This transcript covers a meeting of the Public Services Commission. Based on the context provided and the dialogue, here is the formatted transcript with speaker identifications. ***Note:** Timestamps have been estimated based on the progression of the dialogue as none were provided in the raw text.* **[00:00:00] Ron Kath:** I'm Ron Kath, I'm the vice chair of the Public Services Commission filling in for our chair this evening. I would like to—this meeting is being held at the City Council chambers. We're having this meeting on October 21st and it's 7:00, so our first order is to please join me with the Pledge of Allegiance. **[00:00:20] Group:** I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. **[00:00:35] Ron Kath:** Thank you. With that, our next item on our agenda is the roll call. Could I get the roll call please taken? Okay, thank you. The next item on our agenda is the approval of our agenda. Could I have a motion to approve the format of our agenda this evening? **[00:00:50] Commissioner:** So moved. **[00:00:51] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:00:52] Ron Kath:** We have the motion moved and second. With that, all those in favor of the approval of the agenda signify by saying "Aye." **[00:00:58] Group:** Aye. **[00:00:59] Ron Kath:** Those opposed? Motion passes. The next item on our agenda is the approval of our minutes from our July 15th meeting. Do I have a motion to approve those minutes? **[00:01:08] Commissioner:** A motion to approve the minutes. **[00:01:10] Commissioner:** I'll second. **[00:01:11] Ron Kath:** We have a second. With that then, all those in favor of approving our minutes from July 15th signify by saying "Aye." **[00:01:18] Group:** Aye. **[00:01:19] Ron Kath:** Those opposed? Motion passes. From there we'll move to Open Forum. This is where anybody in the public can come forward to the commission this evening. Looking in the audience, I don't see anybody else except for staff this evening, so we'll move forward with no Open Forum this evening, which will move us into presentations. So our first presentation this evening is our "Preserve, Play, and Prosper" plan, and that'll be presented by Zac, our Parks and Recreation director this evening. So, welcome. **[00:01:45] Zac Dockter:** Thank you, Chair, members of the commission. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about the "Preserve, Play, Prosper" plan. Hopefully this isn't the first time you've heard of this plan being discussed tonight because we've been working really hard to try to educate the public and make sure that they understand before they go to the polls exactly what the questions are, what the opportunities are, and what the tax impacts are. So, I will go through this rather quickly but there's going to be plenty of time for me to answer any questions you might have. It all started with the community telling us that they want more Parks and Recreation in Cottage Grove, and we hear that in a multitude of ways whether it's community surveys or feedback at any of our meetings, and also just by the way the parks are used—they are used like crazy. Anytime we build something new, they get used a lot. Anytime we refurbish something, it gets used a lot—a new playground, a new trail, whatever it might be—instant use and a lot of use at that. So we're a very active town and people are using the parks a lot. In 2022, we embarked on a journey called the "Reimagine Recreation" engagement process. We went on and did a bunch of surveys, we went to a bunch of different events around the community, we did online surveys, Facebook surveys, and all sorts of different ways to try to engage the public. Basically, we got a laundry list of new and improved recreational opportunities that people wanted in the community. We took that list, narrowed it down, and tried to implement it into a few main projects which I will talk about next. Those projects were to upgrade and enhance Hamlet Park, create a new 33.3-acre nature-based park along the river at Mississippi Dunes Park, and then transforming River Oaks Golf Course and Event Center into a year-round recreation destination for all ages. Starting with Hamlet Park—this is our oldest and largest park in Cottage Grove. The proposed plan is $17 million and would include upgrading the replacement of the existing playground equipment, building a new four-season recreation building, installing a small splash pad, replacing the existing skate park with new—and I do like to add that we would engage with the skateboarding community and make sure that they help design the skate park itself—building an amphitheater, creating an art walk/sculpture garden with benches and informational kiosks. Again, we probably would engage some sort of artistic folks in the community to help design some of that. Adding a synthetic turf sports field