Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Red Wing City Council held a workshop on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 5:00 PM to discuss two items: an update on the North Service Drive sidewalk project and snow removal policy, and a proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement for the Fleischmann Maltery redevelopment project at 110 Broad Street. The workshop was attended by council members, city staff, and representatives from the Port Authority and financial consultants. The workshop adjourned at 6:10 PM.
All right, I'll call us to order. Tonight is Monday, June 22nd, and we do have a workshop. So two items. And again, thank you for coming on this beautiful night. And I do think we have everybody here, but I think we'll start with our North Service Drive sidewalk update and snow removal policy. I think we have Zach and Sean on this. And I've been told we're kind of looking for input and make sure you get comments. Yeah, uh, thank you. So I'll give a quick intro and then uh this ties in with public works here, too. So that's why Sean's up here for any questions. Um yeah, so workshop we're looking for essentially a consensus um as far as your support of the direction we're heading in or not, so we know to change direction if need be. Uh, but our sidewalk project, which uh is currently still in the finalizing design phase and acquiring easements throughout that process. We have been talking with the residents and business owners to get these temporary and permanent easements, and kind of from the get go, one of the concerns we've heard is snow removal, which we you know is always common no matter what when you're adding in sidewalk and that responsibility for those adjacent property owners to maintain, which is what our current policy is. Um, in this case would be adjacent property owner maintains it. Um, it is a slightly atypical um design here. Um, just because we have such a limited right away, we have a very limited about two and a half foot wide paved buffer between the sidewalk and the street, which really isn't any it is not enough room to have a factual snow storage, so it essentially gets all the snow from the street on there. Um so it is a little bit more snow than would be in a new design where you have a boulevard. Anyways, um, in those discussions, Lisa, we got that pushback and and feedback from the property owners, and then between myself, Sean, and Administrator Um Heinemann, we've we're discussing our snow removal policy, which primarily um Sean's group and Chris have been talking about a revamp anyway, and we're preparing to bring that to you folks before the next snow season. Um, and when we talked about that, we agreed or decided that we were gonna move forward with the direction that this segment would be maintained by the city in the future with that policy update this fall. And so that's what we're looking for. Feedback if that would be supported by um you all in general. Uh, a couple notes to make on there. As you see in the map here, the dark blue lines are essentially what we're looking to build as new sidewalk that is currently not there. The lighter blue color is sidewalk that is currently there. Technically, the strip by targets actually a trail. Um, but either way, it's a pedestrian facility, and we would look to maintain that whole stretch with this proposal to kind of connect that whole corridor. And we did note in there that if the city is doing it, obviously that's extra load, and we don't necessarily have a built-in buffer, but if we did update our policy or ordinance to a two or a three-day snow removal, that likely Sean's group would be able to accommodate that with more or less the same staff and equipment that we have now, just with that extra time rather than costing too much and extra funds. Um, and that's really it. So mainly just seeking consensus if you would think moving forward, the direction of city maintaining the sidewalk in the winter months would be agreeable or not. And if Sean has anything to add, I'll let him add before you all discuss. Um not a lot to add, just um based on some resident feedback back in about February or so about the current snow and ice policy, which was adopted by the council in 2021. That's kind of our our our guiding light, if you will. That's exactly that we follow that policy to a T. And the uh based on that feedback, it was brought through the ranks and Administrator Heinrich and I discussed a potential revamp. Currently, def the the anything that is a blacktop surface is considered is defined as a trail, and anything that's a concrete surface is defined as a sidewalk. And that's how we differentiate between between the two, what what gets maintained and what doesn't trails are not maintained unless specifically directed by the city council to be maintained, and that's all memorialized in that snow and ice policy. And sidewalks by city code are maintained by either the either the city or the resident, the the property, the adjoining private budding property owner. Any concerns, questions?