[I. CALL TO ORDER]
          [00:00:03]
          BE THERE. LIKE THAT'S WHY. ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY, HOW WE DOING THIS AFTERNOON AT THIS TIME? I'D LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE STILLWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF AUGUST 5TH, 2026 WITH THAT ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COUNCIL MEMBER. COLLINS. COUNCILMEMBER. COUNCILMEMBER HERE. COUNCIL 
          [1. CVB Annual Report and Certificate of Appreciation for MN Fishing Opener]
MEMBER HERE. MAYOR KOZLOWSKI HERE. AND WITH THAT, THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA THIS AFTERNOON IS THE CVB ANNUAL REPORT. SO KELLY, COME ON UP. HI. AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. 
          I'M KELLY NYGAARD, I'M PRESIDENT AND CEO OF DISCOVER STILLWATER, THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU HERE IN TOWN. AND I WANTED TO UPDATE YOU ON THE 2025 ANNUAL REVIEW WITH THIS A LITTLE LATER THAN NORMAL BECAUSE WE HOSTED THE FISHING OPENER. SO I APPRECIATE THE LENIENCY IN ALLOWING US TO PUSH BACK A LITTLE. OH, I CONTROL IT. OH, LOOK AT THAT. OKAY, SO JUST A REMINDER, THE CVB IS A 501 C SIX NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE'RE FUNDED THROUGH THE LODGING TAX. SO BY STATE STATUTE THERE'S A 3% TAX AT THE BOTTOM OF A HOTEL BILL WITHIN OAK PARK HEIGHTS AND STILLWATER. AND WE MERGE. AND BY STATE STATUTE THAT HAS TO BE USED TO ADVERTISE AND PROMOTE OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE GOAL OF SPARKING ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH OVERNIGHT HOTEL STAYS SO WE CAN ADVERTISE AND PROMOTE OUR COMMUNITY TO BRING IN THAT REVENUE. AS A NONPROFIT, WE DO HAVE A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, INCLUDING MR. PAULINA, WHO SERVES ON THE BOARD REPRESENTING THE CITY OF STILLWATER. WE'RE A STAFF OF ONE AND A HALF, BUT WE DO A FAIR BIT OF WORK, WE THINK. SO HERE'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'LL REVIEW TODAY THE LODGING TAX, OUR 2025 ACCOMPLISHMENTS, OUR PRINT ASSETS, DIGITAL CAMPAIGNS, SOME CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE'VE EARNED, AND WORKED WITH EARNED MEDIA AND MORE. SO BEHIND US, WE HAVE THE CVB TAX REVENUE BY YEAR STARTING IN 2018. FOR 2025, WE WERE $484,000 KIND OF LEVELING OUT RIGHT NOW, WHICH MAKES SENSE. OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, SOME OF OUR ROOMS WERE PULLED OFF OF THE MARKET FOR TRANSIENT HOUSING NEEDS AND OWNERSHIP SALES OF SOME OF OUR PROPERTIES UP ON THE HILL. BUT WE'VE REMAINED PRETTY STEADY AND WE'RE MAKING PROJECTIONS TO INCREASE IN OUR OFF PEAK AREAS WHERE WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH WITHOUT ADDING ANY STRESS TO SERVICES. SO OUR PRIMARY FOCUS IS ARE MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, TRYING TO INCREASE AND DRIVE ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC AND REVENUE. AND THEN ALSO IN THE WINTER, PREDOMINANTLY Q1 BEING JANUARY THROUGH MARCH IS WHERE WE SEE OUR GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH WHILE HELPING BALANCE THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          TOURISM TAX ACCOUNTS FOR 18% OF MINNESOTA'S TAX REVENUE, 20% OF WASHINGTON COUNTY'S AND 33% OF STILLWATER'S TAX REVENUE. IT'S ESTIMATED THAT IT'S THE LARGEST INDUSTRY IN STILLWATER AND IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. IT SUPPORTS NEARLY 12,000 JOBS. EACH HOUSEHOLD WOULD HAVE TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL $1,002 TO REPLACE THAT VISITOR GENERATED REVENUE AND TAXES. AND FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPENT IN TOURISM CAMPAIGNS, PER THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, 38 COME BACK TO THE AREA. SO IT'S A REALLY GREAT INVESTMENT IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. HERE YOU CAN SEE OUR MARKETING ALLOCATIONS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FROM VISITOR GUIDE PRODUCTION, PROMOTIONAL ITEMS, TRADE SHOWS, BILLBOARDS, TV. WE'VE GOT THE BREAKDOWN RIGHT THERE FOR YOU, BUT WE REALLY TRY TO OFFER A DIVERSIFIED AND WELL-ROUNDED SCOPE OF MEDIA. WE'RE NOT PUTTING ALL OF OUR EGGS IN ANY ONE BASKET, AND WE'RE LEVERAGING BOTH THE LATEST TOOLS, ALONG WITH TRADITIONAL ITEMS, TO GET IN FRONT OF PEOPLE. SOME OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THROUGHOUT 2025, I KNOW WE'RE IN 2026 AND IT SEEMS SO LONG AGO, BUT IT REALLY WASN'T. WE LAUNCHED THE DISCOVER STILLWATER OUTREACH TRAIL, WHICH ULTIMATELY WENT ON AND EARNED A STATEWIDE AWARD FOR BRANDING AND MARKETING. WE WERE AWARDED THE 2026 FISHING OPENER AND INVITED TO ATTEND THE PRIOR YEAR'S. AS MANY OF YOU ATTENDED, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A PHENOMENAL FEAT. SUCH A COOL EVENT. 78 YEARS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT'S BEEN HELD IN STILLWATER. WE WERE VERY PROUD OF THAT INITIATIVE. WE UPDATED OUR 360 TOURS OF VENUES. AS WE MENTIONED THAT MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. TRAFFIC IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US RIGHT NOW. AND SO HAVING 360 TOURS TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE THE SPACE AND FEEL LIKE THEY CAN TOUR OUR MEETING SPACES IS GOING TO HELP BRING IN MEETING PLANNERS AND CONFERENCES TO SUPPORT THAT TRAFFIC. WE DID ACTIVATIONS AT THE SAINT PAUL SAINTS AND THE IOWA, WHICH IS THE FEEDER TEAM FOR THE DES MOINES OR THE MINNESOTA WILD. WE SET UP AN ENGAGED FIRSTHAND WITH ATTENDEES. WE HOSTED THE MINNESOTA TOURISM ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE, BRINGING IN MY PEERS FROM ACROSS THE STATE. WE DID A LARGE $80,000 BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN FOCUSING ON DULUTH, FARGO, DES MOINES AND CHICAGO. 
          WE INTERLACED THAT WITH SKYWAY ADVERTISEMENTS. WE DID A DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGN TO THOSE SAME ADDRESSES, WHERE THEY RECEIVED A POSTCARD WITH BEAUTIFUL WINTER IMAGERY TO THEIR HOMES. 
          WE CREATED EIGHT NEW GROUP TOUR ITINERARIES AS WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE GROUP TOUR 
          [00:05:01]
MARKET AS WELL. WE WERE AWARDED $95,000 TO LOCAL EVENTS THROUGH OUR EVENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN SUPPORT PROGRAM. WE WORKED WITH STATE, LOCAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA FOR ENHANCED STILLWATER COVERAGE. AND IN THE THREE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, WE HAVE BEEN IN MIDWEST LIVING 20 TIMES, I COUNTED. SO WE'RE GETTING A LOT MORE REGIONAL, NATIONAL AND MINNESOTA COVERAGE. 
          WE WERE NOMINATED FOR TWO. WELL, WE WERE NOMINATED FOR FOUR, BUT WE WERE A FINALIST FOR TWO EXPLORE MINNESOTA TOURISM AWARD CAMPAIGNS. WE CREATED A TON OF NEW VIDEO AND DIGITAL ASSETS RUNNING PRINT, TV, BILLBOARD AND OTHER CAMPAIGNS ACROSS FIVE STATES AND INTO CANADA. WE HAVE PULLED BACK OUR CANADA IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT SENTIMENT, BUT WE DO ANTICIPATE, AS TRADE BORDERS ARE A LITTLE MORE FRIENDLY, THAT WE WILL GO BACK INTO THE WINNIPEG AREA AS WE WERE SEEING SOME TRACTION. BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE REALLY PUSHING ON THOSE BORDER STATES WITH EMPHASIS IN DES MOINES, CHICAGO, MADISON, LA CROSSE. FARGO HAS BEEN A REALLY BIG MARKET FOR US AS WELL, AND WE'VE SEEN SOME TRACTION. LAST YEAR, WE CREATED 52 NEW TIKTOKS AND REELS, 453 FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM POSTS. WE WERE PUBLISHED IN TRAVEL AND LEISURE, WHICH IS A NATIONAL PUBLICATION, MIDWEST LIVING, AND WE WERE ON TV SEVERAL TIMES. WE REPRESENTED DISCOVER STILLWATER AT EXPLORE MINNESOTA DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL, THE MINNESOTA ASSOCIATION OF CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU, ASSOCIATION NORTH AND MEETINGS AND PLANNINGS INTERNATIONAL. WE RAN A GREAT PHOTO CONTEST, AND WE WORKED WITH CONTENT CREATORS TO GET FIRST HAND CONTENT AND EXPAND THE AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE. IT FEELS MORE LIKE A REFERRAL THAN AN AD CAMPAIGN, SO THAT'S JUST A SLIGHT LIST. AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT VIDEO THAT'S GOING. WE DID 52 NEW VIDEOS BASED ON TRENDS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING ACROSS THE WEB. THAT VERTICAL VIDEO, WHILE IT'S MUCH MORE CASUAL, TRANSLATES A LOT DIFFERENTLY AND IS REALLY WHERE WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF GROWTH AND TRACTION. AND IT, IT DOESN'T READ AS COMMERCIAL OR ADVERTISING. PEOPLE ARE LESS LIKELY TO SCROLL THAN A HIGHLY PRODUCED AD BECAUSE IT READS AS A REFERRAL OR CONNECTION OR GRABBING THOSE LOCAL TRENDS. WE'RE STILL DOING TRADITIONAL TV AS WELL, BUT FOR VERTICAL VIDEO, A LITTLE MORE CASUAL TENDS TO DO BETTER. WHAT ARE OUR STATS? WELL, ON DISCOVER STILLWATER WEBSITE FOR 2025. DESPITE THE AI OVERVIEW THAT MANY OF YOU ARE BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH, MANY WEBSITES ARE SEEING A 60% DECLINE TO THEIR WEBSITE. WE ARE SO FAR STAYING STEADY, AND WE'RE DOING THAT BECAUSE WE HAD 12 NEW BLOGS AND SEVEN REFRESHED BLOGS LAST YEAR, AND WE'RE PROMOTING CONTINUALLY. SO WE HAD 350 000 ANNUAL USERS. OUR FACEBOOK WAS 61,998 FOLLOWERS, PUTTING US THIRD IN THE STATE BEHIND ONLY VISIT DULUTH AND EXPLORE MINNESOTA ITSELF OR TRAVELING. OUR INSTAGRAM HAS 31000 FOLLOWERS WITH A 25% INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR. OUR E-NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS WERE 46,000 AND OUR VISITOR GUIDES, WHICH I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF HERE AND YOU EACH HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU. WE PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE 70,000 OF THESE ANNUALLY, ANY THAT ARE LEFT OVER. AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE BUNDLE INTO THE SUNDAY EDITION NEWSPAPER OF THE TARGET MARKET AREAS THAT WE'RE ALREADY HITTING, AND WE GEOFENCE BY ADDRESS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSABLE INCOME TO GREATER SUPPORT COMING TO STILLWATER. SO YOU CAN ALSO SEE HERE SOME TOP ACQUISITION CITIES TO OUR WEBSITE, ALONG WITH AGE AND GENDER DEMOGRAPHICS. THOSE AGE AND GENDER DEMOGRAPHICS TEND TO BE PRETTY TRUE ACROSS THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. BUT OUR ACQUISITION SITES SHOW THAT WHERE WE'RE INVESTING OUR FUNDS AND OUR ENERGY IS PAYING OFF. HERE, YOU CAN SEE WHAT OUR OFFICIAL VISITOR GUIDE LOOKED LIKE, ALONG WITH THE MAP THAT WE PRODUCE ANNUALLY. AS A RESOURCE. 
          WE'RE DISTRIBUTING THOSE AT THE MALL OF AMERICA THROUGH THE MINNEAPOLIS SAINT PAUL AIRPORT ALONG I-35 CORRIDOR AND THE QUAD CITIES THERE THROUGHOUT STILLWATER. EVERY BUSINESS HAS A STACK OF THEM, AND THEN WE MAIL THEM NATIONWIDE BY REQUEST. I WOULD SAY WE MAIL A MINIMUM OF 100 EVERY MONDAY. WE GET OUT AND DISTRIBUTE. WHAT DO OUR CAMPAIGNS LOOK LIKE? WELL, AS WE MENTIONED, WE'VE DONE A REALLY ROBUST CAMPAIGN. WE'VE DONE STREAMING ADS ON PLATFORMS LIKE HULU AND OTHER INTEGRATED TV APPS, AND WE'RE ABLE TO GEOFENCE THOSE BY DEMOGRAPHICS. 
          WE CAN CHOOSE THAT. WE WANT WOMEN AGE 25 TO 35 WHO ARE HOMEOWNERS AND HAVE TRAVELED AT LEAST TWICE IN THE PAST YEAR. AND THEY LIKE THE HALLMARK CHANNEL BECAUSE WE'RE A HALLMARK LIKE TOWN, WE CAN GET REALLY GRANULAR ON THAT. WE DID BROADCAST TV, WE DID PRINT ADS IN VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS, TARGETED EMAILS, GEOFENCING, AND IMPRESSIONS, ALONG WITH OUR 
          [00:10:01]
PAID SOCIAL. AS WE TALKED ABOUT, WE DID THOSE SKYWAY ADS AND DIRECT MAIL, NEWSPAPER INSERTS, CONTENT CREATOR PARTNERSHIPS. AND HERE YOU CAN SEE WE'VE DONE SOME OF THOSE ACTIVATIONS. 
          THEY'VE GOT A PHOTO AT THE SAINT PAUL SAINTS GAME. WE BROUGHT PAUL BUNYAN THAT TIME, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A GREAT BACKDROP THAT WE CAN DO. AND THEN WE'RE ABLE TO, THROUGH THOSE ACTIVATIONS IN OUR PHOTO BOOTH, COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES TO ADD TO OUR EMAIL DATABASE. 
          THEY'RE OPTING IN, AND IT CREATES A FUN SOUVENIR FOR THEM TO HAVE AND POST ON THEIR SOCIALS AS WELL. WITH OUR BRANDING, WE'VE ALSO HOSTED TWO FAM TOURS FOR MEETING AND EVENT PLANNERS TO BRING THEM IN AND SHOWCASE OUR MEETING AND EVENT SPACES. AND THIS YEAR, IN 2026, WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT IT LATER. BUT WE CREATED SAY YES TO STILLWATER, WHICH WAS AN EVENT SHOWCASE, HAVING ALL OF OUR EVENT VENUES OPEN ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SO PROSPECTIVE COUPLES LOOKING FOR A VENUE FOR THEIR WEDDING COULD COME AND TOUR ALL OF THEM IN ONE SHOT. 
          AND WE HAD REALLY GREAT TRACTION WITH THAT AND BOOKED SEVERAL WEDDINGS DAY OF. AND WE KNOW THAT THAT WILL HAVE RESIDUAL EFFECTS EARNED MEDIA HERE IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER, YOU CAN SEE THAT I'M IN MY DISCOVER STILLWATER DRESS ON TV TALKING ABOUT THE TREATS TRAIL THAT WE LAUNCHED, SHOWCASING OUR NINE ICE CREAM AND CANDY STORES WITHIN THE CITY. IF KENTUCKY CAN HAVE THE BOURBON TRAIL, WE CAN HAVE THE TREATS TRAIL AND MAKE THE MOST OF OUR ASSETS. YOU CAN ALSO SEE THAT WE MADE TRAVEL AND LEISURE AND AS MENTIONED, THE MIDWEST LIVING, WHICH WAS GREAT ATTENTION FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO RECEIVE. WE KNOW IT'S GREAT, BUT THEY'RE HELPING US GET OUT. SO WHAT'S NEXT? HERE YOU CAN SEE FAM TOURS. SAY YES TO STILLWATER. WE WANT TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT USING MORE DATA DRIVEN. AND RIGHT NOW WE GET A QUARTERLY OCCUPANCY CHECK THAT TELLS US A VOLUME. BUT THAT DOESN'T TELL US HOW THAT RATES WITH OCCUPANCY. SO RIGHT NOW, IF OUR IF THE LODGING TAX COLLECTION IS UP, WE'RE MISSING SOME PIECES OF THE PUZZLE THAT DOESN'T TELL US OUR RATES UP, BUT ROOM RATES DOWN OR OCCUPANCY DOWN IS OCCUPANCY UP, BUT ROOM RATES DOWN. AND SO NOW QUARTERLY, WE ARE EMAILING ALL OF OUR LODGING PARTNERS, A SURVEY WHERE THEY'RE INPUTTING SOME OF THAT DATA SO WE CAN TRACK TRENDS AND REALLY SEE WHERE OUR PAIN POINTS TRULY ARE MONTH OVER MONTH AND YEAR OVER YEAR TO HELP US REALLY INVEST WHERE WE NEED THE GREATEST LIFT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WE'RE DOING MORE WITH BUS TOURS AND GROUP TOURS. WE'VE GOT SEVERAL BOOKED THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, AND OUR RETAILERS, THOUGH THOSE AREN'T NECESSARILY DRIVING IMMEDIATE OVERNIGHT STAYS, THEY ARE DRIVING IMPACT TO THE RETAILERS. IN FACT, RIVERBANKS HAD SAID THAT THEY CAN TELL THE DAYS WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY SEE A HUGE INFLUX OF CUSTOMERS AND THEN BY ABOUT 2 P.M. THEY'RE LOADING BACK UP TO ON TO THEIR NEXT SPOT. SO IT'S REALLY HELPING LIFT OUR RETAIL AND RESTAURANTS DURING THOSE DAYS. AND THEN OUR CORPORATE MEETINGS, WE CREATED AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ROOM NIGHTS YOU STAY WITH A BLOCK WHERE WE WILL ACTUALLY INCENTIVIZE YOU TO MAKE IT A WORKCATION INSTEAD OF JUST WORK, AND WE'LL GIVE YOU SOME FUNDS BACK ON A REIMBURSEMENT BASIS THAT YOU CAN USE TO TAKE A TROLLEY RIDE AS A GROUP, GO ON THE RIVERBOATS, GO GOLFING, THINGS THAT GET YOU OUT OF A CONFERENCE ROOM AND SEEING THE COMMUNITY. SO YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO BRING YOUR FAMILY FRIENDS AND COME BACK FOR A LONGER STAY AT ANOTHER TIME. WITH THAT, I DID ALSO INCLUDE FOR ALL OF YOU, JUST SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAST YEAR. I KNOW IT CAN BE OVERWHELMING WHEN WE SHOW ALL OF THIS INFORMATION TO YOU IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, AND I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO FEEL YOU CAN GO TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS. AND IF THEY SAY, WHAT IS DISCOVER STILLWATER DOING, HAVE SOME HIGH LEVEL POINTS THAT YOU CAN TALK ABOUT. THAT WHAT WE'VE DONE FOR THE LAST YEAR. SO I HAVE INCLUDED ALL OF THIS FOR YOU. AND I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT IN THE LOWER RIGHT HAND CORNER, WE DID WIN. AND I MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, THE BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN IN THE STATE FOR 2026. WE WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT ELSE WE'VE DONE JUST ON A GREATER LEVEL THERE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE THAT CAMPAIGN THAT WE WERE THAT WAS FOR THE TREE TRAIL SPECIFICALLY, BUT OUR SOCIALS IN GENERAL ARE THIRD IN THE STATE, AS MENTIONED. OKAY. MOSTLY ORGANIC. WE DO DO SOME PAID TO SUPPORT, BUT OUR, OUR LARGEST PAID EFFORT IS AGAIN, DURING THE WINTER. RIGHT? AWESOME. WITH THAT, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER. ONE POPPED INTO MY HEAD. A COUPLE SLIDES BACK. YOU HAD THE, CITIES THAT YOU'RE SEEING THE MOST TRAFFIC TO THE WEBSITE. MY MEMORY WAS PREVIOUS ONES WE'VE DONE, WE'VE, YOU'VE HAD, CITIES THAT HAVE VISITED, BUT I MIGHT BE REMEMBERING THAT WRONG. 
