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. . .- . . . . . . .~ . . . . . . . .e . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH II. 1996 3 will take one to three feet of his front yard. Mr. McDermott noted he contacted two realtors, who stated in their opinion, the property value will likely depreciate if the road is widened. He also contacted a landscaper, whose opinion indicated, he could lose the mature oaks and pine trees along the boulevard if the street is widened. Mr. McDermott stated there is no through-traffic on Pascal Avenue, and that the 21-foot width is wide enough to park three firetrucks side-by-side, if necessary. He offered photographs to the Council of his home and Pascal A venue. Acting Mayor Aplikowski noted that with curbs, the widened road could be 26 feet in width. Councilmember Hicks noted that the south end of Pascal Avenue, which connects with County Road E, is currently 26 feet wide. He inquired if the Fire Marshall had offered his opinion on the street width. Brian Fritsinger, City Administrator, stated staff had not yet discussed this issue with the Fire Marshall. Council member Hicks inquired ifthe City had sufficient right-of-way for Pascal Avenue. Mr. Fritsinger replied the original proposal from Greg Stonehouse, the Consulting City Engineer, was for a 32 foot wide street, with no need for acquisition of private property. Mr. McDermott inquired why the City wished to hurt the property owners; he stated the neighborhood would not look right if the street was widened. Councilmember Hicks replied it was not the Council's intent to hurt property owners, but was merely clarifying the right-of~way. He stated that if 21 feet is wide enough to be adequate for public safety vehicles to pass safely, he would be inclined not to widen Pascal, as it is a dead end street. Council member Malone suggested the street could be tapered. He stated it needs to be done for drainage purposes. Councilmember Malone noted that three fire trucks abreast is physically possible, but not practical in reality, as they must be able to operate. Mr. McDermott inquired if therc was a parks staff person who could look at the trees along Pascal Avenue and give their opinion if they would be damaged during construction. Mr. Fritsinger stated the City does not have a specific staff person for tree preservation, but noted the standards for tree preservation are well known throughout cities, and the City would work with the residents to save as many trces as possible during construction. Acting Mayor Aplikowski stated the Council will review this issue again and do its best to lessen the impact on Pascal Avenue. Gloria Kuehn, 3581 Ridgewood Road, inquired if a final decision had been made regarding Ridgewood Road construction. She noted a large drain should be included in the plans, as standing water is a problem on the end of Ridgewood Road and Ridgewood Court from the