of the Albert Lea City Council for Monday, October 27th, 2025. Clerk, please call the role. Councilor Christensen, here. Councilor Baker, here. Councilor Howland, here. Councelor Olsen, here. Councilor Van Beek, here. Councilor Anderson here and Mayor Murray here. Would you please rise and join me in the pledge of 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.
Welcome to everybody tonight. Whether you're here in person or online, we're glad you're here. Uh item three tonight is ceremonial items and uh the first one is an oath of office for two of our fire firefighters uh Kyo Htoo and Blair Bonnerup. So we'll ask Karla to come down. First we're going to ask uh Chief Laskowske to come up and uh give us a little talk. Well, good evening council mayor. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to come up here and present uh Blair Bonnerup and Kyo Htoo to you guys for uh ceremonial pinning and swearing in. Um it's been
an honor to work with these two for the time we've had with them. Um they're a couple of interesting young young gentlemen. Um just to get to know them a little bit. Uh Blair Bonerup comes to us from Hollandale Fire. That's where he got his start was on Hollandale Fire Department. Um had quite a few years there. Matter of fact, when I was indicating to his chief that we were hiring him, he was upset with me because he thought he wasn't gonna be able to continue to help out his community. Um, with our full-time members are able to continue to help out our community, and Blair continues to do that. Um, he's had a lot of interesting jobs in his young life. Um,
he's been a person that puts on a scuba diving type suit and dives underwater and welds. Um, he's worked for companies building machines where he designs it, builds a machine, and then go takes it to the facility and teaches the people how to use it. So from birth to inception, everything with the machine. So he's been a very valuable asset to our department. U great personality and just somebody that's a go-getter and goes after it. So really appreciate him being part of the department. Uh Kyo Htoo comes to us from our paid on call ranks. Um saw an ad, decided to show up one day. Um accidentally signed the wrong line and got pulled into
our uh fire academy. Um he's always got a smile on his face. Um, we realized that he was meant for the career fire service. Uh, the day we went down for one of the Karen festivals, it was a blast. Went down there. Uh, Deputy Chief Berven, it was Captain Berven at the time, was there. He was his captain. And he walked over with a bowl of noodles for Bart. Anything about Bart, Bart does not like spicy things, but he also will not turn down. If he starts eating, he will finish
it out of respect. Handed him the bowl of noodles, and Bart's like, "Is this spicy?" And he goes, "No, no, no, not spicy. not spicy at all, laughing the whole time as Bart takes the first bite. So, we knew right away he was meant meant to be part of the department. Uh, but both of these young men embody what we expect at Albert Lea Fire Rescue, which is part of our mission statement that we're committed to help people and do what is right today and in the future. So, at this point, I'd like to have Karla come down and swear these two young gentlemen in.
Okay. All right. So, raise your right hand. I state your name. I Kyo I Blair do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Minnesota and of the state of Minnesota and to faithfully and impartially and faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of firefighter discharge the duties of firefighter within and for the city of Albert Lea Fire Rescue within and for the city of Albert Lea and Albert Lea Fire Rescue and
the state of Minnesota. And the state of Minnesota. So help me God. So help me God. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Thank you. Welcome. Welcome. Congratulations. Glad you're here. And I'm excited
to see these young families and these little kids. That's wonderful. Welcome. Congratulations. Did you just make another one of them cry? I think they took them back from the guy holding them. All right. Next on the list is a proclamation uh on crash responders safety week. Whereas uh crash responder safety week observed November 17 through 21, 2025 is a national initiative led by
the US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration to bring attention to the critical work of traffic ex incident responders and promote safe driving practices around emergency scenes. And whereas every day police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, tow operators, and highway maintenance workers risk their lives while responding to roadway incidents. And where as of September 15th, 2025, 19 first responders have lost their lives nationwide this year, uh, being struck by incidents while performing their duties
