Good evening and welcome to the regular city council meeting for the city of St. Peter, Minnesota. It is Monday, May 12th, 2025. At 7 p.m. we are called to order. Would all please rise for the pledge?
I pledge algiance 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. Everyone should have received a copy of
the agenda. Are there any revisions or corrections to the agenda as distributed? Hearing none. Is there a motion to approve? Second. All those in favor of approval say I. I. Any opposed? The agenda is approved. The minutes appear on pages
four through six of the packet. Are there any revisions or corrections to the minutes as distributed? Hearing none. Is there a motion to approve the minutes? Second. All those in favor of approval say I. I. Any opposed? The minutes are approved. We
have time for visitor comments on our agenda. Are there any visitors who'd like to address the council on any agenda item? Hearing none, we also have time for general visitor comments. Is there a visitor who'd like to address the council on any matter
whatsoever? Hearing none, we will move on to the approval of the consent agenda. The consent agenda begins on page seven of the packet and concludes with a resolution that appears on pages 27 through 29 of the packet. This
month's or this week's consent agenda includes the following licenses. It is a lengthy list and so I will not read them. Uh however, the categories are temporary on sale liquor, temporary show, a peddler permit, on sale, off
sale, Sunday wine, 32 offsale beer, 32 on sale beer, and brewer off sale malt liquor. All of these are printed for uh the names of the businesses, the location, and the time periods um within the packet. The following employee
appointment shall be made. Perry Soulheim as finance director at the wage and the conditions listed within the packet on page 28 and the following employee appointments. I will not read uh the full list of names. We have uh
numerous seasonal uh workers including park rangers, lifeguards, cashiers and other um appointments. The names, titles and wages are listed within the packet. The consent au agenda includes the removal removal of two parking stalls
and installation of two no parking anytime signs at 229 Broadway and the schedule of dispersements for April 24th, 2025 through May 7th, 2025. Is there any discussion of any consent agenda
item? Hearing no discussion, is there a motion to approve the resolution? Second. We have a motion and a second. Call the role, please. Council member Ran, I. Council member Weisenfeld, hi. Council member Sharstrom, I. Mayor Noel, I. Council member Pettis, I. The
resolution is approved. We have no items of unfinished business tonight. Our first item of new business is a school resource is the school resource officer agreement. Madame Mayor, members, this agreement comes in front of you after a couple of discussions that the council has held and also a joint meeting that
you had with the school board to discuss this and many other items of um cooperation, collaboration, and joint interest. Um this would be for a two-year contract essentially for the next two school years. So, ending at the end of the 2027 school year. Um this
agreement provides for one SRO officer under the same financial terms that you've had in the past. There's only one really slight modification to this agreement as compared to the last agreement or what you might call the current agreement that we're in right now and that relates to data and access
to data. Really, this change is trying to keep um keep us within line in language that is used within the state law for access to data. Um, again, mayor and members, the contracts included in your packet as is a resolution providing
for approval of the agreement. I would anticipate and based on the discussion that I had with the interim school superintendent Jeff Olson, the school district is likely to take this item up at their next board meeting, which I believe will be next week. All right.
Uh, questions for Todd or any further discussion? We have discussed this at a few a few meetings as you mentioned. So, it is not new to any of us. Um, if there isn't any discussion, is there a motion to approve the resolution uh entering a contract with school district 508 for
school resource officer service for the 2025 through 2027 school year? All right, we have a motion and a second. Call the role, please. Council member Weisenfeld, I. Council member Sharstrom, I. Mayor Noel, I. Council member Pettis, I. Council member Rand,
I. The resolution is approved. Uh, next up, re Jefferson Square vacation and I Yeah, members, your your city attorney is providing the staff report on this and so I'll turn it over to Jim. Thank you. U, we've discussed
this at length in the past. Basically what happened back in the 1850s, the property was transferred from the United States government to the judge of St. Peter at the time,
Chatfield. Chatfield signed it over to St. Peter Company, which was a a company designed through the United States government for distribution of land in that plat. part of the plat developed
uh Jefferson Square which was dedicated for public purposes to the public which would be the city. So what's happened over the years is first the railroad ran through the
eastern portion of that Jefferson Square back in 1960. Back in the early 60s the railroad ceased operations and sold its interest in the
railroad to u Mr. Komats. Mr. Comats brought a quiet title action and the court awarded him judgment on that quiet title action. I looked at it. They there was no comment or anything in the court's
order about uh the public square but it was approved. So that's been in fact in place for now over 60 years. What I and since then at the 122
feet of West Jefferson Square was reserved that was not uh given to Comass for many years. The city ran a well a water well plant on that uh part of the
square. That plant was decommissioned and sealed in 2010. it. The city found it no longer had a use for it and got water from now on St. Julian and on
Broadway. Since 2010, the place has been vacant. There is little going on there. There's little public purpose to it. It's one public purpose that I could think of would be as a park. It's pretty
small for a park. Plus, uh, the city does have adequate park spaces at Stonesway Park and South Elementary. So, there really isn't a need for the park. The theory that's going that if
