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Lindstrom City Council met October 16 for a regular meeting.  Council member Dave Waldoch was absent.

The council set a special meeting for canvassing the election results for November 12 at 5 p.m.  

The talk then turned to flashing light crosswalks in Lindstrom.  City Engineer Brian Bachmeier told the council he got two estimates and Collins Electric was the lowest at $109,000.  Bachmeier then told the council there was a grant the city could apply for that would cover installation costs of the four flashing lights.  Bachmeier told the council the grant would have to be applied for by the week of October 21.  The grants would be awarded in April of 2025.  This would slow the project which the council had hoped to have installed before winter this year.  Administrator Dan Undem added that MnDOT would notify cities if the request had a chance to receive the grant.  The council agreed to apply for the grant, and if rejected, the city could still move forward as planned.  

Council then heard from Fire Chief Scott Sellman about purchase of a new truck.  Sellman explained when returning from a fire call, the department loads the hoses into the cab of the truck and the firefighters   ride on top of the hoses.  He is looking to purchase a support truck for $90,000.  Administrator Undem told the council it was a budget item and public safety dollars would be used to purchase the vehicle.  The council approved a motion by Linda Merkel to purchase the support truck.

Talk then turned to cannabis regulations. 

Undem presented a suggestion from the planning commission regarding cannabis businesses.  The suggestion is to allow sales in the B1 and I1 districts and not the central business district.  The plan would also keep cannabinoid sales at distances from schools of 1,000 feet, day cares at 500 feet, treatment facilities at 500 feet and city parks at 300 feet. Council member Greg Krueger said he would like to see distances increased for city parks.  Undem told the council the lesser distance for parks is due to the location of Scottsdale Mall and Lions Park.  Undem noted with the way the roads are laid out Lions Park is still quite a far distance from the park either by car or foot.

Mayor Judy Chartrand told the council she would like to see low dose hemp derived allowed in the city. Chartrand said Chisago City, Center City and Shafer all allow the sale of low dose hemp (in the form of drinks) and she feels Lindstrom is missing out on potential sales.

Council member Merkel added she was opposed to allowing cannabis sales in the B1 district. “I think you could put a marijuana shop in a pasture and people would find it” she added.

The council took no action as Undem said he would ask the planning commission to address the low dose hemp  products issue.

The council then saw a presentation from maintenance director Matt Fraley about the state of the downtown trees in Lindstrom. Fraley said he has received a decent amount of complaints from business owners stating the trees have grown large enough to block businesses signage.  Fraley presented three options to the council including a light trimming around the buildings, a one sided trimming where basically half of the tree’s branches are taken off, and full removal of the nuisance trees. Fraley noted to remove the trees would take permission from MnDOT and would be an arduous process.  The council agreed to proceed with light trimming with the hopes the trees grow above the store signage.

Engineer Bachmeier then presented the council with a proposed capital improvement program for city streets.   Bachmeier noted the city has 30 miles of streets and he would like to see at minimum one mile per year of road improvements.  The council thanked Bachmeier for his work and said the plan looked great.

There was a question about an ordinance draft in the planning commission minutes by council member Linda Merkel.  Merkel asked what an ordinance about massage therapists was about. City administrator Dan Undem told the council Lindstrom currently does not have any ordinances regarding massage therapy within the city limits.  Undem added that most cities in Minnesota have ordinances in place allowing the city to act in regulating a business if need be. No action was taken.

Finally, Administrator Undem told the council he has been in talks with a concert producer about taking over Harmony in the Park.  Undem said the talks are ongoing but seem to be headed in the right direction.  Longtime Harmony director Rusty Johnson has stepped down after years of spearheading the concert series.

Council adjourned at 9:38 p.m.

 

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