Ken Halverson was the only Councilperson absent for the June 12, 2024 meeting of the Big Lake City Council. Much of the council’s time was spent receiving updates from various departments.
Road Construction
Layne Otteson, City Engineer, updated the council on current road construction projects. Sherburn County is overseeing three projects that will affect Big Lake residents. All the details of those projects can be found at https://gis.co.sherburne.mn.us/constructionmap/. Otteson gave a brief update on each project.
Co. Rd. 43 is moving into phase two of the project. A roundabout will be added at Glenwood Ave and 205th Ave NE. Construction has already begun and should be completed in September of this year as will the Co. Rd. 73 project. Co. Rd. 73 will be reconstructed to accommodate two 12’ driving lanes with 8’ shoulders and the bridge will be replaced. A bridge replacement project will begin this summer on Co. Rd. 4 about five miles west of Zimmerman.
Construction at the State Hwy. 25 bridge crossing will affect Big Lake residents too. Delays will begin on July 8, 2024 thru October. Details on this project can be found at https://dot.state.mn.us/d3/projects/monticello/. Those interested in this project can sign up for email updates when you go to MNDOTs website.
Live House Burn
Seth Hansen, Big Lake Fire Chief, invited interested residents to a live house burn. The house burn will be at 8 a.m. on June 23, 2024. Chief Hansen said it was the old Ewald Peterson house next to Premier Marine. Chief Hansen also recognized Kevin Kreuger, who is retiring after 10 years of service.
Officer Jamal Mitchell
Chief of Police John Kaczmarek began his report with an emotional recounting of what he had observed while attending the May 30, 2024 memorial in Maple Grove, MN for fallen Police Officer Jamal Mitchell. Kaczmarek estimated that almost 2,000 officers from around the state were in attendance. That included the entire Minneapolis Police force. Metro area police departments covered MPD calls during the service. Kaczmarek found it absolutely astonishing how departments support on another.
“We heard amazing stories about Officer Jamal Mitchell, about his family, his life, his children, his volunteerism, and his dedication to his church and his community,” said Kaczmarek. “We listened. We grieved. We prayed. We honored and we thanked him for his sacrifice. We laughed, some cried, but when we left, we did not forget.”
Kaczmarek then gave condolences to the MPD, Officer Jamal Mitchell, his family and his friends.
Administrator’s Report
Hannah Klimmek, City Administrator, explained that City Hall will be closed Wed., June 19, 2024 in honor of the Juneteenth holiday. She also shared that a recent population estimate shows that the current population of Big Lake is 12,524 people.
