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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-14-11-R --�Q2EN HILLS - Approved: CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 14,2011 7:00 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor David Grant called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant, Councilmembers Fran Holmes, Brenda Holden, Ed Werner, and Nicholas Tamble. Absent: None. Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; Civil Engineer Kristine Giga; and Recording Secretary Tina Borg. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilmember Holden requested Item 4B be pulled from the Consent Calendar. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to Approve the Agenda as amended. The motion carried unanimous) 2. PUBLIC INQUIRIESANFORMATIONAL A. Arden Hills Army Training Site--Update Colonel Scott St. Sauver stated the Minnesota National Guard's goal is to provide the best possible support, facilities, ranges, and resources enabling customers to safely train in a realistic environment while maintaining positive community relations. The Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS) is a sustainable training site able to accommodate all training needs for our military and civilian customers. He stated the current and future development of the site includes: Arden Hills Army Readiness Center (AHARC) construction Phase I/Phase 1I, Facility Maintenance Shop (FMS), Armory/Training and Community Center (TALC), and the Joint Forces Headquarters (JFHQ). He also provided a Master Plan for the property based on future development. He let the City Council know that currently the National Guard is preparing for flooding in the State. The Guard is also working with the EPA regarding the rcmediation control design, which will enable ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—March 14, 2011 2 2.A. Arden Hills Army Training Site— Update (continued) - AHATS to be opened to programs for the community, especially the young people in the community. They are currently talking with Homeland Security about moving their facilities to the Arden Hills location. He stated the Army is also working with the County in regards to the land they will be using as part of their trails. He clarified there is no live ammunition fired at the site. There are occasional blanks fired at the site but this would be announced to the community prior to the training operation. Mayor Grant stated he would like to see this presentation become an annual occurrence. He stated the boy scouts would like to be able to camp on the AHATS property but they are currently not able to due to the environmental status. Colonel Scott St. Sauver stated the property is currently cleaned up to industrial standards but he would like to have the property cleaned up to a higher level because the Army does not want to take any risks. He clarified he does not have a time line for the cleanup at this time. The EPA is currently reviewing their Land Use Controls Remediation Design (LUCRD) document. He stated they want to see what the EPA says about this before a time line can be established. Mayor Grant asked the Army to provide clear signage so that members of the community begin to make the distinction between the AHATS property and the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant(TCAAP)property. Colonel Scott St. Sauver stated they would look at signage and also the possibility of doing some marketing to make the public more aware. He will also look into possibly hosting an open house and involving the media along with additional community education. Councilmember Holden asked if the charette that will be taking place in March is for the building being planned or if it was for the building currently under construction. Colonel Scott St. Sauver stated the charette is for the building being planned at this time. They are not executing anything at this time but rather they are still in the design stages. There will be several charettes before the project planning is complete. Councilmember Holden asked for clarification regarding the amount of aviation at this location. Colonel Scott St. Sauver stated there is no proposed change in the aviation at this time. There will still be limited landings and other movements. They will be building an aviation support area in the future but this is not for increased aviation traffic. Councilmember Holden requested the buckthorn on the property be cleaned up. Councilmember Holmes stated residents are interested in ski trails and the ski clubs and ski teams would like to have access to the property. Colonel Scott St. Sauver stated ski trails are something that will be looked at in the future. At this time, there are no areas that are cleaned up enough for this type of public access. