Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 03-12-2001 . . . CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 12, 2001 6:30 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Dennis Probst called to order the regular City Council meeting at 6:42 p.m. Present: Mayor Dennis Probst, Councilmembers Beverly Aplikowski, Gregg Larson, and Lois Rem. Absent: Councilmember David Grant with prior notice. Also present were City Administrator, Joe Lynch; Public Works Director, Dwayne Stafford; and City Planner, Jennifer Chaput. TWIN CITIES ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT (TCAAP) DISCUSSION RECESS Councilmember Larson brought forward a list often (10) proposed TCAAP development outcomes, which the City Council discussed and reviewed. Mayor Probst then reviewed his logic and assumptions in going forward for the acquisition of TCAAP property for the City. It was discussed once again that the basic premise for the development of TCAAP was to ensure that the cost for infrastructure development were offset so there was no fiscal drain on the remainder of the City. Mayor Probst proposed that the City proceed with their focus on obtaining special legislation for acquisition of excess property. RECESS At 7:28 p.m., Mayor Probst recessed the meeting and reconvened the regular meeting in the City Hall Council Chambers. . . . CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 12, 2001 7:30 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS RECONVENE/CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Dennis Probst reconvened the regular City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. Present: Mayor Dennis Probst, Councilmembers Beverly Aplikowski, Gregg Larson, and Lois Rem. Absent: Councilmember David Grant. Also present were City Administrator, Joe Lynch; Public Works Director, Dwayne Stafford; City Planner, Jennifer Chaput; and Recording Secretary, Nancy Czajkowski. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Rem moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to adopt the agenda for the March 12, 2001, regular City Council meeting. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. February 26, 2001 Regular Council Meeting Mayor Probst requested the following changes: on pages 12 and 13, there are a couple of blanks and spelling errors. In the second to the last paragraph on Page 12, "Chatham" is not spelled that way. At the top of page 13, the missing last name should be "Ostby". On page 13, in the third paragraph down, he questioned whether there is a "Carver Circle". At the bottom of page 16 and 1 7, some of the discussion does not help with the understanding of the meeting. He noted less might be better than more, when it comes to Minutes. MOTION: Councilmember Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the February 26, 2001 Regular Council Meeting minutes as corrected above. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). CONSENT CALENDAR A. B. Claims and Payroll City Hall 1. Architectural Alliance, Reimbursables Payment, $12,408.03 2. Rochon Corporation, Payment #5, $266,008.91 2001 Approved Capital Improvement Expenditure, Playground Structures, Sampson Park 2001 Approved Capital Improvement Expenditure, Toro Groundsmaster C. D. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 12,2001 2 E. F. 2001 Approved Capital Improvement Expenditure, Toro Groomer Pay Request #2, Gridor Construction, Inc., 2001 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project, $40,231.50 MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Probst invited those present to come forward and address the Council on any items not already on the agenda. No public comments were made. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Storm Water Management Plan, Receipt of Requests for Proposal (RFP), Award of Contract Mr. Lynch explained the council should have the memorandum from the City Planner and Public Works Director. He noted staff is recommending the council award the contract to SEH, Inc. at $24, 941. He added that after review this is the response that is most appropriate to the proposal list. He stated they have the list of items necessary and required by law. He noted staff believes SEH, Inc. has the staff and ability to perform on time and as requested. Councilmember Larson stated in the SEH, Inc. proposal on page 14 there was a detailed cost estimate. He noted with the two items listed there is one price $10,000 less than the other. He added two of items did not have dollar items associated with them. He asked if this was because there were no charges. He stated he wanted to make sure it was not an oversight. Mr. Lynch responded on page 15 there is list of tasks, which has the amount of hours and some of the associated costs. Councilmember Larson asked if it is wrapped up in public education. Mr. Lynch responded the total hours column was not calculated correctly. Mayor Probst asked if they are standing by their price. Mr. Lynch responded in the affirmative. Councilmember Larson stated the two proposals are very different in the deliverables. He noted one has 60% in modeling work. He stated the fact that they are so different has him wondering if they are going to get what is needed since so much is tied up in the modeling. He noted he did not know what role modeling plays in the stormwater plan. Councilmember Rem stated she found it difficult to compare details for the two. She noted it is difficult to know what could be compared between the proposals. She added she hoped staff would have figured that out for them. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 12,2001 3 Ms. Chaput stated the City Engineer drafted what brought in these proposals. She noted she knows this is a required document for the Comprehensive Plan. She added they all sat down and looked at the proposals together. She stated it was forwarded to Greg Brown and she asked him to contact her if he had a problem with staff s proposal. She noted Mr. Brown had indicated the SEH, Inc. proposal is sufficient to meet the requirements. She added she does not know if they need the extras. Mayor Probst stated at the end ofthis project they are looking for documentation that will satisfy the Comprehensive Plan review by the Metropolitan Council. He noted both firms have done that work and hopefully understand what is needed. He added SEH, Inc. has appeared to work with more cities in this area. He stated he is comfortable with staff s recommendation. He noted it is one third less. Councilmember Rem stated she realizes they are doing it to meet the Metropolitan Council requirement. She noted she hopes to get some information for the Water Quality Task Force. She added it looks like they are going to get some information for that purpose. Councilmember Larson stated he agrees they would certainly have what is needed