The Rochester City Council met Monday, August 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Government Center Council Chamber. The agenda included a 15-item consent calendar, four public hearings, two mayoral veto override attempts, a seasonal parking update, and a council-initiated arts study. The meeting ran past midnight.
He's on there. Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to simplify from the United States of America. And if you republic for which one individual justice for allcome everybody to our uh August 17th regular city council meeting, we have a quite packed agenda and we have uh opportunities for many members of the public to speak. So we are going to start our meeting as we always do with our open comment period. And this is an opportunity for members of the public to speak on items that we will not be taking a public uh testimony during a public hearing later on in the agenda. During open comment, uh members of the public have up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes. However, the council is able to suspend our rules and open that up if we need to. I will be keeping track through two methods. One, the stoplight here in front of me and uh you, the speaker, and the uh and the digital clock on uh the wall that will be to your right. Um, and I request that each peak speaker be concise to allow as many people to speak during the designated time as possible. Participants are also encouraged to limit comments generally to topics that are within the scope and jurisdiction of the council's ability to affect policy. Council members and staff do not respond directly to your comments during public comment, but will instead follow up on any specific requests separately. If you have any materials to share with the council, you may give them to the city clerk who is to my right there, Ann Caso, to distribute. And you will be invited up to speak in the order in which you signed up, and we will start with Mr. Jared Luck Lucker. And uh Gerald, you may have to push that till it turns quick. There you go. Jared Lucker, resident of Rochester. Uh good evening, Mayor Norton, Council members, fellow citizens, and distinguished guests. I want to speak with you tonight about the proposal for additions of student housing to the historic Broadway district, which would affect Tree Dome, Artheads Emporium, Steam Cafe, and many other retail businesses located on Broadway. When I take into account the recommendations of the Heritage Preservation Commission, the existing businesses, the planned development, the incredible amount of road construction currently, the voices of the business owners in the area, and the nature of the project, I ask that you respectfully decline the request. When it comes to preserving Rochester's history, it is important that we not only consider the economic implications of such preservations, but the character of the city and the meaning it has not only to everyday citizens, but those who currently occupy the buildings. So uh so just to be clear, and I didn't want to interrupt Mr. Mr. Lucker. So we will continue with open comment uh period with uh Jess Garcia. So if we want to be on the other sheets, then what would you like? I will put you on that sheet. Thank you. Next, we have Carol Ann Loomis. Hi, I'm Caroline Loomis. I would like to thank the mayor for giving us this opportunity to look at this again. I am talking about the H.2 Willow Creek feasibility study. Um, both the reports, narratives from September 25th and this one focused on connecting people to the jobs, food sources, and school, which sounds lovely. But this, but truly this feasibility reports sole focus and one track plan is the connection to the sports compact, not connecting the people to these important community needs since those plans are unfunded at this time. So I please ask the council to vote nay on accepting the report and nay on this segment one C alternative A, which divides my family's property and look at how and look at how we can connect the people's needs first, then add the sports complex after, which again can be done without segment one C alternative A. Thank you. Uh next we have Jesse Loomis. Hi, I'm Jesse Lewis talking about the Willow Creek bike project as well. I believe Pat, you guys all got a copy of this. Um why are we trying to cut through the middle of our property when we have all these other alternatives and according to Dylan over here who at the beginning of us when we talked, he was going to do the feasibility studies on all these routes we discussed, which none of them were done except for one. We don't understand why now you guys own the other side of the highway buying license. You have the dike that goes around the whistlebinkies pond. You have the ability to go on all the properties, you easements and everything you already own, following 52 down and going on the west side of the bridge, coming under going around the pond. And in your last little branch you had coming off that would connect you down to Whistlebinkies, you could bring all that in, cut out all this bike path on the east side of that creek, which you're worried about the bridge. You don't have to make a bridge. You can come under here, and your little branch that would come back to the sports complex can all be done in one shot. You don't have to build this whole bike path here, which will bring you to all the communities down here, the school whistlebinkies, channel one. It'll bring you.