on roadways. And whereas Minnesota's move over law requires motorists to move over one full lane when approaching stopped emergency or maintenance vehicles with flashing lights activated and to slow down if a full lane change is not possible. And whereas the city of Albert Lee recognizes that public awareness and responsible driver behavior are critical to keeping both responders and motorists alike safe. And whereas the theme for the 10th anniversary of Crash Responder Safety
Week, safety starts with you, move over and slow down, emphasizes that every driver can help save lives by staying alert, moving over, and slowing down. And whereas the city of Albert Lea stands with the state of Minnesota and the US Department of Transportation in support of crash responder safety week and the dedicated professionals who serve our community safety every day. Now therefore, I, Rich Murray, mayor of the city of Albert Lea, do hereby proclaim the week of November 17th through 21st, 19 or 2025 as crash responder safety week in the city of
Albert Lea. And we encourage all residents to join in recognizing and supporting our emergency responders by practicing safe driving habits around incident scenes. So, we'll present this. Uh, are one of the chiefs coming up or would you guys like to come up? Is Teresa still here? Thank you. Congratulations. And did somebody want to say a few words or and then we're
going to have Teresa come in maybe take a picture too for the uh Here we go. So, I wasn't prepared to say a few words, so I will make it very brief, but uh we took this opportunity because it's a good chance to highlight the men and women that go out on the interstates, on the highways, and help with crashes. Uh crashes, as everyone's driven by, everyone wants to look and see what's happening, and they're not always looking at the road. So, this is a good way to highlight what goes on, the people that respond to it, and remind people to be careful around crash scenes. Thank you.
You're here. Get the picture. Should have thought of that before you came. That'll be a good picture. All right. Item four on our list tonight is a public forum. I believe
we have one speaker on our public forum. Is that correct? Yes, sir. All right, we have Jeff Dolan tonight, our uh uh veteran service officer. Come on up and tell us what's going on with veterans in the community and and the other reason you're here tonight. Uh yeah, good evening, uh mayor, uh city councilman, guests, and staff, uh everyone listening online. Hey, thank you for allowing me this opportunity to speak about
Operation Greenlight and the meaningful initiative that Freeborn County has taken and hopefully uh that Albert Lea City will will soon follow. Um each November as we approach Veterans Day, we pause to recognize the men and women who have worn the uniform and armed forces. Those who have served our nation, protected our freedoms, and strengthened our communities. Here in Freeborn County, we roughly have about 2,000 veterans. These are our neighbors, family members, and community letters leaders. Uh their service doesn't end when they return home. They continue
to give back through participation in local groups like the Disabled American Veterans, the VFW, American Legions, and other veterans groups, including Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and a great new group out of Clark's Grove that's been helping a lot of veterans ride for heroes. These civic organizations and volunteer efforts make our country and our city stronger. The impact of Freeborn County is significant. According to the most recent GDX report for 2024, veterans and their families received over $13 million in direct federal VA benefits,
including 12 million in compensation and pension directly to veterans and 1 million in dependency and indemnity compensation or pensions to their survivors. Additionally, there was $17 million in indirect benefits that came to our county through Memorial Educations programs, home loans, and medical care. That's a total economic impact of over $30 million right here in Freeborn County. This is a powerful reminder of how deeply our veterans are woven into the fabric of our community. But beyond our numbers, Operation Green Light is something that's even greater. It's
recognition. It's letting every veteran know that their service is seen, appreciated, and supported. Uh this year of course marks the fifth anniversary of Operation Greenlight and a joint effort by the National Association of Counties and the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers which I belong to. From November 4th to November 11th, counties across the nations will illuminate their buildings in green and show a visible show of gratitude and unity. By shining a green light, we send a simple but powerful message. You are not forgotten. You are valued. You are home. So
