[0:12] Oh, good evening and welcome to the

[0:15] Rapids City Council meeting for Monday,

[0:17] August 3rd, 2026. If you could please

[0:21] rise and join us for the pledge.

[0:24] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[0:27] United States of America and to the

[0:29] republic for which it stands, one nation

[0:32] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:35] justice for all.

[0:38] >> Let's call the role.

[0:39] >> Council member Griscoak

[0:40] >> here.

[0:41] >> Council member Butler

[0:42] >> here.

[0:42] >> Council member Novak

[0:43] >> here.

[0:44] >> Council member Gesler here.

[0:45] >> Council member Armstrong here.

[0:47] >> Council member Carlson

[0:48] >> here.

[0:48] >> Mayor Cook

[0:49] >> here.

[0:52] >> Lost track of my phone. I wanted to make

[0:53] sure it was on silent. [laughter] I

[0:55] don't appear to have it.

[0:57] >> All right. [snorts] Uh let's see. Why

[0:59] don't we uh approve of this evening's

[1:01] agenda?

[1:02] >> Move approval.

[1:02] >> Second.

[1:03] >> Motion by Gu Gesler and a second by

[1:05] Butler to adopt the agenda. Any

[1:08] discussion?

[1:09] >> Hearing none. All in favor signify by

[1:11] saying I.

[1:12] >> Opposed. And the agenda is adopted.

[1:15] >> We're up to our minutes from the July

[1:17] 21st, 2026 meeting. Mr. Mayor,

[1:20] >> I move to approve the minutes. Second

[1:23] >> motion by Novak and a second by Butler.

[1:26] Any discussion or corrections?

[1:30] Hearing none. All in favor signify by

[1:31] saying I.

[1:32] >> I. Opposed.

[1:34] >> Motion carries. Two abstensions. Gesler

[1:37] and Armstrong.

[1:39] Um and then we have just a whole bunch

[1:42] of items on our consent agenda.

[1:46] >> Um

[1:46] >> your honor, before we continue,

[1:47] >> Yes.

[1:48] >> could I get a hard copy of the agenda?

[1:49] I'll just run back and get it. I phone

[1:52] doesn't seem to be loading it.

[1:54] >> All right.

[1:54] >> Oh, thank you.

[1:55] >> All right. First item is to adopt

[1:58] resolution 26-81 calling for a public

[2:00] hearing to vacate drainage and utility

[2:03] easement located at 12547

[2:07] Riverdale Boulevard. Uh the vacation is

[2:10] being considered due to a portion of an

[2:12] existing easement on the Costco site

[2:14] that needs to be vacated and

[2:16] reestablished for the proposed gas pump

[2:19] area. A new drainage and utility

[2:21] easement will be created as a separate

[2:23] document and the new easement will be

[2:25] brought to the city council for

[2:26] acceptance at a future date. And this is

[2:28] all part of them buying the TGI Friday

[2:31] building and moving their gas pumps over

[2:33] to that side. So, we're looking to adopt

[2:35] resolution 26-81,

[2:38] which calls for a public hearing on

[2:40] September 1st, 2026 for a vacation of a

[2:44] drainage and utility easement for Costco

[2:47] located at 12547 Riverdale Boulevard.

[2:52] Next item on our consent agenda is to

[2:55] approve a joint powers agreement with

[2:57] the In Noah Henipin School District for

[2:59] a pickle ball facility at Northdale

[3:01] Middle School. uh they came to us

[3:03] earlier and proposed that the city split

[3:06] the cost of the project equally and the

[3:09] public would be invited to use the

[3:10] courts during non-school hours and days

[3:13] when school is not in session. The total

[3:15] estimated cost of the project is

[3:17] $220,000

[3:18] and the city share would be $110,000

[3:22] in the 2026 budget is $50,000 and the

[3:25] park improvement fund for a joint

[3:27] project with them. um as the district

[3:29] had indicated last year was interested

[3:31] in this. Um and then the balance of the

[3:33] city share of the project, another

[3:35] 60,000 would then be add or can be added

[3:38] to the 2027 budget. Um we have a joint

[3:41] powers here agreement here between the

[3:44] city and them that formalizes the terms

[3:46] of the arrangement and this would add

[3:49] this would resurface the existing six

[3:52] tennis courts to create 12 pickle ball

[3:55] courts. Um uh okay. So we're looking to

[4:00] approve the attached joint powers

[4:02] agreement with the inaipin school

[4:04] district.

[4:05] Next on our consent agenda is to approve

[4:09] a temporary onsale strong beer and wine

[4:11] liquor license to Rapids Northstar

[4:14] Lions for the military softball

[4:16] tournament at San Creek Park. Um this is

[4:19] going to be on September 11th, 12th, and

[4:22] 13th. The fees have been paid.

[4:24] background investigation is being

[4:25] completed and the certificate of

[4:27] insurance has been ordered. Uh the

[4:30] temporary on sale strong beer and wine

[4:32] liquor license will be valid from 8 a.m.

[4:34] to 11:00 p.m. from September 11th

[4:36] through September 13th. Approval of the

[4:38] temporary on sale strong beer and wine

[4:40] liquor license is contingent upon that

[4:42] background investigation and submittal

[4:45] of the insurance. Um, but we're looking

[4:47] to approve a temporary strong beer and

[4:50] wine liquor license for Rapids

[4:52] Northstar Lions for use at a military

[4:55] softball tournament to be located at San

[4:58] Creek Park, 1008 Northdale Boulevard on

[5:01] September 11, 12, and 13, 2026

[5:06] contingent upon a successful background

[5:09] investigation and submittal of a valid

[5:12] certificate of insurance for liquor

[5:14] liability.

[5:16] Um, next on our consent item five is to

[5:20] approve a waiver of fees for portable

[5:23] the portable stage for an NOA Ramsey

[5:25] Community College. Um, Anoka Ramsey has

[5:28] their big concert coming up September

[5:32] 17th called uh, Rhythm of the Rapids.