          WHAT STANDS OUT STOOD OUT TO ME IS I THINK EVERY TIME I'VE SEEN THIS, TEXAS FOR SOME REASON HAS MADE THE LIST. DID THEY FALL OFF FOR A REASON? ARE WE GETTING MORE TRAFFIC FROM OTHERS? LIKE SO? THERE ARE ACTUALLY SOME LARGE DATA CENTERS IN TEXAS, WHICH IF YOU REROUTE YOUR PHONE NUMBER OR YOUR IP ADDRESS, THAT WAS KIND OF ERRONEOUSLY THROWING IT OFF. 
          NOW, THERE IS STILL A LARGE TEXAS AMOUNT. WE DO KNOW THAT IT'S A HOTSPOT BECAUSE IT'S A STRAIGHT SHOT ON I-35, BUT WE HAVE CORRECTED FOR ERROR AND WE WERE WORKING WITH A COMPANY, BUT IT'S NO LONGER IN BUDGET WHERE WE WERE TRYING TO DO SOME CELL PHONE BASED GEOLOCATION. 
          THE ACCURACY OF THAT IS QUESTIONABLE BECAUSE IPHONES AUTOMATICALLY TURN THAT OFF FOR SOME OF THOSE SERVICES. AND IT WAS ONLY A SAMPLE AUDIENCE AT BEST. AND AT $25,000 A YEAR, WE 
          [00:15:03]
COULDN'T JUSTIFY FOR THE RESULTS WHEN THEY BASICALLY MIRROR IMAGED OUR GOOGLE ANALYTICS. SO WE ALSO ARE RUNNING OUR OWN SURVEY WITH THE HOTELS WHERE PEOPLE CAN ENTER AND SAY, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US WHATNOT AND GETTING A LITTLE MORE, YOU KNOW, SELF-REPORTED DATA TO OFFSET THAT. AND THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN A TRIP TO STILLWATER, WHICH A COUPLE NIGHTS HOTEL IS CHEAPER THAN THE $25,000 WE WERE PAYING FOR DATA THAT JUST MIRRORED OUR GOOGLE ANALYTICS. THE OTHER QUESTION IS, THERE ARE NO NOTABLE LEVEL THREE AND VERY FEW LEVEL TWO CHARGERS WITHIN A TEN MILE RADIUS OF HERE. IN FACT, I THINK THERE'S ONLY ONE RIGHT NOW. TRINITY IS LOOKING TO PUT A LEVEL THREE ONE IN THERE. EVERY SINGLE THING THAT I LOOK AT WITH THAT SAYS IT IS A KEY TO DRIVING TRAFFIC, ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER. AND AS AN EV DRIVER, IT'S JUST YOUR, YOUR RANGE DROPS WHEN YOU GET TO BELOW A CERTAIN TEMPERATURE. ANY INDICATION THAT ANY OF THE HOTELS THAT ARE IN THERE ARE LOOKING TO PUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN, BECAUSE IN MY HEAD, IT IS A CHEAP WAY TO MAKE IT THAT HOTEL ACCESSIBLE TO YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME. NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF. 
          THAT'S NOT IN THEIR PLANS. IT'D BE GREAT IF THEY DID. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN ASK THEM IF THAT'S ON THEIR RADAR, BUT I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH ANYONE PLANNING TO MAKE THAT INVESTMENT. IF THE HOTEL PEOPLE ARE HEARING THERE'S A NEED FOR THAT, THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW. YEAH, I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT. THEY ARE. AND WE HAVE NEVER RECEIVED AN INQUIRY ABOUT THAT. STATISTICS HAS ONE. I'M RIGHT ON THE TOP DECK. YEAH. RIGHT. YEAH I THINK SO. BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE GET A CALL ABOUT OR HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT AND I DON'T. 
          YEAH. SO IT'D BE INTERESTING TO KNOW IF THEY'RE HEARING THAT AT THE FRONT DESK. BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE HEARING ANY NEED FOR. CORRECT. I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION. I JUST WANT TO SORT OF SAY PUBLICLY, THANK YOU TO DISCOVER STILLWATER FOR ALL THAT YOU DO, BUT ALSO IN SOMETHING I KNOW YOU GET CALLS ABOUT STAYING CLOSE TO THE CONVERSATION AND PARTNERING WITH THE THE PARKING COMMISSION AS IT RELATES TO PARKING AND ACCESS SPECIFICALLY TO OUR DOWNTOWN CORRIDOR. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THOSE SOLUTIONS AND THOSE CONVERSATIONS. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. YEAH. IT'S HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE NEEDS OF THE RESIDENT WITH ECONOMIC GROWTH AND VITALITY? AND THAT'S A DELICATE BALANCE THAT YOU GUYS ARE CHALLENGED WITH. I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY IT'S A PLEASURE WORKING WITH THEM, AND I'D BE UPSET IF I WASN'T ON THAT COMMISSION ANYMORE. THEY ARE SO POSITIVE ON WHAT THEY DO AND IT'S JUST FUN TO WORK WITH THEM. I HAD THE IDEA OF BRINGING THE GOVERNOR'S FISHING OPENER HERE. 
          THEY WENT OUT AND GOT IT, ADMINISTERED IT, AND IT WAS A FANTASTIC EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY. EVERYWHERE YOU GO NOW, YOU TALK TO PEOPLE. WHERE DO YOU LIVE? STILLWATER. I LOVE STILLWATER AND WHAT YOU DO. I MEAN, EVERYWHERE YOU GO, YOU HEAR THAT ALL OVER. SO THAT'S BASICALLY BECAUSE OF THE WORK THEY'RE DOING AND WHAT WE'RE DOING, MAKING STILLWATER GREAT OR PREMIER? PREMIER. PREMIER. PREMIER. WELL, WE'VE GOT A GREAT COMMUNITY TO PROMOTE SOME GREAT ASSETS. YEAH, I'LL ECHO THAT. I MEAN, EVERYTHING YOU GUYS HAVE DONE RECENTLY HAS JUST BEEN AMAZING. BUT THAT THAT FISHING OPENER JUST KIND OF WAS AT A NEXT LEVEL. I THINK IT'S JUST SUCH A GREAT WAY TO SHOW OFF THE STATE. AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE USED TO SEEING, GREATER MINNESOTA HIGHLIGHTED IN THAT. AND TO SEE SOMETHING THAT'S DRIVABLE IN THE METRO, SHOWING OFF A RIVER INSTEAD OF A LAKE. AND JUST EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, THAT WAS JUST AMAZING AND A CRAP TON OF FUN. YEAH, YEAH, IT WAS, IT WAS A FUN EVENT TO HOST. AND I KNOW THAT LIKE IN 2025, WE WENT UP TO CROSS LAKE, HOSTED IT, AND THEY DID LIKE THEIR COMMUNITY. THEY DIDN'T DO A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION AND THEIR LUNCHEON WAS A PICNIC IN THE PARK. SO TO HAVE THE RIVERBOAT COMPANY BE WILLING TO COME UP AND SERVE EVERYONE ON THE RIVERBOAT WAS DISTINCTIVE OVER THE TIME. WE DID A LITTLE EXTRA ON THAT. YEAH. AND WE'VE STARTED WORKING ON THE, CLOSET FOR THE CHRISTMAS BECAUSE THAT'S A BIG DRAW TO THE COMMUNITY. AND KELLY'S RIGHT THERE TO WORK WITH US AND, AND WORK ON MAKING IT THE HALLMARK, HALLMARK, CHRISTMAS CITY, WHATEVER WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO. SO, SO IT'S, IT'S JUST FUN WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND ALL THIS STUFF. AND THEY'RE A BIG PART OF THAT. WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN. AWESOME. WELL, IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, WE HAVE A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION FOR YOU AS WELL. WE USUALLY HAND THESE OUT UP THERE. SO I'LL JUST, I'LL READ IT FROM HERE. BUT SO ON BEHALF OF A GRATEFUL CITY AND UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF LEADING CITIZENS, THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL HEREBY EXTEND RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND SUPPORT OF OUR MISSION TO THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU FISHING COMMITTEE FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT, DEDICATION AND EFFORTS TOWARDS THE SUCCESSFUL MINNESOTA GOVERNOR'S FISHING OPENER IN STILLWATER THAT WAS HELD MAY 7TH THROUGH THE NINTH, 2026. SO WITH THAT, 
          [00:20:01]
OUR APPRECIATION. THANK YOU. AND TO THE WHOLE COMMITTEE. WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THEM FOR CUB FOODS AND FOR THE DONORS AND THE BOAT HOSTS. I DON'T KNOW IF BETH, WILL YOU GET THOSE TO THEM OR. AWESOME. GREAT. BUT OF COURSE, WE WANT TO THANK THANK OUR FRIENDS AT CUB AND ALL OF THE HOSTS. WE HAD GREAT BOAT HOSTS, INCLUDING COUNCIL MEMBER PAULINA HERE. BUT THE HOSTS WERE GREAT. THE WHOLE EVENT WAS GREAT. AND OF COURSE, WE HAD SUCH REMARKABLE PARTNERS AND BOAT HOSTS FOR THAT. IT WAS REALLY WONDERFUL TO SEE THE WAY THAT THE COMMUNITY AND THE CITY AND THE POLICE FORCE SUPPORTED THE EVENT. WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THE GREAT PARTNERS. SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. I DO HAVE MY CONTACT INFORMATION UP HERE. AND ALL OF YOU ARE WELCOME. IF EVER YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR WANT TO CHECK TOURISM, JUST CURIOUS WHAT WE'RE UP TO OR INTERESTED IN A SPECIFIC CAMPAIGN AND WANT IT BROKEN DOWN. I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO GRAB A COFFEE OR I'M ALWAYS AVAILABLE BY EMAIL IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE OR DO ANYTHING WITH THAT. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, I APPRECIATE IT. AWESOME. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE STILLWATER 
          [2. Stillwater Public Library Annual Community Update]
PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL COMMUNITY UPDATE. HE'S KICKING THAT OFF. COME ON UP. HOW ARE YOU? YEAH. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE STILLWATER PUBLIC LIBRARY. MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH BOOKS AND LIBRARIES BEGAN AS A LITTLE GIRL IN WHITE BEAR LAKE, MINNESOTA. MY MOM BROUGHT US THREE OF MY THREE BROTHERS, MY SISTER AND MYSELF TO THE LIBRARY ALMOST EVERY WEEK, AND WE LOADED UP WITH AS MANY BOOKS AS WE COULD CARRY. AT THE TIME, OUR LIBRARY WAS ON THE SECOND LEVEL OF A FORMER FIRE STATION. SO IMAGINE MY DELIGHT WHEN I MOVED TO STILLWATER 15 YEARS AGO, AND I WAS ABLE TO COME TO THIS HISTORIC, BEAUTIFUL CARNEGIE LIBRARY. AS I VISITED THERE OFTEN, I STARTED TO DO VOLUNTEER WORK WITH THE FRIENDS ORGANIZATIONS AND HELP WITH THEIR BOOK SALES TWICE A YEAR. AND THEN I WAS ASKED TO, ALSO DO ON A WEEKLY BASIS KIND OF SORT AND REPLENISH THEIR FRIENDS CORNER. AND THEN ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, I JOINED THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND I'M CURRENTLY THE TREASURER OF THE BOARD AND THE HEAD OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. SO IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIBRARY. THE LIBRARY IS A CITY SERVICE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING MUCH LARGER. IT'S A COMMUNITY ASSET THAT SERVES ALL AGES. AND YOU CAN SEE THE STATISTICS HERE. 
          FOR 2025, WE HAD MORE THAN 118,000 VISITS, ALMOST 428,000 ITEMS BORROWED AND MORE THAN 20,000 PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. WE'RE A TOWN. DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THESE NUMBERS WERE LIKE 20 YEARS AGO? I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD HAPPEN. LIKE JUST CURIOUS. I MEAN, I, I CAN'T, I CAN'T COMPREHEND 120,000 PEOPLE IN A TOWN OF 20,000 PEOPLE, RIGHT? YEAH. NO, IT'S 100, 120,000. YEAH. BUT YEAH, I MEAN, THAT'S HOW MANY TIMES DO THEY, THEY DO. YEAH. THAT'S JUST IT'S A, IT'S JUST SUCH A BIG NUMBER. I FEEL LIKE THE LIBRARY HAS JUST BEEN SO MUCH MORE UTILIZED OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS THAN IT WAS. I MEAN, WHEN I WAS A KID, I WOULD WALK IN THERE AND I'D BE ONE OF A FEW PEOPLE IN THAT LIBRARY, RIGHT? LIKE, AND YOU'D THINK YOU WOULD GO THE OTHER DIRECTION, FRANKLY, WITH DIGITAL CONTENT AND THE FACT THAT I FEEL LIKE OUR NUMBERS HAVE TO BE GOING UP, IT'S JUST IMPRESSIVE. SO YEAH, IT'S IMPRESSIVE. SO THE LIBRARY CONTINUES TO SEE VALUE. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CONTINUE TO SEE THE VALUE AND THE ASSET THE LIBRARY BRINGS. OKAY. SO BEFORE TALKING ABOUT BUDGETS AND FINANCIALS, WE REALLY WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE LIBRARY ACTUALLY DELIVERS TO OUR COMMUNITY EVERY DAY. FOR SOME RESIDENTS, IT'S ACCESS TO BOOKS, TO TECHNOLOGY, TO WI-FI, TO RESEARCH TOOLS AND INFORMATION, AND TO OTHERS. IT'S A PLACE TO LEARN. ATTENDING A PROGRAM, EXPLORING NEW HOBBIES, RESEARCHING A TOPIC, OR JUST CONTINUING TO LEARN AND GROW. LIBRARY ALSO PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND YOUNG FAMILIES AND FAMILIES FROM EARLY LITERACY STORYTIMES. YOUNG READERS BUILD CONFIDENCE AND A LOVE OF READING, AND WE'RE HELPING PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION FOR SUCCESS. AND FINALLY, THE LIBRARY IS IS A COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACES. PEOPLE COME TO MEET, TO COLLABORATE, TO STUDY AND ATTEND EVENTS. IN MANY WAYS, LIBRARY IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES THAT SERVES EVERYONE FROM BIRTH TO RETIREMENT. SO WE'VE SHARED SOME STATISTICS AND EXAMPLES OF LIBRARY SERVICES, BUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS MOST IS HOW OUR PATRONS EXPERIENCE THE LIBRARY. AND WE WANT TO SHARE A SHORT VIDEO FEATURING COMMUNITY MEMBERS DESCRIBING WHAT THE LIBRARY MEANS TO THEM AND HOW THEY USE IT IN THEIR DAILY LIVES. THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT 
          [00:25:05]
RESOURCES, GENEALOGY TOOLS, HOW TO REPAIR SOMETHING, HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING. THE LIBRARY IS NOT JUST THE LIBRARY, IT'S A PLACE TO CONNECT. THERE'S THINGS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH BOOKS APPEARED THAT I COME IN, SNAKE DISCOVERY THAT COMES IN DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES LIKE LEGO CLUB, CHESS CLUB. THERE'S MORE HERE THAN JUST THE TRADITIONAL CHECKING OUT OF A BOOK. THEY PRESERVE A LOT OF THE HISTORICAL RECORDS FOR THIS AREA. I KNOW THAT THEY HELP THOSE OF US WHO ARE TECH CHALLENGED VOLUNTEER AT THE LIBRARY HELPS ME TO FEEL FULFILLED. IT ALLOWS YOU TO CONNECT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE. 
          AND I THINK THAT JUST THAT ABILITY TO FEEL I'M DOING SOMETHING FOR MY COMMUNITY THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. I HAVE THREE SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN, AND WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER, I REMEMBER COMING TO THE LIBRARY AND THINKING THAT ALL LIBRARIES WERE SIMILAR IN THE FACT OF YOU COME THERE AND YOU'RE VERY QUIET, AND THAT'S NOT A REALITY FOR AT LEAST MY FAMILY, AND I'M GUESSING A LOT OF OTHERS. AND WHEN I WAS TRYING TO CORRAL MY RAMBUNCTIOUS CHILDREN, I HAD A LIBRARIAN HERE COME UP TO ME AND SAY, WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. MY MOM AND YOUR FAMILY ARE ABSOLUTELY SAFE BEING EXACTLY WHO THEY ARE WHEN THEY COME TO THE LIBRARY. SO MY HUSBAND HAS PARKINSON'S, LEWY BODY DEMENTIA, AND ALZHEIMER'S. FAMILY MEANS A LOCAL KIND OF SOCIAL WORK ORGANIZATION. NONPROFIT HAS WORKED WITH THE LIBRARY TO PUT TOGETHER KITS THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS WITH DEMENTIA CAN COME AND PICK UP THESE KIDS SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE SOME FUN WITH YOUR FAMILY MEMBER WHO'S GOT SOME PRETTY TOUGH THINGS GOING ON. THE FIX-IT CLINIC. MY DAUGHTER, SHE. WE CAME ONCE AND SHE STILL. IF ANYTHING'S BROKEN, IT DOESN'T REMEMBER. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IT IS OR IF IT'S FIXABLE. WE TOOK IT TO FIX IT. CLINIC. 
          COOL. WE'LL TAKE IT NEXT TIME. THE LIBRARY OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISCOVERY AND FOR NEW IDEAS. WHAT I LIKE IS THE DISPLAYS. YOU COME INTO THE LIBRARY, THERE'S NEW BOOKS, THERE'S NEW THINGS THAT YOU NEVER EVEN THOUGHT OF, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, WOW, THIS IS INTERESTING. I WAS WALKING THROUGH THE STACKS THE OTHER DAY AND THERE WAS A BOOK ON CHEESE MAKING IN WISCONSIN. I THINK YOU WOULD GET MOTIVATED. WHEN I COME TO THE LIBRARY, I AM KIND OF A HANDS ON PERSON TO BEGIN WITH, AND I HAPPEN TO WALK BY A BOOK ON GARAGE ORGANIZATION. WELL, I PICKED IT UP AND, AND I NOW HAVE ALL KINDS OF DREAMS OF WHAT I'M GOING TO DO WITH MY NEW GARAGE. THAT'S NOT GOOD. FOR FREE. I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO FORGET HOW SIMPLE THAT IS. AND IT'S NOT JUST BOOKS, BUT IT'S DATABASES. IT'S NEWSPAPERS, IT'S CLASSES. 
          THERE'S SO MUCH AT THE LIBRARY. THERE REALLY IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. SHE'S A NATURAL. SHE LOVES VOLUNTEERING THERE. THAT'S AWESOME. MY BROTHER IN LAW VOLUNTEERS AT THE CLINIC, AND HE'S. WHEN TIM WALZ TRUSTED PEGGY FLANAGAN TO INVESTIGATE HOUSING FRAUD, FLANAGAN FAILED. 
          REPUBLICAN HAPPY TO RUN AGAINST HIM. AND ABOUT A MILLION TIMES AT THIS POINT, HAVEN'T WE? YEAH. 
          OH MY GOD. HE'S THE KIND OF GUY THAT WILL WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND REALIZE HE TOOK APART HIS, AIR FRYER. RIGHT? RIGHT. AND SO IT'S JUST BEEN FUN FOR HIM. GO AHEAD. 
          THERE WE GO. SORRY. SO THE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTED WHAT THE LIBRARY MEANS TO PEOPLE PERSONALLY. AND THIS SLIDE GIVES A SUMMARY OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AT A COMMUNITY LEVEL FOR LESS THAN $0.09 OF EVERY CITY PROPERTY TAX DOLLAR, RESIDENTS MADE MORE THAN 118 000 VISITS. THEY BORROWED 400 AND OVER FOR ALMOST 428,000 PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL ITEMS, AND MORE THAN 20,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES. THE LIBRARY ALSO HOSTED NEARLY 600 COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND PROVIDED ALMOST 295,000 WI-FI SESSIONS. 
