4.1. DRAFT MINUTES (1 SET) 10-17-2016

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City Council Minutes Page 5 October 3, 2016 ----------------------------- Moved by Councilmember Wagner and seconded by Councilmember Olsen to approve the Orono Park Skate Park design as presented. Motion carried 5-0. 8.3 Discuss Work Session Items The following items were added for future work sessions: th  175Avenue truck traffic (from open forum this evening).  Tobacco ordinance relating to distance requirements (from open forum) Councilmember Wagner expressed an interest in discussing the dissemination of information through social media. She explained there are many posts that do not contain factual information and she doesn’t believe it’s fair to the public and media to continually see false information. Her opinion is the city could do a better job at getting the facts out there. Mayor Dietz concurred. 9.1 Council Liaison Updates The Council provided updates on the various boards/commissions. The Council recessed at 7:50 p.m. for Work Session. The meeting reconvened at 7:58 p.m. 10.1 Chamber of Commerce Building Mr. Portner presented the staff report. Chamber Executive Director Debbi Rydberg explained the current Chamber of Commerce building has served the Chamber well for the last 20 years but they have outgrown the building. She stated they hold hundreds of meetings annually and struggle to find free meeting space. She explained they love their current location and would prefer to expand or reconfigure their current building. She stated the Chamber received some preliminary estimates for various reconfiguration and expansion options. It was noted the Chamber currently leases the building from the city for $1/year plus property taxes and is responsible for all ongoing maintenance. The Council and Chamber representatives discussed various options including a new multi- tenant facility, the former school district building, the new school district building, the potential community center site, etc. Consensus was the best option would be for the Chamber to expand in their current location. Mayor Dietz questioned if the expansion would qualify for low interest loans or other EDA or HRA programs. Mr. Portner stated he will check with Ms. Othoudt. David Monroy, Chamber Chair Elect explained the Chamber was looking at conducting a capital campaign to help defray costs. Mr. Portner recommended conducting the campaign prior to construction so the remainder of the funding can be secured.