Mill Site advisory committee outlines possible uses for parcel, schedules public engagement

Wendy Ward, a Mill Site Property Advisory Committee member, and four fellow committee members reviewed potential community uses for a town-owned parcel at their July 17, 2024, meeting and set a schedule for public outreach and council reporting.

The committee listed uses ranging from basic infrastructure—restrooms and a library—to community facilities such as a community center, a folk-school/maker’s space, flexible meeting areas, a Mill Site Historical Interpretive Center, and recreational options including a hockey rink and pickleball court. The group agreed not to retain an outside consultant to prepare the Town Council submission and instead will complete materials internally.

Committee members scheduled two public engagement sessions: Monday, July 29, 10 a.m.–noon, to be hosted by Julie Warren and Curt Moe, and Wednesday, July 31, 6–8 p.m., to be hosted by Wendy Ward and Tim Casey with Curt Moe assisting for continuity. Curt Moe was asked to check availability of the Council Chambers for those meetings.

The committee identified six points to present at the Town Council meeting on Aug. 8 and assigned preparation tasks, with the council packet due Aug. 2. Assignments recorded in the minutes included: Julie Warren to prepare the timeline; Kevin Nyenhuis to gather stakeholder input and potential uses; Curt Moe to coordinate the public hearing logistics; Wendy Ward to outline regulatory concerns including State Historic Preservation Office and Department of Natural Resources reviews; Tim Casey to summarize the Planning Commission process and possible outcomes; and Curt Moe to compile information about ongoing expenses.

The minutes also note that the parcel will remain exempt from property taxes, "per Chance" (no role specified in the minutes), and that the committee expects no additional costs until a structure is built; the committee will continue to maintain the Mill Site. The parcel was recorded as not zoned residential. The committee asked staff to check county filing costs.

For outreach, the committee assigned Wendy Ward to draft an article for the Country Messenger, Kevin Nyenhuis to email businesses and prepare a note to the council, and Curt Moe to coordinate with library staff and hand off materials to a person named Suzanne. The group explicitly directed that the Town Council should not post the engagement notice on Facebook and listed other notification channels including the city calendar and the City Hall bulletin board.

Preparations for the engagement meetings include three flip charts, pens and markers, Post-it notes, graphics showing the parcel location (Wendy Ward), a flyer summarizing the deal with "MNHS" as written in the minutes, and a consolidated list of potential uses. The committee said the meetings should surface potential uses, public views on acquiring the land, and participant concerns to inform the council packet.

Next steps recorded in the minutes are to hold the two engagement meetings in late July and deliver the six-point packet to the Town Council for the Aug. 8 meeting, with the packet due Aug. 2.