you approve this, my theory will be that when it was dedicated, it was dedicated in trust for the city. The trust purpose has now it's not there anymore. The city's not getting a benefit from that property. So will be appropriate for the
court to or grant the city the ability to sell the property and dedicate it for a public use. Since we are short of funds for uh Gorman Park, to me, I would recommend that the city look at using
proceeds to assist in funding Gorman Park, which would be a a public purpose and it would be similar to the only available public purpose that the land would have. That would be my argument. And so we've uh a next item in the
agenda is we do have a person that's will or company that's willing to develop the property. I think also obtaining more housing in the area would serve the public better than a vacant lot. So the request is that you accept
the uh resolution, give me authority to proceed and we'll proceed. Questions? Thank you. It's fascinating history that you've kind of uncovered. Yeah, it is. And what's difficult about this is when
we vacate streets, they go half and half because the street is laid out over the um over the plat. So you but here there's no St. Peter Company just simply is no longer in existence. So it's not like we could
give it back to them and they could uh then dedicate it for public purposes. So that that's the theory and I I feel strongly the theory that we'll succeed on it. Any questions or further
discussion? Madame Mayor, if I could if I could ask Ben a question related to this. So Ben, if you wouldn't mind coming up. So, I know you've been involved in this and the council, we're asking the council to take action in an upcoming agenda item, but if a development would occur on this property, it has to meet like all the
development rules like green space and setbacks and all of those kind of things. Is that correct? Yeah, absolutely. That's correct. So, um we have looked at the um next agenda item and the offer that's proposed. And so as a staff we look at yeah setbacks, lot
coverage, all the development regulations, lot sizes and that nature. Okay. All right. Thank you. So madam mayor, the resolution is included in the um council packet on page 42. All right. Seeing no questions or further discussion, the resolution
finding that the west 22 feet of Jefferson Square no longer serves a public purpose authorizing the city attorney to file a district court action requesting the court to vacate the west 122 ft of Jefferson Square and allow the
city as trustee of the public rounds to sell said tract and in satisfaction of its duties as a trustee use the proceeds for a public purpose to wit improve Gorman Park appears on page 42. I'll make a motion with one minor change
to the resolution that we correct uh resolution finding that the west 122 ft of Jefferson Square. Uh we have a and then where we have west 122 ft corrected to 122 feet.
All right, we have So I'll make a motion to approve it with those two minor changes. Is there a second? I'll second that. Um, we have a motion and a second to the revised uh resolution. Call the role, please. Council Josh, I was going
to say um just it as I'm an attorney and to avoid conflicts, I will be abstaining from this since we are directing legal action and just for an overabundance of caution to not potentially raise any sort of legal conflict. All right.
Council member Charstrom. I, Mayor Noel, I, Council Member Pettis. Hi, Council Member Rand. I did I say I did. You mayor Noel. I I'm so sorry. That's okay. We all get a turn. It's only fair.
Did we get everybody? Um, we need you on this one, by the way. You are needed. And council member We indicated an abstension. All right. Uh that said, the resolution is approved and our next item
of new business is a South Washington purchase agreement and Ben is here to talk to us about that. Thank you, Mayor Noel and members of the council. So, back in 2009 2010, um the city of St. Peter did construct a new water treatment plant on Broadway. Um once
that new plant was online, the old water treatment plant, um this is kind of piggybacking off of our last agenda item at 1225 South Washington Avenue was decommissioned and demolished. Um that um since that time that site,
which is about three and a three4s of an acre, has been vacant as open space, serving no real significant benefit. As Jim had mentioned earlier, um over the years the city has attempted to advertise the land for sale and entice developers and builders to purchase the site for residential development. Um it
is surrounded by mostly residential development right now. Um in 2022, the city did receive an offer from a quality developer, but the negotiation and the process for that did fizzle out. Um, so in March of this year, we did receive a
new offer from Adam Heras um for the vacant property here at 1225 South Washington Avenue. Um, and it is his offer is shown in pictures kind of on the following pages. I don't know if Todd wants to show you that, but the what essentially what it's going to do
is potentially develop into four buildings or eight units. So there would be four twin homes and they would be walkouts. So, they'd have um a walkout garage due to the sloping nature of that lot. Those um would have four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Um they'd have a
covered front porch along Washington Avenue and attached two stall garage and then everything would funnel out the back into the brand new Pine Street. Um so, Adam is looking to partner with Fox
Valley Construction on this project. um that they have are currently are underway on a project on Esler Street. Those would be the two duplexes and the triplex currently under construction and uh listed for sale. So, it is anticipated um in anticipation of the
housing project uh last year with the Pine Street project, new sidewalks were put in along both uh Washington and Pine Street and then new sewer and water stubs and storm water were sent in the back along the east side um paving the
way for this project. So, attached is the purchase agreement. Um the purchase price for this would be based off of a $188 a square foot. So that does include um the land and the assessments that are for Pine Street project. Um the
developers have both signed the purchase agreement that's attached. If approved, um the city, school district, and county would benefit by them all receiving new property tax. We're not receiving any property tax off of those right now.
