the house. Again, this is furniture, some of the original books that William published on convincing the world of life after death—a lot of these unique things that haven't been seen in the house for decades, if not longer. Mariah spent a lot of time at the History Center going through boxes and trying to track down what's in these collections that we're hoping to bring back. Their goal is this spring, so our goal is to hopefully have these in place for the public to start viewing in the summer of 2023. So with that, I'll turn it over to Mariah. [17:15] **Mariah (LeDuc Estate/DCHS):** Um, so before I give you just the general update that I have prepared, do you have any questions on anything Matt said? Okay, great. So just as a recap, it's been just a little while since we've been to see you. We've had a lot of different things that we've been doing at the site as far as events. Many are events that we typically host, and others were new ones we tried. In March of 2022, we actually hosted a virtual tea. This was because there was risk of being shut down again, so rather than having an in-person event, we decided to be responsible and host a virtual tea. Typically we do four teas a year: Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and two at Christmas time. But we decided to mix it up a little bit and we actually did a Spring Equinox tea. We did a completely different theme and we talked about a different subject, which was a lot of fun. Then in April we hosted one of our "Coffee with the General" events, which is like a casual presentation series that we do, and this one James Curry presented at. He talked about Brown's Chapel, the Black AME church that burned down—or rather was burned down—here in Hastings, and he spoke about his family's connection to that as well. We opened as usual in May on the 12th last year; this year we will be opening on the 11th, which incidentally is also Statehood Day, so we might do something fun for that. We also held our Mother's Day tea as planned and we were able to host our Pinecrest second graders for school tours. These were our first in-person school tours since the COVID shutdown. I was really excited to have them back in the house. We hosted five classrooms, all of the second graders. We typically do a scavenger hunt with them; I take pictures of items from around the house, we send it to the class in advance, and then they have something to look for on their tour. They have to ask questions about those items and then they go back to their classrooms and do a project where they present to their classmates what they learned. It's a really fun partnership that we've developed with the teachers at Pinecrest. In June we just had regular tours. July, we actually hosted a "shed sale" fundraiser in partnership with the Hastings Area Historical Society. What we did there is we actually took items that were surplus from the house—things that had been stored there for years that weren't actually artifacts and were mostly taking up storage space—and we did essentially a garage sale. We allowed people to donate their items too and we did this as a fundraiser for the site. We raised about $1,200, which was really exciting, and all of those proceeds went towards supporting the LeDuc. In August we held our concerts again sponsored by Merchants Bank. They sponsor our Orchard Concerts every year so that they can be free for the public to visit, and then we allow other groups to come in and sell pie and ice cream to do a fundraiser for them. We had roughly 427 people attend those over the course of the four weekends and we raised $775.16 in donations. Then in September we did Civil War Weekend. We had about 225 people come to that. It was completely sponsored again this year. We actually received a large sponsorship from the South Robert Street Business Association—they donated $5,000 to help support all of our programs and events last year—so everything was covered, which meant that all of the registration just went right back to the site. In addition, we got all of our regular sponsors for Civil War Weekend too. This year we also brought back a cavalry member, so there was a horse at the LeDuc for Civil War Weekend, and we are hoping to have him come back again next year as well as two new exhibits: one about the history of the telegram and one about children's toys and games from the period. Then again in September we had another school tour, this time the return of the Design and Housing high school class. Instead of giving them the standard tour, we actually gave them the Andrew Jackson Downing architecture tour that I wrote for the site so that it was more geared to their class. We also had a number of rentals in September and October, as well as our Candlelight tours. In October we sold out all but one of those time slots. We also had another "Coffee with the General" in which we had a paranormal investigative team come in and talk about investigations they've done at the house, which was a perfect Halloween October event. In December, our Victorian holiday teas, as well as some more rentals and then our second annual "LeDuc Holiday Soiree." This is sponsored by Merchants Bank; we host it at Hastings Golf Club and Events and we do a raffle as well as dinner and drinks. All of the money raised is utilized as a fundraiser for the site. We also use it as a thank you to our membership for all of their contributions throughout the year. That's the really quick rundown of all the things that have happened at the site. [24:17] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Sure, thanks Mariah and Matt. I do have a question. You said that your LeDuc can be rented—how many