Call City Council meeting for Tuesday, 07/01/2025 order. Could I have roll call, please? Councilmember Spende. Here. Ross. Here. Dotson. Here. Burbank. Here. Vokey. Here. McCann. Here. And Mayor Jessup. Here. We have all seven of the council and the mayor present. Thank you. Would everyone please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Burbank. By the 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.
Alright. Welcome to July, the month that's gonna be perfect because we haven't had a perfect month yet. The council agenda tonight, we do have three changes. Pulled from the agenda is 2.40.7, the tree trimmer permit. And then we are moving 3.40.23.40.4. That is getting moved to the consent agenda and that is on the new agenda as as we see. So with that, I would look for a motion to approve the agenda. Motion to approve as noted. We have a motion by Brent to approve.
Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dan. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? And the agenda is approved. Except tonight is mayor Jessup, and you do have a couple of things for us. Good evening sir. I do. Thank you Council President Rainey. First off, it is an honor and a pleasure to do my next proclamation for July. Many of you may be aware, June is celebrated as Pride Month for our LGBTQ plus community. It is the fifty sixth annual celebrations this year.
And with Pride in the Park coming up on Saturday, July 12, it is an honor and a pleasure again for me to declare Saturday, July 12 as Rainbow Otona Pride Day. And as the last line reads, call upon people of Otona to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists. Next up, I've got two candidates, one for each planning commission and HRA. First off, I have Rebecca Rand, who is eminently qualified as a candidate for HRA and do absolutely support and encourage
counsel to approve her, And Jim Joachim for Planning Commission. Jim's been on before, served his terms and was interested in coming back. We're fortunate to have him. Thank you. We'll do these Can we do these together singular? You can get them together, but we need one motion for both of them. That's fine. Okay. So with that, with the recommendation by the Mayor, we would look for a motion to approve Ms. Rand and Mr. Joachim to their, to their boards. So moved. Motion by Council Member Verboke to approve. Do I have a second? Second.
Second by Nate. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? The motion carries and go ahead. You're spraying them in. Thank you. Mr. Joachim. You would raise your right hand, please, sir. I, James Joachim, do solemnly swear I, James Joachim, do solemnly swear that I will, that I will support the constitution of The United States. That I will support the constitution of The United States. The constitution of the state of Minnesota. Constitution of the state of Minnesota. The laws of the city of Owatonna. The laws of the city of Owatonna. And that I will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties.
That I will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties. As a member of the planning commission for the city of Owatonna. As a member of the planning commission for the city of Owatonna. To which I've been appointed. To which I've been appointed. To the best of my knowledge and ability, so help me, god. To the best of my knowledge and ability, so help me god. Congratulations. Here. Rebecca. Raise your right hand. I, Rebecca Rand, do solemnly swear I, Rebecca Rand, do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of The United States that I will support the constitution of The United States. The constitution of the state of Minnesota.
The constitution of the state of Minnesota. The laws of the city of Owatonna. The laws of the city of Owatonna. And that I will faithfully and impartially discharge. And I will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties as a member of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority the duties as a member of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority for the city of Owatonna to which I've been appointed For the city of Owatonna, to which I've been appointed. To the best of my knowledge and ability, so help me God. To the best of my knowledge and ability, so help me God. Congratulations.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you on behalf of City Council and Mayor. Thank you for stepping up and choosing to support, Owatonna by serving on a board. Anything else tonight, Mayor? That is it tonight. Thank you, council president. Thank you. So we're now up to the consent agenda. Consent agenda consists of city council minutes, other board commission minutes, licenses, permits, and miscellaneous items all grouped together for the council to review prior to the meeting and vote collectively. With that, I will entertain a motion on these consent agenda items. So moved. Motion by Don to approve.
