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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION OCTOBER 14, 20136 City Administrator Klaers commented that the property owners were not interested in adding curbs or medians to the shared driveway for access reasons. He indicated that the property has existed in its current condition for quite some time. He explained that staff could speak to the property owners further regarding this matter. Mr. Thomas discussed the project costs noting they had remained constant at $1.8 million with half of the expense being covered by Ramsey County. He indicated MnDOT would be contributing $14,000 for signal work at the Connelly Avenue intersection. The remainder of the project costs would have to be funded by the City. He commented that the City could choose to assess a portion of this expense to the benefiting property owners. He explained that he and City staff discussed this matter with the City Attorney, Tom Scott, and it was found that the proposed aesthetic improvements would not reach as far as the operational roadway improvements. For this reason, the general advice was to consider the adjacent properties to be the ones benefiting from the proposed aesthetic improvements, while the entire B-2 District would benefit from the operational improvements. Mr. Thomas ties, which was approximately $430,000. He reviewed the proposed assessment amounts for each lot along County Road E noting the rates would range from $150 to $84,000 depending on the parcel. He found that the methodology used for the assessment rates gave a fair representation of benefit based on the size of each parcel. Councilmember Holden reported that several properties along County Road E were required to put sidewalks in and have not. She recommended this work be completed. Public Works Director Maurer understood ttreet Flats were required to have sidewalks. Agreements were reached with the City or escrow funds have been set aside for these improvements. This work has been delayed due to the changes that were proposed for County Road E. He explained that another side of this issue was that some property owners had put sidewalks in that would be removed or altered through this project. Councilmember Holmes recommended that the Pine Tree Drive property be further reviewed to ensure that the pedestrian trail required by Bethel University was addressed. She questioned if the lighting expense for this project was correct. Public Works Director Maurer stated that the lighting for the project was estimated to be $500,000. He reiterated that this was an estimate and the actual expense may be reduced after the Feasibility Study was complete. Councilmember Holden asked if any of the water lines would be replaced through this project. Public Works Director Maurer stated that the water lines would be inspected, but a full replacement was not planned. Councilmember McClung requested further information on how the project would be assessed.