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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 02-22-1989 . . . , . ... MINUTES OF THE ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1989, 7:00 P.M. - PUBLIC WORKS BLDG. CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Sather called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. ROLL CALL The roll being called, the following members were present: Mayor Thomas Sather, Councilmembers JoAnn Growe, Nancy Hansen, and Paul Malone. Councilmember Mahowald had notified the members that he would be out of town. Also present: Clerk Administrator Gary Berger, Public Works Supervisor Robert Raddatz, and Administrative Secretary Mary Ann DeLaRosa. RFP DISCUSSION Administrator Berger distributed copies of the six Requests for Proposals that he had received from Springsted, Ehlers & Associates, Juran and Moody, Casserly-Molzahn & Associates, Public Financial Systems, and Publicorp, Inc. The Council noted that they would need more time to review these documents. Berger suggested that perhaps staff could review the proposals and recommend 2 or 3 that the Council should give serious consideration to. He also felt that perhaps a subcommittee made up of perhaps a Finance Committee member, the Treasurer, and a Council person could review the proposals. Councilmember Malone noted that the Finance Committee would meet on February 23 and that he would ask a member if they would like to review the proposals. Councilmember Hansen felt either the Council could review the RFP's or a subcommittee could make a recommendation. Councilmember Growe felt staff and Council should review them. It was suggested that perhaps a Finance Committee member or Treasurer Frank Green could review Councilmember Mahowald's RFP's since he would be out of town until February 27. The Council was agreeable to this idea and noted that they would like to take action on this matter at the March 13 City Council meeting. Councilmember Malone stated he would appoint a volunteer at the Finance Committee meeting on February 23. ISLAND LAKE/GREY FOX ROAD REALIGNMENT The Council acknowledged receipt of a proposed traffic study of Island Lake/ Grey Fox Road realignment as submitted by the City of Shoreview. From an initial review, it appeared as though the only cost to Arden Hills would be $25.000 for installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Grey Fox Road and Lexington Avenue. Councilmember Hansen noted many complaints at this intersection and felt that all of Lexington should be redone, not only at this intersection. The basic question before the Council was if Arden Hills wanted to participate in the reconstruction of this area. Council asked if the $25,000 included two signal lights, one at Red Fox and the other at Grey Fox Road. It was pointed out that apparently the proposed new Target Store will be paying for the light at Grey Fox Road, and that the $25,00 cost estimate for the City would cover the installation of one signal light only. After further discussion Council directed Clerk Administrator Berger to contact Dwight Johnson, Shoreview City Manager to confirm the proposed improvements, the traffic signal cost for Arden Hills, to find out who pays for the realignment of Grey Fox Road on the Arden Hills side of the street, and to inform Shoreview that Arden Hills will not pay the engineering cost of the proposed realignment. Berger was also directed to contact Planner John Bergly to have him look at the intersection and make sure that no excessive changes are proposed that would adversely affect. or encroach on adjacent property owners. Councilmember Hansen asked how the improvements would affect the gas station and if it would remain in its present location. Councilmember Malone felt there should be no frontage road between Red Fox and Grey Fox Road. Administrator Berger noted that he may be able to have this information in the newsletter packet of Friday, February 24, and possibly this topic could be on the February 27 City Council agenda. He was also directed to check on assessments for this project and determine if there was any MSA funding available, and if the cost is less than 40%, could the City assess the adjacent landowners for the traffic signal. Mayor Sather also suggested that Berger ask for the engineering drawings for Red Fox Road. .. . Minutes of the Arden Hills Special Council Meeting, February 22, 1989 Page Two SEH CONCERNS Mr. Don Lund, President of Short-Elliott- Hendrickson. Mr. Don Christoffersen, and Mr. Barry Peters were present to respond to the City Council's concerns addressed in a letter to SEH of January 27, 1989. Mr. Lund gave a brief history of SEH's background and relationship to the City, noting that he had been with the firm from 1960 to 1975, when Mr. Christopherson took over, until just recently. There were nine specific areas of concern that he wanted to address. . The first was the driveway erosion at 1680 Oak Avenue. Mr. Lund noted that when this property was developed. the drainage was supposed to be carried through a 10 foot wide drainage easement between Lots 5 and 6, but due to the topography, the drainage flowed between Lots 6 