[5:36] And the money they raise um is money to

[5:38] inspire learning and help with student

[5:40] success. The portable stage fee that the

[5:43] city owns uh is $540 per day, but Anoka

[5:47] Ramsey Community College is a partner of

[5:48] the city, particularly during the Fourth

[5:50] of July community celebration. The

[5:53] college allows the city to use its

[5:54] parking lots for public parking during

[5:56] the event, and members of the college

[5:59] work with the organizing committee on

[6:00] lighting needs and other requests as

[6:03] needed. They attend pretty much every

[6:05] carnival meeting that happens through

[6:07] the year. Um the city also has a

[6:10] facility use agreement for parking lot 4

[6:12] at the college which has been used in

[6:14] the past as an overflow parking uh

[6:16] during the Rapids street lighting

[6:18] festival. We also use it I know for the

[6:20] firefighters open house. Um so staff

[6:24] members feel this cooperation and

[6:25] partnership make it reasonable to wave

[6:27] the stage use fee. So, we're looking to

[6:30] wave the stage fee of $540

[6:33] and the city will require Anoka Ramsey

[6:35] Community College to sign an agreement

[6:37] and provide liability insurance listing

[6:39] the city as an additional insured.

[6:42] [clears throat]

[6:43] Um, the next item is to adopt resolution

[6:46] 26-76

[6:48] accepting a grant from the state of

[6:50] Minnesota for a fishing education

[6:53] program. The police department applied

[6:55] for and received a $2,500 grant to be

[6:59] used to implement a fishing education

[7:01] program focused on youth and underserved

[7:04] communities. The grant is funded by the

[7:06] state of Minnesota through the

[7:08] commissioner of national resour natural

[7:10] resources.

[7:12] Um so while the exact date and details

[7:15] of the program are still being

[7:16] developed, the goal will be to create a

[7:18] how to fish event within the city

[7:21] focusing on youth and families. This

[7:23] grant will be used to provide all

[7:25] equipment and supplies needed to fund

[7:27] the event and once finalized, the police

[7:29] department will advertise the details of

[7:32] the event. So, we're looking to adopt

[7:34] resolution 26-76

[7:37] accepting the grant from the state of

[7:38] Minnesota commissioner of n natural

[7:42] resources.

[7:44] Um, the next item uh is to receive the

[7:47] schedule of electronic payments. We do

[7:49] this at every council meeting and we are

[7:51] looking to receive the schedule of

[7:53] electronic payments from July 16, 2026

[7:57] through July 28th, 2026.

[8:02] Uh the next is to adopt resolution 26-77

[8:08] accepting a donation of a police K-9 and

[8:12] training. Uh Mr. Mark Mcdana, a retired

[8:15] long-term K-9 handler for the city of

[8:17] Rapids Police Department, owns and

[8:19] operates a police K-9 training business

[8:22] named Mcdana K9. And Mr. Mcdana is

[8:25] donating a police K9 and the associated

[8:28] training of the dog and handler to the

[8:30] city of Rapids in support of the

[8:32] police department's K9 program. And the

[8:35] training program for the dog and

[8:36] handlers approximately 16 weeks of

[8:38] classroom learning, practical exercises,

[8:41] and testing. Once completed with

[8:43] training, the dog will be certified as

[8:45] dualpurpose, meaning it can be used for

[8:47] criminal apprehension and firearms

[8:50] detection. This will be the first

[8:52] firearms detection trained canine in

[8:55] Anoka County. The new dog will be named

[8:58] MAC and will be partnered with Officer

[9:01] John Roth. The team will start training

[9:03] in a few weeks and the value of this

[9:05] donation for the K9 and training is

[9:07] $22,500.

[9:10] So, we're looking to adopt resolution

[9:12] 26-77

[9:14] accepting donation of police, K-9, and

[9:18] training. And for those keeping track,

[9:20] we have two items left on our consent

[9:23] agenda. The next one is to adopt

[9:26] resolution 26-78

[9:29] appointing Andrea Hatchet, Tim

[9:33] Boer, and Julie Gardner to the

[9:36] Sustainability Commission.

[9:39] Uh there are currently four vacancies on

[9:41] the sustainability commission and staff

[9:43] solicited applications for the vacancies

[9:45] and reviewed three applications.

[9:47] Interviews were conducted for the three

[9:49] applications. After review and

[9:51] discussion the three applicants, Andrea

[9:53] Hatchet, Tim Buer, and Julie Gardner are

[9:56] recommended for appointment to the

[9:58] commission. So we're looking to adopt

[9:59] resolution 26-78

[10:02] appointing Andre Hatchet, Tim Buer, and

[10:04] Julie Gardner to the Sustainability

[10:06] Commission. And if I'm mispronouncing

[10:08] those names all three times, I

[10:10] apologize.

[10:11] Um, and then the last item on our

[10:14] consent agenda is to in planning case

[10:18] 26-27,

[10:20] approve [clears throat] the final plat

[10:22] Maric art, which is the old fire station

[10:25] 3 2831 113th Avenue Northwest, Ibiza

[10:30] LLC. and the plan. The applicant is

[10:32] requesting final plat approval to create

[10:34] eight lots for the purpose of building

[10:36] an 8-unit single family residential

[10:39] development. This application was

[10:41] submitted on July 28th, 2026. The

[10:44] associated preliminary plat was approved

[10:46] by the city council at their July 7th,

[10:48] 2026 meeting. The planning commission

[10:51] held a public hearing on the preliminary

[10:52] plat and subdivision variances at their

[10:54] June 18th meeting and with no public

[10:57] comments received. At the meeting, the

[10:59] planning commission voted to recommend

[11:00] to the city council approval of the

[11:02] preliminary plat and variances. And then

[11:04] at its July 7th meeting, the city

[11:06] council voted to approve the preliminary

[11:08] plat and requested subdivision

[11:10] variances. Uh this final application

[11:13] relates to the two parcels. Uh the final

[11:16] plat has not been significantly altered

[11:18] from the preliminary plat and no new

[11:20] engineering firing I'm sorry firing no

[11:23] new engineering fire or sustainability

[11:26] comments have been added since approval

[11:29] of the preliminary plat drainage and

[11:31] utility easements are shown on the final

[11:33] plat document and the final platars will

[11:36] not be released until staff have

[11:38] determined that all relevant conditions

[11:40] of approval have been sufficiently met

[11:42] and building permits will not be issued

[11:44] until the remainder of all conditions

[11:46] have been met. So we're looking in

[11:48] planning case 26-27.

