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City Council Minutes <br />April 28, 2025 <br />--------- <br />Page 3 of 5 <br />to the apartments and other development. <br />Mr. Carlton stated that 20-foot-wide sidewalks may encourage people to hang around to eat and shop. <br />Mayor Dietz added that it would increase the amount of sidewalk shoveling required by businesses. <br />Mayor Dietz asked Mr. Femrite if there was any solution for the lanes crossing Highway 10 to go east <br />since the traffic gets backed up in this location. Mr. Femrite stated the city has optimized everything <br />possible to get the space that is there, and any changes would need to be part of a larger vision. <br />Councilmember Wagner suggested not allowing left turns off Parish Avenue between 4 - 6 p.m. <br />Mayor Dietz asked about increasing the number of businesses along Main Street from the railroad <br />tracks to Highway 169. <br />Mr. Carlton stated an ambitious goal would be to have Main Street go under Highway 10 and the <br />railroad tracks, but there would be some accessibility issues to overcome. <br />Councilmember Wagner asked if the downtown parking lot could be restructured similarly to the high <br />school. <br />The Council recessed at 3:19 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 3:30 p.m. <br />Growth Goals (residential/industrial/retail) <br />Mayor Dietz stated the city should be looking for more opportunities for industrial land. Mr. Carlton <br />suggested the sludge land. Mr. O'Neil added that sludge land has limited uses because of the sludge <br />byproduct. <br />Mr. Carlton stated an opportunity for development could be in parking lots such as Ashley Furniture, <br />Home Depot, or Walmart if the Council revised the ordinance regarding parking requirements. <br />Mr. O'Neil suggested looking at properties between Main Street and Elk Hills Drive as a long-term <br />business opportunity. <br />Street Use ATV Discussion <br />Sergeant Zabee gave an overview of current Elk River regulations and complaints about ATVs and golf <br />carts on city streets. The current snowmobile map may need to be updated as Highway 169 Redefine <br />removed some snowmobile trails. <br />The Council agreed not to change the restrictions at this time. <br />Elk River Police Department Attrition Plan <br />Police Chief Kuhnly reviewed upcoming retirements. New officers take about 11 months to onboard <br />and train. Sometimes officers don't pass the training and the department has to re-start the process. He <br />reviewed a few different plans that might provide enough officers and supervisory staff in the future. <br />The Council recessed at 4:47 p.m. for dinner. The meeting reconvened at 5:26 p.m. <br />Page 6 of 197