North St. Paul arts commission elects chair, lays out 2025 events plan and volunteer expectations

The City of North St. Paul Arts and Culture Commission elected Tom Sonic as chair and Carrie Nadov as vice chair and heard a presentation from the city events coordinator on the commission’s role in the 2025 events schedule.

City events coordinator Ava, who introduced herself to the commission as the staff lead for 2025 programming, told commissioners, “I’m coordinating all of the city events for 2025,” and asked the commission to continue providing volunteers and subcommittee support for planning and on‑the‑day duties.

Ava said she will send a Google poll to commission members to collect availability and preferences and asked commissioners to be “proactive with me on work on generating event ideas, plans, and any ways that you can get involved.” She said the commission should expect to be physically present at events, help with setup and teardown, coordinate volunteers and contribute post‑event feedback to improve future programs.

Why it matters: Commissioners’ volunteer time is built into the city’s 2025 events plan and affects whether the city can staff community offerings without additional overtime costs for city employees. Ava said the commission has $2,000 available for a placeholder special event and that planning for the Autumn Arts Festival should start early because performers book quickly.

Most important facts - Staff asked the commission to commit to being “physically present at at least 2 events in these 4 events” listed for arts and culture, and to help lead or run specific activities such as guided art classes and the art cart. - The commission has a $2,000 budget line for a placeholder event; dates for several items on the 2025 calendar are tentative while venues and performers are confirmed. - Ava will circulate a Google poll to collect members’ availability and event interests; she aims to finalize bookings for major events by February.

Supporting details and ongoing projects - Art cart: The commission maintains a mobile art cart (an orange trailer) stocked with supplies for community events. Commissioners discussed inventory, organization and securing items for transport (bungee cords or similar restraints). - Utility box wraps: A subcommittee is preparing wrapped utility box designs (including a “heart hands” photo wrap) and will coordinate higher‑resolution images for production; one existing box at the high school was noted as peeling and slated for repair or replacement in spring. - Murals and public art: Commissioners reviewed mural opportunities and city‑owned surfaces; Jordan (staff) will pull a list of city‑owned structures for possible sites. Some privately owned walls (Rotary Park wall) are not fully available for painting. - Music in the Parks and Paint & Sip: Commissioners discussed continuing and varying these events, including possible swing‑dance or mandala painting programming when budgets and schedules permit.

Student commissioner recommendation Commissioners discussed a student applicant, Ued, a North High ninth grader involved in student council and Latinx committee, and recommended forwarding his application to the City Council for appointment as a student commissioner. The commission agreed to invite him to the next meeting.

Community center feasibility update Troy reported that city staffer Brian Frandel is coordinating virtual meetings with consultants performing a feasibility study for the proposed community center; the study’s findings will inform future budget and planning decisions.

Votes at a glance - Motion to adopt the agenda — approved (vote: aye; mover/second not specified in the record). - Motion to approve meeting minutes — approved (vote: aye; mover/second not specified in the record). - Motion to make Tom Sonic chair of the Arts and Culture Commission — approved (vote: aye; mover/second not specified in the record). - Motion to make Carrie Nadov vice chair of the Arts and Culture Commission — approved (vote: aye; mover/second not specified in the record). - Motion to adjourn — approved (vote: aye; mover/second not specified in the record).

Meeting context and next steps Ava will send a Google poll to commission members to collect availability and preferences, and asked commissioners to begin forming a subcommittee to plan the placeholder event and to begin Autumn Arts Festival planning. Staff will provide an event calendar update as bookings are finalized. The commission also plans to finalize subcommittee memberships at the next regular meeting.