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Council Meeting Minutes for May 18, 2026 <br />Page 4 of 6 <br /> <br /> <br />Approve Special Event Permit for Blacksmith Lounge for 2026 Events <br /> <br />The Blacksmith Lounge, 17205 Forest Boulevard North, has applied for a Special Event Permit <br />for their 2026 events to be held between Memorial Day and end of September. Events include <br />four auctions, seven car shows, one motorcycle swap meet, and one White Bear Lake Hockey <br />fundraising event. A Special Event Permit approved by Council is required because there will be <br />alcohol served outside and there may be up to 200 people in attendance. Adoption of the <br />Consent Agenda approved the Special Event Permit for the Blacksmith Lounge. <br /> <br />Approve Temporary Liquor License for Hugo Lions Club for Tough Mudder on June 27, <br />2026 <br /> <br />The Hugo Lions Club submitted a temporary liquor license application to serve beer and seltzers <br />at the Tough Mudder event to be held at Wild Wings Game Farm on June 27, 2026. The request <br />for approval of a Special Event Permit for the event will be on the next Council agenda. <br />Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the temporary liquor license for the Lions Club for <br />the Tough Mudder on June 27, 2026, subject to approval of the Special Event Permit. <br /> <br />Discussion of Equipment CIP and Approve Purchase of Brush/Rescue Combination Truck <br /> <br />As part of the City's 2026 Focus Goals, the City Council set a goal to evaluate the equipment CIP <br />to accommodate future Fire Department trucks. Fire Chief Jim Compton Jr. has appointed a <br />truck committee that has completed a thorough review of the Fire Department's fleet. They have <br />advised that certain vehicles should be phased out and replaced with new vehicles with different <br />capabilities, due to the changing needs of the Department. They also believe this new strategy <br />should equate to long-term cost savings for the City. The Fire Chief will present <br />recommendations concerning the City's equipment CIP. At the end of his presentation, the Chief <br />will recommend the purchase of a new brush/rescue combination truck to replace the aging brush <br />truck that is currently scheduled for replacement in 2026. <br /> <br />A truck committee was formed to evaluate the CIP to accommodate future fire trucks. The <br />committee consisted of Deputy Chief Dave Jensen, Chief Engineer Tom Kaspszak, Lieutenants <br />Ryan Nadeau and Bob Bieniek, and Firefighter Tom Robinson. Replacement years are this year <br />for Brush Truck 1, 2032 for Tender 1, and 2034 for Rescue 1. <br /> <br />Compton explained that the equipment CIP is on a five-year cycle. The lifespan of their trucks is <br />30 years for large apparatus, 20 years for small apparatus, and 10 years for the chief squad <br />trucks. The truck committee analyzed the incorporation of a re-chassis strategy for their four <br />large fire trucks. This can be done once during the life of the truck if it is purchased new. They <br />proposed a 25-year re-chassis cycle and a 50-year new build resulting in a savings of 30-40% <br />compared to building a new truck, lowering replacement costs in the CIP. He presented a truck <br />consolidation model, similar to what has been done in the past. The committee proposed <br />consolidating three trucks into two and reducing the fleet by one large apparatus. This would <br />result in annual and long-term savings of up to $1.5 million, but the expense would come earlier <br />than expected. Compton talked about the maintenance issues with the aging trucks saying City <br />Mechanic Steve Garcia does an annual vehicle assessment inspection and has seen them decline.