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City council approves slate of resolutions on parks, utilities, streets, loans and events
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Summary
At its Jan. 12 meeting, the St. Peter City Council approved multiple resolutions including Gorman Park Phase 2 engineering ($65,000 design authorization), final payments for SCADA and Klein Street projects, watershed plan adoption, EDA loan extension, a hospital software contract, registrations for low‑potency hemp edibles, library and event support, fee schedule changes, and a city administrator contract modification.
The St. Peter City Council on Jan. 12 approved a series of resolutions covering capital projects, contracts and routine city business.
Key approvals and outcomes
- Gorman Park Phase 2: Council authorized $65,000 to Damon Farber & Associates to prepare plans and specifications for Phase 2 (splash pad and associated equipment); staff said no funding source is yet secured and discussed state bonding and issuing debt as primary and backup funding options. (Motion approved; packet page 27.)
- SCADA replacement: Council accepted the water treatment supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) replacement project and authorized final payment of about $186,000 to Automatic Systems of Saint Paul; staff explained the system runs water and wastewater operations and the upgrade addressed unsupported operating software. (Packet page 29.)
- Minnesota River–Mankato watershed plan: The council approved submitting, adopting and implementing the watershed plan; staff said the plan lists roughly $22,000,000 in projects, anticipates state board approval around June–July and funding availability in mid‑September/October. (Packet page 32.)
- Klein Street (2024 Cline Street) closeout: Council accepted the completed extension in the North Industrial Park (about 725 feet) and authorized final payment of roughly $57,500; staff said the project came in slightly under the $861,000 budget. (Packet page 34.)
- Corridor Coalition dissolution: Council approved a resolution supporting the orderly dissolution of the US Highway 169 Corridor Coalition, whose leadership said the group's original mission is complete and members can now pursue corridor projects through other channels. (Packet page 41.)
- EDA loan extension (Anytime Fitness/Kitty Corner): The EDA and loan review committee recommended extending a prior revolving loan with a five‑year balloon payment; council approved the extension after staff confirmed the borrower's repayment capacity. (Packet page 44.)
- Scholarship America lease modification: Council approved a lease change that reduces Scholarship America's leased square footage and reverts a break room and security/fallout shelter area to city use, retroactive to Jan. 1. (Packet page 52.)
- Hospital software (GeForce CloudSuite FSM): Council approved purchase and implementation services not to exceed $579,950 and acknowledged an annual subscription increase from $108,000 to $162,000; staff said signing before year‑end saved about $32,460. (Packet page 55.)
- New registrations: Council approved registrations for Smoker's Choice and MGM Wine and Spirits to sell low‑potency hemp edible products after staff confirmed they meet state and city rules. (Packet page 57.)
- Library services: Council authorized the 2026 purchase of library services from Nicollet County; staff said rejecting the agreement would leave the city about $55,044 short on library revenue. (Packet page 63.)
- Events: The council approved city assistance for the Polar Plunge (Hallett's Pond) and for the St. Patrick's Day parade (March 17, 2026), subject to required insurance and standard event conditions. (Packet pages 66, 69.)
- Fee schedule modifications: Council adopted the annual fee schedule updates (parks pavilion fees, tournament fees, body‑worn camera footage processing fees and others); one council member announced an abstention and members asked staff to study commercial versus residential street assessment methodologies for upcoming projects. (Packet pages 70–106.)
- City administrator contract: Council approved modifications to the city administrator's contract following the administrator review process (packet page 117); council lauded recent project work including Gorman Park and the new city hall.
Several resolution votes were recorded by roll call and passed as presented; where the transcript recorded an abstention that is noted in the council minutes. No ordinances or second‑reading adoptions were reported at the Jan. 12 session.
Next steps: Many of the approved items require follow‑through by city staff (design contracts, final payments, grant application steps for watershed funding, and implementation tasks for the hospital software upgrade).
