Monday, Feb. 3 saw Mayor Mary Fasbender cede her title for the day to sixth-grader Amelia Caponigri, winner of the mayor for a day contest. In her essay, Caponigri proposed a new community group to simply help those that need it, called “Commneedity.” From taking care of residents’ pets while they are gone to bringing children to sports practices or lessons if their parents can’t, Commneedity would meet to help those wherever they could.
“She just kind of tugged at my heartstrings,” said Fasbender about the essay.
Caponigri toured the various city departments throughout the day, learning details of budgets to the cost of snow plows. Apparently, many city officials across departments asked their new mayor for the same thing: a raise. While Caponigri did not dole out raises through her tour, “she asked all the right questions,” said Fasbender.
As to what made her want to apply for the title, Caponigri said simply: “bragging rights.” She gaveled the City Council meeting to order just after 7 p.m. Monday.

Arts and Culture Commission 2025 Workplan
At the city council meeting, council members discussed the 2025 Arts and Culture Commission workplan which lays out goals for the commission after it was reinstated at the end of 2024. Their goals are threefold: increase public art access, support Hastings’ area arts and culture groups and various operation and policy initiatives.
A key change with the 2025 workplan is a shift from the commission focusing on hosting its own events to supporting outside entities that are holding arts and culture events in the area.

Gores Pool 3
Before the council was a motion to “request from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) a 200-foot buffer for three affected addresses in the city of Hastings.” The motion was tabled by council member DawnMarie Vihrachoff who cited messages she had received from residents requesting more time before the council made a decision.
The city council had previously heard from Ward 1 residents about issues concerning hunters in the Gores Pool #3 Wildlife Management Area shooting towards the houses of residents in the area. The city had considered asking the DNR for a 200-foot buffer in the wildlife management area in order to protect the residents who showed damage in the siding of their homes from gunshots.
According to Vihrachoff, residents were considering requesting a larger buffer area, 500 feet rather than 200, but needed more time to discuss.

PFAS update
City Administrator Dan Wietecha provided the city with February’s PFAS update. The city continues to move forward with the purchase of 1292 N. Frontage Road for the central water treatment plant. It will begin a second environmental study of the property focusing on a 2005 petroleum spill at the site. This study will include taking borings to determine the location and extent of contamination from that spill as well as how the city would go about cleaning the site were contamination from the spill to become an issue during future construction. The second environmental review is expected to take 1-2 months and to push back the purchase of the property.
Wietecha also spoke to the proposed bills from both of Hastings’ state representatives Sen. Judy Seeberger (D-Afton) and Rep. Tom Dippel (R-Cottage Grove). Both legislators have announced bills that would set aside funds for Hastings, albeit in different ways.
Sen. Seeberger proposed two different bills that would set aside $16.6 million for Hastings’ eastern treatment plant, one via a state bonding bill and one appropriating funds from the general fund.
Rep. Dippel, on the other hand has proposed three bills. The first two would similarly allocate $16.6 million from the general fund or capital investment proceeds towards Hastings’ first water treatment plant, with the final bill pulling $45.7 million directly from the 2018 3M settlement fund for the other plants according to a Jan. 24 press release.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 22, Sen. Seeberger criticized Dippel’s bill that pulls funds directly from the 3M settlement fund, saying it would put further strain on Washington County communities as monies for the fund are spread thin across projects.
Dippel responded by saying “It’s not actually putting more strain on them, it’s sharing. We have a shared community and shared district group and I think our community should be looking at it from that perspective, instead of trying to get as much money for themselves, we should be trying to work together to deal with the problem that we’re all in.”
While the city has not officially commented on the bills, “It would be good if they agreed,” said Wietecha.
For more information on the Hastings City Council and to watch full meetings, visit Hastings Community TV’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/@HastingsCommunityTV