Eagan City Council Meeting - January 21, 2025: Recognitions, Organizational Business, Street Improvements, and Data Center Preliminary Subdivision
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Eagan City Council Meeting - January 21, 2025
The Eagan City Council met on January 21, 2025, at 6:30 PM at the Eagan Municipal Center. The meeting included recognitions for retiring staff and a community partner, annual organizational business, public hearings on four street improvement projects and an easement vacation, and approval of a preliminary subdivision for a data center.
Recognitions & Presentations
- Paula Nowariak Retirement: Recognized for 39 years of service to the City of Eagan, retiring as Administrative Analyst. Speakers included Parks Director Andrew Pimentel, former Parks Director Ken B. and Dorothy, and council members. She was praised for her dedication to recreation programs and community building.
- Eagan Hockey Association (EHA) Partnership: Celebrated for contributing $1.3 million and extensive volunteer hours to the Goat Hill Park redevelopment, including a refrigerated rink and covered shelter. Council also acknowledged EHA's recent event honoring Natalie Darwitz.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously: minutes, personnel items, check registers, contracts, donations, Northview Park Restrooms contract, Goat Hill Phase 3 change order (No. 7) and final payments to Doug Speedling Builders (three contracts), Community Center Reinvestment change order (No. 1), Cliff Lake Road Televising contract, final payments for sewer lining and upsizing contracts, change orders for Holland Lake Lift Station, direction to prepare an ordinance amendment on managed natural landscapes, and adoption of a negative declaration for the Metcalf Park Environmental Impact Statement.
Organizational Business (City Council)
- Acting Mayor: Appointed Councilmember Cindy Fields as Acting Mayor for 2025.
- Legal Newspaper: Designated the St. Paul Pioneer Press as the official legal newspaper.
- Depositories: Designated Old National Bank and U.S. Bank Trust as city depositories.
- Meeting Dates: Approved regular meeting dates (first and third Tuesdays at 6:30 PM with listening session at 6 PM) and special meetings (second Tuesdays at 5:30 PM) from January 2025 through January 2026, with adjustments for National Night Out and Veterans Day (moved to Monday).
- Rules & Procedures: Adopted Robert's Rules of Order, approved guidelines for public participation, and ratified the rule that at least two council members must request an item for the agenda.
- Committee Appointments: Approved standing committee, advisory commission, and intergovernmental committee assignments, keeping assignments consistent with the prior year.
Public Hearings
Street Improvement Projects (1566, 1567, 1571, 1572)
- Overview: Four projects covering 6.76 miles and 834 properties with a total estimated cost of $4.9 million ($3.6 million city-funded, $1.3 million assessed). Residential areas assessed at 50%; commercial/industrial at 100%. Projects include mill and overlay, curb and gutter repairs, sidewalk/ramp upgrades, and utility adjustments.
- Project 1571 (Force Away) : Included a drain tile system to address groundwater damage. The system (paid from city utility funds) would capture groundwater and provide optional sump pump connections for residents. Public comment: Several residents spoke against the drain tile, citing concerns about water being directed to low points, driveway disruption, and effectiveness. Council approved the project including the drain tile to protect public infrastructure and extend street life, avoiding larger future assessments.
- Votes: Motion to approve projects 1566, 1567, and 1572 passed unanimously. Separate motion to approve project 1571 (with drain tile) also passed unanimously.
Easement Vacation (Letendre Addition)
- Proposed vacation of drainage and utility easements to allow replatting for a future development. No public objections. Council closed the hearing and continued the matter to the February meeting for final approval.
New Business
- Preliminary Subdivision – YMCA 3rd Addition: Approved creation of two lots on 22.1 acres at 550 Opperman Drive. Lot 1 (7.6 acres) retains the YMCA; Lot 2 (14.5 acres) will host a 61,519 sq ft data center (permitted use in I-1 zoning). The data center will have an approximate 10 MW load, generators, 71 parking spaces, and extensive landscaping. The Planning Commission recommended approval. Council approved subject to conditions in the APC minutes.
Economic Development Authority (EDA) Organizational Business
- Officers: Re-elected Mike McGuire as President, Cindy Fields as Vice President (new), Mike Subpoena as Treasurer, and reappointed Executive Director (City Administrator Miller) and Secretary/Deputy Executive Director (Jill Hoodmacher).
- Meeting Schedule: Confirmed existing schedule coinciding with council meetings.
- Single-Action Process: Confirmed continued process for joint council/EDA resolutions.
Key Outcomes
- All votes on the consent agenda, organizational business items, public hearing motions, and new business were unanimous.
- Street improvement projects, including the Force Away drain tile, are approved to proceed to detailed design and bidding.
- The preliminary subdivision for the YMCA data center parcel is approved.
- EDA officers are set for 2025.
- The meeting adjourned after the administrative agenda (no additional business or public comments).
Meeting Transcript
All right. And two public and one nation under well with liberty and justice all. It's our second meeting of the month of January. We have a fairly umfficient agenda tonight. Um, but uh the room is obviously full because we are do our annual organizational business. Um we'll be doing that tonight, and I'm sure you're all uh excited about that. Um I think we also have somebody who is uh maybe retiring from service after thirty-nine years with the city of Egan. So I suppose we'll probably uh uh talk to uh her a little bit. Uh, and uh give her some time. So uh thank you all for coming. I appreciate that. We'll get into the agenda here and get to uh Paula's uh retirement as quickly as we can. With that, Ms. Miller, any changes in the agenda tonight? No, Mr. Mayor. Council, any changes in the agenda. No, sir. Uh, for a motion, Councilman Hansen. To adopt the agenda as presented. That's moved and seconded. Uh any further discussion on the agenda. Seeing none, all in favor I. And opposed nay, that motion carries. Uh and we have an agenda. Uh, first up on the agenda is uh we have two recognitions and presentations. Uh, the first one is uh to recognize uh Paula Nouarch. I've never used your last name, so I apologize. But uh we are recognizing Paula on uh her retirement after 39 years of serving and working for the city of Egan. So uh Paula, I'm glad to see you here tonight uh and your uh family and supporters. Uh we're gonna let Andrew start this uh recognition off with uh a few comments and uh we'll go from there. Andrew, welcome. Mayor, thank you. Uh City Council, city staff, community members of Egan, and Paula and your family. What a special night. Today we uh we gather to celebrate uh this incredible milestone. The retirement of Paula Nawariac. Close enough. Our longtime recreation supervisor, recreation manager, and most recently our administrative analyst. She has dedicated her last thirty 39 years working with kids, shaping our community and creating memories throughout this community uh that lasts a lifetime. Paula, when you started this journey four decades ago, right? And that hits you, right? You couldn't have known that you were gonna become such an integral part of not just the department, but lives of so many families, so many children and seniors in Egan. Over the years, you've touched the hearts of countless community members through your leadership. You've made recreation programs fun, inspiring, and creating spaces for children where they learn seniors to grow and families to develop lifelong skills. You've helped advance the department, constantly keeping us up to speed on best practices, mostly me. I appreciate that. I'll miss that. And getting new ideas to help us take our department even further. Your entire career was spent in the Egan community, your home community.
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