Freeborn County is proud to join the country's the counties across the nation are passing a resolution to declare our participation. Uh we will light our veterans memorial and other county buildings in green and we encourage residents and businesses to do the same by placing a green light in a window or a storefront during the week of November 4th through the 11th. America's counties have a longstanding and proud history of serving our nation's veterans, and the legacy continues as we work with our federal and state and local partners to ensure that our former service members
have access and resources to the recognition they deserve. So, as we prepare to c celebrate Veterans Day and honor all those who served, I invite uh everyone to be the one that makes a difference and show your support. Turn a green light. Let our veterans know that our relief stands with them today. always today and always. Thank you. Thank you, Jeff. We appreciate you coming and speaking with us tonight and we appreciate the service of all our veterans uh that we have here in our county, in our community, uh for the sacrifices and and all that they've done for us in the past
and continue to do for us every day. Thank you, sir. Thank you. All right. With that, we'll move along to item five, the consent and approval of agenda. A is the approval of minutes of the October 13, 2025 regular council meeting. Item B is approval of minutes of the October 13, 2025 work session. Item C is the approval of minutes of the October 18, 2025 strategic planning meeting. Item D is license and permits. Item E is the appointment of Pam Schmidt to the heritage pro pre
preservation. I wanted to say pre pres prevention to the Heritage Preservation Commission and item F is the resolution supporting operation greenlight for veterans. Council move to approve the consent and approval of agenda your honor. Motion by Councilor Baker. Is there a second? Second. Second by councilor Howland. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All in favor of the motion signify by saying I. I. Oppose. Nay. Motion carries. Item six is petitions, requests, and communications.
We have none tonight. Item seven is unfinished business. Item A under unfinished business is ordinance 25-147 amending zoning and land use map from R2 to B2, 642 Marshall and 437 Bridge Avenue. This is the second reading. Security Bank Minnesota applied to reszone 642 Marshall Street and a portion of 437 Bridge Avenue, a parcel with split zoning from one to four family resident R2
to community business B2 to allow for future expansion of parking and building areas for Security Bank. A portion of 437 Bridge Avenue is already zoned B2, which eliminates the concern for spot zoning. In addition, the 2040 comprehensive plan identifies this area as commercial, which includes both large-scale and local servicing areas. Planning Commission recommends approval of this second reading. Council move to approve, your honor. Motion by Councilor
Baker. Is there a second? Second. Second by Councilor Van Beek. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All in favor of the motion signify by saying I. I oppose. Nay. Motion carries. Item B is ordinance 25-148 amending zoning and the land use map from single family residence district R1 to Interstate Development District ID for property located at 21133 and 21135 775th Avenue. This is the second reading.
Terry Jensen, ALC, a listing broker on behalf of the property owners at 21133 and 21135 775th Avenue applied to reszone the properties from single family residents R1 to Interstate Development District IDD to proactively plan for future sale and development of the properties. Property directly across Interstate I35 is currently zoned IDD, which eliminates the concern for zone uh spot zoning. Planning commission recommends approval
of this final reading. Council move to approve, your honor. Motion by Councilor Christensen. Is there a second? Second, your honor. Second by Councilor Anderson. Any further discussion? Yeah, your honor. Councilor Baker, I just want to make sure that uh as I brought up last time that there's going to be, you know, in the event that something does um end up being built there, that there's proper screening to to soften the look of an industrial area right across the street from um residential. I just want to make sure
that that's kept in focus as this goes forward. All right. Thank you. Any further discussion? All in favor of the motion signify by saying I. I oppose. Nay. Motion carries. Item eight is new business. A is a public hearing regarding declaring a property without public purpose wave planning commission review and authorizing the sale of 917 South Broadway Avenue. We'll open up with the p uh with public hearing with the staff report.
