Based on the official names provided in your context list and the dialogue within the transcript, here is the formatted version of the townhall meeting. *Note: Since the provided transcript did not include timestamps, I have used sequential placeholders. Names from the provided official list have been mapped to their corresponding roles in the meeting (e.g., mapping the vocal council roles to the provided council members).* *** **[00:00:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Okay, okay. Lloyd, if you want to—do you have anything to present on the computer at all? Okay, yeah, you could see if the microphone works there. There's a green button. **[00:00:15] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** How about that? That works. Okay, thanks, Mayor. Welcome. **[00:00:20] John Monge (Mayor):** Good to see you. **[00:00:22] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** Good to see you. It's good to be here. You're a good mentor of mine, Mayor, and members of the Council. I believe you all have a packet like this. My intention is to just go through this real quickly. If there's any questions, feel free to ask, and then I'll just open it up to questions along the way. I’m going to refer to Jill or Candace behind me. The Park Improvement Plan established a general overview of our park system and the vision of the improvements to align with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The plan provides greater detail identifying and prioritizing capital improvements, providing monetary estimates for the work and timelines. I'd like to begin to thank Jill; Jill and I worked on this and she did a great job. **[00:01:10] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** Park trails and open space are important facets that contribute to the goals of making North St. Paul a desirable place to live and work. The goals for the Park Improvement Plan are to adequately maintain what we have while making meaningful contributions to strengthen the sense of community. Our mission: enhance and expand the parks, trails, and open spaces to ensure that all have access to quality community facilities; protect and enhance the lakes, wetlands, woods, and wildlife; and promote community stewardship through an involved and informed citizenry. **[00:02:15] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** Next page on park classifications and mapping. We mapped out each park and figured out what we wanted to do with each. We did learn about regional parks. At the time when we did the work with the community, we thought Casey was regional, but we discovered from information from Candace—I think, Candace, you had mentioned that it wasn't regional based on the definition of what regional was. **[00:02:45] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** Do you have any regional park then in the system? **[00:02:50] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** No, no. Not even Silver Lake. We thought Casey was a regional park because people came from all over, but Candace kindly educated us on how that works. **[00:03:05] Candace Amberg (Consultant):** A regional park is usually owned by a regional implementing agency, like Three Rivers. They have special criteria for acreage and the types of programming, such as nature preserves. **[00:03:20] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** So like Southwood Nature Preserve—is that a much smaller scale? But because it's locally owned, what do you call it? **[00:03:30] Candace Amberg (Consultant):** Correct. If Ramsey County owned Casey Lake Park, it potentially could be considered regional. **[00:03:45] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** Inventory and conditions: the plan breaks down each park by category. I’d like to thank everybody on the Park Commission and Council Member Nordby for all their hard work in the last year to get this all put together. Short-term projects include park signage at the Lions Rotary Park, work on Polar Park, and a downtown park location. We’re specifically looking at a water park in downtown North St. Paul somewhere—ideas have come up at the old gas station on Helen and 7th. **[00:04:45] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** I noticed the Urban Ecology Center located behind the school district bus garage is included in here. The sign still says PCU Pond. I think on the map it says North St. Paul Environmental Learning Center. Why is that one not considered part of the park system? **[00:05:20] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** It was our understanding that that was not part of the park system. **[00:05:30] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** Well, I pull up the Ramsey County map and that entire pond is owned by the city. Residents in that area are already utilizing it as a shortcut over to Target. **[00:06:00] John Monge (Mayor):** I think back in the day before they did all the improvements—Ron Ritchie, maybe you can give us a little history on that pond? Because that was, I believe, when they did Highway 36 that was expanded. **[00:06:15] Ron Ritchie (Director of Public Works):** I can tell you that we mow it and our storm water dumps into there. I don't know if it was classified a park or not. I know that we maintain 11th Avenue and the trails in there, but I don't know for sure if it's deemed a park. **[00:07:00] Jason Nordby (Council Member):** It's my understanding along with Lloyd's, from the communication with the city, that it's not a park. It’s city-owned property, but it isn't deemed a park. **[00:08:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** Just a general question regarding park usage, in particular, hockey rinks. There’s less people playing now. Does it make sense to utilize our resources to continue to put up rinks that aren't being used? Also, regarding tennis courts at McKnight Fields—how long have those been closed? **[00:08:45] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** I would estimate at least five years if not more. They've been sitting idle because of the damage to them. We do get requests from people for pickleball at Silver Lake. **[00:10:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** Has there been discussion about a multi-use area? At Casey Park, it’s just boards around grass. If it were paved like Northwood, you could turn it into a basketball court in the summer. **[00:11:00] Jill (Staff/Consultant):** I can chime in. On page 38, we talk about Casey Lake Park and recommend a master plan. The hockey rink could be paved for multiple year-round uses or relocated for better ice maintenance. **[00:12:30] Troy Woods (Council Member):** I know the Hausen Park—the Pony League uses that in the summertime. A lot of people are putting ice rinks in their backyard now, so I think that affects