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—March 14, 2011 3 2.A. Arden Hills Army Training Site-- Update (continued) - Councilmember Tamble asked about the renewable energy that would be used on the property. Colonel Scott St. Sauver stated there are a few installations that are selected to test different types of renewable energy. There are three areas of renewable energy that can be applied for: water, energy, and waste. The Arden Hills site has chosen to apply to be a test site for renewable energy. He explained the application is being looked at and if the Arden Hills site is selected, Federal funds will be available to be used. Mayor Grant stated Camp Ripley has been recognized for their great environmental stewardship and this is the same stewardship that Arden Hills has. Colonel Scott St. Sauver stated good environmental stewardship was needed in order to provide proper training for their customers. Councilmember Holden asked about the award that Mr. Hamernick had received. Mr, Dave Hamernick, Army National Guard, stated Camp Ripley had received an award for having the best environmental procedures in place for all military installations. PUBLIC Mayor Grant opened the Public Inquiries/Informational at 7.34 p.m. Mr. Gregg Larson, 3377 North Snelling Avenue, Arden Hills, expressed concerns about the communications from the City, especially concerning talks about the Vikings Stadium proposal. He stated this topic has been discussed several times behind closed doors and when it was discussed in public the public was limited to one minute for their comments. The potential for a stadium in the City is something the residents should be able to comment on and should be included in the discussions by the City Council. He stated the City needs to have interaction with the residents regarding the proposal for a stadium on the TCAAP property. Mayor Grant closed the Public Inquiries/Informational at 7:39 p.m. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. February 7,2011, Special City Council Meeting B. February 14, 2011, Regular City Council Meeting C. February 22,2011, City Council Work Session MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to Approve the February 7 2011, Special City Council Meeting Minutes the Februar y 14 2011 Regular CitV Council Minutes and the Februar y 22 2011 City Council Work Session Minutes as presented. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—March 14, 2011 4 4. CONSENT CALENDAR - A. Claims and Payroll B. Aut'.:er4ze City Stag to Begin SuinicrWork irvuYs���a�i ti 2011, C. Public Works Union Contract MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as amended and to authorize execution of all necessary documentsherein. The contained t motion carried unanimously(S-O). Councilmember Werner asked about voting on minutes that you were not present for. He stated the Minnesota League of Cities has stated that if you were not present for a meeting you should excuse yourself from voting on the minutes. He asked if this was the case in Arden Hills. Councilmember Grant stated Arden Hills has always had all Councilmembers approve the minutes, even for those meetings when they were absent. This allows all Councilmembers the opportunity to comment on the minutes. 5. PULLED CONSENT ITEMS A. Authorize City Staff to Begin Summer Work Hours on May 16, 2011 and Conclude on September 2, 20It City Administrator Patrick Klaers stated for several years, the City has changed its hours to "summer hours" after Memorial Day. The summer schedule enables extended hours of City services for construction contractors and residents who have construction projects or other City business. In 2009, the City began to authorize summer hours in mid-May to provide additional extended hours and to provide for a 4-hour workday on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. Councilmember Holden stated she had reviewed the minutes and did not see a reason for authorizing the summer hours to start before Memorial Day. She suggested the summer hours be what is traditionally considered summer and start the Monday after Memorial Day and end the day after Labor Day. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to_.Authorize City Staff to Begin Summer Work Hours on May 31, 2011, and Conclude on September 2,2011. Councilmember Tamble asked how the hours are calculated for the early off on Friday and if there were any efficiencies that could be gained by changing to summer hours two weeks earlier than the traditional start of summer. City Administrator Klaers stated the traditional workweek is five 8-hour days and during the summer hours Staff would be working four 9-hour days and 4-hours on Fridays. Other than what has been previously noted, there are no additional efficiencies gained by starting summer hours two weeks earlier. ..... ..... . ... ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—March 14, 2011 5 S.A. Authorize City Staff to Begin Summer Work Hours on May 16, 2011 and Conclude on September 2, 2011 (continued) Mayor Grant stated residents are used to the City setting summer hours, but he is not in favor of starting it earlier than the day after Memorial Day. The motion was called to a vote. The motion carried (4-1) (Tamble- Nay). 