It's uh we're moving some property that the city acquired on item number three. We're we're going to move some property owned by the EDA that we had acquired for uh potential development as a commercial affordable development, but after studying it for about a year and a half, we concluded that was not an effective use of the city's resources. And now we've decided we put the property up for sale. So we'll be transferring it over to the city and subsequently approving the sale of it. Thank you.

This award recognizes individuals, groups, and businesses that strengthen our community by fostering understanding, cooperation, and connection among people of diverse backgrounds. It honors those who actively advance human rights and justice in St. Louis Park. This year, we received many nominations, each reflecting the compassion and commitment that define our community.

During Operation Metro Surge, many immigrant families in our community faced profound fear... In response, the PTO organizations across St. Louis Park public schools came together to ensure that students and families were not left without support. Their efforts grew into a coordinated network of care that provided rides, supervision, mutual aid, and a sense of safety when it was needed most.

Tonight the St. Louis Park PTO's were honored to receive the city's 2025 Human Rights Award, and we're still a little speechless. We didn't do this for an award. We did it because our neighbors needed us, and because every child deserves to feel safe going to school. The ward belongs to every neighbor who organized a ride, watched a child, dropped off groceries, or simply showed up when families were afraid to.

I know that it's been an incredibly hard couple of months and I always say this, each one of us had a role to play those couple of months and you guys played it to perfection and I am incredibly proud to be a part of this village uh that watches out for their own that takes care of their kids that um that drops off food that makes sure that kids who miss school have their homework.

So, first one is Tree Trust uh giving us $12,000 in donations for uh trees for labor for and labor for Arbor Day celebrating May 14th, 2026. Um, and then John and Meen uh donating $1,000 uh to for access to fund at the Westwood Hills Nature Center. And then Jodie Harmon for I don't have a donation amount, but she donated 24 binoculars to the Westwood Nature Hills Center. And then Westwood Hills Nature Center visitors uh donated $8323. I mean, wow. $83.23 uh for programs at the Westwood Nature Hills Center. So, thank you so much uh for being a part of this and for making um for making it work in our community and for donating to our programs and to things that are going all around St. Louis Park.

Uh we should also mention that uh property is uh being purchased by a bipac St. Louis Park business person. uh they currently rent their space so they're going to become uh owners and you know likely uh landlords as well. So uh you know really in ter in terms of we're celebrating uh small business week uh great example of uh small business people being able to stay in St. Louis Park and potentially uh expand their operations.

I just wanted to call out on item 5e that we have received a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency grant to help us with um reupping our climate action plan which we're going to be doing for a 10-year reup um in 2028. So, it's very um prudent and exciting to say that um we're going to have a big chunk of the cost of doing that um picked up and supported by the uh MPCA.

Does the council support the preferred concept be design for Minnotonka Boulevard? And two, does the city council wish to pursue the undergrounding of overhead utilities within this corridor?

Concept B advanced as the recommended design uh providing two shared use uh paths um on each side. Um again the one of the reasons this one stands out um is it provides uh bicyclist the ability to travel um in either direction on either side of the road. Um not requiring a bicyclist to cross the street if they do not need to to get to the bike facility.

If city council were to p uh pursue concept A, um our public works department would be asking for one additional full-time staff person as well as one additional specialized snow removal machine. This machine being specialized only for snow removal on sidewalk with facilities means it has a very high upfront and yearly maintenance cost.

The Federal Highway Administration its own guidelines. The biggest drawback behind road diets is they don't eliminate traffic. They push it to parallel roads... Parallel roads, the accidents went up 386%. In Los Angeles, after road diets, pedestrian vehicle accidents increased 60%.

It was surprising and disappointing uh because of the whole issue that you've kind of heard about is mixing high-speed bicyclists with pedestrians and dog walkers and stroller pushers and younger kids and you know any other number of users plus the advent of of a lot speedier ebikes now that are coming more and more. Uh, I think that's just a real dangerous situation.

I also believe that parody between the west and east sides makes a lot of sense for people traveling um, all the way from Highway 100 to Highway 169. I think it would be Yeah, that's just something I want to throw out there. Um I think, you know, I heard support for option A and I just want to emphasize that $250,000 a year um cited as an additional cost for snow clearing and that's uh that's a big deal and that should be uh you know folks who are advocating for option A might want to be thinking about what else we might want to cut um in order to make that possible.

My worry is and I think the be you know, this is a good plan. It needs to be done. I I tend to believe in B, but the other two look great. My worry is the traffic going down Aquella. It's going to be a speedway. It is already a speedway with the school there in the morning when you try to get out of your driveway. Um so the worry is safety.

The two roundabouts that were shown at the uh open house, Louisiana and Lake Street Vernon, um both ended up being removed from project consideration due to potential property impacts. Um we would have had to end up purchasing large swasts of property in order to fit those into the corridor.