There we go. >> Good evening and welcome to the Newport City Council meeting. Today is Thursday, August 20th, 2026. Please join me in standing for the pledge of allegiance if you're able. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Will staff please call the role. >> Council member Schmidt >> here. >> Council member Sumar >> here. >> Council member Ingamman >> here. >> Council member Taylor >> here. >> Mayor Elliot >> here. Next on our agenda is to adopt tonight's agenda. Any changes this evening? >> Hearing none, I'll move to adopt the agenda as printed. >> I'll second. >> I have a motion from Council Member Sumar and a second from Council Member Ingramman to adopt the agenda as presented. All those in favor say I. I. >> I. Those opposed. The agenda is adopted. Next on our agenda is public comments. This is where members of the public can address the council about any local government topic that is not included on our regular agenda. This is limited to concerns which are relevant to the city of Newport affairs policies or practices. We ask that you come to the podium and clearly state your name and address for the record and to limit your comments to about 3 minutes. Generally, the council will not take official action on items discussed at this time, but will refer matters to staff if appropriate. Is there anyone in the audience this evening that would like to speak during public comments? We have some people here just uh visiting tonight. So, just wanted to make sure they got a chance if they wanted to say anything. Uh with that, we will move on to our consent agenda. All items listed on the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the city council and are approved by one motion. There will be no separate discussion unless a council member or citizen so requests in which case the item will be removed and considered at the end of the consent agenda. Are there any changes to the consent agenda? >> Hearing none, I'll move the consent agenda is printed. >> I'll second. >> So have a motion from council member Sumar and a second from council membership Schmidt. One uh quick uh question on 6H the front counter. Um do you what is that coming out of the general fund? The payment for the glass. >> Uh mayor, members of the council, uh for this item here, this is just to allow us to apply for the grant. Okay. >> Uh and then if we do receive the grant, then we would probably pay for it out of the general fund. Okay. Or the matching uh portion >> matching out of the general fund. Okay. Thank you very much. With that, any further discussion? All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, the consent agenda is adopted. Next on our agenda is the engineers report. Um, at this time, I'll turn it over to city engineer John Herdigan. >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, good evening everyone. Uh, several items for consideration as you saw on your agenda. Uh, so uh, and a few meaty ones as well. Uh, the first uh, the first item is the water system interconnect project. Uh this we completed our startup and uh testing and training of the new equipment involved with the interconnect including the water meter and the pressure relief valve. Uh that uh startup was about two weeks ago and I believe it was last week maybe the week before we turned on that PRV and then are now being supplied with water from the from the city of Cottage Grove. Uh so that is uh treated water from their water treatment plant and we're using that to or to uh feed the uh entirety of the city of Newport. So that's great news. Uh we're still working on on getting the system dialed in uh with pressures and and what have you, but it's uh it is up and running and and and working well. So the uh the guys are getting trained on that. Uh A1 has submitted an ETH payment application. uh the uh original contract place plus uh the approved change order, we were at 1,546,000. Uh they've completed all the construction items and so we are anticipating the final cost of this improvement to be 1,520,716. So slightly under budget. We are going to continue to hold about 5% uh for retain or for punch list items. They've generally completed everything, but we'll be doing a final walk through here in the in the coming weeks. Uh, so with the previously paid amount and the amount that we're holding in retainage, A1 is requesting uh partial payment number eight of $8,360. >> Thank you. And just a reminder to the public that this is part of the 3M settlement which means we pay the bills and then they get submitted to the state uh settlement trustees and we get reimbursed for those bills. This is an interim solution while we work on our own PAS uh treatment for the city. So uh this will is just going to bridge us over for that 3 to 5 year period. Um, any questions for John on this motion? >> No, no question. >> Okay. >> So, I'll make I'll make the motion for partial payment number eight. >> I'll second. >> So, I have a motion from council member Schmidt and a second from Council Member Ingamman approving partial payment number eight for $8,360 to A1 Excavating. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. >> I. Those opposed, the partial payment is approved. >> Next item is the third avenue improvements project. Uh Geistlinger Suns continues to make pretty steady progress on the improvements. They've completed all of the water main and sanitary sewer uh work. So all of the homes adjacent to the project are now reconnected to our mainline facilities. Uh they have started the storm sewer. Most of the storm sewer north of 17th Street is all complete. Uh they've moved down to the intersection of third and 16th. We have storm sewer going in both directions there and we have pretty shallow bedrock. So work has been pretty slow. We have about 4 ft of bedrock that they've been hammering through and and I I can imagine that the folks in and around that area are are growing a bit tired of the amount of uh jackhammering they're they've been doing. Uh so I I ask that you bear with us. They're they're doing the best that they can. We're hoping to get out of that rock here in the next couple days or maybe the uh middle part of next week and so progress can pick up. Uh we're expecting about another week and a half of uh storm sewer construction maybe spilling into that first week of September. Uh but the uh road uh grading crew uh I believe did mobilize to the site either yesterday or today beginning grading work on the northern portion of the project about midblock between 16th and 17th up to 21st Street. So they'll be bringing in their grading the road bringing in the gravel and pre preparing for the curb and gutter along the side of the road. Uh usually once we get up to that gravel ele elevation things get remain dusty but it's a lot easier to get in and out. Um so when when curb comes along there'll be some uh driveway access impacts but we'll get that information um communicated out to the to the residents. Uh so uh in in summary Ginger has been been doing great. They've been been very great to work with. Uh three items for consideration under the third avenue improvements. Uh we uh discussed this uh uh in part at the uh uh first meeting in August. Uh but we have a a change order number one for consideration. uh One Oak or One Oak uh the owner of the pipeline on 17th Street uh has um agreed with a means and methods for reconstructing the uh 17th Street as well as adding storm sewer and uh replacing our force main based on the plans that um we prepared and then uh and then some back and forth with Geistlinger contracting. Uh Gislinger has provided us a bid to finish the work from our 2025 street improvements project. Uh and that uh bid amount based on the estimated quantities is $632. Sorry, $632,000735. [clears throat] Uh and so uh this was work that Meyer Contracting will not be completing. uh a sidebyside comparison to the uh cost that Meyer would have taken to do this work based on their quantities and the amount that Geisinger will do is is about $215,000 more. Uh with that said, the overall project costs for the original improvement is about 350 to 365,000 less than what we had anticipated. So we don't get to realize the uh the full amount of that savings but we are uh you know moving forward and getting that 17th street work completed. Uh we anticipate that force main work um uh which was approved at the meeting uh at your first meeting in in August to begin um as soon as next week. and then that depending on how quickly they can get through some of the bedrock excavation on Third Avenue, they'll be shifting their attention to the the storm sewer work. The uh uh the other benefit here is that we can do all of the curb replacement as well as all the paving work along with Third Avenue. So by the by when construction season wraps up this year, uh we will have that those streets paved, which is which is great news. Uh so that is a change order number one. I would defer to the mayor. Would you like to take motions one at a time or would you like me to go through each one? >> I think let's take them let's take them one at a time and that way if there's any questions we're not jumping back and forth between change orders