OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mandan City Commission Meeting – April 21, 2026

City Commission — Tuesday, April 21, 2026
BodyMandan, North Dakota
SessionCity Commission
DateTuesday, April 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 59:06

Transcript — Verbatim
0:09

It's April 21st, 2026.

0:11

It is 5 30 p.m.

0:13

And we are in the Bosch Frelec meeting room at Mandan City Hall.

0:16

Mr.

0:17

Dubauer, could you please take the role?

0:18

Commissioners Roar.

0:20

Shilberg.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Hein Chan.

0:22

Here.

0:22

Braun.

0:22

Yes.

0:23

Mayor Frelick.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Please stand, remove any headgear for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:32

Pledge allegiance to the flight.

0:42

Individual liberty and justice problem.

0:52

We will start out with uh announc announcements.

0:56

Uh May 1st, 2026 is Arbor Day of the City of Mandan, Jason Herman, our ground maintenance supervisor.

1:10

Good evening, Mayor and Commissioners.

1:12

I'm here this evening to briefly share details about our upcoming Arbor Day celebration.

1:17

This year it will be held Friday, May 1st at 1 p.m.

1:20

down at the Dykeshorn Park.

1:22

The ground maintenance staff along with the North Dakota Forest Service will be working with two fifth grade classes from Lakewood Elementary.

1:30

The students will take part in a short activity and then help plant two new trees down at Dyke Shorn.

1:35

In past years, we've typically held this event at an elementary school with a single class.

1:40

However, this year marks the 50th year for Mandan as a Tree City USA community.

1:47

To recognize that milestone, we wanted to do something a little different by bringing the students out to the park to help replant two trees that were moved last fall.

1:56

With that, we'd respectfully ask you to proclaim May 1st, 2026 as Arbor Day in the city of Mandan.

2:03

Thank you, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

2:06

We've been fighting the Dutch Elm disease for quite a few years now.

2:10

Have we got over the peak of that?

2:12

I've we uh got things pretty much under control, or is it still prevailing?

2:16

We do still have Dutch Elm here in the city.

2:19

It's not as prevalent as it was before.

2:21

Um we still are doing some removals, but not at the scale as it was in the past.

2:26

What's the species of tree we're planting?

2:29

Planting else.

2:33

On Arbor Date, we haven't decided yet.

2:34

Um kind of waiting to see what some of the nurseries have in stock.

2:37

We'll probably choose um either a tree off of our medium boulevard list or large boulevard list of one of the varieties that's on there.

2:45

Okay.

2:48

Thank you, Jason.

2:49

Thank you.

2:51

Second announcement.

2:52

Um May is a national bike month.

2:59

So we encourage everybody to go out and ride a bicycle and also to be safe and the motoring public to keep an eye out for bikers of all ages.

3:09

Now we'll move to construction updates.

3:13

Mayor and Commissioners, good evening.

3:15

Um I have a kind of a uh group of updates to give to you, uh three specific projects, and then I grouped all of our neighborhood projects together.

3:25

Um Memorial Highway uh construction has started up on both phases of that project.

3:31

Um just to reiterate for anybody who's curious.

3:33

Phase one is the reedy project on the east side of the corridor.

3:39

Um and that was uh started last year and will complete this year, um, around July.

3:45

And then phase two is uh the northern improvement uh construction phase, and that's on the on the west side of the corridor.

3:54

And um they started work around the around the main street um intersection, and then uh following that they will be moving on to utility work and mainline paving, and that will continue out through this construction season and then into the 2027 construction season as well.

4:15

Um topic that we've been hearing about a lot about lately is road conditions.

4:20

I think that's on everybody's mind as uh we're in in the kind of this wet period in spring and the roads are susceptible to failures.

4:27

Um I did want to uh kind of reassure everybody that prior to the memorial highway project, we did go and uh evaluate the peripheral roadway roadways around the projects, uh roads that we thought would be sensitive to construction traffic.

4:43

So we have kind of a snapshot in time of the condition of those roadways prior to the project, and we are able to compare that to how the roadways look at the end of the project, and they will be um and any project-related damages will be repaired as part of the construction.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████18%
Public Safety████████████12%
Procedural███████████11%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Public Engagement██████6%
Transportation Safety███3%
Affordable Housing██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Mandan City Commission Meeting – April 21, 2026

The Mandan City Commission met on April 21, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the Bosch Frelec meeting room at Mandan City Hall. The meeting covered announcements, construction updates, bids, a contested right-of-way issue for the Meadowlands development, and approval of a special use permit and a striping project. All votes were unanimous.

Announcements & Updates

  • Arbor Day Proclamation: Ground Maintenance Supervisor Jason Herman announced the Arbor Day celebration on May 1, 2026, at 1 p.m. at Dykeshorn Park. Two fifth-grade classes from Lakewood Elementary will help plant two trees. This year marks Mandan’s 50th year as a Tree City USA community. The Commission proclaimed May 1, 2026, as Arbor Day in Mandan. Discussion noted ongoing Dutch Elm disease management.
  • Bike Month: May is National Bike Month; the Commission encouraged safe biking and motorist awareness.
  • Construction Updates: Engineer Jerick provided updates on Memorial Highway (phase one completion around July 2026, phase two continuing into 2027), First Street reconstruction (pre-construction meeting April 24), Collins Avenue Reservoir (demolition ongoing, project completion by end of 2026 season), and multiple neighborhood projects (SID 235 near closing, SID 65 nearing paving, SID 241 pre-construction, SID 242 and Mandan Proper Phase One in final design but delayed due to state funding unavailability until July 2027).
  • Spring Cleanup Week: Shane O’Keefe reported strong participation. Items must be out by 5 a.m. on collection day, no more than 24 hours in advance, and separate from regular garbage. Construction materials and carpet are not collected.
  • Community Cleanup Month (May): Madison announced four routes remain unclaimed. Volunteers can sign up at CityMandan.com/litter-cleanup.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the agenda (motion by Commissioner Braun, second by Commissioner Schoberg, roll call all yes).
  • Approved minutes of the April 7, 2026, Board of City Commission meeting and the April 7, 2026, Board of Equalization meeting (both unanimous).
  • Approved the consent agenda as presented (unanimous), which included routine items.