people can you bring in, or can a party bring in? [24:30] **Mariah (LeDuc Estate/DCHS):** Yes, um, so I recommend between 35 and 40 if you want to have seating. We've had more than that; I know that the Chamber hosted a gathering there and there were at least 115 people that came through the house. We've had other gatherings that are like that too where it's sort of like just a drop-in event. We can accommodate that, but if you want to have a sit-down, then you would want to have about 40 as your max to be comfortable. [25:04] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Great information. Yeah, it's always exciting to hear your updates because, you know, a year goes fast, but then when you hear everything that's going on just at the LeDuc, it makes you realize oh yeah, it really did go fast. [25:25] **Mariah (LeDuc Estate/DCHS):** Yeah, it keeps us on our toes. [25:28] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Council, any questions? Councilmember Haus. [25:35] **Councilmember Angie Haus:** I just want to say I appreciate your work so much with this. I've walked through the historical landmarks with James Curry and I appreciate you guys pulling that forward. It's a very cool project that you guys are doing and I am grateful for your work and can't wait to see it continue. Thank you. [25:50] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Okay, thank you. I don't want to say see you next year, but see you soon at the LeDuc. Council members, are there any corrections to the February 21st meeting? Okay. Public comments from the audience. We have options for comments to be mailed in prior to the meeting as well as an interactive feature during the meeting. The mailed-in comments have been forwarded to the city council and their receipt is acknowledged. Please recognize that items not on the agenda will not be discussed this evening. For live comments, you may either raise your hand and step forward to the microphone—we'll ask you to state your name and your address. Anyone on Zoom? No one on Zoom. Okay. Council members, are there any Council items to be considered? Okay. Consent agenda—Council, I would accept a motion to approve the consent agenda. [27:10] **Councilmember Angie Haus:** Motion. [27:12] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Councilmember Haus. Any discussion Council? All those in favor of the motion state by saying aye. [Ayes] Opposed to that motion state by saying nay. And that motion prevails. Tonight we have the 2023 Neighborhood Infrastructure Improvements project and for this item we have an introduction by Public Works Director Ryan Stempski. We will have a public hearing and potential action by the Council. Welcome, Ryan. [27:43] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Thank you Mayor, members of the Council. It's that time of year for us to jump into our improvement hearing of the 2023 neighborhood infrastructure project. We'll cover that tonight, we have a little presentation on those improvements, we'll conduct the public hearing, and then look for the Council to be approving a resolution approving the plans and authorizing the advertisement for bids. Some of the project goals: one of our main goals is to address the failing pavements, and there's a lot of them out there if you've driven the roads lately with this winter. We address those beyond their useful life. During that pavement replacement, we also look at those outer edges; we improve the concrete curb and gutter or replace it entirely. We also look at the storm sewer system and the grades of our road; the best thing we can do is to shed water off in an efficient management style. But we also have an opportunity to address our aging utilities in town when we're ripping up the roadways. We replace our aged water main pipe, we line or replace our aged sanitary sewer pipe, and then when we're doing those full replacements, we have the opportunity to replace the individual service lines out to the right-of-way. Another goal was to enhance our bike and pedestrian safety and connectivity. For 2023, our full reconstruction this year is Pleasant Drive, from 15th Street down to the bridge over Vermillion River. We also have full reconstruction at Old Bridge Lane. The segments in green are our reclaimed projects—a more efficient way of recycling and mixing up our pavement and underlying gravel materials, doing spot curb and gutter, and then using that material as a foundation. Those are at 18th Court, Ridgewood Court, Southview Drive, Southview Place, and on Pleasant from the river south to 46. Regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety, we review our guidance from Council in the way of "COM" plans and the People Movement Plan. This year, we synced up a guiding principle of bringing a multi-use trail down Pleasant Drive. We also have the opportunity to connect a multi-regional trail—the loop around the golf course—back over to the new proposed trail system on Pleasant Drive. That's along Southview Drive to provide an eight-foot grade-separated trail. Jumping into Pleasant Drive, here's how it looks today—kind of a sea of potholes. Built in the mid-60s to early 70s, it gets about 4,000 vehicles per day, which puts it in our collector road system. It's 44 feet wide currently. Here's our Old Bridge Lane—you can see evidence of the failed sub-base with alligator cracking. 