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Lindstrom City Council met April 16 for a regular meeting.  All members were present.

In open forum, Marty Harding, who was representing Unexpected Company Chorale thanked the council for their effort to keep up the connection to Tingsryd, Sweden. Unexpected Company is heading to Sweden to hold joint choir concerts in Tingsryd with choir members and locals scheduled to sing and enjoy the countryside.

Council then heard from Eric Wright of Woda Cooper Development.  Woda Cooper is the builder of workforce housing projects across the United States with three in Minnesota.  The company is inquiring about the two acre lot along Newlander Avenue which currently houses the community garden.  Woda Cooper has offered $125,000 for the property with the hopes of building a 42 unit housing project.  The building will be three stories tall and around 18,000 square feet. Wright said the sale is contingent upon Woda Cooper receiving state tax credits for the project.  

He added that he is asking the council for flexibility on zoning. His company is seeking R3 PUD and will have a slightly more impervious surface than currently allowed in the city.  

As far as rent goes, the building would have a sliding scale based on income.  Rent will be no more than 30 percent of occupants’ income with some units being leased for 15 percent for residents with disabilities and those recently homeless.

Council member David Waldoch said there may be an issue with the height of the building. Wright told Waldoch that the exact design of the building is fluid and could be altered to fit city standards.  Waldoch also mentioned other apartments that have garages and how some residents fill garages with storage thus overfilling open parking spots.  Council member Brian Norelius added that he is in favor of the covered garages and the project is just at the infancy and sending it to the planning commission is the next step.  

Council member Mike Hilber said he thought the initial plans looked great and the project will be a great addition to the city.

Waldoch questioned the sale price and city administrator Dan Undem told the council he ran comparisons in other communities for same size lots and the $125,000 was in the median of pricing.

Council voted 4-1 in favor of moving the project forward to the planning commission, with Waldoch voting no.

The council then discussed the second addition of Albrecht’s Landing on the north side of North Lindstrom Lake.  City planner Jason Zimmerman was asking the council to amend a subdivision code that involves stormwater ponds,  This would require an easement that gives the city access to the pond.  It avoids complications and expense of platting a lot and allows flexibility in the event of future modifications to the pond if needed.  Council passed the amendment to the ordinance unanimously.

Council was told by Undem the owners of the bakery in Lindstrom have offered to do a land swap on the west side of the bakery.  The swap is required for the Park Street Parking lot project slated for early summer.  The bakery would trade for the parcel adjacent to the front half of the building which has plans of being a public courtyard.  The rear that is being given to the city will be part of the entrance into the new parking lot. Council agreed to the land swap.

City engineer Brian Bachmeier told the council he has had many complaints from both Lindstrom maintenance and other services that the access to lift station number 2 is unmanageable for service vehicles.  The lift station is located at the end of Park Street which overlooks South Lindstrom Lake.  Bachmeier told the council there were two options. The first is moving the lift station which would be a high expense to the city. The second option would be to extend a driveway to the existing manhole and regrade the area with a new retaining wall to make it more accessible to service vehicles.  Council agreed on $58,000 for the design. of the re-grade and another $7,500 for geotechnical administration.  

Council then discussed bids and approved Peterson Companies to perform the street improvement project.  The project will include the replacement of 295th Street from Olinda Trail to Neal Avenue.  The project will also include Akerson Street from Newlander Avenue to Highway 8 including curb and gutter where needed and a trail on the west side of Akerson.  The project will also include the Park Street parking lot project.  Total cost for the road projects come to $2, 3067,699.  Engineer Bachmeier pointed out that Peterson’s bid came in eight percent under the original estimation leaving $150,000 to be used towards the Park Street parking lot and the public courtyard furnishings which will include fencing and signage.  Council approved Peterson Companies for the project unanimously.

Undem told the council the city should know by the beginning of May if the application for grants for flashing crosswalk beacons is approved or denied.

City clerk Melissa Glenna told the council the city should take a look at cemetery rates.  Glenna said the city is currently losing money with care and upkeep.  Currently Lindstrom charges $600 for traditional, $300 for cremation burial, and $1,000 for the columbarium niche.   Just to cover costs, they are suggesting traditional be raised to $800, cremation to $500 and columbarium be raised to $1,250.  Council agreed to table the topic until it has actual budget numbers.

Mayor Judy Chartarand told the council the city received 182 responses to the questionnaire regarding downtown.  Council will go over the responses at the next meeting.

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