Do I have a second? Second. Second by Nate. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? And consent agenda has been approved. We're now up to the action items. First tonight is the finance report. And we go to Vice President Voss for that. Good evening. Thank you, President Rainey. The very long list of checks over $20,000 for your consideration tonight are as follows. Dollars 330,000 to Air Holdings LLC, Air Apartments forgivable loan reimbursement one and two. $34,009.11
to Crane Creek Asphalt for asphalt. $48,675 to the overhead door company for the wastewater treatment plant overhead door replacement. $232,671 to environmental equipment services for a Timco 600 sweeper for the street department, dollars 25,595 to Hawkins for chemicals, dollars $115,210 to the League of Minnesota Cities for the insurance trust quarterly workers' comp premiums July through September of twenty five, $168,528
to Near North Title Group for the purchase of 502 Maple Drive, $22,405 to the Otona Area Chamber of Commerce, lodging tax April 2025, $184,804 for Otona motor for four of the 25 Ford Explorers for the police department. $62,997 to short Elliot Hendrickson. That's the 2024 roof replacement study at the airport and eighteenth Street Reconstruction Services, April of twenty twenty five.
$149,592 to the Southeast Service Cooperative, June 2025 health insurance premiums, $28,530 to SPS companies, CIP River Spring boilers replacement at the water park. $156,968 to Ewan Brothers for the Eighteenth Street Trail, pay estimate number one. 513,334 to Wenzel Construction, that's the street and utility pay estimate number $2.308985
for other expenditures for a subtotal of 2,383,208. Add to that HRA housing assistance payments of $104,778 Total expenditures tonight $2,487,986.19 Thank you. Take a breath. Any questions on the bills? Mr. Bokey. I have one I believe would be directed to Mr. Klecker, line number one on the finance for 330,000 Could you please explain that forgivable loan that we're allowing this project?
Yeah. So as part of this project we applied to the state for some workforce forgivable loan dollars. We were awarded $495,000 in the form of a forgivable loan for this project. So that money has come to the city. So we make a request in thirds so these this represents two thirds of the project to get it started. We made a request the money has come in from the state so then we pass it on to the developer. There will be one more draw when the project is completed.
It'll come the same way we'll make a request, the state will give us the money and then we just take that money and give it to the developer. Thank you. Any other questions on the bills? Hearing none, I look for a motion to approve. So moved. Motion by Dan to approve. Do I have a second? Second by Don. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? And motion carries. We have, two ordinances tonight. The first one is three point two point one. The second final reading of proposed ordinance 25 dash zero eight amend chapter 93
And we go to city attorney Mark Walbrand for that. Good evening, sir. Thank you. This is the second reading of the ordinance providing, permits for use of designated park areas. There's no change between, this version and the previous version. This follows on the heels of the two, noise ordinances we adopted earlier this year. And the purpose of this ordinance, persons may apply, for an event permit from the city for use of a designated area of a park, a pavilion, a green space.
This is really just codified what we have in practice. Our our park and recreation board have done a wonderful job in connection with that. In any event, the the purpose then is to allow for the permit for designated park areas. And it does provide it does mean that the person to whom the permit is given, they they have the right to use the designated area, but the park itself remains open to the public. I was thinking about this a little bit, and I thought you might think of it as,
the municipal golf course. If I sign up for tee time at 11:00 in the morning, going out on the first tee box. I have ownership, if you will. I have the right to use the tee box to go play golf. This is really no different than that. It's getting a designated area for a public purpose, or a park purpose. Okay. Thank you. I do have a question. We also have 3.2.1.1, the summary, this can be included in the same ordinance boat, correct? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Any questions for Mark on this? Hearing none,
I look for a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Motion by Dave to approve. Do we have a second? Second. Second by Don. Any further discussion? Hearing none, I would ask for a roll call vote, please. Council member Spenge. Aye. Voss. Aye. Dotson. Aye. Burbank. Aye. Voci. Aye. McCann. Aye. And Rainey. Aye. All seven ayes. Thank you. We have one more ordinance. It's three point two point two, first reading of proposed ordinance 25 dash zero nine. That is to amend the city code section ninety three dash twenty nine Noise and Public Parks and once again Mr.
