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Council endorses Soldier City Sundays pilot; city staff to treat weekly veterans market as a city event
Summary
The council supported the Saint Cloud Veterans Council's proposal for a weekly market at Veterans Park called 'Soldier City Sundays,' agreed to treat it as a city event and to reallocate a $3,000 veterans‑event budget for startup costs; staff estimated weekly porta‑let and staffing costs at about $630–$650.
Members of the Saint Cloud Veterans Council asked the City Council on Sept. 11 to approve Soldier City Sundays, a weekly Sunday market planned for Veterans Park, and to treat the event as a city‑supported activity. Organizers proposed a family‑friendly market running 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with veteran resources, vendor booths, live performances and community partners.
Deputy City Manager Scott Davidoff presented estimated startup needs and costs. He said two portable toilets and limited staff support would cost roughly $630–$650 per event and that the city had budgeted $3,000 for a veterans‑resource event on Nov. 1 that staff proposed reallocating to support the market’s launch. Davidoff said staff planned to combine the Nov. 1 resource event with the new weekly market and would report back with details after meeting the veterans council.
Council members raised logistics and support questions: possible sponsorships, volunteer involvement and parking. Councilmember Urban encouraged sponsorships from local businesses; Deputy Mayor Gilbert asked about relocating fences to add parking near the park. Staff reported contractor estimates to move perimeter fencing inward — roughly $30,000–$38,000 for black vinyl fencing or $50,000–$60,000 to install a metal spear‑top style fence including demolition and new curbing.
Council and staff discussed whether to treat Soldier City Sundays as a city event, with city staff providing planning support and limited funding to get the market started. Council voiced consensus to proceed: the veterans council will lead programming, the city will provide staff support and the $3,000 budgeted resource money will be reallocated as seed funding. The Citizens Foundation also voted to allocate up to $25,000 for band shell and facility improvements to support events at Veterans Park.
Next steps: staff will meet again with organizers, pursue sponsorships and report back with a detailed cost plan. The council discussed longer‑term parking options and possible fence relocations if demand requires it.
