This transcript has been processed to identify speakers based on the provided context of Bayport city officials and the content of the dialogue. **Note on Speaker Identification:** * **John Dahm** is identified as the speaker "Councilmember Dah/John" (Orin Kipp is listed in your prompt, but the transcript explicitly names "Councilmember Dah" and "John"). * **Paul Aplikowski** is the architect from Wold Architects (referred to as "Paul"). * **Dustin Perper** is the new officer being sworn in. *** **[00:00] Mayor Michele Hansen:** ...and call to order the August 5th, 2024, Bayport City Council meeting. Let's all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. **[00:10] 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. **[00:25] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Thank you. Matt, will you please call the roll? **[00:30] Matt Kline (City Administrator):** Councilmember Gilmore? **Ethan Gilmore:** Here. **Matt Kline:** Councilmember Dahm? **John Dahm:** Here. **Matt Kline:** Councilmember Hill? **Katie Hill:** Here. **Matt Kline:** Mayor Hansen? **Mayor Michele Hansen:** Here. And Connie is out tonight. We will miss her. All right, do we have a motion to approve tonight's agenda? **[00:45] Katie Hill:** I move to approve the agenda as presented. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** Thanks, Katie. **John Dahm:** Second. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** Thank you, John. All right, all those in favor? (Aye) Opposed? All right. So the agenda starts with the proclamations, accommodations, petitions, and announcements. The July recycling award recipients are Jason and Katie Monroe at 1117 Planners Path, and they're going to be awarded for their recycling efforts with a grant from Washington County. Hey, another Planning Commission member! Thanks. **[01:15] Mayor Michele Hansen:** All right. Night to Unite is going to be happening tomorrow night at Lakeside Park. I know Officer Lowkowski is here; she's been working real hard to make a super fun event, so I hope to see everyone out there. It starts at 5:00 and ends at 8:00. Are we doing a raffle and a drawing and everything again like usual? All right, super fun. And there'll be free pizza, free food, and then we will have a DJ. How fun is that? That's a new change! **[01:50] Mayor Michele Hansen:** All right. Now we're going to do the oath of office for our new police officer, Dustin Perper. Oh, we said we could pull in maybe one or two chairs, otherwise, you will be able to watch on a TV out there in the lobby. Okay, as long as we can squeeze in—is there like a capacity limit? Is Alan going to get mad at us if we load it up? Can't block the entrance way. We could maybe get another chair right here right in front. Come on up, Kathleen. Sorry, I saw your name was wrong in the notes. We're going to get the police officer sworn in here. All right, and so do you do that, Chief? **[02:30] Jay Jackson (Police Chief):** I don't know, is the crowd ready? That's the question. Hopefully. I'll just do a quick bio for Dustin here. You may know him. Dustin comes to us with seven years of law enforcement experience. We're super fortunate to have him here. He actually worked as a police officer here many years ago for two years, and then his past five years has been with the Carver County Sheriff's Department. The stars really aligned with us coming into contact with each other at the right time. **[03:00] Jay Jackson (Police Chief):** He is local to Washington County, growing up in Oakdale. He had a passion for sports, playing hockey, baseball, soccer—hockey being his number one sport. I agree. Dustin currently lives in the North Metro with his girlfriend Michaela. Dustin had an interest in law enforcement at a young age. He was a Washington County Sheriff's Office Explorer. He then decided he wanted to work on cars, so he went to school to become a mechanic. While he was working full-time, he got his two-year degree in law enforcement through Inver Hills College. That's where he came into contact with us the first time and became one of our reserves in 2012. **[03:35] Jay Jackson (Police Chief):** He was hired as a part-time officer in 2013 and was with us until 2015. He left to go back to the private sector and then ended up getting hired at Carver County. He has returned to us now, which we're very fortunate for. I'm excited to see what you bring to our team. That being said, Mayor, if you want to come swear Dustin in. **[03:55] Mayor Michele Hansen:** This is my first! Okay, that's good. Nice to see you again. Come closer. Okay. "I, Dustin Perper, do solemnly swear..." **Dustin Perper:** I, Dustin Perper, do solemnly swear... **Mayor Michele Hansen:** "...that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Minnesota..." **Dustin Perper:** ...that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the state of Minnesota... **Mayor Michele Hansen:** "...and faithfully discharge the duties of the office of peace officer of the city of Bayport..." **Dustin Perper:** ...and will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of peace officer of the city of Bayport... **Mayor Michele Hansen:** "...in the county of Washington and state of Minnesota to the best of my judgment and ability, so help me God." **Dustin Perper:** ...in the county of Washington and state of Minnesota to the best of my judgment and ability, so help me God. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** All right, that's it! Congratulations. **[04:40] Mayor Michele Hansen:** All right, thank you guys for all that. Now we'll probably have some empty seats if anyone wants to move in. Next is our open forum. This is a portion of the meeting to address the city council on subjects that are not a part of the agenda. A total of 15 minutes is allotted. We do have a couple of people on the list. The first one is Kathleen Hess with Community Thread. **[05:05] Kathleen Hess:** Good evening, Mayor Hansen and City Council members. My name is Kathleen Hess and I'm the director of development and communications at Community Thread. Thank you for the opportunity to share how Community Thread's work adds value to the lives of residents living in Bayport. Our mission is to maximize resources and engage volunteers to improve the quality of life for adults and families. We serve older adults and adults with disabilities who need support to remain active and independent. **[06:00] Kathleen Hess:** Our impact is through two core areas: our Volunteer Center and our Thrive program. In 2023, over 1,300 individuals volunteered for our signature service initiatives. This year we launched our teacher kits initiative. Currently, we know that one of the most significant issues in Washington County is assisting older adults to age and thrive in place. Thrive offers social events, wellness activities, and transportation. Thrive serves 208 members, 12 of whom live in Bayport. We're actually finding that Bayport is a location of high need; so far this year, 61 round-trip rides have been provided to Bayport residents, which is 21% of all the rides we provided. **[07:20] Kathleen Hess:** As I mentioned, Community Thread has a location in Bayport right inside the White Pine building on Fifth Avenue North. At that site, we have space to offer aerobics, tai chi, craft classes, and a foot care specialist. Community Thread is an independent nonprofit. About 80% of our funding comes from grants and contributions, and the other 20% is supplied in part by municipalities including Stillwater, Oak Park Heights, Afton, Bayport, Baytown Township, and Stillwater Township. Today I'm requesting $3,500 to support our general operations in 2025. Thank you for your time. **[08:25] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Well, I know a lot about Community Thread, so I don't have any questions, but anyone else? It was very thorough. And Kathleen's actually a resident of Bayport too—19 years this month! This is something we've done every year, so we'll talk about that. Thank you for coming. **[08:45] Mayor Michele Hansen:** And let's see, Jill Smith, the director of our wonderful library, wants to speak to us. **[08:50] Jill Smith (Library Director):** Hi Mayor Hansen, City Council members. Thank you so much for having me. My name is Jill Smith, I'm the director at the Bayport Public Library, and I'm here today to talk about our new strategic plan. When we completed our remodel last year, the library board and I thought it was important to really take a deep dive and ask our community what they want to see happen. One thing I want to highlight is that 93.26% of our residents were very satisfied or satisfied with current library service. **[09:40] Jill Smith (Library Director):** Two words kept coming up: Connect and Empower. We took our existing mission statement and rewrote it: "We invite our community to explore, share, and learn by engaging with library resources, programs, and each other." We see the library as a place for the community where residents can just be. The first pillar is to connect—connecting the community to the library and resources. The second is empower—providing resources that allow people to empower themselves. Our library use has rebounded from the dips of COVID. We've just had a very busy summer, probably the busiest actually since I've been there in 2016. One of our big goals is to increase our visibility. Thank you so much for your time. **[11:55] Mayor Michele Hansen:** I want to just commend you on the job that you're doing. I think you're an awesome Library Director. You do a wonderful job and you are a great partner with the Bayport Community Action League and Derby Days. Thank you so much for bringing this to us. Anyone else like to come up for the open forum? **[12:35] Phil Sor:** I'll make this short and sweet. Given the last meeting, which probably wasn't the smoothest meeting that you've had, I've kind of interjected myself into the process and I have proposed to the people that are involved to have more of a collaborative effort. So I'm going to ask for a delay until next time so then people can come together and coordinate documentation for Chapter 25, the administrative citations. **[13:05] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Did we need to get his address for the record as well? **Phil Sor:** 5 Lake Street South. Phil Sor. 24 years. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** Thank you, Phil. We won't answer that at this point, but we'll talk about it when we get to that point on the agenda. **[13:35] Mayor Michele Hansen:** We'll move on to the consent agenda. Matt and I talked about the contribution to the Historical Society, item number 11. I'm going to suggest $350 as the minimum. We're going to consider resolution adopting items 1 through 15: minutes, payables, building permits, an off-sale liquor license for LII Bayport Liquor LLC, health and wellness policy for the police department, signage for Derby Days, Fall Festival at Perro Park, and an application for myself to participate in Leadership in the Valley. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? **[15:00] Ethan Gilmore:** I'll move to adopt the resolution approving the consent agenda as presented. **Katie Hill:** I second. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** Roll call vote. **Matt Kline:** Councilmember Gilmore? (Aye) Councilmember Dahm? (Aye) Councilmember Hill? (Aye) Mayor Hansen? (Aye). **[15:15] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Public hearings. We're going to review a concept development plan for the construction of the new Anderson Elementary School located at 13 5th Avenue North. Dan Lick is here from the planning company to present. **[15:35] Dan Lick (Planning Consultant):** Good evening, Mayor, Council members, and staff. ISD 834 is planning for a new elementary school for approximately 600 students on a 10-acre site just west of Barker's Alps Park. The purpose of tonight's meeting is to have an initial conversation. This is being done in advance of formal applications. The public hearing tonight is not required by code, but is done for transparency. No decision is being made tonight. **[16:40] Dan Lick (Planning Consultant):** The site is 10 acres currently located in Baytown Township. The process would include annexation to the city of Bayport, amending the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, and rezoning to R2. School uses are allowed subject to a conditional use permit. Regarding annexation, it is a property less than 120 acres and contiguous to the city. The city is positioned to provide utilities. The next steps involve the school district revising plans based on feedback from this hearing, followed by formal petitions and hearings at the Planning Commission. City staff's initial review is that the criteria for annexation are satisfied. We summarized 11 conditions to be addressed moving forward. **[18:40] Mayor Michele Hansen:** All right. Now we'll hear from the school district. **[18:45] Mike Funk (Superintendent):** I'm Mike Funk, Superintendent for Stillwater Area Public Schools. We have folks here from Wold Architects and Glenn is here as well. **[19:15] Paul Aplikowski (Architect):** I'll start with the site. We're presenting to the School Board tomorrow, so tonight I'll start with the site plan. Our plan is to streamline traffic. We intend to get as much stacking as possible to happen within the site. That is what the loop around the main parking lot is all about. We intend to have plenty of parking for staff and visitors. We plan to improve the parking on the park site which will become overflow. A best practice is to separate buses and parent traffic. The building is a 600-student school with classroom pods, a media center, and a gym built as a tornado shelter. **[20:45] Ethan Gilmore:** How many cars do you think you can queue up? **Paul Aplikowski:** That is in the traffic study. We are still working through those options. **Ethan Gilmore:** How close are these plans to what ends up getting built? **Paul Aplikowski:** I would hope we're in the 80 to 90% range. **[21:20] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Council doesn't actually give feedback until after the public hearing process. Is that okay with you guys that we just hold off? Matt, maybe run through the architecture? **[21:40] Matt Kline (City Administrator):** Madam Mayor, if we could go over some of the exterior finishes and the landscaping we’re trying to screen from the park. **[21:55] Paul