and um payment approvals if that's if that works. So any questions on what John has explained here that's going on? Council member Sumar, >> just one quick question about the work that's being done. You say that people are having to put up with a lot of extra jackhammering. Was that area allowing them to work on Saturdays? >> Do you remember? >> We did allow uh Disclinger to work on Saturdays. To my knowledge, they have not worked on a Saturday yet. And I haven't been told that they are going to. Usually, we need to have our inspectors out there. So, we know pretty early on. So, >> I just wanted to know so the council can put that into our thought process if we ever have to do that again, make that available. >> Sure. >> Thank you. And I was thinking um just some gratitude to the neighbors on the corner of 16th Street there where this is all going on. I know it's unpleasant. Um we appreciate your patience. We're sorry it has to be so noisy and kind of just these projects are really messy and disruptive. Um, but we know that infrastructure matters and we know that getting this done is really important work for our community. Um, so thank you and and a shout out to the 17th Street [laughter] uh group of uh residents as well. That's uh taken us a while to get an answer on how to best proceed there. So, um >> I've seen a couple kids that have been happy to see all the diggers though in the yard. I mean, it's for a couple kids. It's it's it's pretty [laughter] >> I'm not saying it's a touch a truck right outside your house, but [laughter] um yeah. So, I you know, it's it's been substantial work that's getting done. >> Um any other comments or questions for John on this at all? Okay. I will take a motion then. I'll move uh change order one for the amount of 632,735 and28. >> I'll second that one. >> So have a motion from council member Ingamman and a second from council member Sumar for change order number one. Um all those in favor say I. >> I. Those opposed >> change order number one is approved. John. >> And then the second change order uh a little lighter the uh we had discovered a discrepancy between our our bid documents and the actual quantities uh for storm sewer. Uh we had uh more 30-in storm sewer in our bid than we actually had in the uh in the project. Uh and then we had to get some prices from uh from Geisinger for some smaller size pipe. In the end, it netted a actual contract deduct of $24,226 once we reconciled that. So, we wanted to make sure because we're getting funding for this project that we have all of these uh items accounted for. So, executing a change order for a deduct of uh $24,226. >> Thank you. Any questions or discussion? >> Do you have a motion? I'll make the motion uh for change order number two resulting in a net contract deduct of 24,226. >> I'll second. >> I have a motion from council member Schmidt and a second from council member Ingamman. Any further discussion? All those in favor say I. I. >> I. Those opposed. Change order number two is approved. >> So with the two approved change orders, uh uh Geisinger has requested uh partial payment number two. Uh none of the work has been uh completed on the two change orders yet. Uh but the revised contract amount is $3,694,000. Uh to date, uh Geisinger has completed about 1,443,000. Uh less the previously amount paid. Their partial payment request number two is for $735,553.37. Any discussion or questions? >> I'll move partial payment application number two for $735,553.37. I'll second. >> I have a motion from council member Taylor and a second from council member Schmidt. >> All those in favor say I. >> I. Those opposed. Partial payment number two is approved. >> Next is the 2025 street and utility improvements project. This one will get a little long so uh please bear with me. Uh Meyer has complete Meer Contracting has completed all the work that they intend to complete on the project. Uh sands some minor punchless work. Uh this includes all of the storm sewer from the Mississippi River. Uh through the unimproved rideway just south of the Circle K tank farms through the intersection of Cedar and 17th and about 120 ft uh to the west. uh that is the work that is not impacted by the existing pipeline. Uh they have completed all the storm sewer including our our grit chamber uh storm uh storm uh I guess treatment uh uh vault uh that removes sediment uh from the storm sewer once we get this all connected and they've also placed the curb within that intersection and then paved the first lift of pavement. We're going to wait to do the final lift of pavement so that can all be done at the same time with with Geisinger. Um they will be continuing to work on their punch list uh here in the next couple weeks. Uh but we have a few different change orders that are have been requested by uh Meyer that are um due mainly in part to the challenges of working in and around the the pipeline. So in the packet I have itemized these. We've provided a brief explanation of what they are, providing MSA's recommendation as to whether or not the the the work is is indeed uh in our opinion eligible for compensation and then if the if the contract prices are uh reasonable. So I'm happy to take these one at a time. I did not prepare a formal change order. Ultimately, it's the council's decision whether or not they would like to uh whether or not they choose to approve these uh change orders. Um we do think that it's important to itemize these so we have them in case there is, you know, a future claim against the utility owners within the e or within that rightway so that we have good documentation of those of those claims. So I'll take these one at a time. Happy to answer questions after each. So earlier in the uh actually later last fall when we identified the conflict uh we had asked Meyer contracting to do some potholeing and some hydro excavating to determine the elevation of the uh pipeline as well as the bedrock elevation where we were proposing to put that storm sewer. So, uh, Meyer had contracted with a hydro excavator and, uh, and they provided, um, probably about 15 to 20, uh, potholes over the course of a day and then was with, uh, and then Meyer came back and used their GPS to, uh, to shoot those elevations. So, that work uh was uh the claim that or the change order request that Meyer submitted was for $4,929.50. Uh we've reviewed the hours spent against what we have for our field records as well as the invoices provided by their um by their subcontractor and we believe that that is a is a reasonable cost for the work that they had provided. Um, again, if we'd like to take them one at a time or I could go through all of them. This might be one that it the the gravity of each one may may impact some of the uh the the costs, but in this case, we would be recommending for approval of this uh change order request number four. >> Just one question. >> Yes, council member Sumar. >> What exactly is the potholeing? Is it just a >> It's a small hole. So, it's about an 8 in hole down where they use a high-pressure water to loosen up the soil and then a vacuum truck to pull that soil out rather than using a heavy equipment uh for an excavator. They can do really precise digs and get right over the top of that uh a pipeline in this case. >> Okay. Is it used often? I I don't recall hearing that >> it is [clears throat] used quite often. Yeah. especially for small utilities when they have to confirm locations of their of their facilities. >> Okay. >> Um they also use it um uh we did some of that work when we if you recall doing the sanitary sewer lining and the lateral lining work. We used some of the the hydro excavator to uh locate and put in some cleanouts uh during that project as well. >> Okay. >> Other questions on change or request four. Okay. Moving on. The next is uh change order request number seven. Uh the uh once the pipeline elevation was determined to be too shallow to put construction equipment across, uh Meyer chose at their discretion uh rather than driving over the top of that pipeline, they decided to back in from 16th Street. And if folks know that there's it's a really long block between 16th and 17th. And so they backed in with all of their equipment for um grading work where they had to remove soil, all the um gravel that they brought into the site as well as all their matuminous pavement when they were paving. >> Uh they had provided documentation about how much additional time they spent doing that and provided that for our review. uh the pipeline owner uh had provided an alternative means meaning they could put a bridge over the top of that pipeline. They could pile soil material about 3 ft high and build a ramp up and down or they could put an air bridge that you know basically running their equipment over wood timbers or or a steel air bridge. In our estimation, the the cost of temporarily bridging over that pipeline and using a different alternative was there for the contractor and they chose a different method. So in this case, uh Meyer's con or cost that they submitted to us was in the amount of $16,522. [clears throat] We recommended that that is not a a change order that the city accepts because there was an