The New Ulm Baseball Association was given guidelines to make the 2020 Amateur Baseball State Tournament safe.

NEW ULM — The fate of the 2020 Amateur Baseball State Tournament will be decided by the city council Tuesday.

The council will be asked to approve the use of Johnson and Mueller Parks by the New Ulm Baseball Association (NUBA) for the tournament. The tournament is scheduled to be held at these ballparks on August 21-23 and August 28-30.

In anticipation of the tournament, the city has renovated both parks.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, having the tournament poses a potential community health risk.

On June 20, at the Minnesota Baseball Association (MBA) board meeting, NUBA voiced their concerns about the potential community health risks, but the MBA stated they are moving forward with the season and the tournament.

The MBA has based this decision on governance from the state.

NUBA has been given the guidelines for mitigation at recreational facilities and seated venues and will come up with a COVID-19 mitigation plan for both ballparks. Key requirements include limiting occupancy to 25%, not exceeded 250 persons, and ensuring social distancing of a minimum of 6 feet between persons.

Crazy Days

The council will consider a request to partially close North Minnesota Street as part of the annual Crazy Day celebration during the fourth weekend of July.

The New Ulm Chamber of Commerce, supported by the Downtown Action Team and New Ulm Business and Retail Association has submitted a request to close Minnesota Street from 3rd North Street to Center Street for events beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, July 24, to midnight Saturday, July 25.

On Friday, July 24, the intersection of 2nd and Minnesota will be closed for an outdoor film screening and food truck sales. Saturday, July 25, would host a farmers market, vendor fair, and biergarten with music in the evening.

The New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce is also requesting a temporary on-sale liquor license to sell alcohol from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 25, in an enclosed location on Minnesota Street between 1st North and Center.

The purpose of the Crazy Days event is to increase foot traffic in the downtown business area. The hope is to engage the community and promote businesses to offset lost sales related to COVID-19. A COVID-19 preparedness plan for the Crazy Days event was submitted as well.

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The council is expected to approve a request from Plaza Garibaldi and Smiley’s Tavern to extend their liquor license to a temporary outdoor patio until Monday, August 31. Insurance is current for both locations.

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The Safety Commission recently considered a request to establish a three-way stop control at the intersection of Minnesota Street and Center Street. Due to increased pedestrian traffic with new storefronts opening in the general area of the intersection it is believed safety upgrades at the intersection could benefit public travel downtown. In addition to the three-way stop, a “Do Not Enter” sign is requested to assist in preventing wrong-way traffic travel on Minnesota Street.

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The city will accept or deny a $49,290 bid from Laraway Roofing for the City Hall roof replacement project. Laraway submitted the lowest of three bids. The project was estimated at $60,000.

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The city will go into closed session to consider offers and counteroffers for the purchase of property located at 1200 North Water Street. Last month the city received a letter of interest from Cala Contemporary Woodwork regarding land at 1200 N. Water St.

Cala Contemporary Woodwork specializes in custom furniture handcrafted from wood and metal. The company is expanding to include wood processing using a sawmill and wood kiln to produce live-edge slabs. The property would accommodate the business. A four-fifths vote of the city council would be needed before the property was sold.