1-28-26 EDC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 28, 2026 4 that to build. We have to start somewhere. Having the route pass our businesses would be good for the businesses. Chair Murchie said it can be informal. Maybe it’s not a part of the 75th Anniversary weekend. Maybe it’s a business passport and the passport program kicks off with a walk starting at Bethel and then walking up to Lexington. Maybe businesses offer discounts during a certain time frame. It can be an informal group of people who just decide to do it. It would help participants learn who the businesses in town are. Commissioner Poelzer said it would also be a good way to get businesses involved that aren’t located on County Road E. Commissioner Daniels said Bethel’s Anderson Center is right behind Brausen’s. It has a huge parking lot that isn’t used very often. That could be used at any time. She said the main campus is really quiet during the summer months so there are a lot of parking spaces that aren’t used. She said dining services are open to anybody in the community. If we know in advance, we can arrange for a discount. Commissioner Poelzer said we should pass that opportunity along to the 75th Anniversary Committee. She thought a bike rodeo and a walk could be included during the Fire Station Open House. It could be sponsored by EDC and local businesses. Chair Murchie said as part of the work plan and engaging the community, we should have some event that can bring community to the businesses. We can highlight the resources we are connected to. Commissioner Daniels wonders if we can get feedback on the attendees of the business event to see what people are most interested in. We want to be effective in meeting their needs. Chair Murchie said he and Commissioner Sorenson have been looking to do a monthly gathering at The Tavern. We will invite business owners to come together. There would be no formal meeting agenda. It would be a way to build a community with the businesses. We could gather feedback from them. Commissioner Poelzer said if we can get buy in from businesses, she thinks we could bring in Bike MN for a bike rodeo, have an open house at the fire department, do a walk and have businesses do the passport thing. The support for that will come from the businesses. Chair Murchie said we have to tie something like that into the work plan and can bring it to City Council and build awareness through that. If we get buy in, we can jump into planning what the event will be. Commissioner Poelzer said we can get PTRC involved because it’s a bike safety event. Commissioner Bonine said we need to clarify if it is our mission to support the businesses or to have the businesses to support our mission. We need to be careful not to overextend ourselves. These are great ideas; however, we have the 75th Anniversary this year and a lot of resources will be going there. He said the Chamber of Commerce is a really good resource for the business community. It’s good to have something that is just exclusively for Arden Hills Businesses, but