and 7, along a 40 foot wide private driveway. He noted that the City Attorney had been negotiating with the property owner for the last two years, and that negotiations are still going on. Public Works Supervisor Raddatz commented that whoever engineered the road is responsible for the problem, since the grading was incorrect regardless of where the driveway at 1680 Oak Avenue is located. He said the water just will not run down the proposed easement. Councilmember Hansen stated she would like to see this matter cleared up before Summer. Barry Peters felt the best solution would be to install a sewer pipe in the property owner's driveway. . Mayor Sather directed Public Works City Attorney on the status of the should proceed with this problem. in the homeownerts driveway, or is Supervisor Raddatz to check with the negotiations, and decide how the City Should they do nothing, install a pipe there another proposed solution. The second problem addressed was the concern over utility easements being in residents' rear yards and nearly impossible to reach for maintenance. Mr. Lund noted that when the City was developing, most of the homes were constructed around the lakes, with homes very low with respect to the level of the public roads, thus constructing a sanitary sewer along the roadway would have been very costly for the City. When easements were acquired. the home owners were told not to build or plant anything on the easements. He noted that homes changed hands and the new owners were not advised of this. Council questioned if this was the right decision regarding easement placements. Mayor Sather noted that it was economical for the residents, but cost should not have been the only factor taken into account in utility easements. He noted that the Stowe Avenue/Katie Lane area is a relatively new area and you can't get to the easements. Council concurred that the City's maintenance workers should be given enough clout to go into these problem areas for maintenance work, that the existing Ordinance should be enforced and those problem easement areas should be cleaned up. It was noted that the newly hired Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer Dave Kriesel, would be doing code enforcement work, and that perhaps as CounciImember Hansen noted, the City should send a letter to the property owners first, advising them to clean the easement area, that the City has the right to perform maintenance work there, and that during a certain time period. the crews will be in their yards for maintenance work. & Public Works Supervisor Raddatz suggested that Dave Kriesel should be advised of where these easements are and Mayor Sather noted that all future utilities must be in the streets, not in backyards. The third area of concern was the water valves and water connection leaks in the Colleen/Briarknoll area. Mr. Lund noted that corporation stops used in the pipeline at each service location until the early 1980's required a locking nut to be tightened to assure leakage would not occur. There were instances where contractors forgot to tighten the locknut, which then allowed leakage to occur. A new ball-type corporation stop became available in the early '80's and SEH specified their use which eliminated the locking nut and therefore eliminated the potential for leakage. . The second part of this concern dealt with the fact that two different contractors worked from opposite ends on this project. When they were to join up, the pipes did not meet either horizontally or vertically. . . , . Minutes of the Arden Hills Special Council Meeting of Feb. 22. 1989 Page Three Council questioned whose responsibility it was to ensure the pipes connected; was it the contractors, the inspectors. or the engineers. and how did this happen? Public Works Supervisor Raddatz said the City hired the inspector and he should see that the job is done correctly. Raddatz was previously informed by SEH that when a contractor installs something and it passes inspection. the City is stuck with it and the inspector has no power to make the contractor'change things when a problem occurs. Mr. Christoffersen noted that SEH engineered and inspected the McClung Drive and Colleen Avenue connection. Councilmember Malone asked how the City would know if they can trust an inspectors work that things are OK. Mayor Sather asked when was the last time an inspector directed a change in construction? Has the City selected poor contractors or what is the problem? There was a considerable amount of discussion regarding who is to blame. SEH noted that they will not allow a contractor to pave a road if it is not ready for paving. Councilmember Hansen asked if the City is in error in selecting the lowest responsible bidder for a project, even if the engineer recommends them. Mr. Lund said if the engineers feel a contractor is not qualified or suitable to do a project, they will recommend going with the second lowest responsible bidder. Concerns 5, 6, and 7 relative to settling of services were covered during the previous discussion as relates to paving the newly constructed streets. Concern number 4 was with regard to Northwoods Drive and why the watermain was