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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 10-09-2001 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 9, 2001 . 7:30 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Dennis Probst called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:31 p.m. Present: Mayor Dennis Probst, Councilmembers David Grant, Gregg Larson, and Lois Rem. Absent: Councilmember Beverly Aplikowski. Also present were City Administrator, Joe Lynch; City Accountant, Terrance Post; and Recording Secretary, Nancy Czajkowski. APPROV AL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to adopt the agenda for the October 9,2001 Regular City Council meeting. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). . APPROV AL OF MINUTES A. September 10, 2001 Regular Council Meeting B. September 17,2001 Council Worksession Councilmember Grant requested the following changes to the September 10,2001 Regular Council minutes: 1. On page 6, in the third paragraph, replace the first sentence with "Councilmember Grant stated the County would also be required to provide notice to consider a redesign of the road." 2. On page 13, in the fourth paragraph, replace the sentence with "Councilmember Grant added his concern that future councils might consider making the park a holding pond." 3. On page 13, in the third paragraph from the bottom, delete the second to last sentence. 4. On page 13, in the last paragraph, replace "would not" with "could". Councilmember Larson requested the following changes to the September 10, 2001 Regular minutes: . 1. On page 7, in the top paragraph, in the third line down, replace "there" with "they". ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL- OCTOBER 9,2001 2 2. On page 8, in the third paragraph from the bottom, replace the second sentence with "He . noted as a volunteer one was reimbursed for calls, but the primary reward was the pension fund and the retirement fund". Councilmember Rem requested the following changes to the September 10,2001 Regular Council Meeting minutes: 1. On page 4, on the Consent Calendar, Agenda Items D and E were moved to other parts of the agenda and should not be listed there. 2. On page 8, in the last sentence of the last paragraph, delete "unanimously". MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to approve the September 10,2001 Regular Council Meeting minutes, as amended, and the September 17,2001 Council Worksession as presented. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). CONSENT CALENDAR A. Claims and Payroll B. Memorandum of Understanding, Fire Inspection Services, Lake Johanna Volunteer Fire Department and City C. Res. #01-17, Resolution Approving an Application for an Exempt Gambling Permit, . Catholic Aid Association, 3499 North Lexington Avenue D. Pay Request #1 (Final), Mounds View High School Watermain Loop, MINNCOMM Utility Construction MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 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. Ramsey County Road I Design/Construction Mr. Lynch explained Mr. JimTolaas, Ramsey County Engineer, was available for questions. He noted the County was asking the City of Arden Hills to approve the changes in County Road I. . He added there were three options. He stated the cost to the city would be approximately $31,582 and listed the three options. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 9, 2001 3 Mr. Tolaas indicated most of the city's cost would be in the shoulder work. He stated there was a . minor amount of storm sewer work and some ponding required. Mayor Probst asked if this was a commitment to funding or just approval of a concept. Mr. Tolaas responded it was just approval of a concept for the RFP. He stated the cost sharing agreement would come later. He noted this was a low cost solution to the problems there. He added they had cropped things back to the real problem. He stated once the arsenal site was developed, this project could come back into the County's program at any time to change the work. Mayor Probst asked about the long-term plan for Lexington Avenue. Mr. Tolaas responded it would be alternative three in the report. He stated there was strong opposition to the environmental impact of a straight on alignment. He noted state law requires them to safeguard the wetlands at all costs. He added when the project comes back under consideration there might be room to talk about it again. He stated this was a good solution to buy the County those years. He noted that in the scheme of things it was a low cost solution to a significant problem. He stated when the arsenal site was developed the environmental arguments would not be as strong. He noted a land bridge option could work. He added it could still allow the passage of water and turtles. He stated there was also the issue of a relative high cost to cross the marsh now when there was no need for it. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to . approve Alternative 3 in the Ramsey County Project Development Report for County Road I from Hamlin A venue to Lexington A venue. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). B. Pavement Management Plan (PMP) Standards 1. Definition of "Neighborhood" Street Width 2. Standards Map Mr. Lynch explained the Pavement Management Plan and the Standards Map. He noted there was no agreement yet on the designation of width for a neighborhood street. He added three options had been proposed. Councilmember Larson suggested the following changes: l. On page 2 of recommendation, in Additional Considerations for Street Width Determination, add "presence or absence of sidewalk" after "Existing trees". 