I want to congratulate NDSU for winning its 8th national FCS championship. What an honor for NDSU and the community of Fargo! We even have the light panels in our Commission Chambers in green and yellow tonight in honor of the Bison.
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month and an opportunity to raise awareness on how women can protect themselves from HPV and cervical cancer. HPV is a common infection that spreads through sexual activity and causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine, regular screening tests and follow-up care can all help prevent cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine and cervical cancer screenings are available at the Fargo Cass Public Health Clinic.
Building permit values declined significantly in Fargo in 2019 with preliminary value totals at $381 million, down from $514 million in 2018; however, the last five years of building permits were exceptionally high and the $381 million in 2019 is higher than any pre-2014 values. Seven projects in 2019 exceeded $8 million in value, including the National Guard Readiness Center, BLU Water Corporate Offices, Mosaic Apartments at 11th Street and 3rd Avenue North, Mercantile Parking Garage, Grand 3 Apartments on 45th Street and 49th Avenue South and Spartan Nash Warehouse.
The Inspections Department reminds citizens to check for ice and snow on their roofs. A roof is designed to handle about 35 pounds per square foot surface, depending on slope. Snow weighs about 20 pounds per cubic foot, depending on moisture content, which means 1.5 inches of snow might be the maximum weight for a roof and as the snow melts, it becomes denser and increases in weight.
The Fargo Public Library’s Winter Read-a-Thon runs through March 1 and readers of all ages are invited to read for chances to enter prize drawings.
Seven new Fargo Police officers took part in a swearing in ceremony this morning here in these Chambers. Chief Todd said it is fun to see the excitement on their faces and the pride their families have as the new officers are welcomed to the law enforcement profession and the Fargo Police Department.
Officer Dave Cochran and his K9 partner Falco competed recently in “America’s Top Dog” and won a spot in the upcoming finale. Their win speaks to the tremendous amount of training each of the officers and their K9 partners go through. The winning team from each week of the competition will compete in the grand finale for bragging rights and a $25,000 cash prize.
The City partnered with MinnKota Recycling in November to promote the “Cans to Cartons” Recycling Challenge. MinnKota paid a one cent per pound match for all aluminum cans collected at its redemption center and at the City’s recycling drop sites during the month. The one-cent match proceeds totaled $192.15, which purchased 549 cartons of milk for the “Got No Milk” program at Fargo Public Schools.
The Fargo Human Relations Commission’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration will be held at 6:30 p.m. January 20 at the Fargo Theatre. This year’s MLK Human Relations Awards will be presented to community members who serve in Dr. King’s spirit. This year’s winners are Zamzam Abdi, Lenard Wells and the Legacy Children’s Foundation. There will also be music and dance performances throughout the evening. This is a free event and all are welcome.
At the last meeting, I announced that the City recently broke ground on the Mercantile Project downtown, a public-private partnership between the City, Kilbourne Group and the owners of the Great Northern Bicycle Company. We were not able to show the video of the groundbreaking ceremony at the last meeting, but it's now queued-up now and ready to roll. Enjoy!