[0:11] Oh, that's my thought. And I'm gonna call our listening session to order. It is 05:47 on Monday 21 April, our listening session here in the hayke conference room. We have three people who have signed up for a 5 min slot to talk to the council as part of our listening session. We've got. [0:31] Parker, is it Jenny? Janae. Janete excuse me. John hitmaker and Lisa Watsons. Why don't we start with Parker and we will. [0:41] Want a parker URL? Oh, ok. Yes. We ask that you can sign in after you finish up, but as you as you get up your way to turn off a few of the overhead lights, I have a brain injury and it's pretty bad today. Just like a. Is that possible? Appreciate it. Thanks. [1:01] I know. Okay. Is that better? Too dark. [1:07] No, that's ok. Okay cool. I appreciate it. Never done before so take some breaths. Alright, and if you could. Yeah. So everybody's gonna get 5 min to speak. 5 min. I'm gonna cut you off. [1:27] Yeah just because everybody gets 5 min this week and. [1:32] And if you could just state your name for the record and off we go. Okay, sounds good. I'll probably close my eyes for most of this. It just helps me kind of focus on my words as my name, my name my name is Parker Janete. I use she her pronouns, and I'm really honored to meet you all here. Thanks for listening to me tonight. I'm a. [1:52] I'm an artist and a teacher, but 1st and foremost I'm a I'm a disabled person. So for me that means that I've been neurodivergent my whole life. I growing up in public education super overstimulated so as I I just offered this and this is kind of like a sensory friendly moment to bring the lights down, so I'm grateful for that. I. [2:12] I also have a brain injury and I, I manage chronic pain. So disability is a big part of who I am. It's also the work that I do. I serve both disabled people and older adults in inner generational community. And I've with when I moved here almost three years ago, I was just so. [2:32] That struck by Creekside Community Center and amazed that something like that exists with like a day program especially during the last years with all all the senior programs from shutting down. And so I've been trying this year to get to some of the listening sessions as we put together this new Creekside Community Center, and because of my. [2:52] Visibility had not been able to get there. The last one that I I guess happened at creek side, I didn't get communication around. So I've been spending some time listening at Creekside and getting to know, you know, the woodworkers there, the artists, there's so many artists I feel like it's just rooted in art. And based on what I've been hearing and, and. [3:12] Professionally I've been in spaces with Nick and been talking to Leah and Matt and Mark and then all these amazing artists in the, you know, the metal shop, the rock shop and the artist store. I've been going to the Thursday get togethers for the music and I saying last week with a group of people which is amazing. And. [3:32] 1st and foremost I just want to say that the building that it's existing is is really set up for older adults and people with disability. It's very sensory friendly, right? It's got these kind of enclosed spaces, the places with the music jam happen happened was actually really amazing as somebody who's always having a hard time being in places with music. And so. [3:52] So there seems to be a huge disconnect in my experience from what's gonna happen to Creek side Community Center and what exists. And, you know, disabled folks and older adults and families. I'm also a mom so a kid with disability who's two and a half about to start, you know, special education and. [4:12] New school at the public school as well and you know a lot of us have issues with access and being heard and even feeling like what we say matters and what I've been hearing from people there and then kind of said, but you know not said through some of the other public health folks that are not in charge of the dominant narrative, what's going on is that they're very concerned. [4:32] That people like us are already in a public emergency, right? We already are in this experience of collective trauma because of COVID. And I know those public health of officials are some of the ones that got the hardest in our community. But what I'm learning is that 55000 of us here in this community are signing up for, you know, food help for. [4:52] Free food and, you know, they're trying to take women's right rights to vote right now. It's my assumption that my with, you know, money that helps cover my groceries but it's not enough, then that might close come September, so as I'm listening to where we are and what's going on with my people and I'm seeing what's to come I'm I'm. [5:12] Scared to be honest. I feel like it's the time where we need to be growing food and really actually watering and listening to the elders that have held that community for a long time. You know, I feel so honored to finally move to another community