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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 09-29-2003 . ~ /]'\~fIILLS MEETING MINUTES , ,__, _"'w~. Approved: October 14,2003 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 29, 2003, 7:00 P.M. CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Beverly Aplikowski called to order the Regular City Council Meeting at 7:02 p.m. Present: Mayor Beverly Aplikowski, Councilmembers David Grant, . Lois Rem, and Brenda Holden. Absent: Councilmember Gregg Larson. Also present were City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Director of Community Services, Aaron Parrish; City Attorney, Jerry Filla; Operations and Maintenance Director, Thomas Moore; City Engineer, Greg Brown; City Planner, Pete Hellegers; and Recording Secretary, Kathleen Altman. 1. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Ms. Wolfe noted item number 3H under the Consent Calendar would be pulled from the agenda. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Council member Rem seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES . A. September 8, 2003 Council Meeting B. September 15,2003 Work Session ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 2 - . Councilmember Grant requested the following changes: None Councilmember Holden requested the following changes: None Council member Rem requested the following changes: None Mayor Aplikowski requested the following changes: None Ms. Wolfe requested the following changes: None MOTION: Councilmember Rem moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to approve the September 8, 2003 City Council Meeting Minutes and the September 15, 2003 Work Session Minutes as presented. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 3. CONSENT CALENDAR . a. Claims and Payroll b. Payment #2: Lift Station Nos. 2 and 5 c. Payment #4: 2003 PMP d. Authorization to Purchase Council Chamber Equalizer e. PC#03-18: lnsty-Prints Sign Standard Adjustment, Amending a Condition of Approval f. Resolution No. 03-61: Approving an Application for Authorization of an Exempt Gambling Permit for Trinity Lutheran g. Administration: Approve Recruiting Process for Finance Director, Organization Restructure, Amended Compensation Plan h. "^.uthorize to l.dvertise for Bids: Booster Station 1. Resolution 03-62: Amending the Continuation J. Resolution 03-63: Recognizing Cathy Smithknect MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as amended and to authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion . carried unanimously (4-0). -.------ -~-_._------_._--- ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 3 .--.. . 4. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL A. Lake Johanna Volunteer Fire Department 1. Firefighter Appreciation 11. Proclamation Fire Prevention Month Tim Boehlke, Fire Chief Lake Johanna Fire Department, stated this year was the Fire Department's 60th Anniversary. He noted they were coming up on Fire Prevention week and they were having two open houses - one open house at Station 1 on New Brighton Road, and another open house at Station 3 on County Road I and Lexington Avenue on October 11,2003, both beginning at 10:00 a.m. through I :00 p.m. 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Karth Lake Improvement District - Karth Lake PumpiDl!: i. Resolution No. 03-60: Establishing the Lake Improvement . District Mayor Aplikowski opened the public hearing at 7:12 p.m. Mr. Parrish stated this Resolution created the Karth Lake Improvement District and adopted By-Laws for the district. He noted instead of adopting a uniform assessment of all properties, it would be necessary to levy taxes to each property within the Karth Lake Improvement District. B. Award Bid for Lift Station #7 and Karth Lake Pumpinl!: Mr. Brown stated bids were received and opened for Lift Station #7 Rehabilitation project on September 18, 2003. He indicated Jay Bros_, Inc. had submitted the low bid with a 10tal bid amount of $232,772.50. He indicated the low bid was approximately $35,000 (15%) more than the Engineer's estimate. He notcd the Engineer had direct experience working with the low bidder and felt confident that Jay Bros., Inc. was capable for successfully completing the work included with this project. He stated based on review of the bids and subsequent . discussion with the contractor, he felt that the bids represent reasonable costs for the work and a re-bid would not likely decrease the costs. ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 4 . Councilmember Holden asked if there was a way to put an end to the District in the future. Mr. Filla replied according to State law, if the City detennined the District was no longer serving a public interest the District could be terminated. He also noted a citywide petition with 26 percent of the citizens requesting an end of the District could end the District. Ron HagkuIl, 1289 Karth Lake Circle, stated the residents of the lake did not cause this issue and he believed it was due to inadequate planning in the 1970s. He questioned the assignment of payment. He asked why only the lakeside owners should bear the 50 percent cost on an estimate that has increased almost 40 percent. He noted it seemed to him that the drainage district (the drainage area that contributed to this, both commercial and residential) should bear responsibility for this and he asked for a valid reason as to why it was just the lakeside owners. He noted it was not just the lakeside owners that caused the lake to rise. Frank Stodola, 1281 Karth Lake Circle, expressed concern how this item was . being assessed. He stated he believed all the people who contributed to this problem should pay for the solution, induding other residents and businesses. Susan Johnson, 1220 Karth Lake Drive, stated she was excited that a solution was going to be taken for this problem. She noted better management of the lake levels and quality of the water would enhance the property values on the lake. She indicated while nobody wanted to pay for this, she believed this was a good solution. She noted the people living around the lake had the most to benefit from the lake's condition. Mayor Aplikowski closed the public hearing at 7:28 p.m. Mayor Aplikowski asked if there were any advantage the District would benefit from other than this particular project. Mr. Filla stated the Lake District could have the authority to suggest other kinds of projects to the City also. Mr. Parrish stated the reason they had adopted the Lake District approach instead of assessing for drainage was because they would not meet the applicable tests and . thresholds for assessing for drainage. He recognized the fact that the problem was not exclusively caused by the residents along the lake and that was the reason the City was paying 50 percent of the cost of this project. ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29,2003 5 . Councilmember Grant asked if the City could be a member of the Lake Improvement District. Mr. Filla replied it could, but it would only have one vote, the same as the other residents. Councilmember Rem expressed concern regarding the higher cost estimate received. Mr. Parrish replied the costs had increased and the bids had come in higher. He noted the assessment would be based on the value of the home and not spread out equally among the residents. Mayor Aplikowski asked if they went to a unit assessment with this, would they be closer to the $700-$800 originally estimated. Mr. Filla replied the County would spread this out based on market value. He noted it could not be assessed equally per residence. MOTION: Councilmember Rem moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to approve Resolution No. 03-60: Establishing the Karth . Lake Improvement District and adopting the Board By-Laws. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). Councilmember Rem again expressed concern about the expense of the project and the increased estimated cost. She noted she was uncomfortable approving this increased cost. She asked if the residents had seen these increased costs. Mr. Parrish stated the residents had been notified that the approach to assessments would be different. He noted the residents were informed they could call the City for the cost estimate for their property_ Councilmember Rem asked how much more had the City's contribution gone up. Mr. Parrish stated the City's contribution went from $35,000 to $56,000. Councilmember Holden noted she had not heard that the residents did not want thc Karth Lake pumping project done and she encouraged the City not to take the pumping project from this proposal. Councilmember Grant agreed with Councilmember Holden. He stated he . believed the issues were over financing. Mr. Filla noted the By-Laws gave the Council options as to how to finance the cost of this project. ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29,2003 6 . Mayor ApIikowski asked if Council wanted to drop the lift station from this project. She stated she personally did not see a reason why they would want to do this. Councilmember Holden asked how much time the City had to respond if Lift Station 7 failed. Mr. Moore replied they had 33 minutes to respond if it failed. He noted they had just televised that line and found a major blockage. He recommended immediate replacement of this Lift Station for environmental safety reasons. Mayor ApIikowski asked what the possibility would be of the City putting in another $5,000.00 into the project to lower the resident's cost. Mr. Filla replied the City could finance a higher portion of this project. Councilmember Holden stated the City could pick up some of the administrative cost and only assess for the bid estimate. She stated the residents of the lake were . benefiting from this project. Mayor Aplikowski noted it was not the homeowners or this Council that created this problem, but she believed it needed to get fixed. Councilmember Grant stated he wanted the City to