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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-30-12-WS lt EN HILLS Approved: February 27, 2012 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING JANUARY 30,2012 5:30 P.M. —ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor David Grant called to order the City Council Work Session meeting at 5:30 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes,Nick Tamble and Ed Werner. Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; City Planner Meagan Beekman; and Deputy Clerk Rebecca Brazys. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilmember Holden requested that the agenda be amended to include a discussion on Keithson Drive. Council consensus was to accept the agenda as amended. 2. AGENDA ITEMS A. Meeting Schedule for Special Council Work Sessions City Administrator Klaers explained that there are a number of work session topics the Council needs to review. He has scheduled the following special work sessions prior to regular Council meetings and would appreciate Council feedback. February 13 - 5:30 p.m. To discuss a development proposal, and roles of Council Liaisons February 27— 5:15 p.m. Risk Training—Ramsey County Sheriff's Department March 12—5:30 p.m. Ramsey County Elections ARDEN HILLS JOINT COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 30, 2012 2 Council consensus was to direct staff to proceed with the work session schedule as presented. B. Old Snelling Avenue Feasibility Discussion Public Works Director Maurer stated that at the December 19th Work Session the Council gave consensus for staff to start the preparation of the Old Snelling Avenue Feasibility Study. That study could be complete in February and ready to present to Council at a regular meeting. He explained, however, that before staff places this on a February agenda, he would like to know whether the Council plans to move forward with this project in 2012. Public Works Director Maurer reviewed the following issues for the Council to consider: • The Council has engaged Kimley Horn to prepare final bridge replacement plans in an effort to acquire some State Bridge Bonding Funds to help with the construction costs. Due to the amount of time it takes to complete the hydraulic analysis and have it reviewed, these plans will not be completed and approved by the Mn/DOT Office of State Aid in time for the 2012 funding cycle. The absolute soonest the bridge could be reconstructed would be 2013. • The project could be funded using MSA funds but that may require the placement of more (thicker) bituminous surfacing to meet an MSA design. The City really will not be able to quantify the increased cost to use MSA funds without actually submitting the plans to the Office of State Aid for approval. Even after plans have been approved by the Office of State Aid, the City could still decide to fund the project with local funds and forgo the use of MSA funds on the project. • The last traffic count showed about 1,000 cars a day on Old Snelling Avenue. That number is not likely to grow significantly in the future due to the developed nature of the area and the turning restrictions at TH 51. • If the project is not undertaken in 2012, it would be best to wait past the US 10/Highway 96 project in 2013 and not do the work the same year the bridge over TH 51 is replaced, which is currently scheduled for 2015 in Mn/DOT's plan. • There are only about 27 properties that could be assessed for the street work. This is a very small number relative to the length and cost of the project. The City's Assessment Policy will not be applicable to this situation. A modification will be necessary. Public Works Director Maurer explained that the only recommendation staff would have is that if doing the Old Snelling Avenue project in 2012 would make it difficult to proceed with some of the neighborhood street projects in the CIP, staff would rather wait on the Old Snelling project. There are no serious utility issues on Old Snelling that need attention and the current street surface could be maintained for a few more years. If the Council decides to delay the Old Snelling project, the draft feasibility study will be filed until the project is actually scheduled. He also recommended that if this project is not done in 2012, it also not be done in 2013 because Highway 96 will be closed. In addition, this project should not be done when the County Road E bridge replacement is scheduled, which is currently 2015 in Mn/DOT's plan. Councilmember Holmes commented that she thought the Council had discussed proceeding with this project in 2012 so it would be done before the bridge project begins and because MSA funds would be available. ARDEN HILLS JOINT COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 30, 2012 3 Councilmember Tamble questioned how this project would affect the proposed street maintenance schedule of completing a project every other year. Public Works Director Maurer responded that in the CIP, the Edgewater neighborhood is scheduled for 2013, and the Valentine Park neighborhood in 2015, and the Floral Park neighborhood in 2017. Councilmember Tamble stated if the Old Snelling project isn't done this year, considering the other projects scheduled, it sounds like it would not be done until 2016. Public Works Director Maurer stated that it could be done in 2014 and if it's done with State Aid Funds it could be done at any time. Councilmember Holden questioned how much staff time would be required for the Highway 96 and Lexington Avenue projects. Public Works Director Maurer responded that he doesn't anticipate that a great deal of City staff time will be required. Councilmember Holden commented that there are a lot of neighborhood streets with more traffic than Old Snelling that need attention. She recommended