02-25-13 Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL JANUARY 14, 2013 5 Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that the storm water collection would be increased as a storm sewer pipe would be extended from the tennis court to Asbury Avenue. This would collect additional storm water which would eliminate the flow along the street surface. Councilmember Holden inquired if a tree inventory had been taken for this project area. Assistant City Engineer Anderson commented an inventory had been completed by a forester and each tree species, health and size was determined and rated. He indicated one-third of the trees were Ash trees. He also mentioned that 13 trees were rated at zero (0) on a scale of zero (0) to five (5), with zero (0) being the lowest rating. Tree removal may not be necessary if a reclamation project is approved. However, if the trees were to die, the tree removal would be the responsibility of the homeowner. Mayor Grant asked if the amount of leaves falling on the tennis court could be reduced. Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that by removing some of the surrounding trees and shrubs, fewer leaves and less standing water would collect on the surface of the tennis court. Mayor Grant requested further information on the proposed street width. Assistant City Engineer Anderson commented that the width of Edgewater Avenue varied given the surrounding topography. He did not anticipate the need to widen the roadway. He commented that Asbury Avenue could be narrowed near Northwestern College as there were homes on only one side of the street. Mayor Grant asked if the Fire Marshal approved of the proposed street width. Assistant City Engineer Anderson commented that he has not had this specific conversation with the Fire Marshal, but noted that if a reclamation project were to proceed, the roadway would remain as-is and he did not foresee any problems. Councilmember Holden asked if the results of this reclamation project would last longer because this neighborhood has no through streets. Assistant City Engineer Anderson indicated that wear and tear on the road depended on the number of trips in the neighborhood. Councilmember Holden discussed the tennis court and its importance to the neighborhood. She did not want to see the tennis court lost. She then requested further information on the proposed rain gardens. Assistant City Engineer Anderson described how rain gardens would be used with this project along with how to properly maintain native plants. He explained that if Option 1 or 2 were selected no rain gardens would be required. Councilmember Werner questioned why the repayment options varied between a reconstruction and reclamation project.