Pine Island — Transcript
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Public Input on Pine Island Growth and Data Center Project
MDOT Highway 52 Resurfacing Project and Municipal Consent
Fire Department Officer Pay Increase
Fire Department Pagers Purchase
New Liquor License for Asamia
Fire Department Relief Association Bylaw Amendment
Facade Loan Application for Island Fitness
Display of Personalized Banners on Main Street
Minor Subdivision Approval (Kista Family)
Hillcrest Water Tower Change Order and Pay Requests
Water Slide Pay Request
Garage Door Replacement at City Shop
Amended Assessments
Votes (14)
MDOT Municipal Consent Public Hearing (Resolution 2648)
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:06:05] · Seconded by Council Member [1:06:15]
MDOT representatives presented a comprehensive plan for Highway 52 improvements, including resurfacing, infrastructure hardening against flooding, and a new frontage road, necessitating municipal consent. Key concerns raised by council members and the city attorney included the city's financial responsibility for utility relocation (estimated at over $950,000 across two locations) due to noise wall construction, and the impact of construction staging on local access to Highway 52, especially for emergency services and businesses. MDOT clarified that direct project construction costs would not be billed to the city, but utility relocations in their right-of-way would be the city's expense. The timing of the noise wall vote and the 90-day municipal consent deadline was also discussed, allowing the city to wait for the vote results before making a decision. Council expressed strong interest in maintaining continuous access during future construction phases.
Request to increase the fire department officer fee
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:04:10] · Seconded by Council Member [1:04:20]
The City Administrator recommended increasing fire department officer pay, citing it hadn't changed since before her tenure and was justified by increased call volume and responsibilities. The increase was proposed to begin in 2026.
Request to approve the quote for the fire department pagers
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:09:40] · Seconded by Council Member [1:09:50]
The fire department is down to one functional pager despite relying on a multi-county system. A quote was presented to purchase eight new pagers and 30 new batteries, including replacements for current functional pagers. The purchase is temporary as the department explores other operating systems.
Resolution 2649 approving the new liquor license for 2026 (Asamia)
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:12:10] · Seconded by Council Member [1:12:20]
The current restaurant owner is changing the name from 'Last Royal' to 'Asamia,' requiring a new liquor license application as licenses are name-specific. The city allowed the change to occur this month rather than waiting until January 2027 to avoid double fees.
Request to approve the fire department relief association bylaw amendment
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:14:15] · Seconded by Council Member [1:14:25]
A bylaw amendment from the fire department relief association was proposed to clarify how officers are funded. The city does not oversee the association directly, but changes are presented to ensure no financial impact on the city, particularly regarding pension obligations. This amendment had no direct financial impact.
Request to approve the facade loan application for Island Fitness
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:16:35] · Seconded by Council Member [1:16:45]
Island Fitness applied for a $5,000 facade improvement loan to replace an awning, improve door access, upgrade electricity, and paint the exterior. The EDA had already approved the loan, noting it fit within city parameters. The council approved the request.
Request to display personalized banners on Main Street
Dissent: None
Moved by None · Seconded by None
Jonathan Paul proposed displaying personalized banners for graduating seniors on Main Street light poles from May 1st to graduation, with volunteers handling installation and removal. The proposal aimed to alleviate city costs for lifts and certified personnel. Concerns were raised about city liability and the need for volunteer waivers. The council was open to the idea, pending further planning and assessment of feasibility and volunteer commitment.
Resolution 2650 approving minor subdivision (Kista family)
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:19:15] · Seconded by Council Member [1:19:25]
The Kista family applied for a minor subdivision on 8th Street to split their homestead parcel and sell parts to abutting neighbors, without creating new lots. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the request. The resolution was presented with conditions, including a pending legal opinion from the city attorney.
Request to approve the Hillcrest water tower change order number one
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:21:40] · Seconded by Council Member [1:21:50]
A change order for the Hillcrest water tower project was requested due to the discovery that existing insulation around the fill line was saturated and could not be reused. The change order covered the cost of new insulation, totaling $7,272.83, and would be paid from the water general fund.