with lighting—probably replacing the existing lit natural turf field at Hamlet—and then finally completing the South baseball complex. We've owned that land since 2002 and we've built two of the fields, which is halfway home. In the 22 years we've owned that land, we've only been able to build two with the existing funding. So this would complete that project by finishing those last two ball fields, a parking lot, and then trails and landscaping. Mississippi Dunes Park—we were lucky enough to acquire 33.3 acres all through grant funding just this past year. We partnered with the county and the state to get over a million dollars to acquire that property; it was very impressive. The plan now is to actually do something with the land that we own there. It's 33.3 acres and over 1,000 feet of actual shoreline along the Mississippi River. We've wanted for generations to do something more public to get more public access on the Mississippi River, and this is really the best opportunity we've ever had to do that. So the proposed plan would first off restore and preserve natural habitat. That would be the majority of the site—over 25 acres would just be preserved as natural habitat. We'd do some restoration work, protecting oak forest, replanting some prairie, and protecting the wetlands. Then the other 8 acres would provide recreational access: things like a canoe and kayak launch, a small boat launch (for fishing boats, duck boats, or pontoons). There's a channel out there that's about 3 to 5 feet deep that people could get out to the main channel from. We'd construct new and enhance existing walking and hiking trails, create a nature-based playground, provide space for outdoor classrooms, and build an interpretive learning center. There's actually a concept design within that photo on the top left of what that four-season building might look like. We'd also add facilities for all sorts of nature activities and picnicking. I always like to mention that this is next to 240-plus acres of the Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area, so this is just adding to that entire complex of habitat. The third project is to transform the River Oaks Golf Course and Event Center. Certainly, River Oaks is a point of pride in the community. Golfers love it, people that host events and banquets there love it, people love eating on the patio, but we're trying to find different ways to use it because it is the community's golf course. It is over 200 acres of property that the City of Cottage Grove and the people own. We want to find different ways for people to use it. What you're not going to see in here is a lot of things about golf or weddings. We're looking at adding multi-sport simulators; it could be used for soccer, golf, or "zombie shooting," I'm told. We'd add a pickleball event court, create a new winter mountain biking course (like a fat tire course), upgrade the building connecting those two buildings, enhance the patio dining area, and build a nine-hole Himalayan putting green course. There's an example shown to your right—it’s really just a hilly green where you put the pins in unique positions. Similar to our practice green, but on steroids. Again, that would be free to the public just like it is today. Between the three projects: $17 million for Hamlet, $13 million for Mississippi Dunes, and $6 million for River Oaks. To fund the proposed investment, the city is asking Cottage Grove residents to consider a half-percent local sales tax as part of the general election on Tuesday, November 5th, 2024. If approved, that would generate $36 million spread over a 25-year period. Why a local sales tax? There's a couple options to fund projects like this. We cannot fund through just the general levy each year; there's just not enough money to do things like that—that pays for our operating costs and minor upgrades. The sales tax spreads the burden. You could bond for it through a referendum approved by voters through property tax, or what the city is proposing is the local option sales tax. The difference is everybody in the community gets taxed as they spend, as well as visitors who come into the community. We did an independent study by the University of Minnesota; they’re projecting right now about 31.3% of the sales tax would be paid for by non-residents. Online purchases, whether it's from Menards or someone from the industrial park—those purchases all go towards this. It contributes about $11.3 million of the $36 million. Right now, the projection is about $22.99 annually for the average resident. Just quick math: half of one cent for every $1 spent. Just a quick reference of some other communities: Woodbury, Stillwater, Brooklyn Center, Roseville, Richfield, and Chanhassen are all going for referendums on sales tax this year. It's a little bit confusing on the ballot because we have