alternative and this was uh at the discretion of the of the contractor. questions. Council member Schmidt. >> And just to clarify, the alter >> you speak into the microphone. >> The alternative um would have been paid for by the pipeline or >> the alternative would have been it would have ultimately been eligible for a for a compensation through the the city's contract. Um but we could if we would have used gravel to uh to bridge that we could have used that gravel on our project. Um so we would have paid for the gravel that uh they would have used to bridge and then we would have moved that gravel from one place and then put it into the uh pavement section. Now yes they would have been there would be some additional time to place it, shape it, maintain it and then pick it back up and move it. Um, but I think that would be a very small percentage of the amount that they actually spent backing up there. >> Is it possible they'd submit another change order after seeing this feedback and would factor that in or is that not something that we're >> They didn't do that work. Uh, so I would have a hard time recommending approving a change order for work that they didn't do. And you know, our our contracts with the with the contractor are pretty clear about they own their means and methods and if they choose to do things one way that's more expensive for them. If this was the only way they could do it, I think we'd have another conversation, but in this case, it wasn't. >> I'm I'm satisfied with that. Thank you. [snorts] >> Other questions on this one. Okay. Thank you. Next, >> uh change order number nine. This is for traffic control. uh the traffic control. Once again, when we identify the location of the pipeline, uh the meer had uh their subcontractor bring out additional traffic control barrels to delineate the south lane of 17th Street and avoid their construction equipment from driving over the top of it. Uh we had left that traffic or those barrels in place through the winter. uh in part so the you know city plow trucks who are equally sized as some of the construction equipment did not drive in that area did not have any um issues with plows digging into the gravel surface that was above it. Uh they had so but that did not uh was not anticipated as part of the project. There was approximately an extra 50 days of of rental time if you will on those traffic control devices. that does not include the entirety of the winter. Uh it only includes the time when they generally rent their uh rent their traffic control devices out if it you know we would expect that this project would be done in November and now they those um traffic control devices were were in place from November of last year and they will be getting taken out sooner than later. So that 50 days is actually a you know just a portion of the actual time that they were in place. uh uh and it's not exclusively barrels, it's you know traffic uh barricades and other things that were were on site. So their subcontractor had provided a cost and this doesn't include um u any time for for meer contracting. Uh that cost was $6,927.50. That is a a expense that MSA recommends um uh reimbursing the contractor for. We think that the uh documentation provided is suitable. >> Questions at all? >> No. >> Change order number 11 or request number 11. Uh Meyer had asked to be compensated to remobilize equipment after uh demobilizing at the end of last year. They could not finish all their work. They returned in the spring and had to bring the majority of that equipment back. Uh they had um again they brought back one excavator, a loader, a plate compactor and you know a bucket attachment with trench boxes and each one of those uh pieces of equipment come on a separate trailer, separate driver that they have time into bringing that equipment back. [snorts] They actually had uh three excavators on site and two loaders. So they brought some of that equipment back on their own cost because they would have needed to bring that in to put in that large grit chamber that we that had mentioned before. They had not done that at the end of last year. So they did not charge us to bring it back the following year. Again, they provided their documentation for the hours uh and then the equipment costs for that remobilization. The amount was $3,993.75. Honestly, this one's a little challenging. Uh it was it [clears throat] was Meyer's decision not to complete this work. Um with that said, it would be challenging for this work once the pipeline uh conflict was identified and we found a plan to successfully um install that pipeline, it would have been really challenging to get this work done. Um and so I I think that in to in Meyers to Meyer's benefit they did put excuse me to their credit they did keep their cost I think reasonable for that remobilization and at this cost I think that we are comfortable recommending that as a as an eligible expense. questions. Council member Sumar, >> how far away did they have to come to remobilize? >> Uh, it is in the um it's in the or the documentation in the uh in the packet. They came from different locations. >> Okay. >> So, the equipment is on different sites or it's at their main facility. I want to say they're up in Maple Grove. Uh so, it was it was coming across town. Some mileages were a little bit longer than others. Not a big variation there. Um, and generally speaking, the hours that were provided were pretty consistent. It was about roughly about three hours round trip. >> Okay. >> For each mobilization. Um, so but that is also the uh, you know, the driver, the vehicle, and then the the mobilization. >> So you looked at those and feel comfortable. I think it was fair. I think it was it was reasonable. Um, it's it's one of those that's Yeah. Yeah. It's challenging, but >> thank you for that further explanation. >> Okay, John. >> Then number 13. Uh prior to winter, uh right before we had our freeze up, the uh we had asked Meyer to regrade and bring in gravel to uh grade 17th Street to uh eliminate some of the potholes and make it a as as smooth a ride as we can at the beginning of winter. Obviously, that uh payment or the surface kind of degraded through the winter, and I know Matt's guys helped keep those full throughout the winter. Um the cost for the effort to uh use their equipment and bring in the material to fill that. Um [clears throat] normally we would pay for this under the gravel uh quantity in our project. This is something that they are required to do. um but they would get compensated for the gravel that they used under the unit price. We separated it here because this represents a cost that the city incurred as a result of not being able to finish the road. That's why we had put this one on there separately. Um the cost is $1,28147. So this one I think is is certainly reasonable. It's at their contract unit price for the gravel that they use with some minor amount of time for their for their um field staff to uh to complete the improvements. >> Any questions? >> Nope. Moving on. >> Last one. Uh change order number 14. So on at the beginning of the project, the contractor submits shop drawings for all of the pre-cast concrete structures, whether those are sanitary sewer or storm sewer. those structures get fabricated. Uh that lead time is anywhere from five to six weeks. So it's a really rush order at the beginning of a project. So you have to get in line with all the other projects going on throughout the uh throughout the area to get your uh materials delivered when you need to construct these uh projects. So for the for the improvements along the unimproved portion of 17th Street and then up through the intersection of Cedar Cedar Lane, forgive me. Uh we those structures had already been ordered and they had already been delivered to the site. And so when we had to uh reduce the depth of that sewer and shallow that up to maintain clearance over the top of the uh pipelines and this is both Circle K and the One Oak line. We had to make modifications to those structures. We had to go in and cut some of the tops off so that we could like cut the top of the barrel off so then we could put the cover on top of it and then it all gets sealed up. And then we also had to make, you know, changes to where the pipes come in. And then they they go in and they put in bricks in those and laid into uh non-shrink mortar to seal up those edges. That takes time. Uh and so again, they had provided us their uh time and material logs for the additional time spent doing that work. We had our representatives on site. I won't say that we had a stopwatch, but we paid very close to who was doing the work, how long that work took, and was everyone on that crew uh participating in the additional effort. Um, so this one was scrutinized uh I think pretty heavily. I think we reached to a point where we're comfortable with the amount that they provided. Uh that amount is one or sorry $9,11550. Uh so again that was one that uh after some negotiation we uh we feel that that is a reasonable cost for that work. >> Thank you. Oh sorry >> I'll give you in summary. Uh so we had recommended approval of uh change order requests 4 91 113 and 14 and that total