02-22-2022 CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Minutes February 22, 2022 Page 10 It was consensus of the Council to set the date for Wednesday, April 20, starting at noon. 9.5 Furniture and Things Community Event Center Councilmember Wagner stated she'd like to discuss current activities at the FTCenter. She specifically noted vandalism and a partner experiencing user harassment issues. Councilmember Westgaard stated Council needs to be designate a person to manage the corporate sponsor agreements. He noted there has been vandalism by kids, which is typical in these types of facilities. He further noted Elk River Youth Hockey has been difficult. He stated the cafe has only been open for two weeks so there are new things occurring which no one can anticipate. Mr. Portner stated the sponsorship agreements outline him as the point of contact and lays out the responsibilities for both parties. He stated the city has a concessions agreement with Serrano Brothers Cafe effective February 8, noting they haven't had time to work through issues and process. He noted visitors to the facility have been positive and it's been Elk River residents who have not. Mr. Portner stated they have met with Elk River Youth Hockey representatives who have not shared information from those meetings with the members. Councilmember Wagner stated 90% of the issues can be resolved with communication. She expressed concerns with the Covid culture and doesn't want it to continue. The Council expressed frustration with misinformation and discussed perceptions and not being able to move forward from them. Councilmember Wagner stated she wants visitors to walk in, say wow, and when they leave, they can't wait to come back. She noted most visitors feel this way and the Council has worked hard to build this facility for everyone and she wants the partners to remain happy. She stated we can't change the bad apples, but the city can send out strong messages by repeating conversation and communications. Councilmember Westgaard noted Elk River Youth Hockey was provided numerous opportunities to participate and to build things into their contract, but they never even came to the table. Mayor Dietz is bothered by what Youth Hockey is telling people when they have had plenty of opportunities and have chosen not to participate. He suggested discussing the issues during contract negotiations. 10. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 9:34 p.m.