(LINO LAKES) – In perhaps the biggest blow yet to the City of Lino Lakes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown, city leaders voted this week to cancel all summer activities, including the city’s signature summer festival, Blue Heron Days.
At Monday’s city council meeting, members voted also to lay off Parks and Recreation Supervisor Brian Hronski along with an office assistant who worked part-time. Both will receive severance pay appropriate to the amount of time each worked for the city. Hronski had worked for the city for more than 15 years.
“This has been troubling, obviously, at the city level,” said Mayor Rob Rafferty. “There’s definitely bonds made, as family members, working as a team within City Hall.”
The decision to cancel all summer activities means there will be no Corn Roast and no Blue Heron Days in August. It also means the city won’t hire part-time recreation staff to oversee planning these or securing business sponsorships, and there will be no recreation activities like childcare in parks or sports leagues. The sports offerings have been pared back in recent years, too, because of the competition offered by Centennial Schools’ recreation leagues.
Blue Heron Days lasts all weekend in August and involves a parade and events at Lino Park.
“These are tough decisions, not ones that are made easily,” said Rafferty. “That’s for sure.”
