August-September 2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Arden Hills City Council, at its August 24 Council Meeting, approved entry into a three-cities’ agreement that paves the way for a future fire station location in Arden Hills. The agreement allows for the purchase of the land, which includes a portion of land near Bethel University’s Anderson Center, located off of County Road E and Pine Tree Drive. The agreement also authorizes the city to pay the Lake Johanna Fire Department (LJFD) for its proportional share of the land purchase and future road relocation cost, not to exceed $341,000. Along with Arden Hills, the cities of North Oaks and Shoreview make up the other two cities named in the agreement. The new station will primarily serve Arden Hills and Southern Shoreview. The cities of North Oaks and Shoreview are scheduled to approve the agreement at upcoming council meetings. The agreement follows on the heels of a needs assessment and search for land for a new station. The assessment concluded that the current station model was not sufficient to meet fire service needs for the next 50 years and recommended closing Station 4 (3615 Victoria St, Shoreview) and constructing a new headquarters with additional training, administrative and equipment space. After considering the needs assessment, the Lake Johanna Fire Department Board of Directors (of which, Arden Hills has one vote and North Oaks and Shoreview have one and two votes, respectively) and the three cities directed the fire chief to engage Bethel in discussions regarding the land. Following discussions with Bethel University, a tentative agreement was reached between the fire department and the University, and the fire department followed through with a purchase agreement. The purchase agreement allows the fire department a due diligence period that ended on August 21, 2020, and a closing date of no later than September 21, 2020. Following its due diligence, the fire department intends to move forward with the purchase of the land. The purchase of the land includes two costs: the first being the cost of the land at $1.35 million and the second being the department’s share of the cost to relocate the existing access road not to exceed $325,000. The fire department is also contributing $300,000 of its general fund money towards the land acquisition. This leaves the cost to the cities at $1.375 million, assuming the road relocation cost comes in at the maximum amount. Traditionally, the three cities of Arden Hills, North Oaks and Shoreview have funded the fire department’s operating and capital expenses. For the future station construction, the City of Arden Hills will need to add money to its public safety capital budget. The first installment of this additional money ($50,000) was proposed by staff in the preliminary 2021 budget. The full draft agreement and agreement highlights can be found at cityofardenhills.org/firestation. Council Enters Into Three Cities Agreement for Future Fire Station Location Emergency Grant Program The City of Arden Hills developed a Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program that provided up to $150,000 in CARES Act Funds for local businesses adversely impacted by COVID-19. Applications will be accepted until Friday, September 25. Visit the city website at cityofardenhills.org for details.