This resolution is to declare the property at 917 South Broadway Avenue with the description of 34-033-0580 as no longer serving a public purpose and to authorize its sale. The property located in the B2 business district previously housed a blighted structure that has since been demolished. This property will be divided between adjacent land owners for future business expansion and staff recommends approval. I did receive a little additional information which I will share
with you before we ask for a motion. This property is being sold for its assessed value of $15,400. Given that the city has invested approximately 16,000 in code enforcement, demolition, and related efforts, this sale represents a favorable outcome, recouping nearly the full amount uh expended. The property sale will be split between the owner of Kelly Plumbing and Dick Davies, each paying $7,700. They are both in need of the extra space, so it's a win-win for them. Kelly Plumbing
may consider expansion in the future and Dick Davies is looking for additional parking for his apartment building that he invested in a couple doors down. Council move to approve, your honor. Motion by Councilor Baker. Is there a second? I'll second, your honor. Second by Councilor Anderson. Any further discussion, your honor. Councilor Howland. And I since the city manager is here, I don't know this can be answered, but I I tried looking at this on uh on Google Maps to determine what uh this property is. So just so I'm clear on this. So this is just to the south of the
old AS sewing property. Is that know if that's correct? Back up there. So it's an empty lot now. It is an empty lot. Yes. Okay. Yeah. So, so the one just to the north, that's the old Abest. And am I correct that this was a property that we tore down? Is that right? Yes. City eEngineer Steve Janke. Yes. It It was a business It was a business property that was there. It wasn't a residential home, right? I believe it was a home, wasn't it? I I was thinking it was a
home as well. Okay. You look up If you look on Beacon, it shows a picture of the house. Okay. Okay. Yep. All right. Thank you. All right. Any additional questions? All right. Uh if there's no additional questions from the council, we will go ahead and open it up to the public. For the first time, would anyone like to speak regarding this resolution?
For the second time, would anyone like to speak? For the third time, would anyone like to speak? We'll close the public hearing. I would entertain a resolution declaring property without public purpose. Waive planning commission review and authorized sale of 917 South Broadway Avenue. Council. So moved, your honor. Motion by Councilor Anderson. Is there a second? Second that, your honor. Second by Councilor Olsen. Any additional questions from the council? All in favor of the motion signify by
saying I. I. I. Oppose. Nay. Motion carries. Item B is a resolution accepting donations as presented to the city of Albert Lea. The City of Albert Lea is generally authorized to accept donations pursuant to Minnesota statute section 465-03 for the benefit of its citizens. Staff recommends acceptance of the following donations as submitted by the council for review and approval. Uh, Chevron Renewable Energy Group of Glennville uh presented to the
Albert Lea Fire Department. All right. Is there a motion from the council? So moved. Motion by Councelor Christensen. Is there a second? I'll second. Second by Councilor Anderson. Any further discussion? All in favor of the motion signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Nay. Motion carries. Item nine is the mayor and council reports and we will start tonight with Councilor Olson Ward 4. All right. Don't have much tonight, but I would like to congratulate all the fall sports teams.
Football had a wonderful season. Volleyball did well. Uh the girls soccer team made their first trip to state in either 11 or 14 years. I don't remember which one. Well, they got got to the first round and lost to the number one rated team in the state. So, great memory for those girls and I'd encourage everyone to get out in the winter season, hockey, basketball, wrestling, get out and cheer on those athletes if you get a chance. That's it, your honor. All right. Thank you. Ward five, Councilor Van Beek. Thank you, your honor. Um, this next Tuesday, uh,
tomorrow, I have an HRA meeting. Um, ward items. I have nothing to report at this time. Um, tomorrow I'll be meeting with John Schipper on the Eddie Cochran Festival for next year, looking at a major motorcycle component. And later in the month, I've got a meeting for with Ride for Heroes to help keep supporting this area for our local veterans. That's all I got. All right. Thank you. Ward six, Councilor Anderson. Thank you, your honor. Uh, no ward items right now. And uh there is an HRA
meeting tomorrow. So that's all I have. Thank you very much. Ward one, Councilor Christensen. Thank you, your honor. Uh actually, it's been a very busy couple of weeks for me. Um the senior center has now um met their advisory group uh to re review three proposals for a new facility. Uh there were really great turnout of members of the senior center and its advisory council that met uh first to review the proposals and uh the week after to tour uh two of the facilities that
have made proposals. The group will be meeting later this week to further discuss those options and we look forward to uh seeing what comes out of that. Um, also with regard to our seniors, um, the age friendly Freeborn County group met, they've got so many wonderful things going on. Uh, one of the things that's going to be happening is they're bringing back Tech Tuesday sponsored by AT&T. So, we thank AT&T for doing that. Uh what they'll do is they'll have uh people who are