18th Street Court, similar distresses. Southview Drive—what we did in 2016 is deployed our thin overlay program, but it's starting to crack through at the joints. Looking at proposed improvements: we're proposing a 35-foot total street width on Pleasant Drive, a nine-foot reduction from today's width. We are looking to accommodate that new 10-foot wide multi-use trail. The lanes would be 11-foot driving lanes with a nine-foot parking lane on the west side only. There'd be no parking on the east side and just a four-foot reaction shoulder. On the east side of Pleasant Drive, mature trees, power poles, and fences made a trail prohibitive. On the west side, we had a much more open corridor. For comparison, this will look like 10th Street by the Public Works facility. Improvements on Pleasant Drive starting at 15th: we are lining the sanitary sewer segment and doing full replacement of the water main. Moving south, Pleasant Park is on the west side, a key destination point. South and Northridge Drive, we have an existing 10-foot trail segment already on the west side, so we're just connecting into it. When we get down to the south end at the bridge, we're looking to do some bridge improvements to accept that 10-foot widening. One thing to note: just south of the bridge, the County is looking to do an underpass. This is not at City cost; we're working on coordinating the time and scope. This allows trail users to stay on their respective sides without crossing Pleasant Drive. Moving on to Southview Drive and Southview Place: we are leaving predominantly the curb and gutter in place and putting a grade-separated eight-foot trail just behind the curb. This "S-curve" has been a series of complaints for Public Works over the past decade regarding safety for walkers and bicyclists. Ridgewood Court and 18th Street Court: we're doing some valve replacement and sanitary sewer lining. Lining is a great tool there so we don't have to construct between those narrow home surfaces. Total project cost: $4.3 million. That breaks up as: just under $2.9 million in bonded debt, $650,000 from our water fund, $300,000 from our wastewater fund, and $500,000 in total assessments. We will have an assessment hearing next month. Just to give folks an indication: for a reconstruction street for a home, it'd be $7,650 per lot using a unit method this year. Reclaimed streets are projected at $6,750 per lot. We still have our corner lot system. Our total assessment is just over 10 percent of the project cost. Since we're under the 20 percent mark for bonds, we have to go through a few more steps in the street reconstruction bond process. April 3rd would be the assessment hearing, and April 7th is when we'd open bids. Construction would allow us to get an early start in May and conclude by October. We take a lot of pride in our communications campaign; we write detailed updates each week and folks can sign up for email or text. We have representation on-site every day. With that, I'll stand for questions or turn it over for the public hearing. [46:40] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** I think we'll do the public hearing first and then have discussion from the Council. At this time I will open the public hearing. Anyone wish to speak to the project, please step forward and use our microphone and state your name and address. [47:05] **Kathy Ellis (Resident):** Hi, my name is Kathy Ellis and I live at 1310 Southview. This is my home and the new home of a bituminous trail. I am curious about funding for this since it's a connection to a pathway that is part of a county path—could there be more funding to help assist homeowners with this? I don't know, would you like the front of your probably five-thousand-dollar landscape installation completely removed? What will remain is an eight-foot blacktop path with a post for a mailbox, and all the other neighbors have beautiful mailboxes. That's kind of the house we bought when we bought it 20 years ago. Aesthetically, this is an issue for us. We're going to lose a big tree in front. Southview is also not being narrowed, so I question whether there couldn't be a bike lane in the street to accommodate this short distance instead of moving utilities, cutting down trees, and backing up eight to ten feet into these properties. I know that you're pretty late-stage in the planning. I also want to mention that Mr. Cody Mathisen was amazing to work with. We are an elderly population on that street for the most part; Mike and I are close to retirement. The assessor mentioned he thought it would be an improvement for young families, but I don't think so. I feel like it is really going to take away from the aesthetic of our property for resale. Where's this trillion-dollar infrastructure package that was just passed by the federal government? Are we jumping too far into this project coming out of COVID when people are struggling financially? Thank you. [50:31] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Yeah, I think I can speak to some of those points. We have our eyes on that "IIJA" money as well, but that's not necessarily applicable to neighborhood-type improvements; that's for Trunk Highway 61. As far as the street width, with the reclaim program, the benefit is to leave those curbs in place and not have to reconstruct. One of the negatives of reclaims is you're stuck to the street width. From a safety standpoint, we would rather have the pedestrians and bike users grade-separated—protected behind that curb. As far as funding, since it's in a City right-of-way connecting City trail systems, the County is not going to kick in for that. They are looking to fund the Vermillion River Regional Greenway, but not local trail systems. We receive these comments over decades, and a lot of times it's more costly if we do them one-off. We save up those combined projects for the time of the capital improvement program. Staff, specifically Cody, has been working with residents about tree impacts