amount if the council directs the approval of those item or those change order requests is $26,247.72. That would not include the approval of change order seven, which was the uh uh the additional um labor to back up their equipment on on Second Avenue. >> Thank you. Do I have a motion? >> I'll make that motion. >> I'll uh I'll second. >> So, have a mo motion from council member Sumar and a second from council member Schmidt uh to approve. >> No, question though. >> Oh, to approve the change orders as listed by city engineer Herdigan. Council member Sumar, >> you say there is one in question or contention, right? The backup time. >> Yeah, I think uh I don't know that we need a formal motion to deny that. If that's the direction the council goes, I would take that if you approve the others and not uh make a motion to approve, then I would I would inform me that that con or that request uh was denied by council. >> And what is their option then? to reapply for it or >> uh their option would be to come and plead their case to you directly or they have some options for mediation within the within the contract. >> And how much was that for again? >> I think it was 16,000. >> 16,000. So that's a substantial amount of money. So >> Mhm. >> So it it may come back to us. >> It may. >> Okay. >> Okay. Any further discussion? Mhm. >> All those in favor say I. I. >> I. Those opposed. >> And those change orders as listed are approved. >> And then Meyer has also submitted a partial payment request number 10. Uh the original contract amount 3,920,000. They've completed approximately 2,853,000. This does not include some of the work that they've already done. This is the work that they did through the end of last month. So th this doesn't represent a final payment, but it's it's pretty close. We'll be a little under uh $3 million. Uh well, yeah, a little a little over $3 million for this improvement. Um the less the 5% retainage and previously paid, the amount requested by the contractor is $34,2912. >> I'll move that cheap amount. >> Thank you. Second that one. >> Have a motion from council member Ingamman and a second from council member Sumar. Any discussion or questions on this? >> Pretty straightforward. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed and the partial payment is approved. >> All right, last one. And this is uh this uh we had MSA uh began tracking our time uh for coordinating with one oak that we uh we think is a little in and or above our contract amount for construction administration. So the I think I think this cont the 10 conflict was discovered in early August or so and began working through those steps. Um at right around the beginning of September, we started tracking our time. Um not so much our field time. Our field folks are going to be there anywhere anyway. They were there watching the existing improvements. uh but uh my time and our staff's time putting together concept plans and meeting with one oak, meeting with our uh our neighbors both as a public meeting, one-on-one meetings. Um through the end of July, we had accumulated about 121 hours of work that was associated with one oak directly. um if we uh we have our our standard rates that are that we have in our company and then we have uh reduce rates for uh for work that we do in Newport. So uh we had three different um I guess three different areas that we had tracked separately. We had our one coordination. We had coordination with Circle K to get um cover over their pipeline. And then when we did our final design work and actually prepared a separate plan uh plans for that 17 street work that gets pretty detailed and to bring a deliverable to um to Gistlinger that they can effectively bid on uh takes some time. So, for that 10 coordination, we uh we were we're were requesting the $18,948 for the work with Circle K, $4,566. And then that final plan design, $9,84. And uh obviously those amounts aren't are significant. Um and the uh the discounted rates, I think they uh we're we're obligated. I think we're compelled to, you know, apply those here. I know they're not uh they're not a large portion of that, but it's something that we we want to do and and understand that again, this is a cost that the city didn't expect to incur on this on this project. Uh we would uh the the total amount for those three items was $33,318. Uh we would, I guess, respectfully request consideration for that contract amendment. >> Well, thank you. uh for that information and it's important that we're tracking this separately because anything where we go back to our original the original contractor Meyer that was going to be doing work and work that didn't get done and just a lot of back and forth with one oak uh it required not just a lot of your time uh as from an engineering perspective but a lot of staff time as well in meetings and phone calls and and um so I think us having this delineated separately is also valuable should we choose to uh pursue some reimbursement compensation for what happened with that. And I'll I'll stop there. >> And [laughter] and I will say mayor that you know picking up from here on now that we have a a solution that would be the that would the work from here on is included in the contract that we had originally ne or you know signed with the city. this work. We we have time into administering that portion of the contract even though it's now with uh with a different contractor >> as well as our uh our field time that that's going to be um that's going to be work that would have been done anyway. It would have been done last year. So that work is not um so we I don't expect to see any more or any additional amendments that we would be seeking um provided that everything uh moves forward obviously. So >> thank you. Um further discussion or >> so we're going to go back and >> finish up this project with the original contractor. >> No >> no no >> no >> we will MSA will administer that contract under our original agreement. >> So we you know we still um you know we've we will we'll honor the completion of that project with uh under our existing agreement. >> Okay. >> Do I have a motion? I one sorry one one additional thing. >> Um earlier at the beginning of your report we were talking about kind of the original projected cost and how we were coming in lower um even after some of the changes and things like that. There's another $60,000 in adjustments here that I don't think was included in the earlier statement. Is that accurate to say that or is that >> it partially I I guess when I when I had provided the the relative costs for the improvements that didn't include any of the professional services costs. So the the additional costs for the change orders. No, that was not included. It should be and if if the council is uh interested I can certainly provide that that breakdown probably after the work on 17th is complete. I think that would be helpful just to understand where we came in and we can certainly provide a total project cost which would include those professional services. >> Yeah, I I think that would just be helpful too because at the end of this right there's a lot of eb and flow and all of that and I would just say as a takeaway if if that's kind of like a project recap that we could kind of see at the conclusion be awesome. Thank you. >> Certainly. Do you >> have a motion? I will make the motion for MSA's amendment number one in the amount of $33,318. >> I'll second. >> I have a motion from Council Member Schmidt and a second from Council Member Ingamman. Any further discussion? >> All those in favor say I. >> I. Those opposed. The amendment is approved. >> Thank you. And that concludes my report. [laughter] So, thank you again for for bearing with that one. >> Well, and it I think people who live in Newport maybe understand this, maybe they don't. It is very complicated to be near a river, have bedrock, have pipelines. These are things you do your very best to predict in advance, and then you start digging. And this is not the first project we've worked on where we've been surprised by what we found. It won't be the last project we've worked on where we'll be surprised when we're digging by what we find. So it I hate to say this is normal, but for Newport this kind of normal. So and we continue to find solutions to our challenges. I'm waiting for John to become a nationally recognized expert on things we didn't expect to happen that happened. [laughter] >> I will happily stay in the shadow. [gasps] >> Okay. Uh moving on to the Superintendent Public Works report. >> Uh good evening, Mayor Elliot and council members. I have nothing formal this evening. Um, but I would like to remind everyone that next week, next Friday the 28th is the deadline for the relief tree removal grant. So, if you had any thoughts at all on applying for that, get going. Um, like I said, we still have have some uh availability, but it is limited funding. So, please get your applications in. This is the only time I've ever seen a grant to cover re tree removal on private property. So, >> um, and, uh, other than that, I just wanted to thank everyone for their patience. Like we said, 17th and Cedar has been paved with the first