knowledgeable who can help you with your laptop or uh with with the your cell phone or whatever you're having troubles with because we all know that if you don't have a young person around you to show you how to do it sometimes it's kind of difficult. Um, also the National Vitality Center, which is the kind of the funding arm for our blue zones project, met and started a kind of a planning process, trying to get refocused and came up with some really great ideas for kind of
re-engaging uh with the Blue Zones project and bringing it uh back to its importance within our community. and and our mayor uh even spoke. We did a strategic planning meeting la a week ago Saturday. He talked about that and I was really happy to hear his support for the blue zone saying this is something the first certified Blue Zone city in the United States. It's ours and we need to keep being uh kind of in control of that and making the most of it for
our community because people do come here and know about Albert Lea because of that project. uh one of its subgroups, the work site wellness committee is meeting. They too are very active and have a lot of things going on. Um and I guess that's about it. All right. Thank you, your honor. Thank you. Ward two, Councilor Baker. Thank you, your honor. Um I did have one word item. I've turned it over to the chief of police um which he's going to look into. Um I've
also I that's the only word item I have. Um, last Tuesday I was able I I took uh a day off from work and went on that Freeborn Mower Electric bus tour. Um, first of all, we met we met at 7:00 there. Um, they gave us a tour of of Freeborn Mower and then we had a little conversation with with some of the u people that work u work there. And from there we went to um La Crosse where the uh headquarters
for the Dairyland Power Company is. Um and there they um also gave us a com you know a tour of the of their facility and I tell you what it's a it's quite the facility. I mean it was really um informational. Um I look at it different now when every time I flip the light on I think about things differently because of what I saw. And then after we got done there, um, on the way up to, uh, Alma, Wisconsin, where the, uh, power station is, we we ate a box lunch on the bus, which I
think they the uh, bus drive was about an hour and 10 minutes. And when we got to the power station, they they took us through us. They sat us down and kind of went over it. They took us and showed us the control panel that they have for for this whole Dairyland power. And this is five states part part of five states. And this this board goes uh it's probably twice as wide as this room and it's continuous from one corner to the other. And there's there was only like five people in
there and they're monitoring all of this stuff throughout southern Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois. Um, I think they even have a little bit of it in South Dakota. I think they have. Um, but it it's amazing what they can what they can see just by that board. They can tell when stuff is offline. They can tell when stuff there's issues. Um, they're they have a great communication center there. Um, and then we went through the facility and it's it's really unbelievable that as we drove
into the facility, there's like two mountains of coal. I forgot to say this is a coal burning power plant and it's it's probably it's it's unbelievable the amount of coal they had there and going through that plant and some of the things that they have there the the burners the generator the I mean they're huge. Um we were I don't know fortunate or unfortunate depends on how you look that they were they were shut down at the at the time that we were there. Um, and the
reason I say unfortunate because when that plant is running, there can be places in that plant as you go through it can be up to 100 degrees. And so, um, we were able to go through the whole facility. And, uh, um, like I said, it was it was a truly a learning experience. And I, um, I'm really grateful that I took the opportunity to, to go. And I want to thank the people out at Freeber Mower Electric for for putting this on and also the people at the Dairyland Power who who welcomed us and was more than happy to go through their their day and and what they
do and how they do it. Um with that um I do have an HRA meeting tomorrow which uh I I'm sure we'll discuss it at our next meeting. With that, your honor, that'll do it. All right. Thank you. W three. Councilor Howland. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, as uh uh Councelor Christensen uh already mentioned, uh just uh since our last meeting, I attended the city council retreat, which all of us did, um and uh hashed out uh over uh a day uh coming up with plans for a strategic plan for the
city. So, I want to thank uh all those involved in in uh uh putting that together and all the city staff that were there and participated in in those conversations and uh excited to see uh uh what we come up with here in the future. Uh other than that, uh last week attended the park and rec board meeting and um and it was out at city arena and so uh the park and recck board got a tour of of uh some of the progress that's happened out at the arena. Uh uh there is ice now in uh the main arena
in Nystrom Arena. So uh the ice went in a little over a week ago and it's getting used quite a bit. Uh I can't remember how many hours they said of ice time every day, but um um thankful uh for all of the uh user groups that use the ice for their patience and understanding. I know uh some of the teams are having to go in there. I think it's like 5:00 in the morning to to be able to to use the ice until we get that second sheet of ice on there. But um the ice is up and running.
