[00:00:00] Mayor Mary Supple: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to call to order this April 28th meeting of the Richfield City Council. It's 7:00 p.m. If you're able, please rise and join us for the pledge of allegiance. [00:00:15] Audience: 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. [00:00:30] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you. And now we are pleased to welcome the Richfield STEM choir under the direction of Mrs. Miles. And I'm going to turn it over to them. And I think we're going to go off to the side so we can listen to you better. [00:00:45] Mrs. Miles: We'd like to begin tonight with a welcome song and it's actually in Swahili. So you'll be able to kind of know that we're saying welcome to you. [Choir performs "Welcome Song"] I share with my head. I welcome you with my mouth. I welcome you with my heart. I welcome you. See, I got nothing up my sleeve. [Choir continues singing] [00:03:20] Mrs. Miles: We've studied a little bit about the drinking gourd this year. And this song is about following the drinking gourd for those people that escaped from slavery and got to be up in the northern states. And so we've talked about that. And our next song is called Follow the Drinking Gourd. Technical difficulties. Hopefully a piece of tape is... We can do different falls. [Choir performs "Follow the Drinking Gourd"] [00:07:45] Mrs. Miles: Right there. One, two, one, two, three. Go. [Choir performs "I Won't Stand Alone"] [00:10:15] Mrs. Miles: Thank you. We'd like to close today with a song called Freedom Train. [Choir performs "Freedom Train"] It's the Richfield STEM School. [00:13:30] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you all. It was so much fun. We appreciated your performance. [00:13:35] Council Member: That was fun. [00:13:37] Council Member: Yep. That was an accident, but they kept right... they were... they kept right on singing. They didn't even blink. That was good. [00:13:45] Mayor Mary Supple: All right. Thank you again to the Richfield STEM School. That was just a delight to hear. Next, we'll move on to approval of the agenda. [00:13:55] Council Member Walter Burk: I move to approve the agenda. [00:13:57] Council Member Sharon Christensen: Seconded. [00:13:58] Mayor Mary Supple: It's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda. Is there any discussion? All in favor, please say aye. [00:14:05] Council Members: Aye. [00:14:06] Mayor Mary Supple: All opposed. And we've approved the agenda. Next, we'll move on to the approval of the minutes from the meeting of the city council work session from April 14, 2026 and the city council regular meeting from April 14th, 2026. And the clerk has asked me to give two notations and you can see the documentation is on your computer for the council. And for the April 14th regular minutes, the corrected text for the presentation of 12A was for the appointing of Kate Cau as human resources director for the city of Richville with an effective date of May 18, 2026. And the second one is between the two meetings we received an open forum email and that has been distributed to the entire council and the subject was the platform viewing area for the black crowned night heron island and so it'll be attached to the regular minutes from April 28th. All right. Is there a motion to approve those two sets of minutes? [00:15:10] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary: I move to approve the minutes with the amendments to the spelling for or dates for appointment for human resource director. [00:15:18] Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods: Second. [00:15:19] Mayor Mary Supple: Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Any questions? All in favor, please say aye. [00:15:25] Council Members: Aye. [00:15:26] Mayor Mary Supple: All opposed. And we have approved those minutes. Next, we'll move on to the open forum. Participants may share their comments in person, by voicemail or email, or may also request to participate virtually. For more information on submitting comments, refer to the council agenda and minutes page on richfieldmn.gov/citycouncil. Right now, I have one request for open forum. Is there anyone else that wishes to submit a form? All right. So, for those of you that are participating, you'll say your name and your city of residence. You'll have three minutes. And I have a yellow card to remind you when you're getting to 30 seconds and a red card to show you when your time is up. And I'm going to call up Burgett Johnson first. [00:16:15] Burgett Johnson: Burgett Johnson, Richfield. First off, thanks to Karl Huemiller, Paul Smith, Rachel Lindholm, John Evans, the Community Services Sustainability Commission for allowing us to speak at their joint commission meeting and to listen. To our relief, before we were attending the meeting, the proposed viewing platform's location at Vets Park had already been moved. The platform would have interfered with nesting black-crowned