The Blue Earth City Council’s work session before their regular meeting last Monday was a tour of the new T-hangar at the Blue Earth Airport. Three of the five stalls are already occupied.

The Blue Earth City Council was informed of a new offer for the property at 716 East Third Street at their Monday, July 20 meeting. They also received an update on the current locations of public access safety cabinets around Blue Earth, and discussed where the new grant-funded outdoor safety cabinet should be placed.

During public comment, Candace Pierson informed the council that she and her siblings had been in contact with a potential buyer for the property located at 716 East Third Street.

“My siblings and I have been talking with a developer who is interested in renovating the house at 716 East Third Street,” Pierson shared. “I believe he wants to fix the house up as a gift to his daughter.”

City attorney David Frundt confirmed Pierson’s claims, noting that the developer in question was based out of Albert Lea, and had taken on similar redevelopment projects in both Albert Lea and Clarks Grove in the past.

“Are you and all of your siblings in agreement on selling the property to this developer?” council member John Huisman asked. “Do you have anything in writing?”

Pierson responded that she did not have a plan from the developer, but confirmed that she and all of her siblings had discussed matters with Frundt, with the exception of one sibling who was still in jail.

“Before we go ahead with drafting a purchase agreement, I would like to request that we get the developer’s plans for the property in writing, as well as a signature,” mayor Rick Scholtes remarked.

While no formal action was taken at this time, Frundt confirmed that he would keep in touch with the developer, and would work with Pierson and her siblings to draft a purchase agreement for the property.

County Commissioner Gertrude Paschke presented the council with an update regarding the placement of the existing public access safety cabinets in Blue Earth, and whether or not they could be moved to outdoor locations.

“Originally I was informed that the indoor cabinets could not be moved outdoors, but I’m happy to report that I was wrong,” Paschke reported. “The indoor safety cabinets can be moved outdoors, but they would require weatherproofing first, as the AEDs and Naloxone are temperature-sensitive and need to be stored in a climate-controlled environment.”

Paschke also noted that any indoor cabinets moved outdoors would lack a security camera, making it harder to detect cases of tampering and theft. However, the new safety cabinet purchased with the Opioid Settlement Grant funding received by the county would come with the camera built in, as well as the necessary temperature control features.

“I’d still like to see what our options are for moving the safety cabinets currently located inside the schools to a more accessible outdoor location, but that’s good to know,” Scholtes noted. “What are the locations you had in mind for the new one?”

“Currently, we have a total of 18 public access safety cabinets located in various places across Blue Earth,” Paschke explained. “The four potential locations I would suggest for this new outdoor safety cabinet would be Putnam Park, Gazebo Park, the fairgrounds, or the Giant Welcome Center.”

Council member Stephanie Walters suggested that the new outdoor public access safety cabinet be placed at either Putnam Park or the Giant Welcome Center, noting that both locations saw a lot of activity throughout the year. In response, council member Dan Ristau commented that the Giant Welcome Center saw more year-round traffic, while Putnam Park was busier during the warmer months and didn’t see much use in the winter.

“I think the Giant Welcome Center would be the optimal place for this new outdoor cabinet, as it sees the most traffic year-round from tourists coming to visit Blue Earth,” Scholtes shared. “Putnam Park is located pretty close to the Municipal Swimming Pool, which already has a safety cabinet installed, but we could definitely look into installing one at Putnam Park in the future.”

“I agree with Rick – the Giant Welcome Center has a more immediate need for something like this,” council member Mike McNerney remarked.

Hearing no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded to have the new outdoor public access safety cabinet installed at the Giant Welcome Center. The motion passed unanimously.

Paschke concluded her remarks by noting that she did not have a set installation date for the new safety cabinet, but estimated that it would be installed sometime in the fall of 2026.

Other business discussed at the City Council meeting included:

• At the work session prior to the meeting, the members of the council toured the Blue Earth Municipal Airport to view the completed five-unit T-hangar, which was funded through a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

• A discussion was held regarding the placement of election campaign signs around town, along with a review of both the Blue Earth City Code and the Minnesota Statutes regarding the areas where they are legally allowed to be placed. No formal action was taken on the issue.

• Food truck licenses for Happy Harvest Acres, Mami Churros & Creamery, and AJ’s Onion Rings were all approved unanimously.