not constructed as a looped watermain. Mr. Lund noted that the only way it could be looped is if in the future. Outlot A is developed and the main is looped further west and then south back to Red Fox Road. The eighth concern regarded obtaining easements for the sanitary sewer line at the south end of Round Lake, i.e.. over the Naegele property. Mr. Lund noted that Naegele had submitted preliminary plat plans for development of this property and on the day bids were opened, informed the Council that they wished to withdraw their preliminary plat and petition for water. Naegele then became uncooperative in granting easements and due to the time delay (project was originally bid in 1986 at a cost of $443,738), the rebidding process put the cost at $564,428 in March of 1987. The question was who could have foreseen Naegele's backing out of the project. Councilmember Hansen suggested that the City obtain all necessary easements before any project starts. Mayor Sather called for a recess at 9:18 P.M. The meeting was reconvened at 9:23. The final concern pertained to the 1 million gallon water tank not filling to capacity. Mr. Lund apologized for not having kept the current Council up to date on this matter and gave them a brief history of how and why the water tower was constructed. He noted that years ago the City's projected population was at 14,000, and now the ultimate population should be between 11,00 and 11,500. He noted that in the early 1960's Roseville began planning for its water system and asked Arden Hills if they wanted to be part of the Roseville water planning. The City declined, but then in 1967 Control Data proposed a facility here and the City found it would need a public water supply in order for that to happen. Since Arden Hills initially did not want to be part of the Roseville water system, portions of Roseville's watermain system were smaller than would have been provided if Arden Hills had proceeded with Roseville initially. Mr. Lund noted that one of those areas was the watermain along Hamline Avenue south of the Arden Hills city limits. As noted in a 1967 report to the Council, as the City reached its ultimate development, it would be necessary to construct a parallel watermain along Hamline Avenue and to provide a booster station on Hamline at the south boundary of the City. The report also recommended an elevated water storage tank in the location of the recently completed water tower. When the water system was constructed along Hamline, the piping at the meter station was configured in such a way as to allow the future installation of the booster equipment without modification of the existing piping. Councilmember Hansen noted that none of the current Councilmembers were made aware of the 1967 report and she felt they should have been apprised Minutes of the February 22, 1989 Special Council Meeting Page Four of the situation in the recent past. Mr. Christopherson noted that this booster station on Hamline Avenue is one option for providing maximum service to Arden Hills. The second option for assuring adequate pressure in the southern portion of the City and also to provide for filling the newly constructed water tower involves controlling the Roseville booster pumping station from the City elevated water storage tank, rather than from controls in the Roseville elevated water storage tank. If this option is chosen, it would be necessary to install an altitude valve at the Roseville water tower. Because the Roseville tank is closer to the Roseville booster station, this tank will fill before the Arden Hills tank and the altitude valve will close off the inlet main to the Roseville tank when that tank is full. The Roseville booster pumps will continue to run until the City tank is full. . Estimated costs for the two options are: altitude valve, $37,000; booster station on Hamline, $56,000. Mayor Sather asked how much Roseville would assess Arden Hills for the altitude valve. Mr. Lund replied. not much, since the City would not be buying more water, just more pressure. Mayor Sather also expressed his concern that the City did not have the right kind of data, that the City relied on the engineering firm and they should have had the correct data, not data based on 1967 guesstimates. Because of these kinds of problems, the City could now incur an additional expense of up to $56,000 to construct a booster station on Hamline Avenue. . Councilmember Hansen expressed her frustation with the continuous problems and complaints on various things that she has received over the years. She pointed out that it isn't just this one thing that angered her; it's so many, many problems and there appears to be no excuse for them. She did not blame anyone person for the problems, and in fact, said she had been impressed by how cooperative Barry Peters and Don Christophersen had been when she contacted them. She just wanted to let them know how frustrating all these problems become. Councilmember Hansen also noted that the line in Hamline goes from 16" to 12" and back to 16" in different areas, and that changes should be done in conjunction with the Hamline Avenue reconstruction. Mayor Sather questioned if the