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Councilmember Peters said he would like Ramsey to have its own Community Center; however, <br />they could work with Anoka to make sure they are not duplicating efforts with their Community <br />Centers. <br /> <br />Councilmember Olson stated he is also opposed to a partnered Community Center with Anoka. <br /> <br />Councilmember Buscher suggested they stay in communication with Anoka on what they are <br />planning to do for their Community Center. <br /> <br />Councilmember Riley noted there are many people in the City who want to volunteer and get <br />involved and he suggested bringing on a Volunteer Coordinator to help with this. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht asked if they could tie this role in with the Parks Department. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman asked what current volunteer efforts look like. <br /> <br />Parks and Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood shared that they organize some volunteer <br />events like litter clean up or tree plantings. He noted that in order to maximize the volunteer efforts <br />or opportunities, they would likely want to make the Volunteer Coordinator role a paid position as <br />it takes a lot more time than someone would think. <br /> <br />Councilmember Olson noted if they have a volunteer in the Volunteer Coordinator role, this could <br />result in burnout and turnover. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman asked if they could use a Board or Commission to coordinate volunteers. <br /> <br />Councilmember Riley said they could call on the Ramsey Foundation for this as well. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht stated he would not be in favor of hiring someone for this role and utilizing <br />existing Staff for this if there is room in their schedules. <br /> <br />Councilmember Stewart asked if they hire interns for the City and if an intern would be able to <br />coordinate volunteers. <br /> <br />City Administrator Hagen said they have had interns in various departments in the past and they <br />can look at an intern option for this. He added that they can look into what other cities do for <br />volunteer coordination. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman noted that sometimes it can take just as much time to train and monitor an intern <br />as it does to do the work. <br /> <br />Councilmember Riley said he would like to see some follow-up and more information on bringing <br />on a Volunteer Coordinator. <br /> <br />Councilmember Peters asked if they have an existing system or database for tracking volunteers. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / May 27, 2025 <br />Page 4 of 7 <br /> <br />