The Lead In: City Council coin toss, Harmony data center, Townies’ future, and Albert Lea tax aid

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – A city council seat is up for grabs. The future of a popular restaurant space will be decided. A data center discussion comes to a head. And a Freeborn County town could help a local company expand. Here is The Lead In, for Nov. 8-14, 2026.

Pine Island: Tie for council seat to be settled by coin flip or draw

Last Tuesday’s election saw several candidates win decisively in their races. The race for Pine Island City Council is a different story.

According to the unofficial results, Tosca Wohl won 809 votes, or 27.9%, to claim the first of two open council seats. However, the second seat ended in a tie between incumbent Delana Weis and challenger Dominick Pahl, each earning 711 votes.

According to the City of Pine Island, the decision will come down to a coin toss or drawing from a hat. It will occur at a special council meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Rochester: Park Board to decide Soldiers Field clubhouse concessions

The Rochester Park Board is scheduled to make a decision on the future of concessions at the Soldiers Field Memorial Park clubhouse.

Rochester Parks and Recreation is recommending Uni Uni Bubble Tea and Old Abe Coffee Shop to replace Townies Philly Kitchen + Bar as the clubhouse concessions operator. The city announced the recommendation Friday.

The city said it also received a proposal for Townies to retain the space, but parks and recreation officials decided to move in a different direction. The city said Uni Uni Bubble Tea and Old Abe Coffee Shop’s proposal stood out for menu options, ideas and approach to serving customers.

Townies said it was informed of the decision less than half an hour before the city sent out the announcement.

In mid-July, the restaurant temporarily closed after multiple employees quit due to a broken air conditioning system, something the restaurant looked to the city to fix.

Townies responded to the news on Facebook Friday, thanking the community for its support over the years. The restaurant also said that while it is closing its doors, it is not staying silent.

A Townies customer started a petition on Saturday calling on the Park Board to keep the restaurant at its location. As of 11 p.m. Sunday, the petition has more than 2,000 signatures.

On social media, Townies General Manager Tim Nela asked customers to attend the meeting to show support for the restaurant.

The Park Board will make a final decision Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at the Maintenance Center.

Harmony: council to review data center ordinance

The Harmony City Council is preparing to consider final language on its proposed data center ordinance at its meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the community center.

The review follows months of discussions among councilmembers and the community about how to address a possible data center in the region. According to the city, the goal is to protect public health and welfare, as well as the environment around the town.

The proposed ordinance would limit data centers to a new industrial technology zone in the city and limit each data center to 55 megawatts of power. Any building would have to sit at least 500 feet from residential areas. Evaporative cooling, which uses large amounts of water, would also be banned.

Unlike the planned Google data center development in Pine Island, there has been no public announcement about a specific project in Harmony. However, the city website says there has been interest from developers.

Albert Lea: council to vote on tax abatement and loans for company expansion

In Freeborn County, the Albert Lea City Council will vote on assisting a local business expansion with a tax abatement and loans.

The council will vote on providing D & S Holdings of Albert Lea with three forms of financial aid for a $2 million expansion of Pro Manufacturing on 209th Street.

The aid includes:

• A tax abatement starting in 2028 that would last 10 years and not exceed $129,000.
• A forgivable loan of $50,000 if the expansion brings in at least five new jobs maintained over five years.
• A $300,000 loan at zero percent interest to be paid over 10 years.

The loans come from a fund created for assisting businesses with job creation.

The goal of the financial assistance is to increase both the number of jobs in town and the local tax base.

The council will take up the items at its regular meeting Monday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

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