          THESE NUMBERS REFLECT A COMMUNITY RESOURCE THAT IS ACTIVELY USED AND RELIED UPON EVERY DAY. BECAUSE OF DONOR SUPPORT, WE ARE ABLE TO STRETCH PUBLIC DOLLARS EVEN FURTHER, AND THIS IS EASILY THE MOST POPULAR MEETING SPACE IN THE CITY. YES, INCLUDING THE ZEPHYR THEATER, WHICH IS STARTING THEIR BOARD MEETING THERE IN ONE MINUTE. THIS SLIDE REALLY REPRESENTS HOW WE PROVIDE VALUE TO THE TAXPAYER IN DIFFERENT WAYS. SO FOR MANY FAMILIES, BORROWING JUST TEN NEWLY RELEASED BOOKS INSTEAD OF PURCHASING THEM CAN SAVE ROUGHLY $150. THE STORYTIMES, WHICH ARE VERY POPULAR, THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, THE MEETING ROOMS, WI-FI, COMPUTER EBOOKS, AUDIOBOOKS, MAGAZINES, AND STREAMING SERVICES ARE ALL AVAILABLE AT THE LIBRARY AT LITTLE OR NO DIRECT COST TO RESIDENTS. THE LIBRARY PROVIDES 
          [00:30:06]
ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND EXPERIENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY OTHERWISE MIGHT HAVE TO PAY FOR OR GO WITHOUT. THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS THE LIBRARY CREATES VALUE FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. WE ARE IN A IN A STRONG POSITION TODAY AS A LIBRARY, BUT OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A BOARD IS LOOKING AHEAD AND WE'RE FORTUNATE TO STEWARD ONE OF STILLWATER'S MOST RECOGNIZABLE HISTORIC BUILDINGS. PRESERVING THIS REQUIRES ONGOING ATTENTION TO MAINTENANCE, ACCESSIBILITY, AND BUILDING SYSTEMS, AND AT THE SAME TIME, OUR COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS OF LIBRARIES CONTINUES TO EVOLVE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND AS THOSE NEEDS CHANGE, WE'RE NOT PLACES JUST FOR COLLECTIONS. THERE ARE PLACES FOR LEARNING, FOR GATHERING, FOR COLLABORATION AND TECHNOLOGY ACCESS. AND WE'RE SEEING CONTINUED GROWTH IN DEMAND FOR DIGITAL RESOURCES, WI FI AND TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE. 
          NONE OF THESE IS IMMEDIATE CONCERNS, BUT THERE ARE AREAS OF THOUGHTFUL PLANNING TODAY WHICH HELPS ENSURE THE LIBRARY REMAINS RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE FOR THE FUTURE. 
          MEETING THOSE NEEDS REQUIRES THOUGHTFUL PLANNING AND A STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY DONORS, VOLUNTEERS AND THE COMMUNITY. SO EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE REVIEWED SO FAR IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP. FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE CITY. IT'S A CITY SERVICE, AND ABOUT 85% OF OUR FUNDING COMES FROM THE CITY OF STILLWATER. THROUGH PROPERTY TAX SUPPORT. THOSE DOLLARS FUND CORE SERVICES THAT RESIDENTS RELY ON EVERY DAY. OUR STAFF, OUR COLLECTIONS, OUR TECHNOLOGY, OUR FACILITIES AND DAILY OPERATIONS. BUT WHAT MAKES STILLWATER UNIQUE IS THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS THEN BUILD UPON THAT PUBLIC INVESTMENT THROUGH THE FOUNDATION, THE FRIENDS AND INDIVIDUAL DONORS, WE RECEIVE SUPPORT THAT EXPANDS WHAT THE LIBRARY CAN OFFER FROM SUNDAY HOURS TO ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS AND ENHANCED SPACES AND SPECIALIZED STAFFING. WE ALSO BENEFIT FROM AN EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS. IN 2025, 139 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED NEARLY 36,600 HOURS OF SERVICE, HELPING STRENGTHEN LIBRARY SERVICES WHILE REDUCING COSTS. CITY FUNDING MAKES THE LIBRARY POSSIBLE. COMMUNITY SUPPORT MAKES IT EXCEPTIONAL. IN ADDITION TO OPERATING SUPPORT, THE LIBRARY HAS ALSO BENEFITED FROM IMPORTANT CAPITAL INVESTMENTS. FIRST, WE'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE CITY WHO HELPED FUND MAJOR PRESERVATION PROJECTS THAT PROTECT THE HISTORIC COMMUNITY. BUILDINGS SUCH AS THE TERRACE AND INVERTED ROOF, AND THE CLAY TILE ROOF. AS WE ARE AS A BOARD, WERE INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE FUNDED. WE TRY TO MATCH THE FUNDING SOURCE TO THE PURPOSE OF THE INVESTMENT. WE GENERALLY LOOK TO THE CITY FIRST FOR PRESERVATION, FOR SAFETY, AND FOR ACCESSIBILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENTS THAT PROTECT THE BUILDING AND ENSURE IT REMAINS FUNCTIONAL FOR THE COMMUNITY. DONOR FUNDING IS TYPICALLY DIRECTED TOWARD ENHANCEMENTS THAT IMPROVE THE USER EXPERIENCE, SUCH AS FURNISHING OUTDOOR SPACES AND FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS. 
          THIS APPROACH HELPS US BE GOOD STEWARDS OF BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE RESOURCES, WHILE PRESERVING THE LIBRARY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. I'D LIKE TO CLOSE WITH A BRIEF COMMENT ABOUT FISCAL STEWARDSHIP OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS, THE CITY'S OVERALL TAX LEVY HAS GROWN BY AN AVERAGE OF 6.7%, WHILE THE LIBRARY FUNDING HAS GROWN BY APPROXIMATELY 4.1% ANNUALLY. AS A RESULT, THE LIBRARY'S SHARE OF THE OVERALL LEVY HAS DECLINED FROM 9.4% TO 7.7%. THE BOARD TAKES SERIOUSLY ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DOLLARS. WE WANT TO BALANCE TODAY'S NEEDS WITH TOMORROW'S OBLIGATIONS. THAT'S WHY, WHEN WE PREPARED THE 2020 BUDGET REQUEST, THE LIBRARY HAS CONTINUED ITS LONG STANDING PRACTICE OF CAREFUL FISCAL STEWARDSHIP, WITH PROPOSED INCREASES LIMITED PRIMARILY TO UNAVOIDABLE CONTRACTUAL COSTS SUCH AS WAGES, STEP INCREASES AND INSURANCE COSTS. WE ARE NOT 
          [00:35:01]
REQUESTING ANY ADDITIONAL STAFFING, EXPANDED SERVICE HOURS OR CAPITAL FUNDING IN 2027. WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE STILLWATER PUBLIC LIBRARY. THE LIBRARY SUCCESS IS A RESULT OF STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY, THE LIBRARY, THE BOARD, STAFF MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS, DONORS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WE ARE PROUD OF WHAT THAT PARTNERSHIP HAS ACCOMPLISHED AND REMAIN COMMITTED TO BEING THOUGHTFUL STEWARDS FOR THE RESOURCES ENTRUSTED TO US, AND WE'RE OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. THANKS, KIM. YEAH. 
          KIM, THAT WAS LOVELY. GREAT PRESENTATION. I LOVE IT WHEN I CAN LEARN SOMETHING NEW. I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL FOR 14 YEARS. I HAD NO IDEA YOU HAD LITTLE SPECIAL PACKS FOR PEOPLE WHOSE FAMILIES ARE DEALING WITH THE ONE WITH DEMENTIA. I MEAN, THAT'S SUPER COOL. I HAD NO IDEA AARON MCQUADE WAS ON THE BOARD. SO TO THE LIBRARY, THE FOUNDATION. SHE'S EVERYWHERE. 
          YES SHE IS. AARON'S EVERYWHERE. SO. OH, VERY COOL. AND I DEFINITELY WANT TO SHARE THIS OUT WITH THE PUBLIC AND MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNOWS. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I KNOW, I KNOW WE SEE THE NUMBERS EVERY YEAR THAT THE VISITORS, BUT JUST 120,000 PEOPLE GOING THROUGH THERE. 
          IT'S A TESTAMENT TO HOW BEAUTIFUL AND WELL ORGANIZED AND, AND HOW COMPELLING THE OFFERINGS AND THE PROGRAMING IS THAT, THAT YOU ALL MAINTAIN FOR US. SO IT'S JUST A HUGE ASSET TO OUR COMMUNITY. I CAN'T IMAGINE STILLWATER WITHOUT THAT LIBRARY. LIKE GROWING UP HERE. 
          YOU KIND OF TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. LIKE IT'S JUST ALWAYS BEEN THERE. BUT THIS, THIS KIND OF RESET MY FRAMEWORK ON, ON HOW WE VIEW IT, JUST GETTING THESE PRESENTATIONS. SO I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST I'LL DO. YEAH. IT WAS GREAT. YEAH YEAH YEAH. HOW MUCH IS IT. WHEN I FIRST WENT ON THE COUNCIL I WAS 22 YEARS AGO. WE HAD TO GO TO WASHINGTON COUNTY. WE HAD TO FORGET FOR THEM TO FORGET LIBRARIES. THEY WERE CHARGING US. THEY WERE CHARGING US FOR DIFFERENT THINGS. HOW'S THE RELATIONSHIP WITH WASHINGTON COUNTY? BECAUSE THIS IS PART OF THE LIBRARY SYSTEM. I DON'T KNOW IF, MARK, IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT ON THAT. YEAH, WE USED TO HEAR ABOUT THAT A LOT. YEAH. I WOULD SAY THE RELATIONSHIP IS VERY GOOD. WE HAVE QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH THE CURRENT DIRECTOR OF WASHINGTON COUNTY AND THERE'S GOOD, SOLID COOPERATION. OKAY. THANK YOU MARK. THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENT ON THE PRESENTATIONS. BOTH MARK AND CARRIE HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN PUT TOGETHER. SO THAT WAS AWESOME. GREAT. YEAH. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. IT'S JUST SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE SUCH A GREAT FACILITY. BUT ALSO IT'S THE STAFF, IT'S THE VOLUNTEERS AND OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES. AND WE'VE GOT A GREAT SHOWING TODAY. NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE KIM, BUT WE'VE GOT CRAIG AND BEVIN. AND I SAW STAN THERE AND ASHLEY AND LARRY AND A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO COME OUT AND SHOW THEIR SUPPORT TO, TO THE WORK THAT THEY DO. AND THEY DO TAKE IT VERY SERIOUS. I THINK IT'S THE BEST BOARD OR COMMISSION IN THE IN THE CITY. YEAH, WE LOVE HAVING. 
          RYAN. GOOD STUFF. AND PLEASE, LIKE IF THERE'S ANY WAY WE CAN RECOGNIZE ALL THE VOLUNTEERS OR JUST PASS ALONG OUR REGARDS AND THANKS FOR THAT. WE'RE HAVING MANY VOLUNTEERS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE AT THE LIBRARY. I'D LOVE TO. THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU. THERE'S YOUR INVITE TO PROMOTE THE THING I JUST SIGNED UP FOR. IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME. YEAH. IF YOU COULD PLEASE SEND ME AN INVITE. I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO TO THANK EVERYBODY. THAT'D BE AMAZING. AWESOME. YEAH. THERE'S SOMETHING COMING UP. THANK YOU KIM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GUYS. VOLUNTEER, VOLUNTEER. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DIP AND GO LIKE I WOULD, YOU KNOW, AS FUN AS THIS IS. SO MOVING ON. WE'LL LET THESE GUYS CLEAR OUT. AND KELLY, THAT APPLIES TO YOU TOO. I MEAN, IT'S GORGEOUS OUT. YOU DON'T NEED TO HANG OUT THE REST OF THIS MEETING. YOU CAN. YOU CERTAINLY CAN. WE DON'T WANT TO KICK ANYBODY OUT OF HERE, BUT IT IS PRETTY MUCH PERFECT OUTSIDE. KELLY. I LOVE TO BE AT THE TED LASSO PARTY. I WOULD BE OH, YES THEY ARE. YEAH. HER DRESS. YES. MY HANDS OUT WHEN WE'RE AT TRADE. TAYLOR LADY BE MADE THAT I LOVE THAT LADY BE IN WOODBERRY BEST BEST TAYLOR IN THE EAST EAST METRO LADY BE SO NOW WHEN I'M AT TRADE SHOW SOME OF THEM ARE LIKE SPEED DATING STYLE ALMOST. YOU GET EIGHT MINUTES WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO CONVINCE A MEETING OR CONFERENCE TO COME. AND SO YOU HAVE TO STAND OUT. AND NOT ONLY TELL THEM THAT WE'VE GOT RIVERBOATS AND TROLLEYS AND CAN ALSO REFLECT THAT PART OF OUR STORY. LOVE IT. YEAH, I LOVE IT. 
          AND I CONCUR. WE'VE GOT A GREAT STAFF AT JEN'S. 15 HOURS ARE A REMARKABLE GIG. YEAH, YEAH. JEN. 
          JEN MCCORMICK IS AMAZING. YEAH. WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE HER. YEAH. WE'RE LUCKY TOO. KELLY. YES. 
          LUCKY LADY. B SHE'S AMAZING. WOODBERRY, RIGHT? YEAH. PHENOMENAL. ALL RIGHT. MOVING 
          [3. Solar Study Update]
ON. SOLAR STUDY UPDATE. WHO'S PICKING THAT ONE OFF. I CAN GIVE. MAYOR TONIGHT WE HAVE TED REDMOND FROM PALE BLUE DOT. TED WAS OUR CONSULTANT HIRED AS PART OF OUR MC MPCA GRANT FOR SOLAR STUDY AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SO TED'S HERE TONIGHT JUST TO GIVE A BRIEF 
          [00:40:03]
PRESENTATION OF THE STUDY AND WHERE WE'RE AT. PERFECT. ALL RIGHT, TED, WELCOME. THANK YOU. 
          HIT THE LITTLE BUTTONS THERE. OKAY. I'M GONNA TRY TO DO A TWO FISTED PRESENTATION BECAUSE I HATE LOOKING BEHIND ME, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER MY SLIDES. I HAVE A SIEVE FOR A BRAIN. SO. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE HERE TONIGHT. JUST TRY TO GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE. SO THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IS A SOLAR MASTER PLAN. AND THEN THE CREATION OF AN RFP TO EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY. THERE'S NO OBLIGATION, BUT THAT STUDY WAS DONE, PAID FOR THROUGH AN MPCA GRANT. SO THEY'RE PAYING FOR ALL OF THIS. THE GRANT GOES THROUGH EXPLORING RFP OPTIONS AND KIND OF EXPLORING RECEIPT OF THOSE. IT DOESN'T, UNFORTUNATELY, COVER, SOLAR ARRAYS, BUT MAYBE THERE'S GRANTS OUT THERE. RIGHT. SO OUR GOAL HAS BEEN TO GET THIS DONE SO WE CAN GO GET MORE GRANTS. SO WE CAN HOPEFULLY REDUCE THE COST TO THE TAXPAYERS OVERALL WITH THIS KIND OF MONEY. SO, SO WHICH IS PERFECT SEGUE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, WE'RE LOOKING AT GUIDING DECISION MAKING FOR THE CITY, FOR THE CITY, PROVIDING INSIGHT, AND SUPPORTING ENERGY, ENERGY USE AND GHG REDUCTIONS. SO, WITH THAT, THE PROCESS THAT WE WENT THROUGH IS FIRST, WE, DID AN ENERGY USE ASSESSMENT, EFFICIENCY BENCHMARKING REVIEW, SORT OF A SATELLITE LEVEL, IF YOU WILL, DESKTOP LEVEL ENERGY REVIEW OF ALL OF THE CITY FACILITIES AND THEN COMPARING THEM TO PEER FACILITIES REGIONALLY. ONCE WE GET AN ENERGY USE, WE TURN IT INTO WHAT'S KNOWN AS AN EUI, AN ENERGY USE INTENSITY. SO WE EQUATE IT ON AN ENERGY CONSUMPTION PER SQUARE FOOT BY PROJECT TYPE. AND ONCE WE DO THAT, WE CAN COMPARE ONE CITY HALL AGAINST ANOTHER CITY REGION, ONE REC CENTER AGAINST ANOTHER REC CENTER IN THE REGION. AND THAT'S AN IMPORTANT BASELINE FOR A SOLAR ASSESSMENT BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEETING ENERGY NEEDS. IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WHAT ARE THE ENERGY NEEDS. AND HEY, ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES THERE TO SAVE AS WELL? WE THEN DID A SOLAR FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT. AND THEN WITH THAT, PRIORITIZED THE SITES AND SORT OF GENERATED A MASTER PLAN. AND THEN THE NEXT STEP IS TO DEVELOP A, WAS TO DEVELOP THE RFP, WHICH WE HAVE DONE. I'LL REITERATE THAT THE RFP IS DESIGNED FOR NO OBLIGATION. SO IF THE CITY DOESN'T GET, IDEAS SUBMITTED THAT WE LIKE AND DON'T WANT TO PURSUE, WE DON'T HAVE TO PURSUE ANYTHING, BUT WE HAVE DESIGNED IT SO THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, DO A COUPLE OF THINGS. FIRST, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO AFFIRM WHAT THE VALUES AND COSTS OF THE SOLAR ARRAYS MIGHT BE IN THE RETURN ON INVESTMENTS. WE DID, WE DID DO PROJECTIONS, BUT IT'S GREAT TO GET A RANGE OF INPUT, WHICH WE WILL ALWAYS SEE IN AN RFP. SECONDLY, WE ARE TRYING TO EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIFFERENT OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES OR, FINANCING STRUCTURES. SO WITH THAT, THE RFP IS ASKING FOR YOUR TYPICAL HERE'S A CASH OFFER. YOU KNOW, JUST AS ANY CONTRACTOR, HERE'S THE THING WE'RE GOING TO BUILD FOR YOU WHEN WE'RE DONE, YOU PAY US X DOLLARS AND YOU OWN IT AND EVERYBODY MOVES ON. WE'RE ALSO ASKING FOR FINANCED OPTIONS. SO SAME RELATIONSHIP, BUT BUT ALSO THE DEVELOPER WOULD BRING FORTH FINANCING, PACKAGE OR WE'RE INVITING THEM TO, TO JUST EXPLORE WHAT THEY COULD OFFER. THE THIRD IS WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE THIRD PARTY OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE WHERE, BASICALLY THEY BECOME A MINI UTILITY WITH A SOLAR ARRAY ON, THE, ON A BUILDING, YOU OWN THE ROOF AND EVERYTHING ELSE. THEY OWN THE SOLAR ARRAY, BUT THEY PROVIDE YOU THE ELECTRICITY FROM IT. AND IN THIS INSTANCE, WE'RE ALSO ASKING FOR THE GREEN ATTRIBUTES. SO YOU GET ALL OF THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A SOLAR ARRAY, BUT THEY, BUILD IT AND THEN THEY CHARGE YOU ON A PER KILOWATT HOUR BASIS. OFTENTIMES THAT STRUCTURE, CAN SAVE YOU MONEY FROM DAY ONE, NOT EVERY TIME, BUT OFTENTIMES DEVELOPMENTS LIKE THAT CAN SAVE YOU MONEY. DEPENDING ON THEIR BACK END, THEIR PARTNERS THAT THEY HAVE FROM FINANCING AND SO FORTH. SO THE RFP IS DESIGNED TO ASK FOR ALL THREE OF THOSE IDEAS. DEVELOPERS DON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE ALL THREE, BUT WE'RE STRONGLY ENCOURAGING IT. AND THEN ALSO WE'RE ASKING FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR THEM TO CONSIDER REDUCING COSTS IF PROJECTS ARE BUNDLED TOGETHER. SO WE'VE GOT FIVE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR, BIDS ON PROPOSALS ON, AND THEY CAN PACKAGE THEM ANY WAY THEY WANT TO SAY, WELL, IF YOU DO THESE TWO, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU 10% OFF OR WHATEVER THEIR THOUGHTS ARE. SO IT'S A, IT'S A EXPEDITION TO LEARN AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND HOPEFULLY DISCOVER A FEW OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE CITY, MOVING FORWARD, AT THE VERY LEAST, WE'RE GOING TO GAIN A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT COULD ALSO HELP YOU MAKE DECISIONS IN THE FUTURE AS WELL. IF THE PROPOSALS DO NOT MEET, YOUR NEEDS. SO JUST A HIGH 
          [00:45:01]
LEVEL FOR THE ENERGY BENCHMARKING. SO WE LOOKED AT EACH CITY FACILITY ENERGY USE, COMPARED IT AGAINST PEER FACILITIES. WE THEN IDENTIFIED SORT OF A PRIORITIZATION OF, FACILITIES THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT DOING A DETAILED ENERGY AUDIT ON. AND I'LL ITERATE THAT JUST BECAUSE ONE, SITE MAY SCORE LESS ATTRACTIVELY AGAINST ITS PEERS DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT'S NOT ENERGY EFFICIENT. THERE COULD BE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES IN THIS BUILDING VERSUS THE AVERAGE FOR THAT TYPE. BUT, AS OUTLIERS, IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO START TO SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE INVEST IN HAVING A DETAILED ENERGY AUDIT DONE ON THIS FACILITY BECAUSE WE MIGHT FIND SOME OPPORTUNITIES. WE DO SURPRISE ME BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE BET THE LILY LAKE REC CENTER WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FURTHEST OFF ITS PEERS, RIGHT? IT'S A MILLION YEARS OLD. IT'S LIKE A COKE CAN WITH A HOCKEY RINK INSIDE OF IT, RIGHT? LIKE I WOULD HAVE, LIKE, I WAS REALLY SURPRISED TO SEE CITY HALL HAD A PERCENTAGE OF 300 OR 369% OFF OF THE 100% BASELINE. DIDN'T WE DO AN ENERGY AUDIT ON THIS BUILDING AND ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS? WE DID THAT WITH TOM MCCARTHY WAS. YEAH, I THOUGHT WE DID. YEAH, WE LOOKED AT IT ON E C IT WAS PRETTY IMPARTIAL. IT WAS, PRETTY UNFINISHED. IT WAS MORE OF A LIKE, HERE'S AN INTRO AND WE NEED TO DO A NEXT STEP KIND OF THING. SO IT WAS VERY MUCH A RUDIMENTARY TYPE THING BECAUSE YOU HAD KIND OF LEANED ON US TO PULL THAT TOGETHER. AND, YEAH, IT WASN'T GIVEN US WHAT WE WANTED. THIS IS A, THIS IS A MUCH MORE INTENSE ONE. SO THE WHOLE ARC OF THIS THING WAS LIKE, WE REALIZED WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND SOLAR. WE DIDN'T WANT TO SPEND MONEY TO GET TO THIS POINT, RIGHT? E C WENT OUT AND WORKED WITH SHARON STAFF AND SEAN'S STAFF TO GET THE, GRANT. I KNOW MUCH MORE ABOUT GRANT WRITING. OUR CHAIR KNOWS MUCH MORE ABOUT GRANT WRITING THAN WE DID BEFORE THAT HAS FUNDED THIS STUDY. OUR HOPE IS COMING OUT OF THAT, AND SEAN HAS HAD A COUPLE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE RFP IN THAT. 