night herons. The hope is to have further input for Richfield parks. The plans for the parks are promising, needed, and welcome. There's a lot of work ahead. Please be mindful of the cost. People are struggling. Karl Huemiller does a good job explaining. We will need him to calm people down. Solving problems is not a left or right issue. We also want to retain our good staff. Next subject. There are some who have written to the city of Richfield that they will sue the city if the city proceeds with a proposed ordinance from the April 14th work session that would prohibit firearms in sensitive public spaces—prohibited in city-owned buildings, parks, libraries, and civic spaces with signage required at entrance. You can find the proposal on the city website under government agendas and minutes in the April 14th work session. It includes assault weapons, binary triggers, large capacity magazines and ghost guns along with possessions, assembly, sale of unserialized firearms and unfinished parts. This helps to target untraceable weapons often used in violent crimes. It is common sense. In historical context, the table knife is placed on the table with the knife always placed on the right with the blade of the knife facing the plate. The knife is a weapon. This signals no threat. Carrying any weapon can be intimidating to others, especially when no danger is present. A person with a gun then presents the danger to others. Having to leave a weapon at home and not to take it for a walk appears to induce a lot of anxiety in some. You can still have a gun. Government has not taken over your rights. There is a lot of "me first" and fear here. Also, you are not allowed to discharge a weapon in the city of Richfield. Civil society has norms and not carrying a weapon into events or community spaces has been a norm before the dark ages. A well-regulated militia still has to conform to norms and still has to set aside weapons when stepping into social settings. Where is this regulated militia? When are there regulated meetings? Is the well-regulated militia being called up for war like that in Iran? Where were they during the ICE occupation? We have real problems to tackle and this is not one of them. You're not protecting America but only yourself. This is not any part of a well-regulated militia and not saving us money either. [00:19:25] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak? All right, go ahead. And then you can fill out a card afterwards. [00:19:35] Heidi Guy Bore: Thank you. This is rather spontaneous. Um, I'm Heidi Guy Bore, Richfield resident, and I just wanted to say "wow" to the STEM chorus. I had tears in my eyes and I would have burst out bawling had I started to cry. So I had to control myself. But to see the young people in our community and the hope and the love that they exude, it was just wonderful to have them and I congratulate them and thank you for having them. [00:20:10] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak? All right. Thank you to both of our speakers. We appreciate it. And we will close out the open forum at this point. Next, we'll move on to our proclamation celebrating Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month. And I will be joined by Valerie Hurst Baker from the Human Rights Commission. This is a proclamation of the city of Richfield. Whereas Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month from May 1st through May 31st, pays tribute to Asian and Pacific Americans, the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States of America for their contributions to the United States and to celebrate the diverse culture and rich history. And whereas May was designated as Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month because of the first documented arrival of Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7th, 1843 and the completion of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10th, 1869, which relied heavily on Chinese immigrant laborers. And whereas the first documented arrival of an Asian or Pacific Islander to Minnesota was Mr. Wang Ling in who settled in Duluth, Minnesota in 1875. And whereas Minnesota has provided asylum and relocation for many Asian refugees from the Vietnamese, Laotians, Cambodians, and Hmong in the 1970s and 80s and Tibetans and Karen peoples during the 1990s, while other Asian and Pacific Islanders have immigrated to Minnesota in their pursuit of opportunities and freedom. And whereas Asian and Pacific Americans have been subjected to discriminatory treatment throughout their time in the United States, including the Chinese Exclusion Act, the immoral internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the systematic housing discrimination in Richfield as a result of racial covenants, and the recent irrational and unsubstantiated blame for COVID-19. And whereas at least 5.5% of the population in Richfield is of Asian and Pacific Islander origin according to the 2024 estimates by the US Census Bureau. And