[11:51] We're looking to adopt resolution 26-80

[11:55] approving the final plat for Marik art

[11:58] subject to conditions stated in the

[12:00] resolution. And that's our consent

[12:02] agenda.

[12:02] >> Your honor,

[12:03] >> council member Novak,

[12:04] >> I move that we approve the consent

[12:05] agenda.

[12:06] >> Second.

[12:07] >> Motion by Novak and a second by Geisler.

[12:10] Is there discussions or questions? your

[12:12] honor.

[12:13] >> Uh we'll start with Council Member

[12:14] Novak.

[12:15] >> Um this is actually a question for Chief

[12:17] Steiner. Uh Chief, I've been a firearms

[12:20] instructor for 23 years. I've never even

[12:22] heard of a dog that could detect a

[12:23] firearm. Tell us a little about that.

[12:26] >> Well, there's um it's a new thing to

[12:28] Anoka County, but the dog is trained in

[12:30] the detection of firearms, both for the

[12:32] purpose of locating, say, in vehicles or

[12:34] discarded firearms uh from somebody that

[12:37] may be fled on foot. And the dog is

[12:39] trained, I believe, on primarily the

[12:41] oils and and sense from discharging a

[12:44] firearm. It's a first in Anoka County,

[12:46] but there is one other in the metro area

[12:48] that I'm aware of, and it's a it's a new

[12:50] resource for us, so we're excited about

[12:51] it, and it'll still serve the the basic

[12:54] apprehension function that most of our

[12:55] dogs do.

[12:56] >> That is absolutely incredible.

[12:58] [clears throat] That's

[12:59] >> we're excited about it. So,

[13:02] >> cool, Mr. Mayor. Council member Carlson,

[13:04] >> I just want to thank Mark Mcdana and

[13:07] Mcdana K9 for donating yet another right

[13:10] >> very valuable dog to our police

[13:12] department with this training. He's an

[13:13] incredible trainer. He is known

[13:15] everywhere. As a matter of fact, I think

[13:17] his last year as a K9 handler in Kon

[13:19] Rapids, he won the state championship

[13:21] and uh incredible trainer and uh I think

[13:24] that this train's leaving the station

[13:26] pretty soon with [laughter] K9 with

[13:28] Mcdana K9. So, it's it's great that we

[13:30] uh it's great that we uh uh took this

[13:32] opportunity to have yet another donation

[13:34] from Mark Mcdana. Uh like I said, he's

[13:37] been very very generous to our police

[13:38] department.

[13:40] >> Mr. Mr. Mayor, council member Armstrong,

[13:42] >> I I would like to echo what what uh uh

[13:46] council member Carlson said with regard

[13:48] to uh Mark Mcdana, great great cop for

[13:52] Rapids for years and years and great partner for the the

[13:56] Rapids Police Department K9 unit. Um,

[13:59] also I just wanted to to uh compliment

[14:02] the city staff on the uh on the coming

[14:06] up with the the pickle ball court idea.

[14:10] Um,

[14:11] I that that's in my that's in my ward

[14:14] and I've driven past those tennis courts

[14:16] I don't know how many times and they

[14:18] looked decrepit,

[14:20] >> unused, etc., etc. So, it with with all

[14:24] the calls that we've had for for more

[14:27] pickle ball courts in the city and and I

[14:29] think it's a great idea, great

[14:31] partnership for the use of that. Um, I

[14:34] also wanted to give just a quick shout

[14:36] out for the uh for that uh Minnesota

[14:38] softball military appreciation

[14:40] tournament coming up in September. If if

[14:42] you haven't been to it, uh I would I

[14:45] would highly recommend you you go out

[14:47] there on on the on September 11th. Um

[14:51] they have a a special tournament that

[14:54] day for the different military branches.

[14:56] Um the the color guard and the the um

[15:01] just the festivities that go on down

[15:03] there are just are just a great thing to

[15:05] be a part of. And last but not least,

[15:08] thanks for the three new appointment

[15:10] appointees to the sustainability

[15:12] commission. I know we're constantly

[15:14] looking at filling those additional

[15:16] positions. So, thank you for anybody

[15:19] that's volunteering to help with those.

[15:22] >> Yeah,

[15:23] >> Mr. Mayor.

[15:23] >> Council member Butler.

[15:24] >> Uh, Council Member Armstrong took a lot

[15:26] of what I was going to say. So, you know

[15:27] what I what I would just add too is that

[15:29] there's still one vacancy on

[15:30] sustainability commission and we

[15:32] definitely would encourage residents to

[15:34] apply. We we really appreciate all the

[15:36] citizen engagement across all of our

[15:37] commissions.

[15:39] >> Yeah. I would just uh do a little piling

[15:41] on on the uh the military softball

[15:44] tournament because when it hits and it

[15:46] hits on September 11,

[15:48] >> it's always a even bigger deal. It's a

[15:51] very somber, very impressive opening ceremony and they have that on

[15:58] that'll be on the 11th and then there's

[16:00] also a ceremony on the 13th and then

[16:02] it's just lots and lots of tournament

[16:05] play in between and it's uh pretty

[16:07] impressive.

[16:09] So, all right. Any other discussion or

[16:12] questions on the consent agenda?

[16:13] >> Mr. Mayor,

[16:14] >> Council Member Krisco,

[16:15] >> I just wanted to make one quick note. We

[16:17] had a long consent agenda tonight.

[16:19] Almost everything that we're doing

[16:20] tonight is on the consent agenda. Uh,

[16:22] but I just wanted to point out we've

[16:24] talked about all a lot of these things.

[16:25] I see four of the items we've done,

[16:27] we've talked about in work session, the

[16:28] other things we've talked about as well.