it is with the temporary uh chillers until uh they get the main uh chiller in there in place here hopefully in the next few months. But um second sheet of ice is expected to uh hopefully be in uh Colstrup Arena. Uh I think the plan is in January. Let's cross our fingers that that does not get pushed back um any more than it already has. But um uh yeah, the it's amazing how many groups uh utilize the city arena every day. There's everything from the high school teams, girls and
boys hockey to youth hockey to uh figure skating, the Waldorf College team, um and many others that uh are using that ice every day. So, uh, kudos to staff for scheduling all of that ice time and and making sure that, uh, everybody's as happy as they can be when it comes to that. Also, some of the, u, uh, improvements made to the arena, I think, uh, people once they step in are really going to, uh, uh, kind of step back and say, "Wow, this is really nice." So, uh, the lobby that, uh,
the lobby extension that's been added, uh, wasn't quite finished when we were there uh, last week, but uh, it's it's coming along really nice. And uh once it's all up and running and has all the furnishings and everything, I think it's uh people are going to be really proud of that. And uh as well as uh some of the um efficiencies made in uh like the skate rentals and that office space area is is uh all positives. So all good things out at the city arena and um won't be long and there'll
be hockey games starting pretty quick. That's it, your honor. That's good to hear. I know there's a lot of groups that are awfully happy to have that sheet of ice back in action. So, that's good. All right. Uh my report on uh October 14th, I had a lead a project review meeting. And then on the 15th, uh the city manager and I met with a few members of the watershed uh committee uh to talk about some different things that we're working on together. Uh on the 15th, which was a Wednesday, I joined the Crime Victims Crisis Center on their walk from Central Park on over to New Denmark
Park. Um and uh on the 16th I went out to the St. Croix Hospice uh group. I met with a number of their staff and uh and then got to uh be the judge for their pumpkin fest. So they had all decorated some pumpkins. So we had a little fun with that. But a nice uh group of people. There were probably uh close to 30 employees there. So that was nice to see. So they employ quite a few. Um our executive or our group at ALEDA is also uh beginning the executive search. Uh so we're
working on that with DDA. Um we got together on the 17th and and started that process uh on the 18th as a few other members have mentioned. We had our strategic uh planning meeting. I'm hoping great things come out of that. I think we had some good ideas that day and I think we kind of come to a consensus on what some of the important things that the city should be working on. So, uh, it'll be, uh, fun to get the those things going and and keep this momentum going that we built in this city. And then on the, uh, 20th, we had a groundbreaking for a new location,
a new building for Affinity Credit Union, uh, which will be out on East Main. So, it was fun to be out there and, uh, visit with the local group that works there. Plus, they had people come in from some of their other home office and things like that. So, that was good to see. Uh you probably saw some dirt start getting moved out there over the last few days and uh you'll see a building going up there uh shortly. Uh on Tuesday the 21st uh the chamber had their annual meeting. Congratulations to Cargill, our large uh employer of the year. Uh to the Children's Center,
our medium employee of the year, employer of the year, and then also to Three Oak Vineyard and Winery, which is our small employer of the year. So congratulations to them. Uh it was a great program that night. We had a lot of fun. Um people got to meet uh the new uh chamber director. So that was uh that was fun to uh get to meet her and just hear her speak about some ideas uh going forward. So if you get a chance, stop by and uh visit with the new uh chamber director.
