02-18-2020-WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — FEBRUARY 18, 2020 9 Mayor Grant recommended the crew focus on buckthorn removal on Old Snelling between Bethel University and Highway 96 because this would open up the view of the lake. Councilmember Holden suggested landscaping at the City parking lot be completed by the crew after all the concrete work was completed. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom thanked the Council for their feedback and noted the contract with IC W C would be placed on an upcoming agenda for approval. E. Public Works Capital Equipment Replacements Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom stated the 2020 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) includes three equipment items for replacement consisting of two pickup trucks and a tool cat unit. In addition, the CIP identifies replacement of unit 120, one of the three main snow plow vehicles in the years 2023 and 2024. Unit 120 recently required significant mechanical repairs. Staff is recommending early replacement of the vehicle due to anticipated future repair costs and impacts to plowing operations when Unit 120 is out of service. This work session item was requested by Public Works staff to discuss the vehicles currently scheduled for replacement in 2020 and potential changes to the capital equipment CIP to allow early replacement of Unit 120. Public Works Superintendent Frid provided a brief summary of the vehicles being proposed for replacement and discussed how future vehicle purchases would be shifted. Councilmember Holden expressed concern with the frequency and cost for tire replacements on the City's plows. Public Works Superintendent Frid discussed how plowing the City's trails and streets put a great deal of wear and tear on vehicles. He described how he was trying to stay ahead of vehicle maintenance. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom commented on the critical nature of the City losing one of the plow trucks in the winter and how this impacts operations. Councilmember Holden stated she could support the 435 and 120 purchases and possibly even 203. She asked how long it would take the City to receive a new truck. Public Works Superintendent Frid estimated this would be four months for the pickup trucks and a longer delivery time for the plow truck. Councilmember McClung encouraged staff to continue gathering data on the Public Works fleet expenses and maintenance in order to assist the Council with making better informed decisions going forward. Council consensus was to support Table 2 provided in the agenda memo and the necessary modifications to the CIP. G. HVAC Discussion