[16:30] So, uh, business that was pretty much

[16:32] all done prior tonight. That's why on

[16:34] the consent agenda, I did have a

[16:36] question on the K9. Uh, Chief Steiner,

[16:38] does that bring what does that bring our

[16:40] strength to in K9 force, sir? Is that

[16:44] >> Council Member Grisco? We have three

[16:46] apprehension K9s. Uh, two of them uh

[16:49] dual certified in narcotics and this one

[16:51] in gun detection. Then we have one

[16:53] facility wellness dog.

[16:55] >> Okay. So, four total.

[16:56] >> Four total. Okay. Thank you.

[16:58] >> Different purposes completely, but

[16:59] >> Right. Exactly. Thank you. That's it.

[17:02] >> Cool.

[17:03] >> All right. Any other discussion?

[17:05] We have a motion and a second. All in

[17:07] favor signify by saying I I opposed. And

[17:10] the consent agenda is adopted. And we

[17:13] are up to item 11,

[17:16] which is to consider resolution 26-79,

[17:21] accepting a local housing trust fund

[17:23] grant from the state of Minnesota. Mr.

[17:25] Brown, you want to hit the highlights on

[17:27] that one?

[17:27] >> I can. Yes. So, staff had uh submitted

[17:30] an application for this grant several

[17:32] months back. Uh this was a new program

[17:35] that was funded by the legislature over

[17:37] the last couple of years. Uh aren't a

[17:41] lot of strings attached to it other than

[17:42] that the dollars have to go toward

[17:45] serving the households meeting the

[17:46] established income guidelines. We of

[17:49] course have a wide array of housing

[17:53] programs here at the city. Uh so we're

[17:56] able to simply use this grant to

[17:58] supplement those. So what we had

[18:01] submitted was to use uh these funds for

[18:04] our deferred loan program which serves

[18:07] households earning earning 60% area

[18:09] median income or less. Uh that allows

[18:13] them to make improvements to their home

[18:14] and the loan uh doesn't has a 0%

[18:19] interest rate and also doesn't have any

[18:22] required monthly payments. So it's

[18:23] simply due when the house is sold. So

[18:26] those dollars are actually tied up for a fair fairly long time in some

[18:31] cases. So the amount of this grant is

[18:33] $150,000. It's basically a 50% match.

[18:37] Over the last few years, we've uh loaned

[18:40] out around $100,000 a year through that

[18:43] program. So that would basically uh pay

[18:46] for about half half of the program over

[18:49] the next three or so years, which is

[18:52] also the term of the grant agreement.

[18:54] So, I can answer any questions, but

[18:56] pretty straightforward. We're simply

[18:57] using it to supplement uh our existing

[19:00] programs.

[19:00] >> Very good. Any questions of Mr. Brown?

[19:02] >> Mr. Mayor,

[19:03] >> council member um Butler,

[19:05] >> I move that we adopt resolution 26-79

[19:08] accepting a local housing trust fund

[19:10] grant and approve a grant agreement with

[19:11] the state of Minnesota.

[19:12] >> Second.

[19:13] >> Motion by

[19:15] Wow, it's gone. Butler, second by

[19:17] Gesler. Discussion,

[19:20] >> Mr. Mayor, Council Member Grisco. Well,

[19:23] obviously it's great that we're getting

[19:24] this grant from the state of Minnesota.

[19:25] It's a it's a large grant. It's

[19:26] $150,000.

[19:28] So, I just had one quick question of Mr.

[19:30] Brown, and if you don't know the answer

[19:32] tonight, that's fine. But I understand

[19:34] that the grant funds from the state of

[19:35] Minnesota are coming from the uh local

[19:38] affordable housing aid legislation, or

[19:40] how or where is the funding coming for

[19:43] this? Is it Aloaha sales tax?

[19:46] >> It it is not. I I don't I don't know the

[19:49] exact exact answer. I know it was

[19:51] budgeted basically through the state's

[19:53] uh general fund. It is it is not coming

[19:56] from the sales tax proceeds or LAA th

[19:59] those are dollars that we simply receive

[20:02] twice a year from the state. Those are

[20:04] incidentally also going into our local

[20:06] housing trust fund uh to help fund those

[20:09] various housing programs.

[20:12] >> Okay. Well, regardless, it's nice that

[20:14] we're getting $150,000 of uh of uh tax

[20:17] money back into the state of or the city

[20:19] of Rapids.

[20:20] Thank you.

[20:21] >> All right, we have a motion and a

[20:23] second. Any other discussion?

[20:26] Hearing not, all in favor signify by

[20:28] saying I. I opposed.

[20:30] >> And that motion carries. [clears throat]

[20:32] We are up to the open mic public comment

[20:34] portion of the meeting.

[20:37] If you are here for open mic, please

[20:39] come up to the podium. It provides an

[20:41] opportunity for the public to address

[20:42] the city council on subjects that are

[20:44] not part of the regular meeting agenda.

[20:47] You are invited to express any concerns

[20:49] they may you may have which are relevant

[20:51] to the affairs policies or practices of

[20:53] the city of Rapids and you'll be

[20:55] limited to three minutes. Uh please

[20:57] approach the podium. State your name and

[20:59] address and all remarks will be made

[21:01] from the podium and address to the

[21:02] council. Uh what do we go? That should

[21:05] be enough.

[21:06] [laughter]

[21:07] >> Thank you, Mayor Cook. Members of the

[21:09] council, my name is Derek Lind. I'm I

[21:10] live in Ramsey. 28-year resident,

[21:13] Ramsey, four-year member of ASI, ANO

[21:16] County Election Integrity Team, a

[21:18] private citizen group. Uh, tonight's

[21:21] subject is EAC certification of the

[21:24] machine tabulators. If you could, if you

[21:26] could take that packet, please, and turn

[21:29] to the very last page.

[21:31] So, it's the last, it should be page 16,

[21:34] I believe. There's some yellow

[21:36] highlighting there. This is a letter

[21:38] from ESNS, which is our machine

[21:41] tabulator manufacturer. They sent this

[21:43] letter directly to Inoka County and they

[21:44] said, "You got to take those

[21:45] certification stickers off the machine.

