PELICAN RAPIDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Feb. 10, 2026

PELICAN RAPIDS 

CITY COUNCIL 

MEETING MINUTES

February 10, 2026

Call to Order

Mayor Frazier called the regular City Council meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 10, 2026 in Council Chambers, City Hall.

Roll Call of Members

Clerk-Treasurer Danielle Harthun conducted a roll call verifying the presence of Council Members Steve Strand, Shelley Gummeringer, Curt Markgraf, Don Perrin and Mayor Brent E. Frazier. 

Staff present: Administrator Lance Roisum, Clerk-Treasurer Danielle Harthun, Police Chief Todd Quaintance, Street and Park Superintendent Brian Olson, Fire Chief Shad Hanson, City Engineer Bob Schlieman

General Attendance: Tom Pace - MnDOT, Ryan Binek – EDA President

Welcoming Remarks

Mayor Frazier welcomed everyone present and those joining via Zoom. He noted the meeting would be broadcast on the Pelican Rapids YouTube channel and on channel 14 on Wednesday evening.

Announcements

Mayor Frazier announced upcoming events and meetings.

Pledge of Allegiance

Mayor Frazier led those present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Citizen's Comments

There were no citizen comments.

Additions / Deletions to Agenda

Mayor Frazier added the following to the agenda.

• No. 11 Annual Fire Report

• No. 12 Streets and Parks Report

Strand moved to approve the agenda with the additions. Gummeringer seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Approval of Consent Agenda

Mayor Frazier read the items on the consent agenda but removed the Police Report for further discussion:

a) Approval of Council Minutes – January 27, 2026

b) Approval of Accounts Payable Listings

c) Staff Reports including Library and Police Reports

Perrin moved to approve the consent agenda and to remove the Police Report. Markgraf seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Markgraf moved to approve the Police report, Perrin seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Council was in favor of CEDA helping to locate funding sources for garage/storage.

EDA Annual Meeting Highlights – Ryan Binek

Ryan Binek, President of the Pelican Rapids Economic Development Authority, highlighted the following achievements from the EDA's annual meeting: awarded eight $5,000 grants for downtown business improvements, acquired 4 acres subdivided into seven lots for affordable housing, supported 27 new homeowners with incentives, facilitated business incentives for one enterprise with more applications anticipated, sold two industrial park lots, secured over $500,000 in grants with CEDA's help, and saw five new businesses open. Collaborated with the Chamber of Commerce to enhance community marketing, launched a new website, and set up a shared workspace in City Hall. He thanked everyone for their continued support.

Highway 59 South MnDOT Project – Tom Pace

Tom Pace from MnDOT and Bob Schlieman from Apex Engineering discussed the Highway 59 South project. The road from Pelican Rapids to Interstate 94 is in poor condition, scheduled for construction in 2028. The city received an $850,000 TA grant, requiring a 20% city match, to help cover improvements, divided into three phases. Phase 1 is sidewalk on the west side from 5th Avenue to 10th Avenue. Phase 2 is multi-use path improvements in front of the gas station and grocery store on the east side of Hwy 59 and Phase 3 is sidewalk on the west side from 10th Avenue to 1212 South Broadway. Schlieman noted that these improvements were highlighted in past planning documents. Safety concerns crossing Highway 59 were discussed. The council asked for cost estimates for phases 1 and 2, due at the next meeting. Pace updated on the tree planting for the 59/108 project with 113 trees to be planted by the end of May, maintained by the contractor for two years.

Street and Parks Report – Brian Olson

Brian Olson, Streets and Parks Superintendent, noted that it can take about a week to clean up after a snowstorm. Olson said they were working on smoothing rough side streets, restoring picnic tables, and soon will begin engaging with last year's pool staff to determine who would return. The airport project was complete with new windows, flooring, and an operational fuel pump with credit card payment.

Strand moved to approve the streets and parks report. Markgraf seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Fire Report

Fire Chief Shad Hanson presented the 2025 fire report: 85 total calls—46 rural, 34 city, 5 mutual aid; total hours: 1,767. City calls increased slightly, partly due to 7 at the transfer station. Total calls decreased from over 100 in prior years. Staffing remains challenging, with projected 17 members by month's end, below the full capacity of 24. Department leadership remains unchanged, with Hanson as Chief, Hoadley as Assistant Chief, and Haiby as Secretary.

Perrin moved to approve the fire department report. Gummeringer seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Chapter 7 Revisions (Ordinance 2026-01)

Lance Roisum updated the Council on parking revisions using a map outlining these changes: No parking from 2 am to 6 am on Broadway (South 5th Street to North 8th Street). No parking zones include: Third Street Northwest (previously approved), River Road's north side, east of Third Street Northeast from Third to Fifth Northeast, East Mill across from Mill Pond, First Street's south side, extended to Eighth Street Southeast, First Street's east side down to Fifth Street Southeast, East side of Third Street Southwest, and Tenth Avenue from Ridgecrest to Maplewood (previously approved). The addition of no parking from 2 am to 6 am on Broadway solves issues faced during snow removal and will simplify summer street sweeping.

Perrin moved to approve the Chapter 7 revisions. Gummeringer seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Administrator Report

Administrator Roisum reported that since the last city council meeting, he had attended a Smart Salting for Community Leaders workshop put on by the MPCA. Greg, Dennis, and he met with MPCA representatives and reviewed their chloride reduction annual progress report that they had submitted. He completed Maggie’s performance evaluation. Brent, Brian, and he met with Bob from Apex and Tom from MnDOT about the Highway 59 South project scheduled for 2028. He attended this month’s Chamber Chat. He completed the DEED requirements and received the final reimbursement for the pool grant. He attended an Ordinance Committee meeting. He worked with Bob to set the public information meeting for the Lead Service Line Replacement Program for Thursday, February 19 at 5:30 pm at the Library. He attended an online Bicycle Friendly Community Quarterly meeting.

Mayor's Report

Mayor Frazier reported that since the last City Council Meeting, he had submitted weekly columns to the Pelican Press, visited area businesses and non-profits, conducted a “Conversations with the Mayor” session at the Library on January 29, met with People Service personnel and Administrator Roisum on January 29 to discuss salts in the wastewater, attended a 2028 Highway 59 South Meeting at City Hall with Administrator Roisum and Street Superintendent Olson, with Tom Pace of Minnesota Department of Transportation and Bob Schlieman of Apex Engineering Group joining by Zoom technology, and met with Administrator Roisum on February 10 to plan the agenda for that evening’s City Council Meeting.

Adjourn

Markgraf moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:01 p.m. Strand seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Danielle Harthun, 

Clerk-Treasurer