[Music] Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host Dorothia Marty. A new place for peace and reflection is coming to Arnison Acres Park. Thanks to a donation from the Diana Garden Council and its Keeladdale Garden Club, a concrete labyrinth will soon be installed. Designed to help visitors slow down and connect with nature. The 30foot concrete circle with the labyrinth design stained in the concrete will be placed at the south end of the formal garden of the park on West 70th Street. The labyrinth completes the Arnison Acres Park design with the gazebo at one end, fountain in the center, and labyrinth at the far end. A semicircle of 10 crab apple trees representing the number of clubs in the garden council at the time they were planted forms the backdrop for the labyrinth. The design is different from a maze. A maze has many dead ends, but the labyrinth has a continuous circle uh going into the center and it's something that both adults and children can use and adults can meditate there and kids can follow the trail and have a good time there. The labyrinth will have a medieval design. It will have a charcoal color outline and a path in pale yellow to match the fountain. Lowel Russell Concrete has been hired for the project which will be maintained and preserved by the city. The labyrinth is scheduled to be constructed this summer. Once work begins, the project is estimated to take two to three weeks to complete. After installation, the garden council will donate some small trees or shrubs to enhance the labyrinth landscape. The Avenue on France will not be built. In 2017, 6600 to 6868 France Avenue was reszoned for the mixeduse development. Plans included new six-story office building and medical buildings, an eight-story residential building, four retail or restaurant buildings, and a hotel. The existing six and sevenstory buildings were to remain. The property owner, Southdale Office Partners, has found that the plans are not feasible and requested the city council to resin the resoning, classifying it once again as planned commercial district 3. The owner also requested a conditional use permit to continue the office use on the site. The city council approved both requests. We just want to thank you for this um the approval of the request here tonight. Um you know, you you've all seen this project as it sits today and you've seen what it could be in various elements, but today is not that um ambitious, but it certainly is important and um tonight's resolution really puts a clear set of guidelines in place and allows us to move forward with the confidence. Southdale Office Partners plans to remodel the interior of the existing middle office building and restaurant and add two small entryways for handicap accessibility in the building. Last month, Tui Dina police officers loaded up their police motorcycles, grabbed some snack bags, and hit the road to head out east. their destination, Washington, DC. To participate in an annual series of events commemorating the contributions and sacrifices made by law enforcement personnel across the country. It TV brings you the story of their journey, the support that made it possible, and why this year was especially significant for the participating officers. Every year, members of police departments across the country travel to this special gettogether. It's the only week throughout each year that law enforcement officers that die in the land of duty are honored. It's a time for families, friends, colleagues can get together and mourn a loss and pay tribute to their fallen officer. Edina Police is one of the few departments in the Twin Cities to have police motorcycles. When word got out about the trip, community organizations chipped in to support the Edina Crime Prevention Fund. Um, they've been a a staunch supporter of the Edina Police motorcycle program since as long as I've been here and as long as I've been a motorcycle officer. So, one key part for the Adina Crime Prevention Fund is officer recognition and wellness. National Police Week is attended by between 25 and 40,000 law enforcement officers. And so having that opportunity in Edina to send a couple representatives is important in terms of morale, in terms of recognition, and allowing for our community to unite with the national community. Members of the Adina Citizens Academy also provided snacks and other goodies. The group has come together to support the police officers in any way we can. They made us goodie bags with, you know, homemade chocolate chip cookies, popcorn, all sorts of stuff just to get us through the long trip. For Adina police sergeant Darren Czek, this trip had a personal connection. We have a Jamal Mitchell who passed in. He worked for the Minneapolis Police Department. Burnsville Police Department lost two officers and one paramedic. Matthew Rugie, Paul Elmstrand, and then firefighter Adam Finsath. Adam was a colleague of mine 5 years ago when I worked for a firefighter agency uh near Burnsville. And I thought it was special for this time to be able to go out and honor him. The trip took 2 days. Once there, the contingent from Minnesota, including members of the University of Minnesota and Egan police departments, joined approximately 300 motorcycle police officers from around the country. You know, as far west as California, New Mexico, far south as Miami, Florida. So, they're coming from all across the place. Just getting to work with those guys. There's definitely a camaraderie that comes with being a motor officer. Once there, they had a chance to help out in a significant way. That first day, we got to escort the following family members from the Burnsville incident as well as the family members from the Jamal Mitchell incident in Minneapolis. One of the Burnsville officers who was also involved in that incident, who was also who was wounded during that. He came out and was, you know, gave us a hug and kind of showed his support. And then the morning of the candlelight vigil, I actually was just standing in the hotel and I saw a Minneapolis officer with a smaller kid and I introduced myself, said while we're out there, "Oh yeah, this is, you know, Jamal Mitchell's kid." I'm like, "Oh, that's so cool. Did you know that we're out here with motorcycles?" And I brought him over and I showed him the flag that had his dad's name on it. Throughout the week, members of the public also showed their support. Whether you're in uniform before an event and you're at an establishment, somebody's always thanking you for your service. from the state of Minnesota. Paul H. Immrand, Matthew H. Rugie, Jamal J. Mitchell. All right, you guys ready? Camaraderie, connecting and honoring the fallen. A chance for motans to pay tribute. I think it's important that we have um we have a footprint out there and continue to go out there and show support for our fellow officers. For Adina TV, I'm Kenneth Gaml. May 15th was first designated as Peace Officers Memorial Day by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The first memorial service in Washington DC was held in 1982 and it has grown into the current series of annual events now known as National Police Week. June is Pride Month. This month we welcome and celebrate all those who call Edina home. Happy Pride. Thank you for watching this episode of Agenda Edina. I'm your host Dorothia Marty. [Music]