BlaineMN.gov
CityConnect May/June 2021
What’s Inside
City Hall Renovation Underway Space Needs Driven by Growing Police Department and Community Stormwater Pond Rules..............................................................................5
Large Events Return this Summer...............................................6
Summer 2021 RecConnect...............................................................8
Blaine City Hall opened in 2001. At that time there were about 45,000 Blaine residents. Since that time Blaine has grown to a city of almost 70,000. Eventually Blaine will be home to more than 85,000 residents. The needs of the community mirrored this growth in population. More miles of streets to plow. More permits to be issued and inspections to be completed. More calls for service for both police and fire. To meet the needs of the community the City of Blaine has added 33 staff positions in the last 20 years, many of them in the police department. Back in the late 1990s when the current city hall and police department building was being designed the leaders at that time knew that Blaine was destined to grow into a regional hub. Blaine City Hall was built with three floors of space in 2001, however only the first two floors were occupied. In 2017 the Blaine City Council authorized a space needs study. That study showed it was time to expand operations to the third floor. The renovation project will meet the needs of both staff and the community for the next 20 years. In 2019 the City Council authorized the sale of $4.2 million in bonds to fund the project. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the project was put on hold as designs and space needs were reevaluated in light of current circumstances. However, the bonds can only be spent on the project they were attached to at the time of approval. And the funding must be spent within three years. With this in mind the City Council approved the final designs and bids for the project in March. This project will infuse millions of dollars into the local economy with 24 different companies being awarded work on the project. The project includes a new community space on the first floor of city hall. This new community room will be available for use on evenings and weekends by community organizations. Prior to the pandemic and hopefully again soon it was not uncommon for all available meeting rooms at city hall to be booked in the evening. This new large space will provide another gathering option for the community. The construction started in late April and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Blaine City Hall will remain open throughout the construction, any changes in operations will be posted on the city website at BlaineMN.gov/CityHallRenovation.
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID TWIN CITIES, MN Permit No. 32324
Appointments and Walk-ins Welcome
City of Blaine 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine MN 55449
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DATED MATERIAL PREPARED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION
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at City Hall Since last June anyone wanting to visit Blaine City Hall was asked to make an appointment prior to arriving at city hall. With some city staff working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic this appointment system was put in place to make sure that there would be the correct staff member on site to assist a customer. Throughout this last year city staff have also worked to help anyone who came to city hall without an appointment. A staff member has been stationed at a kiosk inside the front doors of city hall to make sure that anyone who arrived was able to get the service that they needed. Recently the City has started to return more employees to the workplace. Visitors are still able to make an appointment before coming to city hall. But with more staff on site walk in visitors will also be able to meet with various departments without an appointment. To meet the needs of all residents and business owners the City will also continue to offer ways to conduct business remotely. Blaine City Hall is open Monday-Friday from 8AM4:30PM. You can learn more about how to conduct business remotely at BlaineMN.gov/ConductingCityBusiness.