3. Meeting Minutes 05 18 23
14727 209th St. N., Scandia, Minnesota 55073
Phone (651) 433-2274 | Fax (651) 433-5112 | www.cityofscandia.com
CITY OF SCANDIA
INTERNET ACTION COMMITTEE
MINUTES
Thursday, May 18, 2023, 6:30 p.m.
Scandia Community Center, 14727 209th Street North
Attendance: Bob Wilmers, Marschall Smith, John Carney, and Patti Ray
Also in Attendance: City Council Liaison Steve Kronmiller and City Administrator Kyle Morell
Call to Order – The meeting was called to order by Chair Wilmers at 6:35 pm.
Approval of Agenda – Motion by Ray, seconded by Willmers, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion
carried 4-0.
Approval of Minutes - The August 18, 2022, meeting minutes were approved on a Motion by Ray, seconded by
Carney, with a change made to page 2, paragraph 7, line 2, which should read “Willmers volunteered” and not
“Willmers and Kronmiller.” The December 15, 2022, meeting minutes were also approved with a change to the
spelling of “Patty Ray’ to “Patti Ray” and a change to page 2, bullet point 2, the parentheses stating “(of which
$112,000 was recently awarded) was removed.
Public Comments - No comments were offered.
Midco Big Marine Project Update – Willmers gave the Committee an update on Midco’s Big Marine project.
Expanding the project to the east within the current project cycle is possible. Midco is figuring out the cost of that
expansion and will report it back to the City.
Update on Midco Service and Pricing – Willmers provided to Committee with the monthly cost for all available
service levels within Scandia.
Legislative and Intergovernmental Updates – The legislature has not been able to agree on a bonding bill at
this time. They have approved a $1.3 billion all-cash bill that does not include many local projects.
Line Extension Project Update - The City sent out roughly 400 flyers over the winter notifying residents of the
DEED Line Extension Connection Program. According to Midco, 80 homes have applied for the program.
Internet Expansion Cost Summary – Kronmiller presented a spreadsheet detailing the estimated cost of Internet
expansion within the City since 2020. Ray suggested changing a column header from “Free Locations” to “Self-
Funded Locations” to reflect the number of connections Midco has paid for during the grant cycles. The total
amount invested at this time exceeds $3.645 million. The City of Scandia has paid $751,585 of that amount. A
total of 649 locations have been served during that time.
Next Areas for Expansion and Timing – The Committee viewed a map presented by Kronmiller showing the
unserved areas remaining in the City. They identified an area east of Big Marine along 205th St. N. that ties in
Scandia Internet Action Committee Draft Minutes
May 18, 2023
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nicely with the Big Marine Project and aligns with Midco’s preferred direction of expansion. Members of the
Committee will canvas the area to see which residents would welcome service from Midco.
Kronmiller informed the Committee that the Capital Improvement Committee is meeting on May 24 to discuss
the 2024 Capital Improvement Plan. Ray suggested the Committee recommend funds be included for further
projects. Willmers suggested $250,000 annually for 2024 and 2025, believing that the City could bring service to
the remaining 400 homes still unserved.
A motion was made by Willmers, seconded by Ray, to recommend Kronmiller ask the Capital
Improvement Committee for $250,000 annually in 2024 and 2025. Motion Carried 4-0.
Items for Future Discussion – Ray suggested the Committee review its charter. Morell suggested it can be
added to the June agenda. Willmers said he would invite a representative from Frontier to the June meeting.
Next Meeting – The committee noted that its next regular meeting would be held Thursday, June 15, 2023, at
6:30 PM at the Community Center.
Adjournment – Motion by Ray, seconded by Carney, to adjourn the meeting at 7:46 pm. Motion carried 4-0.