Aplikowski (Architect):** It is a requirement of the fire code to provide access for fire trucks to the full circumference of the building. That is the primary reason for that path on the back. It is not anticipated to be used by vehicles other than in an emergency; it will be a pedestrian path normally. **[22:45] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Should we point out the Outdoor Classroom? **Paul Aplikowski:** Currently it’s shown as a circle design. The plan is to keep the Barker’s Alps amenities as they are and provide a separate playground for school functions. **[23:25] Matt Kline (City Administrator):** Could you talk about the bus parking? The original agreement had it on the other side. **Paul Aplikowski:** It had a lot to do with the organization of the building on the inside. The original sketches had the building in a north-south orientation, but putting it across the breach of the property made it difficult to fit the buses anywhere else. **[24:10] Matt Kline (City Administrator):** And pedestrian access? **Paul Aplikowski:** Our intent is to connect into the trail system of the park. **Matt Kline:** It is definitely the city's intent to create that connection from 8th Street to the park facility. **[25:15] Paul Aplikowski (Architect):** Since we have the formal presentation now: This is a 600-student school, 96,000 square feet. We’re patterning the design on the theme of the St. Croix Valley Watershed. The building is primarily brick with areas of pre-cast concrete. The heart of the building is the media center. The classrooms are arranged in pods of four. Each pod includes what we call a "mudroom" for cubbies and toileting facilities. The gym is on the east end. **[29:00] Paul Aplikowski (Architect):** Inside, the color palette ranges from greens (tree canopy) to blues (water elements) to tans (sediment). We’re using a sedimentary brick pattern. The gym has a more upland treed color palette. **[30:20] Mayor Michele Hansen:** It’s being called Bayport Elementary. Is that decided? **Mike Funk (Superintendent):** We’re calling it Bayport for planning purposes. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** And the height? It looks very tall in the renderings. **Paul Aplikowski:** It’s an economical height. Most ceilings in learning spaces are 9 feet. **[31:25] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Planning Commission time. Colleen Free? **Colleen Sreed (Planning Commission):** I know we're saying 10 acres total. What is the average for an elementary? It feels small. **Mike Funk (Superintendent):** Our current school is on 1.4 acres. The state guideline is 10 acres plus one per 100 students, but adjacent parkland counts toward that. **Colleen Sreed:** What's the benefit to Bayport? We're not getting taxes. And what about the old building? **Mike Funk:** Our intent is to consolidate our district offices into the current Anderson Elementary building. **Colleen Sreed:** And outside restrooms for the park users? **Mike Funk:** We can look at that, but there are security concerns. **[33:20] Aaron Oaks (Planning Commission):** My questions are on culture and operation. Walkability is important. And regarding enrollment—if we reach capacity, is the building expandable? **Paul Aplikowski:** We design buildings to be expanded, though there are no active plans. It would likely expand outward. **Mike Funk:** We can also shift boundaries to Lake Elmo or other sites if needed. **[35:10] Carl Bliss (Planning Commission):** On the south side of the property, how far back are we clearing trees? **Paul Aplikowski:** This is the tree removal plan. We aren't going past the property line, which hits about first base of the existing field. **[36:30] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Public hearing is open. **Cheryl Corgan (371 5th Street South):** It feels very fully baked. What happens if the council doesn't approve this? How many additional children are being planned for? Is there concern about being across from a prison and an emergency response group? This is a 10-acre site and the building is jammed in there. We've already sacrificed quite a bit in this area. **[38:15] Marty Bigler (343 South Lake):** I didn't see music space. Also, security—is there an ability to close off sections? And I hope the special education rooms are equally sensory-rich. **Paul Aplikowski:** Yes, we've met with music and special ed teachers. The pods can be hardened and locked down. **[39:40] Dave Far (468 9th Street North):** Does the traffic survey include Ninth Street? We see a lot of people cutting through at high speeds. Maybe consider making it directional only? **Matt Kline (City Administrator):** The county wanted it expanded to include Fifth Avenue, but the primary concerns were Stage Coach and 47th. The draft study is online. **Dave Far:** Will boundaries change Junior High too? **Mike Funk:** Mostly just Elementary. We’re building toward 10-year future capacity. **[43:00] Dave Far:** Regarding the fields—St. Croix Prep has them booked all the time. Is there a way to leave more usage for the public school system? **Matt Kline:** St. Croix Prep maintains those fields for us, which is the trade-off. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** We can have conversations about options for finding fields. **[44:15] Katie Hill:** I move to close the public hearing. **John Dahm:** Second. **Mayor Michele Hansen (Aye):** Public hearing is closed. Council feedback? **[44:30] Ethan Gilmore:** It looks like just the new bus parking lot is on park property. Expanding that lot was something we talked about anyway, so that’s a win-win. I don’t see the prison as a huge issue; it's about the same distance as the current school. **[45:10] Katie Hill:** That fire truck road—will there be a fence? **Paul Aplikowski:** It will be open. **Katie Hill:** And we can use the basketball hoops and playground after school? **Mike Funk:** Yes. **[46:15] Mayor Michele Hansen:** I'm a little disappointed with the extra impervious surface for the fire truck turnaround. I’d like us to get more creative with how to do that. Maybe use that space for the basketball hoops? I'm also nervous about the traffic flow with two separate entries so close together. Also, regarding park dedication fees—we should talk about that. And I’d like a new Barker’s Alps sign that looks like our other city signs. **[48:30] Ethan Gilmore:** Regarding bathrooms—I think we should figure out the feasibility and cost. **Matt Kline:** Even if we added them to the school, the ball fields are so far away. At the very least, we should consider providing a sewer line close to the pavilion for a future upgrade. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** I lean towards the city not paying for bathrooms. We already have three satellite portables out there. **[50:15] Mayor Michele Hansen:** And about the old school—I just want to make sure it doesn't become an abandoned building. **Mike Funk:** That’s why we’re looking at moving our central offices there. **[51:30] Mayor Michele Hansen:** We'll take a quick two-minute recess. **[52:15] Mayor Michele Hansen:** All right. Unfinished business. We're considering an amendment to Chapter 25 regarding administrative citations. There has been talk about tabling this. Ethan, how do you feel? **Ethan Gilmore:** I think we should table it because all five of us should be here for an issue like this. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** I agree. John? **John Dahm:** I'm fine tabling, but I need to hear specific problems with the wording. Our neighboring cities have very similar ordinances. **Katie Hill:** I'm okay with tabling, as long as we don't get attacked like last time. I want to know the problems beforehand. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** I have been told they will approach it differently. Let's table it. **[54:10] John Dahm:** I’ll move to table the amendment to Chapter 25 as presented. **Ethan Gilmore:** Second. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** All those in favor? (Aye). **[54:30] Phil Sor:** Is there a certain amount of time ahead of the next meeting that you would like us to present information? **Mayor Michele Hansen:** As much time as possible. Communicate through City staff. **[55:25] Mayor Michele Hansen:** Council reports. Ethan? **Ethan Gilmore:** I have nothing to report for Cable Commission. **John Dahm:** Watershed is this Thursday. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** I attended the BCAL meeting; Derby Days is September 20th and 21st. I met with Officer Lowkowski about Night to Unite. I also did a tour with Jennifer Sellers from the Chamber of Commerce. **[57:10] Jay Jackson (Police Chief):** Safety Camp is finishing up tomorrow. Night to Unite is tomorrow from 5:00 to 8:00 at Lakeside Park. We have new vendors and prizes. Almost all staff will be participating, including Dustin. We’re trying to have the majority of stuff up near the beach house rather than down on the flooded fields. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** Did we get the helicopter? **Chief Jay Jackson:** We didn't make the cut this year, but we're hoping for next year. **[59:15] Matt Kline (City Administrator):** My report mentions the tours and events coming up. Also, the Safe Road grant continues; we will be out doing enforcement on Highway 95. **Ethan Gilmore:** Councilmember Gilmore got a ticket. No favoritism shown! **Chief Jay Jackson:** Night to Unite would have been a much easier way to meet our officers. **[1:00:15] John Dahm:** I’ll move to adjourn. **Ethan Gilmore:** Second. **Mayor Michele Hansen:** All those in favor? (Aye).