Request to approve water tower pay request number one
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:25:05] · Seconded by Council Member [1:25:15]
The first pay request for the Hillcrest water tower project was for $216,450. The Public Works Director provided an update on the project, noting the exterior coating and logos were complete, interior work done, and electricians had wrapped up. The county is scheduled to reinstall antennas next week.
Request to approve water tower pay request number two
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:26:05] · Seconded by Council Member [1:26:15]
The second pay request for the Hillcrest water tower project was for $145,595.55. With the first pay request, the total for both was $362,045.55. A 10% retainage of over $40,000 is still held. The city is working with the contractor on site restoration, possibly deducting the cost from retainage.
Request to approve the water slide pay request number four
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:28:40] · Seconded by Council Member [1:28:50]
The final pay request for the water slide project was discussed. The contractor, Global, had taken steps to address previous deadline concerns by performing additional plaster, welding, and concrete work, and agreed to install a permanent shade canopy. The pay request was approved for $17,000, with that amount held in retainage until the canopy installation is complete.
Request to approve the garage door replacement at the city shop
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:31:00] · Seconded by Council Member [1:31:10]
The Public Works Director requested approval for quotes to replace two existing garage doors at the city shop's east side with one larger 27-foot door, mirroring a prior project. This modification is needed to accommodate increasingly larger and wider city equipment. Thompson's was recommended due to being a lower bidder and existing service provider. Funds for this project were approved in the 2026 building maintenance budget.
Resolution 2651, approving the amended assessment
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [1:34:00] · Seconded by Council Member [1:34:10]
Four special assessments were recommended for adjustment based on input from an October 6th public hearing. Adjustments included partial sanitary sewer replacement, absence of sanitary service on one side of a property, and corrections to front footage calculations for cul-de-sac properties. The amended assessments were reflected in the resolution.
Notable Quotes (5)
So there are certain types of projects that Mandot works on that uh require city councils or municipalities to provide municipal consent for the project and it's basically if it meets one of three criteria and this is all found in Minnesota statutes. So, if Mindot has a project that is altering access to a trunk highway, is increasing or reducing highway capacity, meaning we're adding a lane or taking a lane away from the highway, or we need to uh acquire permanent rightway for the construction. Uh the state statute requires that we furnish the the city with our our preliminary plans, a good faith cost estimate, and and some rationale behind the project. and then ask city council to provide consent for that.
But the city will be responsible for a plus or minus half million dollar obligation should they vote for the wall.
I'm leaning to disapprove until I can get some assurances on what the access on and off for residents and citizens of Pine Island can get to 52 because I mean we we're not getting a bridge on the end of Main Street. I understand that. But there's certain things that I think can be done that will be limiting cost but yet feasible down the road because now if you do shut down for the bridge county 11 there would be access to get out of you know on 52 one way or another either passing through the roundabout if that was built on the you know south side of that county 11 bridge right there at the end. I'm just I'm trying to look ahead.
The question is is will you allow us, uh, perhaps from May 1st until graduation day to take down the cheese festival, school, uh, fire department, and, uh, city of PI banners and install banners that would celebrate our graduating seniors.
Uh mayor council I I suspect you'd want to have some sort of a volunteer waiver and so you know you'll want to do it the way we would do it with anything where we use volunteers. So yeah, it would not be on the city though. We would want to make sure that
Ordinances & Resolutions (22)
Meeting agenda for October 20th meeting.
Minutes for approval.
Minutes for approval.
Minutes for approval.
Minutes for approval.
A request for a project or event.
A request to approve a candidate list.
Document outlining anticipated industrial wastewater and cooling systems for development scenarios.
Statutes governing municipal consent for MDOT projects.
Primary ID for the Highway 52 resurfacing and improvement project.
Preliminary design plans for the MDOT Highway 52 project.
Resolution for the approval of the MDOT Highway 52 project layout.
Resolution approving a new liquor license for Asamia restaurant.
Proposed change to the fire department association's bylaws.
Application for a $5,000 loan for exterior improvements.
Code governing minor subdivision applications.
Resolution approving the Kista family minor subdivision.
Change order for new insulation for the Hillcrest water tower project.
Payment request for work on the Hillcrest water tower project.
Second payment request for work on the Hillcrest water tower project.
Fourth payment request for the water slide project.
Resolution approving amended special assessments.