All right, I have 7 o'clock. We will call the uh town board meeting for March 2nd, 2026 to order. First item on the agenda is the approval. Patrick, anything? >> Yes, Mr. Chair, if it pleases the board last minute ad coming in from uh Ramsey County Sheriff's Office tonight, uh legislative ask for funding um enhancements to regional emergency response training and large-scale event public safety. >> So, you're just going to put it under added agenda? >> Under added and we I distributed it by email here about 15 minutes ago. It should be in your boxes. >> So, just RCSO fine. >> There's not going to be any action taken or just information. I'm just looking for permission to sign support of it. >> Okay. >> Yep. >> All right. Does the board have anything? >> I do not. >> I don't. >> All right. I need a motion to approve as amended. >> Move to approve as amended. >> Second. >> Motion made second. All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Item three is approval payment of the bills. Signed, Steve. >> Yes, I did. I signed the bills. Move to approve payment of the bills. >> Second. >> Motion's made and second. All in favor? >> I. >> All right. That passes. Item four is approval of minutes from February 18th. Anybody have any corrections? >> Uh yes, I did. Um on page uh let's see six of the packet the last sentence um it says that Ruseek added that the metropolitan areas in its entirety is supporting this statement and and I really would like the word majority. Okay, not entirety. Okay, >> that is a false statement. So, don't you feel empowered with entirety, Steve? >> No. >> Oh. >> All right. So, if you make that correction, then I'll move to approve the uh minutes with that amendment. Do >> I have a second? >> Second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. Opposed. >> All right. Item five is a consent agenda items. We have >> several >> seven of them. >> Yep. >> Anybody have any issues with these or want to send them on? >> I'm fine with all of them. >> So am I. So, is that your motion? >> I'll make a motion to approve uh consent agenda items A through G. >> I'll second that. All right. All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Item six is old business. We have none. No public hearings. So, we'll right move on to eight. New business. Polar Lake Park Lighting. Larry, are you going to take this? >> Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair and town board. Um before you tonight is uh a professional services uh proposal from SLA for the um help us prepare plans and bidding for the Polar Lakes Park baseball field number three lighting. Um the current fixtures in that on that field are roughly 20 years old and we're looking to replace them from the highintensity discharge fixtures to LED. Um you can see a photo in the packet showing kind of the lighting difference between um an LED field and a um the HID fixture lighting. Um with this proposal um with the lighting changes, we would save roughly $1,500,000 per year in energy costs with the with the upgraded lighting. Um so the town board action tonight is just requesting uh the professional services to get started on the bidding process and um getting uh get getting them going on u plans for that baseball field lighting. Um if you might recall the last year the town did the lighting upgrades on the soccer field. Um, so this is we're moving now down to the baseball fields. >> That's still something we want to get done this year, correct? >> Yes. >> Beth, questions, comments? >> It's an odd comment. Do the lights stay on all night? >> No. >> Okay. >> Um, I may have asked on the the soccer fields, but I'll ask again for this one. Is there any uh is it Excel Energy grant money available to switch from that to LED? >> I'm not certain. I can check on that. >> We have before. It seemed like we >> Yep. Yeah. >> Yep. as an option. Just see if there's >> And I think SLA might be able to help us with that. >> Okay. It It's a necessary upgrade. I check in the grants. That's it. So, with that, I have no other questions. Um, and I'll make a motion based on public works director review and recommendation approve a professional service contract with Sports Lighting Authority for project planning and construction coordination for the Polar Lakes Park baseball field number three lighting project. >> A second. >> All right, motion made a second. All in favor? >> I opposed. >> All right, that motion carries. All right, item B is the 2026 seal coat and crack sealing project. Let Patrick do it. So, you're looking for a good time, huh? >> Yeah. Thank you. So, this item um is a seal coating and crack sealing um project for this year. We're looking at the Oakme area uh for crack sealing and and seal coating. Um we have 100 $180,000 budgeted for this work. Um, combining the crack ceiling and the seal coating, um, with the bids and quotes we received, um, we're looking at 134,000 for for the work. Um, the crack ceiling, we we like to do our crack ceiling in increments, usually 3 years after the the pavement is in um, and then again in in year eight or nine. And then if we can do it more, if the if the pavement can