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Year: 2022

For Immediate Release – November 9, 2022

Community Recreation Initiative Fully Approved in Hermantown

LeBlanc and Hjelle elected to City Council

Hermantown, Minn. – Hermantown voters approved all three components of Hermantown’s Community Recreation Initiative by significant margins as part of Tuesday’s General Election.

Both the Hermantown Connector Trail System and the reimagining of Fichtner Park received better than two-thirds of support among voters. Meanwhile, 56.7% of ballots cast favored adding an additional indoor sheet of ice in Hermantown.

The projects will be funded through a half-percent increase to Hermantown’s local option sales tax. The increase will move Hermantown’s sales tax to 8.875%, which will now be the same as neighboring Duluth. The change is set to occur on April 1, 2023, following several process steps by the City of Hermantown and communication to local businesses by the State of Minnesota.

“I’m grateful to the voters of Hermantown for their choice to support the Recreation Initiative ballot questions,” said Mayor Wayne Boucher. “These three projects, when completed, will be landmark contributions to the quality of life in our community.”

Two new city council members were also elected in Hermantown Tuesday. Brian LeBlanc garnered 2,234 votes, and Andy Hjelle received 1,805 votes to claim the two open seats. Incumbent Gloria Nelson chose not to run in this election, and Natalie Peterson recently resigned from the council as part of her move out of the City. Chad Roberg finished third with 1,653 votes, and Gerald Wallace earned 978 votes.

“It is an important and exciting time in Hermantown, especially with the full passing of the Recreation Initiative,” said Hermantown City Administrator John Mulder. “We look forward to working with our new councilors and know their thoughts and ideas will be great additions.”

Current Hermantown city councilor Grant Hauschild was also successful in his run for the Minnesota Senate Tuesday, which will create an opening on Hermantown’s City Council in early 2023. The process for filling Hauschild’s city council seat has not yet been set.

Full election results can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website.

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For more information, contact: Joe Wicklund, Communications & Community Engagement Director, City of Hermantown, at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.

For Immediate Release – October 17, 2022

Hometown Fiber Mapping Infrastructure Across Hermantown

Hermantown, Minn. – A pair of technicians from Hometown Fiber will be mapping the technology infrastructure of Hermantown on October 17 and 18.

As part of ongoing efforts to determine the next steps regarding broadband access in Hermantown, Hometown Fiber was selected to assess and document the full scope of the current technology infrastructure in place. This mapping – performed within the right of way of city, county, and state roads in the area – will allow clearer information about current connectivity and offerings in Hermantown.

Hometown Fiber, which was selected through an RFP process put forth by Hermantown’s Broadband Task Force earlier this year, is a Minnesota-based technology company from Maple Grove.

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For more information, contact: Joe Wicklund, Communications & Community Engagement Director, City of Hermantown, at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.

For Immediate Release – October 2, 2022

Airplane Crashes into Home in Hermantown

Hermantown, Minn. –  Just before midnight on October 1, the Hermantown Police Department was notified by the control tower at Duluth International Airport a small airplane had left radar and was believed to be crashed. The control tower advised the last location on radar was 1 to 1.5 miles south of the airport.

Both police and fire departments from surrounding agencies responded to the area and located the wreckage of a Cessna 172 airplane in the 5100 block of Arrowhead Road. The airplane hit the second floor of a home before coming to rest in the backyard of the property. The two occupants of the home were not injured.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been notified, and investigators are still working at the crash scene to determine the number of deceased individuals from the airplane. Members of the public should avoid the area, as there are significant power outages associated with the accident.

This is an active investigation, and no additional information is available at this time.

UPDATED: 7:20 a.m., October 2

All three individuals in the Cessna 172 died in the airplane crash. Two males from Burnsville and a female from St. Paul – all in their early 30s – have been confirmed deceased as a result of the accident. Identification of the individuals will be released after notification of their families.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be continuing to investigate the crash site.

UPDATED: 3:30 p.m., October 2

Authorities have released the identities of the three individuals who died in the airplane accident late yesterday night in Hermantown.

Alyssa Schmidt, age 32, of St. Paul, and her brother, Matthew Schmidt, age 31, of Burnsville, were passengers in the Cessna 172. Tyler Fretland, age 32, of Burnsville, was the airplane’s pilot.

NTSB is at the accident site performing its investigation. Any additional information will be released in concert with the NTSB and is not expected today.

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For more information, contact: Joe Wicklund, Communications Director, City of Hermantown at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.

For Immediate Release – September 21, 2022

Peterson Resigns from Hermantown City Council Due to Move

 Hermantown, Minn. – Natalie Peterson announced her resignation from the Hermantown City Council at the Monday, September 19, meeting. Peterson’s resignation was due to her moving outside the City of Hermantown.