and driveway impacts to make it manageable. [54:00] **Shane Lanning (Resident):** Hello, my name is Shane Lanning. I'm on Old Bridge right on the corner of Old Bridge and Pleasant. I just had one public safety question: if there is any sort of speed signal signs that are going to be installed? As soon as folks turn that corner and start down that hill, it does become a mini speedway. If it's going to be narrowed up, it could be a potential concern for accidents if there are kids going in or out of those pathways. I also wanted to compliment Ryan and Cody—thank you for keeping the prairie restoration project in mind for our property. The website has been a great resource. But the public safety thing was my biggest concern. Thank you. [55:40] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** I appreciate those comments. Regarding the driver feedback sign: often with new projects and smooth pavement, we invite that "runway" type feel. We work closely with our Police Department. We have a speed trailer that we usually deploy first. If the problem is justifiable, our police department has been active in purchasing those driver feedback signs. It's on our minds. [57:15] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Anyone else wish to speak to the Council? Anyone on Zoom? No one on Zoom. At this time I will close the public hearing and open discussion for Council. Councilmember Lund. [57:39] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** Thank your honor. Narrowing the roads traditionally creates a behavior of slower driving, too, correct? [58:05] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Correct. Physically narrowing the geometry and striping the lanes in a more narrow fashion. [58:15] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** On the bridge, are we widening that? [58:38] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** It's essentially adding an additional four-foot sidewalk expansion so we have a total of 10 feet. [59:22] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** Do we have any adverse effects on interest rates when we're looking at going less than the 20 percent? [59:35] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Just extra work—extra public hearings. We get the same general obligation bonds at the same rate. [1:00:53] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** Regarding the path issue with the landscaping: we purchased a home that has a path and it was one of the perks because we knew our kids could play right in front. But that doesn't mean everybody has tiny kids. What options are there for landscaping to bring it back to some semblance of what it was? [1:01:30] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** We have worked with our City Forester to replace the fullest transferable tree size that we can. We've done some shrubbery or other additional things; we have a little bit of wiggle room. We could look at widening the driveway radius to allow more room for movements. We'll work with the residents to see what they find appealing within our budget. [1:03:14] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** I'd ask that you work with them. I think it's a fair accommodation. [1:03:25] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Council, any additional discussion? Ryan, for clarification, if this trail goes through, it will not be the resident's responsibility for shoveling, correct? [1:03:45] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Correct. Both are park connectivity facilities and the Parks Department plows them. [1:04:10] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** I would accept a motion to approve the resolution approving the plans and authorizing advertisement for bids for Project 2023-1. [1:04:35] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** Motion. [1:04:46] **Councilmember Fox:** Second. [1:04:50] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Any discussion Council? Can you explain the supermajority detail? [1:05:00] **Korine Land (City Attorney):** Your honor, in order to order a project that has not been petitioned by property owners, the Council must order the project by a supermajority vote. You don't have a supermajority vote present tonight [six of seven needed]. You can approve the plans tonight, but if for some reason it doesn't pass a supermajority when it comes back, we wouldn't award it. [1:05:55] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** All those in favor of the motion state by saying aye. [Ayes] Opposed state by saying nay. That motion prevails. [1:06:17] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Under Public Works: Authorize L&S Electric to complete the Hastings Hydro facility preventive maintenance program development. Ryan, you may continue. [1:07:03] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Thank you. You will find handed out a copy of the agreement with L&S. The terms and conditions changed slightly so our City Attorney has seen and corrected them. Our hydro facility is located at Lock and Dam Number 2. It was built in 1985 and completed in 1987. It was $10 million to construct. There are two units, each with 2.2 megawatts of power produced. These are massive turbine units—each blade is 11 feet tall. We also have to go through a dewatering every five years, which costs about half a million dollars. We programmed $100,000 in 2023 for a comprehensive study. We want to switch to proactively managing the facility. L&S and Barr Engineering have the expertise. The proposal is just under $47,000 to develop a preventive maintenance program. We want to understand our inputs: labor, insurance, and our agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers (we lease the space from them). We have a contract with Xcel out to June 30th, 2033. The study should be completed in May and incorporated into the 2024 budget. [1:14:45] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** Is part of this looking at the frequency of dewatering? You could get a boost by going to six years instead of five. [1:15:35] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** Absolutely, that's why it's defined as a preventive maintenance program. We want to talk about best practices and efficiencies. [1:17:02] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** Ryan, these were put in '85 to '87 and they've not had any major work done except when there was a flood, correct? We've never evaluated the potential for failure? [1:17:47] **Ryan Stempski (Public Works Director):** That's correct. [1:17:50] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** My concern is a piece of equipment like this without ongoing maintenance could have a catastrophic failure. I think this is important. [1:18:33] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** I would accept a motion to authorize Public Works to enter a contract with L&S Electric. [1:18:45] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** Motion. [1:18:48] **Councilmember Fox:** Second. [1:19:05] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** All those in favor state by saying aye. [Ayes] Opposed nay. Motion prevails. [1:19:19] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Under Community Development: Annexation with Best Development property at "Walden at Hastings," Trunk Highway 316 and Michael Avenue. We are here tonight to remove from the table. Welcome, John. [1:19:35] **John Hinzman (Community Development Director):** Thank you. We tabled action on this annexation of about 71 acres last spring. Last year, a developer went away, so the Council tabled it until a new concept plan came forward. We now have Land Equity Development with a concept plan. Tonight's action would be the annexation only. The land use would stay agriculture for now. It would come back later for land use approvals, an environmental assessment worksheet (EAW), and a traffic impact analysis. The developer chaired a neighborhood meeting in late January with about 35 people. The Planning Committee and Planning Commission have reviewed it. This is a "life cycle community" with about 450 units. To the north are twin homes with a 30-foot berm for landscaping. There are also townhomes that are rear-loading—garages in the back, porches in the front. Toward the middle, an active adult and assisted living section. There is also an apartment area with about 170 units. The plan is for a "for-lease" community—a new concept for Hastings where single-family homes are leased for $2,000 to $4,000. It would be an Association-maintained development. Tonight's action is just to extend city boundaries. [1:33:00] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** Which roads are city roads and which are private? [1:33:15] **John Hinzman (Community Development Director):** We would make that determination as we move forward toward planning approvals. [1:33:45] **Councilmember Angie Haus:** I know there are concerns about congestion on 316. I would feel better having the traffic study completed before moving on with annexation. [1:34:10] **John Hinzman (Community Development Director):** If we wait on the annexation, the responsibility for reviewing that traffic study falls to Marshan Township rather than the City. We want the City to take the lead position on the EAW. [1:37:07] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** How do we know that this is going to stay a senior living concept? If it changes to high-traffic housing, the study becomes irrelevant. [1:40:15] **John Hinzman (Community Development Director):** If the developer requests a modification to the approved concept plan in the future, the Council is not obligated to make that change. [1:43:35] **Councilmember Fox:** I'll speak on behalf of the committee. We had a robust conversation about how this can be agile to what the market says and what Hastings needs. We really appreciated that from the developer. [1:44:35] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** John, the last developer talked about 160 units. This is 450 units. I would like to make the motion to bring it from the table back for general discussion. [1:47:05] **Councilmember Fox:** Second. [1:47:15] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** All those in favor of taking it off the table? [Ayes] We're back in business. We do know there are interested parties that would like to speak. [1:48:29] **Steve Angstrom (Resident):** My name is Steve Angstrom, I live at 17162 Redwing Boulevard. My property joins this potential development. I'm concerned about the Council acting prematurely. We already experience traffic jams at 316. MnDOT is not proposing improvements until 2027. The current proposal is 450 units, which is a concept that has not been built in this region. We already have 211 apartments and a senior facility under construction on the south end. [1:51:29] **Councilmember Angie Haus:** I had a question for the developer about pricing. [1:51:42] **Jeff Richter (Developer, Land Equity Development):** I think you were asking about rents. The row houses would be around $1,600 a month. The twin homes would value around $400,000 to $450,000—rents probably around $2,400. There's a housing crisis and a paradigm shift. Millennials and Baby Boomers alike don't want to do yard work. A landlord can depreciate the asset, which makes the interior much