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BLUE EARTH-- The Blue Earth City Council made a decision on where to place their new outdoor public access safety cabinet at their meeting on Monday. The cabinet, which will contain an AED, Naloxone and other emergency medical supplies, will be placed near the Giant Welcome Center, with an installation date estimated for fall 2026.
County Commissioner Gertrude Paschke presented the council with an update regarding the placement of the existing public 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. She then went on to list the potential locations that the city's new outdoor cabinet could be placed, providing four key locations of interest.
"Currently, we have a total of 18 public access safety cabinets located in various places across Blue Earth," Paschke shared. "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.
"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," Mayor Rick Scholtes noted. "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."
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.
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).
-- 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, which city attorney David Frundt confirmed. After some discussion, the council noted that they wanted to see a written plan and a signature from the interested developer before drafting a purchase agreement for the property. No formal action was taken on the issue at this time.
-- 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.