Walbrand. Thank you. This is a housekeeping ordinance to correct an error in the original ordinance where it provided that the reference was made to subsection I. It should have been it should have referred to, subsection, j. And so it's, we're we're correcting the mistake with respect to a reference in our original ordinance. And it'll give a second reading next time. So what we're really doing is we're taking that clause and we're rescinding it and
then inserting a new clause, the correct clause. Okay. Any questions for Mark on this? Bring that look for a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Motion by Doug to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dan. Any further discussion? Once again, this being an ordinance, I'd ask for a roll call vote, please. Council Member Spende. Aye. Voss. Aye. Dotson. Aye. Burbank. Aye. Bocke. Aye. McCann. Aye. And Rainey. Aye. All seven ayes. Thank you. We have three resolutions tonight. First up is three point three point one resolution 33 dash 25 to set Otana
Public Utilities Commissioner Compensation. And we go to see administer Bussey for this. Good evening. Good evening. As you are aware, Roger Wareheim, the general manager of OPU came to our last study session and talked about, this adjustment for the, for the board. The OPU commissioners had last had their compensation adjusted in 2013. They are, the only, city commission that is, receives compensation that is provided for in our charter and has been for many, many years.
So the request, backing up, Roger did look at other similar sized utilities, and there was a range of compensation. He looked at the ratio between the city council salaries and OPU, and he's recommending an increase from $1.25 a month as it is now to $250 per month. He reminds us that the commission holds the entire management and control of the public utilities. They have several meetings, including personnel, budget meetings and operational meetings that they are required to attend.
They set rates, there, provide financial stewardship and also strategic direction for the utility and staff would recommend approval. Thank you. Any questions for Chris on this? I look for a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Motion by Brent to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dan. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. We're now up to resolution 3.3.234-twenty5 the MnDOT grant agreement for an airport flex wing more and we go to Troy
Klecker for for that. Good evening sir. Alright thank you. Scheduled to be replaced at the airport is our twenty twelve Flex Wing mower. The existing mower was purchased under a previous MnDOT grant and would will be sold as as we purchase the new equipment because it was under a MnDOT grant we have to reimburse the state 66% of what we get back for the sale of that equipment. We're looking at a total cost for the new flex wing rotary mower for $38,440
that's under the grant 70% would be covered under the state and 30% would be the city's responsibility. We're estimating the sale of our existing equipment at 8,500 again 66 percent going back to the state and 34 to the city. So the grant offers for $26,908 our share would be 11,532 for the purchase and then we're looking to get reimbursed the city share about $2,833 so net cost to us is about $8,700
and this is budgeted in our airport vehicle replacement fund so staff would recommend approval. Thank you. Any questions for Troy? Dave. Were we able to purchase this our local John Deere dealer? I believe so yes. Okay Thanks. Any other questions? Hearing none, I look for a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Motion by Doug to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Now up to 3.3.3 resolution 35 25 wastewater treatment agreement with the city of Medford and Sean Murphy.
Good evening. Good evening Mayor and Council. Yes we're requesting City Council's approval of the proposed wastewater treatment agreement and the accompanying charges and payment addendum between the City of Medford and the City of Owatonna. And this is to collect Medford sanitary waste and treat at Owatonna's wastewater treatment facility. Just a little bit of background here. In 2023, the City of Owatonna revised its bonding request from the state to include regionalizing our already under construction wastewater treatment facility expansion project.