Bids

  • Municipal Sidewalk Improvement Project 2026-20: Awarded base bid to Sarah Concrete LLC (unanimous).
  • NDDOT Microservicing Work on Expressway: Concurred with NDDOT’s bid award for $24,624.76 (unanimous).

Discussion Items

Old Business – Meadowlands Third Edition Preliminary Plat & Zone Change

  • Background: The item was reconsidered from November 18, 2025, due to audio issues. The applicant, Barry Jennings (Meadowlands Development), and Gateway Mobile Home Park owner Nick Sebula (via email) opposed the staff recommendation to require a public right-of-way connecting 18th Avenue Southeast to South Frontier Trail.
  • Applicant’s Position: Jennings argued that the original 2015 development agreement with the city and NDDOT included a privacy fence and a gated emergency access only. He stated that a public right-of-way would devalue senior resident properties, disrupt the quiet 55+ community, and prevent further development. He supported maintaining an emergency access easement with a gate.
  • Gateway Owner’s Position: Sebula’s email formally objected to any public right-of-way, citing private property rights, safety concerns for families and children, and the single controlled access point. He requested no connection without his consent.
  • Staff & Fire Chief Position: Engineer Jerick advocated for connectivity to provide secondary access to the 200-unit Gateway community (currently served by a single access point). Fire Chief Bitz documented that the existing emergency gate has been blocked by snow, basketball hoops, and overgrowth, making it unreliable. He supported a public right-of-way for long-term safety.
  • Commission Discussion: Commissioner Rohr questioned the change since 2015. Staff acknowledged a shift in priorities toward connectivity. The fire chief’s evidence of blocked access weighed heavily. Commissioner Braun noted that the existing gate’s unreliability justified the right-of-way.
  • Outcome: No motion was made to amend the staff recommendation, so the November 18, 2025, decision to require a public right-of-way stands.

New Business – Special Use Permit for Shop Condos

  • Considered a special use permit for five shop units and a shop building at 902 Missouri Drive NE (Lot 1, Block 1, Cybel Subdivision). The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval unanimously. Architectural Review Commission approval was pending. The Commission approved the permit (motion by Commissioner Schoberg, second by Commissioner Heinchan, unanimous).

New Business – 2026 Striping Project

  • Considered approval of plans and specifications for refreshing lane striping on Main Street from 10th Avenue to Mandan Avenue. Bids would be advertised, with a scheduled start in late May and completion by June 22, 2026. The Commission authorized the engineering department to call for bids (unanimous).

Key Outcomes

  • The requirement for a public right-of-way between Meadowlands and Gateway Mobile Home Park was upheld (no change from November 2025).
  • A special use permit for shop condos at 902 Missouri Drive NE was approved.
  • The 2026 striping project was authorized for bid advertisement.
  • All consent items, minutes, and other agenda items were approved unanimously.

Future Meetings

  • May 5, 2026, May 19, 2026, and June 2, 2026, all at 5:30 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

It's April 21st, 2026. It is 5 30 p.m. And we are in the Bosch Frelec meeting room at Mandan City Hall. Mr. Dubauer, could you please take the role? Commissioners Roar. Shilberg. Here. Hein Chan. Here. Braun. Yes. Mayor Frelick. Here. Please stand, remove any headgear for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flight. Individual liberty and justice problem. We will start out with uh announc announcements. Uh May 1st, 2026 is Arbor Day of the City of Mandan, Jason Herman, our ground maintenance supervisor. Good evening, Mayor and Commissioners. I'm here this evening to briefly share details about our upcoming Arbor Day celebration. This year it will be held Friday, May 1st at 1 p.m. down at the Dykeshorn Park. The ground maintenance staff along with the North Dakota Forest Service will be working with two fifth grade classes from Lakewood Elementary. The students will take part in a short activity and then help plant two new trees down at Dyke Shorn. In past years, we've typically held this event at an elementary school with a single class. However, this year marks the 50th year for Mandan as a Tree City USA community. To recognize that milestone, we wanted to do something a little different by bringing the students out to the park to help replant two trees that were moved last fall. With that, we'd respectfully ask you to proclaim May 1st, 2026 as Arbor Day in the city of Mandan. Thank you, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. We've been fighting the Dutch Elm disease for quite a few years now. Have we got over the peak of that? I've we uh got things pretty much under control, or is it still prevailing? We do still have Dutch Elm here in the city. It's not as prevalent as it was before. Um we still are doing some removals, but not at the scale as it was in the past. What's the species of tree we're planting? Planting else. On Arbor Date, we haven't decided yet. Um kind of waiting to see what some of the nurseries have in stock. We'll probably choose um either a tree off of our medium boulevard list or large boulevard list of one of the varieties that's on there. Okay. Thank you, Jason. Thank you. Second announcement. Um May is a national bike month. So we encourage everybody to go out and ride a bicycle and also to be safe and the motoring public to keep an eye out for bikers of all ages. Now we'll move to construction updates. Mayor and Commissioners, good evening. Um I have a kind of a uh group of updates to give to you, uh three specific projects, and then I grouped all of our neighborhood projects together.

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