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City Council Minutes Page 7 January 6,2014 location if someone were to have an interest in the land. Mayor Dietz stated he disagreed with Councilmember Motin that the fair makes Ell River look country more than town and cited the Anoka fair as an example. He stated he hasn't heard issues or complaints about needing more space for the fair. He noted the fair does need improvements. Mayor Dietz stated the volunteers do a great job with the fair but they need assistance. He commented that the fair is an asset to the city and should remain in Elk River. Commissioner Anderson agreed the fair is an asset and should remain in Elk River. He stated he has spoken to representatives from Cargill and thought it may be a viable option for a fair location. He noted some amenities such as a research facility with animals that would be a good fit. Mayor Dietz questioned how the city could help with the fair and noted no one has asked the city to step up in the past. Councilmember Motin stated it sounds like a good idea to move it with the right improvements but had concerns if current issues were just being kicked down the road. He suggested adding columns to the survey in the staff report to show revenue/expenditures for each of the fairs. Councilmember Burandt questioned what would be an optimal size for a fair. Mr. Portner stated they could ask the question of other fairs and noted a lot of them are land-locked. County Administrator Steve Taylor mentioned how the county and city could provide more professional type services to the volunteers by providing individuals with expertise, such as attorneys, accounting,marketing, offering fair management classes, etc. H. Adjournment There being no further business,Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 8:49 p.m. ghnj6ietz,Nyajyor Tina Allard, City Clerk P 0 W E R E 0 0 Y NAYURE]