          SO NOW WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE COSTS ARE. THAT GIVES US A TARGET TO GO AFTER MORE GRANTS, HOPEFULLY FIND A WAY TO FUND THIS STUFF SO THAT WE'RE ON THE BLACK THE ENTIRE TIME. I LIKE IT. WELL, WAS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO CITY HALL THAT YOU GUYS FIND? I KNOW THIS IS JUST KIND OF A QUICK OVERVIEW, KIND OF. YEAH, IT'S A HIGH LEVEL BENCHMARKING. SO WE DIDN'T, THE FUNDING REALLY WAS FOCUSED ON THE SOLAR, WE DID THIS AS A SORT OF A BENCHMARK TO JUST SEE, DO WE HAVE ANY OUTLIERS? OKAY, SO REMEMBER WE HAD THE AIR CONDITIONING GO CRAZY TWO YEARS AGO. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S IN THE PERFORMANCE PERIOD OR NOT, RIGHT? LIKE THE POLICE TRAINING ROOM WAS A REFRIGERATOR FOR A LITTLE WHILE THAT WE HAD TROUBLE FIGURING OUT. YEAH, MAYBE I CAN'T RECALL WHICH, DATES WE HAD BILLING FROM, BUT IT MAY BE. YEAH. OKAY. 
          SO THEN THE SOLAR FEASIBILITY ITSELF. OOPS. IS THIS NOT IS THIS NOT BEEN PROCEEDING? YEAH. 
          OKAY, I WENT BACKWARDS, I GUESS. SO. SO THE SOLAR FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT, WHAT WE DID WAS WE DID A CONCEPT DESIGN FOR EACH ONE OF THE SITES. LOOKING AT HOW MIGHT AN ARRAY FIT ON THE, THE SITE. IT'S NOT INTENDED TO BE AN ENGINEERING DESIGN. IT'S INTENDING TO BE CONCEPTUAL. 
          WHAT LOOKS LIKE IT WOULD BE A GOOD FIT. FROM THAT WE COULD THEN DO ENERGY PERFORMANCE MODELING. HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY WOULD AN ARRAY LIKE THAT LIKELY GENERATE GIVEN SOLAR SHADING AND ALL THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. AFTER THAT, THEN WE CONDUCTED, A HIGH LEVEL, BUDGET PROJECTION. 
          WHAT IS A LIKELY BUDGET FOR THAT ARRAY? AND THEN BECAUSE WE HAVE, OOPS, BECAUSE WE HAVE, THE ENERGY PROJECTIONS, WE CAN ALSO DO A HIGH LEVEL RETURN ON INVESTMENT, PUTTING IN SOME REASONABLE PLACEHOLDERS FOR ANNUAL MAINTENANCE, REPLACEMENT OF PARTS AT CERTAIN TIMES. WHAT THE INITIAL COST WAS SOME, ESSENCE OF FINANCING. SO WE HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT THE PICTURE MIGHT LOOK LIKE. AND THEN WITH THAT, WE COULD THEN PROVIDE A LITTLE SUMMARY FOR EACH SITE. THAT GIVES A SENSE AS TO WHAT THAT LIKELY PERFORMANCE MIGHT BE. AND THEN THAT WE COULD USE TO PRIORITIZE, A SITE THAT DOESN'T EARN ITS KEEP. YOU PUT AN ARRAY ON IT. 
          IT DOESN'T PAY FOR ITSELF AT ALL IS A FOUR, MEANING I WOULDN'T PUT SOLAR ON THERE IF I OWNED IT, IF IT EARNS ITS KEEP, BUT IT'S LIKE TAKES US 20 YEARS OUT OF A 30 YEAR LIFESPAN. 
          IT'S LIKE A THREE. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, TECHNICALLY YOU WOULD AS A LONG TERM OWNER, YOU WILL MAKE MONEY BACK, BUT IT'S NOT SUPER STRONG AND SO FORTH. SO WE USE THAT INFORMATION TO PRIORITIZE EACH ONE OF THE SITES. AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THEIR HIGH LEVEL, GOOD FAITH 
          [00:50:03]
ESTIMATES, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE MARKET REACTIONS, WHEN WE GET PROPOSALS BACK. THE MARKET FLUCTUATES LIKE MONTHLY. IT'S, IT'S SUPER VOLATILE, BUT LOTS OF POLICY DECISIONS, YOU KNOW, FROM TARIFFS ON DOWN TO AFFECT THIS INDUSTRY. SO IT'S AN INFLUX SORT OF SITUATION. BUT FROM THAT, WE COULD PRIORITIZE, EACH OF THE SITES. AND THEN WE COULD ALSO BUNDLE TOGETHER BY PRIORITY LEVEL. WHAT IS THE ROUGH ORDER OF MAGNITUDE FOR INSTALLATION COSTS? WHAT'S THE ROUGH ORDER OF MAGNITUDE OF, VALUE THAT THOSE ARRAYS WOULD PROVIDE THE CITY OVER THEIR LIFESPAN BECAUSE THEY'RE PROVIDING ELECTRICITY? THE DIFFERENCE, THE OVERALL SORT OF RETURN ON INVESTMENT, HOW MUCH OF THE ELECTRICITY IS, COULD LIKELY BE PRODUCED THROUGH THOSE ARRAYS FOR THOSE SUBJECT SITES? AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS? SO WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR PRIORITY ONE SITES, PRIORITY TWO SITES, AND THEN THREE AND THEN FOUR. FOUR IS THE I DEFINITELY WOULDN'T PUT IT THERE IF I OWNED IT. THREE IS, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T SAY NO IF IT WAS FREE OR WE FOUND A GRANT, BUT I WOULDN'T PRIORITIZE IT RIGHT NOW. AND MAYBE IF THINGS REALLY BECOME SUPER INEXPENSIVE IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS, MAYBE IT MOVES UP. TWO IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A GOOD SITE. IT WOULD WORK. IT'S NOT AS STRONG ON A RETURN ON INVESTMENT AS A ONE, BUT IF YOU BUNDLE IT WITH A ONE, IT MIGHT BECOME, OR IF SOMEBODY HAS A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT DOING THE ARRAY, THEY'VE GOT SOME SOLAR PANELS THAT ARE A GREAT FIT AND THEY WANT TO GIVE YOU A DEAL ON IT. 
          YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALL SORTS OF REASONS WHY A TWO COULD BE A ONE AND A ONE IS BOY, IF IT DOES PERFORM LIKE THAT FOR A MUNICIPALITY, THAT'S A GOOD ARRAY. SO, WHAT WE'VE DONE THEN IS OUT OF THOSE, THE RFP THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER IS EXPLORING THE ONES AND THE TWOS, UNDER THAT PHILOSOPHY THAT, WELL, IF WE CAN BUNDLE A ONE WITH A TWO, MAYBE THAT TWO BECOMES A ONE. 
          WE'RE HOPEFULLY GETTING SHARP PENCILS. MAYBE THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE THEM ALL, COST EFFECTIVE, IMPORTANT NUANCE THAT I THINK MIGHT COME UP JUST BECAUSE OF THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION. LIBRARY ROOF WAS NEVER IN SCOPE ON THIS. I FIGURED I WOULD. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. WE LOOKED AT A LITTLE OUTLIVED EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM AT THIS POINT. SO YEAH, WE LOOKED AT A LITTLE OPPORTUNITY ON THE PATIO. THERE'S A LITTLE FLAT ROOF THAT'S, EXPOSED, LIKE WHAT MIGHT THAT BE LIKE? AND IT DIDN'T PAY FOR ITSELF ANYWAY. 
          SO YEAH, OR IT, IT DOES, BUT ONLY IN THE LONG RUN. IT'S, IT'S NOT AS SOLID OF AN OPPORTUNITY AS THE. SO WITH THAT, THEN, OUR NEXT STEP IS WE'VE. SO WE. RFP WAS ISSUED ON WAS, I SHOULD KNOW THE DATE JUST LIKE THAT. I THINK IT WAS LIKE JUNE 15TH OR SOMETHING. I THINK THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. I MIGHT HAVE HIT IT. SO IT'S BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE. WE DID THEN, SOLAR TOURS. WE WENT AND TOURED ALL THE FACILITIES WITH INTERESTED PARTIES JUST TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO KICK THE TIRES, SEE WHAT'S THERE. RECEIVED QUESTIONS AND, ISSUED TWO ADDENDA. AND NOW WE EXPECT PROPOSALS OR BIDS. NEXT TUESDAY THE 11TH. AND SO AS I SAY, WE, WE KNOW WE ASKED FOR AN RSVP OR NOT JUST A STATEMENT OF INTEREST. IT WAS NOT MANDATORY. 
          SO PEOPLE COULD END UP SUBMITTING THAT DID NOT SEND IN AN INDICATION THAT THEY'RE GOING TO. BUT WE JUST I LIKE KNOWING KIND OF WHAT TO EXPECT. AND WE HAD A COUPLE FOLKS INDICATE THAT I'VE HEARD FROM A COUPLE OTHERS WHO INDICATED THAT THEY JUST DIDN'T SUBMIT THE, THE NOTICE, BUT THEY ARE PLANNING ON IT. SO WE'RE HOPING TO GET, YOU KNOW, 4 OR 5 BIDS. 
          AND THE ONES THAT I KNOW OF, I THINK ARE STRONG CANDIDATES. SO THAT'S GOOD. RIGHT. AND AS I SAY, SO WE'LL SEE WHAT THEY PROPOSE. WE EXPECT TO SEE EVERYTHING FROM CASH TO HERE'S AN OFFER WHERE, WE'LL, WE WOULD BASICALLY PUT IT IN AN ARRAY. AND THEN ONCE IT'S DONE, YOU JUST START PAYING US FOR THE KILOWATT HOURS, WITH A COST DEFINITION OF WHAT THAT WOULD BE. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO PRESENT THOSE OPTIONS TO COUNCIL OR. YEAH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE SEPTEMBER IN OUR PROPOSAL SOMETIME, MAYBE THE END OF SEPTEMBER, FIRST PART OF OCTOBER. OKAY, GREAT. THIS IS GREAT. ALSO AN OPTION TO DO INTERVIEWS. WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN OR NOT. WE'LL JUST HAVE TO LOOK AT THE PROPOSALS. OKAY, PERFECT. THANK YOU. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO DID YOU LOOK AT THE REC CENTER? I KNOW A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS BEFORE AND WE STARTED BUYING SOLAR ENERGY AND IT SAVED US LIKE 30, 000 A YEAR. 
          IS THAT EVEN RELEVANT ANYMORE? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S INVOLVED WITH IT ANYMORE. THAT WAS THAT WAS ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. IS THAT THE COMMUNITY GARDEN SUBSCRIPTION? IS THAT WHAT 
          [00:55:03]
YOU'RE SPEAKING? YEAH, I THINK SO. YEAH. RIGHT. YEAH. THOSE ARE I WILL NEVER I, I NEVER SPEAK AGAINST SOLAR IN ANY OF ITS MANIFESTATIONS. IT'S ALL GOOD. THESE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THAT IN THAT EVEN THE PPA COULD BE DEPENDING ON HOW THEY STRUCTURE IT. WE'VE ASKED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE THIRD PARTY STRUCTURE, TO BE SET UP IN SUCH A WAY WHERE THE. SO HERE'S THE ISSUE. SO SOLAR IS ELECTRICITY. IT'S ALSO GREEN ATTRIBUTES. AND ONCE ELECTRICITY GOES INTO THE GRID, IT'S LIQUID. NOBODY KNOWS WHERE THE ELECTRONS GO. CAN'T TAG THE ELECTRONS. EXACTLY. SO WE DO TAG IT BY A BUNDLE AND WE PUT OUT WHAT'S CALLED A RENEWABLE ENERGY CREDIT CERTIFICATE. AND THAT THEN DEFINES WHOEVER HOLDS THE CERTIFICATE, OWNS THE GREEN ATTRIBUTES OF THE ELECTRICITY. NOW IT'S SIMPLIFIED. IF I OWN THE ARRAY AND I PUT IT ON MY ROOF, I DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ANY OF THAT STUFF. BUT IN A THIRD PARTY STRUCTURE, THAT NOW BECOMES A VALUE. AND SO WE'VE STRUCTURED IT TO SAY, HEY, THE CITY IS INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING THE RECS AND IDEALLY HOLDING ON TO THEM. SO IN EACH ONE OF THESE POTENTIAL APPROACHES, THE CITY COULD OFFSET ITS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN ITS OWN CALCULATIONS THROUGH THAT ELECTRICITY WITH A SOLAR GARDEN. SOMEBODY ELSE GETS TO ACCOUNT FOR THOSE REDUCTIONS. TYPICALLY IT'S XCEL ENERGY AND THE UTILITIES, THEY'RE USUALLY THE OFF TAKERS OF THE GREEN ATTRIBUTES. THAT'S WHAT'S HELPING THEM REDUCE THEIR EMISSIONS IN LINE WITH THE STATE'S REQUIREMENTS. IT'S EXTREMELY CEREBRAL. I WISH IT WAS SIMPLER THAN THAT. IT'S KIND OF GOOFY. SO, THE SOLAR SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE AWESOME. 
          THESE ARE NUANCED FROM THAT IN THAT IT OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR OWN GHG ACCOUNTING AND GHG REDUCTION GOALS, AS WELL AS RENEWABLE SUPPORTING RENEWABLES. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR TED? AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GREAT PRESENTATION. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE THE WORK. GREAT. WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO STAFF REPORTS. MR. 
          [4. Assistant City Administrator]
SANDERS, HOW ARE WE DOING? JUST GOT SOME GOOD AERIAL PHOTOS OF THE WATER TOWER PICTURES OVER STILLWATER. IT'S REALLY LOVELY GETTING OFF ON STILLWATER BOULEVARD AND JUST SEEING IT KIND OF MELT INTO THE SKY. IT'S. IT'S. WHY DO PEOPLE THINK WE'RE GOING TO PUT A PONY LOGO ON IT? THAT'S RIGHT. BECAUSE THERE USED TO BE ONE. THERE USED TO BE ONE. REALLY? REALLY. OH, OKAY. THAT'S WHY. ARE YOU NOT PROUD OF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL? THERE ARE MORE SCHOOLS THAT EXIST IN THIS COMMUNITY THAN STILLWATER AREA HIGH SCHOOL. COOL. I THINK IT'S THE CLASSIEST WATER TOWER IN ALL OF MINNESOTA. IT'S AMAZING HOW MUCH YOU NOTICE THOSE NOW, RIGHT? I WAS DRIVING THROUGH SOMEPLACE AND I WAS LIKE, I'M PICKING ON EDEN PRAIRIE BECAUSE THE FIRST THING THAT POPPED IN MY HEAD, IT WASN'T EDEN PRAIRIE, BUT I WAS LIKE, EDEN PRAIRIE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? IT'S DIRTY. IT LOOKS LIKE, COME ON, LET'S GET ON IT. THAT'S WHEN I CALLED SEAN. I WAS DRIVING TO THE MALL OF AMERICA AND I WAS LOOKING AT SOMEBODY. I'M LIKE, THIS THING IS THAT ONE. IT'S BEIGE. IT'S CRAP. LIKE, IT'S JUST TERRIBLE. LIKE, WE DON'T WE DON'T WANT THAT. AND SEAN'S LIKE, WE'RE JUST ABOUT TO ORDER PAINT. I'M LIKE, LET'S GO. SO, MAYOR, YOU TOUCHED ON THE PAINTING OF THE TOWER IS COMPLETED. THE TANK HAS BEEN FILLED WITH WATER, AND WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR THE DISINFECTION TEST TO COME BACK. SO BY NEXT WEEK, THE TANK SHOULD BE BACK IN SERVICE. OKAY. IT'S KIND OF A RELIEF FOR US ALL BECAUSE WE HAD SOME PRETTY IT'S BEEN SOME WATER PRESSURE ISSUES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. RIGHT. AND JUST OVERALL, DRY WEATHER AND JUST SOME CONCERNS. YEAH, I CAN IMAGINE THAT BACK IN SERVICE, SEAN, BY THE WAY, JUST LIKE, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS MISSING AS PEOPLE HEAR ABOUT THIS BECAUSE WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE PAINT COLORS. THERE'S AN IMPORTANT REASON WE'RE DOING THIS. THIS IS LIKE MAINTENANCE TO KEEP IT CLEAN AND SAFE. AND THEY DO A TON OF WORK INSIDE THAT NOBODY SEES. BUT THAT IS ALL FOR PUBLIC SAFETY KIND OF STUFF. THE PAINTING, THE EXTERIOR IS FUN FOR US BECAUSE WE LIKE THE COLORS AND EVERYTHING, BUT IT HAS TO BE DONE AS AN INFRASTRUCTURE ITEM AND IT SHOULD LAST US 20 TO 25 YEARS. COOL. EVERYBODY THAT WANTS A PONIES LOGO, IF YOU'RE WATCHING, YOU'VE GOT 25 YEARS CITY COUNCIL TO, YOU KNOW, COME UP WITH A NEW DESIGN FOR THE WATER TOWER. I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I'M HEARING. YEAH. THE GOOD NEWS, MAYOR AND COUNCIL IS OUR LAUREL PARK PAVILION PROJECT IS COMPLETED. JUST MET WITH THE CONTRACTOR WAS FAST PUNCH LIST ITEMS. SO BY MONDAY, THE FENCING OR THE EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE REMOVED, AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. YEAH, WELL, YOU TEXT US OR EMAIL US SO WE CAN GO CHECK THAT OUT WHEN IT'S FINALLY DONE. I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT. THAT'S GOOD. BID OPENING FOR THE PHASE THREE OF OUR LUMBERJACK LANDING PROJECT IS AUGUST 11TH. SO WE'RE PRESENT THOSE RESULTS AT OUR NEXT MEETING. SO ANOTHER LAW LUMBERJACK LANDING NEWS IS A STABILIZATION WORK IS COMPLETED. 
          IS IT ANOTHER IT'S ANOTHER GREAT UPDATE. MOST OF THAT HEAVY EQUIPMENT OUT OF THERE THEN. YEAH. SO THE REMAINING WORK IS JUST LANDSCAPING. BUT THE TRAIL IS ALL WOODCHIPS DOWN ON IT YET. BUT IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT AMENITY TO THAT PARK IF THAT'S COOL OUT THERE. 