of artists and I I see this space that we're in that is rooted in arts and you. [5:32] But hearing what Nick and Leah and Nick said that it's him and Leah and one of the heads at the architecture firm what their their ideas and what they've been working towards is what's gonna happen. [5:43] And I still feel like that folks like me, the people who are the roots of Creeksight are just not at the table. And and honestly, they don't I've I've been asking, I asked other people, other neighbors to come here today and folks are scared. They don't wanna say what they feel. I know that there's some online spaces like on Facebook, my neighbor across the street. [6:03] That's was big part of the nine mail Creek project was saying that there's just a lot of nastiness towards older adults and folks with disability. And I know looking at this room, a lot of us carry a lot of ability ability such, you know, in this culture ability is power. And so I I ask you to. [6:23] Look at how you're setting up this community center that you're building and realizing that you're not actually setting it up for the folks that need it the most and who helped really create the beauty that is Bloomington. This place is rooted in arts and that's arts and science because of the indigenous intercultural community that's been here a long time. I'm seeing. [6:43] What's going on and hearing about the indigenous arboritum just which is very close to my neighborhood over over here on the east side. Excuse me. I've five? You're at five. And I see that as a place for starting and and bringing us disabled folks and elders to the table as we move forward and make these huge decisions. So, thank you. [7:03] Thank you so much for listening, so hard. Thank you. [7:09] You care if we turn the lights back up? Oh, yeah, you do you. Appreciate it. Thanks so much. [7:29] Make it easier to have guys like me that need glasses to breathe. Thank you. Evening, mr. Mayor council members. John Hukmocker been here since 1992. Last time I sat Bernia was 24 February. I wanted to bring. [7:49] Yeah, one thing 1st and foremost, and it's probably, I know it's been at the council meetings and I don't I'm sure it's been at the council meetings if it's tonight you can cut me off, but there's some. [7:59] Potential housing regulation changes that are being discussed about what I'm writing in my notes for like boarding houses or hostiles of some sort. And, you know, the biggest question is where are they gonna be relo where they might be located, and I for one would probably lean towards being in favor of making that change. [8:19] And I think that gives us, you know, some more housing options for people here as it is. The only caveat that I will put out to the council is that I don't think the council should be involved in the development or the financing or the managing of the development. Let's find somebody that does this for their career and. [8:38] What they do as a business, let them find the right place, let them put it up, let them manage it, and let it become their problem, not our problem, ok? But I think it could be a good addition, and I just wanted to make that statement as well but I would just. [8:53] I would say the city just needs to keep its hands out of it. And that's just again my opinion. Last time I was here was, like I said original report, I sent a follow up email to the all the council members. I received two responses. Council member Mood, you acknowledge it, I appreciate that. Council member revas, he gave. [9:13] Give some feedback as well. I just wanted to come back and follow up on a couple of things that happened and I'll try to get through them quickly. [9:21] I brought up overregulation within the city, and I'm still believe that to be true. One of the things that mr. Mayor you and I kind of sparked about, for lack of a better term was about the smoking regulation, and one of the statements that was made was you've said something along the lines of I haven't heard anybody say, we need more smoking, we need more smoking. We need more smoking. So I wanted to be clear. [9:41] Here to everybody. I did not come to the session to say, we need more smoking. [9:45] That is not what I said, and it was not the intention. So I don't want anybody to think that's what I was looking for. My intention was we don't need extra regulations in the city when we already have them from the state. Because I also mr. Mayor didn't hear anybody say, we need more alcohol, we need more alcohol, we need more alcohol, but yet we have new al we have new liquor. [10:05] Stores because I know Bobby and Steve's didn't have one and they have one now. [10:11] And then you know and related to that, again, we haven't been able not that I play at Duan, but I know we can't smoke at Duan. If somebody wants a cigar or a cigarette, you're not allowed to smoke on the call, of course. But yet we can get a beer, we can get a pop, we can get potatoe chips, we can get a snickers bar. [10:29] So if the city