receive it more, we'll do it more to help um preserve the life of our streets and extend the extend the life. So on the seal coding side, we received three bids. Um we received bids on February 18th. Um that was all advertised in the paper and we received three bids from Alli, Blacktop, Pearson Brothers, and Farner Asphalts. The low bid for sealed coding was 124,42 from Alli Blacktop. And so we got a motion there to or action requested to receive the bids and award to Alli Blacktop for the work. Um secondly, we receive quotes for the seal coating um from Sealtech and MP Asphalt um and they prepare their bids in terms of uh the number of pounds that they can lay down. Um but we then have a budget of $10,000 for um their work. And so we have an the action there is to accept quotes and award the 2026 crack sealing project to um seal coat tech or seal tech inc. >> Questions comments? >> Nope. I'm good. Steve? >> Nope. >> There. You want this in two motions then? >> Yes. I'll make the first motion based on public works director review and recommendation receive bids and award the contract to Allied Black Top Company in the amount of $124,412 for seal coating. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I I'll make the second motion based on the public work director review and recommendation. Uh receive bids and award the contract accept the quotes and award the project to Sealtech Inc. in the amount of $10,000 for crack ceiling. >> Second. >> Motion's made and seconded. All in favor say I. >> I. Opposed. >> All right, that motion carries also. >> All right, moving on. This must be yours, too, Larry. The street sweeping project. >> Yes. Uh, thank you. Um, I I just want to make one other comment there. Um, on those bids, um, that low bid was was an excellent bid. um that we, you know, you looked at our original budgeted CIP and the quote we got, um it was quite a bit of savings. In fact, one of the the other um people that quoted on the project um was surprised at how low we got the the pricing on that. So, >> actually, and we've used that before, right? >> Yep. >> Okay. >> So, we're familiar with the contractor, >> all the things we've said. >> Yeah. >> Okay. the street sweeping program. Um the the town uh um does street sweeping in the spring and the fall and then they also have the street sweeping um throughout the summer as well. Um we bid and and do these things separately. Um street sweeping is an important function of public works to collect the chemicals, sediment and phosphorus before it it reaches our lakes and wetlands. Um, and really street sweeping is found to be one of the most or is the most cost effective way to preventing uh um phosphorus and sediment from depositing into our lakes. Um, we uh are contracting this out. Um, we do have a street sweeper um on hand. It's 23 years old and we've had problems with it. Um and plus uh with uh with the one sweeper it would take uh roughly a month to complete the work. So we went to get quotes for this for this work um to do this spring and fall sweeping. Um we received three quotes from one again from Allied Blacktop Company. um two from quality sweeping services and three from uh third from uh Carefree um services and the low quote was uh 26,455. Our budget in the the town budget is $60,000 for our street sweeping program. We do have another action come to be coming your way soon for the summer street sweet street street sweeping program. And that process will use a a regenerative air sweeper, a more kind of efficient type sweeper that can take and collect um um vacuum up a little more sediment that way. Um we did look at several options here. um looking at well we could we use our our one mechanical sweeper and we could it would take roughly a month for us to do that. Um we have concerns that it may break down again. Our last breakdown cost approximately $30,000. >> Jeez. >> Um >> did we do it? >> No. The other option we looked at was renting a sweeper and we got a pricing for that of $15,000 for one month of rental and again we'd have to do that in the spring and the fall. So that equals to $30,000 in rental plus our staff time. Um so really that quote for allied uh black top company feels like the best value for us in this situation. So, um um so yeah, with that, we have the board action requesting approval for the proposal from Alli Blacktop for $130 per hour for uh sweeping and disposal of uh at at $65 per cubic yard of the material. um with their operation, they'd bring in uh three, four, maybe even five sweepers and get things done in um three days. Um whereas, you know, if we were to do it in or rent or uh do it with our town sweeper, um it would take us a month. >> You would basically be doing spring, summer, and fall all combined. You'd be out there all year. >> Yeah. Um Yeah. So in so with that we we feel that's this is the best value to the town. Um we did have a a street sweeper in our budget um but that was removed uh and we wouldn't have had in time for this year anyway but um um that was removed from the budget last December. So, well, that's something we'd still have to review. What kind of best price