The Hastings City Council Chambers were full of the family and those touched by Pastor Jim Bzoskie last Monday as the city council read a proclamation declaring Jan. 10, 2026 to be Jim Bzoskie Day “in honor of his lifelong service and selfless acts of kindness to the Hastings community.”
Pastor Bzoskie founded Cornerstone Bible Church in 1983 and served as the chaplain for the Hastings Fire Department, Police Department, and Dakota County Sheriff’s office for years.
He died last month.

Hydroelectric Plant
The city council unanimously authorized a letter of intent with J. F. Brennan, a marine construction firm, for the as-is sale of the city’s hydroelectric plant for $1. J. F. Brennan has been a long-time partner with the city for the plant and previously used as an expert for the site.
The city has been seeking avenues for getting rid of the plant which has seen falling income over the past decade paired with high insurance and maintenance costs. The plant is estimated to lose $14 million over the next 25 years, according to Hastings Public Works Director Ryan Stempski.
The company will now enter 60 days of due diligence before moving forward with the purchase.
J. F. Brennan declined to comment on the deal during due diligence, according to Mark Binsfeld, VP of Business Development at J. F. Brennan.

Legislative Priorities
The city council also approved the 2026 legislative priorities. Top of the list to no surprise is clean and safe drinking water: The “City Council’s no. 1 priority and community concern,” according to the adopted legislative priorities.
Other priorities include funding for Hastings Community TV via a state franchise fee on broadband and/or to provide local authority to impose a franchise fee as well as supporting a lease extension for Vet’s Park beyond 2031.
Finally, the city supports the reinstatement of revenue sharing of state cannabis tax, greater oversight for fraud prevention on cryptocurrency kiosks, and local options for sales and use tax for future projects including a new fire station and regional parks, according to the document.

PFAS Update
City Administrator Dan Wietecha provided a PFAS update in the first meeting of the month, with little new information as environmental studies continue seeking the origin of the contamination in Hastings water and to possibly connect that to 3M and thereby have access to the 2018 3M settlement fund.
According to Wietecha, the ongoing environmental studies are expected to be finalized by the end of the month.
Construction on the central water treatment plant was briefly halted due to vibration concerns from Fluegel’s Lawn Garden & Pet Supply.
Underground excavation continues at the site which caused vibrations that concerned the workers at Fluegel’s. Equipment was brought on the site to measure vibrations to ensure they remain within a safe range.
According to Wietecha, Fluegel’s ownership had concerns about the vibrations damaging the foundation of the building and forensic engineers were brought on-site to study if the damage was caused by the excavation vibrations or existed previously. That results of that study were not known at time of writing.
Residents “might not see buildings going up but the work will continue,” said Wietecha.