postponing the Old Snelling project. She also commented that Council practice has been to review and accept the feasibility study and thought that should be done with the Old Snelling project whether or not the Council chooses to proceed this year. Public Works Director Maurer stated that the Council had not officially ordered the feasibility study but directed staff to start working on it. He recommended the Council approve a resolution to order the study and then he will present it. But, he also stated, he was concerned that taking action on the feasibility study and then not proceeding with the project could be an issue for residents as the feasibility study is the first step towards assessing for improvements. He offered to present the feasibility study to Council in draft form. Council consensus was to have staff present the feasibility study at an upcoming Council meeting. C. Council Appointments to Committees and Commissions City Administrator Klaers explained that before the Council Liaison appointments and appointments to various City and local Boards and Commissions, he would like to discuss the following issues: • The Beyond the Yellow Ribbon (BYR) Organization is a new committee for Suburban Ramsey County. The Council may want to make an appointment to the Steering Committee of this organization. The BYR Steering Committee meets monthly at 7:00 p.m. at the Roseville City Hall. • A new committee appointment is being requested; two Councilmembers to be placed on the B2 Corridor Advisory Committee (CAC). During Phase I of the ARDEN HILLS JOINT COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 30, 2012 4 B2 Implementation project, the CAC is expected to meet 3 times. They will likely meet during the work day. Phase I should take about six months to complete and the committee will probably continue to meet throughout the project (to be completed in about 2015). This appointment does not need to be part of the Organizational Resolution as it will be a short term type of appointment. The B2 CAC will include Councilmembers, business owners and the staff/consultant management team.. He suggested that Councilmembers Holmes and Werner be appointed as Council representatives to the CAC. Councilmember Werner is scheduled to be appointed to the EDC and has expressed interest in this B2 Committee and Councilmember Holmes has previously expressed concerns over the current B2 plan and has also expressed interest in being on this committee. Staff will also be looking for Council direction regarding the appointment of business owners onto the CAC. • Someone from the Council should be appointed to the Ramsey County League of Local Governments (RCLLG). City Administrator Klaers explained that he is the Alternate and either the representative or the Alternate can vote at the Board meeting. The RCLLG meets about 6 times a year at night for 2 hours and the Board usually meets prior to the RCLLG at 5:30 p.m. for 1 hour. • There does not appear to be a need for a Council appointment and a staff member to both attend the Karth Lake meetings. This group meets at 7:00 p.m. on a quarterly basis. The meetings are scheduled for the second Tuesday of April, July, October, and December. Typically, some of these meetings get cancelled. The group is in existence due to.state law requirements for the Karth Lake Improvement Project and assessment that was approved by the City Council • For the Northwest Youth&.Family Services (NYFS), City Administrator Klaers stated that the responsibilities of the appointee need to be discussed. It is the City's option and opportunity to have someone on the Board. The City representative does not have to be a City Councilmember. The NYFS meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 7:00 a.m. The Board has a limit of 19 members (ther'e currently are 16 members). Board members also are expected to sit on one or two of the NYFS standing committees. The NYFS has two main fundraising activities - one in the spring and one in the fall and members are expected to network and promote these events. The NYFS desires a 3-year commitment from its Board members. Councilmember Tamble stated that he would like to open the NYFS and the Yellow Ribbon appointments to community members before making appointments. Mayor Grant stated that he agrees with Councilmember Tamble. Community Development Director Hutmacher recommended the Council consider the following businesses for appointment to the B2 Corridor Advisory Committee: Anchor Bank, Arden Plaza, Brausen's Automotive, Flaherty's Arden Bowl, McDonald's, and TAT Properties. ARDEN HILLS JOINT COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 30, 2012 5 Councilmember Holmes stated that she would take the NYFS appointment until a volunteer is available. Councilmember Werner offered to serve on the Ramsey County League of Local Government. Discussion ensued and the consensus of the Council was to have staff"cast a wide net" for the B2 Corridor Advisory Committee and to advertise for volunteers to represent the City on the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Committee and Northwest Youth and Family Services. D. Update on Status of 2011 City Goals City Administrator Klaers explained that on July 11, 2011, the City Council adopted the 2011 Goals Guiding Document. This approval came after four City Council work sessions on City Goals, although the first session was devoted entirely to TCAAP. He stated that this is the first official check-in on the work that has been done on the identified goals since July. TCAAP is not on the Goals worksheet and in July 2011 it was acknowledged that TCAAP could dramatically impact the amount of time that staff had available to work on other City Goals. City Administrator Klaers explained that some of the goals on the worksheet