By Robert Williams

Editor

Rachael Johnson was selected from a pool of 22 applicants to become the new Community Development Coordinator in Frazee. This new position will split time 50-50 with Frazee Community Development Corporation (FCDC)  and the City of Frazee. 

Johnson has experience working with the Frazee Economic Development Authority (EDA) and the city through her former job at Creating Community Consulting.

“We interviewed nine candidates; a lot of very, very excellent people who had great resumes and a lot of experience in one area but not both,” said City Administrator Stephanie Poegel. “Rachael really does know where we’re at what we’re doing.”

Johnson was appointed to the Becker County EDA Board of Directors in March.

Alicia Kemper was also hired as a city janitor.

Donations

The United Way of Becker County donated $2,500 to the Frazee Rescue Department.

Splash Pad

After discussions by the Parks and Recreation committee, plans for a Splash Pad in Frazee have been deemed not feasible in the next five years and have been taken off the current committee project list. 

Town Lake Beach

A stipulation to receiving $250,000 from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is applying a restrictive covenant on Town Lake Beach that the property stay public in perpetuity, according to Poegel. The declaration was previously approved by the DNR and subsequently approved by council on Wednesday.

Trails

The council approved the contract with Ulteig to complete design and construction of the multi-use trail from County Highway 29 to Wannigan Park. The trail is paid for by Technical Assistance Provider (TAP) grant funding in 2027. The grant covers 80 percent of construction costs. The city will pay, with FCDC support, the remaining 20 percent and engineering fees, according to City Engineer (Ulteig) Chris Thorson. 

Poegel updated the Parks and Recreation committee on the state inspection of the Heartland Trail from Frazee to County Highway 10 bridge. Issues with the trail edges not meeting requirements for state funding were found. The state will require an overlay of the entire trail to correct the slope issues. The county is discussing the issue with the contractor, but the contractor may argue that the work was approved at the time.

Utilities

The water connection ordinance was discussed and revised in committee and will be coming before the council for a vote at the next city council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

The portion of Title 8, Chapter 1 Connection to the system that has been updated is as follows:

A building shall be exempt from the connection requirement of this subsection if its use: 1) does not require a source of municipal water, 2) does not involve human occupancy (i.e., living, sleeping, or working within it), and 3) is a permitted use, accessory use, conditional use, or interim use within its applicable zoning district. Vacant buildings shall not be exempt from the connection requirement of this subsection; however, the city council may grant a temporary exemption for up to one (1) year for such a building if the owner provides a plan that is accepted by the city council to have the building either occupied or demolished for redevelopment within one (1) year. Any temporary exemption granted by the city council shall expire prior to the occupancy of the building.