The Fargo City Commission met on July 11, 2023, to address a wide range of issues including a dangerous building declaration, annexation and zoning changes, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system upgrade, federal aid transportation projects, and the appointment of a new city engineer. The meeting included public testimony on several items, particularly a controversial zoning proposal for the Interstate Business District Edition.
Motion carried to adjourn.
Good evening. Call the meeting to order. We'll begin with the pledge of allegiance. I invite you to join us. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation undervisible. Roll call, please. Colpak. Here. Pepcorn. Here. Preston. Here. Strand. Here. Mahoney. Here. Library. Beginning yoga sessions for adults are Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. through the summer at the Carlson Library. The Fargo Historic Hunt continues through August 15th or August 5th and features 12 historic buildings in downtown Fargo. Maps are available at all three library locations. The annual summer reading challenge runs through August 26th, and many engaging programs and activity are planned. Participants can keep track of their reading over the summer to be eligible to win prizes. This is an enormous loss for the community. Mark worked tirelessly to make Fargo Marathon a reality. And he was looking forward to next year's 20th anniversary. In a statement from the Fargo Marathon staff, it said in part that Mark's warm and continual, warm and genuine nature endeared him to all those who had the privilege of meeting him. And his kindness, drive, and passion were evident to everybody he encountered. Those words are so true. Denny Wallacker and I had the privilege of knowing Mark and attending many Fargo Marathon events over the years. I was able to see firsthand what Mark and his team had accomplished, and it was very remarkable for our community. He truly will be missed. In honor of Mark, I'd like to just observe a moment of silence for somebody who contributed so much to our community. Thank you. On June 20th, the Fargo Fire Department hosted the groundbreaking ceremony for the new fire station number eight. This station located at 6617 33th Street South is expected to be completed in the late 2024. Being future focused, responsive, and proactive are the keys to being a regional leader, and Fargo was proud to break ground on this facility in service of our residents. It will help decrease response times in a growing south side of Fargo while also providing up-to-date firefighting gear and technology. Let's watch the short video of this event. So by building the station, we're going to decrease our response times in this area. This will result in better service to all of the citizens that live here in this area. In the past five years in this planning zone, there's been approximately 1,897 calls for service. And we respond to 90% of all those calls in 10 minutes and 46 seconds. And that's not acceptable by our state leaders. Our goal is to respond to every emergency in every planning zone in six minutes and 20 seconds or less. So this station and this investment is going to help us reach that goal. Public safety is at the core of our responsibility to our citizens, and today we continue showcasing the investment and the commitment. We have talked about this for a long time, and I'm very pleased now is a reality. We take our responsibility to work on their home where they work and live during their shifts.