The Babbitt City Council just barely met quorum at Tuesday evening’s regular meeting, with council members Jim Lassi and John Fitzpatrick absent.
The council tabled a discussion about industrial park lots on Conservation Club Road.
IRRRB representatives previously visited the site and seemed in favor of the location, said clerk-treasurer Kirsten Traut. Discussions halted after members of the public expressed concern about the area’s proximity to the Conservation Club at a hearing held by the planning commission.
The council may send the topic back to the planning commission to determine other potential areas better suited for industrial development.
“We really need to have an industrial area,” said mayor Andrea Zupancich.
City attorney Joel Lewicki drafted a preliminary purchase agreement between Rich Evenstad and the City of Babbitt, regarding Evenstad’s interest in the old mining roadbed behind Cherry Circle.
Evenstad expressed dissatisfaction at the preliminary price per acre. He said the proposed cost represents the original price he had offered to pay for an entire property on the road, including several usable lots.
“Twenty-four hundred per acre is a pretty high price for a piece of land that nobody wants,” Evenstad said.
Evenstad requested the city survey the land before he agrees to purchase the property.
Evenstad plans to present the council with an offer prior to the next regular council meeting. Evenstad said he would be willing to offer fair market value for the land.
Evenstad plans to develop five or six three-acre parcels on the road.
“There is going to be a lifetime of taxes being collected from houses that I’m going to have built back there,” Evenstad said. “That’s something to be thought about for the sale price. There will be money coming in for a long time for the city.”
Richard Mullvain, heart attack program manager at Essentia Health, awarded the city an AED for a lifesaving cardiac arrest call thattheBabbittandElyAmbulance Departments responded to earlier in the year.
A man experienced a cardiac event and immediately received bystander CPR from his son. Responders resuscitated the patient before he received an airlift to Duluth. The man survived with a good cognitive outcome.
“It’s really an amazing story,” Mullvain said. “Within 10 days he was out the door and doing quite well.”
Essentia Health chose to gift the AED to Babbitt to recognize “the good work you do in a large, rural, limited-resource area,” Mullvain said.
Assistant ambulance director Rebekah Littler recognized Kathy Littler, Marty Vagle and Michael Jenkins as the responders on the call.
“Their dedication, compassion, empathy and willingness to show up every time that pager goes off, I couldn’t appreciate more,” Rebekah Littler said. “I know we’re not a career service, but we have the most dedicated people on our service.”
“Our community is forever better because you guys exist,” Rebekah Littler added.
Rebekah Littler will work with the police department to determine a location in Babbitt to place the AED.
The council accepted ambulance supervisor Emily Jaeger’s sixmonth leave of absence.
Rebekah Littler will temporarily move up into the interim director role and Michael Jenkins will assume a position as interim assistant director.
The interim positions will be posted and applicants will be interviewed in November. Those selected for hiring will assume their roles on Jan. 1, 2027.
Rebekah Littler encouraged the council to take EMS feedback into account throughout the hiring process to ensure the team remains cohesive throughout the position shifts.
“Right now I feel like our team has really good communications and I just want that continuity to continue as we move through this process,” Littler said.
Council member Joe White made a recommendation to refer Jonathan Shenett’s police chief application and Douglas Kremer’s application to the full-time officer position to the safety committee for review.
White and Traut confirmed they would attend a meeting with Conservation Club representatives on Thursday, Oct. 8 to discuss how the organization may be impacted by upcoming West Babbitt construction.
In other business, the council:
• Hired Landyn Saltzman as arena casual laborer.
• Authorized ambulance repairs to be completed by Premier Specialty Vehicles.
• Cancelled the council meeting on Nov. 3, 2026 due to Election Day.
• Approved the city’s purchase of one additional cell phone for the police department.
• Approved $4,000 improvements to the Community Center, including fresh paint, new locks and cleaning materials.
