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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-20-18-WS-ARZEN HILLS Approved: March 12, 2018 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION FEBRUARY 20, 2018 5:00 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the City Council Work Session at 5:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant, Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, and Steve Scott Absent: Councilmember Dave McClung Also present: City Administrator Dave Perrault, Public Works Director/City Engineer Sue Polka, City Planner Matthew Bachler, Deputy Clerk Jolene Trauba, Utility Service Partners Representative Deryck Freudeman, WSB & Associates Project Manager Steve Foss, and WSB & Associates Senior Planner Eric Zweber 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. National League of Cities Service Line Warranty Program Public Works Director/City Engineer Sue Polka noted that Utility Service Partners provides residents with insurance for their water and sewer services through the National League of Cities. There is no cost to the City, but there is a marketing agreement that the City would need to sign. The City can choose to collect royalties which would raise the cost to residents. Councilmember Brenda Holden asked for an explanation of what In -Home Plumbing would cover. Utility Service Partners Representative Deryck Freudeman responded that included all the supply and drain lines in the home except fixtures. For example internal lines that burst, a drain line that clogs, or valve repair. He also noted there is no obligation on the part of the resident to continue the policy for a specific period of time, but there is a 30 day wait period before they can file their first claim. There is no pre -inspection and everyone gets the same plan no matter the length of the service line. They partner with local contractors to do the necessary work. Mayor Grant noted this is no cost to the City but an advantage to the residents that would like it. He felt there wasn't a downside risk to the plan and didn't want to charge for the royalties. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — FEBRUARY 20, 2018 2 Councilmember Fran Holmes asked what more specifically would be covered under the plans. Mr. Freudeman said he would provide a list of terms and conditions. The goal of the program is to be affordable and to be sure residents can use it when they need it, so there is a low exclusion limit and they encourage homeowners to call. Aging infrastructure, education to residents and cost are three reasons for the City to partner with Utility Services. Residents can choose to enroll in one, two or all three programs. Campaign letters are sent up to three times a year. Councilmember Holden noted that some Arden Hills homes have an individual sewer line that comes to a manhole and the line is shared to the street. She wondered what part of that line would be covered. Mr. Freudeman stated that if each property has its own lateral line it could be covered. He said he will look into that situation to be sure what would be covered. Councilmember Holmes asked if the City had any marketing responsibilities with the program. Mr. Freudeman said if the City decides to enroll, there will be an onboarding call with the contact person at the City, samples of the campaign letter would be provided and edits can be made, and all campaigns thereafter would also be approved by staff. There are no telesales or door-to-door sales. All mail and marketing costs are paid for by Utility Services. Councilmember Holden asked about rate increases. Mr. Freudeman responded that their rates have been stable for approximately three years. Some partners that have been with the program for a long time may have higher rates, but most cities are within a dollar of the costs list provided. Mayor Grant asked about exclusivity. Mr. Freudeman said there is an exclusivity provision in the agreement but they are willing to delete it if that would hold the City back from becoming a part of the program, but they would want to have the right to terminate the contract if the city partnered with another entity. Mr. Freudeman will follow up with a marketing letter, terms and conditions, separate lines/shared lines information, a revised version of the non -royalty marketing agreement and optional language removing the exclusivity clause. B. Johanna Marsh Park Public Works Director/City Engineer Sue Polka noted the Capital Improvement Plan includes $100,000 for resurfacing the tennis court. Playground equipment was ordered last fall. WSB provided concept plans that have been reviewed, the latest version shows the playground areas, a concrete pad with a picnic shelter and two tables, and a viewing platform with seating overlooking the marsh. Site work is estimated at about $139,000, design and construction services are $33,000. Total estimated cost is $219,096. She said a suggestion was made to complete the platform and picnic shelter at a later date, bringing the cost down to $185,000. The installation ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — FEBRUARY 20, 2018 3 cost for the playground equipment is not listed on the estimated cost chart and that will be around $11,000. Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka also noted that quotes for demolition of the tennis courts could be requested and the work could possibly be done right away. Councilmember Holden asked if maintaining the seeding was included in the estimated cost. WSB & Associates Project Manager Steve Foss said it would be included. He also noted that the viewing platform could be expanded in the future. The platform could be raised up to 2 '/2 feet without railings being necessary that may block the view. Councilmember Holden asked if any benches near the play areas were included. Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka said they could be added at a cost of $650 each. Councilmember Holden and Councilmember Steve Scott felt the project should go ahead as set forth in the outline, including the shelter and viewing platform. Councilmember Holmes said a resident had asked about a wood chip entrance that doesn't go past the lift station. Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka said that could be an additional trail, but the current plan is ADA compliant. A wrap could be put on the lift station box to conceal it at a later time. Councilmember Holmes agreed that the plan should move forward as presented, and as soon as possible. Mayor Grant felt the viewing platform was reasonably priced and was in favor of moving ahead as designed, and directed staff to put the item on the Council agenda. Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka said she could bring back a demolition price separately and once the plans and specs are ready she can bring it back for authorization for bids. Councilmember Holden stated that she'd like to see benches included in build, with the possibility of donations from residents or the Arden Hills Foundations. Mayor Grant said the concrete pads for the benches could be put in during construction, whether or not the benches were actually available. A resident in the audience offered to pay for a bench and suggested that some savings could be made in cement costs. Another resident asked how long this current plan had been available for viewing, and also wondered about possible changes. Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka said the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee favored this concept. She also said there are safety zones that are required to be placed around playground equipment. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — FEBRUARY 20, 2018 4 C. 2018 Vehicle Purchase Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka noted that the building inspection vehicle was purchased in 2004 and she provided a document with the repair history. Two quotes were received, one for an all -wheel drive 2018 Ford Escape and one for a two -wheel drive 2018 Ford Escape. The all -wheel drive vehicle is lower because of incentives being offered. Councilmember Holden suggested that because work was done on the vehicle in 2017 another use be found for the vehicle within the City and to not use it as a trade-in. Councilmember Holmes said she didn't think a new vehicle was necessary, that we could repair it and continue to use it until it was irreparable. She did agree that all -wheel drive was needed. City Administrator Dave Perrault said that from a finance perspective, they should also consider at what point a decision would be made to replace the vehicle, if more repairs necessary. Councilmember Scott said he is in favor of replacing the vehicle at this time. Councilmember Holden was concerned about the downtime that staff would have if the vehicle need repairs again and felt it should be replaced. City Administrator Perrault it wouldn't make much sense to keep the current vehicle because it would be used so infrequently. Mayor Grant was also in favor of replacing the vehicle. D. TCAAP Plat City Planner Matthew Bachler provided a verbal update on the TCAAP Plat, noting a land use application has been received from Ramsey County for a preliminary and final plat for the TCAAP property. The plat is to define the boundaries of the site and clean up the legal description which is currently very complicated. The plat would transfer some land as right-of- way to MnDOT for the County Road H interchange, and to Ramsey County for the new roadway connecting County Road H and County Road I. A small outlot would be transferred to Ramsey County Parks and Recreation and two large outlots would be defined to help facilitate the transfer of land to the master developer. This will be presented to the Planning Commission March 7 and City Council March 26. E. Draft Comp Plan City Planner Matthew Bachler noted that the City has until December 31, 2018 to submit the final Comp Plan update to the Metropolitan Council, but there needs to be a six month review period for adjacent and affected jurisdictions to review the Draft before submittal. The public hearing is anticipated to be at the April 4 Planning Commission meeting with the final Draft Plan to be brought to the City Council on April 23. WSB & Associates Senior Planner Eric Zweber gave a summary of the updates that have been made to the Housing and Land Use chapters of the Comprehensive Plan. He mentioned that the ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — FEBRUARY 20, 2018 5 Metropolitan Council had updated its housing requirements from ten years ago, and Arden Hills now has to have an average density of five units an acre for new development. Adding housing in TCAAP will bring the City well over that. The second component is affordable housing — existing and future affordable housing needs have to be addressed. Review continued of the draft Land Use, Housing, and Implementation Chapters and Council provided recommendations on changes. A page by page review was also done of the entire 2040 draft Comp Plan. City Planner Bachler stated the next steps for the draft 2040 Comp Plan include the Planning Commission and Economic Development Commission reviewing the entire draft on March 7. He noted that a red -lined version of the draft plan would be brought back to the March 19 work session based on the changes the Council provided this evening. On April 4, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing, and the draft will be presented again to the Council on April 23 for approval. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holden mentioned that Betty McCullum's office is meeting with EPA and MPCA and the Army about Round Lake soon. Councilmember Holden asked if the TCAAP roads would be designed to work with autonomous cars. City Administrator Perrault said that Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka went to a presentation on autonomous vehicles, and it is difficult to plan for that because we don't know what those vehicles will actually consist of or what the needs will be. Councilmember Holden said a Colonel from Fort Ripley spoke with the Rotary Club about the new Readiness Center. The funding isn't in place but they hope to start yet this year, and completed in 2020. UMIAK K Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council 4W 2j4'V1A_ a o ne Trau Deputy Clerk Work Session at 8:53 p.m. David Grant Mayor