rainerd City Council member Gene Goedker has asked City Attorney Tom Fitzpatrick for a status report on a possible loitering ordinance.
"I'm seeing more blacks and Puerto Ricans hanging out downtown," Goedker said at Monday's council meeting.
While he was aware the Brainerd Police had been beefing up efforts to patrol the downtown, Goedker said he believed the disproportionate number of minorities hanging out downtown indicated a possible increase in out-of-town gang presence.
Fitzpatrick told Goedker while he had been attempting to find a workable ordinance that could be used in Brainerd, he was struggling to find any way to word an ordinance that would be constitutional.
Police Chief Frank Ball said today his office has cited nearly 30 people for minor offenses such as littering, smoking, minor consumption and curfew violations. He said the problem is growing from a cops problem to a community problem.
"Parents need to know that if their kids are downtown and participating in these kinds of things, they will be cited," he said. Ball suggested that rather than calling his office to complain about the citations their children are getting, parents should travel downtown between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. to see what is happening.
"I think if parents had a clear idea what is going on down there, the problem would be eased a bit," he said.
Fitzpatrick said he would get back to the council at its next meeting with more information on the loitering ordinance.
The council heard a presentation from YMCA Executive Director Randy Klinger and YMCA Building Committee Chair Bob Gross about the proposed $6.7 million expansion at the current YMCA. The council appointed council member Jim Dehen to serve on the YMCA steering committee.
The water tower painters reported to the city engineer the seal coat is now fully applied to the historic water tower, and painting should begin later this week.
The council agreed to spend up to $1,000 for repairs necessary at the Northland Arboretum for damages caused by city storm sewer flow into the area. In a letter from Baxter City Engineer Kevin Wernberg to Brainerd City Engineer Jeff Hulsether, Baxter requested Brainerd pay $6,370 for its share of the flow. Hulsether informed the council that he disagreed with the estimated flow attributed to Brainerd, and as such, recommended that the city pay approximately $793 for the damages he estimated were attributed to Brainerd.
