Thursday, March 28th, 2024 Church Directory

BL City not in favor of apartment proposal

During the recent meeting, the Big Lake City Council heard from residents at open forum, heard an updated proposal for Marketplace Crossings, and heard department updates. 

Marketplace Crossings

The council heard a presentation on Common Bond Community’s plan to develop an apartment building off of Marketplace Dr. The council had given their opinions on the proposed development at another recent council meeting, saying they would like to see outdoor living space for each unit and covered parking added to the plan. The developer revised their proposal to include 18 covered parking stalls and communal outdoor areas, rather than individual outdoor spaces.

The board as a collective was unsatisfied with the changes the developer had made to the proposal.

“Build to our standards,” Ken Halverson repeated several times, stating he had driven around Big Lake to see the other apartment buildings and found the Marketplace Crossings proposal to be far lacking in comparison. 

The council and staff proceeded to have a long discussion on what was allowed by city code and the standard held by other apartments in the city. In the end, the council decided to table the discussion and allow the developer to come back with another proposal. 

Open Forum

Two residents stood up to speak about the importance of the right to bear arms, and asked that the council pass a resolution declaring Big Lake a 2nd-amendment safe city. One resident also suggested asking the Sherburne County Sheriff to write a letter of support, or show his support in another way, for this resolution.

Another citizen stood up to chastise the city on the condition of the American and POW flags as they were presented on Memorial Day. He said the city needed to purchase new flags, and that the city should have had an opportunity to purchase a flag or borrow one from the police or fire departments before Memorial Day. (Mayor Knier noted at the end of the meeting that the flags have been replaced and apologized to the local Veterans for the state of the flags.)

One final resident endorsed Sam Olson as the next police chief of Big Lake as the council considered candidates for the position.

Monthly Reports

BLFD 

The Big Lake Fire Dept. had 28 calls for the month of May. Chief Seth Hansen went over the successful live burn training that took place in Orrock last month, stating the firefighters were able to do 11 runs before the house was burned to the ground. He reminded residents to be careful with burning, since this is the season for grass fires. 

Council member Halverson brought up the topic of billing for fire dept. services, which is an idea the department has been considering. This would affect only those who do not live within the area of the fire department’s jurisdiction (visiting individuals.) Halverson was of the opinion that this was a bad idea. Chief Hansen let the council member know that the plan was to bill individuals’ insurance companies, and it was a practice done by several surrounding communities.

“If they pay, they pay, if they don’t, they don’t,” he said in regards to billing for service. 

The idea is still only being considered, and no formal decision will be made soon. 

BLPD 

The Big Lake Police Dept. had 820 calls for service for May. Acting Chief Matt Hayan noted that a group of people had gone through some cars in Big Lake to steal items such as wallets, credit cards, and even a handgun. He reminded residents to lock their car doors at night to help prevent this type of crime. Council Member Paul Seefeld added that it was a good idea to leave house lights on overnight to help further deter criminals. 

Council Member Sam Hanson (who is also a member of the BLFD) stated that the police dept. better, “bring [their] A game” to the inter-departmental softball game at Spud Fest. 

Finally, the chief spoke with the council about reinstating the officer reserve program.

Engineering 

The street improvement project has been slightly delayed, but should be underway soon. The project is set to end in early November. The project will be completed in phases, starting west of the lakes and working around to Powell St. on the east side. 

Student Liaison 

Summer vacation has begun. A very successful graduation was held June 4. The school board will be focusing on social and emotional learning over the next school year, after many students reported struggling with mental health during COVID-19 shutdowns.

Administrator’s Report 

There have been issues with parking at Lakeside Park. The park is much more popular than it was in 2019, and it appears COVID-19 is not the only reason why, as lots of visitors continue to visit the park. There will be a more increased police presence at the park as a result, during the park’s busiest hours. 

City staff has been asking residents to irrigate only every other day: addresses ending in an odd number may irrigate on odd numbered days, even adresses may irrigate on even numbered days. This is to make sure city wells are not completely used up. City parks have  also switched to being irrigated every other day. This is not required by city code, but staff hopes residents will do so voluntarily during the dry conditions.

In Other Business,the Council:

• Approved a preliminary and final plat for a resident who wished to build a garage on a parcel bordering his residential property;

• Accepted a donation from Fine Lines Decorating LLC, who provided labor and materials to paint the outside of the Police Dept.