Minutes - Council Work Session - 02/15/2022 - Special

Home

Councilmember Riley commented that they have events that are well attended like Happy Days, the concerts in the park, the business expo, and asked how those could be used to build identity and brand. Councilmember Woestehoff agreed that they have really good events. He stated that the tree lighting went really well from a participation standpoint. He thought it is hard to compete with Anoka when they do Halloween. He thought they did things well but could do better. He wondered if the recreation specialist could help with that. He thought having a quantifiable goal such as participation is interesting. City Administrator Ulrich wrote “capitalize and grow existing community events” that could be built upon. He stated the concert series did well even through the pandemic. Parks and Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated that what they are trying to have a companion recreation piece relative to the concert series to extend the event into the evening for families. They have art in the park which is every other week. This year they are considering a car show and an inflatable water slide in July. Communication and Events Coordinator Thorstad stated that Ramsey doesn’t have a Communications Coordinator, there is a Communication and Events Coordinator. What that means is that from May to October a large portion of what she does is focused on one event for the community. That isn’t to say that she is dropping any communication tasks but is maintaining them. She hears the Council saying communication is important and using events to market the community and define the branding is also a priority. She stated that in terms of what she does, it seems like there is more than one person can meet expectations. City Administrator Ulrich replied that a tremendous amount of resources are put into Happy Days and Communication and Events Coordinator Thorstad is primarily responsible for that. He stated privatizing Happy Days has been discussed instead of making it a City event they could hire a food truck like Anoka does but that puts the responsibility for success on another. Councilmember Musgrove commented that some of this might naturally occur as the City continues to grow in The COR and some of the branding may develop more. She gave an example of developing something around the City park with the splash pad when it is completed. She thought signage is a big thing coming into Ramsey as far as identity. She stated that The COR hasn’t been built out yet and there is more retail land available which will add more defining identity. City Administrator Ulrich agreed that there isn’t quite the critical mass in The COR. One thing Anoka has that Ramsey doesn’t yet is the downtown business group which sponsors a lot of the events. Councilmember Musgrove commented Ramsey doesn’t have their LGA either. City Council Special Work Session / February 15, 2022 Page 29 of 31