Thanks to West St. Paul Chiropractic and Jameson’s Irish Bar for their support.
The City Council met in an Open Council Work Session to discuss the park systems plan and hear an update about the pool. They also discussed strategic planning items, such as routine service delivery and community engagement. During the main city council meeting, they held a public hearing on the Benard Street East reconstruction. Police Chief Brian Sturgeon presented about residency and recruitment to the West St. Paul police force.
Parks System Plan
The city of West St. Paul began working on efforts to update the outdated Parks System Plan about a year ago. The project has been delayed but is currently moving forward with a newly restructured planning process and project management approach.
The new timeline aims for a plan to be developed by the end of summer, with the next few months dedicated to committee meetings and community outreach. The plan addresses three key questions: what is the current state of parks, what are the future visions, and what is the path to achieving these goals?
The vision is to create welcoming, accessible, and multi-seasonal spaces that are uniquely West St. Paul. The approach is to think broadly and be visionary, especially in the early brainstorming phases.
Pool Updates
The city will be taking over admissions and concessions at the city pool for the 2024 season, allowing the YMCA to focus on lifeguarding. This new arrangement comes with increased costs but also extends the pool’s season and weekend hours.
The pool, which opened in 1954, has parts past its lifespan and therefore will undergo a feasibility and design study. The study will explore various price points for potential investments to fix the pool, relocate the pool, redesign a larger pool, or disinvest in the pool (which would be a last resort). The city will engage the community as they visit the pool this summer and plan to track user data. The goal is to see how far a bigger pool might draw users from.
Benard Street East Reconstruction Project
During the main meeting, the Council held a public hearing to begin planning the reconstruction of Benard Street East, which was postponed from 2018 due to funding shortfalls.
- The project: The plan includes a full reconstruction of the road’s subgrade (which has passed its lifespan), the creation of a sidewalk on one side of the street between Sperl and Waterloo, and a new water main from Felix to Waterloo. The project also involves the removal of 46 out of 48 trees, which raised concerns among residents.
- Public hearing: Residents voiced their opposition to the sidewalk and the loss of trees. They also expressed frustration over the approximately $8,400 per home assessment, which can be added to owners’ taxes and paid over 10 years.
- Funding: Council members acknowledged the financial burden but reminded residents that a portion of street reconstruction is always assessed to residents (the remaining is funded through the state sales tax).
- Sidewalks: The city will pay 100% of the cost for the sidewalks. The Council and Mayor Dave Napier emphasized the need for accessibility and safety, stating that sidewalks have been beneficial to the community and that community surveys point toward citizens favoring adding sidewalks. Despite the opposition from residents, the project was approved.
Other Agenda Items:
- Strategic planning: The Council has been meeting earlier in the evening for OCWS and tackling the strategic plan in chunks. At this meeting, they heard presentations from City Manager Nate Burkett on routine service delivery (the parts of service delivery that are routine vs. strategic) and reliable service delivery. This included a safe community, an engaged workforce, and reliable equipment.
- Community Engagement Committee: As part of strategic planning, the Council also heard updates to the city’s expanded community engagement. Their goals for this priority were to increase BIPOC citizens’ involvement, have higher engagement with diverse populations, and establish mutually beneficial relationships with community partners. The committee has created a charter and had their first meeting. Their next steps are an event and engagement assessment, and creating a list of current community partners.
- Police residency and recruitment: Police Chief Brian Sturgeon presented about the ways the West St. Paul police and city staff are driving recruitment on the force. Police staffing is a problem nationwide, but the city is currently fully staffed. The committee, which was established in 2022, has focused on marketing, going to career fairs, looking at wages and benefits, and doing community outreach. There is a city residency incentive of $500 per month to try and entice police officers to live in the city they are serving. Sturgeon said he was “proud of what we’re doing” and the Council echoed that the committee has been a good investment.
Engage
- Watch: City Council and OCWS meetings are archived online.
- Learn more: Guide to West St. Paul City Council.
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