three projects with one tax. I want to make that very clear: whether you vote for Hamlet Park, it's a half-percent sales tax. If you vote for Hamlet and Mississippi Dunes, it's still just the same half-percent. If you vote for all three, it’s still the same half-percent. If just one passes, that money would accumulate quicker for that one project as opposed to spreading it over three. Once the projects are paid for—at the $36 million cap—the tax has to go away according to state law. If all three fail, then there is no tax. With that, I'll offer to answer any questions. The website is phenomenal and has FAQs for almost everything. We also did a Facebook Live this afternoon with the Mayor. I'll stand for questions. **[00:10:45] Ron Kath:** Well, thank you Zac. I really appreciate you coming in and sharing that with us. I'll open it up to the commission if anybody has any questions or comments. **[00:10:55] Commissioner:** Trying to think how best to phrase this so it makes sense. Which of the three projects is the most expensive? **[00:11:05] Zac Dockter:** Hamlet Park. **[00:11:06] Commissioner:** So if only Hamlet Park passes, what's the forecasted payoff timeframe? **[00:11:12] Zac Dockter:** Right now we projected we could bond for about $12 million. We would take out a loan for the first part of the project and pay that back as revenues come in. We've tiered all the projects within the projects—so the turf and playground might be Tier 1, the building might be Tier 2. We'll sit down with Council and commissions to figure out priorities. **[00:11:40] Commissioner:** So in terms of timeframe to pay off, what do you expect? 10 years? **[00:11:45] Zac Dockter:** I think we were thinking 5 to 7 years, but really the first year is just developing plans and specifications. **[00:11:55] Commissioner:** Cool, thank you. I was asking purely from ignorance because I didn't watch the Facebook Live. Another question about your charts: St. Paul was listed as 1.5% in green. They already have that? **[00:12:10] Zac Dockter:** Correct, I believe they just passed theirs for improvements to parks and roads. **[00:12:15] Commissioner:** Perfect, thank you. I have a quick question. What is the timeline for completion if all three pass? Is it going to take 5 years, 7 years? **[00:12:25] Zac Dockter:** I don't have a specific answer, but we would bond for the top-tier projects right away in the first 5 to 7 years. Depending on revenues, we'd bond for the next tiers. I don't know if it's going to be 15 or 25 years for the final tier, but certainly within 25 years. Those budgeted numbers include inflation escalation so we are prepared for that. **[00:13:00] Commissioner:** With the groups that you've already met with, what is their feedback? Are they in favor or are you facing pushback? **[00:13:10] Zac Dockter:** Most people understand there's a need to improve Parks and Recreation and understand you can't do it all with property tax because we need to pay for police, fire, and public works. But anytime you mention tax, it's difficult. We'll find out on November 5th. **[00:13:35] Commissioner:** I have one last question. If unfortunately none of them pass, is there a contingency plan or does it just fall apart? **[00:13:45] Zac Dockter:** That's a great question. The Mayor just said it today: these are not projects we just made up for a sales tax. Hamlet Park has been waiting for 21 years. If it's voted "no," we don't throw it away. We still own the land. These would get put back into the Capital Improvements plan, prioritized, and we'd try to find different funding sources. But that might mean it comes off property taxes instead of sales tax. We would also look for grants. **[00:14:35] Commissioner:** Is there a projection with River Oaks specifically that there would be increased revenue to help offset the investment? **[00:14:45] Zac Dockter:** Not a lot. Most items are meant to be free-to-use, though there would be user fees for simulators and event courts. We don't want to interfere with the golf course operations because it is already profitable. **[00:15:10] Commissioner:** I remember now—what if we have more money than we need for funding? **[00:15:20] Zac Dockter:** It is a $36 million cap. Once we collect that amount, the tax has to go away according to state law. **[00:15:35] Commissioner:** That newsletter that comes—that was very thorough and educational. My neighborhood all read it and talked to me, so it was good. **[00:15:45] Zac Dockter:** Thank you. The communications team has been working really hard. **[00:15:55] Commissioner:** I think the perception hasn't been clarified for many on social media regarding the tax going away after the projected amount is collected. People assume taxes never go away. **[00:16:15] Zac Dockter:** We'll try to get extra information on that. It's similar