(KNSI) – The Stearns County Board of Commissioners is still deeply divided after Tuesday’s meeting, which saw one member leave the session in protest.
The conflict stems from an item on the consent agenda. Board Chair Jeff Bertram explains that because the Conditional Use Permit for Sunny Mary Meadow first came before the Stearns County Planning Commission, it is automatically a consent agenda item to start. Bertram discusses why the flower farm issue flared like a snapdragon in bloom.
“Commissioner [Joe] Perske requested that item be pulled from the consent agenda, and then that’s when we had the discussion on it, and that’s when, normally, our own public hearing would be called for, and then a date would be set, and then we could hash out some of these details.”
Instead, Perske’s motion was denied. Perske lays out his concerns about Sunny Mary Meadow, saying, what started as a simple flower farm concept morphed into something that could be a huge nuisance for the neighbors. “The issue of music was brought up, and here now they’re purporting to have music on the property from 6:00 a.m. till 8:00 p.m. any day of the week. And then they can also have 15 times in which they can be having music there until 10:00 p.m. Now, this was not put into the initial request.”
The farm is located in Perske’s district. He tells KNSI News he heard through email and phone calls from over a dozen residents and several elected officials from St. Wendel Township asking for a new public hearing. “I’m not opposed to the flower shop, but what I am opposed [to] is opening up to have live music out there every day of the week. Basically, they could do We Fest as the way it’s written whenever they want. How does that not disturb the neighborhood?”
Over a day later, Perske takes issue with the 3-2 vote that passed the request as part of the consent agenda. “Where’s the transparency? Where’s the integrity? Where’s the accountability? And that’s what’s making me so upset. Why wouldn’t my colleagues allow those people that requested their voice to be heard, the 20 people on a petition, the township, myself, and all those phone calls they got, but they had to close their mind and say, ‘Well, no, we’re just going to let it move ahead.'”
Bertram joined Perske in pushing for a public hearing. When asked if, as board chair, Bertram objected to Perske leaving the meeting before most of the agenda had been moved, he came out in support of his colleague. “This is not normal and, so, for unnormal action, well, sometimes it takes an unnormal reaction.”
Bertram believes that certain board members are too averse to giving other opinions a fair shake at times. He wants the group to operate under the premise that it is one body with five distinct voices and that no councilperson speaks for others.
Commissioner Steve Notch was one of the yes votes and is vice chair of the board. He felt the applicant was honest about their intentions for the property when they came before the planning commission. Notch cites from the document directly, “The second line of the permit, pretty much she says exactly what she’s going to do, as far as multi-use structure for floral, workspace, production, storefront, event space, use for workshops, wedding showers, corporate events, etc.”
Notch says on the music front, he was satisfied with the scope of the entertainment at Sunny Mary Meadow through a personal phone call he made prior to the commissioners’ meeting with owner Elizabeth Fiedler. He also pointed out that if there were major changes in store for the property in the future, they would need to come back before the board for approval. Notch doesn’t expect that to occur because it could then begin to turn the farm into a competitor with other area wedding venues, which are some of the top clients for Sunny Mary Meadow. Attempting to grow could prove to be a detriment to the business.
KNSI News reached out to Fiedler directly but has not heard back at this time.
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