Delano Digest
JULY 2024 | Monthly Newsletter | City of Delano, MN
National Night Out - August 6 | 6-8 PM
National Night Out (NNO) is a movement that encourages residents to host and attend local parties with the intent of meeting their neighbors and learning more about public safety with the Wright County Sheriff’s Department Delano takes a neighborhood-centric approach and encourages residents to host for their fellow neighbors Its a great way to meet others and get involved!
Interested in hosting? Register online today! Scan the QR to learn more:
The Delano Digest is a monthly newsletter that shares important announcements, upcoming meetings, and summaries of the previous month’s commission and council meetings
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City Calendar: July
City Council & City Hall
7/2 - City Council Meeting - 7 PM
7/4: CITY OFFICES CLOSED - 4th of July
7/16: City Council Meeting - 7 PM
7/30: City Council Meeting - 7 PM
Commissions
7/1: Public Safety - 7 PM
7/8: Planning Commission - 7 PM
7/9: Spirit of Community - 7 PM
7/15: Water, Light, Power - 7 PM
7/24: Parks and Recreation - 5 PM
Absentee Voting Now Open - Primary Election
Absentee Voting starts Friday, June 28, 2024 - August 12, 2024, during regular office hours. In-person absentee voting will also be available on Saturday, August 10, 2024, from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM.
First day to vote early in person: Friday, June 28
Last day to vote early in person: Monday, August 12
Monday-Thursday: 7:30 AM-5:00 PM; Friday: 8 AM-12
PM (Noon)
Direct Balloting (voters place ballot directly into tabulator) begins Friday, July 26
Extended hours: Saturday, August 10 (9 AM-3 PM)
Be a Good Neighbor! - Noise Reminder
With the beautiful weather, more people are spending time outdoors enjoying the weather This is a friendly reminder to be courteous to your neighbors as the night goes on and to quiet any loud outdoor activities, including music, starting at 10 PM. Thank you for being a good neighbor!
Fire Department Numbers: June 202
In June, the Delano Fire Department responded to 45 medical calls and 18 fire-related calls. One of the fire calls was a mutual aid call in Independence for a house fire. Our firefighters dedicated over 220 personnel hours to respond to service calls and 100 standby responses at the station. They also underwent four hours of training.
Be sure to thank a firefighter for all they do to keep our community safe and healthy! We are grateful for all the sacrifices they make to serve our community!
Delano City Council & Commission Meetings Recap
This section offers a brief summary of what was discussed during the previous month’s Council and Commission meetings and is not an official documentation of meeting minutes Official minutes will be posted at www.delanomn.gov/agendacenter upon approval.
Planning Commission - met on June 10th
A public hearing was held about making an amendment to Delano's floodplain ordinance, which extends the boundaries of the floodway, 100-year floodplain, and 500-year floodplain, as advised by FEMA The justification for this change is to bring the ordinance into compliance with the DNR’s new standards and maintain eligibility for the FEMA flood insurance program The plan was reviewed and recommended for approval
Public Safety Commission - met on June 3rd
The Public Safety Commission spent time with a representative from BNSF Railroad to go over some common response procedures and response times when it comes to train derailments or chemical spills. BNSF shared that in the case of an emergency, they would utilize local resources and environmental specialists first and then extend as necessary. BNSF reassured commission members that they are well-staffed and trained to handle almost any incident that could happen with the railroad. They stated that there are many safety features built into railroads and rates for delivery of HAZMAT to their destination without incident are over 99%.
Spirit of Community Commission - met on June 11th
The Spirit of Community Commission discussed the results of the Sculpture Fest, which took place on June 8th Overall, it was a success Suggestions were made to have better security for attendees who cross Hwy 12 to attend An update was also provided about Sesquicentennial planning, which shared that the official celebration date has changed from a weekend in August to the first Saturday in October, 2026 to ease the burden on current volunteers who also assist with the other summer festivities The commission also reviewed their goals, which include volunteer support, diversity, and accessibility Discussions were held about how to best implement these goals, and it was agreed that this will be further discussed in future meetings A discussion was also held about National Night Out, a nation-wide movement to host and attend parties with the intent of meeting members of the local community and promoting public safety This event takes place on the first Tuesday of August every year Discussions were held on how to encourage community engagement, including residents who live in apartment complexes and in downtown Delano Overall, the commission members plan to contact local apartment complexes to encourage involvement
Park and Recreation Commission - meeting canceled
All agenda items moved to the next scheduled meeting, July 24th at 5 PM
City Council - met on June 18th; June 4th and 25th meetings canceled
June 4: Meeting canceled due to lack of quorum. All agenda items moved to the June 18th meeting.
June 18: Council authorized the creation of a new position, Recreation Coordinator, which is classified as a nonsupervisory position The Recreation Coordinator will help with programming at the Senior Center and in recreational spaces like the Splashpad and Spirit Park. A job posting will be listed soon on the City website. Council approved changing the Public Safety commission membership from 5 members to 7, due to an increased public interest in serving on the commission. This was approved. Commission member applications will be posted on the city website. City Council also adopted the new proposed floodplain ordinance, which the City needs to adopt to qualify for flood insurance. More information about the new floodplains can be found online at www.delanomn.gov.
City Council reviewed and approved the final Community Parks Master Plan, which has been extensively analyzed and discussed in previous meetings. The City worked with WSB, who conducted an extensive community feedback process and designed a master plan for both Central Park and the newly acquired parkland located northeast of the intersection of County Road 17 and 90th St. The plan depicts which recreational facilities could feasibly exist at each site to maximize the space available. The approved final master plan can be found online at www.delanomn.gov. Council also approved to open up a project for bid in the West Metro Business Park, which aims to extend McKinley Pkwy by 500 feet and extend Murphy Lane to the west $1 4 million in grants have been awarded for the project Council also agreed to cancel the June 25th City Council meeting due to scheduling conflicts Council ended the meeting by entering into a closed/exectuive session to discuss potential acquistitions of two different parcels
June 25: Meeting canceled due to scheduling conflicts All agenda items moved to the July 2nd meeting