nicer than what someone could afford on a mortgage for the same monthly payment. These look like golf courses because everything is taken care of centrally. [1:59:26] **Jeff Richter (Developer, Land Equity Development):** For the senior campus, patio home rents might be $2,500 to $3,000. For apartments, the process is so long that we have to start now to fill a need in two or three years. [2:02:32] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** What would be the ideal timing? [2:02:40] **Jeff Richter (Developer, Land Equity Development):** This is a 2024 project. It will have a construction life of about five or six years. We'll start on the north part by Michael Avenue because the services are there. [2:06:45] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** And the traffic flow is the responsibility of the City to deal with MnDOT? [2:06:55] **John Hinzman (Community Development Director):** Initial comments from MnDOT based on the 450-unit plan haven't raised red flags, but they want to see the impact analysis. [2:09:45] **Korine Land (City Attorney):** Technically by Charter, all ordinances must be adopted with two readings. This would be a first reading tonight. [2:10:45] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** I'd accept a motion for the first reading. [2:10:55] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** Motion. [2:11:00] **Councilmember Fox:** Second. [2:12:30] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** All those in favor stay by saying aye. [Ayes] Opposed nay. Motion prevails. [2:13:22] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Fire and ambulance service contract with Hastings Rural Association. Dan Wietecha. [2:13:25] **Dan Wietecha (City Administrator):** Our most recent contract with the City of Vermillion and surrounding townships expired in 2022. Costs for fire and ambulance are increasing extensively. We've negotiated a successor contract for 2023 through 2027. We are smoothing out capital costs (like a $750,000 truck) over 10 years to make costs predictable. It's a significant increase in contribution from the rural association. [2:16:35] **Councilmember Fox:** Dan, thank you for moving this forward. I'm speaking on behalf of the finance committee—this is really helpful. I'd like to move to approve the contract. [2:17:35] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** Second. [2:17:50] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** All in favor? [Ayes] Motion prevails. [2:18:06] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** Personnel policy updates and additions. Dan. [2:18:56] **Dan Wietecha (City Administrator):** Several proposals here. First, Juneteenth: the State made it a holiday for 2024, but we propose recognizing it this year in June. Second, a remote work policy: this is a hybrid schedule requiring supervisor approval; no employee can be entirely remote. Third, sick leave donation housekeeping. Fourth, safety boots: increasing the reimbursement from $200 to $250. Fifth, comp time for salaried employees: we propose paying out any balance over 80 hours (up to 120) every December. Sixth, vacation accrual: speeding up the rate for new employees so they get more days sooner. Seventh, longevity: adding a new one percent step at 20 years. Last, Paid Family and Parental Leave: proposing 20 days at 50 percent pay, supplemented by their own leave. [2:32:51] **Councilmember Fox:** I want to highlight that this is something we've been working on for a long time. Highlighting staff well-being is vital to us. [2:33:37] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** We made significant shifts in pay last year, but that's not the entirety of employment. Regarding comp time, I struggle with it because we can't just keep piling things on a person and then pay them for it. That's time away from their life. [2:36:42] **Councilmember Angie Haus:** I would agree with you, Councilmember Lund. The well-being of our staff is extremely important. [2:37:28] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** We have to be cognizant of how our employees get through life. It takes a constant review of the process. [2:40:05] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** I would accept a motion. [2:40:15] **Councilmember Angie Haus:** Motion. [2:40:18] **Councilmember Fox:** Second. [2:40:25] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** All in favor? [Ayes] Motion prevails. [2:40:41] **Korine Land (City Attorney):** Your honor, I apologize. John knew what he was doing, but I should have identified this more clearly. You held a first reading for the annexation in 2021. You held the public hearing in 2022. Tonight was actually your second reading. You need to make a motion to reconsider so you can then decide to continue it to the next meeting when there's a full Council. [2:42:49] **Councilmember Trevor Lund:** I make a motion to reconsider. [Ayes] Now I make a motion to continue. [2:43:05] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** Second. [2:43:20] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** All in favor? [Ayes] Motion prevails. We'll reconsider this on the 20th. Council members, any announcements? [2:44:00] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** MnDOT will host an open house tomorrow about Highway 61. The Makers Market is open for registration. Pleasant Library book sale is March 23rd. [2:45:30] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** I would ask for a motion to adjourn. [2:45:40] **Councilmember Dave Pemble:** Motion. [2:45:42] **Councilmember Angie Haus:** Second. [2:45:50] **Mayor Mary Fasbender:** All in favor? [Ayes] Meeting adjourned.