City Council

Maple Grove joint City Council / Park Board work session meeting meeting minutes June 5, 2023 Call to order Pursuant to call and notice thereof, a joint work session meeting of the Maple Grove City Council and Park Board was held at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, June 5, 2023 at the Maple Grove Government Center/Public Safety Facility, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Present were Mayor Mark Steffenson, Councilmembers Judy Hanson, Kristy Barnett, and Rachelle Johnson and Park Board members Bill Lewis (chair), Kelly Cunningham, Ken Helvey, and Krista Kuhnly. Absent was Councilmember Kristy Janigo. Present also was City Administrator Heidi Nelson and Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Stifter. Mayor Steffenson called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. Community Parks and Recreation Director Stifter noted that the 2023 legislative session Center update included a $6 million grant to predesign and design the expansion and renovation of the Maple Grove Community Center. He noted this was less money than the requested amount of $22.5 million. He further explained that the state funds were only usable for design, and not construction. Parks and Recreation Director Stifter explained that in order for the $6 million to be released to the city, predesign and design need to be fully funded with a combination of the state funds and whatever local funds are needed to cover the remainder of the cost of those phases. He indicated that the city would use sales tax revenues for the local contribution. Parks and Recreation Director Stifter stated to fill the remaining $16.5 million (plus inflation) gap in construction funding, staff is recommending the city submit a 2024 capital budget request and that applications are due June 16, 2023. He noted that this process takes another year for application, committee tours, lobbying, and waiting for a bonding bill decision at the end of legislative session in May 2024. Parks and Recreation Director Stifter discussed how accepting state bonding funds restricts the facility from sponsorship, advertising, and naming rights programs that are already in place for the arena. He noted that to avoid this conflict, staff is proposing to create a unique legal parcel around the arena, which would separate it from the rest of the Community Center parcel. This way, accepted state funds could be directed to non-arena expenditures. He further noted that the separation creates the opportunity for a phased construction schedule. He explained that initiating arena improvements Maple Grove City Council work session meeting minutes June 5, 2023 Page 2 using sales tax revenues only allows for some facility improvements while also creating the opportunity for another request for state capital funds for the construction of the remainder of the facility. Further discussion ensued on how design can be advanced for the remainder of the facility over the next year. The consensus of the City Council and Park Board was in support of phase one of the Community Center expansion and renovation project focusing on the arena improvements as well as staff submitting a 2024 bonding bill request for the $16.5 million gap in the project budget. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned by Mayor Steffenson at 7:23 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Heidi Nelson City Administrator