we could get for it? And then what we're saving versus what we're spending, right, to see how long that if the thing only lasts 10, 15 years, are we just going down the road, we might as well just keep contracting, right? >> So, until we run the numbers, we won't know, >> right? >> Yeah. To include the our labor cost. Correct. It's got to be a total picture. >> Well, you wouldn't have labor. >> Um I know it was taken out. So, >> so we'll use our our current sweeper for more kind of more of that emergency or we have a if there's a a accident that has glass and things, we can bring that out and and sweep things up. So, that's where we kind of like to use our mechanical sweeper or, you know, this time of year we might want to pick up some material before these guys start. So, >> is there any benefit to scrapping it out, selling it? Yeah, it's it's kind of I we can evaluate how much we'd get for it. Um I understand they don't make parts for it anymore, so I don't know what kind of market there is for you. >> Talking about the the the sand itself, >> the street sweeper that we've got. >> I mean, maybe it's worth getting rid of it at this point. There's parts not being made for it. Maybe somebody would love to tinker with it and have a project. >> Yeah, we'd like to have one. We would like to have us sweeper to um be able to respond if there's something we need to >> Well, plus we've had contractors that aren't real diligent about cleaning the roads as they work on projects and the stuff gets pulled out and they take forever to clean the road. Whereas with at least with the sweeper on hand, we can go all out clean the road and back charge them. >> Yeah. >> Because I know it happened on a couple of projects. So that does happen. So it is nice to have that option without spending a ton of money on the thing. But if this gonna break down, it cost 30 grand a pop. >> That we're taking out of the garage. >> No, the another option is keep your eyes and ears open and there's another used one out there cuz this didn't we didn't have this new. We we got this from somebody else to start with and maybe it's it's useful life is >> gone but maybe there's a instead of a new option another someone else's >> any um ability to like share with another like with you know line of lakes >> you know I think we did look at >> and and the problem is you know we're second it's theirs so you're you're waiting in but it's an option when They want when when it's time to do that work, they're doing at the same time when we want to get it done. >> Okay. >> Yeah. What year is the one we have? Any idea? >> Um 2003. >> Well, at through the CIP process, the next CIP process, we'll evaluate some options on the sweeping side to see what is the best value. >> Can we lease one? >> Yes, it we can. Um we we talked about that here. It's $15,000 a month to lease. >> Okay. >> And there's none available right now >> or for this time period for spring. >> Okay. >> All right. Any other questions or comments? >> No. >> Hearing none. Uh I need a motion to approve. I'll move make a motion based on the public work director's review and recommendations receive quotes and award uh the quote to Allied Blacktop Company for an estimated total cost of $26,455 for sweeping and disposal with funds from the storm water fund. >> Second motion made a second. All in favor? >> I. All opposed? That motion carries. All right. To our added agenda items. What do we have here? Patrick Ramsey County, >> this is Yeah, this is a request from Ramsey County Sheriff's Office uh to Betty McCollum or Representative Betty McCollum's office at the federal level requesting funds. Um, it is a daunting title. Enhancement to regional emergency response training and large-scale event public safety funding requesting $1.5 million uh for not only equipment but for specific training uh specializing in deescalation and technology to help as well. The the deadline is uh Wednesday. It just came in about an hour and a half ago. I apologize for the late uh ad here, but wasn't given much of a choice. They're just looking for support. Um it's just a letter saying that we're in favor of it. I would recommend that we do. Um but it is your call and it ties us to nothing. Do >> you have some advice for us? >> I would recommend we do it. It's there's not nothing to lose to do it. It's all >> Where is this money going to come from? >> The Fed. It's not the state. >> They don't like us. >> But if they're handing it out, I'll take it. >> It's kind of how I feel. >> They like public safety. I'm in favor of it. I'll support it. So, >> how about you? >> Well, yeah. It just doesn't seem to go into very much depth here on your >> Did you read the actual memo? >> Yeah. I'm kind of just going over the >> Okay. Well, I think it's light on specifics other than the overall mission um with these funds. I think once the funds are in place, they can start to decide where they can appropriately place them to help efficiently um patrol public safety. So, >> I know it says here mobile cameras and lighting units. >> Yep. And training, too. It's what >> training or deescalation training. >> Is this