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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL – APRIL 26, 2021 11 He commented the City was proposing to shrink the shoulder on the east side, to shrink the driving lanes and then to create a walking shoulder on the west side of the roadway. Mayor Grant questioned what the shoulder width would be on the east side of the roadway. Interim Public Works Director Swearingen indicated this would be up to the City but given the steep slope of the land adjacent to the shoulder, staff was recommending the shoulder not be any less than six feet. Mayor Grant reported this would create a 12 foot shoulder on the west side of the roadway. Interim Public Works Director Swearingen stated this was correct. Councilmember Holden asked if it was traffic safety engineers that put the two options together for the City to consider. Interim Public Works Director Swearingen explained this was the case. Councilmember Scott questioned if the assessment to the residents was the same between Option 1 and Option 2. Mayor Grant reported this was correct. Councilmember Holden commented she received calls and emails from residents that want the trail as well as calls and emails from residents that do not want the trail. She stated she would be willing to postpone action on this project in order to allow staff to speak with MSA staff to see if the roadway can be narrowed and a trail created on the existing roadway that would meet everyone’s needs. She indicated it was a goal to have trails throughout the entire City, but noted the franchise fee was defeated by the residents. She reported the Council tries to partner with people and that was how trails have been completed. She explained the City has worked to complete a lot of trails in the past 10 years. She stated she did not feel guilty about installing a shoulder trail if it was safe. Mayor Grant stated he was surprised by the number of people who said a wider shoulder would be sufficient and did not want the trail. He indicated he wanted the shoulder to be safe. He explained if the Council had more questions that had to be brought to the MSA, he did not have a problem postponing action on this item. He commented it was clear this roadway had to be redone and was beyond its serviceable life. He stated he would rather delay action than rush the project through without having an optimal decision. Councilmember Holmes indicated staff needed direction on how to proceed for Area 1, whether that be Option 1 or Option 2. She questioned if the Council could move Option 2 forward directing staff to speak with the MSA to see if narrowing travel lanes and a shoulder trail option was viable. Mayor Grant asked how things were looking in terms of the project timeline.