to U.S. Bank Stadium where the electronic pull-tabs paid it off early and the tax was adjusted. **[00:16:30] Ron Kath:** Zac, maybe you could provide some feedback. When I was on the Parks Commission with you, we helped develop the current bike park. What's the difference between the summer bike park and a winter fat tire park? Do you foresee that being an attraction like the other one? **[00:16:50] Zac Dockter:** I think so. We’d engage the community—we actually have a really good fat tire biker who is an engineer who would help guide the design. It's a different experience; the fat tire course is a 3.5-mile loop, whereas the bike park is more stationary with jumps. **[00:17:20] Ron Kath:** Thanks. I want to echo that the brochures and social media communication have been great. If people have questions, they should reach out to staff. **[00:17:45] Zac Dockter:** Thank you. There are no secrets. I'll tell you like it is and then you make your vote. **[00:17:55] Ron Kath:** It's interesting to me—it helps level-set our older parks with our newer parks. It keeps it more equitable throughout the community. **[00:18:15] Zac Dockter:** I agree. I just drove past Glacier Park and it was packed. People are there right away. **[00:18:35] Commissioner:** You said you'd connect with different communities for designs. How do people get involved with that? **[00:18:45] Zac Dockter:** A little bit of both—we reach out through social media to get people into a task force for feedback. **[00:19:00] Ron Kath:** Well, again Zac, thank you so much for coming forward and presenting to us this evening. **[00:19:05] Zac Dockter:** Thank you. **[00:19:10] Ron Kath:** Our next presentation is our intermediate water treatment plant update and that'll be our director of Public Works, Ryan, presenting that to us. **[00:19:20] Ryan Burfeind:** Thank you, Vice Chair, members of the commission. As I've been doing throughout this process with the 3M settlement funds, I have an important check-in tonight. We're working on our intermediate zone water treatment plant. This is the larger of two treatment plants that will serve Cottage Grove for the foreseeable future. The "low zone" plant (south and west of Highway 61) is under construction now and will wrap up in May 2025. This "intermediate zone" will treat everything north and east of Highway 61. We currently have five temporary treatment plants online so our water is currently clean and safe; this is just the permanent solution. This plant will be located right behind the Central Fire Station on 81st Street by the archery range. We have seven wells right around this area that already come together into one water main there, so we can intercept that pipe. We are very fortunate; other communities are spending hundreds of millions just to connect their wells. Two other wells (by the splash pad and Sunny Hill Park) will also be connected here. The building will be larger than the fire station but will sit in a valley to keep the profile low—about 32 feet tall, matching the fire station's second story. We're trying to mimic the fire station architecture with brick and limestone accents and tip-up concrete panels like the HERO Center. The facility has a deep basement for large tanks and pipes, which allows for better maintenance. On the main floor, the water flows through to remove iron and manganese. While not required for health, removing them extends the life of our PFAS filters from one year to six years, saving millions. The PFAS treatment uses 12-foot diameter tanks. It's a very quiet process. It's automated; an operator might only be there four hours a day. Because this is on city parkland, we are requesting the state pay back the land value from the settlement, which we will reinvest into the park. The Parks Department is looking at a neighborhood playground, a beginner nine-hole disc golf course, and trails. We held an open house on October 10th. We invited 850 homes but only had three people attend. We’ll be at the Planning Commission on Monday and City Council on November 20th. We’ll bid in March 2025, start construction next summer, and finish in late 2027. The plant is estimated at $100 million, fully paid for by the 3M settlement—not taxpayers. A final note: we are working with the fire station on traffic. We can't turn semis around on the site, so they will drive through the building and exit via the fire station's loop. We’ll build a new road out to 80th Street and make it wide enough for two-way traffic so we don't delay ambulances. It’s actually cheaper than trying to turn semis around on our own lot. I'll stand for questions. **[00:26:45] Ron Kath:** Thanks, Ryan. I'll open it up to Commissioners. **[00:26:50] Commissioner:** I have a question about the entrances. Will the public be able to use these as a shortcut or will they be closed off? **[00:27:00] Ryan