Rochester City Council

Councilmembers were presented with a plan to address the street between Civic Center Dr. NW and 2nd St. SW. The $8.7 million project is in response to Mayo Clinic’s $5 billion expansion in downtown Rochester.

The plan includes dedicated bike lanes, wide sidewalks, and seating areas.

The report does not include any specific timelines or identify specific funding sources.

There are two Rochester-specific issues the elected leaders could address this session.

The Rochester Police Chief reported that preliminary figures indicate the department has responded to about 18 calls concerning potential ICE activity in the city in the last week or so.

The owner of the building previously asked for it to be removed from the historic district.

Monday’s vote and last month’s resolution come amid an ongoing federal immigration, crackdown in Minnesota, named “Operation Metro Surge” that has brought immigration enforcement agents to Rochester.

The resolution, which says about 4,000 Rochester residents are of Somali descent passed, on a 5-1 vote.

The Rochester City Council is scheduled to be presented with a consultants recommendations next week.

On December 8, the council approved a funding measure and an item that named an operator for the facility.