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. . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - SEPTEMBER 11, 2000 29 Mayor Probst asked the City Engineer ifhe needed more direction on the rain garden issue, Mr. Brown felt that the rain gardens should be pursued in the identified areas if the residents are really interested in them, Councilmember Aplikowski stated that she would not be in favor of rain gardens if this required the streets to be dug up and utilities to be relocated. Mr. Brown stated that the identified areas for rain gardens would not require this type of work. Mr. Brown stated that prior to the revision of the feasibility report, the residents of this neighborhood should be asked if they are willing to have rain gardens in front of their homes. Mayor Probst was not certain that this must happen before the feasibility report, Councilmember Rem felt that the identified residents should be asked ifthey would be willing to have rain gardens as soon as possible, Mayor Probst moved the discussion to the issue of closing Hamline Avenue. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that Hamline A venue should not be closed and landscaped, Rather, she felt that it if nothing is done to this roadway it would eventually to go back to a natural area, Mayor Probst expressed support for the closing of Hamline A venue, He stated that the road should be removed and the area turned into an amenity for the neighborhood. He stated that he was not certain why this portion of roadway had been built, He stated that reconstructing thc road would be a large expense for access to only a one block area. He acknowledged that the result of this closure would be an increase in traffic on the other streets, However, the traffic counts were shown to still be below the residential standard, Councilmember Rem expressed support for the closure of Hamline Avenue. She felt that this would allow more flexibility for the ponds along Hamline Avenue, She stated that the cost to keep the road open was too high versus the benefits of using the land for more drainage, Councilmember Larson expressed support for the closure of Hanlline Avenue for the reasons stated, He noted that the residents have expressed concern of adding more impervious surface and he felt that this section of roadway was not needed, Councilmember Grant stated that he too supported the closure of Hamline A venue, He stated that he would like to review detailed plans of how this area will be made an amenity for the neighborhood. Ms. Swanson stated that the reason the Task Force had been split on this issues was due to concerns of extra traffic and speed of traffic on the other roads, She hoped that the City Council would task the City Engineer to look at appropriate landscaping, not just for the beauty of the area, but for the safety as wcll.