[21:48] You're not certified." And the reason

[21:50] you're not certified or we're not

[21:52] certified is because of the modems. If

[21:55] you could turn back two more pages,

[21:58] there's another letter. So, this would

[22:00] be on page

[22:03] 13. Actually, it's a two-page letter.

[22:06] Also

[22:08] got some yellow highlight on there.

[22:09] That's a that's a letter from the US

[22:12] Election Assistance Commission. We call

[22:14] it the EAC. This is the federal body.

[22:16] They sent that letter directly to ESNS

[22:18] and they said, "We got a problem with

[22:19] your your machine tabulators. You got to

[22:22] take those stickers off." And that's

[22:24] what that's what triggered this. If you

[22:26] look at the dates of this, this is March

[22:27] 2020 and then April of 2020. This is

[22:29] right about the same time that COVID

[22:31] hit. Um, and then one last page. If you

[22:34] could look at page four and five, it's

[22:36] towards the front.

[22:41] Page four, please.

[22:44] This is the Secretary of State's website

[22:46] and Noa County's website. Their

[22:48] communications to the public. If you

[22:50] read through that in your own time, they

[22:52] say federal this, federal that. They're

[22:54] making the public think that these

[22:56] things are on the up and up on the

[22:58] federal side. So, what we're asking you

[22:59] to do is compare this page, page four,

[23:02] with those two letters that I just got

[23:04] done showing you. Now, it's a long

[23:05] packet. I'll let you read that on your

[23:07] own time. Couple other points I want to

[23:09] make that the state of Minnesota, we've

[23:11] been pressing the state of Minnesota and

[23:13] the county on this, and they're

[23:14] admitting to us, yeah, they're not EAC

[23:16] certified, but they don't have to be.

[23:18] We're saying that's fine, but let's get that out to the public. Let's

[23:22] let the public know that the machine

[23:23] tabulators that we use to count our

[23:24] votes are not federally EAC certified.

[23:29] Uh this was featured in the movie

[23:31] Minnesota Mau. The other thing to to pay

[23:33] attention to here is there's a strong

[23:35] commitment to the modems. This is really

[23:37] about the modems and the tabulators.

[23:39] That's why they had to take the stickers

[23:40] off. I think if this was something that

[23:42] came to me, I would have said, "Okay,

[23:43] fine. Let's take the modems out. We

[23:44] don't need it." But there was there was

[23:47] a commitment to those modems. They paid

[23:48] extra for them. I think they they submit

[23:51] the um the early totals. I don't know

[23:54] why they had to have them, but they they

[23:56] kept them in. Um

[23:59] I'm not sure if you guys have checked

[24:00] any of your votes when we do the post

[24:02] election review. I don't know if

[24:04] Rapids has been selected in that. You

[24:06] only do four out of 128, but it's kind

[24:08] of interesting. We put a lot of faith in

[24:09] these machine tabulators, and according

[24:12] to this, they're not federally EAC

[24:14] certified. Last comment. If you guys

[24:17] want to invite us back for a work

[24:18] session, you know, I can spend more than

[24:20] three minutes up here on a microphone.

[24:21] We can have a little more dialogue. We

[24:23] got some people that have been studying

[24:24] this a long time. That's up to you. So,

[24:26] with that being said, do you have any

[24:28] questions for me? I know you probably

[24:30] weren't

[24:31] expecting this, but it's a lot to

[24:34] digest.

[24:36] >> Thank you. Thanks for your time.

[24:38] Appreciate it. Have a good evening.

[24:39] Thank you.

[24:42] >> All right. Anybody else to address

[24:43] council for open mic this evening?

[24:56] Mayor and council, my name is Dave

[24:58] Ecbomb.

[25:00] I uh excuse [clears throat] me. I went

[25:02] to the U commissioner's meeting and I

[25:04] spoke at that time concerning the uh

[25:07] decisions that are being made with the

[25:09] uh old they call it the old the family

[25:12] center mall which is I'm about a block

[25:15] and a half away from that. So I'm a

[25:18] little concerned. [clears throat]

[25:20] Dave David Eckbomb and I'm at 11206

[25:24] Crocus Street Northwest in Rapids.

[25:27] I've lived at that address for 42 years.

[25:31] Since 1984, excuse me, [clears throat]

[25:34] I've seen multiple changes around the

[25:36] community from the location of

[25:38] businesses, new businesses coming to the

[25:40] areas. I mean, I could go on and on what

[25:42] I've seen come and go to my own home.

[25:45] There has been significant number of

[25:47] upgrades in the and I'll tell you why

[25:49] I'm thinking or saying this in a second.

[25:52] specifically to the outside, including

[25:54] two times I've shingled the house, new

[25:56] siding, I tore down a garage, I put

[26:00] another garage up, concrete driveway,

[26:03] planting new trees. You get the picture.

[26:06] I'm sorry to say that few improvements

[26:08] have been made to the Family Center Mall

[26:11] with the exception of of uh Grand Slam.

[26:15] Thanks, Mike, for doing the things at

[26:18] the Grand Slam. And it's a a success.

[26:20] we've seen all the people that go over

[26:22] to Grand Slam. Uh recently, uh District

[26:25] 11 was there and so they made some

[26:26] improvements as well.

[26:29] Uh some some time ago out the outside of

[26:32] the building was painted, lights were

[26:34] added along some of the potholes were

[26:37] added along with some of the potholes

[26:39] were filled somewhat recently, but for

[26:42] the most part, the building and the

[26:43] outside building is a mess.

[26:47] Uh when I went to the commissioner's

[26:48] report meeting, they had 11 propositions

[26:51] and I can read them quickly. Paint the

[26:53] exterior. Replace the weather sealant

[26:55] along the bottom. Add decorative lighting. Replace all rusted

[26:59] metal exterior doors. Work with the

[27:01] staff to add landscaping to the parking

[27:04] area. Repair deteriorating sections of

[27:06] the asphalt. Restripe

[27:09] uh paint parking light poles. Repair

[27:11] secure fence around the loading dock.

[27:14] Remove the vacant Burger Time building

[27:16] and dumpster enclosure. Repair paint.