          [01:00:06]
WE NEED TO TAKE A TOUR DOWN THERE. IT'S IT'S AMAZING. THIS IS THE BEST MEETING EVER. SO FAR, SO GOOD. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MAYOR. WELL, TOM, YOU'RE THE GOOD NEWS THAT I FOUND LAST WEEK ON THAT TOUR. OH, SCRATCH, WE GOT OUR PERMITS FOR THE WATERFRONT PROJECTS. OH, WELL, WE GOT. YES, WE GOT OUR DNR PERMIT FOR THE LUMBERJACK LANDING PROJECT. OKAY. WE'RE STILL WORKING ON OUR PROCESS THROUGH THE SHODDY MILL BERGSTEIN BUILDING. THAT'LL BE COMING UP TO THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. AWESOME. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JOHN. ALL RIGHT, 
          [5. Police Chief]
POLICE CHIEF. GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL. JUST A COUPLE QUICK UPDATES. WE HAVE A KIND OF LIKE AN EIGHT YEAR CAPITAL PROJECT TO REPLACE THE, TORNADO SIRENS OR THE SIRENS THAT WE HAVE. SO WE HAVE ONE THAT'S JUST COMPLETED UP. I THINK IT'S ONE UP IN NORTH FORK. 
          AND SO IT'S KIND OF EVERY YEAR WE'RE GOING TO REPLACE THOSE. AND THAT'LL KIND OF MINIMIZE OUR REPAIR COSTS. WE COULD PUT A PONY LOGO MAYBE ON TOP OF THOSE OR JUST CHANGE THE CARDS IF THAT WOULD MAKE A NICE TO SEE. WE'VE CONVERTED YOU NOW TO. SO WE'RE ALL IN NOW. AND THEN JUST LASTLY, JUST KIND OF LIKE, I FEEL LIKE THIS HAS BEEN THE CADENCE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, BUT YOU HAD ANOTHER GREAT EVENT. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT YOU HAD A BUNCH OF WOMEN AND MEN FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WORKING AGAIN YESTERDAY. AND WE DIDN'T HAVE TO MANDATE THAT, BUT THEY VOLUNTEERED. AND WE HAD INDIVIDUALS IN THE DUNK TANK THAT THEN WENT BACK, PUT ON UNIFORM AND SERVED THE REST OF THE EVENING, OTHER INDIVIDUALS. 
          AND THERE'S ONE INDIVIDUAL IN PARTICULAR, AND I ALWAYS PRAISE HIM, BRAD JUNKER AND HE'S GOING TO SAY, NO, IT'S A TEAM. IT'S ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE. AND IT IS THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT STEPS UP AND DOES A TON OF WORK GRILLING HOT DOGS. OUR ASSOCIATION STEPPED UP AND PAID FOR THAT. LIKE WE'RE JUST DOING A TON OF AWESOME THINGS. AND I GET VOLUNTEERS FROM ACROSS THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT BRAD AND HE WON'T SAY IT DOES AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF WORK. HE PREPS FOR THIS ALL YEAR. HE WORKS ON THE BIKE RODEO. HE DOES JUST ALL OF THESE THINGS AND HE'S JUST AN AWESOME ASSET. SO PROUD TO HAVE HIM HERE AND FIRE. ABSOLUTELY. SO HE'S JUST AN AWESOME PERSON AND AN AWESOME EMPLOYEE. AND AGAIN, WE'RE JUST SUPER, SUPER LUCKY TO HAVE HIM AROUND. SO I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE WON'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HIMSELF. SO OF COURSE I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. IT WAS CHIEF. IT WAS A GREAT EVENT AND KUDOS TO TO EVERYBODY THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THAT. AND THE HOT DOGS WERE PHENOMENAL. YOU GOT SOME GOOD GRILLING SKILLS, MAN. THE TEAM'S GRILLING SKILLS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS ALL OVER IT. I DIDN'T THINK I NEEDED A HOT DOG YESTERDAY, BUT I WAS RUNNING ALL OVER STILLWATER, AND THAT WAS THE BEST HOT DOG I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME. SO THAT WAS GREAT. BUT YEAH, BEAUTIFUL EVENT. AND AGAIN, THE, THE, YOUR STAFF, ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY STAFF ARE JUST, JUST GREAT. I MEAN, IT WAS KIND OF A LOVE FEST OUT THERE LAST NIGHT ALL OVER STILLWATER. AND I KNOW IT'S A BUSY DAY FOR EVERYBODY. AND WE'VE HAD A TON OF EVENTS AND A VERY BUSY TEMPO THIS SUMMER. SO TO KIND OF PUTS A CAP ON IT. IT'S KIND OF VERY COMMUNITY FOCUSED AND JUST LOVELY. SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU AND THANKS TO THE WHOLE TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ALL 
          [6. Library Director]
RIGHT. LIBRARY MARK. AFTERNOON. MAYOR AND COUNCIL. NEXT YEAR WILL BE THE LIBRARY'S 130TH ANNIVERSARY. WOW. SO AS PART OF THAT, IN PREPARATION FOR THAT, WE'RE INVITING LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, SCHOOLS, FAITH COMMUNITIES, NONPROFITS, CIVIC GROUPS TO CREATE A COMMUNITY CURATED LIST OF 130 BOOKS OF IMPACT. AND SO THERE'S MORE INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER LIBRARY NEWS, BUT GROUPS CAN RECOMMEND UP TO TEN BOOKS THAT HAVE INFORMED, INSPIRED, CHALLENGED, OR CHANGED THE COMMUNITY. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DUE BY OCTOBER 1ST, AND THEN THE FINAL LIST WILL BE DEVELOPED. AFTER THAT, IT'LL REFLECT THE MANY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES THAT MAKE STILLWATER A VIBRANT COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S JUST ONE ACTIVITY. WE HAVE A LOT OF, IDEAS AND PLANS IN THE WORKS THROUGHOUT NEXT YEAR TO CELEBRATE THE ANNIVERSARY, HOW MANY CAN BE ON THE LIST? WE SUBMIT TEN. I'M SORRY. YEAH, TEN PER GROUP. YEAH. SO YOU CAN BE A MEMBER OF DIFFERENT GROUPS, BUT OKAY. VERY COOL. OKAY, COOL. 
          YEAH. SUMMER GARDEN EXPLORER'S READING PROGRAM CONCLUDES THIS SATURDAY WITH A VARIETY PUPPET SHOW AT 10:30 A.M. IN THE MARGARET RIVERS ROOM. AND THEN AFTER THE SHOW, WE'LL CELEBRATE WITH FREE POPSICLES AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. IT'S REALLY KIND OF A FUN CONCLUSION TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM DESIGNED TO KEEP CHILDREN READING AND LEARNING THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER TO PREPARE THEM, YOU KNOW, TO RETURN TO SCHOOL AND READY TO LEARN AND GET, YOU KNOW, OFF TO A GOOD START. AND THEN I'M ALSO WORKING WITH STAFF AND THE FOUNDATION ON A GRANT FOR NEXT YEAR'S SUMMER READING PROGRAM. SO WE'RE ALWAYS WORKING, YOU KNOW, NINE, 12 MONTHS AHEAD. 
          AND THEN LASTLY, LATER THIS MONTH, THE LIBRARY WILL HOST A PRESENTATION ON HEART MOUNTAIN, 
          [01:05:06]
WHICH WAS A WORLD WAR TWO DETENTION CENTER IN WYOMING WHERE MORE THAN 10,000 JAPANESE AMERICANS WERE CONFINED AT ONE TIME. AND THEN INFORMATION ABOUT HEART MOUNTAIN'S. HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE, AS WELL AS THE STORIES THAT THEY'RE PRESERVING, TO HELP EDUCATE FUTURE GENERATIONS. INFORMATION ALONG THOSE LINES WILL BE SHARED. THE PRESENTER IS THE ARCHITECT WHO, CREATED A CENTER OR WAS PART OF A GROUP THAT CREATED A CENTER AT HER HOME. 
          AND SO THAT'S THURSDAY, AUGUST 20TH AT 6:00 IN THE ROOM. SO THERE YOU GO. AWESOME. THANKS, MARK. THANK YOU. MARK. THANK YOU FOR THAT GREAT PRESENTATION. YEAH, THAT WAS THE BEST THEY'VE EVER PUT TOGETHER. I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY WELL DONE, VERY WELL DONE. DID A GREAT JOB. SO YEAH, 
          [7. IT Manager]
GREAT PEOPLE. THANKS, MARK. ALL RIGHT. IT ARE WE DOING GOOD. THANKS FOR FIGHTING OFF THOSE IRANIAN WATER HACKERS. YEAH, SURE HANDEDLY TALK ABOUT THE ELEPHANT FROM LAST WEEK. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS THE GOVERNOR, THE IRANIANS. BUT YOU FOUGHT THEM OFF. WELL. WELL, THAT'S OTHERS GUIDANCE TO TAKE EVERYTHING OFFLINE TO. YEAH. ON THAT WHEN I GOT WIND OF IT ON ON TUESDAY MORNING OF THE ATTACKS ON THE VARIOUS WATER SYSTEMS AND THE METRO AREA, I UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT WAS RIGHT AWAY AND HOW THEY WERE DOING THAT. AND ONE THAT IT DID NOT, WAS NOT APPLICABLE TO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE BECAUSE WE WEREN'T USING THAT TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR CONNECTIVITY. AND IF WE WERE WITH OUR CYBER SECURITY HYGIENE PRACTICES, WE WOULD HAVE PUT THINGS IN PLACE THAT WOULD HAVE MITIGATED THOSE TYPE THOSE UP. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY, AND IF WE DID, WE WOULD HAVE CAUGHT IT ANYWAY. YES, YES. NO BIG DEAL ARE STILL UP. NEXT WEEK IS GOING TO BE BUSSING FOR IT OR BUSY. OUR NEW GIS TECHNICIAN STARTS NEXT WEEK, SO WE'LL BE ONBOARDING HIM, GETTING HIM CAUGHT UP TO SPEED ON, ON EVERYTHING THAT THE CITY IS DOING AND HOW HE CAN SERVE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN OUR FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE CITY. ALSO NEXT WEEK, COMCAST IS TERMINATING THEIR, THEIR, THEIR FIBER FOR US, FOR OUR CROSS BUILDING CONNECTIVITY, FOR OUR REDUNDANT CONNECTIONS. SO IT WON'T BE BROUGHT ONLINE, WE WON'T BE USING IT YET, BUT IT'S THE NEXT PHASE THAT THEIR WORK IS DONE. AND THEN WE START, INTERNALLY MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS. SO WE HAVE THAT, THAT REDUNDANCY. IF, IF THERE'S A CUT IN ONE OF OUR LINKS, WITH THAT ALSO NEXT WEEK IS A MEGA PROJECT IS STARTING OUR, OUR NETWORK UPGRADE REPLACEMENT FOR. SO ALL OUR NETWORKING EQUIPMENT IN EACH OF OUR LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. IT'S OVERDUE FOR REPLACEMENT. SO WE WILL BE SWAPPING THAT OUT. ONE, TO ARCHITECT OUR NETWORK A LITTLE BIT BETTER. FOR THAT REDUNDANCY I TALKED ABOUT ALSO, JUST NEW HARDWARE ENSURES RELIABILITY AND UPTIME. AND ADDITIONALLY, THAT NEW HARDWARE GETS, YOU KNOW, CONSISTENT SECURITY UPDATES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO AGAIN, CYBER SECURITY, I GOT TO HAVE YOUR STUFF PATCHED. SOME GOOD NEWS. 
          THE, WE TALKED ABOUT LIKE WE LAUNCHED OUR WI-FI PROJECT LAST YEAR AND WE HAD A COUPLE OUTLINED BUILDINGS JUST THAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO INTERRUPT THEIR SERVICES LIKE THE REC CENTER, RMIS SPECIALIST RICH. HE WRAPPED THAT UP ACTUALLY LAST WEEK OR THIS WEEK. SO NEW WI-FI EQUIPMENT IN THERE. YAY. ALSO OUR IT TECHNICIAN IS ROLLING OUT A NEW LAPTOPS TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS. A LOT OF EXCITEMENT AND HYPE AROUND THAT, BOOSTING MORALE, AND INCREASING PUBLIC SAFETY EFFICIENCY. AND FINALLY, THE BEST NEWS IS OUR LUMBERJACK LANDING AV. WE'VE GOT THAT INSTALLATION SCHEDULED AND COORDINATED FOR SEPTEMBER 14TH, AND THEN THAT SHOULD BE WRAPPED UP THAT WEEK, HOPEFULLY TO LET YOU KNOW HOW GOOD THIS GUY IS. HE, HE, HE GOT 398 INCH TELEVISIONS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. OH, THAT'S HOW THAT WORKED, HOPEFULLY YOU'RE NOT BUYING YOUR NETWORK EQUIPMENT OFF TV. THERE WAS SOME LOGISTICS, ITEMS TO WORK THROUGH ON THAT, AND WE'LL BE, CIRCULATING THOSE, THOSE DISPLAYS TO OTHER AV PROJECTS THAT REQUIRE IT. WE WERE GOING TO HAVE THE FANCIEST BUILDING IN, IN STATE OF MINNESOTA. IT'S STILL SUPER BOWL PARTY. ALL RIGHT. AWESOME. WELL, THANK YOU, ROB. APPRECIATE IT. ANY OTHER 
          [8. Fire Chief]
          [01:10:03]
QUESTIONS, ROB? THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. LET'S MOVE ON TO FIRE CHIEF. HOW ARE WE DOING? GOOD, GOOD. SO THINKING ABOUT THAT LADDER, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING THAT COULD GET ME TO THE TOP OF THAT LADDER. I THINK IT'D BE A GOOD COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER. HOW MANY STEPS MAYOR COULD TAKE IT? RIGHT. LIKE. LIKE HOW MUCH HOW MUCH CASH IT TAKES FOR THE FIRE FOUNDATION OR SOMETHING TO GET TO THE TOP OF THAT THING. I MEAN, VERTIGO JUST LOOKING AT IT. YEAH, JUST A COUPLE UPDATES. I'LL JUMP ON BRIAN'S AS FAR AS COMMUNITY EVENTS. AND KUDOS TO BRAD JUNKER, BECAUSE NOT ONLY DOES HE SET IT ALL UP FOR PD, HE PRODUCES THAT LIST FOR FIRE AS WELL, SO THAT WE GO TOGETHER WITH PD TO THOSE COMMUNITY GATHERINGS. SO, BRIAN, BRAD DOES LIKE TO STAY KIND OF UNDER THE RADAR, BUT KUDOS TO HIM FOR STEPPING UP AND TAKING CARE OF THAT. SO IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT FOR US AS WELL, VISITING ALL THE BLOCK PARTIES IN THE COMMUNITY. WASHINGTON SQUARE. LAST WEEKEND WE WERE AT WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIR FOR PUBLIC SAFETY DAY AND SAW THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THERE ON SATURDAY. AND THEN AS WELL UNDER FIRE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION IS WE DID A HOSPITAL TOUR WITH ALL OF OUR STAFF LAST THURSDAY NIGHT, WITH K A, AND GIVE EVERYBODY THE LAY OF THE LAND OUT THERE IN CASE WE DO HAVE MEDICAL OR ANY TYPE OF INCIDENT OUT THERE. SO THEY KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GOING AND EQUIPMENT AND CRANES, YOU NAME IT. RIGHT. SO THAT'S ON THE CONSTRUCTION SIDE, RIGHT? IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, THE CONSTRUCTION SITE. SO THAT'S COOL. I MEAN, THAT'S GOT TO BE A DIFFERENT ONES. I MEAN, WHEN'S THE LAST TIME WE'VE HAD A PROJECT LIKE THIS THAT BIG? WE HAVEN'T RIGHT. I MEAN, WE JUST REALLY WE'VE HAD THE COURTHOUSE, BUT NOT TO THAT MAGNITUDE OF THE HOSPITAL. RIGHT? SO IT'S A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH K A AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE OUT THERE REGULARLY WITH THE FULL TIME STAFF CONDUCTING INSPECTIONS AND WORKING WITH THE CREWS. SO YEAH, EVERYTHING'S BEEN GOOD. IT'S BEEN GOOD. YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. TOM. TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE CRUISING ALONG. SO YEAH. 
          IT'S EXCITING. EVERY WEEK YOU GO OUT THERE AND IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. SO, WITH THAT IS, OUR FULL TIME FIREFIGHTER ENGINEER. WE HAVE TWO VACANCIES ON THAT. ONE IS A 24 HOUR SHIFT. ONE IS A FLOAT. THE 24 HOUR SHIFT POSITION WAS POSTED LAST FRIDAY. SO THAT IS OUT THERE FOR ANYBODY INTERESTED. AND CLIMB ON THE LADDER. SO THAT'S OUT THERE FOR TWO WEEKS. IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED IN APPLYING. AND THEN, WE'RE JUST GEARING UP FOR KIND OF FIRE PREVENTION WEEK COMING UP. WE ACTUALLY START THAT WITH SOME OF THE SCHOOLS IN SEPTEMBER. SO KIND OF GEARING UP HOT AND HEAVY FOR THAT. AND THEN NEXT COUNCIL MEETING, WE'LL BE COMING TO YOU WITH A BUNCH OF BADGE PINNINGS KIND OF AN EXCITING TIME FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. FANTASTIC. THANKS FOR THE UPDATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. FINANCE. HOW 
          [9. Finance Director]
ARE WE? GOOD. MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I FEEL LIKE MY EYES ARE CROSSED BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF NUMBERS FLOATING AROUND MY DIRECTION IN THE LAST WEEK, BUT I THINK JOE AND I ARE, FAIRLY CLOSE. COUPLE TWEAKS MAYBE TO MAKE IN THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS, AND THEN WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING OUT TO YOU NEXT WEEK FOR THE, FOR THE BUDGET. AND THEN ALSO AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE GETTING READY FOR THE 2026 BONDING. SO A LOT OF NUMBERS FLYING THERE TOO. SO YEAH, AWESOME. IT SOUNDS GREAT. EVERYTHING'S LOOKING GOOD. YEAH. ALL RIGHT, I LIKE IT. ALL RIGHT. 
          [10. Community Development Director]
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. COUPLE QUICK THINGS. OUR 15 MINUTE QUICK STOP PARKING SIGNS WERE FABRICATED BY OUR PUBLIC WORKS STAFF, AND THOSE SHOULD BE BEING INSTALLED OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. SO MOSTLY ALONG MAIN STREET, A COUPLE, SIDE STREETS. 
          YOU SHOULD SEE THOSE. AND THEN PEOPLE HOPEFULLY WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE QUICK IN AND OUT, FREE PARKING STALLS. WE HAD, I WANT TO SAY THERE WERE TEN ISH, 13 ISH MAYBE AROUND THERE. YEAH. BUT A LOT OF REALLY THOUGHTFUL, GOOD CONVERSATIONS AND DATA AND ALL THE THINGS AROUND IT. SO PERFECT. JUST A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO THAT. YEAH. SO THOSE WILL BE GOING IN AND THERE'S A COUPLE LOADING ZONE SIGNS THAT ARE ALSO GOING IN AS WELL. SO, YOU SEE THAT HAPPENING? TO JUST ADD ON TO KELLY'S COMMENTS ABOUT KIND OF KNOWING WHAT'S GOING ON DOWNTOWN. I JUST GOT AN EMAIL BEFORE THIS MEETING THAT THE, THE STUDY WE WORKED THE CONSULTANT ON KIND OF DOWNTOWN EVENTS AND WHO'S COMING AND KIND OF THAT THEY HAVE A DRAFT REPORT AND SHOULD GET IT IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. WE'LL WORK THROUGH IT. AND THEN BRINGING THAT TO YOU PROBABLY AT THE SEPTEMBER WORKSHOP TO KIND OF LOOK AT THESE BIG EVENTS. WHO'S COMING, WHERE ARE THEY FROM, ALL THE DATA THAT WOULD REALLY BE HELPFUL FOR EVENT PLANNING AS WELL AS FOR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY STAFF. WE DO HAVE FOUR GREAT FINALISTS FOR OUR CITY PLANNER POSITION. WE'RE DOING INTERVIEWS ON FRIDAY TO REPLACE JOHNNY. SO HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS WE'LL HAVE A NEW STAFF ON BOARD, REALLY GOOD CANDIDATES. 