Burfeind:** We are looking at a controlled access gate with badge entry off 81st Street. We’ll also have a decorative fence to keep kids from the new playground from wandering into the back of the fire station. **[00:27:20] Commissioner:** I'm leveraging my experience from when we built the Walmart. There was concern about construction noise and backup beepers. Are there going to be set hours? **[00:27:40] Ryan Burfeind:** Yes, we adhere to city hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays, and no work on Sundays. Since this is a city project, we have tight control. We'll also try to get construction traffic off 80th rather than through the residential neighborhood on 81st. **[00:28:15] Commissioner:** Naive question: this is only drinking water, right? No smell? **[00:28:25] Ryan Burfeind:** Correct. No wastewater, no smells. All enclosed. **[00:28:35] Commissioner:** Will there be noise impact when it’s operational? **[00:28:40] Ryan Burfeind:** Not at all. The only noise is the pump room, and that is sound-deadened per OSHA requirements. You could have a normal conversation inside the building. **[00:29:10] Commissioner:** How will construction traffic work before that third entrance is built? **[00:29:20] Ryan Burfeind:** Our goal is to build that new entrance first. **[00:29:35] Commissioner:** Does the 2027 completion date include the park? **[00:29:45] Ryan Burfeind:** Yes, the park components would be built at the tail end in 2027. **[00:29:55] Commissioner:** Can you talk about capacity and room to grow? **[00:30:05] Ryan Burfeind:** Our design is for 20 years. There is room to expand this plant if needed. We are using a treatment type that is smaller in scale so we can fit more capacity in this building. **[00:31:00] Commissioner:** What happens in the basement if a pipe breaks? **[00:31:10] Ryan Burfeind:** We have flood alarms. We’ve designed redundancy throughout the plant. If one pipe breaks, a backup takes over so we don't lose water service to the whole north side of town. **[00:31:50] Ron Kath:** Ryan, will the new road impact the current design of 80th Street? **[00:32:00] Ryan Burfeind:** No, 80th has plenty of capacity. This is further east than the section we are redoing by the high school. **[00:32:45] Ron Kath:** I think it’s smart to leverage the fire station space rather than creating something entirely new. **[00:33:15] Commissioner:** You said the temporary plant is across from the splash pad. What does the process look like to conjoin it? Massive trench digging? **[00:33:30] Ryan Burfeind:** It will be a new water main coming from Sunny Hill Park through the power line corridor and Pine Tree Valley. We will have to dig up a few streets, but there will be no assessments to homeowners. That happens in Summer 2025. **[00:34:00] Commissioner:** And the facility by the splash pad—you’ll disassemble that and reuse the innards? **[00:34:10] Ryan Burfeind:** Yes, the expensive treatment vessels will be moved to the new facility. **[00:34:30] Ron Kath:** Thanks again, Ryan. That completes the presentations. Commissioner comments? **[00:34:40] Group:** None. **[00:34:45] Ron Kath:** Staff reports? **[00:34:50] Ryan Burfeind:** I'll be quick. We opened the new U-turn intersections by River Oaks—great safety improvement. We had the grand opening for East Point Douglas and Jamaica Avenue. We also finished the realignment of Hadley and 100th Street. Most importantly, on August 29th, we had a major storm with 80 mph winds. Our emergency ops center was open with 30 staff. Thompson Grove was hit hard. Public Works and surrounding cities (Eagan, West St. Paul, Burnsville, Newport) helped with the month-long cleanup. No injuries, which I'm proud of. I’ll turn it over to Gary. **[00:36:35] Gary Olofson:** Like Ryan said, we were busy for five weeks. Now we’re prepping for winter. We’re patching roads and doing storm water inspections. Our annual plow meeting is Wednesday. We start putting plows on trucks Friday. Our goal is to be ready by November 1st. We also have three sweepers out. We ask residents not to blow leaves into the street. **[00:37:35] Ron Kath:** Any questions for Ryan or Gary? Thank you guys, the storm cleanup was incredible. Councilmember Thiede, any comments? **[00:37:55] Dave Thiede:** We hired a new Communications Manager, Phil Jents. He grew up here and went to Park High. We’ve also finished labor contracts, passed a DWI Traffic Safety grant, got new cardiac monitors and authorized new public safety vehicles. We’re working on the budget. Any questions? **[00:38:40] Ron Kath:** None. That brings us to adjournment. Motion? **[00:38:45] Commissioner:** Motion. **[00:38:46] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:38:47] Ron Kath:** All in favor? **[00:38:48] Group:** Aye. **[00:38:50] Ron Kath:** We are adjourned. Thank you.