lift. Um, but there's still construction going on there. So, please drive carefully, slow down in the area. you know, it's it's not complete, but it's like I said, it's got the first list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list li list of asphalt on it so with that I'd be happy to stand for any questions >> questions for Matt thank you very much >> um we'll move on now to the administrator's report >> mayor members of the council a couple items tonight the first one is an uh a zoning text amendment and interim use permit that's been uh applied for by Americ Marold and we do have a presentation by uh city planner first. Great. >> Uh thank you and good evening everyone. So as Joe mentioned, we do have an application in uh from America regarding a zoning text amendment and an interior use permit request. So we'll walk through all of that here in this presentation. the subject parcel. I think everyone's familiar with Americ's location, but they do own a couple of different parcels that collectively are, you know, their site. And the one that we're talking about for the most part this evening is the one that's shown in yellow here, kind of this triangular shaped parcel along Maxwell. Just as an overview, uh we're looking at two different requests. One for an interior use permit. This is for a gravel parking pad and we'll get into that. Uh the other is actually zoning text amendment as I mentioned and that is to the river uh development overlay district and so that is a district we haven't talked about a a ton uh but is um something that um Newport [snorts] has in its in its zoning ordinance for the river area u and the site area just collectively is around 2.8 acres. So, uh, as we look at the site plan that was submitted by America, uh, you see the location of that gravel parking area, the gravel lot roughly, uh, 17,000 square ft just over that. Um, that parking pad, uh, is accessed by the current or the private drive that already exists along Maxwell. And you can see that parking pad relative to the boundaries of that lot. So, um before we get into the zoning text amendment, I will just note just as background context, this gravel pad did get constructed um before receiving any approvals from the city. So, as as uh part of just observing something like that, the city went into um basically code enforcement, wrote them a letter, they reacted immediately and you know, stopped using the the parking pad, came in for a permit as they should and as they requested to do. And so that is how we got here today with these requests. They are seeking to retroactively have this permitted uh through the appropriate approvals. So as I get into explaining the zoning text amendment here, um if we consider the different layers of zoning for this property, if you look at the map on the left, the property is zoned uh light industrial and it's got this overlay district over it that's shown in that hatch. Um the hatchmark area is the river development overlay district. Uh and then you've also got two different lines running generally north to south on the map. The the one blue line on the left side of the zoning map is the shoreland overlay district and the red dashed line you can see on sort of the right side of the map is the MRCCA, the Minnesota River critical corridor area. So, um, when we looked at whether this use could be permitted, we had to look at all of those different parts of the ordinance. And ultimately, there is only one part of the city's ordinance that would actually not permit the gravel parking pad as they proposed it. That would be the river development overlay district. So, uh, this use is actually permitted either as a as a principal use or as an accessory use in the base zoning district, but again, not by the overlay district. The overlay district in Newport, uh, as you see in that hatched area, is really intended to allow for the city to closely, um, guide land use changes in the river area. Uh, the purpose of that is to drive land uses, generally speaking, towards uses that are more compatible with residential or commercial that is oriented to residential uses. And so generally speaking, that's why that overlay exists and that's why the city has more control has given itself more control over over that area. And so um the river development overlay district does not permit and this is a quote from the ordinance uses whose operation or principal operation requires the outdoor storage of materials or equipment including the outdoor manipulation of the materials or equipment. And so when we saw that it, you know, pretty clearly um did not or especially prohibited the use that was being proposed here. And so we identified that to the property owner and ultimately they came in with this request to modify the zoning ordinance in a manner that will let them uh have their parking pad um on the on the property on an interim basis. And so one thing I I did not mention and I'll just go back to the aerial is that the gravel parking pad has been requested by Americ 15 months from when it was when it was installed. And this is to um help them give them a little bit more space for their operations as they work through a contract that they have. Um the idea uh in the submittal is that they will be removing this gravel parking pad when that 15-month period is over. And so that's what they came in requesting. And that is why we feel an interim use permit is the right kind of the right tool if the city is going to allow [snorts] for this to to move forward. So going back to the zoning text amendment that's requested um city staff feel or you know planning staff feel that these um criteria that you see on the bottom of the screen will help the city allow this if you should choose to approve it uh with some very specific conditions. And so the first one is that outdoor storage of vehicles will be limited to 20,000 square ft or 20% of a proposed parcel whichever is less. Uh two is that outdoor storage of vehicles would be screened from public roadways. Uh three, the site may only be accessed by a private or internal drive. So there would be no additional new access points permitted along a city or a county road. And then lastly, I have added or proposed to add this since the planning commission meeting. And that's really to drive home the fact that this would be an interim you or uh sorry an accessory use. So um criteria four would be that the use must be incidental or accessory to a permitted principal use on the same property or uh on a property that's directly adjacent. So that would uh allow for this use only because it is incidental to an a permitted principal use which in this case would be cold storage. [snorts] So that's the zoning change. When we look at the requested interim use permit, we we you know do a pretty standard kind of site plan review. And so there are a few different elements to talk about. The first one is that the parking area is located generally along that private drive area. It's actually under 20,000. It's at uh 17 just over 17,000 square feet. As I mentioned, it's only accessed the through their private drive. And uh also as I mentioned value P is expected to be about 15 months. So we also looked at what are the performance standards for this property. Does this parking area meet our our requirements if we're to approve it? And the answer is yes. Um this parking pad would meet all of the city's standards. Uh the only standard that's not necessarily met is that parking setback, but because this is part of one overall site, um staff consider that to be, you know, a reasonable part of the IUP. So here again is the site plan. Uh I do want to quickly talk about landscaping and screening. So, one of those criteria we talked about was that the property be [clears throat] screened from the road, the parking area be screened from the road. Um, in this particular case, the, you know, the property owner is located the pad in an area that's located kind of away from the public road. It's not right on, it's not highly visible from the roadway. >> Um, and there is vegetation both along Maxwell and then, uh, natural vegetation surrounding the parking pad as well. So um when you think about screening from the road, it would seem that what we have now existing on the site is acceptable for for screening of the parking area. So here is a you know Google street view image of the general area where the parking pad has been located. You see a fair amount of natural vegetation kind of buffering this parking pad from the road, screening it. Um there may be if uh the city approves the IUP, there may be uh vehicles that you could see the tops of them above the vegetation. That that is definitely possible. Um being that this is a 15-month IUP as proposed. Um I don't think it's necessarily reasonable to require screening be planted because at the time the screening actually does, you know, mature to a point where it's fully screened, you're going to have the the pad removed. terms of access, we talked about having only one access. Um, the city also, city code also does have surfacing standards for parking areas. Um, there there is a, you know, an ability for the city to otherwise approve a lesser