whereas Asian and Pacific Americans have made the United States better through initiative, creativity, hard work, and the sharing of their cultural heritage and deserve to be recognized for their achievements and participation in Richfield civic life. And whereas the Richfield Human Rights Commission supported a proclamation celebrating Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month at its April 7th, 2026 meeting. Now therefore, I, Mary Supple, mayor of Richfield, on behalf of the Richfield City Council, do proclaim the month of May as Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month in the city of Richfield and call on the people of Richfield to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies, and continue to honor the contributions of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans throughout the year. Proclaimed this 28th day of April, 2026. Thank you. Would you like to say a few words? [00:23:45] Valerie Hurst Baker: Thank you. I'm the chair of the Richfield Human Rights Commission. Generally, we like to have a community member who is part of the population accept this proclamation. And unfortunately, that did not work out for this month. But we want to honor and recognize the contributions of those in the Asian and Pacific American group who make Richfield a wonderful place to live. Thank you. [00:24:10] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you. And thank you to the commission. Next, we'll move on to the consent calendar, and I'm going to turn it over to Assistant City Manager Thongvanh. [00:24:20] Sack Thongvanh: Thank you. The consent calendar contains several separate items which are acted upon by the city council in one motion. Once the consent calendar has been approved, the individual items and recommended action has also been approved. No further council action on these items is necessary. However, any council member may request that an item be removed from the consent calendar and placed on the regular agenda for council discussion and action. All items listed on the consent calendar are recommended for approval. A: Approve disbursements and claims. B: Approve of the bid tabulation and authorize the mayor and the city manager to execute a contract with Concrete Idea for the Safe Route to School Sheridan Hills Elementary sidewalk project in the amount of $429,153.25 and authorize the city manager to approve contract changes up to $17,500 without further city council consideration. C: Adopt a resolution for reimbursement for certain expenditures for the proceeds of street reconstruction bonds and utility bonds to be issued by the city for the Penn Avenue reconstruction project. D: Adoption of a resolution authorizing execution of the Minnesota Department of Transportation MnDOT agreement number 1062789 for the disbursement of state general obligation bond funds for the Sheridan Hills Safe Route to Schools project. And E: Consider approval of the encroachment agreement between the city of Richfield and Herspace LLC allowing the property owner at 6440 Nicollet Avenue to maintain an existing private parking lot and commercial signs within the right-of-way. Staff would recommend approval of the consent calendar. [00:26:15] Council Member Walter Burk: I move approval of the consent calendar. [00:26:17] Council Member Sharon Christensen: Second. [00:26:18] Mayor Mary Supple: It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Council Member Hayford Oleary. [00:26:22] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary: I just wanted to say regarding E, I have no issue with staff's recommendation to allow their encroachment to remain, but it is also a recognition that that business is now open. So, we're excited to have Richfield's first co-working space there. Herspace LLC is doing business as The Coven, which has other locations in the Minneapolis metro. So, it's exciting to see them there. [00:26:45] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you. Any other comments or questions? All in favor of approving the consent calendar, please say aye. [00:26:50] Council Members: Aye. [00:26:51] Mayor Mary Supple: All opposed. And we've approved the consent calendar. Our next item of business would be the city manager report. Assistant City Manager Thongvanh. [00:27:00] Sack Thongvanh: [No further items reported]. [00:27:05] Mayor Mary Supple: All right. Thank you. Then we'll move on to council discussion either of "Hats Off to Hometown Hits" or council liaison reports. Council Member Burk. [00:27:15] Council Member Walter Burk: Nothing this week. [00:27:17] Mayor Mary Supple: Council Member Hayford Oleary. [00:27:18] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary: Um, well, I would just maybe confirm since the mayor always seems to know these things. The Richfield Foundation fundraiser was moved to the fall. Correct? I had a date of next week originally. [00:27:30] Mayor Mary Supple: Yes, it got moved to October, I believe, 8th. I can look. But I