To include the City of Medford, mutual benefits for both communities or that both communities would receive proved to strengthen our request with the state and ultimately led legislature committing dollars 26,500,000.0 to both of our communities. Dollars 22,000,000 to the City of Owatonna and $4,500,000 to the City of Medford. When taking on treatment responsibility with another collection system, the MPCA requires an agreement between the two parties that defines a multitude of items
but not limited to maintenance of collections systems and whose responsibility it is. Same with wastewater treatment facilities, capacity allocation, user rates, charges, so on and so forth. We did come, at City Council's last study session to present, the guts, so to speak, of that agreement. And what we're presenting here is has not been changed other than minor changes for clarification and for Medford's user rate calculation
after our rate modelers plugged in the adjusted rate found a modified ratio of 1.22 multiplier for the treatment portion resulting in a 2.47 per CCF charge. So largely what we presented at our study session has not changed from what is before you today. This agreement is nearly complete. We're still working out some of those, nuanced details. Attorneys talking back and forth about the intent and the actual
meaning of words and how they can be interpreted, years down the road. We're still working on, determination with Medford's ordinance revisions and adoptions that will need to align with ours and whether or not there's specific language that needs to go into the agreement. We're requesting authorization to approve the agreement as it sits now with non substantive changes in the near future, making those clarifications or, adding in language to what, Medford may need to do in terms of modifying their ordinances to align with ours.
Medford has already bid their projects and looking to receive final approval from the MPCA to start construction. This approach allows for flexibility to modify the language, without having to come back to council. City staff will rely on City Attorney Walbrand and our special council to determine if any of the changes that do get made from what's presented tonight result in something that is more than substantive that would need to come back to council. With that, the budget impact that we receive with this agreement is revenues of roughly $1,195,000
for connection costs from the City of Medford, estimated monthly service charge of $10,328 per month and flow charges of that, pre mentioned $2.47 per CCF for treatment of their waste and use of our collection system. All of those rates are based on our 2025 adopted rates. And then with the addendum for payments and charges, it's a smaller document that accompanies our agreement that is more easily updatable in terms
of if we update our rates for 2026 and beyond, it's easier to modify and update that addendum rather than going through the entire agreement. So with that staff recommends approval and happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you. Any questions for Sean? Hearing none, I look for a motion to approve. So moved. Motion by Nate to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dave. Any further discussion? Brent. I just wanted to thank you and your team for your work on this agreement. Good job.
Absolutely. It's the best for both communities. Any other comments? I'll just say that I 100% agree with Mr. Senby. It's been a long time coming. This, it's a win win for both communities. And I'll also add that at the study session, the engineer for Medford was here. He applied his comments. We asked questions of him as well. So Medford was represented at the study session. Correct. We have a motion and second. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed and the motion carries. Thank you. We have two miscellaneous items tonight.
The first is 3.4.1 professional service agreement, zoning and subdivision ordinance update with Bolton and Mank and we go back to Troy for that. Alright last year we completed our comprehensive plan and as part of that implementation of that plan is to rewrite our subdivision and zoning ordinances. The city published a request for proposal and sent it out to all the consulting firms that responded to our comprehensive plan. We received four proposals and our review committee interviewed two of those firms. Following interviews staffing unanimously recommended we move forward with Bolton and Mink for this process.
Bolton and Mink's proposals roughly for twelve months for the whole process and plan on kicking that off here in July upon council approval. The total cost of the project is $106,252 we did have $75,000 that budgeted in our 2025 budget and the remainder would come out of 2026 budgets and we did plan on half coming out of each year's budget so this is less than we anticipated Originally,
we were thinking it was going to be about $150,000 so this is about $106,000 so staff is recommending approval of the contract services with Bolton and Mink subject to approval by the city attorney. Thank you. Any questions for Troy? Hearing none, I look for a motion to approve. So moved. Motion by Dan to approve. Do I have a second? Okay. Second by Brent. Any further discussion? Being none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Our final miscellaneous item tonight is 3.4.3 engineering service agreement sewer rate updates with neuroengineering and back to Sean Murphy.