standard. Typically, we wouldn't recommend this. We try to push everyone to that kind of durable standard. And in this particular case, gravel would be reasonable. It's easier for them to remove in the end. Uh we also do have a condition that they do not track dust onto the public road. That is really one of the main reasons you wouldn't want gravel parking area to begin with. I would mention the applicant is proposing 8 to 10 vehicles to be parked on this pad at any given time. [clears throat] So uh the city does have some general guidance for approval of zoning text amendments and IUPs in the code. uh they're here and in the staff report. I also did, you know, should the city council consider approval of the IUP? I did want to talk about the conditions. Um we have 13 conditions recommended for approval. I have I will note modified these a bit since the planning commission review as well just to make sure that they're kind of matching our our typical standard. Uh condition number 13 was added. That's a standard condition that we usually have in IUPs and I just wanted to make sure you know that's included as a standard here as well for IUPs. Um the first two conditions we have I'm proposing changes to them simply to clarify what is being approved here. So all of these 13 conditions would um regulate the use of this you know pad through the IUP. Um and we can get into them if you do have any questions. Some of them are more standard by nature and some of them are very specific. I will say um we are pretty pretty narrowly approving uh this IUP and by that I mean restricting the use of the property outside of the gravel pad. And so we're really trying to tie them to the area they're proposing to use and not allowing them to expand that gravel parking area outside of that, expand the use. they would have to, you know, the property owner will have, you know, they know, they know that they need to work with the city and they'll have to come back and, um, talk about what they'd like to do if they want to make any other improvements to the property or change the use. So, uh, with that, I do have a couple of motions and I apologize. These are actually the the motions that we provided to the, uh, planning commission. So, I didn't change this, but you have um three three items for your consideration this evening. So, you'll have ordinance number 2026-13 that would approve the zoning text amendment. You have resolution 2026-67. That would be for the interim use permit. And you have resolution 2026-68. That would be for summary publication of the of the uh ordinance that you'd be approving >> with your um recommended conditions. Can you put that screen back up on items uh 10 and 11? You know, unfortunately, they moved forward with some work uh prior to understanding that it required a permit. >> Yep. Um, so >> yeah, I can speak to that. Uh, that so basically the city does have a standard for everyone. If you do work that was not permitted as it should have been, you come back in and you you do get a double permit fee. Uh, and so that's a standard kind of um that everyone is held to and so we would expect no different here. >> Thank you. Um, and we have uh representatives here for uh Marold. Um, but I'd like to start if we have any additional questions for Nathan. Um, Council Member Sear >> number eight. The site shall be returned to pre-development conditions prior to termination of the IEP. What exactly is that going to mean? Is it underneath there? There's >> So, >> it would seem to me it's almost grally >> under there. It's just not packed gravel, right? So it's kind of >> Yeah. So the gravel the gravel pad would need to be removed and then they would need to reestablish natural vegetation or turf. >> That's what pre-development conditions would look like here. >> I just didn't know what kind of condition it was over there. It was just a grasslands. >> It was Yeah, it's it's very similar to what the rest of the property looked like. >> Okay. >> So not an extensive >> No, it wouldn't be an extensive amount of work. They would. And in fact, that kind of informs part of why we don't want to recommend asphalt. >> There'll be a lot of gravel available to go somewhere else >> perhaps. Yep. >> John, pay attention. Gravel. [laughter] >> Just in case we're working on a project. Haha. We'll be working on a project, I'm sure. Um, council member Schmidt. >> So, I [clears throat] eight and nine read in conflict to me. And here's why. if we approve this today. Nine says it's 18 months from today, which expires sometime in the winter. Eight says the pre-development conditions must be established prior to the expiration of the IEP, which means growth would be reestablishing in February. >> So that seems in conflict. >> Yep. So, we have a buffer in in the recommended term and then the proposed term. So, they're proposing to have 15-month use of the property and we're proposing to allow the term to be 18 months. That doesn't necessarily fix the issue that you've identified, which is restoring basically turf in the winter, which is not reasonable. So, I think what we could do is either change the overall term of the IUP or um require that they cease the use and then in the spring of the following year reestablished her for vegetation. >> I'm indifferent. I just thought we should clean that up. >> Yep. Mhm. >> I understand uh the concern or just the what appears to be in conflict. I'm I don't want to con extend the IUP beyond the 18 months that's recommended because I don't want vehicles parked there longer than 15 months. Um, and I think it's reasonable to expect that this is Minnesota and when you remove gravel, whether you do it in November or September or April, um, it is going to take time uh, for things to reestablish. And so I just see that as the business owner understands what's expected. we understand what's expected and we understand uh living in Minnesota. So, I'm comfortable with the way it's written. Um >> so, yeah, I think, you know, to that to that end, um mayor and council, I think we can work with the with the property owner to, you know, as long as they've ceased the use of of the area and generally remove the gravel, I think the working with them on reestablishing the vegetation is reasonable. Okay. Mayor, as long as there's no council member Sar, >> as long as there's no trailers out there, I think they've met the contract or they've met the terms of >> they have not met the terms. It needs to be fieldled again. >> Well, need natural area. That's the That's what number eight is about. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> But I think reasonable in Minnesota, as you said, >> if they're not parking there anymore. >> All right. I think they >> that's an important step for me. >> Well, [laughter] yeah, absolutely. Not parking. We can tell if they're parking there, but they're not parking there. Grant them till the reasonable natural conditions allow them to >> put that in there. >> And I think our past practice with our staff has been that we work with whether it's a business, a developer, a homeowner to help them get to our objectives. And sometimes if that means, you know, we've sent a letter about something and they need extra time, we work with them to try to establish a timeline that works. And and I expect our staff uh would respond the same with this. >> Yep. >> Other council questions or comments at this time. Otherwise, um I will ask America representatives if they would like to address the council uh with any additional information or to comment on what we've discussed so far. Uh, sure. Uh, thank you, uh, Madame Mayor, members of the council, staff. My name is Jim Yaros. I'm an attorney for America Real Estate LP, who is the applicant and the owner of the property here. Um, just uh uh just a comment about staff. I just, you should know, council. um after our little oops moment um and uh we went to talk with staff and it hasn't been that long and and obviously there was a timing issue too as this customer is waiting to we want to help assist them with till they get their facility done. So, there was a timing issue, but you know, and maybe we were fortuitous given the election of the planning commission, but everything got done and completed real quickly, reviewed and put forth, and we got in front of the planning commission two days ago. And so, we do appreciate that. You know, I've been at this a while and have not seen such responsiveness. So, thank you for that, and I wanted the council to know that. Um, with me tonight is Randy Lewis. He's the uh director um [snorts] in of district operations, oversees this property and I believe it's nine others. I think probably rather hear more from him than me. But just as a quick aside on the history of this little parcel, I think it's interesting to note that it was fully encumbered by Mindot and an easement. Uh I think that was established in 1944. Uh and then sometime during that uh that that period from 44 to I'd say uh like 21 or two at some point in there uh the title with Washington County it it literally got dropped and had no owner of it um other than Mindot's easement. So we had to go through a whole process to show that we still