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

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deals with identity so he thought it would be good to take a few minutes, as elected and appointed leaders in the community, to say what the BHAG or stretch goal for Ramsey is for the next decade if all the barriers are removed. He stated they are not going to adopt this, it is for brainstorming to see what the vision is. If something really resonates maybe they would build on that with some strategies they are creating. He gave the Council five minutes to write on a piece of paper and then will share in a round table. Councilmember Specht stated in reading a document from 2017 from the University of Minnesota, it said “Welcome to Ramsey, the Gateway to Greater Minnesota.” He stated he thought they are a great gate both with people coming to the cities and then to Greater Minnesota so they were a gateway city. Councilmember Musgrove stated she put down “Best North Metro City to Live”. She heard residents talk about how they can go anywhere in any city and get what they want but they come back to Ramsey where it is peaceful and quite without all the hustle and bustle. And then the same thought concept of “Ramsey Get Away” where they can get what they need but can come home to our city. Councilmember Heineman stated he wrote facilitate innovation and synergy between the City of Ramsey businesses and residents. The idea behind that is Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood, his idea of taking the park and making it into a venue for weddings, looking at what can be done with the Ramsey Sports Complex that there are so many ways that we can facilitate between the City of Ramsey businesses and residents to create a really good city experience, whether that is Kitchen Table sponsoring a softball league at the new Sport Center and the City of Ramsey supporting it. He stated that should be the goal, to facilitate innovation and synergy at all levels. Councilmember Howell stated hers came from a Councilmember in Burnsville. It was a five-year project of hers to create a commission to go through City Code and work on updating it and reducing unnecessary code. After five years she accomplished that goal and they have that going on over there. She stated she would love if that could be done here. Police Chief Katers stated his is a little self-serving but “A Safe Place to Live, Work and Play” or “A Safe Place to Call Home”. He explained safety is the key. Councilmember Woestehoff stated his was “The Ideal Place to Work from Home.” He explained that is an appropriate task right now that is probably going to remain for a while. That helps with the stay in a place of peacefulness, good parks, and other resources without building apartments all over the place. He thought it helped to provide some of the balance the City strives for. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated his may not be aspiration or audacious enough but is still a stretch goal in that it would be beginning the first phase of the water front, creating the park, providing the fill for the northwest quadrant, and in the down town and establishing the splashpad as a destination for residents city-wide and in the region and in so doing delivering more traffic into The COR. City Council Special Work Session / February 15, 2022 Page 8 of 31