Thanks. Yes council requesting your approval of the engineering services agreement with neuroengineering providing professional services to update our sanitary rate model and provide other miscellaneous engineering services. Back in 2021, we made a significant change in our sanitary sewer rate modeling and rate structure. It was twofold. One, to update to current industry standards sorry, threefold. Update to current industry standards, help navigate a path to funding our wastewater treatment expansion project and then also accounting
for the different process treatment than what we were going from to what we're going to in our wastewater treatment facility. So we've come back pretty much yearly to update our rates and using neuroengineering and their subcontractor AE2S to update that model from a financial management plan standpoint incorporating anything that has changed like a significant cost in increase in our wastewater treatment facility project or receiving $22,000,000
in bonding from the state. Some future potential changes like CIP projects or possible revenue sources from our bio, renewable biogas or renewable natural gas off take, to OPU and their potential environmental, credits or ring credits that can be tied to those. That's what we're using these services for. So this agreement would be for 2526, and '27 to cover all of those modeling expenses that we do,
go through on an annual basis. And then maybe some things in between, from just some miscellaneous services. So with that, the contract is not to exceed $21,598 without prior authorization and staff does recommend approval. Thank you. Any questions for Sean? Okay, now I look for a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Motion by Doug to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dave. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. That completes our agenda items tonight.
We have one staff report and that is our head of parks and recreation TW. Good evening. Good evening, mayor and council. Just a quick update on River Springs as well as Brooktree. Just some numbers, some comparisons. Now that summer's fully kicked off and we've, you know, been a month or so into each operation, I want to give you just a snapshot, kind of give you an understanding of the numbers. So we'll start with River Springs Waterpark as of June 30. Tenants numbers, as you can see on 2020 or this year through June 30,
9,750 visits. Giving you a little context there, we've had three closed days, four partially closed days, and then some lower temperatures. So attendance is really affected by the weather as you would expect in an outdoor venue like that. That's a little bit higher than last year and a little bit lower than the three previous years before that, but the temperatures were much higher. So that kind of explains that. Season pass sales through June, April this year, which is on pace with the last two years.
I will note that those previous four years, those were for the full season. You get into July, that's pretty much when most of the passes, pass sales start to stop. So it's a pretty good comparison. We may have a few more trickled in, but we're pretty much on par with the last couple of years. Pardon me. For Brooktree Golf Course, again, as of June 30, wanted to note the green fees were are up this year, dollars 9,124. About $3,400 of that alone was was in June alone. We've done a little bit better because we're trying to maximize the tee sheet by
offering some nine hole tee times online during lead days. Compare that to just under 8,000 through June a year ago. Season Pass sales also at Brooktree were on par from last year, three twenty four total compared to three thirty three the previous year. Again, that was just a quick high level snapshot, kind of give you an idea of the business that's being generated out there. If we get warmer weather, we're going to see a lot more folks out there doing their thing. So do you have any questions? Quick question.
I know you got a lot of special nights planned for River Springs. How do people find out more information? Where where can they go to learn what they are? Sure. Well, point out a couple of things. Social media is always a good place like Facebook page. I always try to plug oatana.gov/parksandrec, and that'll take you there'll be links there that'll take you to the website. Thank you. Any other questions for TW? Thank you. I have one more thing to add to the report tonight. Hey, Jackson, there's a second page. Could you pull that one up? Thanks, sir.
Okay. So I know there's been a member of the community who's been asking, hey, this is about the hunting program that we have. Why does the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the DNR, recommend hunting both thirty minutes before and thirty minutes after sunset? So I reached out to our contacts at the DNR and the response this response is from Doctor. Paul Burr. He has a PhD in wildlife biology and he is the acting big game coordinator for the Minnesota DNR. And to quote his response, he said, the primary reason is that deer are crepuscular,
a term I'd never heard. Basically, that means they're most active during these twilight periods. Allowing hunting during this time increases the likelihood of a successful harvest while aligning with natural animal behavior. While the sun may not be completely visible, there's still enough ambient light to make safe and ethical shots. Of course, there are other factors like cloud cover. Tree canopy can also affect visibility, which is why it's still the hunter's responsibility to ensure they can clearly identify the target.
So I just want to provide you with a factual and professional response to the question. Thank you. Any questions for TW? Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thank you, TW. We are now up to public comments. Please limit your comments to two minutes. Please approach the microphone, sign in and state your name and address for the record after being acknowledged by the Council President. Speakers will be limited to two minutes to deliver their comments. Council vice president Voss will be timing and hold up one hand after one minute forty five seconds to notify the speaker they have fifteen seconds to complete their comment.