to meet the requirements of the Comprehensive Plan. He noted it is still not clear if they will get what they need. He added they both do this type of work and have done a lot of this type of work. He stated the plans just seem so totally different from one another. He noted the input is so totally different for the same outcome. He added one is so based on modeling and the other is not. Councilmember Aplikowski asked what would be the compliment for the modeling in the other plan. She stated they are basically the same price, but one has a few more hours. She questioned whether they would get modeling. Councilmember Larson stated there is limited hydrologic work. He noted it might be worth another $12,000 to have more modeling or maybe the little bit there is enough. He asked if the city engineer showed anyone at BRW these proposals. Ms. Chaput responded she did not know. Councilmember Rem stated she did not know enough about it to know what is appropriate. Ms. Chaput stated they did have a representative from Boonestroo. Mayor Probst stated it might be a function of how the two firms chose to distribute their hours. He noted they use almost the identical language to describe the model. Councilmember Larson stated the language might have come out ofthe city's proposal. Mayor Probst stated he is hesitant to allow one party to speak since both parties are not represented. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 12, 2001 4 . Councilmember Larson stated they were both aware the matter would come before the council tonight. He noted as long as someone is here they should hear him. He added they both had the opportunity to come. Mr. Drew Budalis stated he would make himself available for questions. He noted the modeling may differ. He added they propose to model as needed. He added they were not sure what amount would be needed. He stated they estimated 20% to 40%. He noted if after speaking with staff the amount needed is less it would not be included in the final price. He added they weighted the proposal more heavily on implementation. He stated they wanted to make it is a plan that could be used by staff to implement. He noted he is not sure who would be implementing it the staff or the city engineer. He added they included a fair amount oftime working with the various agencies to get approval. Councilmember Aplikowski stated the initial kick off meeting has the only time listed. She noted she is not sure the prices are off since the hours differ. She added this is not her area of expertise. She stated one would want to go with staff if they are more comfortable with the subject matter. She noted she liked the other package and its picture. She added she would have to go with staffs recommendation because she does not know any differently. Councilmember Larson stated he is comfortable going with the staff s recommendation because he does not have expertise. He noted the city engineer has reviewed the recommendation so he feels comfortable. . Councilmember Aplikowski questioned Mr. Stafford about switching his opinion. Mr. Stafford stated all three of them reviewed the proposals independently. He noted they did not hash it out until they made conclusions. He added he had felt that Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik, & Associates had too many options with unknown figures. He stated SEH, Inc. had only two. He noted he felt both would meet the requirements. He added he is not an expert. He stated he gave his comments to Ms. Chaput and she had come to the same conclusion. He noted the City Engineer left message a that SEH, Inc. was his choice also. He added they had all come to the same conclusion independently. Councilmember Rem stated she had hoped that somehow this document would give them more as a finished project. She noted on the other hand if SEH, Inc. gives them what they need they should not pay for more than they need. She added if one goes further that is great, but it might not be what is needed. Mayor Probst stated that there are two firms qualified to do work. He noted not having participated as fully as staff, he is comfortable they have two qualified parties. He added staff feels they can do the job and ifthey save the city some money great. . Councilmember Aplikowski stated she does feel it is saving money. She noted she thinks the scope is different and that is why the price is different. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 12,2001 5 MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to receive the Requests for Proposals for the Storm Water Management Plan and award the contract to SEH, Inc. for $24,941 as recommended by Staff. The motion carried unanimously (3-1 Aplikowski opposed). . B. Labor Relations Associates (LRA)/Metropolitan Area Management Association (M.A.M.A.), Proposal to Pay Flat Fee for LRA Services as Part of a Larger Organization Mr. Lynch explained the city currently uses this firm on an hourly basis for contract negotiations and labor issues. He stated this proposal is to change the relationship to make it a flat fee relationship. He added that at this point the city is not contractually required to use this firm. He stated they have because ofthe history. He noted he has outlined the benefits and four options. He added staff recommends waiting until 2002 and budgeting these amounts in that budget. He stated they could take advantage of these services at that time. MOTION: Councilmember Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve staff's recommendation to wait until the 2002 budget to enter into this agreement to pay a flat fee for Labor Relations Associates services as part of a larger organization. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). . Councilmember Larson asked if they would get an unlimited number of hours or if there is some upper limit. Mr. Lynch responded Arbitration and Mediations would not be covered under the flat fee agreement. ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS Mr. Lynch stated he has heard back from all the Councilmembers on the organizational structure. He noted they needed to set a work session or special meeting to discuss it further. Mr. Lynch noted they have received information from Ramsey County called "Community Watch". He stated it is not a technical report, but identifies suspects and victims. He added he is not thrilled to present it in a public fashion. He stated it does give the council a sense of repeating patterns and areas being watched by Ramsey County. He noted if the council would like it, staff can make it available. He added they get information on other communities. He stated it does not report in a statistical way. Mr. Lynch added a representative from the National Guard would like to meet with the Mayor and him. He stated they have been lobbied extensively by other groups to use the property. He noted the council might like to see the National Guard comply more with the reutilization plan. Councilmember Aplikowski stated the sooner the better. She noted they are fighting the fact that the National Guard does control it. . Mayor Probst stated Mr. Lynch needs to work to schedule a discussion of the organizational structure. He noted he liked the look ahead that Mr. Lynch had presented. He added the work . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 12,2001 6 session is very full. He asked Mr. Lynch about the timing for moving forward on this. Mr. Lynch responded they have advertised the support staff position. He stated it would be nice to know if they have discretion to hire one or two support staff persons. He noted one position is to replace the position held by Ms. Susan Holmes. He added they also have to advertise another position for a part-time billing clerk. He stated the structure has some impact on whom they hire and how much they could work. Mayor Probst stated the work session agenda is robust and he suggests that some items could corne off. He noted the Right of Way and web site issues would have to be pulled offto have this discussion. Mr. Lynch stated MnDot has been invited to talk about the traffic study on the various points. Mr. Stafford stated Highway 96 seems to be holding up this project. He noted he had asked MnDot to get the city's input and thoughts. He added Mr. Robinson would be at a point now to talk to the city. He stated he was hoping to get Mr. Robinson on the agenda this month. Councilmember Rem stated she did not know how extensive they needed to discuss this structure to hire a departmental secretary. She noted that even under reorganization they need a couple of support staff. Ms. Chaput stated all of the Planning Commission items would also be going to that regular meeting. Mayor Probst stated he would offer the first Monday in April and noted they could start early on March 26, 2001. Councilmember Larson stated here are five Mondays in April, so there is still one free Monday. Mayor Probst asked if the April 2 meeting would be all right for the organizational discussion. Mr. Lynch responded that would be fine. Mayor Probst stated there would be a 5 :00 p.m. meeting on April 2, 2001. He noted it would be a single-issue discussion. He added if after the next two meetings they need to add to the agenda, they could certainly do that. He stated everyone seems to be agreeable to that. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Larson stated there was a Parks, Trails and Recreation meeting scheduled for March 27. He noted in attending the committee meeting he noted there are no women on that committee. He added this is important particularly when they are developing parkplans for the entire city. He stated he suggests staff and the City Council look at the possibility of expanding the committee to have women participate again. Mayor Probst stated he concurred. He noted that not long ago the committee had five women and two men. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 12,2001 7 Councilmember Larson stated sometimes different perspectives are brought to table and without women on the committee some perspectives might be left out. Councilmember Aplikowski stated there is a City Events Task Force meeting on Wednesday. She noted it is the time for things to really pop and go crazy. She added she thinks it is going quite well. She stated she likes the commentary at the end of the minutes. She noted she thinks it is important and a good comment on where people are coming from, which is worthwhile. She added somewhere in the future they should take a look at annexation of an area that is now part of Roseville. She stated they are going to look at repairing the roads. She noted it would be good public policy to make it a city project. Councilmember Rem stated on Wednesday there is a Website Task Force meeting. She noted they are at the end of the review. She added there is still time to add a short note to the newsletter. She stated the Communications Committee does not meet until the end of the month, yet the deadline is Friday of this week. Mayor Probst stated there is a Grand opening for the Children Safety Center on March 21. He noted he would not be able to attend if anyone is interested. He added the I-35W Corridor Coalition has invited them to participate on the Northeast Diagonal Corridor Study. He stated he is anticipating someone from that coalition will be involved in appointing someone here. He noted they did meet last Wednesday night to look at legislative issues. He added the Executive Director and staff are working on making contacts. He stated Mayors and administrators are invited to speak. He noted they are pursuing operating dollars for organization and project moneys for two projects identified in the Coalition. He added they are trying to convince the legislature to approve a funding source out of the box. He stated that right now the fastest one could get project started is five years. He noted the average time eight to ten years. He added hopefully if they work as a coalition they could work more quickly. He stated that although Arden Hills does not have a project now clearly with the arsenal property there time is going to come. He noted it would be critical to have that support. Mayor Probst explained his opposition to have the County using cold in place instead of recycling. He gave an example of where it was done and noted the road is in as bad of shape as before the work was done. He stated he would like a more aggressive approach to reconstruction. He noted he thinks the council has to come to a decision on where they want to proceed. Mayor Probst noted he met with Mr. Fred McCoy, President of CPI Guidant, on Friday. He added he got a tour of the facility and was questioned about the city's view of business' role in the city. He stated he suggested one thing most valuable to the city is for people like himself involved in committees and commissions. He noted this would in a positive way take advantage of their integrity and ideas. He added it seems that Guidant as a company seems to want to be come part of the community. He stated it had occurred to him while he was there that they could be doing more with the business community. He noted while it is not physically possible to meet everyone, it is a good idea to go to the major employers to talk and to invite them into the process. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 12,2001 8 ADJOURN MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:35 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (4- 0). NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next Council Meeting will be held Monday, March 26, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arden Hills Council chambers.