[27:19] Clear scrub vegetation vegetation uh

[27:22] covering the pylon sign along Crooked

[27:24] Lake Boulevard. And then there's other

[27:27] things. A sidewalk along 113. It goes on

[27:29] and on and on. The point is is that

[27:33] this is kind of a disaster over there.

[27:34] And I've been watching this over the

[27:36] years. I've seen the businesses kind of

[27:38] come and go. And now we're at a point

[27:40] where I'm hoping after seeing the work

[27:43] that was done with the two malls that

[27:45] are west of me

[27:47] on Crooked Lake by Kudrass Boulevard

[27:50] plus the uh the beautiful bridge uh over

[27:54] uh by by Lilyutt all the building that

[27:57] took over the area where the old uh post

[28:01] office was. You know the area I'm

[28:02] talking about Sniders was in that area.

[28:05] the homes that are being built and the ice arena. Beautiful ice arena.

[28:10] My my granddaughters use that. The new

[28:12] fire station. Unbelievable. It's like

[28:15] the Taj Mahal.

[28:17] But now I see the Family Center Mall and

[28:20] I just go, "What's going on here? Why

[28:23] haven't we had some new new buyers?" I

[28:26] understand that the old buyer has is is

[28:28] now deceased and and the and the kids

[28:32] are probably somewhat unloading the

[28:35] site. The building dates back to the 60s

[28:38] and if a person I'm I'm sorry we're way

[28:42] over the three minutes here. Are you are

[28:43] you just about to the end?

[28:44] >> Just about done. Yeah.

[28:45] >> Okay. Thank you. So anyway, to kind of

[28:49] come to the end and I'm sorry the three

[28:51] minutes, but but we've we've seen so

[28:54] many good things happening within in

[28:56] Rapids. We we appreciate it. But

[28:58] now we're coming up to a charter school

[29:00] that's been designated to be at that

[29:02] location. And not only a charter school,

[29:05] but there's a religious religious group

[29:07] coming in there, too, which is we have a

[29:10] copy of the architectural drawings, and

[29:12] we can kind of see that that's going on.

[29:14] Okay. What we need is as neighbors, we

[29:17] want transparency.

[29:20] The the what was the purpose of the

[29:22] particular charter school coming to this

[29:23] particular area.

[29:25] Isn't it necessary to have neighborhood

[29:27] input? Let's be transparent. The

[29:30] neighbors want again to be have input.

[29:33] Thank you.

[29:34] >> Thank you. Thank you.

[29:47] This is not my cup of tea. [laughter]

[29:50] My name is Vicki Akbomb and I'm his

[29:53] wife. Um I'm going to talk primarily

[29:57] about charter schools.

[30:01] But first, I want to ask you to please

[30:03] look at the commission um meeting and

[30:06] listen to what he had to say before. It

[30:08] talks about um the road s systems in

[30:13] that area and it t and

[30:16] there was something else he talked

[30:17] about. I can't remember what but those

[30:20] are very important to this whole

[30:22] discussion.

[30:24] However, when it comes to um charter

[30:28] schools, I want to ask are there

[30:30] sprinkler systems in the building? Who

[30:32] knows?

[30:34] Um it's a school zone. It is not it it

[30:39] is not a school zone. It's a commercial

[30:42] zone.

[30:44] That's important.

[30:46] Um

[30:47] are there enough bathrooms in that area

[30:52] to accommodate

[30:54] 500 plus students?

[30:57] There weren't when I was in that

[31:00] um building.

[31:03] Um, I'm wondering about a gym for that

[31:07] school.

[31:09] Sometimes charter schools don't think

[31:11] gyms are important. I heard a people say

[31:14] last time, "Oh, well, they have a recck

[31:16] room." A recck room is used for games,

[31:20] parties, relaxation to be used with

[31:24] virtual reality and social video games.

[31:27] We need gross motor activity areas,

[31:32] not video games.

[31:35] Are the rooms large enough for for

[31:38] school activities? Are they do they have

[31:40] fresh air? Do they have windows? Is

[31:43] there enough room in those classrooms to

[31:46] move around for students for um student

[31:50] engagement?

[31:53] um busing and drop off, pickup and

[31:57] [clears throat] drop off for for um

[32:00] cars. That really bothers me. I saw some

[32:04] area for if you look back, you can find

[32:08] the areas for

[32:10] buses and how they have that set up. But

[32:13] I didn't hear anything about drop off

[32:15] and pickup. And that's important. I've

[32:19] been in charter schools. I've worked in

[32:21] charter schools. And I can tell you that

[32:23] sometimes that is not

[32:27] um what am I trying to say? It's not

[32:31] safe. It's just not a safe area. And I

[32:34] heard nothing about drop off and pickup.

[32:37] Um I'm concerned about crosswalks

[32:40] patrols. There's three busy roads there

[32:44] and one road is 113th. And I heard

[32:48] people say, "Well, there's just not that

[32:50] many people living there." But there are

[32:54] people living there, and that's

[32:56] important that we respect those people

[32:58] living in that area.

[33:01] Um, so crosswalks,

[33:04] not only for the safety of the kids, but

[33:06] for the safety of the neighborhood,

[33:08] should be available.

[33:10] And then outdoor play. I've been told I'

[33:13] I've heard,

[33:15] well, we can kids can play anywhere.

[33:17] They can play on a parking lot.

[33:20] Really?

[33:21] And and a parent comes in. This happened

[33:24] to me. A parent comes in to where the

[33:26] kids are playing and the parent says,

[33:29] "Well, I can pick my kid up here. I pay

[33:32] for this." And it's not safe for a

[33:36] parent to drive their car where the kids

[33:39] are playing.

[33:41] These are grave concerns in my my

[33:44] estimation for a charter school anywhere

[33:47] and for our neighborhood.

[33:50] Like Dave said, we've been there 42

[33:52] years. We don't want to move.

[33:56] Are you going to force us to?

[33:59] >> This is Go look at that place. It's a

[34:02] mess.

[34:02] >> We drive by it all the time.

[34:05] >> Thank you. Thank you very much.