“The last eight years of being on the City Council have been some of the most rewarding moments I have had while living in Hermantown,” said Peterson. “I have always been grateful to be able to work with a council, staff, and community that truly care about continuing to make Hermantown an incredible hometown. This isn’t just a tagline; it is something that is truly felt in Hermantown. I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to raise my children here, live here, and serve the community in many ways. There are several memories, moments, and accomplishments that will always be remembered, and no matter where I am I will always continue to have Hawk Pride.” 

Peterson was key in moving forward a variety of initiatives and projects during her tenure as a city councilor. Her efforts helped the Essentia Wellness Center come to fruition, as well as the success of the Hermantown Marketplace, Hermantown Square, the city’s updated branding and messaging, and the creation of the Boulder Trail – the initial section of the Hermantown Connector Trail System.

“Natalie has been a dedicated and engaged member of our community for as long as I have known her and she brought that passion to her role as a City Council member,” said John Mulder, Hermantown’s City Administrator. “She was active in helping our community grow by her leadership and support on a number of significant projects that will serve our community for decades.” 

Peterson, who called Hermantown home for more than two decades, was also an important proponent of the community’s “Hawk Pride” initiative to help build Hermantown’s new schools.

Peterson’s resignation leaves an opening on the City Council, but with an election approaching in a few months, plans are to leave the seat vacant until it is filled by Hermantown voters in November.

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For more information, contact: Joe Wicklund, Communications & Community Engagement Director, City of Hermantown at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.

For Immediate Release — August 3, 2022

Hermantown Swears in Pair of New Police Officers

Hermantown, Minn. – With a swearing-in ceremony earlier this week, Hermantown has added a pair of new officers to its police department. Alex Prouse and Brandon Solem were sworn in as members of the Hermantown Police Department on Monday, August 1.

“We are very happy to welcome two new officers to the Hermantown Police Department,” said Jim Crace, Hermantown’s Chief of Police. “We feel fortunate to have been able to attract these two recruits to our department because they bring a depth of experience we feel will be a great asset to the department and the community for years to come.”

Judge Dale Harris oversaw the ceremony, bringing the number of police officers in Hermantown to 16, along with two K-9 officers.

“Both Alex and Brandon grew up in the area and already had strong ties to our community,” said Crace. “We know they’ll continue adding to our department’s reputation of being closely connected to those we serve in Hermantown.”

The new officers and the majority of the HPD and Hermantown Volunteer Fire Department were on hand Tuesday, August 2, visiting with residents as part of the community-wide National Night Out celebration.

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For more information, contact: Joe Wicklund, Communications & Community Engagement Director, City of Hermantown at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.

For Immediate Release – July 29, 2022

Hermantown Set for City-Wide National Night Out Celebration

Hermantown, Minn. – For the third time, Hermantown will celebrate National Night Out with a community-wide gathering held at the Hermantown Governmental Services Building. The Tuesday, August 2, the event is open to residents and includes food, drinks, and a chance to visit with members of the Hermantown Police Department and Hermantown Volunteer Fire Department.

“This is a great opportunity for our officers and firefighters to meet with members of our community,” said Jim Crace, Hermantown’s Chief of Police. “We are both still a small city, but certainly growing, so this event has really become important for long-time and new residents to get to know each other.”

In 2019, the HPD moved away from the traditional National Night Out design of doing short, in-neighborhood visits with residents to bring the full Hermantown community together in a central location. The successful initial event led to a continuation of the city-wide approach in 2021, following a pause in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While we certainly love connecting with residents in their neighborhoods, this format has really allowed people to get to know more of our officers and members of our volunteer fire department as we can all be together,” said Crace. “As our community continues to grow, it also allows for new residents to meet folks across different neighborhoods in our city.”

The family-friendly event begins at 4:30 p.m. and continues until 7:00 p.m.

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For Immediate Release – July 5, 2022

Hermantown Releases Community Survey Results

Hermantown, Minn. – In the early hours of July 5, 2022, the Hermantown Police Department responded to a call regarding a domestic incident at the 4100 block of Lavaque Road. The details of the call and subsequent actions can be found in the HPD press release below.

Hermantown Police Department – Press Release / Domestic Incident

For Immediate Release – June 27, 2022

Hermantown Releases Community Survey Results

Hermantown, Minn. – The City of Hermantown’s annual community survey was recently completed, with the City Council accepting the results and reaffirming a focus on the performance measures and resident feedback that has guided the first four years of the survey.

With incredible results in a wide variety of areas – none stronger than a 98% belief that Hermantown is a safe city – the survey again gives a clear indication of what has made Hermantown a growing community, both in terms of residents and business.