usage. **[00:13:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** Are maintenance considerations ever part of the discussion regarding costs? If we build a pickleball court for $75,000, do we talk about the crack filling every five years? **[00:13:45] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** Yes, Jill and Candace helped remind us about maintenance and upkeep costs. **[00:15:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** This idea of a water park or splash pad downtown—I look at the construction and upkeep costs and think it's a stretch. We have difficulty storing snow as it is. **[00:16:30] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** The Park Commission realizes we come up with ideas and present them to the Council to see how feasible they are within the budget. **[00:18:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Thank you, Lloyd. This is a very good report. **[00:18:45] Brian Frandle (City Manager - Remote):** Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council Members. We are hoping to bring this to the next City Council meeting on May 3rd to approve the Park Improvement Plan. **[00:19:15] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** Is this supposed to be reviewed by the Planning Commission? **[00:19:20] Brian Frandle (City Manager):** It already has. **[00:20:00] Jason Nordby (Council Member):** A huge round of applause to the Park and Rec Commission. It becomes an actual selling point to the community to gain new development and residents. **[00:22:00] Lloyd Sanborn (Park Commission):** Thank you. We'll move forward. **[00:22:30] John Monge (Mayor):** Our second topic: the Community Center. City Manager, I don't know if you want to chime in on this? **[00:22:35] Brian Frandle (City Manager):** Yes, thank you, Mr. Mayor. As you know, I'm under the weather so I'm doing this remotely. The Community Center building was built in 1992. It's 30 years old and quite frankly just hasn't been maintained. The roof estimate is $660,000. Brick tuckpointing is $555,000. Windows and flashing, $234,000. Rooftop HVAC is $200,500. When you add all this up, the things that need to happen right away are the roof and the HVAC. If those don't happen, I don't think we could even get through next winter. It’s a million dollars just to "limp by." The long-term solution is more like $2 million. We don't have any money identified for this. **[00:25:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** I think it’s important to look at the history. We closed the center because it was underutilized and expensive. In 2019, our appraisal said the building was well-maintained with little evidence of deferred maintenance. Now we're being told it needs $2 million. To me, this is a financial liability. We have offers to sell the building for $1 million. That’s a $3 million swing. If we sell it, the building goes on the tax rolls. Why are we considering doubling down on this facility when we could sell it and use the proceeds for the Park Improvement Plan? **[00:30:00] Ron Ritchie (Director of Public Works):** I can tell you, the HVAC units are nine months out if we order today. One furnace is running on half capacity. We can’t kick the can down the road. The leaks and the cold are real. **[00:32:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** And what about the library lease? We need to understand our liability to Ramsey County. **[00:33:00] Jason Nordby (Council Member):** I cannot vote for anything to approve a penny until I understand our commitment to the library. **[00:34:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** We could sell the building contingent on the purchaser honoring the lease. **[00:35:00] RT Luczak (Tenant - Kokoro Volleyball):** We are still here. We can stay until June to help you guys out. My only concern is the heat. If it doesn't work, we're going to have some issues. **[00:36:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Thank you, RT. We'll adjourn the workshop. *** **[00:37:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Motion to adopt the agenda for the regular meeting? **[00:37:05] Troy Woods (Council Member):** So moved. **[00:37:07] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** Second. **[00:38:00] Tom (916 Student House Project):** Just an update on the project. The home is going well despite building industry struggles. Open house is pushed to mid-July. I’ve had neighbors bringing us donuts; they’re really supportive. **[00:40:00] Eric Leit (Assistant Principal, 916):** I’ve been emailing the neighbors every week and haven't heard any complaints. **[00:41:00] Catherine Harrington (Century College Instructor):** Our design focuses on "Urban Cottage." We have four students this year: Alexis, Karen, Shelby, and Rebecca. They’ve focused on organic colors and materials. **[00:43:00] Interior Design Student:** The kitchen focal point is the island. We chose shaker-style doors with green lower cabinets and light uppers. **[00:47:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Whoever buys this house is going to be so lucky. Thank you for all you do. **[00:50:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Proclamation for Arbor Day... Friday, April 29th, 2022. I urge all citizens to plant trees. **[00:52:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Consent agenda. Any items to be pulled? **[00:52:15] Cassidy Schweer (Council Member):** So moved. **[00:52:17] Jason Nordby (Council Member):** Second. (Motion Carries). **[00:54:00] Jason Zimmerman (Finance Director):** I know it’s tough to be excited about selling almost $10 million in bonds, but we’ve structured this to reduce our debt levy. We are looking at a 20-year bond with approximately 2.8% interest. Being out early is for the city's benefit. **[00:57:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** So moved. **[00:57:05] Cassidy Schweer (Council Member):** Second. (Motion Carries). **[00:58:00] Morgan Dawley (City Engineer):** This is the joint project with Maplewood for Ariel Street. We have two alternates: Alternate 1 is basic improvements; Alternate 2 includes the sidewalk on the east side from 9th to 17th. **[01:00:00] Dave Mckenzie (Council Member):** Why not put the sidewalk on the Maplewood side? It impacts fewer residences. **[01:01:00] Morgan Dawley (City Engineer):** Maplewood indicated they weren't interested in making it a Maplewood amenity since it was a North St. Paul request. **[01:03:00] Jason Nordby (Council Member):** Motion for Alternate 2 with the sidewalk. **[01:03:05] Cassidy Schweer (Council Member):** Second. (Motion Carries). **[01:05:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Anything else? Motion to adjourn? **[01:05:10] Troy Woods (Council Member):** Moved. **[01:05:15] Cassidy Schweer (Council Member):** Second. **[01:06:00] John Monge (Mayor):** Motion carries. We are adjourned.