— A committee has been formed to talk about Alexandria hosting Hockey Day Minnesota 2028.
At its meeting Monday night, the Alexandria City Council authorized staff to prepare a letter of support from the city to be included in the application.
The Hockey Day Minnesota event takes place in January each year. Support from the community is one of the items that should be included in the request for proposals, said City Administrator Marty Schultz.
There is no cost to the city.
The Alexandria committee that’s pursuing Hockey Day includes local hockey supporters, business owners, Explore Alexandria Tourism and others. Mayor Bobbie Osterberg described it as a community effort.
Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 is officially set to take place in Hastings in January 2026.
It will mark the 20th anniversary of the event. The event is expected to draw more than 80,000 hockey fans for a weekend filled with outdoor hockey, community pride and unforgettable moments, according to supporters in Hastings.
Fans can expect a showcase of elite high school hockey talent, along with entertainment, winter festivities, and a vibrant Hockey Day Village, according to
.
Following are other items from the Aug. 11 meeting not included in other council coverage.
Fuel tank monitor purchased for airport
The council agreed to purchase a fuel tank monitor at the Alexandria Airport for $23,489. The money will come from the city’s limited funds that have a balance of about $260,000.
The low bid, which was approved, was submitted by
.
Last summer, the fuel tank monitor – which keeps track of fuel levels, quality, water content, temperature and other data below the ground fuel tanks at the airport – started showing signs of failure, according to Airport Manager Kreg Anderson.
This spring, the tank monitor started to show more signs of failure and the airport has been without the capability to monitor the fuel system. Two separate fuel companies recommended replacing the fuel monitor.
Change in funding agreement for Park and Third project
The council approved an amendment to a funding agreement with “
Park and Third Alexandria, LLC
,” that was approved in April.
The site at 901 4th Avenue East is being redeveloped into a three-story, 62-unit apartment building with tuck-under garages and a detached, single-story garage. The project is expected to create two jobs, increase the local tax base by $115,116 and leverage $13.9 million in private investment.
The “Park and Third Lofts” redevelopment is located at the corner of Park Street and Third Avenue East, on the site of the old Alexandria Concrete. Contamination has been found on the site and will be cleaned up. Much of the contamination is primarily related to historical concrete ready-mix operations and concrete block manufacturing on the site from 1951-2023.
The city is acting as legal sponsor on two grants received from the
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
– a redevelopment grant and a contamination cleanup grant.
The subrecipient funding agreements provide that the city may withhold any disbursement of the grant proceeds to Park and 3rd Alexandria until the developer obtains a performance bond, according to Nicole Fernholz, executive director of the
Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission
.
“The developer has obtained financing for the project and will start the cleanup and redevelopment shortly,” Fernholz said in a memo to the council. The lead lender has also extended a letter of credit in the total amount of the two DEED grants – $747,744, she added.
The developer has requested an amendment to each subrecipient grant agreement that instead of the requirement of the performance bond would allow “either cash or other sufficient security…to be fully redeemable by the city in the event the project is not completed by the end date of the grants.”
Fernholz said this language mirrors the development agreement, and the council has the authority to amend the agreement to reflect the developer’s request.
Back in April, DEED awarded the city of Alexandria $292,024 for the 3.17-acre site at 901 and 923 4th Ave. E, and 924 3rd Ave. A couple months before that, the council agreed to apply for a $396,889 DEED grant that would help cover redevelopment costs of the project. That action came on the heels of a $455,720 grant announced by DEED that will clean up contamination at the site.
An inspection on June 7, 2024 determined that the site was blighted with structurally substandard buildings. The site includes a vacant building and one vacant outbuilding on eight parcels of land.
Because it’s a tax-increment-financed redevelopment and not a housing TIF, there are no requirements to provide affordable housing. Units will be rented at market rate and will be a combination of one bedroom, one bedroom with a den, and two bedrooms. The rent for one-bedroom units is $1,207 while two-bedroom units will have a rent of $1,470.
The project is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2026.
The site has $793,779 of eligible redevelopment costs, according to City Administrator Marty Schultz.
Statewide, DEED’s grant funding will create or retain 112 jobs, collectively increase local tax bases by $1.82 million and leverage $230.9 million in private investment. The five grants from DEED’s Redevelopment Grant Program and three loans from the Demolition Loan Program are expected to redevelop 47.54 acres and establish 444 housing units.
Out-of-state travel request approved
The council approved a request for out-of-state travel to allow the city’s finance director to attend the BS&A Software Annual User Conference on Oct. 6-9 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The conference presents an educational opportunity for staff to learn what’s to come with the city’s enterprise resource planning system, how others are using it, along with best practices and peer networking.
The estimated cost of the training and travel is $2,500.
One person, Alan Roebke, spoke during the public comment period. He wants the city to work with him to install an outdoor ice rink next to the Runestone Community Center. He also wants the city to pursue buying the armory and building a downtown convention center. Roebke also wants the city to build a longer runway an allow more passenger air services.
Roebke also suggested placing a seven-foot tall Viking statue, Big Ole’s little brother, in the RCC’s new lobby area.