council, if this city council is intent on getting rid of smoking, then tell everybody that. Everybody should come out at the city council meeting and say, our goal is to get rid of it. And why don't you just do it as opposed to this meally mile stuff that happens and it just gets overregulated. [10:46] That's just the point I was making. And it goes back to the ESL, the early sick and safe earn sick and safely, same thing. The comment that Miss mr. Mayor you had was we had a big debate about it, whether to keep it, whether get rid of it. You said some people were on one side, some people were on the other. It'd be nice to know who was on which side. Cause I'd really like to know how many people wanted to give it. [11:06] Bit of it versus wanting to keep it because my guess is it was highly one way to keep it. But again, to my point. [11:13] You're over reregulating the business owners. They can have the state come in and say, how's your ESSL program? And a week later they can have you guys come in and doing the same things, how they waste their time, their money, their effort to do the same thing over again. That's, that's the only points that I've been trying to make about it. [11:30] I brought up city sales tax. I'm still, I don't know what the final figure is right now for the new health and wellness center and the big and the 9 mi corridor. My understanding was a hundred and $55 million. I'll be shocked if it's under $200 million by the time everybody's done. We're buying up houses or allegedly buying up houses to build. [11:50] So we're losing housing again for I'm just saying it's on it's it's out there. So if you're not purchasing those homes along there to expand it for the, then it should be set, I didn't see that. I'm just saying, what is the price tag gonna be? [12:03] Okay, and the last thing I'm gonna talk about is just permitting in the city, which again I think is overrod. There's roofing permits, there's iding permits electrical permits plumbing permits, you can go on and on and on and off, ok? So, but what I can tell you is that. [12:21] As a guy that owns a business that installs roofs and we've done some of them in the city, we pay a hundred dollars to go to mr. Mayor, go to your house, put a roofing, put a roof off. We rip the roof off, we take some pictures, we pay a hundred dollars. But if I have, but if you say I didn't install it right. [12:36] I can't drag the city in and say the city said they inspected it and it cleared. So what is, what are we paying for as business owners, as homeowners when we buy permits and, and have engineers sign off that roofs are done right? Electrical's done right, is done right. When the city isn't there to use as your. [12:56] Your defense when you're saying it's installed, right? [12:59] And finally, I just think you guys gotta keep working on the budget cause I'm still hearing the figure 18 % next year and that's that's it's not even close to acceptable. Thank you very much. Thanks. And I said, didn't we put out the communications that we are not buying those houses? That could be, and I could be. [13:19] So that's why I brought it up, so if that was what it was true. We definitely said NO. Yeah I'm not If I missed that I apologize. I just thanks for clarifying. Just quick John, let's connect on the permits. Okay I'm a license building contractor permits all the time. [13:37] So I understand your concerns and I don't understand your concerns, so maybe maybe I can try to provide some clarification on that. Sure. [13:53] Good evening council, and mr. Mayor. This is my 1st time being at a listening session, so thank you. I am a resident of Bloomington. I live here on the east side. My name is Lisa Watson. I am also a real estate manager for quicktroom. And so I just want to give. [14:13] Give you a little insight about a potential project we're looking at bringing to the city and many people don't know a lot of the ins and outs and why we're different than every other C store operator that you have currently in your city. [14:28] So, we are looking at a major investment which includes purchasing land, and also building a brand new 7000 to 90 square hundred square foot store with a potential car wash and eight MPD, what we call it eight MPD, which is basically. [14:48] Double fuel stations for four rows, so it'd be double. Our company is a family owned company that was founded in 1960 at 65 by a guy named Don Zibo. We are celebrating our 60th anniversary now in 2025. When Don bought the company, he wanted to do things differently and. [15:08] So 25 years ago, he bought out the partners and decided how do I make this company different from all the other C stores? Quicktroop actually, has grown into a trusted name as you guys know in the retail business. We serve over 12.5 million guests. [15:23] Each week, which if you were to look at the comparison, probably not close for some of the the brands, ok? Our stores, we have a network of 900 stores between quickstar. So we are named Quickstar in Iowa and in some in North Dakota and south Dakota because of the the business name that. [15:43] Was already taken a quick chart. We do daily store deliveries. 