think it's October 8th. [00:27:38] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary: Okay. We'll definitely mention it sooner to October, but we're excited for that. And excited for their new time in the fall. And then just liaison reports—our meeting, we're actually going to meet tomorrow for Transportation Commission and just saying that I think we're excited to continue our conversation about Penn Avenue. I'm getting a lot of input on details of Penn. So it's been a fun collaborative process and I'm looking forward to more of it. [00:28:05] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you. Council Member Christensen. [00:28:08] Council Member Sharon Christensen: Yes. I just would like to mention to everyone who's involved with the high schoolers or have an interest in art, the Richfield High School kids will have an art exhibit at the community center next Thursday from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. with the reception following. [00:28:25] Mayor Mary Supple: And then will the artwork remain up after that as well? [00:28:28] Council Member Sharon Christensen: Yes, they do leave it up for a certain length of time. I'm not quite sure how long, but they do leave it up for quite a long time. And they fill the whole community center on the upper level with this. So it's a wide variety of paintings and drawings and sculptures and all sorts of different art type things. So yeah. [00:28:45] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you. Council Member Coleman-Woods. [00:28:48] Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods: Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to give a shout out to the Sustainability Commission and upcoming Earth Day. Lots of events going on tomorrow, as well as compost day on May 1st. And then there's also an electronics recycling and paper shredding day in the ice arena lot, I believe on May 14th. [00:29:10] Mayor Mary Supple: Oh, 14th. Thank you. [00:29:12] Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods: Thank you. So, shout out to the Sustainability Commission. I can't even say that twice in a row. [00:29:20] Mayor Mary Supple: Thank you. And I want to give a shout out to Council Member Hayford Oleary who testified at the Senate Transportation Committee on behalf of Richfield and did a fabulous job. I watched it remotely and he did a great job and hopefully we will get some bonding money. Thank you for your efforts. I also want to do a shout out to the Richfield Community Safety Network. We have a donor that is willing to give $400,000 if the community raises $25,000. So if you are able to donate something to help get us to that $25,000 to unlock the $400,000, you can go to richfieldcommunitysafety.org and there is donation information there. So please spread the word. We have, I believe, until May 6th. So, if you need more information, feel free to email me or you can talk to me after the meeting. And finally, I wanted to do a promotion for the North Star Therapy Animals. Dan Smeha, who lives here in Richfield, has Barney, his therapy dog, and he goes around to various places. But there's a whole group of people that do this, and they visit schools, hospitals, care centers, libraries, group homes, crisis response. They're out at the airport, part of U of M PAWS and the 911 centers. And this group is going to be having a celebration on April 30th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Mall of America Rotunda. And so there will be a lot of the animals there. So you can go ahead and meet some of these support animals. And they'll have information available and people to talk to should you be interested in pursuing this. So, if you want to be somebody that takes therapy animals around to help the community, given the stressful times we live in, the need for therapy animals is ongoing and increasing and there's a shortage of teams. So, if you want to get involved and join the North Star Therapy Animals, again, it's going to be April 30th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Mall of America Rotunda. Last year they actually came and visited us and we had a proclamation, but this year since they're having their big celebration, we just thought we'd advertise that for them. So, please support the North Star Therapy Animals. With that, I also would like to echo what was said about the STEM school choir. It is always fun to have them come and sing and just makes the whole world seem better when you're listening to the kids singing. So, thank you to everybody that was involved in that. With that, if there's no further business, I would entertain a motion to adjourn the meeting. [00:32:10] Council Member Walter Burk: I move to adjourn the meeting. [00:32:12] Council Member Sharon Christensen: Second. [00:32:13] Mayor Mary Supple: It's been moved and seconded to adjourn the meeting. All in favor, please say aye. [00:32:17] Council Members: Aye. [00:32:18] Mayor Mary Supple: All opposed? We stand adjourned. Thank you.