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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-29-16-R ,-SIZEN HILLS Approved: September 12, 2016 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 29,2016 7:00 P.M. -A.RDEN 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 Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Dave McClung and Jonathan Wicklund Absent: None Also present: Interim City Administrator and Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Acting Public Works Director John Anderson; Senior Planner Matthew Bachler; and Deputy Clerk Jolene Trauba PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mayor Grant requested one item be added to the Agenda under New Business to address State Fair Parking. Councilmember Holden asked that the Council also discuss a County Road 96 and Hamline Avenue"No Turn on Red" Sign. Councilmember McClung requested Item 5D be pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion as Item 6A. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. The motion carried unanimously(5-0). 2. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL Gregg Larson, 3377 North Snelling Avenue, commented on the Alatus proposal for Rice Creek Commons. He believed the proposal had both good and bad news. He was pleased the plan was ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 2 being publicly discussed and encouraged the Council to keep the lines of communication open. He encouraged the Council to tour the Alatus apartment and condominium units. He expressed frustration with the manner in which the Council responded to the proposed eight to ten story buildings that were being proposed for Rice Creek Commons. He recalled that the Council was ready and willing to hand the keys to the City over to the Minnesota Vikings for a huge stadium and questioned why the Council would then not also support the proposed housing units. He listed the communities in the metro area with similar housing types. Ile recommended the Council begin showing some leadership and move forward with the housing being proposed by Alatus. He commended Councilmember Wicklund for offering his support to Alatus and their creative plan. 3. STAFF COMMENTS A. Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) and Joint Development Authority(JDA)Update Interim City Administrator and Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson provided the following update for the Council on'.TCAAP and the JDA: Meetings • City and County staff, Ehlers and the Master Developer held their weekly project meetings on August 10, 17 and 24. • On August 15, the City Council and JDA held a joint meeting to review the preliminary plans from the Master Development Team. • On August 22, 2016, the City Council held a work session with the Master Development Team to go over the proposed plan in more detail. They reviewed both the single-family residential and multi-family residential developments and provided a comparison of the approved Master Plan. They reviewed changes in park development (i.e. size, location, etc.) and discussed 'Town Center concepts. The next work session scheduled with the Council is on September 19, 2016. At the meeting, they will be providing requested information and plan. updates based upon feedback received from the City Council. Communications/Media • On August 9, 2016, the communications subcommittee (Grant, Wicklund), along with staff (.lverson, Kvilvang) interviewed four (4) communication consultant groups. Based upon those interviews, they are recommending hiring Z,ipko Strategies and Connelly Kuhl as the communications consultants for TCAAP. On August 29, 2015, the Council will be asked to allow staff to negotiate and enter into a contract with them for services. It is anticipated that they will be at a future work session with the full Council to discuss priorities for TCAAP communications. B. Transportation Update ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 3 Acting Public Works Director Anderson reported the Lexington Avenue and County Road F project paving was now complete. Traffic would be shifted to the outside and work would begin in the median in the coming weeks. Ile anticipated the project would be completed yet this fall. Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained the 1-694 project has been paved and noted Rice Street and Lexington Avenue exits should be opened in the next couple of weeks. He reminded the Council the 1-694 project was a two-year project and work would begin again next spring. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated the County Road E bridge was now open and all ramps to the freeway were open. He understood the New Brighton side of the bridge had a detour to Old Highway 8. Acting Public Works Director Anderson indicated the County Road H beams were set over the past week. The freeway was shut down in order for these beams to be set in place. He reported County Road H would be open at some point in October. C. State of the City Update Interim City Administrator and Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson explained the State of the City event will be held on Thursday, September 29, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at Flaherty's Arden Bowl. Representatives from the TCAAP Master Development Team, Land O'Lakes, and MnDO'.F will be providing updates to the community. There will also be time for questions and networking following the presentations. Arden Hills businesses and residents are encouraged to attend the event. An evening State of the City event will be scheduled for a future date. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. July 25, 2016, Special City Council Work Session B. July 25, 2016, Regular City Council C. August 8, 2016,Regular City Council D. August 12,2016, Emergency City Council Councilmember Holden noted a minor change to the July 25, 2015 Regular City Council minutes on Page 6 clarifying which MnDOT project was being discussed. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to approve the July 25, 2016, Special City Council Work Session meeting minutes, the July 25, 2016, Regular City Council meeting minutes, August 8, 2016, Regular City Council meeting minutes; and August 12, 2016, Emergency City Council meeting minutes as amended. The motion carried unanimously(5-0). ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 4 5. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Motion to Approve Consent Agenda Item - Claims and Payroll B. Motion to Appoint Zipko Strategies & Connolly Kuhl Group as Communications Consultants C. Motion to Accept Resignation of Acting Public Works Director/Assistant City Engineer P. M ti t A t Proposal -fie, WSB 4 Provide D f' al C«, ee i7. rRarrvr�coTi'cvc17i'vi7v`� c'v'T �zvxc�r�ioir „b�,,....,,::b E. Motion to Approve Pay Estimate No. 7 — County Road E/Pine Tree Drive Improvements MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as presented and to authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried unanimously(5-0). 6. PULLED CONSENT ITEMS A. Motion to Accept Proposal from WSB to Provide Professional Engineering Services,Interim Director of Public Works Services and Planning Associate Councilmember McClung stated he was not initially opposed to the proposal but asked what the duration of the contract would be. Ile explained he would not support a contract for more than three months. Mayor Grant asked for a report from staff. Interim City Administrator and Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson explained the Personnel Committee met on August 23, 2016, with Consultant, Bill Joynes from Midwest Government Advisors. While he is working on the City Administrator recruitment, the Committee also asked him if he could coordinate and find a City Engineer to contract with and possibly to also provide planning assistance. Bill Joynes has negotiated the City a very good proposal for not only Engineering and Planning services, but also Interim Public Works Director services as well. WSB, who is part of the City's engineering pool just authorized by the City Council, will offer all three services according to the proposal. She explained the services would be available to the City for three to six months. Councilmember Holden commented the Personnel Committee was interviewing candidates for the City Administrator position. Mayor Grant believed it was in the City's best interests to bring in an engineering and planning consultant to assist the City during a time of transition. Councilmember McClung understood this to be the case; however, he wanted to better understand the contract with WSB and how much it would cost the City. A RDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29,2016 5 Andy Brotzler, WSB, thanked the Council for their time. He discussed the proposal in further detail noting the City had an immediate need. He understood this may be a short-teen need and believed three months would allow WSB to otter their assistance and at the three-month period the proposal could be reconsidered. Ilis goal was to be flexible in order to meet the needs of the City. Councilmember Holmes asked if additional fees would be charged to the City for work on TCAAP. Mr. Brotzler stated his understanding was that he and Brett Weiss would be the lead for the TCAAP project. He understood the scope of the project was challenging but explained all ongoing TCAAP work would be charged an hourly rate. Mayor Grant commented that WSB was an approved consultant with the City and could assist with the broad scope of the TCAAP project. He explained the Personnel Committee found WSB to be a worthwhile consultant for the Council to consider given the fact they could provide engineering, public works, and planning assistance to the City. Councilmember Holden believed the City would save financially using the consultant versus an employee due to the fact vacation time and PERA would not have to be paid. She stated this was a short-term solution at this time and noted she supported the proposal. She explained a lot of effort and energy went into the negotiation of the consultant rates by Bill Joynes. Councilmember McClung stated he would support a three-month proposal but nothing beyond that time. He suggested the proposal be reviewed after three months and the Council be allowed to make an apple to apple comparison at that time. Mayor Grant supported the three-month time limit on the proposal and contract with WSB. Councilmember Holmes feared the City would not be able to hire new staff by the end of November. She suggested the proposal with WSB run through the end of January. Councilmember Holden recommended the contract remain at three months and that it be considered for extension in November. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a Motion to Accept the Proposal dated August 24, 201.6, for three months with the ability to extend monthly, from WSB to provide Professional Engineering Services, Interim Director of Public Works Services and Planning Assistance. The motion carried (5-0). 