Big Lake City board members heard department updates and community news in the most recent council meeting.

Razor Wire Sign

One Big Lake resident has erected a sign in his yard in support of Donald Trump, with razor wire surrounding the sign to deter vandals. A photo of the sign was uploaded to Reddit on the r/Minnesota forum and was even trending on that site for some time. Many people called the city to see if anything could be done about the sign. The city investigated, but unless the sign encroaches on city property they have no power to say yea or nea on the display. 

Liberty Bank Development

Miller Architects and builders has submitted an application for a site plan approval to build a new bank. The bank will be a branch of Liberty Bank. The site is located west of Casey’s General Store, south of Hwy. 10. The bank will feature a lobby and four drive-through lanes.

The application was approved upon a few conditions, including removing an invasive-species tree from the landscaping plan, and decreasing the planned size of a freestanding sign displaying the brand’s name and an electronic display.

5G Wireless Facilities

Cities across Minnesota need to be ready for 5G since state law has been changed to make it easier for 5G companies to construct small structures in single-family residential areas for the sake of providing 5G with or without the go-ahead from the city. The Big Lake planning commission recommended that the board approve language that offers guidelines on placement, alternative placement, and agreements between the city and 5G companies.

The board considered creating a conditional use permit (CUP) for wireless companies, which would require 5G companies to pay a small fee and be subject to the city’s restrictions.

Mayor Mike Wallen did mention that requiring a conditional use permit (CUP) would make this sort of process more time consuming. If too restrictive, it might not be right for the community.

Dangers of 5G outweigh faster speeds, stated council member Paul Knier. He believes that the potential for negative health effects might make it worthwhile for the city to put restrictions in place to limit exposure to single-family residential areas.

For now, the board has decided to approve the new language offering guidelines for 5G facilities, but will have the planning commission investigate further and come back with a recommendation for how the city can approach the issue. The planning commission will review the issue in November, and the city council will have a recommendation in December.

Manufacturer’s Week

The annual Big Lake manufacturer’s week is set to take place between Oct. 1-7. This year, there will not be any tours available of factories in Big Lake for COVID related reasons, but the Big Lake board is still recognizing manufacturers through social media and other methods of community outreach.

Manufacturing is a huge contributor to the Minnesota economy, as well as the local economy. The board members expressed regret that there would be no tours available this year, as they are always interesting and educational.

Lake Liquors Update

Several months ago, wages for Lake Liquor employees were increased as the store had an excess of customers at the beginning of the pandemic, and some employees left the business. Wages were raised temporarily to compensate for the increase in the amount of work that needed to be done during working hours. Now that things have settled down, new employees have been hired, restaurants are open as normal, and daily sales have settled back down to a more typical level, that wage increase will be discontinued. Store hours were also slated to return to normal on the first of the month.

The liquor store will start offiering in-store wine tasting.

The liquor store was able to raise $186 for the fire department through collection jars at cash registers.

Community Development

Hanna Klimmek, the community development director, reported to the board that there have been 34 YTD single-family home permits. Lots of multiple-family housing units are also coming to Big Lake- several are still in the concept state; some just being finished up, but waiting on materials; and some are waiting for permits or tax credit approvals.

Some commercial development in Big Lake includes the Great River Federal Credit Union, Nystrom and Associates, Big Lake Car Condos, Liberty Savings Bank, and the expansion of the North Star maintenance facility station.

The Big Lake Branding and Identity Design Project is slated to commence soon. Interviews with stakeholders will be held in the near future.

Big Lake’s Freedom Rock has been put in its permanent home at Lakeside Park. Council member Knier recognized Beyond the Yellow Ribbon for donating $900 to pay for pavers around the rock recognizing local veterans.

Some roads are getting overlays in order to prepare them for the winter, such as Powell Circle, Birch Ave, and others.

Recreation

Instead of the normal Movie in the Park event, Big Lake hosted a Movie in the Park(ing Lot). Dispersed in 36 vehicles, 136 residents attended the event in an old fashioned drive-in fashion.

The summer farmers’ market events have come to a close for the year. The winter farmers’ market will begin Nov. 21, and will be held every Saturday through the winter at 10 a.m. in City Hall.

Financial Report

The city’s debt is at 33 million, having come a long way back from the 76 million in 2010. The board went ahead and approved the 2021 property tax levy.