The Crookston City Council met Monday night in the council chambers at City Hall. The consent agenda, which passed unanimously, included approving the previous meetings minutes and the following resolutions; to approve City of Crookston bills and disbursements in the amount of $204,224.52, to call for a public hearing for the DEED Small Cities grant progress and performance, to approve partial payment estimates and to renew the Cash Farm Lease for the Lagoons area. There was a quick question asked by Councilman Bobby Baird on whether the lease included the ability to hunt the land, and it was decided to discuss the uses of the land in the lease during the Ways and Means Committee meeting.
The regular agenda included two topics, a resolution to approve and adopt the Downtown Master Plan and an introduction of an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 11, “Land Use Regulation” for a change to the zoning map.
The Downtown Master Plan was the topic and immediately saw a motion to remove it from the agenda and send it back to the Ways and Means Committee by Tom Vedbraaten. He said it doesn’t make sense to have this plan in place when the city has been working on things in direct contrast to what’s proposed in the document. He cited an example that the City has discussed purchasing the land the Downtown Square sits on, yet the master plan would have that moved to between the library and cathedral. Councilman Jake Fee seconded the motion and Mayor Wayne Melbye said it would be discussed in the Ways and Means Committee following Council with the idea to bring it back to the next council meeting. “The master plan is something that we’re going to be using for the next five or 10 years, so you do want to spend a little more time on it,” said Melbye. “It’s a culmination of different committees, citizens and surveys that have been put together and this is the direction we want to see Crookston go.” KROX will have more about the discussion of the downtown master plan during the Ways and Means Committee during the Wednesday news.
The council unanimously approved the progress of the ordinance amending the zoning map. The amendment will have a second reading and be open for discussion from the public at the next council meeting.
The mayor also read a proclamation naming the week of October 1 to October 7 Minnesota Manufacturing Week in the City of Crookston. During the week there will be four days of manufacturing tours in Crookston aimed at connecting the workforce with manufacturing employers. The council also heard from Marty Seifert, from the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, about some of the issues facing child care in the state and were encouraged to add their voice to the efforts to move the legislative agenda at the state level to deregulate aspects of child care. Although statistics vary slightly, the number of in-home child care providers has dropped significantly in the past few years leading to what some are now calling a child care crisis in rural Minnesota.
Most department heads didn’t have any news of note to report to the council, although the council did hear that the next step in the process to complete the repaving of South Ash Street and the 5th Avenue work should progress next week.
Tim Froeber, Crookston Fire Chief, announced Brian Halos had turned in his two-week notice as a full-time firefighter. Halos’ last day on shift is Wednesday and his last day on staff will be Friday. Halos served 20 years as a full-time firefighter and spent seven years as an on-call firefighter. There will be an open house for Halos on October 2 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Froeber also updated the council that Fire Prevention Week is October 7 to October 13 and the Crookston Fire Department will hold their annual open house on October 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Main Station.