“There are so many things that make Hermantown one of Minnesota’s best hometowns,” said Joe Wicklund, Hermantown’s Communications Director. “This year’s survey results back that up again.”

With consistent annual measurement since 2018, city staff and elected officials have been able to utilize these survey results in mapping out the next steps and focus points for their efforts. This information helped bolster the City’s choice to create the Road Improvement Plan, which targeted the most in-need roads for reconstruction and other significant fixes across the community, as well as determining how best to pay for those updates. Additionally, a focus on parks, trails, and outdoor opportunities has become a clear community desire because of the annual survey results. This, in turn, has helped drive exploration into how to make those improvements in Hermantown – ranging from exploring local option sales tax in this upcoming election for creating new opportunities to where investments can be made to have the biggest impact on residents and the region.

“Even with our population surpassing the 10,000-resident mark, we still want to garner as much individual feedback as possible,” said Wicklund. “We will continue to focus on these key community areas in coming years and we expect continued success and improvement in these areas.”

Results from the 2021 Hermantown Community Survey can be found here.

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For more information, contact: Joe Wicklund, Communications Director, City of Hermantown at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.

For Immediate Release – April 1, 2022

Hermantown Opens Body Worn Camera Survey for Police Department

Hermantown, Minn. – The Hermantown Police Department is currently in the process of looking at the implementation of Body Worn Cameras (BWC) for its officers. In exploration of this potential addition, a survey has been opened to garner community feedback.

The Hermantown Police Department (HPD) has viewed demonstrations by various vendors and explored the different platforms and data storage systems available. The HPD will also be looking at having these BWC’s work in conjunction with the mobile cameras in their squad cars.

Data obtained using this new tool will be stored with an evidence management system provided by the camera vendor. This data is classified, audited, stored, and filed digitally as evidence. These digital files are uploaded wirelessly and accessed over a secured system which can also be utilized by other agencies such as the prosecutor’s office at the discretion of the HPD.

Both the state legislature and the League of Minnesota Cities has provided certain requirements and guidelines for Minnesota law enforcement agencies that are looking at implementing a BWC program at their agencies. Requirements, as well as guidelines on policy development, were also provided. One of the requirements is that agencies need to provide opportunities for public comment, accepted by mail and email. It also requires that the City Council allow for public comment at one of their regular meetings; which is currently set for Monday, May 2, 2022, at 6:30 p.m.

The HPD seeks the support of the community, as well as the officers that will be wearing the cameras, and appreciates the importance of community input as this process moves forward.

An electronic version of the survey can be found on the City’s website at www.hermantownmn.com/police. Additionally, surveys can be completed in person at the HPD at 5111 Maple Grove Road, Hermantown, MN 55811 or printed and mailed. Finally, surveys may also be printed, scanned, and emailed to [email protected].

The Police Department has created a draft policy based on statute requirements as well as the model policy provided by the League of Minnesota Cities, which is also available for viewing at the above website.

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For more information, contact: Joe Wicklund, Communications Director, City of Hermantown at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.

For Release – February 17, 2022

Hermantown Opens City-Wide Broadband Survey

Hermantown, Minn. – The City of Hermantown has unveiled a survey allowing residents to weigh in regarding broadband and their internet connections to target possible improvements.

“We know the ability to connect reliably and consistently to the internet is critical for so many people in our community,” said Joe Wicklund, Hermantown’s Communications and Community Engagement Director. “From remote workers to families to students and more, being able to meet broadband needs has only become greater and more varied.”

The City of Hermantown created the Broadband Task Force in 2021 to look at the issue of access and connectivity across the community, as well as ways to move forward with improvement.

“Broadband is certainly a hot topic and many of our local communities are tackling it in differing ways,” said City Administrator John Mulder. “There isn’t a one-size-fits-all or a standard answer that works most effectively from funding to execution, so the Broadband Task Force is working to determine what the best next step might be for Hermantown.”

With an array of possible funding options, there may be different ways to accomplish improvement across small communities regarding their broadband capabilities.

“Now we want to pull in the experiences of as many people across Hermantown as possible,” said Wicklund. “With just a quick bit of feedback, we can learn so much about actual download and upload speeds, as well as if those are meeting individual needs across our community.”

Hermantown’s online survey not only garners the user’s opinion about broadband, but it also provides them a real-time measurement of the service – including download and upload speeds.

“For many users, there are a lot of unknowns in how they access the internet,” said Wicklund. “We are hoping this survey provides them with some helpful, real data while also giving us a picture of what we are truly receiving community-wide in terms of providers and speeds.”

The survey can be found on the City’s website at www.hermantownmn.com/broadband.

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For more information, contact: Joe Wicklund, Communications Director,  City of Hermantown at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.