[34:07] >> A block away. It's a mess.

[34:10] >> Help.

[34:11] >> Totally. I totally understand. Thank

[34:13] you.

[34:19] Anybody else here for um open mic?

[34:24] [clears throat]

[34:25] And we will close that portion of the

[34:27] mic of the the meeting.

[34:34] Why am I closing that? I got a couple

[34:35] responses.

[34:48] We uh we had two folks visit us for open

[34:51] mic last meeting and the first one was

[34:54] Mr. Scott Nellis uh with concerns about

[34:57] the storm that had gone through and um

[35:00] additional street sweeping and

[35:03] uh we got out immediately after that and swept that neighborhood.

[35:09] And the takeaway is residents and

[35:12] property owners may choose to

[35:13] proactively assist in protecting storm

[35:16] water by adopting a storm drain and

[35:19] providing volunteer cleanup activities.

[35:22] Um but even ahead of that um staff

[35:25] encourage residents and property owners

[35:27] to submit non-emergency maintenance

[35:30] concerns by using report it the city's

[35:33] online reporting system found at the

[35:35] city's websitem.gov

[35:38] and requests can also be made by calling

[35:40] public works 763755-2880

[35:44] option three and leaving a message

[35:47] there. um we we really when streets do

[35:51] get um get to be a mess, we do want to

[35:55] get out there and sweep it up, but with

[35:56] over 400 lane miles, we might not know

[35:59] that it's messy. So, it'd be good to let

[36:02] us know. Um and then uh the other uh

[36:07] person here for open mic

[36:09] um I was uh uh wondering about the legal

[36:13] authority to require franchise

[36:14] agreements for broadband providers

[36:17] including gateway gateway fiber and

[36:19] there are numerous benefits to

[36:21] franchising for the broadband provider

[36:23] the city and the public versus

[36:24] right-of-way permitting. Right ofway

[36:26] permitting is limited to construction

[36:28] installation in the right of way while

[36:30] franchising provides an agreement for

[36:32] specific public benefits for the use of

[36:34] the public right ofway. And these

[36:36] benefits include compliance with city

[36:38] code, streamlined access to the public

[36:40] right ofway, improved permitting

[36:42] efficiency, potential for preferential

[36:44] positioning, defined dispute

[36:47] resolution/c

[36:48] customer service mechanisms, better

[36:50] access to city data and planning

[36:52] coordination, and a reasonable build out

[36:54] of the system in the city. And there's

[36:56] additional things. Uh the city is open

[36:58] to negotiating franchise agreements with

[37:00] broadband providers like Gateway Fiber,

[37:03] but to date no provider has reached out

[37:05] to the city for that purpose. And that

[37:07] is the end of our open mic responses.

[37:13] And

[37:15] um I just wanted to be clear, I know I

[37:17] was smiling. It's not because I disagree

[37:19] with anything you said. We are we are

[37:22] really dialed in on that property

[37:24] >> for sure. But it's it's private sale,

[37:28] private. It it didn't go the way we were

[37:31] all hoping it would go. Um but

[37:35] we'll get a response from staff and and

[37:38] believe me, we all heard you.

[37:41] Um all right, other business. Council,

[37:44] >> Mr. Mayor,

[37:45] >> council member Gryler.

[37:46] >> Uh I just wanted to uh double down on

[37:48] the reported use. Um reported is a great

[37:51] resource. Um I've used it to report

[37:53] roadkill. staff comes and gets it out of

[37:55] the street for you. Uh potholes, downed

[37:58] limbs, dangerous things on trails, you

[38:01] know, overhanging brush. It's really a

[38:04] way for the citizens to let us know

[38:05] that, hey, work needs to be done here.

[38:07] And staff looks at it, prioritizes it,

[38:09] and gets to it. It might not be the

[38:11] instant, depends on the severity of it,

[38:13] but it's really a great way for citizens

[38:15] to let us know that something needs to

[38:16] be done. Um, and it keeps track of it

[38:19] and really easy for them to get out

[38:21] there, especially public works, they've

[38:22] got a lot to do. Um, and they really

[38:24] prioritize getting those done. So, I

[38:27] just wanted to double down on that. Uh,

[38:29] the other thing,

[38:30] >> can can I add on to that just for a

[38:31] second?

[38:32] >> Um, to add on to that,

[38:34] >> um, street lights.

[38:35] >> Yes.

[38:35] >> They have no idea the street lights are

[38:37] out because they drive in today. So,

[38:39] it's uh it's important that those get

[38:41] mentioned.

[38:42] >> Yes. So, please let us know when you see

[38:44] things. That's a a great way for us to

[38:46] come and help you.

[38:46] >> And when you see them flashing, when you

[38:49] see them flashing, know that they're on

[38:50] their way out. Okay. Now, Council Member

[38:53] Gesler, back to you. I'll quit

[38:54] interrupting.

[38:55] >> Thank you. Uh, the other thing that I

[38:56] was gonna mention, uh, today there was a

[38:58] blood drive up at city hall here. I

[38:59] happen to have a chance to go. I really

[39:02] want to encourage folks if you are

[39:03] willing and able to please do that.

[39:05] There is a blood emergency right now,

[39:07] um, for both Red Cross and NBC. NBC does

[39:10] uh, Memorial Blood Centers does have a

[39:12] facility in Riverdale um, to go visit.

[39:15] So, if you're able, please consider. Um,

[39:18] there's there's really a big need right

[39:19] now. So, just from a public opportunity,

[39:22] think about that. Thank you.

[39:24] >> All right, you're on.

[39:25] >> Council member Novak.

[39:26] >> Council member Gesler stole my thunder.

[39:29] I was actually over at uh the Memorial

[39:31] Blood Clinic in Riverdale this last

[39:33] Tuesday donating blood. Uh there's a lot

[39:36] of different ways you can do it, folks.

[39:38] And as he said, there's the second blood

[39:41] emergency right now going on just this

[39:42] summer. I believe only about 4% of the

[39:45] population actually donates blood. And

[39:49] odds are at some point in your life,

[39:50] you're going to need it. So, please, if

[39:53] you can donate, it's going to save

[39:56] lives. You know it will. Thank you.