We'll be going out and hopefully doing some calls together with some of our local businesses. Um, on the 22nd I had an interview with Peter Cox, uh, who was with NPR now, uh, and he came down and talking about how cities and counties, especially in rural Minnesota, are adapting to these, uh, huge budget increases that we're all faced with right now. Uh, interesting note on Peter Cox. He got his start at the Albert Lea Tribune, I believe, back around 99 to 2000, somewhere
right in there, and also attended college at St. Olaf. and he was naming off some of the Albert Leans that he went to school with. So, that was kind of interesting uh to chat with him. So, uh that should be on their website uh coming up. Uh 10-22 uh we had a bonding committee meeting. So, uh engineer Steve Jahnke and several others on there talking about what we need to put together for our bonding meeting coming up here uh in a week. We'll be having having the House bonding committee down here to talk about our wastewater treatment plan. So, we want to make sure that we
can, you know, get a good presentation to them and just show how important this project is for uh Albert Lea and the surrounding area. And then I would just like to echo uh Councilor Olson's uh comments there on some of our sports teams. It was exciting to watch the girls soccer go off to state. Um pretty tough that they got to play Providence Academy first game. Uh and they have a heck of a team. So anyway, uh but it's fun to see him get there. Um soccer, we've got Andrew Schaw,
uh who will be going up to state, so good to see uh him or on the cross country team. So that's good. And then the football team won their first game uh come up a little short in the second game, but what a year. And so just exciting watching all our fall sports. So get out, support these kids. Uh as Councelor Olson said, a lot of uh winter activities that'll be starting up. I think we have about a two week break right now and then we'll start up with all the winter activities. So get out and support those kids. Uh very very important. And then what's going on uh in the calendar here? Wednesday, October 29th will be the last farmers market of the
season. Uh so um get out there and uh see what they have yet and get some goodies. Uh Thursday, October 30th, the spooktacular trick-or- treat event in downtown Albert Lea from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at participating businesses. And then after trick-or-treating downtown on Thursday, you can head to the History Center of Freeborn County for the creepy doll scavenger hunt. This is a free event and goes from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at 1031 Bridge Avenue. And that is the end of my report. Item 10 is the city manager report. And all we're going to say tonight is the city manager
is off at a conference. He's learning a few things about housing. So hopefully he brings back uh some good ideas and thoughts for us. So, uh, he'll be back at our next meeting and I I think he gets back to town Wednesday. So, with that, we'll move along to item 11 is approval of claims. A is a resolution approving claims and one is a presentation of claims over 25,000. We have $57,217.35 to Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative Electric Service and the wastewater
treatment plant. And then $57,804.15 to Platinum Plumbing Solutions. This is pay estimate 14 for lead service line replacement project. We have $72,892.27 to Jensen Excavating and Trucking. This is pay estimate 5 for the Eberhart Street and Water Construction job 2413. We have $107,114.40 cents to Neo Electric Solutions pay estimate one AWOS replacement project and then we have $148,092.79 cents to Midwest Injection Inc. This
is biosolid removal. Uh $198,021.56 to Brennan Construction. This is pay estimate number seven, the recreational facilities project, the arena lobby. And then lastly, we've got $203,769.40 to Brennan Construction. This is pay estimate six for the recreational facilities project. Again, the arena library lobby. Um council moved to approve, your honor. Motion by Councilor Baker. Is there a second? Second. Second by Councilor Van Beek. Any questions or further discussion? All in
favor of the motion signify by saying I. I oppose. Nay. Motion carries. Item 12 is adjournment. Move to adjourn your motion by Councilor Howland. Is there a second? I'll second. Second by Councilor