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS A. Consider Adopting Amended 5 Year Equipment Capital Improvement Plan Public Works Director Terry Maurer stated that on January 18, 2011, the City Council held a work session at the Public Works facility where a discussion of current issues pertaining to the operation of the Public Works crew tools place. One of the issues presented was a proposal to change the fleet makeup in an effort to make the infrastructure maintenance tasks more efficient and to add more redundancy from an equipment standpoint to critical tasks performed by our Public Works crew. He provided a summary of the projects by year from the current adopted 5- year Equipment CIP and a proposed amended plan. The total expenditure over the five year period is approximately the same and the year-by-year expenditure is lower in 2011 and 2012 in the proposed plan as compared to the adopted plan. He reviewed the major changes in the amended plan including specific fleet changes, the addition of two zero-turn mowers, replacement of the existing dump trucks, and addition of a used dump truck (for a third plow truck eliminating the need for the front-end loader to plow streets). The proposed plan has been reviewed with the Director of Finance and Administrative Services. He clarified that any 2011 purchase would still come before the City Council for approval. Mayor Grant clarified the "Bobcat Program" was a cost of $2,500 per year and this did not include any attachments. Public Works Director Maurer stated the City would purchase some attachments this year and keep them from year to year because they will work on new equipment obtained each year. He also stated the City would purchase a Skid Steer and then pay approximately $2,500 per year after this to be in the "Bobcat Program". The City would then "trade-in" the skid steer every twelve months for a new one. Mayor Grant stated the action being requested is to amend the Equipment Capital Improvement Plan which had been created prior to Public Works Director Maurer's employment with the City. He added that Mr. Maurer has gone through the program in detail and determined ways for the City to gain greater efficiencies and increased productivity. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL--March 14, 2011 6 7.A, Consider Adopting Amended 5 Year Equipment Capital Improvement Plan (updated) - Councilmember Holmes asked for clarification regarding the snowplows the City currently has. Public Works Director Maurer stated the City currently has 2 dump trucks that are used as snowplows and a front-end loader that is used to plow snow. The front-end loader is not efficient and is not able to lay salt like the dump trunks. He is suggesting the City replace one of the City's current dump trucks with a new one and also purchase a used dump truck in 2011. This will increase the City's snowplow fleet to three dump trucks. Councilmember Holden asked if the City had a plan for conserving energy with the rising price of gas. Mayor Grant stated the City purchases gas from the County. He asked Public Works Director Maurer to find out what the City is currently paying for gas. Public Works Director Maurer stated there are programs that could be used such as a "no idling" rule that can be looked into MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Werner seconded a motion to Approve the Amended 2011-2015 Equipment Capital Improvement Plan. Councilmember Holmes stated Public Works Director Maurer did a nice job with this amendment as well as clarifying the changes for the Council. Mayor Grant stated Public Works Director Maurer did a good job looking at the program and finding ways for the City to gain efficiencies and increase productivity. He agreed the "Bobcat Program" will be beneficial to the City and the use of the zero-turn rnowers will save the City time and money. The City would also benefit from having three snowplows. The motion was called to a vote. The motion carried unanimously(5-0). 8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Adopt Resolution 2011-012: Declaring Cost to be Assessed and Ordering Preparation of Proposed Assessments for the 2011 Pavement Management Program Adopt Resolution2011-013: Providing for Assessment Hearing for the 2011 Pavement Management Program ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—March 14, 2011 7 8.A, Adopt Resolution 2011-012: Declaring Cost to be Assessed and Ordering Preparation of Proposed Assessments for the 2011 Pavement Management Program and Adopt Resolution 2011-013: Providing for Assessment Hearing for the 2011 Pavement Management Program (continued) Civil Engineer Kristine Giga stated on January 31, 2011, the City Council approved the plans and specifications for the 2011 Pavement Management Program and ordered advertisement for bids. Portions of the costs for the 2011 PMP project are proposed to be assessed to the benefiting properties. In order to assess these costs, the City must follow the Public Hearing steps outlined in State Statute 429. The first step in the assessment process is to adopt a resolution declaring costs to be assessed and ordering the preparation of assessment rolls. The next step is for the City