Lincoln Center Topic Of Another St. Cloud Council Discussion

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- The St. Cloud City Council had another long discussion about a homeless shelter on the east side of St. Cloud.

The Lincoln Center was under the new business section on Monday night's meeting.

Community Development Director Matt Glaesman updated the council on the progress of the property. He says the Lincoln Center has made significant progress in the past four months including work on installing the sprinkler system and the overall renovations.

In the month of January, there have been 43 police calls for various reasons to the Lincoln Center along with another 10 police calls to other locations along Lincoln Avenue.

In the winter months, the Lincoln Center is allowed to have between 20 and 40 occupants, however, they have been cited in both December and January for being over occupancy.

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Council member Mike Conway says the city has been more than patient and he has serious concerns as far as the qualifications of the staff and management.

Council member Carol Lewis says she'd like to amend the PUD to require a security guard to be there at all times. Glaesman says a remodeled vestibule will allow the staff to check bags and make the facility more secure, which should be done by March.

Council member Dave Masters says it has been an overwhelming task to take a former auto parts store and transform it into a homeless shelter. He says the bigger picture is that we need these types of facilities in the community.

The city council is planning on continuing the discussion on the Lincoln Center at its next study session on Monday, February 6th.