There'll also be monthly utility fees that would be generated in electric, uh, sewer, and water. So, with that, I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Thanks very much, Ben. Any questions for Ben?
Hearing no questions, the resolution entering into a purchase agreement with Alh Land Company and Fox Valley Property LLC for the cityowned land at 125 South Washington Avenue appears on pages 63 and 64 of the packet. Is there a motion
to approve? So moved. Second. We have a motion and a second. Call the role, please. Mayor Noel, I. Council member Pettis, I. Council member Ramp. I. Council member Wisenfeld. Hi. Council member Charstrom. I. The resolution is approved. Uh, last item of new business
tonight, uh, TW 2110 Klein Street purchase agreement. And Ben's right back to talk to us about that. Thank you, Mayor Noel and members of the council. Um, so over the last 23 years, the North Industrial
Park, um, kind of between Klein Street and Sunrise on the north end of town has filled with many types of uses. It's more of a mixeduse business park. um including healthc care facilities, assisted senior housing, and industrial manufacturing. Um the city was really
proactive last year, the planning commission and council in 2024, kind of the spring and summer, approved a plat um the north industrial park subdivision number three, which um paved the way for four new lots based on four developments
that we were anticipating coming. Um and those four developments would be a multifamily residential um on lot one on lot two which is um the purchase agreement that's tonight would be convenience or mini storage and then on lot three which uh was approved not too
long ago um was for the um the commercial office storage and then lot four would be the indoor agriculture. Um about a month ago, um we got a letter of intent from
Jesse Logger Construction for the offer on 2110 Klein Street, which is the subject property, and that would be for convenience or mini storage. Um this project is geared to serve the community and its ever growing need for more
storage space. Um, if approved and all the permits were given, this project would most likely start in August or potentially September along with the other project on lot three this summer. Um, so this did go to close session here
at the end of April and the city attorney was directed to um create a purchase agreement. The purchase agreement is attached. this a purchase price would be $137 which would be the exact same price as lot three that was approved not too long ago. Um so that
does include um the original North Industrial Park square footage plus the assessments for storm water going towards the north and the new regional pond that'll be built at the end of Klein Street. Um so once the land transfers, the city will no longer have
to pay property tax. the city's actually paying property tax on that land right now because of all the years that have gone by. Um, and then hopefully we'll be generating new property taxes with with the new development. There would be no sewer and water proposed for this, but there will be electrical use. So, thus a
monthly uh electrical fee um and bill will go for this property as well. With that, I'd be happy to answer any questions. There are a few attachments, some pictures and maps showing what the project will will look like here in the future. All right. Thanks very much, Ben. Any questions or
[Music] discussion? Hearing nothing. The resolution entering into a purchase agreement with Logger Construction for the city-owned land at 2110 Klein Street appears on page 70 through 71 of the packet. Is there a motion to approve? So
moved. Second. We have a motion and a second. Call the role, please. Council member Pettis, I. Council member Ramp. I. Council member Weisenfeld. Hi. Council member Sharstrom. Hi. Mayor Noel I. The resolution is approved. Thanks so much, Ben.
Uh, that concludes our new business for tonight. We will move on to reports. Um, I have no reports at this time except report. It feels like summer and isn't that great? So follow the chamber website, follow the the city recreation
department website, follow the ambassadors website if you want to know about all the great events that happen in St. Peter over the summer. I guess that was a report. So there you go. Council members, any reports from
council members? Uh about our city administrator? Madame Mayor, I have no additional report for you this evening. All right. Well, in that case, is there a motion to adjurnn? All those in favor of adjournment say I. I. Any opposed? We are journed. Thanks
everybody. You can make a statement.