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. . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - AUGUST 25. 1997 8 happened yet He stated the City has 90 days to act on these bids, and could either return them to the bidders, or hold them for a short period oftime while the Welsh issues are being resolved. Mayor Probst suggested holding onto the bids for the moment, as the City has only just received them. He inquired what issues are holding up the Welsh agreements. Mr. Fritsinger stated the main issues are property acquisition dates. Mayor Probst inquired what the issue was with the property acquisitions. Mr. Fritsinger stated Welsh is mainly concerned with the high cost of soil correction on some of the parcels. Welsh is reluctant to close on these parcels until the exact soil correction figures are known. There are various soil experts working on proposals at the moment. Mayor Probst agreed that work should not continue in this area until those issues are resolved. Mr. Ringwald stated that work cannot continue until these issues are resolved, as the property would not be Welsh property until the purchase agreements are finalized. Mr. Stonehouse stated the figures for the 14th Street work came in slightly lower than originally estimated. Councilmember Malone stated the low bidder should be contacted and told of this situation, and that tlleir bid may not be acted on in the near future. Mr. Fritsinger stated the City's concern with these delays, stating the bid probably could not be awarded until mid- to late September, and the actual work would not be started until 2-3 weeks after that point. He stated Welsh is also aware of these construction delay issues, and stated the City will be meeting with Welsh on August 26, 1997, to discuss this project in more detail. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Keirn referred to a recent article in the Bulletin, stating the article may have misled citizens, as it is not clear whether a pedestrian trail will be constructed over 1-35W or over Highway 10. She stated it may be helpful to try and let citizens know of the City's position, and of the errors that were in this article. Mr. Fritsinger stated this issue was discussed with staff ofthe Bulletin, and they reported on the conversations that went on at the meeting. Mayor Probst stated the article may lead people to believe that a safe pedestrian trail with no vehicle conflicts will be built over 1-35W, and this is not the case. Councilmember Keirn agreed, stating the article makes the bridge sound much safer than the City believes it will be.