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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-09-15-WSAGENDA ITEMS Municipal State Aid (MSA) System Update Terry Maurer, Public Works Director MEMO.PDF Mounds View High School Trail Update Terry Maurer, Public Works Director MEMO.PDF, ATTACHMENT A.PDF Gateway Sign At Cleveland And County Road D Discussion Terry Maurer, Public Works Director MEMO.PDF, ATTACHMENT A.PDF COUNCIL/STAFF COMMENTS ADJOURN Mayor: David Grant Councilmembers: Brenda Holden Fran Holmes Dave McClung Robert Woodburn Special City Council Work Session Agenda February 9, 2015 5:30 p.m. City Hall Address: 1245 W Highway 96 Arden Hills MN 55112 Phone: 651 -792 -7800 Website : www.cityofardenhills.org City Vision Arden Hills is a strong community that values its unique environmental setting, strong residential neighborhoods, vital business community, well -maintained infrastructure, fiscal soundness, and our long -standing tradition as a desirable City in which to live, work, and play. CALL TO ORDER 1. 1.A. Documents: 1.B. Documents: 1.C. Documents: 2. Page 1 of 2 DATE: February 9, 2015 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers Patrick Klaers, City Administrator FROM: Terry Maurer, Public Works Director SUBJECT: Municipal State Aid (MSA) System Update There are a number of projects planned in the City over the next couple of years that are eligible to use MSA funding. As such, it seems appropriate to give the Council an update on the financial status of the MSA system. But first, a brief background on the MSA system overall may be helpful. The MSA system was established in 1956 as a way to provide funding to counties and cities (over 5,000 in population) for their use on roadways that make an integrated network of highways, county roads and city streets. This funding is in recognition that traffic from outside the communities travel on main streets through the communities and should help to fund these streets. The funding source is three fold; gas taxes, vehicle license fees and motor vehicle sales tax. The distribution is established by State Constitution; 62% to the highway system, 29% to the county system and 9% to cities over 5,000 in population In 2014 these three funding sources amounted to $1.760 billion dollars. The cities’ 9% share amounted to $154.6 million dollars. In 2014 there were 148 cities with a population of 5,000 or greater. The cities’ 9% is then distributed to these 148 cities by two measures; population and needs (needs is simply a mathematical calculation to determine on an “apples to apples” basis how much it would cost to build out the entire MSA system which is then used to distribute 50% of the city’s 9% share). Generally, each city on the MSA system is allowed to designate 20% of their local mileage as MSA routes (currently the Arden Hills MSA system contains 7.53 miles). In 2014 funds distribution each person was worth $20.95 and each $1,000 of need was worth $12.04. Arden Hills’ 2014 MSA allotment was $317,145. A 25% portion ($72,286 in 2014) of our annual allotment is designated for maintenance and submitted directly to the City in the year it is allotted. The remaining 75% ($237,859) is placed in the City’s construction account at MnDOT until it is requested for an MSA eligible project cost. AGENDA ITEM – 1A MEMORANDUM Page 2 of 2 The City can expect to continue to receive annual allotments in the same general range in the foreseeable future. Recently, our construction funds have been used for two projects: the mill and overlay of Snelling Avenue North and the reconstruction of Round Lake Road which will be completed in the early summer of 2015. Those two projects will essentially empty the City’s construction fund as of the end of 2014. However, there are several projects coming up, led by the City, County and MnDOT that will have MSA eligible expenses for the City. These include the following projects with their estimated MSA eligible amounts: 1. Round Lake Road (estimate remaining MSA eligibility) $267,000 2. Lexington Avenue (Ramsey County) $ 77,700 3. Lexington Avenue Right-of-Way (Ramsey County) $183,600 4. County Road E (City led) $487,000 5. Pine Tree Drive Sidewalk (part of CR E project) $ 43,600 6. I-35W/Hwy 96 Interchange (Ramsey County) $140,000 7. Lake Valentine Road Bridge (MnDOT) $150,000 8. Mounds View High School Trail (City led) $ 400,000 The MSA system does allow cities to ask for an interest free advance for the state wide pool of construction funds. The limit for a city the size of Arden Hills is five times our annual allotment. On January 26th the Council adopted the necessary Resolution to ask for an advance in 2015 of up to $1.1 million. Advances are not provided to cities until MSA eligible expenses are incurred and reimbursement from MnDOT is requested. Advances are paid back by future year’s construction allotments. At Monday’s Work Session I will have a map of the City’s MSA system available and will be able to answer questions and/or go further into depth on any MSA issues. Page 1 of 2 DATE: February 9, 2015 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers Patrick Klaers, City Administrator FROM: Terry Maurer, Public Works Director SUBJECT: MVHS Trail Update MnDOT will be replacing the County Road F (Lake Valentine Road) Bridge over 35W in 2015. The new bridge will include a 10 foot wide pedestrian facility on the south side. The City of Arden Hills has had an item in its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for several years to construct a trail from the old bridge over 35W to the Mounds View High School. Last fall the Council hired Kimley Horn (who was already working with New Brighton on the west side of the bridge) to complete a final design for this trail working with MnDOT to try to coordinate it with the bridge replacement. For the past several months, Kimley Horn, City staff, New Brighton staff, MnDOT staff and School District staff have been working to coordinate all proposed improvements in this general area. Tonight’s