95 % of our stores do recycling containers, we have alternative fuel options. We do LED lighting in all our stores inside and out. We use low flow water systems, and we actually this year created our own quick charge program, so a lot. [16:03] On the 94 corridor going into Chicago, we now have our own EV chargers that were, we got our 1st set in that were financed and now we're waiting on our second. We make 80 % of our products in lacrosse. So our big campus is in lacrosse. We do everything from. [16:23] Three to bakery, to ice cream, milk, commastery, so everything you guys see in the stores is made in the crosse and shipped out daily to the store. So every store gets a daily delivery, so it's not sitting in the store waiting to be put out. Our co workers, we operate 217. [16:43] Stores here in Minnesota with 8700 coworkers just in the state of Minnesota. We also have 44 Minnesota stores that have solar as a part of their setup. We promote a culture of caring and I think it aligns very well with the city of Bloomington based on my own experience living. [17:03] Here based on what I know when I read the Bloomington briefing that comes out and so 40 % of our pre tax go to profit chang. So every coworker of quicktrip is actually a coworker who gets a bonus check at the end of the year, whether you're full time or part time. We do. [17:23] Wellness snacks and drinks for co workers. We provide birthday anniversary wedding gifts. Our coworker number is anywhere from 40 to 60 employees per store. So a Bloomington store would have 40 to 60 employees, 40 % part time. [17:40] Full time, 60 % part time. And it could actually be more of a 5050 split depending on really who we get as co workers for this. We also have the lowest turnover rate in our industry at 46.6 % versus the industry average on turnover is a hundred percent in the C store. So it goes to show we. [18:00] Care about our coworkers and how we treat our co workers. We also get involved in our community greatly. We do sponsorship for local events and organizations, so a lot of the things like even. [18:12] Whether it's a parade, whether it's farmers market, whether it's Kennedy High School, Jefferson High School, we will be there to support all the local needs of all the, the community. We also partner with feeding for America. Food banks pick up our food two to three times a week from our stores that that we can't use and. [18:32] Need but we don't want it to go bad. So we call local food banks. We work with emergency managers in the city. A lot of times if there's fire, if there's anything that comes up, even a, a an outage of electrical or water or something like that, we'll work with emergency managers on giving away free water. [18:52] And giving away needs for the community. And so with that being said, we also use local suppliers and farmers. We also have a retail helper program, which many people don't know, which we hire 700 so far today, we have 777 co workers with disabilities. So they're called a retail helper and they are. [19:12] They're employed, they love coming to work with us. They are a critical part of what we do in the store each day. Okay. Yeah, and all I bring it to attention is we are still under consideration for the city. I will let you know based on an ordinance regulating tobacco. [19:32] It is still under consideration but ask that that discussion be had because of THC and cannabis sales in the city and would like that to be reopened for discussion. [19:42] So thank you. I just want to say I'm excited about this. I went to Uwblo Cross where there's a quick trip on every single corner and it is very different from the seastores that we have currently today. So hopefully we can work somebody out, looking forward to hearing what happens. Thank you. [20:02] Mr. Mayor, do you know what's currently, is there a current discussion with the city on the regulations happening at the moment? I haven't I've talked with the quick trip people to understand what their, their proposal is, but they, I know that Jane wanted to come forward and they wanted to at least the council whether or not we wanted to go to. [20:22] Down that road and in terms of conversation we had with him the past three or four five years around tobacco licensing new new facilities. Ah, ok. The more atormium. Yes. I see. [20:36] Just to clarify, it's not a markum. Sorry. It just ended. I understand. Sounds good. Yeah, Sounds good. With with that those are our three speakers this evening. Thank you very much all for being here. And with that, we will adjourn our. [20:54] City council listening session and reconvene here at the bottom of the hour, look for motion to adjourn the listening session. Awesome. 2nd to adjourn our listening session all in favor. We are adjourned, we will reconvene here at. [21:10] 06:30. Right here. Yep.