Those speaking are asked to conduct themselves in a respectful manner as they deliver their comments. Audience members are asked to refrain from reacting to comments. City council will not respond directly to comments in this venue or take immediate action in response to them. With that, the public portion of the meeting is now open. Melissa Zimmerman. 2525 Stoney Creek Drive. Good evening, Melissa. Good evening. What 17 feet teaches us. I want to share something that happened in my garage because it because it shows the kind of pollution families near the proposed 20 Ninth Avenue East Side corridor would
be forced to live with. You might think I'm going to talk about noise pollution tonight. Ironically, I am not. These noise impact posters from one of our neighborhood meetings hung on opposite ends of the garage just 17 feet apart, the length of a van. The top poster was placed in front of my van and the bottom behind it at eye level. After three months of minimal exposure, you can see the one behind the van is significantly more discolored. Same paper, same environment, same time line. The only difference, exposure to exhaust. The irony is that the signs were about noise pollution, but that isn't the only pollution we will face.
Air pollution is another. Now scale that up from one car to thousands of cars a day. Add diesel trucks, acceleration, idling, breaking, just feet from someone's bedroom window, backyard, or a child's lungs. If exhaust pollution can discolor a poster, what might it do to our homes, to our health? This isn't theoretical, it's real, and it becomes permanent if we build in the wrong place. We were told our concerns would be considered later. But if we already know that just 17 feet of proximity leads to measurable harm, especially for kids, the elderly, and people with health conditions,
why are we pretending this is acceptable? The difference between a white poster and a yellow one might not sound like much until you realize it represents what our lungs, our bodies, our homes, and our futures will absorb. These are real and few these are real and often invisible impacts, this project subjecting residents to lifelong consequences. Environmental injustice comes in many forms, but at the end of the day, you hold the power to either subject residents to these impacts or avoid them. We're asking you to avoid. Your handout tonight shows clippings from these posters.
Thank you. Here you go. He's got okay. Gary Jones. 995 Ridge Road. Good evening, Gary. Good evening. My address tonight to the council is on hunting after dark in Mineral Springs. First of all, thanks to TW who has been a major help in understanding things here. It's very appreciated, and I appreciate also the expert opinion on the ambient light. I do call the question that it is when it's spread across 89,000 square miles of Minnesota. I agree with the ambient light. I don't agree with the ambient light when it's spread across the light from television sets shining into Mineral Springs in this little tiny area.
That's that's where I have the difference. The proficiency test is not required by the DNR. It's something done by Park and Rec. So to me, Park and Rec has kind of taken the responsibility for this, not the DNR. Now my question is, please change the proficiency test to have them test in the darkness or change Mineral Springs hunting time to sunrise to sunset so they're not hunting in the dark. You can't test for one and then allow the other. And please, like I said, please move these times around because if any of these hunters were given their proficiency test in the darkness of early December,
thirty minutes after sunset, nobody would be hitting the pie plates. Thank you. Anyone else wish to speak this evening? Good evening. I'm gonna Good. I'm Gail Jorgensen. I have the house over in the corner of Grove And Main, and I'm gonna ask your indulgence for me to be a little bit long. But it's okay. It's not exactly a road. I'm always searching for history about my house, and I recently got a bunch of photographs online auction because I thought the landscape looked familiar, the houses looked familiar, which they did when I got them. And it was a Minnesota tie in.
And there was an Owatonna tie in because it's that same spoke road design for the city and the area, the same beautiful gently rolling hills that we have out on Dane Hill. But at this site and these photographs I got were from the eighteen nineties, but the history of the site goes back a hundred and sixty seven years ago, for this was Gettysburg. And our town, our small inner town with the old houses, that's the size of the battle inside the city limits.
