At the October 13 Caledonia City Council meeting, Mayor Jeremy Leis signed a proclamation recognizing the song “Caledonia,” written and recorded by Dougie MacLean, as Caledonia’s official song.
The song was selected in honor of Caledonia’s founder, Captain Samuel McPhail, a settler and pioneer of Scottish ancestry. Councilmember John Rauk, who proposed the idea of having an official song, explained that Romans referred to Scotland as Caledonia.
City Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson confirmed that the song is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. It was also noted that no other cities in Minnesota currently have an official song.
Mayor Leis called the meeting of the Caledonia City Council to order at 6 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Those present also included Councilmembers Bob Klug, Amanda Ninneman and John Rauk. Councilman Dave Fitzpatrick was not in attendance.
The minutes as written were unamimously approved.
The the consent agenda was approved, which included two items: payments and disbursements, and Mike Rogich submitted a petition and waiver agreement requesting that the city replace his water service line and assess the cost of $9,624.13 against his property.
Amanda Middendorf with Caledonia Convenient Care stood before the council and gave an overview of her new business which just opened last week. Her goals are to keep things close to home; avoid the long drives; keep it available locally; and for rural residents who cannot get out of their homes, she can do in-home visits, which makes it more affordable and personal, plus you’re seeing the same provider. Her plan is to hire another provider when Mayo closes in December. The board thanked her for coming and encouraged her to reach out to the city if she needs any help.
Business owner Tracey Knutson shared concerns about the fire in the old DeWitt Building, located at 102 S. Kingston St., which occurred in early September. She raised the issue of revising the possibility of implementing some form of rental property licensing. “Something very basic so we could have some control over electricity and smoke detectors.” She also mentioned ongoing issues at the property, including drug activity, domestic disturbances, and what she described as unethical behavior by the landlord, Travis Hedrick. She also noted that he is not invested in the city. She urged the city to ensure the landlord is complying with the laws.
The fire marshal has not completed the investigation of the fire. City Administrator Dickson confirmed he had received some complaints and forwarded them to the Attorney General’s Office. Knutson noted that she filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office and contacted the fire marshal and the Department of Labor.
On August 28, the city council and all full-time city employees participated in the city’s 2025 Strategic Planning Workshop. The purpose of the workshop was to develop a long-term direction, establish an organizational purpose, evaluate current conditions, and develop goals. An estimated 30 people were in attendance. Dickson said, “Almost everyone had the same ideas, which were very refreshing and really a great thing.”
Everyone in the room agreed on the following priorities: revitalize downtown; modernize infrastructure and community facilities; cultivate a high-performing, unified organization; ensure financial stewardship; deepen community engagement, trust and pride; strengthen public safety and emergency services; be proactive on attracting business, and support housing, neighborhood growth, and land use planning.
In other business, the council:
- Approved Resolution 2025-09, allowing the city to dispense with review of a land purchase previously approved at the September 8 meeting. The purchase, totaling $240,000, is for the 12-acre Doering parcel, referred to as Doering Estates Phase II.
- Approved the purchase of the Doering Estates II at a cost of $250,000.
- Discussed producing and mailing out two newsletters to residents. The mayor suggested quarterly newsletters.
- Reviewed the overtime report for the pay period ending September 28.
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