          AND THEN LAST THING, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP. PROBABLY COMING TO YOU AT THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. I THINK YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF THE KIND OF, 2022 POLICY AROUND KIND OF 
          [01:15:03]
SANDWICH BOARDS AND SIGNAGE DOWNTOWN. WE HAD A KIND OF UNIQUE REQUEST COME IN THAT I JUST WANT TO RUN BY YOU BEFORE YOU MOVE FORWARD. YOU KNOW THAT THIS POLICY IS TIED TO, STOREFRONTS. AND SO BUSINESSES THAT HAVE STOREFRONTS CAN PUT OUT A SANDWICH BOARD SIGN. WE HAD A BUSINESS COME TO US THAT DOES NOT HAVE A PHYSICAL LOCATION. THE STILLWATER FOOD TOUR, IS KIND OF A ROAMING BUSINESS THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN. THEY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A SIGN, TEMPORARY SIGN TO DO SOME ADVERTISING, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A STOREFRONT TO PUT IT IN FRONT OF. WHAT YOU APPROVE DOES HAVE A CLAUSE THAT ALLOWS SIGNAGE ON CITY PROPERTY WITH SOME KIND OF AGREEMENT THAT THE COUNCIL APPROVES. AND SO THEY TALKED ABOUT POTENTIALLY DOING SOMETHING. THEIR STARTING POINT IS BY LOT TWO IN THE PUBLIC RESTROOMS. THEY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A SANDWICH BOARD OUT IN THE DAYS THAT THEY HAVE THOSE, FOR ADVERTISING BY THE TROLLEY, BY THE TROLLEY LOCATION, THAT IS CITY PROPERTY. SO UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IT WOULD BE ALLOWED AND WE WOULD WORK WITH, WITH CORY TO COME UP WITH AN AGREEMENT AROUND WHERE IT COULD BE, HOW MANY HOURS ON WHICH DAYS, IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE COMFORTABLE, WE'D WORK ON THAT IT'S, IT'S NOT A SLIPPERY SLOPE BECAUSE IT'S A VERY UNIQUE SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE A BUSINESS WITH A PHYSICAL LOCATION. SO CORY, THIS DOESN'T OPEN THE DOOR FOR LIKE SATANISTS TO START PUTTING UP. SO WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. OKAY. YEAH, I'D SAY, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IT'S A GREAT BUSINESS AND IT'S A GREAT AND SERVICE THAT THEY'RE DOING AND, YOU KNOW, FOCUS ON SHOWCASING ALL THE COOL, DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, NOOKS AND CRANNIES OF OUR TOWN. SO I, I'M FOR IT. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OF A HEAVY LIFT CONSIDERING IT'S JUST A ONE OFF TYPE DEAL, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF YOU CAN GIVE IT A QUICK LOOK, I MEAN, I DON'T THINK ANY I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A SANDWICH BOARD BEING UP THERE, BUT I ALSO DON'T WANT TO SPEND 50 HOURS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THE, YOU KNOW, THE SATANISTS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PUT, YOU KNOW, SANDWICH BOARDS ALL OVER STILLWATER IF WE OPEN THE DOOR OR WHATEVER, SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES, YOU KNOW, NOTHING AGAINST SATANISTS, I SUPPOSE, BUT I DON'T KNOW, LIKE WHATEVER. YOU KNOW, I DON'T NEED THEM COMING TO MY HOUSE. SO YEAH, I GUESS JUST TAKE A GLANCE AT IT. IF IT'S, IF IT'S FEASIBLE, WE, WE'LL BRING SOMETHING FORWARD. ALL RIGHT. 
          SEE IF WE CAN GET THEM SOME SIGNAGE. YEAH. SO I WASN'T OFF BASE CALLING THE OTHER DAY. NO, WE HAD THAT ADDRESS TODAY. AND I THINK WHAT ABOUT LIKE THE LIKE THE BUSKING PERMIT, LIKE THEY NEED LIKE A BUSINESS TO SPONSOR THEM. LIKE WHEN THEY'RE WORKING WITH LOCAL RESTAURANTS, LIKE MAYBE GET THAT BUSKER PERMIT THOUGH? I DON'T THINK SO. LIKE SOME POOR KID REALLY WANTED TO DO IT, BUT IT DIDN'T WORK FOR HIM. AND THEN JUST. RIGHT. SO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IF ONE OF THEIR RESTAURANTS THAT ARE PART OF THEIR TOUR COULD DO IT, THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD KIND OF INSULATE US FROM YEAH, THAT MIGHT BE A WAY TO GO BECAUSE I'M SURE THE RESTAURANTS ON THE TOUR WOULDN'T BE OPPOSED TO THAT IDEA. SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT OPTIONS AND SEE IF WE CAN MAKE SOMETHING WORK FOR THEM. PERFECT. AWESOME. THANK YOU. 
          THANKS AND THANKS FOR ALL THE QUICK COMMUNICATION, JASON. I MEAN, MOST OF US LIKE PEOPLE WATCHING. HE'S LIKE, IT'S MOST OF THE EMAILS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS ON ISSUES. I NEVER EMAIL HIM. YOU NEVER EMAILED YOU, RIGHT. BUT YOUR COMMUNICATION IS ALWAYS SO QUICK AND SUCCINCT AND SPOT ON. SO JUST THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. AND ABSOLUTELY, I ECHO THAT. IT'S REALLY NICE TO GET AMAZING PEOPLE TO GET BACK TO YOU IMMEDIATELY. YEAH. THAT'S AWESOME. AND WITH, WITH EVERY PIECE OF INFORMATION I NEED, EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU SEND ME AN EMAIL, THERE'S NOTHING I DON'T EVER HAVE TO FOLLOW AND BE LIKE, WELL, WHAT ABOUT LIKE, IT'S JUST YOU JUST NAIL IT. LIKE IT'S AWESOME. GREAT TO HAVE YOU, JASON. THANK YOU. 
          ABSOLUTELY. ALL RIGHT. COMMUNITY SERVICES OF SERVICES. COMMUNITY ADMINISTRATIVE 
          [11. Administrative Services Director]
SERVICES. IT WAS ON SO MANY ROLLER COASTERS LAST WEEK. LIKE MY VISION STILL BLURRY AND GOOD EVENING. WE ARE ROLLING THROUGH OUR HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER RECRUITMENT AS WELL. WE'RE DOING A FIRST ROUND INITIAL SCREENINGS THIS WEEK. SHOUT OUT TO BARB MADDOCK, OUR HR SPECIALIST. SHE'S DONE A GREAT JOB OF KEEPING US AFLOAT IN THE HR WORLD AND TELLING ME WHAT TO DO AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET THROUGH ALL OF THAT. SO I APPRECIATE HER. AS YOU CAN REMEMBER, A COUPLE OF MONTHS BACK, WE LAUNCHED OUR EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAM. SO WE ARE GETTING SUBMITTALS FOR THAT. AND, AT THE EMPLOYEE PICNIC, THOSE FIRST RECOGNITIONS WILL TAKE PLACE. SO GOT THAT GOING OFF THE GROUND, CELEBRATING ALL THE GREAT STUFF THAT OUR EMPLOYEES DO EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO THAT'S, AND THEN WE ARE IN THE MEAT OF OUR COMMUNICATION, OUR WEBSITE REDESIGN. WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT EVERY SINGLE PAGE THAT WE HAVE AND REVIEWING THE CONTENT ON THOSE, DETERMINING WHICH PAGES THE VENDOR ARE GOING TO MOVE OVER FOR US AND BUILD FOR US, AND WHICH ONES WE WANT TO REDESIGN AND BRING OVER OURSELVES. SO THAT IS A BIG LIFT. BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT NEW WEBSITE IS STREAMLINED, ORGANIZED, CONTAINS CURRENT INFORMATION. SO THAT IS A LOT OF WORK AND WE'RE WORKING THROUGH IT. SO IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT. WE'RE SUPER EXCITED WORKING WITH THE PICTURES OVER STILLWATER. GREG. 
          HE'S GETTING US AWESOME. HE'S SO AMAZING. HE'S SUCH A GREAT ASSET FOR THIS TOWN. HE'S SO ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT DOING IT. IT'S NOW THAT WE HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP AND HE'S DOING THAT. SO EVERY, EVERY DAY HE'S LIKE, I GOT THIS ONE AND I GOT THIS ONE. AND IT'S JUST, IT'S IT'S GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL. IT'S A GOOD GUY AND ORGANIZED AND STREAMLINED. SO I'M SUPER 
          [01:20:03]
EXCITED ABOUT IT. WE HAVE A NEW WEBSITE. THAT'S ALL I GOT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. CITY CLERK 
          [12. City Clerk]
GOOD EVENING. I'M SORRY. IT'S OKAY, IT'S OKAY. JUST A COUPLE REMINDERS THAT, THERE'S STILL A CURRENT POSITION OPEN ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND TO GET THOSE APPLICATIONS IN BY AUGUST 31ST. AND THEN BROWNS CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT HAS A VACANCY ON THEIR BOARD. THEY HAVE RECEIVED ONE APPLICATION FROM JOHN WICKHAM. OKAY. BUT WE STILL HAVE LIKE ANOTHER WEEK OR SO. SO IF YOU KNOW ANYBODY ELSE THAT'S INTERESTED, PLEASE HAVE THEM APPLY. AND THEN AT OUR NEXT MEETING, YOU GUYS CAN MAKE YOUR NOMINATION, WHICH YOU WANT TO BE GREAT. YOU'VE GOT TO BE GOOD. YEAH. CLAYTON IS PLANNING TO STAY. HIS POSITION WAS UP TO BUT HE'S PLANNING TO STAY. SO. 
          VERY GOOD. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. AND REAL QUICK, WITH THE ELECTION STUFF COMING UP, DO WE HAVE ANY ISSUES ANY EVERYTHING'S GOING WELL. I KNOW COUNTY'S KIND OF THEY DO IT ALL. 
          THEY DO ALL OF THAT STUFF. I GUESS THE ONE THING WE DID HAVE AN EMAIL AND SEAN GOT BACK TO ME REALLY QUICK. ONE OF THE POLLING PLACES IS ON MYRTLE OR STILLWATER BOULEVARD, I GUESS. 
          RIGHT. AND SO THE ROADS ONE WAY. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY COMMUNICATION OR IF YOU CAN LET THE COUNTY KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT I MEAN, IT'S THEIR PROJECT. I MEAN, YOU'D THINK THEY WOULD KNOW. BUT AS FAR AS AS FAR AS COMMUNICATION GOES AROUND ANY CONSTRUCTION AROUND POLLING PLACES, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO GET TO THE POLLS. RIGHT. SO I'LL EMAIL THEM. PERFECT. YEAH. THE GOVERNMENT CENTER SET UP I VOTED YESTERDAY. AND THE GOVERNMENT CENTER IS UNBELIEVABLE HOW THEY HAVE IT SET UP NOW. IT'S SO EASY COMPARED TO WHAT IT USED TO BE. YEAH. IT'S IT'S LIKE A REGULAR POLLING PLACE. YEAH. I LIKE TO GO TO MY LOCAL SPOT, BUT I DID THE YEAH, I MISSED IT. IT WAS SO NICE GOING INTO THE COUNTY. 
          [13. City Attorney]
THEY DO A REALLY NICE JOB UP THERE TOO. SO AWESOME. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND CITY ATTORNEY, TWO THINGS TONIGHT. FIRST OF ALL, YOU'LL NOTICE IN THE UPDATED AGENDA THAT YOU GOT TODAY, WE MOVED THE THERE WAS AN APPEAL HEARING, WHICH WAS BASICALLY THE ONLY ITEM ON THE AGENDA, RIGHT TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS, IT WAS A SOLICITOR'S PERMIT THAT WAS DENIED ADMINISTRATIVELY BECAUSE OF THE LOOKBACK PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS. 
          THEY HAD VIOLATED TWO YEARS IN A ROW, 2024 AND 2025 BY SOLICITING WITHOUT PERMITS. AND SO THEN IN 2026, ALTHOUGH THEY DIDN'T SOLICIT WITHOUT PERMITS, THEY APPLIED. SO THEY WERE DOING IT RIGHT. BUT BECAUSE OF THE TWO PRIOR YEARS OF VIOLATIONS, IT WAS ADMINISTRATIVELY DENIED. SO THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE APPEALING. TALK TO THE CITY CLERK ABOUT IT. 
          WE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHY DON'T WE TAKE A FRESH SET OF EYES NEXT YEAR AND OFFER INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GO THROUGH THIS APPEAL, HEARING OF ALLOWING THEM TO REAPPLY IN 2027, DO THE BACKGROUND CHECK ON THE SOLICITORS. EVERYBODY PASSES WITH FLYING COLORS. THEN WE WOULD ISSUE A SOLICITOR'S PERMIT. SO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO BE GOOD. NOW, IF THEY COME IN IN 2027 AND FORGET TO GET THE PERMIT AND THEN START DOING IT AGAIN ILLEGALLY, WE'LL PASS A PERMITTING. WE HAD SOME COMPLAINTS AND THERE WERE SOME COMPLAINTS IN 2024 ABOUT SOME AGGRESSIVE TACTICS. THAT IS TRUE. NOT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I BELIEVE WAS ONE OF THE ONES HIT BY THAT. SO WE'RE ALSO COMMUNICATING TO THEM LIKE WE CAN'T GET A BUNCH OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT SUPER AGGRESSIVE. I DON'T WANT ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SHED. LIKE, FRANKLY, I DON'T LIKE, LIKE ONE IS TOO MANY IN TERMS OF PEOPLE COMING TO YOUR DOOR AND BEING AGGRESSIVE, TRYING TO SELL YOU. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER GOTTEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT A COMPANY, RIGHT? THE FIRST TIME EVER. YEAH. AND IT'S NOT GOOD, RIGHT? SO SO IT WAS APPROPRIATELY REJECTED. YEAH. YEAH. NO, IT SOUNDS LIKE OUR SYSTEM IS WORKING, BUT WHEN AFTER I FORWARDED THEM THE PACKET AND SAID THIS IS THE PROPOSAL THAT OF THE RESOLUTION, WE'RE GOING TO UPHOLD THE DENIAL FOR 2026, BUT GIVE YOU A FRESH START IN 2027, GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO BE GOOD. YEAH. AND SO THEY AGREED WITH THAT AND SAID, OKAY, WE WON'T CONTEST THE 2026 DENIAL AS LONG AS THIS IS THE VERSION THAT THE COUNCIL APPROVES AND ADOPTS. SO THEY'RE NOT PLANNING ON COMING TONIGHT. OKAY. SO THAT'S WHY IT WAS MOVED TO CONSENT. YES. THAT'S FAIR. YEAH. 
          AND THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, AND I NOTICED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, THERE IS A MASSAGE THERAPY LICENSE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL THAT WILL BE SUNSETTING IN 2028. THE STATE IS TAKING OVER LICENSING FOR MASSAGE THERAPISTS. THEY WILL BE DOING ALL BACKGROUND CHECKS OF MASSAGE THERAPISTS SO THE CITY WON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. THE CITY STILL. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED ABOUT THAT INDUSTRY, MAKING SURE THAT THE STATE DOES THEIR DUE DILIGENCE AND ALL OF THE THINGS. AND IF WE HAVE ISSUES, HOW DO WE THEN ADDRESS THE BUSINESS? WE CAN STILL LICENSE THE BUSINESS. OKAY, SO THE CITY WILL STILL HAVE LOCAL CONTROL OVER THE BUSINESS. IF THERE IS BEHAVIOR ISSUES, SOME ISSUES WITH ITS OPERATION, IF THERE ARE UNLICENSED PEOPLE IN IT, WE CAN SHUT DOWN THE BUSINESS. SO WE STILL HAVE THAT OVERALL, OVERALL AUTHORITY. WE CANNOT DO BACKGROUND CHECKS ON THE BUSINESS OWNERS UNLESS THEY ARE NOT MASSAGE THERAPISTS. SO IF THEY ARE MASSAGE THERAPISTS AND THEY ARE LICENSED BY THE STATE AND THEY'RE THE OWNER, WHICH IS MOST OFTEN THE CASE, YEAH, THEN WE CAN'T DO A BACKGROUND CHECK ON THEM, BUT WE CAN STILL LICENSE THEM. SO THEY WILL HAVE ALREADY BEEN BACKGROUNDED BY 
          [01:25:04]
THE STATE, HOPEFULLY. I LOVE THAT UNSAID. JUST IF ANYBODY'S CURIOUS ABOUT THIS, THE REASON THESE LICENSES IS BECAUSE IN SOME CASES NOT IN STILLWATER, BUT IN SOME CASES THEY ARE A HELLSCAPE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE IN THERE. SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO LICENSE THEM SO THAT WE KNOW THAT EVERYBODY'S DOING THE RIGHT THING AND ABOVE BOARD. 
          AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO DO FOR HUMAN KIND. ABSOLUTELY. AND WE'VE WE'VE JUST WE'VE DISCOVERED A LOT OF MASSAGE THERAPISTS DON'T HAVE THE APPROPRIATE BACKGROUND IN EDUCATION AND SCHOOLING THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, TO DO THIS. AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE FIND THE MOST, I THINK CONCERNS, RIGHT, WITH REGULATING IT. SO THE STATE IS ADOPTING REGULATIONS THAT ALMOST MIRROR WHAT WE ALREADY HAD. SO THAT GIVES ME SOME COMFORT. BUT IT WENT FROM NOTHING LIKE A DECADE AGO. THEY WERE NOT DOING ANYTHING. THEN THERE WAS A BIG UP DO AROUND EVEN PUTTING ANY LOCAL REGULATION. AND NOW MOST MASSAGE THERAPISTS WHO HAVE THEIR LICENSE AND ALL THAT HAVE TO APPLY IN EVERY SINGLE CITY THAT THEY PRACTICE IN. YES. 
          WHICH IS FINE, BUT IT'S NICE THAT IT'S GOING TO A MORE CENTRALIZED OPERATION. I THINK THE BURDEN SHOULD BE ON THE STATE TO MANAGE THAT. SO THAT WILL BE EFFECTIVE JULY 1ST IN 2028. SO WE WILL STILL DO OUR, YOU KNOW, KEEP OUR ORDINANCE ON THE BOOKS UNTIL THAT IS EFFECTIVE. GOTCHA. OKAY. AWESOME. THANK YOU. GREAT UPDATE. KNOW WE'D WHAT WE'D IN A LONG TIME DO WE HAVE ACTUALLY HAVE WEED SHOPS? ARE THEY OPEN? SILVER THERAPEUTICS HAS BEEN GREAT. YEAH, YEAH. ONE OF THEIRS REALLY PRETTY INSIDE. LIKE IT'S IT'S REALLY WELL IS THAT THE ONE ON GREELEY. YEP. THAT'S THE ONE ON GREELEY. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CHECKED IT OUT YET. PAULINA. I SAW MY VET HOSPITAL OVER IN OAK PARK HEIGHTS HAS IT. AND THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE I'VE SEEN IT. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. SOUNDS GOOD. LOVE IT. ALL RIGHT. CITY ADMINISTRATOR, 
          [14. City Administrator]
MAYOR AND COUNCIL. SHARON WAS VERY MODEST IN HER BUDGET. REMARKABLY CLOSE TO THE LONG RANGE FINANCIAL PLAN THAT WAS PRESENTED EARLIER THIS YEAR. OKAY. AND I THINK WE CAME UP WITH A PROPOSAL THAT I THINK COUNCIL IS GOING TO BE HAPPY WITH WITHIN THOSE PARAMETERS, BUT THEN ALSO FULFILLS A LOT OF STAFF'S NEEDS AND REQUESTS. SO I THINK IT WAS A SO FAR SUCCESSFUL BUDGET YEAR, BUT JUST A REMINDER THAT WE WILL HAVE A 430 BUDGET WORKSHOP ON THE 18TH FOR EVERYBODY. SO THAT'S IN TWO WEEKS FROM LESS THAN TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY. BUT IT'S JUST A LITTLE THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER. YEAH, VERY LIKELY MY FIRST DAY AT A NEW JOB. SO REALLY, YEAH, ARE YOU GONNA HAVE TO GO INTO AN OFFICE OR IT LOOKS AT LEAST GONNA HAVE TO GO INTO MY CLIENT ON A PRETTY REGULAR BASIS. THAT'S COOL. MINNEAPOLIS. SO WE'LL SEE. 
