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Finch, city council agree: City needs to be more inviting, less intimidating
From lighting to paint colors and beyond, consensus is that the City needs to be more welcoming to its residents
Mike Christopherson
What was likely envisioned to be a wide-ranging, big-picture topic of discussion at a Crookston City Council strategic planning discussion this week – the City’s image – got mighty specific in a hurry, and when council members and City Administrator Amy Finch wrapped up that discussion and moved onto the next agenda item, the feeling in the air is that the City needs to be more welcoming and inviting to its residents.
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Strategic planning hot topics: Marketing Crookston, addressing child care shortage
Council members and Finch discuss possibility of investing in efforts to market Crookston; city attorney says dynamic leadership needed to address child care shortage in the community
Mike Christopherson
A successful, vital future for downtown Crookston was the first thing mentioned during a city council strategic planning discussion this week on the “City’s future direction,” but “telling Crookston’s story better” both locally and beyond through enhanced marketing efforts and boldly addressing the community’s continued lack of child care eventually emerged as the most pressing topics discussed.
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City attorney: Crookston City Council members shouldn t have voting power on other boards
Reynolds: Council members with voting power on boards like CHEDA, DCDP, CVB and other entities have a potential conflict of interest with their duties to the council/City and should only be liaisons
Mike Christopherson
The City of Crookston’s city attorney told the city council at a strategic planning session Wednesday evening that he’s not comfortable with council members serving as voting members of other boards and commissions because the business of those boards and commissions to varying degrees comes before the council and often that business involves money.
Mike Christopherson
Members of the Crookston City Council, after discussing the matter at a strategic planning session Wednesday evening, appear to be leaning toward participating in a year-long downtown U.S. Highway 2 traffic corridor study that’s a required component leading up to a proposed replacement of the brick-paver sidewalks in 2024 that would make them compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Not only that, council members seem to favor including South Broadway and South Main in the study along with the various side-streets connecting Main and Broadway downtown, even if it means the City is going to have to kick in some money in addition to the $100,000 the Minnesota Department of Transportation has in its budget for the City to hire a consultant to conduct it. (Anything south of Robert Street downtown is not considered part of the U.S. Highway 2 corridor, nor are any downtown side streets.)