Council to adopt a resolution setting a hearing date for the assessments. Public hearings are required in order to assess the cost of public improvements. Based on the bids received, Staff recommends moving forward with the project. Staff is requesting City Council direction to move forward with the assessment hearing process and preparing the assessment roll based on the contract prices submitted by the low bidder. The low bid submitted by Astech Corporation, is 16% lower than the Engineer's construction estimate. A bid alternate was included to obtain a price for the construction of a grit chamber. Staff has been working with Rice Creek Watershed District to determine the permit needs for this project, and at the time of bidding, the benefit of a grit chamber compared to other storm water treatment alternatives was unknown. At this time, Staff is proposing to include the bid alternate. The contract amount includes this cost. The City's portions of the project costs are currently budgeted in the Permanent Improvement Revolving Fund (PIR) and Utility Enterprise Funds. The project to be assessed is consistent with the City's assessment policy, which states that 50% of the costs for roadway improvements will be assessed to residential properties, and the remaining portion financed using various City funds. As part of the feasibility report, Staff recommended that the contractor's bid prices be used to calculate assessment rates, as opposed to the engineer's estimate, as stated in the assessment policy. Based on 138 single-family units and 306 multi-family/townhouse units the assessment would be: $2,732.30 for single-family homes and $592.21 for multi-family/townhouse units. There are four tax-exempt units in this project area. On past projects, the City Council has removed the tax- exempt units from the assessment roll. If the City Council decides to do so with this project, the assessment amounts would be 134 single-family units at $2,813.86 each. Staff is seeking direction from the City Council as to the interest rate to be used with the 2011 assessments. Options for the interest rate includes 5.5% which is 2% over prime, or 4.4% which is 2% over the City annualized rate of return. Staff is also recommending setting the payment period for the 2011 PMP to 7 years and setting the assessment hearing date for April 25, 2011. Councilmember Holden stated the bid was 16% lower than the engineering estimate. She asked how much of this decrease was for sewer and how much was from the road construction. Civil Engineer Giga stated the decrease in the actual contract cost versus the engineering estimate was evenly split between both the utility costs and the road construction costs. Councilmember Holden clarified that Roseville has worked with Astech Corporation in the past. Civil Engineer Giga stated this was correct. Councilmember Werner asked what a grit chamber was. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—March 14, 2011 S 8.A. Adopt Resolution 2011-012: Declaring Cost to be Assessed and Ordering Preparation of - Proposed Assessments for the 2011 Pavement Management Program and Adopt Resolution2011-013: Providing for Assessment Hearing for the 2011 Pavement Management Program (continued) Civil Engineer Giga stated a grit chamber is a large manhole that has mechanisms inside that receive the storm water and allows more detention time. This results in more of the sediment being removed before the water goes into the City sewer system. At this time Staff is recommending the grit chamber be included and this is part of the contract amount listed in the memo. The information regarding the grit chambers is being submitted to Rice Creek Watershed District for a potential sharing of the cost. The City will find out in mid-May the details on the potential cost sharing. Councilmember Holden stated past practice in the City is for neighborhoods to pay for parks. She would support the number of units being assessed as 134 units. Also based on past City practice she would recommend a term of 7 years and an interest of 4.4%. Councilmember Holmes stated she would support the lower interest rate because it is a fair amount for the residents and the City. She stated she would also support a term of 7 years and 134 units because this is how the City has done past assessments. Councilmember Werner clarified this amount would be assessed on property taxes if it was not paid within the 30 day limit. Mayor Grant stated he would support past practice in assessments and this would result in having 134 units assessed at 4.4%. He would not recommend a term beyond 7 years. Councilmember Tamble stated he would support the 134 units but he would like to see the term extended to 9 years. - Mayor Grant stated the City is at risk if interest rates go up and this is why he would not recommend a term of more than 7 years. If the term were increased he would recommend raising the interest rate as well. Councilmember Werner stated he would support an interest rate of 4.4% and a term of 7 years. MOTION: May Grant moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to Adopt Resolution 2011-012: Declaring cost to be assessed and ordering preparation of proposed assessments for the 2011 Pavement Management Program based on 134 units, a term of 7 years, and an interest rate of 4.4%. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to adopt Resolution 2011-013: Providing for Assessment Hearing for the 2011 Pavement Management Program on April 25 2011. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). Councilmember Holden asked when the project would start. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—March 14, 2011 9 8.A. Adopt Resolution 2011-012: Declaring Cost to be Assessed and Ordering Preparation of - Proposed Assessments for the 2011 Pavement Management Program and Adopt Resolution2011-013: Providing for Assessment Hearing for the 2011 Pavement Management Program (continued) Civil Engineer Giga stated the project will start 2-4 weeks after the awarding of the bid and this is expected at the April 25 or May 9, 2011, meeting. 9. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Tamble stated he had attended the ribbon cutting for the Red Cross located off County Road E. This facility is open for blood donations. Councilmember Holden stated she did not want to see the Public Inquiries section of the Council Meeting become a battlefield. She stated in regards to Mr. Larson's comments, the City Council has not been conducting meetings behind closed doors in regards to the Viking's Stadium proposal. At this time, the City does not have any information to give the residents. Ramsey County is the entity that is negotiating with the Vikings and the City is simply staying involved to be sure the interests of the City are addressed. The City Council had discussed the Ramsey County proposal for a Vikings Stadium because this was something that was being discussed by the County and the City needed to have a response prepared. This took place at a public meeting and anyone could have attended. Councilmember Holmes stated the residents do not want the City to spend a lot of time and money on the Vikings Stadium project. When there is something for the City to act on, it will respond, but at this time there is nothing to respond to. The City Council does make every effort to respond to resident's questions. Councilmember Holmes stated she has asked Public Works Director Maurer to look at the water problems on the Safe Routes to School Trail to resolve the icing and flooding problem. Councilmember Holmes stated she will miss the April 6 Planning Commission meeting and Councilmember Tamble will be attending in her place. Councilmember Holden stated Charlie Kachel let her know that one of his neighbors had their door kicked in and they were burglarized. The incident happened 10 minutes after the person had left their home. She had talked to the Sheriff about notifying the neighborhood crime watch contacts so they can let the residents in their neighborhoods know about the problem. She reminded residents to be sure they are locking their doors. Mayor Grant stated the City has received a response from the Department of Transportation in regards to the joint meeting that was held February 9 at Senator Goodwin's office. Mayor Grant stated the City had also received a letter from Mounds View in regards to their wellhead program. The project does not affect the City but they are required to notify the surrounding communities. A copy of this letter will also be forwarded to the Council. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—March 14, 2011 10 9. Council Comments (continued) - Mayor Grant stated the City has been awarded the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) award and the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) award for excellence in accounting. The City is also in contention for the award in budgeting. This is a prestigious award and the City would like to thank the Finance Department for their hard work. The formal presentation of this award will be in 8-10 weeks. Mayor Grant stated, in response to the questions raised during the public inquiries section, the Vikings are in the press and a potential stadium in Arden Hills is out there. There is not a specific plan, but Arden Hills does view themselves as a potential site. Beyond this there is not anything new to report to the residents. Mr. Larson does have a lot of time invested in the development of the mixed-use proposal for the TCAAP property. He assured residents that the Council has not had meetings behind closed doors and when there is something specific it will be addressed by the City. The residents have stated they do not want the City to spend a lot of time and money on potential project. He clarified the Public Inquiries/Informational section of the meeting is not a time for debate. ADJOURN MOTION. Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmcs seconded a motion to adiourn. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). Mayor Grant adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at 8:51 p.m. Patrick Klaers David Grant City Administrator Mayor