          GOOD NEWS IS WE DO GET THE BUDGET SLIDES OUT A WEEK IN ADVANCE. OH, THAT'S PLENTY OF TIME TO COMMENT. VETERANS MEMORIAL CRUISE TO THAT NIGHT, I KNOW. IS IT TOO LATE TO OH IT'S LATE. WHAT'S THAT? NOTHING'S TOO LATE. YOU CAN ALWAYS RESCHEDULE IT. I MEAN, I WOULD LIKE I LIKE THE THE VETERANS MEMORIAL CRUISE IS KIND OF A. THERE'S A GREAT SPEAKER THIS YEAR HE FLEW MARINE ONE LIKE LIKE ACTUALLY FLEW A HELICOPTER UPSIDE DOWN, WHICH WAS APPARENTLY REALLY HARD TO DO BECAUSE THEY'RE MEANT TO LIFT UP. IF WE PUSHED A WEDNESDAY, THEN IT IS TWO WEEKS, EVERYTHING GOES BACKWARDS. I DON'T KNOW, WHAT ARE PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS ON. YEAH, I WANT TO GO TO THAT CRUISE. RIGHT. AND IF, IF I CAN MAKE IT, WHICH I DOUBT I CAN, BECAUSE I'M PROBABLY GOING TO BE TIED UP WITH MY CLIENT. I MEAN, THE CRUISE STARTS, LET ME SEE HERE. BUT WEDNESDAY WE HAVE THE COMP PLAN MEETING ANYWAY. ALL RIGHT. 
          WE I CAN DO THIS VIA VIA EMAIL, BUT AGAIN, IT'S UP TO YOU GUYS. LIKE I CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND. I THINK, CHIEF MUELLER AND SOME OF OUR PD PROBABLY WANT TO BE ON THIS THING ON THE VETERANS MEMORIAL CRUISE, RIGHT? LIKE FIRE, LIKE I DON'T KNOW, I'D LOVE TO SEE A BUNCH OF STAFF OUT THERE. WHAT TIME DOES THE CRUISE LEAVE? IS IT SEVEN? BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO SAY, IS THERE A WAY TO LIKE PUSH REGULAR MEETING RIGHT AFTER THAT? 430 AND VETERANS MEMORIAL HERE TO BE DONE QUICKLY? I DON'T KNOW POSSIBLE. YEAH, WE CAN SHOOT SOME EMAILS OUT, I THINK PROBABLY RIGHT AWAY TOMORROW AND WE'LL JUST GET ON LIKE 430, 30 OR TO DO BALLOONS, SAY WHAT TIME 430 TO 630 WOULD BE GOOD AND THEN WE CAN ALL MAKE THE BOAT. I'M PRETTY SURE IT'S SEVEN. YEAH, I'LL FIND OUT. I'LL FIND OUT EXACTLY WHEN THAT STARTS. AND THEN I'M CONFIDENT THE 430 MEETING OR THE BUDGET MEETING WOULD GO FAST. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF PLANNED FOR THAT 7:00 MEETING. SO IF WE HAVE TO CHANGE THAT, WE SHOULD JUST MAYBE LOOK AT A WHOLE NEW SET OF DAYS OR SOMETHING. WE HAVE A HEARING PLAN. YEAH. OKAY. WELL, I THINK THAT'LL BE ON CONSENT SO WE CAN OKAY. YEAH. I THINK COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HAS IT HERE. OKAY. WE'LL RESCHEDULE OR SHOOT SOME DATES OUT TO EVERYBODY. OKAY. OKAY. AND THEN JUST ANOTHER QUICK HEADS UP. WE HAVE THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING AND THEN ALSO THE EMPLOYEE PICNIC. THE EMPLOYEE PICNIC I THINK IS GOING TO BE MUCH RICHER EXPERIENCE BECAUSE WE'RE DOING THE RECOGNITIONS FOR EVERYBODY AND THEY'RE SUBMITTING. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE KIND OF COOL. THAT'S COOL TOO. THAT THAT'S IT. THERE WE GO LIVE. STILLWATER, MINNESOTA. AT THIS TIME, I'D 
          [VI. CALL TO ORDER]
LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR AUGUST 6TH, 2026 ABOUT 1204. COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          [01:30:05]
CALENDAR. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER HERE. MAYOR KOZLOWSKI. 
          HERE. AND WITH THAT, EVERYBODY PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE. 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. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY. ON OUR AGENDA THIS 
          [15. Washington County Historical Society Budget Request – Brent Peterson]
EVENING, HISTORICAL SOCIETY WOULD REQUEST YOU TO COME ON UP HERE. IS YOUR FRIENDS THAT WAY. 
          WOULD YOU LIKE. THERE WE GO. THERE. ALL THE TECHNOLOGIES. WELL, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THE WASHINGTON AND THE WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION AND HOW WE HELP PRESERVE OUR HISTORY. 
          BUT BEFORE I GO ON, I WANT TO INTRODUCE TO YOU SOME OF OUR FINE BOARD MEMBERS WHO'VE COME HERE TO SUPPORT ME. IN THE BACK ROOM, WE HAVE ANGIE NOISE FROM WHITE BEAR LAKE. WE HAVE SHEILA. 
          SHE'S FROM MAY TOWNSHIP, AND ERIC LANIER FROM STILLWATER, AND WE WORK VERY DILIGENTLY. OH, I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT WE HAVE ANOTHER BOARD MEMBER HERE WHO'S UP ON THE DAIS, MR. COLLINS. BUT WE ALL WORK VERY DILIGENTLY TO SAVE THE HISTORY OF. ALL WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
          WASHINGTON COUNTY, AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA FOR 92 YEARS. WE KEEP THE STORIES OF THE PAST AND PRESENT TO INSPIRE AND EXCITE THE PEOPLE FROM TODAY AND TOMORROW WITH WHAT WE AS A SOCIETY HAVE DONE RIGHT AND LEARN FROM, AND WHAT WE HAVE DONE WRONG. THE EXHIBITS THAT WE HAVE THREE, MUSEUM SITES, TWO ARE IN STILLWATER. ONE IS THE WASHINGTON COUNTY HERITAGE CENTER AT 1862 SOUTH GREELEY STREET THAT OPENED FIVE YEARS AGO THIS COMING AUGUST. OCTOBER, EXCUSE ME. AND ALSO WE HAVE THE WARDEN'S HOUSE MUSEUM ON NORTH MAIN STREET, WHICH OPENED IN APRIL OF 1941. IT WAS THE SECOND HOUSE MUSEUM OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN MINNESOTA. AND WE HAVE ONE OTHER SITE WHICH IS THE HALLOCK SCHOOL AND ERICKSON LOG HOUSE, WHICH IS UP IN SCANDIA, THE EXHIBITS AT THE HERITAGE CENTER. WE HAVE QUITE A FEW AND DIVERSE, AND WE TRY TO CHANGE THEM AS MUCH AS WE CAN. WE HAVE INDIGENOUS BEADWORK, GROCERY STORE HISTORY, FASHIONS FROM THE 1860S AND 1960S ON EXHIBIT. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE A VERY EXTENSIVE EXHIBIT ON THE, THE LOGGING INDUSTRY. NEW EXHIBIT HAS BEEN INSTALLED, FROM THE, IT'S A HISTORY OF BREWING IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. WE INSTALLED THAT LAST JULY. IT COVERS ALL THE PRE-PROHIBITION BREWERIES IN WASHINGTON COUNTY AND ALSO THE CRAFT BREWERIES THAT HAVE COME IN RECENT YEARS. WE WE DIDN'T TOUCH TOO MUCH ON PROHIBITION BECAUSE THAT COULD BE ANOTHER EXHIBIT. DOWN THE ROAD ARE SOME OF THE OTHER EXHIBITS THAT WE HAVE PLANNED. 
          WE WILL HAVE QUILTING COMING IN. WE WILL ALSO HAVE, AN EXHIBIT ON THE HISTORY OF STILLWATER HIGH SCHOOL. IT'S CELEBRATING ITS 150TH GRADUATING CLASS, WHICH HAPPENED THIS SPRING. WE ARE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, A 501 C THREE. WE ALSO HAVE A SMALL CORNER IN THE HERITAGE CENTER IN WHICH WE ALLOW OTHER NONPROFITS TO COME IN AND, CELEBRATE THEIR OWN HISTORY. 
          WE'VE HAD PLACES FROM WOODBURY, AFTON, WE'VE HAD, THE HOPKINS SCHOOLHOUSE, WHICH IS BEING RESTORED RIGHT NOW UP IN HUGO. AND WE'VE ALSO HAD, CURRENTLY WE HAVE, HISTORY OF THE US FLAG. 
          IF YOU WANT TO SEE A 49 STAR FLAG, A 45 STAR FLAG, WE HAVE THAT ALL ON EXHIBIT RIGHT NOW, PROGRAMING AT OUR CENTER. AND OUR MUSEUMS HAVE LITERALLY GONE WILD. WE HAVE PROGRAMING NEARLY EVERY WEEK. WE HAVE PROGRAMS THAT SPAN ALL SORTS OF HISTORY OF NOT ONLY STILLWATER, BUT WASHINGTON COUNTY AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA. WE'VE HAD USA 250 EXHIBITS. ONE WAS ABOUT THE US FLAG BY FORMER BAYPORT MAYOR ROCKY BLISS. WE HAD A. THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA RAPTOR CENTER COME AND TALK ABOUT THE BALD EAGLE AND HOW THAT BECAME THE. THE US SYMBOL. WE ALSO DO A LOT OF GREAT THINGS SUCH AS NATIONAL TOAST DAY BECAUSE IN STILLWATER, AND I'M SURE ALL OF YOU KNOW THIS, THE POP UP TOASTER WAS INVENTED RIGHT HERE IN DOWNTOWN STILLWATER. SO WE CELEBRATE THAT EVERY YEAR ON NATIONAL TOAST DAY AT THE GOODMAN RESEARCH CENTER, AT THE 
          [01:35:02]
HERITAGE CENTER. THIS IS WHERE WE HAVE RESEARCH PEOPLE COME IN WHO WANT TO LOOK FOR GENEALOGY. 
          BUT MOSTLY WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE COME IN TO LOOK FOR HISTORY OF HOUSES, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO OFFER THAT YOU CAN'T FIND ON ANCESTRY.COM OR ANY PLACE ON THE INTERNET, SINCE THESE AREN'T SCANNED IN. BUT WE DO HAVE AN INDEX. IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE, WHICH IS W W W DOT WCHMN.ORG, JUST THROW THAT IN THERE AND GO INTO OUR ONLINE, ITEMS, THE MASTER INDEX, WE HAVE 185,000 ENTRIES OF NAMES IN THERE. SO PEOPLE CAN LOOK TO SEE WHAT WE MIGHT HAVE IF THEY WANT TO COME AND DO RESEARCH IN THEIR, FOR THEIR FAMILY OR GENEALOGY. BUT WITH ALL THIS GREAT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, EVEN OUR PHASE TWO AT THE HERITAGE CENTER IS ALMOST COMPLETE. OUR PHASE TWO WAS A NEW ROOF, NEW HVAC SYSTEMS. WE HAD CABINETS COME IN, WE HAD THE BACK AREA ALL, TAKEN OUT AND JUST ONE BIG AREA SO WE CAN HAVE IT AS OUR STORAGE. ISN'T THAT GREAT TO HAVE THE PROPER STORAGE IN ONE PLACE FOR A HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 
          IT'S REVOLUTIONARY AND IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AS SOON AS THE SHELVING GETS HERE. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE IN JUNE, BUT IT'S IT'S ON THE TRUCK, I GUESS. BUT WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF, CHALLENGES AS A HISTORICAL SOCIETY. OF COURSE, FINANCIAL IS ALWAYS ONE OF THEM. WITH OUR INSURANCE RAISING FROM $11,000 IN FOUR YEARS AGO TO 23,500 THIS YEAR. WE ALSO HAVE TREES. 
          WE HAVE A BIG, ASH TREE IN THE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE HERITAGE CENTER. IT'S DEAD. IT'S GOING TO COST $3,000 TO TAKE THAT DOWN, PLUS THE 30 PLUS ASH TREES UP AT OUR LAKE MUSEUM. SO WE ARE HAVE ALL OF THESE EXPENSES THAT COME. AND SO WE CERTAINLY NEED TO KEEP OUR FINANCES COMING IN. AND THAT IS WHY I'M HERE TODAY TO TALK TO YOU. THE STILLWATER, THE CITY OF STILLWATER HAS BEEN GREAT. YOU HAVE SUPPORTED US AND WE APPRECIATE APPRECIATE THAT. AND WE HOPE YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT US. AND TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR 2027 THAT YOU DONATE OR GRANT US $7,500 TO HELP US MEET THESE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES. ONE THING I DIDN'T TELL YOU ABOUT IS THAT ALMOST EVERY WEEK, THE WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY RECEIVES DONATIONS OF ARTIFACTS. PEOPLE ARE VERY GENEROUS, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF WONDERFUL ARTIFACTS. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A LITTLE TIME AND SHOW YOU SOME OF THESE. 
          WE DON'T MIND. OKAY. BUT BEFORE I DO THAT, I WANT TO MENTION A COUPLE QUICK THINGS. TOMORROW AT THE HERITAGE CENTER TALKING ABOUT, PROGRAMING, WE HAVE DANIEL MUNSON TALKING ABOUT HIS BOOK, MALICE TOWARDS NONE. OF COURSE, IT'S ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR, THE HOMESTEAD ACT AND EVERYTHING ELSE, ESPECIALLY THE FIRST MINNESOTA REGIMENT. AND ON ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, AUGUST 12TH, WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WE WILL HAVE OUR ANNUAL HISTORY CRUISE ON THE ON ONE OF THE RIVERBOATS DOWN AT THE STILLWATER RIVERBOATS. IT IS GOING TO BE A FABULOUS TIME. WEDNESDAY NIGHT, AUGUST 12TH. IT IS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AS A SPEAKER, JOHN KIRSCHBAUM. HE'S THE GONDOLIER ON THE SAINT CROIX RIVER. HE'S COMING TO TALK ABOUT GONDOLAS. IT IS GOING TO BE FUN. IT IS GOING TO BE EXCITING. IT IS THRILLING. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT LITTLE COMMERCIAL THAT I COULD HAVE. AND I WANT TO SHOW YOU A FEW THINGS THAT HAVE COME TO OUR ORGANIZATION. EXCUSE ME. 
          I JUST GOT TO PUT THE LITTLE GOTTA PUT THE GLOVES ON, PUT THE GLOVES ON. NOW IT'S GETTING REAL. NOW IT'S GETTING WE'RE GETTING THE CAMERA ON ALREADY. OH. THE FIRST ONE YOU CAN PROBABLY SEE. I JUST PUT IT ON THE DESK RIGHT UP HERE. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS A SADDLE. DID IT COME FROM THE THE MECHANICAL HORSE THAT USED TO BE DOWN AT HOOLEY'S? I WISH I WANTED TO FIND THAT, BUT THIS SADDLE CAME FROM A FAMILY CALLED THE SULLIVAN FAMILY. NOW THE SULLIVAN, THE PEOPLE THAT DONATED THIS ARE ACTUALLY FROM MAHTOMEDI, BUT THEIR ANCESTOR WAS GEORGE H. SULLIVAN. GEORGE SULLIVAN WAS A LONG TIME STATE SENATOR FROM STILLWATER. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PHOTOS OF THE OPENING OF THE LIFT BRIDGE, GEORGE SULLIVAN IS IN THERE BECAUSE HE HELPED TO SECURE THE FUNDING FOR THE NEW THE NEW LIFT BRIDGE IN 1931. BUT HE ALSO HAD NOT ONLY LIVED IN STILLWATER ON MYRTLE STREET, BUT HE ALSO HAD A SUMMER HOME IN MAHTOMEDI. THE STILLWATER HOME HAS LONG SINCE BEEN SOLD OUT OF THE FAMILY, BUT THE MAHTOMEDI HOME IS STILL IN THE SULLIVAN FAMILY. AND THEY CAME AND SAID, THIS IS THE OLD QUOTE, 
          [01:40:05]
UNQUOTE. THIS IS WHAT THEY SAID, THE OLD INDIAN SADDLE THAT WAS IN THE BASEMENT. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT CAME FROM. THEY KNOW IT'S BEEN THERE FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS. SO THEY ASKED, DO WE WANT THIS? IT'S GOT A BEAUTIFUL, BEADWORK. IT'S VERY UNIQUE. SO I TOOK PICTURES OF THIS AND SENT IT TO THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY. THEY HAVE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OVER THERE, AND THEY WERE LOOKING AT THAT AND THEY SAID, WELL, WE THINK IT'S WESTERN PLAINS. I GO, CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC? AND THEY SAID, NO, BUT YOU CAN CONTACT THE WESTERN PLAINS INDIAN MUSEUM, WHICH IS IN MONTANA. SO I DID JUST THAT, AND I GOT A RESPONSE. I, THE RESEARCHER, THE ARCHIVIST THERE, HIS NAME WAS HUNTER, OLD ELK. HE'S A CURATOR OF THE PLAINS INDIAN MUSEUM. THE SADDLE AND BEADED HEADSTALL BELONGED TO THE. PLEASE FORGIVE ME APP. 
          LUKE. TRIBE OF MONTANA, WHICH IS CROW AND IS LIKELY FROM THE LATE 1880S. BASED ON THE COLORS AND NATURAL. OF THE GLASS BEADS IN CROW. THESE ARE CALLED. I'M NOT EVEN GONNA TRY THIS MEANING WOMEN'S SADDLE. SO THIS IS A WOMAN'S SADDLE MADE BY THE CROW AND IS IN GOOD SHAPE FOR BEING STORED IN THE LOWER BASEMENT. SO HE SAID THAT THIS IS CROW. THIS IS A WOMEN'S SADDLE. AND IT WAS ENDED UP IN MAHTOMEDI FROM A STILLWATER FAMILY. WHY? WE DON'T KNOW. WE CAN ONLY, ONLY ASSUME. BUT SENATOR SULLIVAN WAS VERY WELL KNOWN. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A CEREMONIAL SADDLE, SOMETHING PRESENTED TO HIM OR HIS WIFE. WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THESE ARE THE TYPE OF THINGS MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. THIS IS WHAT WE COME UP WITH. WE HAVE TO DO EVERY DAY. WE HAVE THESE WONDERFUL ITEMS, AND WE KNOW THEY'RE FROM WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
          WE KNOW THEY'RE FROM STILLWATER. BUT WHY? SO THIS IS STILL AN ONGOING QUEST. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. BUT I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE AND TRULY FABULOUS PIECES WE'VE RECEIVED THIS YEAR. AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GOT TO SEE THAT. THAT'S WILD. BUT. OH WAIT, THERE'S MORE. OH WAIT, THERE'S MORE. COUNCIL MEMBER PAULINA, YOU HAVE THAT, LAST MAN'S CLUB VIDEO FROM 1930, RIGHT? YOU DID, YOU DID WELL, YOU'VE SEEN IT. 
          YEAH. WHO WAS THE LAST MAN? DO YOU REMEMBER THIS MAN? I DON'T REMEMBER CHARLES LOCKWOOD. HE, HE WAS IN COMPANY B, FIRST MINNESOTA, AND THEN HE ENDED UP IN COMPANY, SOMETHING. COMPANY C OF THE 31ST WISCONSIN. BUT HE WAS THE LAST MAN OF THE LAST MAN'S CLUB THAT MET IN STILLWATER. EVERY YEAR. THERE WAS A BOTTLE OF WINE, AND THAT WAS GOING TO BE OPENED UP FOR THE LAST MAN TO DRINK A TOAST TO HIS FALLEN COMRADES. AND OF COURSE, THAT HAD THAT HAD HISTORY, BECAUSE THAT WAS BASICALLY THE GRANDFATHER OF THE BULLY BEEF CLUB, THE WORLD WAR TWO CLUB, THE KOREAN KOREAN WAR. EXACTLY. IT WAS THE LAST MAN'S CLUB. SO THE GREAT GRANDSON OF CHARLES LOCKWOOD CAME AND DONATED THINGS TO US. NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS, BUT WE HAVE SCRAPBOOKS. AND THE LAST MAN'S CLUB OF STILLWATER. THE BOTTLE WAS NOT OPENED FOR THE LAST MAN. IT WAS ACTUALLY OPENED IN 1927 FOR THE LAST THREE MEN. AND THE QUESTION WAS ALWAYS ASKING WHO ACTUALLY OPENED THAT BOTTLE? WE ALWAYS HAVE THESE STRANGE QUESTIONS WHO OPENED THE BOTTLE? AND IN THIS SCRAPBOOK? THERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH. IF I CAN QUICKLY FIND IT, PROBABLY NOT QUICKLY, BUT A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PERSON OPENING THAT BOTTLE. IT IS A 1927 42ND REUNION. I WILL JUST COME UP THERE. YEAH, PLEASE. THIS IS AN ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPH AND IT IS OPENING THE BOTTLE IS CHARLES LOCKWOOD. OH, WOW. WHERE AND WHERE? WHAT'S THE LOCATION? DO WE KNOW THAT IS THE THAT'S THE PLAN. I WAS GOING TO SAY WOW. WHICH BY THE WAY, FOLKS, TURNS 100 NEXT YEAR. WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING. WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING FOR THAT. SO THIS IS GREAT. THIS IS ALL YOU KNOW, I'M A NERD. I KNOW BEING A NERD, BUT I GUESS I AM. BUT AMONG ALL THE THINGS, ALL THE ITEMS THAT WAS DONATED TO US FROM CHARLES LOCKWOOD. I BROUGHT IN SOME CIVIL WAR, MINNESOTA CIVIL WAR HISTORIANS, AND THEY LOVED THE PHOTOS. THEY LOVE ALL THIS OTHER STUFF. BUT THE ONE THING THEY ALL GASPED ABOUT AND I BROUGHT IT TO YOU RIGHT HERE. 