got something to do with also like plate readers identifications or >> not very specific? >> Yep. It's not I I don't think it's specific to plate reading because we've already got that technology. >> Yeah. >> Didn't somebody that something happen that maybe we can't use it? >> Uh there are some communities that are um who are part of the the flock program that we've been talking about having for LPR. um who are >> Did I send you something about that, Patrick? >> You might have um who are who are trying to get out of their commitment so as to prevent data like that being shared um amongst other agencies. >> Well, now with AI, they don't even have a choice. Sometimes it just gets out into the the internet. You can't stop it. >> Yeah, it's true. Now, what they always tell us at RCSO when we're talking about these um flock cameras is it is benign data collection. It is license plate only um to help pursuit. And actually uh we had a successful pursuit over across Centerville on the North Oak side uh with a driveby shooting uh about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I told you about that. >> Yep. >> That that is not specified in this. It is a that's a different program. This is just additional funding for those types of those types of projects. >> Obviously, other law enforcements are involved in this. So, >> yeah. Yep. Interjurisdictional. >> So, you're just asking the board to support it to support it. It's titled >> I'll sign it. I'll sign off on it. >> So, do you actually need a motion tonight or not? >> I don't think we really need a motion. Do we, Chad? >> Justformational. >> No, I'll just I can just do it. >> All right. Any other questions from the board? >> No. >> All right. Hearing none, that concludes our regular agenda for open time. I see we have a artificial intelligence data center. Is that >> Yes, Mr. Schnell is here to join us. >> Hey, you want to come up to the podium? Just get your name and address for the record. Well, first of all, I want to thank all of you for giving me this uh twominut opportunity or whatever to talk about a very very important issue that's going to end that's going to impact many communities in Minnesota in the not too distant future. >> Tom, we need your address for the record. >> I'm sorry. What? >> We need your address for the record. >> 2695 Southshore Boulevard. I'm in the township. Yep. My name is uh Tom Snell. Um you should have gotten a statement that I wrote a proclamation on the AI data centers. I wanted to focus on one issue particularly and that has to do with the water that these systems use. A larger scale data center and there are many of them that are being proposed take up to 1.8 8 billion gallons of water a year and that water would be sucked out of the aquafer that we use. So I mean that would be a real dangerous situation for our residents and for our beautiful White Bear Lake. The smaller ones the smaller ones use like one uh use over a 100 million gallons of water a year. 110 million gallons of water a year by the smaller data centers. And that's like taking 11 saputoals, you know, which are one of the which is a company that uses more water just about than any other uh company in the White Bear area. And this is very important for all of us that use a Perry Dure aquafer. I think I I think I messed up that term, the the name. Thank you. I mean this is important for all of us because we need to make a statement that these things are not right for our communities. They also are a problem when it comes to some environmental standards. Uh the as they heat the water up, you have leakage from some of the chemicals that can go into the soil. Uh the cost for infrastructure, the surge in electrical rates that are going to impact all of us citizens. So, it's all going to happen if we let these things happen in our community. So, I did this proclamation and I hope that the township board would take this up and hopefully pass it cuz we're going to be going to other communities, too, to see if we can get this thing uh so that these centers don't come into the areas that we uh that are around the Twin Cities that are so important to us unless they take all the water from the Mississippi River. So anyway, >> well, we we had a proposal five, six years ago about a data center up on Senator Road >> and the same reasoning you just all explained it. It didn't even get to a discussion because we just basically said there's no way in the world we're going to do that. So I I think we've been ahead of the game to make sure that no one's coming into the community doing it. I think the the reason for wanting to this to pass here is that then we can take this to other communities and say, "See, Whitebear Township is taking the lead on this very important issue." >> We always do that. So that's why I would love to see you folks pass this resolution so that we can take it to Blaine and Lino Lakes, Hugo, Whitebear, all around and show that White Bear Township is the one community in our uh entire metro area that really knows what's important for the environment of our communities. >> How how up are you on the data centers? I know I