2. On page 3, in the first large paragraph, in the last sentence, change the "options provided for selection would include" to "options provided for selection could include". 3. On page 3, under Process, in the first paragraph, replace the first sentence with "The City . of Arden Hills would use a variety of media sources to notify the neighborhood about the intended roadway project". ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 9,2001 4 Councilmember Grant agreed with changes two and three. He stated he did not agree with . change one since many streets currently do not have sidewalks. He asked if the intent was to put in sidewalks. Councilmember Larson responded he was not proposing sidewalks. He noted the Council needed to consider how the road was used. He stated many residents walk in the streets since there were no sidewalks. He added that before they decide on street width they should discuss how the street was being used and how it affects that street. He stated some streets were designated as trails and had many pedestrians walking on them. Councilmember Rem agreed the use should be considered. She stated they should not just look at road width, but also consider lane width and shoulder width. She noted her concern it would not be easy to put in sidewalks in some neighborhoods. Councilmember Larson suggested the term "sidewalk" was incorrect. He noted the correct wording should be "pedestrian use of the road". Councilmember Rem suggested the following change: on the first page, in the first paragraph, in the second to last line, replace "expand" with "expend". Councilmember Rem stated that concerning neighborhood streets if the width were 32 feet there would not be much difference from a community width street. She noted it should be left with a 30-foot width. She added she could agree with a width of 28 to 32 feet. She added she was not ready to say they were widening streets. . Councilmember Grant stated he would prefer neighborhood streets to be listed as 28 to 32 feet, but could agree with a 30-foot width. He noted to set the width at 32 did not give any flexibility. He added to there would be little distinction between a neighborhood street and a community street. Mayor Probst stated there was a significant distinction between a neighborhood street and a community street. He noted the recommended width was 32 feet. He added the presumption for a neighborhood street was that it would not get wider than what was listed. He stated a community street had a 32 width as the minimum, but it could go wider. Councilmember Larson stated his position had not changed either. He noted there was a difference between a community and a neighborhood street. He added one was stating a minimum and the other was a recommended width that could be enlarged. He stated he believed 32 feet was an appropriate width for neighborhood streets. He noted there should be an ability to grant an exception if it was warranted. Mayor Probst suggested the Council take action to make the modifications suggested by Councilmembers Larson and Rem. He asked the Council to approve the plan with recommended street width blank for neighborhood streets. He noted they could come back to it at the work seSSIOn. . Councilmember Rem stated that would be fair. She noted Councilmember Aplikowski was not at the meeting where this was discussed and was not here tonight. She added this would be one last chance for Councilmember Aplikowski to give input. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 9,2001 5 . Councilmember Rem stated that on page 3, under Process, in the first paragraph, the "n" should be capitalized in "notes" in the phrase "City of Arden Hills Notes". Councilmember Grant suggested that on page 3, under Process, in the first paragraph, the city's website should be added in the list of available media sources. Mayor Probst directed staff to make the corrections suggested tonight. He noted it would be a discussion item at the work session and brought to the next council meeting as a consent item. C. National League of Cities (NLC) Membership Renewal Mr. Lynch explained that last year he had approached the Council for support for joining the National League of Cities. He stated it was another opportunity to share information between and among the member communities. He noted he sought input regarding renewing the membership. He added that from the staff prospective they had not gained all that much from an information standpoint. He stated the league deals with polices of larger cities that do not always have the same issues as Arden Hills. He noted Councilmember Aplikowski was enthusiastic about the membership. Mayor Probst stated this was one of those networking and information avenues available to a council. He noted this was the national version of the League of Minnesota Cities. He added . they had not drawn as much out of this as what could be there. He stated Ms. Karen Anderson, was the President elect. He noted Minnetonka and Shoreview were very active. He added the proposed cost was higher than what the city paid last year. He stated there were benefits to be had here. He noted it was an $ 833 dollar expense that was optional. Councilmember Larson stated he had received the publication, but did not find much of value. He noted he did feel strongly about it. He added the cost was almost $900. He stated he would almost rather see the money used for some other newsletter or organization directed toward smaller