          [01:45:07]
THIS IS A CIVIL WAR FORK. IT IS IDENTIFIED. AND WHO HAD IT? AND THIS THEY THEY ALL LOVED IT BECAUSE ALL ALL THE SOLDIERS, THEY WERE ISSUED FORKS. HOW MANY HOW MANY OF THOSE THINGS SURVIVED? VERY FEW. SO THIS FORK IS VERY RARE. AND IT'S IDENTIFIED WHO OWNED IT AND WHO HAD IT, AND WHO BROUGHT IT ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD AND CAME BACK WITH IT. THE CIVIL WAR PEOPLE OUT OF MINNESOTA, THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THEY LOVE THIS FORK. SO YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT TURNS US ON. NOW FOR THE LAST THING, WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU LOST YOUR. EXACTLY. YOU MIGHT HAVE TO USE A TWIG OR SOMETHING, RIGHT? AND THEY'RE ALL MADE OUT OF LIKE STEEL OR SOMETHING. SO THEY RUSTED OUT AS THEY WERE THROWN AWAY AND SO FORTH. YEAH. HEY, LINDSAY, CAN I BORROW YOUR FORK? I LOST MINE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU REMEMBER THIS, BUT BACK IN OCTOBER OF 1977, THERE WAS THIS, STEAMBOAT CALLED THE DELTA QUEEN. YEAH, THE DELTA QUEEN MADE IT ALL THE WAY UP TO STILLWATER. THIS WAS A BIG STEAMBOAT. IT WAS A BIG THING THAT WENT ON AT THE TIME. AND THE CITY COUNCIL AT THE TIME WAS JUST SO HAPPY THAT IT MADE ITS TRIP UP TO STILLWATER. THE MAYOR WAS DOWN THERE. THE REST OF THE COUNCIL WAS DOWN THERE WELCOMING THE DELTA QUEEN. IT WAS A BIG DEAL. AND WHAT THE DELTA QUEEN WAS GIVEN AS A THANK YOU WAS. A KEY TO THE CITY. THIS WAS GIVEN TO THE CAPTAIN, WHO WAS JIM BLOOM, AND JIM HAS RECENTLY PASSED AWAY. AND HIS WIDOW, SENT THIS BACK UP TO US BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT THE KEY OF THE CITY OF STILLWATER SHOULD BE HERE. BUT NOW THAT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY HAS THE KEY TO THE CITY OF STILLWATER, DOES THIS STILL FIT INTO THE VAULT? HOW CAN WE IN ANY WAY. BUT THIS WAS JUST A JUST A WONDERFUL THING THAT, THEY REMEMBERED TO BRING IT BACK TO STILLWATER. AND WE HAVE IT NOW IN OUR COLLECTIONS. NICE. THAT IS SO COOL. BRANT. WHEN THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPEN, IF YOU EVER LIKE, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEND THE WIDOW THAT THAT SENT THAT BACK TO US. A THANK YOU NOTE ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF STILLWATER FOR STUFF LIKE, I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S AMAZING THAT SHE WOULD THINK OF THAT AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. IT IS. AND, AND GO OUT OF HER WAY TO DO THAT AND SEND THAT BACK TO US IS SO COOL. SO ANY TIME I CAN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OR COUNCIL CAN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I WOULD, I WOULD CERTAINLY WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY. THAT'S ABSOLUTELY, VERY SPECIAL. 
          ABSOLUTELY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE TIME. I HOPE I DIDN'T TAKE TOO MUCH TIME. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I'M ALWAYS AVAILABLE. I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS, BUT I GOT A FEW I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT KEY IN IN THE LOBBY OVER HERE. OH, OKAY. 
          MAYBE A LITTLE BIT. WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE THAT ON. WE'LL TALK. HOW MANY HOW MANY OF THE OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE HELPING SUPPORT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY LIKE WE DO LAST FOR 2026, WE HAD SIX COMMUNITIES. GOOD. OKAY. YEAH. 5000 FROM THE CITY OF STILLWATER, THREE FROM, MARINE ON SAINT CROIX. BAYTOWN TOWNSHIP CHIPPED IN OVER TWO. OH, COOL. YEAH, THERE'S A FEW OTHER SMALLER ONES. THE ONE THING I CAN'T FIGURE OUT IS WE HAD SUCH AN OUTSIZE INFLUENCE ON THE CIVIL WAR. THE REBIRTH OF OUR NATION STARTED HERE, AND THOSE MEN WALKED FROM HERE TO GETTYSBURG LIKE THE FORT SNELLING, FORT SNELLING, FORT SNELLING. YEAH. THEN THEY TOOK A BOAT, AND THEN THEY TOOK A BOAT. REGARDLESS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A FABULOUS VETERANS MEMORIAL. I WISH TO GOD WE HAD SOME KIND OF REALLY BIG CALL OUT ON THE CIVIL WAR BECAUSE WE REALLY HAD A HUGE INFLUENCE ON HOW THAT WENT. AND FRONT LINES, FIRST ONES TO VOLUNTEER IT. 
          IT'S A BIG DEAL WHAT WE DID, AND I KNOW WE HAVE SAM BLOOMER WAY ON IT. IN NO WAY LIKE WE REMEMBER THE CIVIL WAR. WELL, YOU GUYS DO A FABULOUS JOB OF KEEPING TRACK OF IT. I JUST WANT, LIKE THE FREAKING EIFFEL TOWER HERE SOMEWHERE LIKE CIVIL WAR MEMORIES, BECAUSE FRANKLY, THOSE GUYS EARNED IT. WELL, IT'S RIGHT CLOSE TO YOUR HOUSE. AND BRANT WAS HELPING US DO IT. 
          WE DID THE HISTORY OF MILITARY IN STILLWATER THAT OUR ARMY. YEAH. AND I LOVE THAT ARMORY. 
          AND THERE'S A SPECIAL ROOM. YEAH. CIVIL WAR ROOM THAT HAS ALL THE HISTORY OF HOW STILLWATER BASICALLY SAVED THE UNION. OH, THE STORIES THAT YOU COULD TELL WITH THAT. BUT, WHEN WE HAVE, WHEN WE'RE FORTUNATE AND HAVE, SCHOOL GROUPS COME TO EITHER THE WARDEN'S HOUSE OR EVEN UP AT THE HERITAGE CENTER, AND WE TELL THEM ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR. YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT THINK, OH, DON'T TELL THE KIDS ABOUT THE WAR. BUT THAT'S THE THAT'S THE THING THAT WE POINT 
          [01:50:02]
OUT THAT PEOPLE FROM STILLWATER, PEOPLE FROM WHERE YOU'RE STANDING, WENT AND FOUGHT IN THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM, GETTYSBURG, BULL RUN. PEOPLE NOT ONLY WERE WOUNDED, BUT DIED. 
          SOME OF THEM ARE BURIED THERE. SOME OF THEM WERE BROUGHT BACK AND BURIED HERE. BUT IT'S JUST THEY HAVE TO GRASP THE KNOWLEDGE THAT PEOPLE FROM HERE WERE IN ALL THOSE BATTLES THAT YOU SEE IN THE BIG MOVIE STARS AND SO FORTH PORTRAY. AND ALL OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF PEOPLE FROM STILLWATER AND WASHINGTON COUNTY. YOU KNOW, THERE WERE OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE FROM WASHINGTON COUNTY ALONE WHO FOUGHT IN THE CIVIL WAR. THANK YOU. THE MONUMENT AT THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE IS BEAUTIFUL. YES. DO THEY STILL DO? WE USED TO DO THOSE HISTORIES, EXHIBITS AT THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE. DO THEY DO ANY EXHIBITS ANYMORE? I DO NOT KNOW. THEY HAVE A KOREAN WAR ONE UP RIGHT NOW. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. COOL. SO AWESOME. WELL, THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE FOR BRANT WHILE WE GOT HIM? I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN. THIS IS ALWAYS MY FAVORITE MEETING. TAKE MY FORK. SO DON'T FORGET YOUR FORK. BECAUSE WHEN I, A GOOD MAN ONCE TOLD ME, WHEN YOU COME TO A FORK IN THE ROAD, YOU TAKE IT. THANK YOU. OH, THANK YOU BRIAN. OH, THAT'S AWESOME. BARRETT. I MEAN, COME ON. WHAT A, WHAT A GREAT COUNCIL MEETING, RIGHT? I MEAN, I'M SURPRISED THERE'S NOT MORE PEOPLE HERE THIS EVENING. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT AT THIS POINT WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE OPEN FORUM. 
          THIS IS THE PART OF THE MEETING WHERE THE PUBLIC MAY ADDRESS COUNCIL ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS. IS THERE ANYONE THAT WISHES TO SPEAK AT OUR OPEN FORUM THIS EVENING? GOING ONCE, GOING 
          [XI. CONSENT AGENDA – These items are routine and will be approved in one motion.]
TWICE, SEEING NONE. WE'LL CLOSE THE OPEN FORUM, MOVE ON TO CONSENT COUNCIL. ANYTHING ON CONSENT OR IS THERE A MOTION? YOU KNOW WHAT? I'VE GOT A QUICK QUESTION FOR SEAN ON NUMBER 22, AND I UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS HAPPENING, EVEN THOUGH THE PROJECT IS, YOU KNOW, WASHINGTON'S NOT GOING TO GET FIXED TILL 2028. BUT WITH CHICK FIL A OPENING UP AND THE TRAFFIC THAT BACKS UP INTO 36 MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. MY QUESTION FOR YOU, SEAN, IS WHEN WILL YOU WHEN WILL WE SEE THOSE BARRIERS GO INTO PLACE AND THEN TRAFFIC BEING REROUTED? I THINK THE PROJECT WILL BE STARTED TOWARDS THE END OF THIS MONTH, TO BE IN PLACE BY EARLY SEPTEMBER. NOT BEFORE THAT. OKAY, PERFECT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED. SECOND. GREAT. NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. ALL IN FAVOR SAY 
          [24. Preliminary Plat for Carlone Subdivision at 7979 Neal Ave N (CD2026-032) - Resolution]
AYE. AYE. OPPOSED. AND THAT PASSES WITH FIVE VOTES. MOVING ON TO OUR ONE AND ONLY PUBLIC HEARING THIS EVENING. THIS IS THE PRELIMINARY PLAT FOR THE CARLON SUBDIVISION AT 7979 NEIL AVENUE NORTH GATEWAY. JASON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. COUNCIL, THIS ADDRESS SHOULD LOOK FAMILIAR BECAUSE YOU APPROVED A PRELIMINARY PLAT AT THIS ADDRESS BACK IN MAY. AT THAT TIME, IT WAS A CONVERSION FROM 1 TO 4 LOTS. AFTER IT WAS APPROVED, THE APPLICANT KIND OF RETHOUGHT THINGS, IS COMING BACK WITH A REVISION INSTEAD OF GOING TO FOUR LOTS, SIMPLY GOING TO THREE LOTS. THE PLANNING COMMISSION HEARD THIS AT THEIR MEETING IN JULY. THEY RECOMMENDED APPROVAL UNANIMOUSLY. THEY HAD ONE QUESTION ABOUT ADDRESSING FOR THE NEW LOTS. WE DID TALK TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS AND RESOLVED THAT, IF THEY HAD NO CONCERNS AND ALL THE LOTS THAT ARE PROPOSED MEET ALL OF OUR LOT STANDARDS. SO WITH THAT, THERE IS A PUBLIC HEARING TO BE HELD, BUT STAFF DOES RECOMMEND APPROVING THE RESOLUTION FOR THE PRELIMINARY PLAT, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET. GREAT. ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF BEFORE I OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. NO. ALL RIGHT. AT THIS TIME I'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. PLEASE LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO FIVE MINUTES OR LESS. ANYBODY WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS, NOT SEEING ANYBODY WITH THAT, WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND BRING IT BACK TO COUNCIL. COUNCIL. ANY ISSUES WITH THIS OR IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED. 
          SECOND. LOOK AT THAT. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED. AND THAT PASSES WITH FIVE VOTES. 
          [XV. COUNCIL REQUEST ITEMS]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MOVING ON. THAT'S IT. LOOK AT THAT. WE JUST HAVE AN ENERGY ACTION PLAN UPDATE. YEAH. SO, THE EARLIER MEETING YOU SAW SOME OF OUR OUTPUT WITH, WHERE WE'RE HEADED WITH THE SOLAR STUFF, BY THE WAY. YEAH. I'M EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS. YES. WHAT YOU SEE IN THE END OF YOUR PACKET, I JUST IT, IT FEELS IMPORTANT TO DO THIS EVERY YEAR WE, WHEN WE STARTED DOING THIS WITH PARTNERS, IN ENERGY, WE SIGNED UP TO HAVE SOME METRICS ESTABLISHED. THIS ISN'T ABOUT LIKE GREEN IDEOLOGY OR ANYTHING. THIS IS ABOUT SAVING MONEY, RIGHT? I THINK EVERYBODY WOULD LIKE TO PAY A LITTLE BIT LESS ON THEIR ENERGY BILL INSIDE THEIR, I'LL SKIP THE THE VOICEOVER ON MOST OF IT JUST TO SAY, WE EXCEEDED TWO OF OUR FOUR GOALS, THAT ARE IN THERE AS WE GET FURTHER AND START TO PROMOTE THINGS LIKE WHAT THE MAYOR DID, WHICH IS THE HOME ENERGY AUDIT AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WHICH, LOW COST WAY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE LEAKAGE IS IN, YOU KNOW, NEW CONSTRUCTION, OLD CONSTRUCTION. THIS APPLIES TO EVERYBODY. IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. AND WE'RE EXCITED BECAUSE WHERE 
          [01:55:01]
WE'RE HEADED WITH THE SOLAR THING IS, YOU KNOW, IF WE ARE ABLE TO FIND FUNDING, IF WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE THIS IN A WAY THAT IS IN THE BLACK, NOT A 30 YEAR ROI, BUT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN REALLY LOOK AT AND SAY, YEP, THIS MAKES FISCAL SENSE. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT. 
          AND IF NOT, THEN WE UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE NOT DOING IT. AND WE CAN SAY THAT. SO THAT'S ALL WE'RE AFTER. THE LAST COUPLE PAGES HERE, PRETTY DENSE. THE ONES THAT ARE LABELED TO XCEL ENERGY. IT'S GOOD READING. YOU MIGHT NEED A LITTLE HELP FROM AI TO REALLY FOLLOW. KIND OF ALL THE MEASUREMENTS IN HERE. I, I, IT HAS BEEN AN EDUCATION FOR ME, BUT, JUST THANKFUL THAT WE'RE STARTING TO SHOW A LITTLE BIT OF IMPACT IN THERE AND HOPEFULLY THAT TAKES OFF IN THE FUTURE. IT'S GREAT. AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S WORK ON THIS. I MEAN, WHEN THIS, WHEN YOU FIRST KIND OF CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA AND THE COMMITTEE, IT SEEMED LIKE IT COULD DRIVE A LOT OF STAFF WORK AND HOURS AND WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH HOW THE GROUP HAS COME TOGETHER AND WHAT THE OUTPUT HAS BEEN. AND THE, THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GETTING OUT OF THIS HAS BEEN MUCH MORE VALUABLE THAN I REALLY ENVISIONED. SO PROUD OF YOUR EFFORTS ON THIS AND, AND PROUD OF EVERYBODY THAT STOOD UP TO, TO HELP OUT. SO APPRECIATE THE UPDATE. A LOT OF FOLKS ON THAT COMMISSION PUT IN A LOT OF HARD WORK. YEAH, THEY'RE WORKING ON THAT. 
          APPRECIATE ELIZABETH AND BEN. YEAH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE ELIZABETH AND BEN AND THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO'VE BEEN A PART OF IT. IT'S IT'S A HUGE LIFT. SO AWESOME. THANKS FOR THE UPDATE. ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANYBODY? YEAH, ONE QUICK ONE. I WENT TO A ZEPHYR BOARD MEETING. 
          I THINK I'M THE VICE CHAIR NOW, ON BREAK. JUST SOME COOL STUFF, BECAUSE I KNOW WE ALL LIVED THROUGH THE EXPLOSION OF THAT AND WHERE THINGS ARE, FUNDRAISING IS GOING EXTREMELY WELL. THE SUMMER FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN EXCEEDED, WE ARE $343 SHORT OF A MAJOR MATCH CAMPAIGN. 
          AND THIS COUNCIL COULD DONATE VIA THE ZEPHYR WEB PAGE IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE THE ONES TO PUSH THEM OVER THE EDGE. THIS MONTH, THEY'VE RECEIVED OVER $80,000 IN GRANTS, WHICH IS THE FIRST TIME FOR US. AND, I WALKED OUT OF THAT MEETING SEEING THE FIRST FULL YEAR BLACK CALENDAR THAT I HAVE SEEN IN THAT GROUP. THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THE RED HAS BEEN BAD, AND IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE'VE DUG OUR WAY OUT. SO PLEASE DON'T TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE FUNDRAISING PEDAL BECAUSE THEY STILL NEED MONEY. BUT THE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN THE REST OF THE YEAR IN THE BLACK. AND, THE HOBBIT HAS BEEN A HUGE LIFT FOR US. THERE'S A JAZZ EVENT THAT'S GOING TO BE FREE. THAT'S RIGHT. IN THAT LITTLE COURTYARD AREA. 
          ASCENSION CHURCH COMING UP. IT'S BEEN REALLY COOL TO SEE THIS THING REALLY JUST PHOENIX OUT OF. WELL, WE ALL EXPERIENCED THIS TERRIBLE ASHES, AND WE THOUGHT THIS WAS NEVER GOING TO, YOU KNOW, SURVIVE INTO SOMETHING THAT IS A VIABLE, VIBRANT PART OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND BY THE WAY, LITTLE FUN FACT FOR YOU ON A PER CAPITA BASIS, WE HAVE MORE THEATERS IN THE TWIN CITIES THAN EVEN CHICAGO DOES. SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE. NIKKI BARTLETT LIKE REALLY CARRIED THAT THING FORWARD. ERIC DAVIS IS NOW THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD AND GETTING GREAT LEADERSHIP. WE'VE GOT A, A PERMANENT, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, A PERMANENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. IT'S, IT'S LIKE I'M GETTING TO JUST RIDE THIS THING UP AND IT'S BEEN SO FUN. THAT'S AWESOME. THAT'S GREAT NEWS. HONESTLY, THAT I WAS SO HAPPY TO HAVE THAT THEATER MOVE TO TOWN AND SO SAD WHEN IT BLEW UP AND THERE WAS SO MUCH MOMENTUM AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT BEHIND THAT. TO SEE THAT ALL JUST KIND OF DISINTEGRATE REALLY QUICKLY. IT WAS REALLY SAD FOR LIKE, MY KIDS WERE REALLY INVOLVED WITH IT, SO MANY PEOPLE'S KIDS AND IT WAS SO COOL. SO TO HEAR THAT THAT'S COMING BACK IS VERY, VERY HAPPY. HAPPY TO HEAR. I ALSO WANT TO DO A SHOUT OUT FOR THE VETERANS MEMORIAL CRUISE THAT IS COMING UP ON THE 18TH. 
          WE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO MOVE OUR COUNCIL MEETING SO WE CAN ALL ATTEND THAT. IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN TICKETS YET, GET ONLINE, GET SOME TICKETS. WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD SPEAKERS AND I'M SURE IT'S GOING TO BE PERFECT WEATHER. IT'S GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL. SO YEAH, CHECK IT OUT WITH THAT. IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          AYE. WE ARE A
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.