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 6 8. NEW BUSINESS A. 2015 PMP Venus Drainage Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated the 2015 PMP project occurred in the Venus Crystal neighborhood in 2015. The roadway was modified to add concrete curb and the storm sewer system retro fitted to match the concrete curbing. The design of the roadway called for the road to be lowered slightly at the low point in front of 1776 Venus Avenue. As part of the design, the crown in the road was also eliminated to provide a better flit to the existing driveways in the area which are flat on one side of the street and steep on the other. As an additional storm water treatment BMP, a sump catch basin with a filter designed to trap sediment was installed in this location and two other locations. Acting Public Works Director Anderson reported staff was contacted by the resident at 1776 Venus Avenue with concerns over the storm sewer capacity and street drainage backing up onto their property as far back as the garage and house. Staff investigated the storm system and found debris clogging the screen that was limiting the flow of storm water through the screen. Public Works has removed these screens based on this result. In rain events since the screen was removed the storm water backup onto the lot has been less but still does, in heavy rains, encroach on to the driveway. Acting Public Works Director Anderson commented based on the observations of the system operations the engineer has recommended two changes to the storm drainage system. The first is to add additional inlet capacity at the low point in the road just west of the driveway to 1776 Venus Avenue. This additional catch basin would allow for storm water to get into the system faster as well as provide some redundancy should one inlet get clogged with debris. The result of this would decrease the ponding in the street and backup into the driveway at 1.776. As with any storm design there is always a larger storm event that may come along and overwhelm the system. In these cases, it is important to have a route for storm water to escape the low point in the road overland that does not involve flooding structures. This low point in the street has a potential overflow route that can be created with a minimal amount of grading. The second recommendation is to grade an overflow swale along the east property line of 1776 Venus Avenue that will provide and overland route for storm water to flow should a rain event exceed the capacity of the system. The other benefit of having an emergency overflow route in place is that if the house at 1776 Venus Avenue experiences water in the basement and the street water is show not to contribute to the problem, then the wet basement is a result of roof runoff or yard drainage or some other factor unrelated to the street. City staff support pursuing both of the options recommended by the engineer. Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained staff met with both the owners at 1776 and 1768 Venus Avenue who share the common lot line where this overflow route is proposed. He described the proposed grading and stated the City has obtained their approval of this approach. This work is proposed to take place within the existing drainage easement. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated quotes were solicited for this work and the low price for the catch basin is from C.W. Houle Inc. The City has contracted with C.W. Houle in the ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 7 past and found their work to be acceptable. The low price on the swale grading was provided by Quinzon Outdoor who have provided services for the City in the past as well. Councilmember Holmes asked why a screen was placed at this location. Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained the screen was put in place to catch particulates before they entered the storm system. Ile discussed the grade of the street and the grade of the yard noting that it did not take much water to pool in order for it to begin moving towards the house. Councilmember Wieklund questioned if the City had funds available to pay for the proposed improvements. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated funds were available. Councilmember Holmes inquired why this area of the project was not properly engineered from the beginning. Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained.that by removing the screen the City would get back to the level playing field. Ile commented staff has identified the location where flooding could occur and with a minimal amount of work, staff would eliminate this concern. Councilmember Holmes was not convinced these were the proper steps to take to eliminate the concerns. Mayor Grant asked if the swale was sufficient. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated the swale would allow water to be routed around the house and give it a path to the backyard without flooding the house. He believed the swale would benefit by the addition of another catch basin. Mayor Grant and Councilmember Holden indicated they would be supporting staff s recommendation. Councilmember McClung feared that the City would be facing a liability claim if this was not properly fixed and the property were to flood. He believed the expense was relatively low and he supported the new catch basin and overflow swale. MOTION: Councilmember Wicklund moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to Accent Proposal from C.W. Houle Inc. in the amount of$8,000 for addition of one catch basin at 1776 Venus Avenue and Accept Proposal from Quinzon Outdoor in the amount of$1,475 to grade an overflow swale. Councilmember Holmes clarified she was not blaming Acting Public Works Director Anderson for this concern. The motion carried (5-0). ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 8 B. County Road D Improvements Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated the Presbyterian 1-lomes of Arden Hills entered in to an agreement in 2010 with the City of Arden Hills that obligated them to reconstruct County Road D, a municipal street on the City's corporate border with Roseville. Senior Housing Partners has prepared plans for this reconstruction. Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained engineering staff from both Arden Hills and Roseville have reviewed the plans and all comments have been addressed. Roseville City Council has elected to permanently close the connection between Wheeler Street and County Road D. The plans as prepared by Clark Engineering dated August 22, 2016, show this street closure as requested by the City of Roseville. The median in the driveway entrance to Johanna shores off of County Road D is shown to be removed as requested by the Lake Johanna Fire Department as the median does not accommodate fire truck access. Acting Public Works Director Anderson reported Senior Housing Partners has elected to cover the entire cost of the construction and contract for the work privately and plan to complete the work in the fall of 2016. Arden Hills and Roseville will be inspecting the construction jointly. The bituminous sidewalk along Lake Johanna Blvd is shown to be reconstructed and a new concrete sidewalk on the north side of County Road D is shown to be constructed as part of this work. Snow and Ice control on both of these sidewalks would be the responsibility of the property owner. Councilmember Holden asked if a stop sign could be installed for safety purposes. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated a stop sign would be installed at County Road D. MOTION: Councilmember McClung moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to approve reconstruction plans for County Road D and Authorize Senior Housing Partners to contract for reconstruction. The motion carried {5_01. C. Accept Proposals for Bituminous Mill and Overlay of Shorewood Drive Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated the City Council discussed potential pavement maintenance projects and requested staff return with a recommendation on Shorewood Drive. This is the portion of the roadway not being reconstructed as part of the Johanna Shores Development. Acting Public Works Director Anderson indicated Public Works Staff discussed the possibility of having a contractor mill this street and Public Works staff pave it as was done on Thom Drive this year. He stated that this does not appear to be possible for a number of reasons that include the fact that seasonal employees returning to school has created a large need for full time employees to preform park maintenance activities, work on Lake Valentine Road catch basin repairs needs more crew hours devoted to this to complete the job, and use of Ramsey County vehicles for trucking and rolling has not been secured for this work. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 9 Acting Public Works Director Anderson reported the City budgeted $150,000 for this type of work in 2016. To date $68,471 has been spent. The work on Thom Drive totaled $30,159 and $33,519 was spent on the Sandeen Road mill and overlay. The remaining budget for street maintenance/sealcoat and resurfacing is $81,529. Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained staff has solicited quotes for this work to include both mill and bituminous paving from a number of contractors and have received four quotes. The quotes received are as follows: Midwest Asphalt Corporation $44,394.30 Bituminous Roadways Inc. $45,244.85 North Valley Paving $51,447.60 Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated staff has worked with Midwest Asphalt in the past and found their work to be acceptable and recommend accepting their proposal. Councilmember.Holden had hoped that Beckman could be replaced this year; however, staff felt this street could wait until 2017. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember McClung seconded a motion to accept a proposal from Midwest Asphalt Corporation for the bituminous mill and overlay of Shorewood Drive in the amount of$44,394.30. The motion carried (5-0). D. State Fair Parking Mayor Grant understood on-street parking was a concern in the city. He asked if staff had any conversations with residents regarding Pine Tree Drive and Harriet Avenue, or regarding parking in front of fire hydrants. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated he had discussed this matter. It was noted Ramsey County would be observing traffic at this intersection and he understood additional space was needed for bus traffic. Mayor Grant questioned if staff had spoken to the Lake Johanna Fire Department regarding the fire hydrants. Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained the Ramsey County Sheriff has been in touch regarding vehicles parking in front of hydrants. He reported cars had to maintain a 10-foot buffer on both sides of a fire hydrant in order to provide proper access to the fire hydrants. Ile stated the Sheriff's conclusion to this situation would be to provide one lane of parking on Pine Tree Drive and Harriet Avenue. Mayor Grant supported the "No Parking" improvements on Harriet Avenue and Pine Tree Drive in order to improve the safety of this roadway for vehicular and bus traffic. He stated the "No Parking"could run down Harriet Avenue all the way down to the cul-de-sac. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 10 Councilmember Holmes asked if the City had any additional "No Parking"signs to post. Mayor Grant understood that staff had more signs available. Councilmember Holden recommended the City address the parking concerns on Prior Avenue from Jerrold Avenue to County Road D. In addition, "No Parking" signs should be posted along Jerrold Avenue to the end of the cul-de-sac. Mayor Grant indicated he has driven these streets since the State Fair began and he supported this recommendation. Councilmember Wicklund also supported the recommendation. MOTION: Mayor Grant moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to direct staff to post "No Parking" signs for the duration of the State Fair on the west side of Pine Tree, the south side of Harriet all the way to Lexington Avenue, the east side of Prior and the south side of Jerrold Avenue. The motion carried (5-0). E. County Road 96 and Hamline Avenue"No Turn on Red" Sign Councilmember Holden expressed concern with the wait times for traffic at the intersection of County Road 96 and Hamline Avenue. She requested a formal letter be written and sent by the City Council to recommend the sign be posted again. She recommended that the Sheriff also be asked to patrol this intersection more heavily. Mayor Grant commented on a conversation he had with Jim Toms. it was his understanding that 75% of the population was not observing the "No Turn on Red" sign. For this reason, the sign was removed. Some believe there was not a safety issue making a right turn on a red at this intersection, however, it was disrupting the flow of traffic on Hamline Avenue. He guessed that when Hamline Avenue was complete the traffic volumes along this roadway would increase. He supported the City Council drafting and sending a letter to the County. Councilmember McClung stated it was unacceptable to him that the sign was removed simply because a portion of the population was not observing the sign. Councilmember Wicklund wanted to learn more about the number of cars turning right onto Hamline Avenue each morning. It was his opinion the sign should not be replaced given the fact the traffic concerns were limited to such a small portion of the day. Councilmember McClung believed the sign was needed given the fact there was a double turn from westbound County Road 96 onto Hamline Avenue. He stated he has witnessed several near accidents in recent months. Councilmember Wicklund suggested the "No Right on Red" sign only be enforced during certain hours of the day, such as 6:30 a.m.to 8:30 a.m. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—AUGUST 29, 2016 11 Mayor Grant recommended a letter be drafted to the County regarding the "No Right on Red" sign with a specific time period addressed. 9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 10. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Holmes thanked John Anderson for his dedicated service to the City of Arden Hills. Councilmember Holden provided feedback on the comments made by the resident during Public Inquiries. She believed there should be some give and take between the City and the .Master Developer and provided further comment on a development that occurred in Eagan. She thought it was unfair to compare the Vikings Stadium to the potential new development. She explained the Council has toured multiple properties in preparation of the TCAAP site. She feared that the few quotes that were pulled from a four-hour meeting did not properly summarize or reflect the comments made at the meeting. She indicated the Council was working hard and she was pleased with progress being made on the City's plan. Mayor Grant provided further comment on how far the TCAAP project has come over the past two years. He noted the City and County just celebrated a huge milestone by completing the cleanup of TCAAP and receiving a Certificate of Completion, which was the largest superfund site in Minnesota. He stated a Master Developer has been selected for the redevelopment of this property. He commented on the work the City had done on the Comprehensive Plan and TRC. He was pleased by the progress the City and County have made on this project. Mayor Grant reported he and Councilmember Wicklund toured Latitude 45 in Minneapolis along with team members from Alatus. Mayor Grant wished John Anderson well in his new position with the City of Cloquet. He thanked Mr. Anderson for all the work he had done on behalf of the City of Arden Hills. He noted the Personnel Committee would be interviewing three Public Works Superintendent candidates on Tuesday,August 30. ADJOURN MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to adiourn. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). Mayor Grant adjourned the Regular City Council meeting at 8:25 e rauba David Grant Deputy Clerk Mayor