owned it. It would never was never conveyed. It was never fixed that with Washington County. And at the same time, that's when uh Mindot finally released its easement and you know, and so it is part of the property and will be part of plans, but it's nice to be able to have some use. And again, uh we know that the council spent some time on the river overlay district and went back and looked at that. Um and understanding the purpose that it's a kind of a long-term, hey, we want to be involved in long-term redevelopment of this property. But that's why we thought this would work. It allows them to utilize a piece of their property they haven't been able to utilize and doesn't really conflict as it as by the underlying zoning it it would be a permitted use. But we're talking about a small duration here in which the city's long-term planning I don't think would adversely impact that. So just wanted to make that point um as we seek a relatively limited use for this piece for a relatively limited duration. And with that, I will let um Mr. Lewis just speak briefly or if you have any questions for him, you would know. >> Well, I think my takeaway, Mr. Yaros, is that city staff moves a lot more quickly than Washington County in the state of Minnesota when you need something. [laughter] >> I would. >> Yes, >> I will concur. [laughter] >> Mr. Lewis, >> good evening. Uh, as you stated, uh, my name is Randy Lewis. I'm the director of district operations uh, for America Logistics. Uh my primary responsibilities [cough] are the state of Minnesota which consists of eight total facilities and then I have uh oversight of two in northern Iowa as well. Um my roots uh actually come from the Newport cold storage facility. So uh I started uh there in 2001. So I am one of those people that understand what it is like to uh build uh next to a river and with bedrock around as we've done it several times over the years. First and foremost to madame mayor and members of the council uh extend a general apology, you know, for our actions that were taken to start on this particular project uh prior to gaining permit and and permission. Uh uh my decision to do so simply stated, I thought we were on one parcel and that we could uh once we were uh advised that we were not in compliance, we stopped. We have yet to use it. Uh we weren't quite done with the process. So, and then obviously followed suit uh brought Mr. Roshan to give us some guidance as to zoning text amendments certainly areas that I do not want to be an expert in uh and have learned more in the last few weeks than I I would like to. So um that said the project is designed for us we're advised that we were going to lose a long-term customer of their desire to build their own facility uh and because they wanted to be able to consolidate their business interest across the network and then optimize them in a facility in Lakeville while they're building their own. Uh what that what does that mean to this particular facility? Uh it means about 14 jobs. Uh means obviously loss of revenue and we chose a solutionsoriented approach to the customer that allowed us to be able to consolidate all of their interest here with this property needing for a little overflow for the trailer traffic. Uh as you're well aware that facility does uh have about 120 to 150 shipments per day or receipts. So by in andout traffic that's over 300 in most days. uh simply stated the thought of that extra 8 to 10 uh was not in any way going to change the line of sight for those residents. Uh given that we do have a trucking company right next door to it as well. So uh our desire was to try and provide a solution to that customer. Uh thus we felt the need for the parking. So with that in place uh I do appreciate you know the actions and efforts by the city to be able to advise us and bring us into compliance. So with that I answer any questions you have. Will this keep the customer then with you over the long term or is this just a short-term fix while they build out in Lakeville? >> It's a great question. Uh they're building a facility in Jordan. Uh that will be done in July of 27 assuming you know those projects uh align with scheduling which they rarely do. Uh secondary to that, it has allowed us to continue our business relationship with them uh which they've already identified that that facility will be full prior to even uh operating it. So we'll have an extended relationship with them beyond uh but it will be within the confinements of the property and we have five uh facilities in the metro and we can work with those to be able to do it. So yes, it to answer your question, it did save it uh and allows us to be able to take advantage of it too. >> Great. That's good to hear. >> Yeah. [snorts] um questions for the representatives or any other questions I should say. Well, thank you both for being here. I know you also came to the planning commission uh meeting as well and we appreciate that. Um [snorts] and I managed to watch that online, so that was helpful as well to hear that. And I know other council members uh periodically will watch those online or attend in person um just in general on some of these things because a text amendment is a is a little bit of a bigger deal um than Yes. Yes. Then then an interim use permit. So um with that uh thank you both very much >> and um any further discussion uh from the council. Otherwise I would entertain motions on >> these items. So >> I'll be pleased to make a motion for do we need to do three of them separately then? >> Yep. We'll do them separately. Okay. So, we'll start with ordinance 2026-13, which will a is the text amendment to um the zoning code. >> I'll move ordinance number 20 26-13, amendment to chapter 36, article 6, division 7. >> Thank you. >> I'll second. >> So, I have a motion from Council Member Sumar and a second from Council Member Ingamman. Any discussion? >> All those in favor say I. >> I. Those opposed. The ordinance is [clears throat] adopted. >> Uh, next I have resolution 2026. >> I'll move resolution number 2026-67 America real estate interim use permit IUP. Tom Josh. >> Can I hear a second? >> I'll second. >> So I have a motion from council member Sumar and a second from council member Schmidt. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed. >> The resolution is adopted. Uh and then we have resolution 202668. >> I will make the motion. Resolution number 202668, summary publication of ordinance number 202613. >> I'll second that. >> I have a motion from council member Schmidt and a second from council member Sumner. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. those opposed >> and [clears throat] the resolution is adopted. Thank you very much planner and Marold representatives as well. Did [clears throat] >> Mr. Hatch, did you have any other administrative items for us? >> One more update for the council. Um just uh our goal is never to be uh as slow as the state or any other uh bureaucracy. So with that, if I'll stand for questions. Well, and I just to follow up and I, you know, kind of made a joke about that, but this is something we commonly hear from businesses, developers, contractors, attorneys, what it is like to work with the Newport staff and that we are into finding solutions and not just saying no and come back with something else. And apparently this is somewhat unusual because people comment on it. And I'm proud of our staff and I'm proud of this council that this is the environment we foster >> because we want business. We appreciate business. We want people to stay. We want to retain businesses. We want a good reputation out there when it when it comes to attracting business. So, um, just really good job to our staff and these are comments I've heard, [snorts] you know, since I got on the council, which was back in 2019. So, um, it's been a common theme here and and it's a culture that's carried over. So, really good job to our staff and and to really our consultants as well because at times it it hits engineering, it hits public works, it might hit their administration department. Um, but across the board, uh, we just have a staff that really wants to help help people, uh, when things arise. So, thank you so much for your comment and and I I won't ever get tired of hearing how great our staff is. So, thank you. Um, [snorts] with that, next, anything for Joe? Nothing. Okay. So, next on our agenda is a close session. Um, as usual, uh, we're going to skip that at the moment. We'll do mayor and counsel reports. then we will move into the close session. Um I don't believe we'll be taking any sort of formal action when we come out of the close session. So generally um the uh True Lens staff leaves and you don't see the motion and second for adjournment on camera. Um so with that moving on to mayor and council reports. Just a great pioneer day. It you know I'm just going to say that the weather was really good. This is an unusual pioneer day. We've had a couple rough goes uh the last couple summers, but just the volunteers did a great job. I really enjoyed the band. It was really fun music. I think everybody had fun at the 5K and the movie night and it just, you know, really kudos um to the