are related to the ongoing operation and management of City departments. These ongoing tasks were identified as goals because the Council wanted to see some changes within the departments (what was being worked on and how the departments operated). On the other hand, some of the goals were clearly substantial new work projects in addition to the management of the ongoing departmental operations. City Administrator Klaers stated that it is staff s intent for this to be the first six month check- in. As the July 2011 minutes reflect, the Goals document is to be a "living plan" that will need to be changed as priorities and situations in the City change. Mayor Grant referred to the "estimated length to complete" reference in the Goals document and stated that the "year" timeframe listed is not specific enough. He stated he would like to see the timeline broken down by quarter. He also stated that each of the goals should have a defined outcome. Councilmember Holden questioned the meaning of the "ongoing" column on the goals list; she wondered if that meant that the project has been initiated. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson explained using an example, that she has not yet started the project "train all supervisors on proper procedures" but it has been labeled "ongoing" as it is something that will continually need to be looked at. Councilmember Holden commented that if a project has not been initiated it should not be labeled as "ongoing," only the initial project should be listed. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated that we could remove the ongoing column to make things clearer. ARDEN HILLS JOINT COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 30, 2012 6 Councilmember Tamble stated that Community Development Director Hutmacher's memo regarding that department's progress on goals has more substance than the chart itself. Councilmember Holden asked if Item 2c "Organize Employee Files" should be completed sooner rather than later as it had a goal of 2013. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated that there was nothing legally wrong with the files, but that she wanted to go through and put them in a more organized manner, and that the year should be 2012. Councilmember Holmes stated she has not yet had an opportunity to address her concerns with the Safety Policy referred to in 3a, so that the Council can formally adopt it. E. Keithson Drive Discussion Councilmember Holden stated she had received two complaints, one via email and a phone call, from residents concerned about construction traffic on Keithson Drive, such as cement trucks and trucks with construction materials and blocks. She referred to the Council minutes of the meeting when the Pulte development was approved and the Council had stated that no construction traffic would be allowed. Public Works Director Maurer commented that the problem is that Pulte hires contractors who hire subcontractors. The drivers delivering material refer to GPS for the delivery route and it directs them to Keithson Drive. One extreme solution would be to block Keithson at Highway 96 and have Pulte post signs "No outlet to Highway 96,"but that would impact residents as well. He added that if this had been a typical winter with heavy snow, the type three barricades normally used would be down already because it would be very difficult to plow around them. Mayor Grant asked if the deliveries can be directed to the entrance off Snelling Avenue with signage. Public Works Director Maurer stated that even with signage, some of the drivers will continue to use Keithson. Any barricade at Highway 96 would require notification at the turn lane on Highway 96. He stated that at some point there will be moving trucks for the new residents and then landscaping trucks. He added that the main concern he has heard from residents is whether or not the construction traffic will destroy the roadway and then the City would be assessing the residents to pay for repairs. He stated that the roadway is frozen now and can support the construction traffic. In the spring there will be a weight restriction on those roads which will be monitored by the sheriff. Councilmember Holden questioned why Keithson couldn't be marked "No Through Traffic" which would stop the construction vehicles but not the residents. ARDEN HILLS JOINT COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 30, 2012 7 Public Works Director Maurer commented that it is his experience that if a personal car or SUV can utilize a road, a delivery truck can also get through. Councilmember Holmes stated that if the City cannot practically control construction traffic, the Council shouldn't include a restriction on construction traffic and should let the neighborhood know why it is difficult to control. Mayor Grant commented that Pulte has to have encountered this type of issue before. Public Works Director Maurer offered to contact Pulte and make it their responsibility to come up with a way to monitor the construction traffic. 3. COUNCIL COMMENTS & STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holden stated that residents recently called 911 about an uncovered manhole but dispatch didn't contact Public Works for almost 30 minutes. City Administrator Klaers stated that he would look into that incident and report back. Mayor Grant asked about the progress on the utility rates. Director of Finance and Administrative Services stated she has not started the process yet but it is scheduled to come to Council in late February or early March for implementation by second quarter. City Planner Beekman stated the Community Clean-up Event is scheduled for the third Saturday in May from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 6:57 p.m. _ Patrick Klaers David Grant City Administrator Mayor