water pressure would be better if the tank would fill and hold to capacity. He also asked how does the City get it to fill, who to contact, and who would pay for that. Mr. Lund apologized for SEH not having kept the Council well enough informed on this project. Mayor Sather wants and expects the City Council to have an honest and forthright relationship with their consultants and he felt that sometimes the Council received only part of the necessary information, not all of it. He felt that this was a breach of trust or a lack of confidence and he felt a consultant should acknowledge their mistakes, as should a city counciL ~ Councilmember Hansen concurred with Mayor Sather's comments and stated the Council needs needs a better relationship with a consultant. Mr. Lund concluded by saying that SEH would be more than happy to conduct special meetings, or meet with the City whenever the need arose. Councilmember Hansen noted that she did not want to end on a negative note, noting that there had been many positive experiences also. Mayor Sather thanked Mr. Lund, Mr. Christopherson and Mr. Peters for attending the meeting to clear the air. Mr. Lund then distributed copies of the written material he had prepared addressing the City's concerns. SHOREVIEW SEWER! WATER REQUEST between Shoreview and The Council acknowledged receipt of a letter from the Shoreview City Manager requesting Arden Hills Council approval of the draft agreement the Army Reserve, which would allow Shoreview to . ~ ~ Minutes of the February 22, 1989 Special Council Meeting Page ,Five . provide sewer and water utilities to the Army Reserve Center which is located in Arden Hills. In exchange for the City's approval, Shoreview would receive $200,000 from the Arsenal and Shoreview would in turn give Arden Hills $80,000 worth of improvements to the west side of Lexington Avenue. Councilmember Malone notified the Council that one City may not sell utilities to an agency/entity that is located in another jurisdiction without approval from the other jurisdiction first. Councilmember Hansen stated she is not opposed to granting approval for this agreement. Mayor Sather expressed a reluctance to grant the approval and the Council consensus was that they may have a hard time saying yes to the approval, but how would they say no to it. Councilmember Hansen noted that due to the impending resignation of Attorney Jim Lynden, the City would be without one to review this matter and she wouldn't feel comfortable agreeing to this without an attorney's review. . Mayor Sather suggested this item be placed on the February 27 agenda, asking for legal advice, and after legal review, Administrator Berger will draft an appropriate letter of response to Shoreview. OTHER BUSINESS Councilmember Malone asked about the status of Co. Road I improvements, noting there were four options the City could consider. Councilmember Malone moved, seconded by Councilmember Hansen that Administrator Berger draft a letter to Ramsey County adamantly choosing Alternate #1 as the choice of the Arden Hills Council. Motion carried unanimously. (4-0). Councilmember Hansen noted that she has a class on Monday, February 27, and will therefore be late for the 6:30 P.M. performance evaluation of Administrator Berger. , Mayor Sather noted that he has not yet prepared a letter to City employees on the complaint process to be followed if an employee has a complaint. It was his opinion that the City may move to an administrator/manager form of government and he felt it should be determined who holds who accountable. He asked the rest of the Council to think about where the City was going and to come to a consensus. Councilmember Hansen stated she was not comfortable doing the Administrator's evaluation before this matter is resolved. Mayor Sather stated that before we set employee standards, the Council needs to know where they are going. Councilmember Hansen asked the Council to discuss this before the evaluation. Mayor Sather felt that a general evaluation can be conducted on Monday, February 27. He felt that the Council needs a clearer definition of accountability. Councilmember Hansen felt the three department heads, Berger, Raddatz, and Buckley should remain accountable to the City Council at this time. Mayor Sather again reiterated his feeling that there needs to be a definition of responsibility for the employees. Councilmember Hansen was excused at 10:52 P.M. Councilmember Malone stated perhaps a personnel subcommittee should be appointed to establish this direction. Mayor Sather felt that Raddatz and Buckley should each have their evaluation soon and goals and job descriptions could also be reviewed. He felt that the Administrator's evaluation should still be conducted on ... Monday, February 27, at 6:30 P.M., prior to the regular Council meeting. Minutes of the February 22, 1989 Special Council Meeting Page Six ADJOURN There being no further business to come before the Council, Councilmember Malone moved, seconded by Councilmember Growe that the meeting be adjourned at 11:00 P.M. Motion carried unanimously. (3-0). ~e~ Gary R. erger, C erk Administrator -;k &~ Thomas R. Sather, Mayor . .' '> . . a .