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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — NOVEMBER 7, 2024 9 Stacie Kvilvang said she struggles with a closed session on the civic site for the MOU. She doesn't know what they want to talk about. She wonders why it can't be an open discussion. It's about the timing. You have terms. It will be purchased for $1. She asked if the discussion is that it will always be $1 regardless of when the purchase happens. Councilmember Holden said it is an option for the people who haven't been involved in the discussions. Everyone can have an explanation. We have to develop that land. How are we going to pay for that? There are more things to discuss besides getting it for $1. Kori Land said she isn't sure those are items that can be discussed in a closed session. How the land is developed is an open session. What you pay for it, in terms of the sale of the land, can be a closed discussion. Councilmembers agreed the closed session is not needed. Stacie Kvilvang said the biggest discussion is going to be the parks. There have been a lot of dialogue surrounding that. Does Council want to go through the Parks Commission again, or if Council will sit down with Bob Lux and the designers and see what's in there and discuss what needs to be changed. The MOU says Bob Lux will pay for it and the City will set the park dedication fees to build it. That doesn't change. Councilmember Rousseau said she would like to have an update on the spine road. Are they talking about moving that out past the 60%? She would like to see bike paths on the spine road that are safe for young children. Councilmember Holden said all of that is in the TRC. Every road is specced out in there. Councilmember Monson said another thing that needs to be discussed is a park in the southwest corner. She thinks a separate meeting on the parks and trails TRC. She would like to see one comprehensive map that shows all of the trails and the parks. She would be open to letting PTRC discuss it first or inviting them to attend a joint session with Council. Councilmember Holden said that extends the timing. She thinks it is important to determine what the value is. She keeps hearing we're getting sub -standard playground equipment. The reason Bob Lux was so eager to do that is because it saved him money over paying park dedication fees. Mayor Grant said he thinks we can take a look at the value and reassess that. Then we have to go back to Bob Lux and renegotiate. Councilmember Monson said as long as it's lower than what his standard park dedication fee would be he'll be wise to say yes. Mayor Grant said he believes Bob Lux wants to make this an exceptional place, you're going to want to have parks for people. He can't put 500 people in the southwest corner and no park for them to go to. It is in his best interest.