Work Session item will provide an update of the outcome of these efforts. As previously mentioned to the Council, MnDOT will be building the new bridge slightly north of the current alignment. The slight shift to the north helps with trail construction by reducing the size of the retaining wall needed due to the steep slope just off the south side of the road. MnDOT will also be rebuilding approximately 500 feet of Lake Valentine Road to have it match in to the new bridge. MnDOT has agreed to rebuild the segment of Lake Valentine Road with curb and gutter on the south side. This will allow the new trail to be built immediately behind the curb thus reducing the size of the needed retaining wall even further. The total length of the trail from the new bridge to the first MVHS driveway is about 1200 feet. The trail project will have to continue the addition of curb and gutter on the south side of Lake Valentine Road the remainder of the way. In addition, this approximately 700 foot segment of Lake Valentine Road will be overlaid to blend in the new curb and the MnDOT bridge project. AGENDA ITEM - 1B MEMORANDUM Page 2 of 2 The estimated project cost for these improvements is in the $400,000 range; approximately split half curb and gutter and overlay and half retaining wall and trail construction. The total cost is Municipal State Aid (MSA) eligible. Staff has also been talking with School District staff about participating in the cost of the trail. We believe that the School District is willing to participate at a $80,000-100,000 level (approximately half of the trail cost). With regard to construct, MnDOT will not allow this work to be added to their project because it goes outside their Federally described project limits. However, New Brighton is planning a large street improvement project on the west side of the bridge and has agreed to add the trail to their project. This should provide the City of Arden Hills some cost effectiveness by being part of a much larger project. Staff is looking for Council consensus to proceed to bidding with the project and to start the agreement process with the School District for funding and a Cooperative Agreement with New Brighton for inclusion in their project for construction. Attachments Attachment A: Site Layout Page 1 of 3 DATE: February 9, 2015 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers Patrick Klaers, City Administrator FROM: Terry Maurer, Public Works Director SUBJECT: Gateway Sign at Cleveland/D Discussion Last fall the Council directed staff to work on a gateway sign installation at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and County Road D. At the September 29, 2014, Work Session staff presented Council with their findings and a quote for the sign installation. The staff findings included the reduced size of the sign (4½’ X 7’) due to restrictions in the original easement document and the need to internally light the sign due again to the small easement area that is not large enough for an external light to be mounted in front of the sign. The consensus of the Council was (attached are the September 29, 2014, minutes) the sign should be internally lit and the item should be brought back to a regular meeting for Council action. The gateway sign item was present at the October 13, 2014, regular Council meeting (attached are the October 13, 2014, minutes). At that meeting the Council passed the following motion after discussion on the issue: MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to recommend staff proceed with the installation of a 4 ½ foot high, 7 foot wide, internally lit gateway sign at the northeast corner of Cleveland Avenue and County Road D with a cost not to exceed $10,300 with a tan and green color scheme. The motion carried 3-1 (McClung opposed). After the meeting staff told Fourth Dimension the sign was authorized by the Council and they could proceed. However, staff did ask to see a mockup of the final color scheme prior to completion of the sign. Unfortunately, due to some internal issues at Fourth Dimension this did not happen. So staff immediately contacted Fourth Dimension when the sign was installed and told them the final color scheme had not been approved as requested. Fourth Dimension has been working with staff since to get some resolution to this issue. The sign has been installed and lit since late last year. Hopefully, all Council Members have had an opportunity to view the sign at night and during the day. Below is a picture of the sign during daylight hours. AGENDA ITEM – 1C MEMORANDUM Page 2 of 3 As can be seen in the above photo, the face of the sign is Arden Hills green and the Plexiglas logo has a tan covering. Due to the thickness of the Plexiglas, when lit there appears to be a small “halo” around the logo. Fourth Dimension believes this “halo” effect can be diminished or eliminated by installing the same tan film on the inside of the Plexiglas without substantially reducing the illumination. During the discussion at the Council meeting on October 13, 2014, there was some discussion about having the face of the sign Arden Hills tan and the lettering green, although the motion passed does not specifically direct this color scheme. Fourth Dimension has provided a graphic of this color scheme which is below. Page 3 of 3 Fourth Dimension has indicated they will, at their cost, remove the sign and repaint it if the Council wants this color scheme. This work would have to wait for warmer spring weather to be completed. Staff is concerned that a tan background with green lettering may not provide enough color contrast since the base of the sign is surrounded by “tan colored” rock. Staff’s recommendation would be to have the tan sheeting installed on the inside of the logo to reduce the “halo” effect but to leave the face of the sign Arden Hills green to provide a color contrast. Staff is looking for direction from the Council to pass on to Fourth Dimension. Attachments Attachment A: September 29, 2014, Special City Council Work Session Minutes