Those beautiful fields, one of the harsh battles was 20,000 men fighting hand to hand in a 20 acre area. That's the population of Owatonna, basically. And you all know what 20 acres is. So tomorrow will be the hundred and sixty seventh anniversary of the first Minnesota's charge against the Confederates at Cemetery Ridge. So I'm asking you and Oatonna as public remarks to remember that our freedom was not just won on Bunker Hill,
but it's continually being won. And there was a big sacrifice there, huge sacrifice. And the residuals of that also led to the Sioux Uprising and the, Dakota wars. So the other thing that happened was, the first Minnesota turned into the one hundred and thirty fourth Infantry Division, and thirty five I thirty five is Thank you. In their memory. So that's my road tie in, just for you. Hi. I'm John Tom. I live at 1950 Third Avenue North Northeast Of Owatonna.
Thanks for having me, and thanks for listening to my issues. I'm a resident of Owatonna since 1986. I'm a resident of Owatonna since 1986. I've gone through a lot of different areas in my life. I'm a reserve retiree. The issues I'm having right now is with the inspectors of the Owatonna area. We have plenty of additions that are up on stilts that are being pushed out of Owatonna now and I'm not sure why. They're all over The United States and Minnesota and The United States. And now we have to put foundations under them.
I've had to do two buildings now, added a cost of $15,000 each one to put a foundation underneath these that stills ability. They're only two feet below grade or above grade, I mean. And it's at a cost of our business for unnecessary means. And the other issue is I don't know if you've heard of it or if you've seen it, but I'm a builder. I'm kind of a logical thinker. And if something don't make sense to me, I kind of have a, way of voicing that opinion because it's it's not fair.
For instance, this is a minor one. If you put a railing on a railing, to me it's it's what bugs me. If you have if your railing does not pass through another post then your railing comes from a manufacturer built a certain way. And by building that certain way it's designed as a what they call a grippable railing. Not a post railing, but a grippable railing. If you look up in the building code, it says about a grippable railing. And with that, I have some handouts for you to understand what I was talking about.
Thank you. Anyone else wish to speak? I'll take them. I think I can just give it to you. Okay. Seeing no one come up, we are now up to the council and first up tonight is council member Spenby. Nothing, you see me? Council member Voss. Yes. July 4, one of the great days in America. So everybody have a great time. Be safe, especially if you're using fireworks. More importantly to me, July 3 is my mother's ninetieth birthday, and we're having a big party for her. So congratulations, mom.
That's great. Council member Dodson. Well, happy birthday to Doug's mother. Have a safe and happy fourth of July. Council member Burbank. Nothing to add. Council member Boehlke. Nothing to add. Council member McCann. I just wanted to say, I found it very enlightening to go to the League of Minnesota Cities convention. It, every seminar attended, I learned something, and I learned a lot. Thank you for letting me go. I appreciate that. Mayor Matt. A couple of things. I would like to first off thank and congratulate both Rebecca and Jim for joining
the respective commissions. It's of course of critical importance to have public involvement in these committees and on these commissions. So thank you for giving your time, being willing to do so. You're gonna be fabulous. So thanks for that. Also, had the proclamation for Rainbow Otona tonight. Just want to encourage everybody to check out Pride in the Park on the afternoon of July 12 down at Central Park. Would be a great day. That's it. Thank you. Thank you. Well, before we go to this one, we're down to two meetings.
Two meetings, yes. For our city administrator, Mr Busse. Ending for us this evening. Well, just a reminder, we have a downtown Thursday coming up this week to to remind folks to join us downtown and nothing else to add. All right. I'll just add on. I thought that our conference in Duluth, the breakout sessions were very informative. And as we get back into things after the holiday week, we'll be discussing what we learned at those breakout sessions. But it was very well done.
July 4. Everyone be safe, be smart, care about your neighbors and I will leave you with a quote from Lekwoleesa, gentleman from way back when, his country was in strife. He said, I quote, we hold our heads high despite the price we have paid because freedom is priceless. Well spoken by him then and still represents us today. With no other business before us, I would look for a motion to adjourn. So moved. Motion by Dan to adjourn. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Nate. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.
Aye. Opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you. Happy fourth of July, everyone.