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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-20-2020-WS Approved: September 14, 2020 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 20, 2020 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. Note: On March 20th, the Mayor signed a determination allowing Councilmembers to participate in City Council meetings via telephone pursuant to State Statute 13D.021 Present via Telephone: Mayor David Grant, Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Dave McClung and Steve Scott Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Dave Perrault, Public Works Director/City Engineer Todd Blomstrom, Finance Director Gayle Bauman, Community Development Manager/City Planner Mike Mrosla, Deputy City Clerk Jolene Trauba, Recreation Programmer Joe Vaughan Also Present via Telephone: Todd Novaczyk and Adam Cozine from New Perspectives Senior Living, Florent Ilazi and Alex Brewer from Boldt Development, Fay Simer, Melissa Barnes and Mike Barnes from MnDOT, Ryan Spencer from WSB Councilmember Holden requested a discussion regarding sound walls be added to the agenda. 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. New Perspective Senior Living Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla stated that Bolt Capital LLC on behalf of New Perspectives Senior Living is proposing to construct a multi-family senior living facility on Lot 1 of the recently sub-divided lot at 12 Pine Tree Drive adjacent to Bethel University’s Anderson Center. The lot is approximately 6.4 acres, zoned B-2, General Business District and is guided as Community Mixed Use on the Land Use Plan. The Applicant is proposing to build a 177,500 square foot, four story facility geared toward senior living. The ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 2 proposed senior living facility will feature 143 units, with 110 units devoted to independent or assisted care living and 33 units devoted to memory care. The project would include such amenities as a pool, library, movie theater, dance hall, salon and spa, bistro/bar and onsite physical therapy and wellness services. The applicant is also proposing to make a public trail connection along the proposed access drive and other amenities on site. They are proposing a density of 22.3 units per acre. However, they are requesting flexibility to the memory care units - which consist of private bedrooms/bathrooms with an opening to central, shared kitchen, dining and living areas - to be calculated as the equivalent of 0.5 units. Counting the memory care units as half units would bring the density to 12.7 units per acre. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla explained the Applicant is requesting flexibility to the height of the building. The proposed facility would have a building height of 55 feet to the midpoint of the roof, which exceeds the B-2 district ordinance by 5 feet. He noted other development projects that have also exceeded that height. The proposal will require a Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit for multiple family dwelling in the B-2 District, a Planned Unit Development (PUD) is required for new developments and assisted living use in the B-2 District. At this time the applicant is only asking for flexibility on building height and density. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla said the “Guiding Plan for the B-2 District” was approved by Council in March, 2008. It was a visioning and planning process for the B- 2 District, which generally includes the properties near County Road E between Lexington Avenue and Hamline Avenue/Highway 51. The plan took into consideration market-initiated redevelopment. The plan also discusses the need for senior housing in community. At that time there was a projected need for approximately 712 units within the area. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla noted items the Council may wish to discuss after the presentation include amending the B2 zoning district language to consider memory care/assisted living units as half units, minimum lot area per unit, building height flexibility and other items as determined by Council. Mr. Ilazi gave an overview of the Boldt Company. They do primarily healthcare construction and developments across the Midwest. They are completing two projects in Wisconsin that are very similar to the one being proposed in Arden Hills. Mr. Novaczyk said he founded Perspectives Senior Living in 1998 after his mother-in-law, Betty, died. They currently have 24 communities with 2800 residents and 1800 team members serving the residents. The proposed facility will be in collaboration with Bethel University so they will have internships and practicums with nursing and marketing students. They feel they will have a large impact on the community and Bethel University, along with synergy and collaboration between students and residents. Mr. Ilazi noted they are proposing approximately 143 units, 33 memory care and 110 independent/assisted living units. The community will be approximately 177,550 square feet with 35 underground parking stalls and 75 onsite stalls. There will be many onsite amenities. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 3 Mr. Brewer said there are approximately 450 units of unmet demand for senior housing in Arden Hills. The relationship with Bethel University is very important to the community. The tax revenue generated will be about $400,000 per year, approximately $15,000,000 in labor costs will be generated during construction and 80 FTEs on staff. Mr. Ilazi noted they are committed to replacing the existing trail with a new one that will connect Bethel University and the Crepeau Nature Preserve. A tree survey underway that will be accompanied by a tree preservation plan. They will maintain as many trees as possible and replant where necessary. They will limit the use of concrete and other surfaces as much as possible. Mr. Ilazi said they are looking for flexibility on building height. They’d like to be at 55 feet, the Anderson Center is 60 feet. They’d also like to request flexibility on PUD Density at 22.3 units per acre, but if the memory care units are considered half units that will get them to the required lot area. Mr. Ilazi discussed the preliminary plat map, site plan, renderings, elevations maps, and floor plans. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla added that a neighborhood meeting was held on July 9, 2020. There were 10 residents in attendance. Questions raised were regarding project financing, potential traffic study (they are in the middle of one now), tree preservation, future trail connections, lighting and the construction process. Mayor Grant asked for comments and questions regarding building height. Councilmember Holden asked why they couldn’t make it the required 50 feet? Mr. Ilazi responded that they try to maintain a comfortable floor to ceiling height, along with being able to get the number of units they’d like to have on the site. Mr. Novaczyk noted that hallways are a minimum of nine feet with larger windows, and a peaked roof. Mr. Ilazi said a peaked roof makes it feel less commercial and more like a residential setting. Mr. Cozine added that in order to have the density they are looking for they need the building to be four stories. Mayor Grant said he was OK with the additional five feet. He liked the looks of a peaked roof versus a flat roof that looks commercial. Councilmember Holmes agreed, especially since the Anderson Center is 60 feet. Councilmember Scott didn’t have a problem with the height, he liked the attractiveness of a peaked roof. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 4 Councilmember Holden asked how tall the whole building would be. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla said as this was a concept plan didn’t show official elevations he couldn’t answer that question now. Mr. Ilazi said it would be right around 60 feet, but he would confirm with the architect. Councilmember McClung stated he was mixed on the height and would be more comfortable at three stories versus four but he would want to see some gains in other areas. Mayor Grant asked to talk about the lot area per unit. Councilmember Scott said he had no problem with reclassifying the memory care units as half units. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla explained that staff recommends allowing that change to the B-2 District only. Councilmember McClung said he wouldn’t like to set a precedence for the entire city and as long as they were careful about the wording he was leaning toward supporting it. Councilmember Holden felt this was a huge footprint and they should be able to have the 128 units as required by the regulations. Mayor Grant commented there are economies of scale, his sense is they want to put a substantial amount of amenities on site to serve the residents but the city needs to provide flexibility on the number of units. He didn’t have a problem with 143 units given the amenities that would be provided. Councilmember Holmes agreed with having a PUD to have the higher number of units. Mr. Novazcyk noted they are offering units for people to stay in their own community to live out the balance of their lives. They will have full time physical therapists for warm water therapy as an example of their amenities. Roughly 46% of the building will be common spaces. Mayor Grant said they should talk about it being a PUD and if they grant flexibility they may want to talk about the trail providing a loop back to the park. Councilmember McClung suggested they loop around the back of the building on the north side to create more walking for their residents and to connect with Crepeau Park. Mr. Ilazi said they will look at the different options they have on the site. Councilmember Holden suggested they add recreational equipment and benches along the trail. Mr. Novazcyk mentioned that in some facilities they have play areas for grandchildren, and outdoor patios with fireplaces. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 5 Councilmember Scott said there was a significant old tree on site that he would like noted and preserved if possible. He thought the discussion occurred on a social site and he would try to find out where the tree is. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla mentioned this proposal will require a public hearing at both the Planning Commission and City Council meetings. Also, they are intending to meet or exceed the architectural standards. Mayor Grant noted they would like to know the slope of the roof but generally 4 of 5 councilmembers are OK with 55 feet, 4 of 5 are OK with the number of units. Mr. Cozine said the architect responded that the peak of the roof will be 60 feet. Councilmember McClung clarified that the number of units would be OK with other additions to the PUD such as a trail. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla said the next steps would be for the applicant to make a land use application with the City and submit plans for review, and make application with the water shed district for stormwater review. B. MnDOT Access Study for Snelling Avenue (Highway 51) Closure Update Ms. Simer noted that Council had asked for further opportunities for public input about the closure of Hamline Avenue at Snelling. They hosted an open house in May and collected comments before and after. Ms. Simer explained that MnDOT had closed the left turn from southbound Snelling Avenue to Hamline Avenue temporarily in 2019 as part of the mitigation strategy for the 1-35W MnPASS project, anticipating more traffic on Snelling Avenue. Signal timing was adjusted for left hand turns and U-turns at Lydia Avenue. The Cable Median Barrier Project was planned independently of the I-35W project as part of a state-wide initiative to prevent run off road crashes. Cable barriers are planned for Snelling Avenue. Ms. Simer continued that there were 5 crashed at the intersection of Snelling and Hamline from 2016-2018, one of which was a fatality. By closing the left turn lane, they anticipate traffic will reroute to intersections with traffic signals. Prior to the closure, vehicles were observed queuing beyond the left turn lane and into the through lane which creates a crash risk. Prior to the closure only about 8% of cars that turned left onto Hamline were headed to residences in adjacent neighborhoods. Analysis was done to see how the change was affecting Lydia Avenue. Travel time spiked initially, but trended down. Turning left at Lydia takes approximately five minutes longer than turning on Hamline Avenue. Emergency responders in the area were contacted to understand what impact they saw from the closure. They did not feel it would cause delays because they use routing software to respond to calls. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 6 Ms. Simer explained other safety improvements that are being proposed at Lydia, Glenhill Road, County Road C and County Road C2. These improvements will include restricting east bound left turns from Glenhill Road to northbound Snelling Avenue. Ms. Simer stated that implementation of the cable median barrier project is planned for 2022. The design is still being finalized and some modifications may be considered, such as a break in the median to allow bicycles and pedestrians to cross. In addition, a resurfacing project is being planned for the same area. Ms. Simer explained there were public comments regarding the Snelling and Hamline Avenue intersection, Lydia Avenue, Glenhill Road, cable median barriers, and Snelling Avenue. Councilmember Holden was concerned that where it isn’t safe for vehicles to cross two lanes of traffic why would it be safe for bikers and people to walk across Snelling? Ms. Simer said that according to legal definitions, that is a legal crossing because it is an intersection. Councilmember Holden replied that if the cable barrier is there it is no longer an intersection so why would they leave an opening for people to walk across four lanes of traffic? Ms. Simer responded that someone on bike or foot would be much more impacted by having to go to Lydia than someone in a vehicle. Councilmember Holden said one of the reasons they were concerned about this intersection was because of the fatality. She wondered if no work was done since 2017 and the fatality was a big concern why they hadn’t done anything until now. Ms. Simer said it’s hard to draw the line between being reactive and proactive. Typically crashes come into play in their planning to determine what is causing them. They do look at other factors such as residential areas and what destinations vehicles ultimately end at. Councilmember Holden asked why its safe for Glenhill to cross 2 lanes of traffic? Ms. Simer replied that they are looking at balancing safety and mobility. The Glenhill neighborhood doesn’t have as many options in and out of it and there aren’t as many cars using that intersection. Councilmember Holden said she was concerned about Lydia and making a left turn because the sidewalk ends and here is no sidewalk on the other side. She felt if MnDOT were closing the intersection of Hamline it was their responsibility to allow for people to cross safely at Lydia into the Ingerson neighborhood. Ms. Simer responded that MnDot is beginning to identify what they may be able to include in their 2025 project and one of the things would be making it safer to cross, but sidewalks would be up to the City of Roseville. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 7 Mayor Grant asked how many left hand turns are taken from southbound Snelling onto Hamline. Ms. Barnes stated that in April, 2018 there were approximately 1,760 people that took a left over the course of the day. The highest number per hour was 245. Mayor Grant said he had not seen traffic back up from the left turn lane onto Snelling. He wondered if they had evidence of that happening. Ms. Simer said they do not have photos. Mayor Grant commented that if they are proposing a cable median barrier he didn’t know how they could allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross something that is no longer an intersection. He felt it would no longer be a legal intersection with a cable median barrier in place. And if they make a pedestrian crossing they would have to stripe it. Ms. Simer responded that Minnesota statute defines a pedestrian crossing as the intersection of two roadways so whether they add a marked cross walk is an additional choice that MnDOT can make. Councilmember McClung asked what were MnDOT’s next steps. Ms. Simer said this summer they will move into the design phase of the median barrier project. The decisions of allowing turns or leaving it open to bicycles and pedestrians have not been made yet. Councilmember Holmes asked for explanation of what would happen at Glenhill Road. Ms. Simer replied that vehicles going northbound on Snelling could turn left onto Glenhill but from Glenhill they could only turn right (southbound). Councilmember Holmes was concerned about traveling south on Hamline and make a U-turn at Lydia, especially because Lydia is such an odd intersection to begin with. Ms. Simer said Lydia is a signalized intersection and would be phased to make the U-turns safer, also there is less traffic on the west side of Snelling. Mayor Grant noted that going northbound on Snelling making a left going into Glenhill would still be an option and so that will be a legal place to for pedestrians and bicycles to cross. Ms. Simer replied that movement would still be possible. Also, the regional bike trail network identifies Hamline and Old Snelling as part of the planned network and so that movement is more to be expected at Hamline than Glenhill. Mayor Grant felt that if the cable median barrier closes the intersections drivers won’t be looking for pedestrians and bicyclists. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 8 Mayor Grant said he is not in favor of closing the intersection of Hamline and Snelling. Ms. Simer said when they have decided on the plan it will be put on their website and communicated to the Public Works Director. She anticipated that would be in the next couple of months. Ms. Barnes said they could follow up with the concerns and they can write up an official response. Mayor Grant stated that in 2018 or 2019 on Snelling and approximately E2 a pedestrian was hit and killed and pedestrians do use the road. Councilmember McClung asked for clarification on how Council will be notified of the decision and when it will go public. Ms. Simer said she would inform the Public Works Director and he can send an email to Council. Mayor Grant would appreciate the information before it becomes public. C. 2021-2025 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Finance Director Bauman said this is a continuation of the discussion from the June 15, 2020 work session. The projects included in the first year plan will flow through to the 2021 budget. Public Works is looking for guidance on the 2022 street projects so they can plan for them. Information for streets, parks and public safety have been scheduled out for 10 years to have a better understanding of cash flow. Finance Director Bauman wanted to touch on an update made to the plan and follow up on previous discussion items. The value of city streets at the top of page 2 of the 06/15/20 memo was incorrect. The calculation had been made using 57 miles of streets but the City is responsible for 29 miles. The value of the city streets and trails is closer to $60 million, not the $112 million noted in that memo. There is still a funding gap for the PIR Fund of approximately $400,000 per year. Second, there was much discussion regarding the separation of the Snelling Avenue road project (County Road E to Highway 51) and the round-a-bout. Staff has contacted Ramsey County about this and they did not object to the two projects being constructed under separate contracts. If a round-a-bout were to be completed in 2022, the City will have cash flow issues because it’s estimated that $470,000 of state aid will be needed for funding and the City will not be eligible for reimbursement until 2025 or later because of the advance taken in 2020. It’s anticipated that Ramsey County will have similar cash problems due to COVID-19. Next, there were some questions about 2020 capital activity and cash flow. 2020 information was added to the cash flow statements for the PIR, Equipment/Building Replacement and Public Safety Funds, and an updated project schedule was included based on direction from the March 9 council meeting. Finally, one project was added to the Equipment/Building Replacement Fund, the replacement of the City Hall roof which was added as a placeholder in 2025 in the amount of $150,000. Councilmember Holmes asked if the round-about-was going to be in 2022. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 9 Finance Director Bauman replied that this version of the CIP plan had the round-a-bout pushed back to 2026. Councilmember Holmes said she didn’t think there had been a decision about whether it would be built at all. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said last fall there was a feasibility study, and the City and the County did a study of the intersection in 2018 and that study concluded that a roundabout was recommended as an improvement. As part of completing the feasibility study for the intersection the Council would need to decide if they agreed with the recommendation or if there was another alternative they wish to pursue. Councilmember Holmes said there was in assumption that Bethel College population on their main campus would increase, but that is changing. She felt the study may be inaccurate. She said she wondered if they should do a round-a-bout in an environment where money is tight and there isn’t unanimity on having one. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom agreed that conditions have changed from what the assumptions are in the report and that could potentially change the recommendation. He thought it would be a good idea to look at the study again to verify that the recommendations hold true. Councilmember Holmes indicated the CIP says there is going to be a roundabout, not when. She felt there needs to be more consideration of whether or not it will happen. Councilmember Holden agreed. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said the County had not requested it be pushed to 2026, it was a change staff offered for consideration to try to balance the cash flow in the PIR Fund. What was discussed with Ramsey County was if they had concerns about separating the roadway project of south of County Road E between County Road E and Highway 51 from the roundabout. The County indicated they had no objections to separating the projects. He wanted to get feedback from Council before he presented moving the date to the County. Councilmember McClung asked when can they refocus on the issue to decide how they want to move forward. Councilmember Holden wondered if the County decides to do the roundabout does the City have any way to stop it. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom stated there would need to be a cooperative agreement between the County and the City for the project to move forward. Councilmember Scott wondered if the Lexington Avenue project was still on track. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 10 Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said there are some concerns due to the reduction in state aid funding. The County relies on a certain portion of that funding for operations, so the County is trying to decide how to maintain enough funds for operations and also have enough funds for capital projects. So there is no final answer at this time. Mayor Grant suggested an hour be set aside before a regular Council meeting to discuss the roundabout project. Councilmember Holden said she would like data from Bethel on the number of students. Councilmember Holmes asked what year the City’s share of the land for the fire station was scheduled. Finance Director Bauman explained the Public Safety Capital Fund shows it in 2020, under fire station line item. The General Fund had an excess balance in 2019 so the money would be transferred to 2020. She was seeking Council direction. Finance Director Bauman discussed 2021 projects, beginning with City Hall Maintenance. City Administrator Perrault said the roof is estimated to be replaced in approximately 3-5 years, so a place holder was added. Finance Director Bauman said the City Hall parking lot is scheduled to be completed in 2021, engineering work is being done this year. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom stated they could hold the parking lot together by patching if they wanted to push it out another year. Councilmember Holmes suggested it be moved out another year. Councilmember Holden agreed. Councilmember Scott agreed. He felt the roof to be more important than the parking lot. Mayor Grant said given City Hall is currently closed to the public they push it out. Finance Director Bauman discussed the reconstruction of the Arden Manor play area. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla commented that a grant for the project could be applied for again. The application period runs January through March. It is Federal CDBG money. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said the equipment is usable but as it continues to age replacement parts will be harder to find. Councilmember Holmes suggested moving it out one more year to see if they get the grant. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 11 Mayor Grant asked how much it costs to rent a temporary warming house for Hazelnut Park. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom responded it was $5700 for the winter season, including the electrical connection. Finance Director Bauman said the City is eligible for an insurance settlement of $34,500 so the net cost to the City for a new warming house would be the difference between the $90,000 cost and the $34,500. Councilmember Holmes said maybe we should just rent a warming house. Councilmember Holden felt it should be moved out a year and hopefully Corrections could come build a warming house next summer. The City’s share of the Lake Johanna Fire Department capital budget, the 2021 PMP for the Hazelnut neighborhood street and utility improvements, the City’s share of the Lexington Avenue design work, sewer lining of the Arden View Drive neighborhood were left on the project list. Councilmember Holden asked the Public Works Director to discuss the rehabilitation of lift station 3. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said lift stations are rehabilitated about every 10 years to replace pumps, check the valves and mechanical equipment. The City also upgrades the cabinets and control panels as technology increases. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said here is a 16 inch diameter water main that extends from the south tower booster station to the north tower. In his opinion it is the most critical piece of infrastructure and has been in place for almost 50 years. The Trunk Water Main Evaluation is to determine the extent of corrosion and replacement schedule. Finance Director Bauman stated the last item on the projects list Karth Lake Runoff control which is drainage improvements to the south end of the lake. Fifty percent of the project will be covered with grant funds. Regarding the previous item, the water fund has sufficient funds to do an evaluation of the trunk water main. Mayor Grant said the water main condition assessment is important and asked how the City could expedite the study prior to the submittal deadline for the State bonding bill. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said staff can negotiate a proposal with a consulting firms to prepare the study and identify potential projects for the State bonding bill. He would have time to get the proposal in if he was allowed to get a direct bid versus an RFP. Mayor Grant said staff should move forward using the existing engineering service pool. Councilmember Scott moved the meeting be extended 30 minutes. Council voted approved. Finance Director Bauman noted there are five items listed on the 2021 Equipment list. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 12 Mayor Grant asked if regarding the 2020 General Fund balance the Council would like to take the overage and apply it to the purchase of the fire station property. Council agreed. Finance Director Bauman said the plan includes an increase to the tax levy to the Public Safety Fund in anticipation of the new fire station. Should staff move forward with that assumption and go forward with the 2021 budget? Council agreed. Finance Director Bauman said she would like to know what equipment purchases they’d be comfortable putting into the 2021 CIP. Each of them would still have to come forward to the Council for final approval. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said they should have information regarding the planning and maintenance of equipment by the end of the week. A weighted average PCI for the City would be done by end of the week as well. Mayor Grant asked to see that information before they make decisions on equipment. They would come back to the CIP at a future meeting. D. Environmental Investigation for Snelling North Avenue Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said the City initiated a feasibility study for the project in late 2019. During the geotechnical investigation process for the feasibility study, the soil boring company reported “Apparent Hydrocarbon Odors” at 11 of the 15 soil boring locations. The City hired WSB to conduct an environmental investigation to assist with identification of potential contaminants within the project. He is asking if the Council wants to proceed with a Response Action Plan and a Construction Contingency Plan. Staff is also seeking direction if the City Council wishes to continue considering construction of a new trail to the south of County Road E. Mr. Blomstrom described the three project alternatives for Snelling Avenue North as outlined in the agenda memo. Mr. Spenser said WSB completed environmental due diligence on an approximately .8 mile stretch of Old Snelling Avenue. As part of that a Phase I Environmental Assessment was completed to research the history to try to find what was causing the petroleum odors from the borings. There were two environmental conditions (REC’s), one was the notation of the petroleum odor, the other was contaminated soils that were noted during a bridge replacement in 2018 that required correction due to elevated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and diesel range organics (DRO). The soils had to be exported to a landfill. Results of Phase I recommended Phase II, which involved collecting data of soil, groundwater and soil vapor. That was completed in April 2020. Fourteen borings were taken. They found a few areas with elevated contamination in the soil that if disturbed would require special handling of material. WSB is recommending a Response Action Plan be prepared in preparation for any future improvements of the roadway. That document will guide the contractor ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 13 on how to manage, screen, or reuse the soil. They recommend the City enroll the project into the MPCA’s Brownfield Program for eligible technical assistance and/or liability assurances related to the PAH and DRO contamination present at the Project Corridor. A requirement of the program would be to have an environmental professional onsite to oversee, screen, and document all excavation and disturbances near known or suspected areas of contamination during reconstruction. The road has been built up over the years and it’s assumed the road base was fill that came from many unknown sources over time. Another scenario was that diesel or fuel oil was sprayed on the road when it was gravel to reduce dust. Oftentimes coating that used to be used on asphalt led to a problem. Mayor Grant asked about control of contaminants, or paving over the areas. Mr. Spenser said the plan they are recommending be prepared would document the materials that can be reused under impervious pavement. Soils at three of the locations that were contaminated would not be able to be reused as road base. Councilmember Holden asked if they did only reclamation but not reconstruction, would reclamation disturb the soil, and how much it would cost to make a plan. Mr. Spenser said reclamation would not get below the road base so impact would be minimized. A utility replacement would have much more disturbance. The Response Action Plan document would cost around $5,000 and the MPCA charges $125 for review. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom said they are evaluating the need to replace utilities south of Lindey’s. They are rather firm on the opinion there needs to be utility replacement near the intersection at County Road E, but WSB didn’t identify contamination near this intersection. Mr. Spenser noted that contamination was as shallow as two to four feet below grade and as deep as eight to 10 feet. Councilmember Holden felt they had to do the Response Action Plan. Mr. Spenser said now that they know there is contamination, avoiding excavation is advised. They could do directional boring or other plans to not open up a large contamination area. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom mentioned they are evaluating the watermain along the Snelling Avenue Corridor. The challenge comes in if the City adds a trail along the roadway, it would involve much more handling of the contaminated material. Councilmember Scott would like option 3 as outlined in the agenda memo. Councilmember McClung said he was undecided between option 2 or 3. Councilmember Holmes said between 2 or 3. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 20, 2020 14 Councilmember Holden would like to see option 3. Mayor Grant would like option 3. Mayor Grant said they would have a future discussion about the options. He asked if the Response Action Plan could be presented at the next City Council meeting. E. Fall Recreation Discussion Not discussed, moved to a future meeting. F. Sound Wall Discussion Not discussed, moved to a future meeting. G. Council Tracker No discussion. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session at 8:34p.m. __________________________ ________________________________ Jolene Trauba David Grant Deputy City Clerk Mayor