[40:00] >> All right,

[40:01] >> Mr. Mayor.

[40:02] >> Council member Carlson.

[40:03] >> Heck, they even called me. I was at NBC

[40:05] [laughter]

[40:05] on Friday morning.

[40:08] >> Yeah, absolutely. There is this severe

[40:11] shortage right now. And I just want to

[40:13] mention, of course, night tomorrow

[40:15] night. Great way to get out to see your

[40:17] neighbors. And there's going to be a

[40:18] community night at Lions Park from 5:00

[40:21] to 7:00. If you don't have anything

[40:22] going on in your neighborhood, go down

[40:24] to Lions Park and there's a community

[40:25] one going on there. Uh last last concert

[40:30] in the park is on Thursday, Revolution

[40:32] 5, a Beatles tribute. Probably the

[40:36] biggest crowd that they'll have all

[40:37] year. It's a great great uh uh great

[40:41] music. Um last concert this Thursday,

[40:45] Rapids Dam at 7 o'clock. Do you

[40:47] know if we're going to have shuttles for

[40:49] that? Because in the past we have um

[40:53] because the parking fills so

[40:56] intensely for that.

[40:57] >> Mr. Mayor, I do not. But we will look

[40:59] into that and let you know.

[41:01] >> Um and then the other thing I'd say is

[41:04] get down there early. If you get down

[41:06] there at 5:30, you'll have plenty of

[41:07] places to park and put your chairs. And

[41:09] the Northstar Alliance will be serving

[41:11] dinner from 5:30 till 7. And it's uh

[41:14] it's a great way to start the evening.

[41:18] All right. Um we still got our uh

[41:21] farmers market Wednesday afternoons over

[41:23] at the ice center.

[41:25] Uh any other business to come before

[41:26] council? Yes, Miss Lensmire.

[41:28] >> Mr. Mayor, council members, a reminder

[41:30] that next week, Tuesday, is the primary

[41:34] election. So, the polls will be open

[41:36] from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you have

[41:38] questions about where to vote, please

[41:40] give us a call at the clerk's office and

[41:42] we will help you find that.

[41:45] >> Awesome. Yeah. So, this week our council

[41:47] meeting is Monday night because tomorrow

[41:48] night is night to unite and next week um

[41:53] Oh, next week we have a workshop. Never

[41:54] mind.

[41:56] >> Nobody cares. [laughter]

[41:59] >> It's just won't be on Tuesday,

[42:01] >> right?

[42:01] >> Mr. over here. Council member Armstrong,

[42:03] >> I just wanted to to uh give a a shout

[42:06] out to uh Mercy Hospital. I kind of had

[42:09] to smile when the the three gentlemen

[42:12] were talking about donating blood. They

[42:14] didn't Thank goodness I didn't need it,

[42:16] but uh um few weeks ago I had a I had a

[42:21] fishing mishap. Tiny tiny deal, no big

[42:25] deal. But five days later, I'm up in

[42:28] northern Minnesota and it becomes a big

[42:30] deal. Um, and when I discovered it, I

[42:34] had my choice of waiting 2 hours for a

[42:38] clinic to potentially be opened up or

[42:41] drive 3 and 1/2 m 3 and 1/2 hours back

[42:43] to Rapids to have it addressed

[42:47] here. And thank goodness I did. Um,

[42:51] because if if you ever think you're

[42:52] having a bad day, go go to the waiting

[42:55] room at uh or the emergency room at

[42:57] Mercy Hospital. Saturday afternoon,

[42:59] there was over 50 patients there. And I

[43:02] thought I was having a bad day, but

[43:04] there was others having even even worse

[43:06] day. And the the front office staff, the

[43:11] security, I I thought security was there

[43:13] to do security. They do a heck of a lot

[43:16] more than security as far as helping

[43:18] patients out and whatever else. But long

[43:20] story short, what I thought was a slight

[43:23] little fishing mishap ended up that I

[43:25] was in the hospital for four days. They

[43:27] did emergency surgery. I was in there

[43:29] for 4 days. Realized it was

[43:31] significantly more seriously than I than

[43:33] I thought. But that being said, um Dr. I

[43:38] was I was asked not to give full names,

[43:41] but Dr. G and his uh surgical team, uh

[43:45] the nursing staff, Jack, Rose, Cece,

[43:48] their attention to patient care, their kindness and uh just overall care

[43:55] that they gave not only to me, but to a

[43:58] number of patients that I saw there on

[44:00] the floor. Um I'm not telling you

[44:02] anything you don't already know. We got

[44:03] a great facility over there, great

[44:06] partner here for the city. But boy, when

[44:09] you need them at the spur of the moment,

[44:11] we are so lucky to have them.

[44:13] >> And I can't say enough about them.

[44:17] >> We are very fortunate to have Mercy in

[44:19] town here. That's for sure.

[44:20] >> And if there were 50 people in the

[44:22] waiting room, there were at least

[44:22] another 50 in the rooms in the back.

[44:26] >> Yep. Yep. They were they were hopping.

[44:30] >> All right. Any other business to come

[44:31] before council this? Yes, ma'am. Council

[44:32] member Geyser. Uh, one more thing that's

[44:34] going to happen before our next big

[44:36] meeting, uh, on Sunday the 16th from

[44:40] 11:00 to 1:00 at the civic center here

[44:42] is the school supply and kids clothes

[44:45] swap um, being hel uh, the our folks

[44:48] over at the recycling center and staff

[44:50] is putting that together. But, uh, so

[44:53] August uh, 16th 11 to 1 at the civic

[44:56] center, school supply and kids clothes

[44:58] swap.

[45:00] >> All right.

[45:01] >> Right in time for school.

[45:03] Perfect. All right. Any other business?

[45:06] >> Motion to adjurnn. Second.

[45:08] >> Motion by Carlson, second by Butler to

[45:10] adjurnn. All in favor signify by saying

[45:12] I.

[45:13] >> I. We're adjourned.

[45:22] [music]

City Council Meeting 8/3/26

Transcript