Minutes - Council Work Session - 04/30/2013 - Joint with Anoka CC

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Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood said there are disparate bike groups under Pedal MN and that they will be advocating for the Northstar line to expand to other areas. City Administrator Ulrich said this trail will be one more connection between the two cities. Councilmember Weaver said this trail will be a great asset once it is all linked. Mayor Strommen said this has been a great partnership and that we need to maximize it to bring people to this region. City Administrator Ulrich said they will be hosting a ribbon cutting event and bike riding activities when complete. Councilmember Schmidt suggested discussions be held with hotels and motels right on the Trail. Councilmember Weaver suggested utilizing TC Gateway for communications. Councilmember Backous noted that TC Gateway was not interested in having Ramsey join the consortium. Councilmember Schmidt said dollars flow into TC Gateway from many different cities, which is a great concept. Councilmember Weaver said the funding is driven by hotel and motel rooms used in each community. Councilmember Backous said the City is responsible for collecting these fees, which places government in the middle. Councilmember Weaver agreed but noted that Anoka has seen a return already, especially since Anoka is the smallest contributor. Mayor Strommen said she was curious on the rejection and would like to find out why Ramsey was denied. Councilmember Freeburg said it could be due to Ramsey's outlying location. Councilmember Weaver said the former Visitors Bureau was dominated by the City of Maple Grove so many cities withdrew and created their own that concentrates on the north metro area. 3.06: General Development Development Services Manager Gladhill reviewed current development projects in Ramsey, including McDonald's, SuperAmerica, Northgate Performing Arts Center, and Residence at The COR.