organizers, the staff. Um I know Emmy Westerberg is kind of helps lead that charge with help from friends and family. Um pardon >> Sorry. Is there a big >> Yes. Solus as well. Yes. >> [laughter] >> Um, also, uh, I went and voted on primary day and one of the things that was said to me is we've only got a couple of judges that are actually from Newport working as election judges. So, um, it sounds like they could possibly use more election judges for November 3rd. This is training you can do online and you can fill out the application online. So, you go to the Washington County uh website, go under government, and then elections and voting, and you scroll down to election judges, and you'll find the information there. Both the application uh to be submitted, there's some age requirements and um that that are listed there. But, uh, just if you're interested in doing that, um, I know a number of, uh, council members and some staff attended the EMS tour down at the Fair View EMS facility in St. Paul. It was, uh, an impressive operation. Um, they're doing an awful lot of things. They, uh, have plans for the future of how they want to grow and expand. And I think uh just so that people um kind of understand that we haven't I haven't heard the formal acceptance yet by the state of their application. So Cottage Grove made application to the state. The state has to approve that before any change can technically take place, but they still expect to start um servicing Newport and St. Paul Park on September 1st. Um, all that change really means is the first call for ambulance goes to Fairview EMS. If they are for some reason unavailable, then it starts going out to the mutual aid partners, which includes Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Alina, Health East. Uh, I think I've missed someone in there. So, all of those groups have mutual aid agreements to help out when somebody's too busy. We're con part of what's considered the central region for EMS. that includes so Fair View services, Egan, Rosemount, Invergroveve Heights, Menota Heights, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, Lily Dale, and Coats. And then uh with the addition of us and South St. Paul, that would be 11 cities in the central area. And they do have locations where they'll place ambulances based on predicted needs, so they can have quicker response times. Um, I believe their lights and sirens response time was 7 minutes and 38 seconds was their average for last year. Um, I did request their average non non-emergency response time. I didn't get their average for last year from them, but I know as I was touring it was 12 minutes. I know we had some people touring a little earlier in the day it was 10 minutes. So they have actually live data uh updating on a on a daily or on a you know minuteby minute I guess or call by call um response time and other data as well which ambulances are available where they are where they're stationed and so on. It was just it was it was very interesting and that giant mobile unit uh which can take I think about 35 people I don't know 15 laying down you know 18 sitting up and they said this goes out about twice a month to um emergencies that happen around the metro area. So, um it was a lot of employees there, around 280, I believe, um working there. 70ome vehicles, ambulances, plus SUVs and other emergency response uh stuff. So, it it just they've got an awful lot going on there and I I think we've landed in a a good place um considering the circumstances. So, I was I was pleased uh with what I learned on that and I'm sure others who went, you know, feel free to comment on your impressions as well. I think the um public would be interested in that, too. Um with that, uh Council Member Ingamman, >> uh the only thing that I want to mention is, uh with your food scraps, uh it's it's free. All you got to do is tell tell the RDF that you want the plastic bags. They mail them to you free. You put them in your garbage with the food scraps and it's gone. I mean, it's I can't imagine not, you know, it's a good place for the garbage to go >> and it's about 20% of what goes into the landfill is what I understand. So, it makes landfills last longer if we can get it out to a compost site. >> I just uh they sent me an email that said uh it's been over a year. Do you need more bags? I replied, "Yes, and I got two rolls of bags for the next year." So, I mean, it's like they let you know and they mail them to you free. So, I mean, >> it's a no-brainer. >> It's a great program. >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Other than that, uh I went to Pioneer Days. It was kind of warm, but it was a nice day. Other than that, uh no, everything was fine. Thank you, Council Member Taylor. You want to talk about your 5K? [laughter] >> I finished third of my family. >> That was excellent. >> And it's a family of uh 20. [laughter] >> Third of the >> All your cousins came. >> My boy won it, so that's all that matters. New Newport, a Newport runner ran won the five game this year. >> That's wonderful. Um Council Member Schmidt. >> Uh nothing formal tonight. >> Council member Sumar, >> I do have several things here. One is uh talking about two bus services that are available for Newport residents. One is called Metro Micro and it's a pay as you ride by request. This can be accessed anytime during the week. The other one is the new community bus that's available on Wednesdays and that leaves from several sites in Newport and it returns later that afternoon. So you can go from Newport down [snorts] to Walmart and HIV ve and then come back in the afternoon. There's more details available, but that's a quick summary. I want to mention to people that the city is going to sponsor a cleanup event on October 10th. More information is going to follow on that. I also visited the Fair View Ambulance EMS service site. Very impressive. It's going to bring substantially outstanding service for Minnesota residents that are in need when it happens. And I also attended the Pioneer Days event. Now, at the library and our community center, there's several things going on. And on the the the overall theme that's being brought forward by Sarah Marie is to gather together. It's an opportunity on Mondays. There's something called a silent book club. And there's been research that you're muting yourself. that >> there's been research that shows that people that read together, even if they're not reading directly to each other, but if they just come to a common point, it does suggest and it encourages people to read, then the that's at 6:30 on Mondays. On Tuesdays between 4 and 5, there's a read with me event. Kids coming home from school can go down there and if they read, they get a snack. Or if they read to a young kid, they both get a snack. The kid that's being read to and the reader both get snacks. On Wednesdays at 1:00, there's an adult craft group. On Thursdays at 10, there's a senior coffee hour. On Saturdays at 3 p.m., there's a family story time. And the big event coming up in September on September 9th on a Wednesday from 2:30 to 4:30. It's a back to school party for all the kids that are just getting back to school. There's going to be games, snacks, and other fun events. And on Wednesdays, there is a group of children, pre-teens and teen volunteers called the kids crew. And they come and they help at the library. And it also gives these well-minded, nice kids a chance to work together with each other, gather up, have a friendship, and do something good for the community. So once again, there's many things of [snorts] great importance happening at the Newport Library Community Center. That's it for today. >> Thank you. Um, so what I anticipate happening is I'm going to read some language about going into close session. Um, we will then take a break of 5 to 10 minutes uh depending on how long it takes our true lens staff member to um finish up with what they've recorded for this meeting because they cannot be in the room during the close session and then we will come back and have our uh close session. So, uh, we're clo Let's see here. >> Oh, we will take a break. >> But we will take a break. Yes. >> Both because we have to >> and because we probably need to. >> Okay. So, the close session is or the session is being closed under Minnesota statute 13D.05 05 subdivision 3C to develop or consider offers or counter offers for the um sale of real property located at 15521st Street in Newport. Um this portion of the properly noticed meeting of the Newport Council uh will be closed. I will not take a motion to close the meeting until after the break because otherwise we're in close session but then we're really on break using the restroom. So um I will do that after uh that has occurred. We will have our discussion and we will come back and then I anticipate it will just be an adjournment uh of the meeting. So, with that, uh, I would take a motion to recess for 5 to 10 minutes. >> I'll make that motion to recess for 5 to 10 minutes. >> Second. >> Yes. Second. >> I have a motion from Council Member Sum and a second from Council Member Schmidt to go into recess. All those in favor say I. Those opposed, we are in recess.