Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Rochester City Council met in regular session at 6:00 p.m. on October 19, 2026, in the Government Center Council Chamber. The agenda included an open comment period, a 21-item consent calendar, eight public hearings, and one council-initiated civility pledge. Council President Schubring noted that the eight public hearings were a record during his service on the council. No public testimony was offered during any of the public hearings.
Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge to the United States of America and to the Republic or which is fans. One, another God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Welcome everybody to our October 19th City Council meeting. We begin every city council meeting with our open comment period. This is a time on our uh agenda for uh members of the public to speak on items that are we are not taking a public testimony on during a public hearing later in the agenda. Uh each person has up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes, and I ask that speakers be content concise to allow more people to speak during the designated time. 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 to your comments during the public comment period, 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 to distribute. You will be invited up in the order of which you signed up, and we have one person signed up. Uh Craig Shub. Mr. Schub, go ahead. Uh, you may if you want to push the button and the little light will turn from red to green. Push it hard. There you go. Perfect. Okay. Better? Okay. Um thank you very much for seeing me tonight. As some of you know, PFAS are something called forever chemicals or a growing growing environmental concern. These compounds are found in water, soil, consumer products, and waste streams across the country. There are thousands of PFAS compounds. Uh the communities and everywhere are searching for practical and affordable uh ways to address them. I am the founder of Symbiotic Relations, a com a local company developing an approach that focuses not on destroying PFAS containing waste, but capturing and reusing these materials within specialized graphene sorbent systems. My goal is to explore whether these waste streams can be become useful resources rather than simple liabilities. Over the past few months, I've attempted to contact uh organizations within uh Olmsted County. Uh uh they were the Olmsted County Soil and Water Conservation District and the University of Minnesota to discuss uh potential pilot project, but I have not but I have not yet found the right point of contact. Um tonight I am here asking for something simple, assistance in making connections. Um specifically, uh I would love I would appreciate being connected with staff in the environmental services, solid waste water resources, public works, or any department that might be in interest in reviewing a no-cost pilot proposal. I'm not asking the city uh for funding. I'm simply looking for an opportunity to demonstrate the concept, share the science, and determine whether or not smile a small pilot project could provide value to the community. That's it. Thank you very much, Mr. Shub. Okay. And then I can just give my absolutely thank you. Um this is our open comment period. Anyone else wishing to speak this evening in open comment?