cities. Councilmember Rem stated she found several things in the publication interesting and useful. She noted there were many things applicable to Arden Hills in some sense. She added she could agree to let the membership lapse if they were not taking advantage of what was there. Councilmember Grant stated he had not found it to be particularly useful. He noted he knows Councilmember Aplikowski finds this membership of benefit. He added it was a $900 expenditure. He stated he could vote either way. He noted the issue should be taken to the work session. He added it would give Councilmember Aplikowski a chance to address the council in case there was some benefit to city that had been overlooked. A ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS . Mr. Lynch stated Ms. Ginnie Michaels could no longer attend the meetings of the Park, Recreation, and Trails Committee. He noted Chair Jimmy Johnson could no longer continue as chair. He added staff would send out the appropriate thank you letters for all their hard work. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL- OCTOBER 9,2001 6 . Mr. Lynch noted the Ramsey County Board was faced with a $200,000 deficit because of the change in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) laws. He added the Board had notified the city the Ramsey County Public Works Facility would be on hold until it addresses the deficit. Mr. Lynch added the October 29, Regular City Council meeting would be held in the new city hall. He suggested Councilmembers arrive an hour ahead of time to become familiar with the new surroundings. The Council concurred. Mayor Probst stated the Council did have a brief conversation regarding a policy for the use of the new city hall. He noted it was clear the Council would receive a number of such requests. He added the Council should give it additional thought and take some formal action. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Grant stated he was glad to see that the city had received a number of requests to use the new city hall from the community. He noted that was a purpose of the city hall. Councilmember Grant stated there was a delay in the proposal for the RFP for the Ramsey County Public Works facility. He noted the Operations and Finance Committee would meet on the October 18,2001 to review the draft RFP. . Councilmember Larson stated the Parks, Recreation and Trails Committee had to cancel a work session scheduled for Saturday because so few were able to attend. He noted this would set back the schedule for the master plan for parks. He added the contractor needed to be more aggressive in completing work on time. He stated the process could be extended another month or so. Councilmember Larson noted his disappointed with the response from Dr. Jan Witthuhn of the School District. He stated Ms. Witthun did not feel comfortable writing a letter even though she acknowledged that the building official had spent a lot of time at Mounds View High School. Councilmember Rem stated she attended the regional Human Rights Conference at the end of September. She noted the State Department of Human Rights would be meeting in St. Paul in December and she would like to attend the meeting. Councilmember Rem stated Northwest Youth and Family Services were holding a fall fundraising gala at the end of the month. She invited all to attend and noted Councilmember Aplikowski's reservation of two tables this year. Councilmember Rem stated she was almost done reading the city code. She noted she would have a page of questions and comments on it for the next work session. She added she agreed with City Attorney Filla's letter regarding the redundancies in the city code. She asked if this was an appropriate time to make some of the changes referenced in the letter. She stated all of the definitions should be in one section. Mr. Lynch responded that from a financial standpoint . the process was at an end. He stated there would be additional charges from the codifier and the League of Minnesota Cities. He noted the city could get an electronic draft from the League. He added the Council should adopt the electronic version and then staff could make those changes. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 9,2001 7 . Mayor Probst stated Mr. Lynch should make an administrative decision whether to let staff make the changes or pay the League of Minnesota Cities to make them. He noted the Council could look at what changes were to be made and make the decision. Mayor Probst stated the first Council meeting in the new City Hall would be on October 29, 2001. He noted staff needed a formal action to close city offices on October 19, 2001 for the move. He added the offices would reopen on October 22, 2001. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to approve the closure of city offices on October 19,2001 for the purpose of the move to the new City Hall. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). Mayor Probst stated the 35W Corridor Coalition proposed a two- percent increase in fees for next year. He noted he hoped the City of Arden Hills would continue its participation in this group. Mayor Probst stated the Housing Resource Center already had several hundred hits. He noted it had changed its name to the Greater Metropolitan Resource Center. Mayor Probst stated he wanted to respond to the interest and concern about the website being down. He noted the website was down because it used the I-35W Corridor Coalition Server out of Roseville. He added the system had been hacked twice. . Mayor Probst commended Councilmember Larson, Mr. Moore, and the other 54 citizens that worked on the Buckthorn project. Mayor Probst stated the School District recommended the program on Monday, October 22, 2001 entitled "Moving Forward". He noted the program would discuss the events of September 11, 2001. He added it would discuss ways to talk to children, etc. and to deal with the issues. Mayor Probst stated the neighborhood meeting last Monday night went very well. He noted the presentation by Presbyterian Homes was outstanding. He hoped the mood had changed in the neighborhood. He stated he had not heard anything further from residents. Mayor Probst stated he had a copy of the Environmental Impact Statement that the National Guard did on its training at the arsenal. He noted it was a document to allow the Guard to get training in place on property it did control. He added it refers to a request for another 541 acres. He stated it included a piece ofland the city had urged them to reconsider. He noted Mr. Lynch and he had met with Col. Lord several weeks ago. He added the National Guard had other issues of late, but he would continue discussions. He stated he had also discussed participating with the Guard on constructing some additional recreation and athletic fields out there. Councilmember Larson stated at the last Fire Board meeting, the Fire Department was moving toward the hiring of a full time chief. He noted the Department proposed having a Board of . Directors of the Fire Department. He added the Board of Directors needed to have a majority of private members in order to qualify for the retirement plan. He stated they also wanted to have some ability to have outside people helping the Fire Department making the decision about a ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 9,2001 8 chief. He noted the proposed bylaws stated four members would come from the member cities . and would be private citizens that were not elected officials. He added the Mayor of North Oaks was not supportive of it. He stated the Councilmember from Shoreview had some reservations, too. He noted he thought the cities should choose who they wanted for participation. He added the person might or may not be a Councilmember. He stated he thought it would be just be adding one more level of government. He noted he did not understand why this responsibility could not be given to the Fire Board. He added the Fire Department agreed to look at changing the bylaws. Mayor Probst stated during his conversation with the Fire Chief this morning the Department was moving toward offering more flexibility in choosing who would serve. He noted he agreed they would want the flexibility. He added it was a bit disconcerting to have a Fire Board and a Board of Directors. Mayor Probst stated he received a telephone call yesterday from Ms. Elizabeth Link from Mills Corporation. He noted Ms. Mills was asking how the city wanted to proceed since Mills Corporation was very interested in pursing a relationship. He added Ms. Mills would like to bring out the President, CEO, VP of Leasing, etc. to discuss their vision. He stated that he had indicated to Ms. Mills that the city was not as far along as he had hoped in the decision. He asked if the Council was willing to meet with the Mills Corporation. Councilmember Larson stated it could be advantageous to have some help. He noted the . immediate question was that if these people came out would there be any additional information presented. He noted it seemed a good approach to nail down the interest of the National Guard in a deal and to talk to at least one more developer. Councilmember Grant stated he would like to approach other developers in order to have a choice. Mr. Lynch responded he was working with two other developers to come and present to the Council. Councilmember Grant stated the Mills Corporation's focus was retail. He noted other developers might have another focus. He added the Council needs to ask if that is what it wants there. He stated he did not want to appear disinterested and cut the Mills Corporation loose. He noted that perhaps Ms. Link should come back and present. Councilmember Rem stated the Council still had some homework to do. She noted she did not think the management people would tip the balance. She added her concerns and questions were about what was happening there with the National Guard and its timetable. She stated she would like more perspective on what the options were. Mayor Probst stated he would take that message back. He noted what intrigued him most was their willingness to put their money into the planning. He added he would like to see if that . approach was unique to them. ---- ----------------- ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL- OCTOBER 9,2001 9 Councilmember Grant stated he suspected that part of their interest to put money forward allows . Mills Corporation to be in the driver seat and become the developer of choice. He noted it was a good business tactic of their part. He asked if the Council wanted to facilitate that. He stated he would like to know the other options. Mayor Probst stated the development agreement would drive who stays in control of the project. He noted the Council needs to make sure it does that well. ADJOURN MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Counci1member Grant seconded a motion to adjou the meeting at 9:10 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next Council Meeting will be held Monday, October 29,2001 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arden Hills . Council chambers. .