know they're uh trying to to reboot these data centers so they don't use water. >> They Minnesota's implemented a one-year moratorum on the development of them. I just pulled it up now cuz I kind of thought we were the state of Minnesota the state of the state of Minnesota has already got a one-year moratorum. I just pulled it up cuz I thought they'd been working on it >> and it says they've implemented a one-year moratorium on the development of data centers >> and crypto. >> Yeah. Well, also because they are technolog is coming along and they're finding they're looking at ways of doing it without water. I I even saw aircraft engines to cool this the things down. >> They're talking about doing a lot of them up by the Arctic Circle. >> So, this thing is changing and it's it's rapidly move especially with AI now. So, in the long run, this water issue for data centers might just go away. But Chad, do we have any is there anything legally binding with this? >> No, nothing whatsoever. It's just resolution. >> Okay. because obviously we can't we can't even consider them anyway because the lawsuit's still going on with the lake. So that there's no way that would possibly come at least to the township. >> Well, it could come to it as a request. >> Oh, sure. >> But I'm pretty sure what the board's opinion is on that. >> We have we have a finite number that that we have to stay under for using water and so a large user like this would not fit anywhere in our model. Well, I'm asking is that you kind of say this by, you know, passing this uh >> Sure. >> resolution so that I can take it to other communities. And >> Chad, did you look at it? Is there anything you about mod modifying it or changing something? >> Just a statement of >> No, there's no problem here with this. It's just a simple statement of intention or position. >> Okay. Because do we run into legal aspects if someone really is going to try to drive one of these at us that we say no if it if it meets our all of our ordinances. It sometimes we get to a point where you can't tell a developer no. But uh >> sure we can. >> Well, no. Okay. I I understand what you're saying, Mr. share, but if even if someone came in with something like this that met all the zoning requirements, there's still the problem of, as you already put it, our settlement of the the White Bear Lake lawsuit. >> But I'm what I'm getting at is if the if the development does change and it doesn't need water, all of a sudden now you have to allow a data center. That's where I'm going with this. M >> so you can't you can't just say we're going to not allow data centers if they don't use all that water. >> If they meet if the proposal meets all the all the requirements of zoning, we'd have to grant it. >> All right. But so this doesn't tie our hands in any way. >> No, it doesn't. Okay, that's on. >> No, it just says we don't like we we're we well it basically as I read it I read it last night. It simply says that we we oppose the construction of these data centers. That doesn't mean we can't approve them. That and this one really primarily relates to use of ground water. >> Ground water. Yes. >> And so it's very it's it's targeted that we're not going to allow our water to be used. But if there's another source, as you pointed out, well, yeah, we might want to consider that as a business. >> Mr. Chair, just for clarification, as uh town council has pointed out already that if developer comes in here here and meets all our zoning requirements to build a facility along these lines, the township still retains the authority to enforce overuse of water. >> Well, I I get that, but like I said before, we've had problems with property owners have rights, and if if they meet everything, you can't say no. >> Correct. But they have to follow ordinance. >> Yes. Well, we applaud you for taking the lead on this and I don't think obviously you don't we don't have any objection with the town board. So, >> sir, is so anything that happen or not? You know, >> uh is this something we can >> adopt? Put it in the minutes. >> Do we can approve tonight? Correct. >> Yeah, sure you can. >> All right. Yeah, we'll we'll get a motion to approve this and I'll get it signed and you can run with it. Yeah, I'll um I'll I'll make that motion to uh to app well to approve the uh is a lang first off language >> a statement approved >> statement of support. >> Okay. Approve the statement of support opposing construction of a large-scale artificial intelligent data center as outlined in the packet. >> I'll second. >> All right. Motion's made in second. All in favor? >> I >> I There you go, sir. >> Hey, thank you. If they stop using water, that would be that would be great. You know, >> do we have to stop using water, too? >> That's implied. >> Thanks, Tom. >> Yep. Thank you, Tom. Thank you. >> All right. Seeing no one else here for open time. Uh item 11, I need a motion to receive agenda material and supplements. So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. Opposed. I need a motion to adjurnn at 7:29. >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I chair down. Nope. >> Oh, even better.