HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.16.22 Minutes
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CITY OF LAKE ELMO
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES
August 16, 2022
Call to Order/Roll Call
President Paul Ryberg called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.
PRESENT: Jeff Holtz, Charles Cadenhead, Ninna Waldoch and Paul Ryberg.
ABSENT: Linda Larson, Tony Manzara
Staff Present: City Administrator Handt, Director Just
May 17, 2022 Minutes:
Motion to approve the May 17, 2022 minutes by Cadendhead, seconded by Holtz. Motion passed.
Ryberg asked to add Solar to the end of the agenda.
Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Survey Updates
A summary of responses was included in the packet. Cadenhead mentioned he is still trying to
connect with a couple of businesses. Commission discussed moving on to the businesses south of
10th St between Inwood and Keats since many of the Old Village businesses had been contacted or
had the opportunity to provide feedback. Handt will send out the list for the new area. Review and
discussion on some of the responses related to the labor market. Discussion by commissioners
about holding a joint meeting with council or developing some report on the visits. Handt
suggested planning to attend a joint work session once data was gathered. Ryberg asked about
attending the rotary meetings to share info.
Consultant RFP Criteria/Scope Discussion
At the last meeting the commission decided to request $85,000 in funding for a consultant for 2023.
Chris Eng, Economic Development Director, Washington County CDA, was invited to help provide
guidance. He suggested looking back to the work plan and identifying specific tasks to have a
consultant complete. When asked if other cities hire consultants to do EDA work, he replied he
didn’t know of any in Washington County. In most cities either the city administrator or
community development director do the work depending on size of city. Eng mentioned some
cities have hired a consultant to market city property for development and that may be something
Lake Elmo does. Commission discussed getting a consultant for some marketing, branding or
website updates for the EDA. Eng mentioned a couple of trade shows city staff and elected officials
from other cities in Washington County attend. He will send information about an October event at
the depot in Minneapolis and invited members to attend. Before leaving Eng also provided an
example of literature that Oakdale has developed for promotion.
Solar Farm on City Landfill Property
Ryberg reported he looked into placing solar on the city landfill and learned that has become a
more popular practice in recent years. He will continue to gather information and report back tot eh
commission.
Future Agenda/Reports
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The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 15th at 6pm. Agenda topics will include BRE updates
and a discussion of the top three results, consultant RFP and solar on city landfill.
Handt mentioned the ribbon cutting scheduled for Sept 27th at Flagship Recreation and the Size Up
Small Business program from the Washington County CDA.
Adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 6:51 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kristina Handt