05-02-2025
East Grand Forks City Council approves Parks and Recreation Commission change
Feb. 5—EAST GRAND FORKS — The East Grand Forks Parks and Recreation Commission will now move to quarterly meetings following City Council approval.
The East Grand Forks City Council approved the changes to the commission's bylaws during its meeting Tuesday night. The commission will now have regularly scheduled meetings on the third Wednesday of January, April, August and November. The commission provides input and recommendations to the East Grand Forks City Council about city parks, programming and funding. The commission has nine members — two City Council representatives and seven mayoral appointees serving three-year terms.
"We feel that by making that transition and shifting to quarterly meetings, we can make better use of our commissioners' time while still providing enough opportunities to address the important topics," Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jeremy King told
the council during the work session last week.
The move doesn't have any budget impacts. The commission previously had regularly scheduled meetings monthly.
The council also approved a resolution and an updated opinion of counsel for the Federal Transit Administration. Following updates to the administration's grant management system, it was determined that the city's old documentation was expired and needed to be updated. The last opinion of counsel was issued by the City Council in 1986 and the last authorizing resolution in 2007.
The two documents allow the city to accept federal funds and show its ability to complete projects. It designates who is legally responsible for the funding awards and what the chain of communication is. For federal funds of this nature, it is generally Community Development Director Nancy Ellis who oversees the projects and funding as the city's transit manager and as directed by the City Council and mayor.
In other news, the council:
* Approved a bid from Johnson Jet-Line for sewer cleaning in southern parts of the city and in the industrial park. The city has been doing annual sewer cleaning since 2011 as a preventative maintenance measure. The bid is for $103,952.92.
* During council comments, Council member Karen Peterson thanked East Grand Forks Parks and Recreation for giving opportunities to the community. Peterson also congratulated the Northern Light Figure Skating Club for placing seventh nationwide during the 2025 Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectionals in Kalamazoo, Michigan, earlier this month. The team was competing against teams from across the country and from communities much larger than East Grand Forks.