pick up all of the administrative cost and not charge this back to the residents. He noted the City may also be willing pay 60 percent of the cost of this project because the City owned a large portion of land. He stated the residents would then be paying 40 percent, and not 50 percent. Mr. Parrish noted in the preliminary 2004 budget, the City was nearly running at a deficit within the Storm Management Fund. However, if the Council was interested in increasing the funding, they could do an inter-fund loan. He noted this fund had the lowest fund balance and ran the potential for running a deficit in future years. Councilmember Grant stated it was his intent to make a fair decision and not base it on a fund balance. He indicated a ten percent increase would not deplete . the fund. He noted there were ways of funding, and the Council would need to discuss this in the future, but Council's decision should not be based on a fund balance_ ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 7 . Mayor Aplikowski slated Council did not need to make a decision tonight on the cost the City would contribute and she directed staff to come up with some cost estimates taking out the administrative costs and possibly increasing the City's contribution. She noted they needed to take more time to look at this more care full y. MOTION: Councilmember Rem moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to award thc bid for Lift Station #7 and Karth Lake Pumping to Jay Bros., Inc. in the amount of $232,772.50. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). Mr. Parrish noted this would come back to Council with the funding information at the October Work Session. 6. COMMUNITY SERVICES . A. Ordinance 341: Extendinl!: the Moratorium on the Construction of Boathouses Mr. Hellegers stated the Council had previously approved a moratorium on the construction of boathouses. Currently, staff was working on modifying the Zoning Ordinance, incorporating and including the Shoreland Ordinance into the Zoning Ordinance, which should eliminate any conflicting language between the two ordinances. He noted, however, that the Zoning Ordinance revisions would not be ready for adoption until sometime later this year. He indicated the moratorium would expire on October 16, 2003 unless the Council took action. He recommended a six-month extension of a development moratorium on the construction of boathouses. Councilmember Rem requested the actual six-month date be placed in the Ordinance under the duration of the moratorium. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to approve a six (6) month moratorium on the construction of . boathouses as amended. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 8 . B. Ordinanee 345: Rezoninf Certain Properties from an R 2 Zone to a NB Zone Seeond Readinf C. Planning Case No. 03-22: Nolting Variance Mr. Ilellegers stated applicants were requesting a variance of 36.96 feet from the front yard setback, a variance of 5 feet from the current side yard setback for accessory buildings, and a variance to Section 6, A, 3 which states that no accessory structure shall be nearer the front lot line than what was the required front setback. He indicated the variance would allow the applicant to construct a new two-car garage in approximately the same location as the existing two-car garage. He noted the Planning Commission had recommended approval of the variance with conditions. Councilmember Holden asked if this proposal was for a larger two-car garage. Mr. Hellegers noted this was correct. He indicated the neighbors in the area had . supported this proposal. MOTION: Councilmember Rem moved and Council member Grant seconded a motion to Planning Case No. 03-22, Earl and Judith Nolting, 336 Lake Johanna Boulevard Variance (Zoning Ordinance) with conditions as noted in staffs September 29, 2003 report. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). D. Planning Case No. 03-23: Guidant Site Plan Review Parking Ramp #1 Mr. Hellegers explained applicant was requesting approval of a Site Plan Review for Parking Ramp #1. He indicated the Planning Commission had recommended approval of this site plan with conditions as noted in staffs September 29, 2003 report. Councilmember Holden expressed concern about both visual and nOise buffering. Mr. Hellegers replied the grow wall would not buffer noise, but would be visually appealing. He noted trees would buffer the noise. . Councilmember Grant stated he was not impressed with the grow wall concept because of Minnesota's limited growing season. He stated he believed the grow wall could be a secondary screening method used. He indicated he wanted a ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 9 . solution that would truly provide a visual and noise screening year round. He suggested coniferous trees be planted also. Mr. Hellegers replied applicant was open to the suggestion of removing the grow wall on the west and south side and placing trees in its place. Councilmcmbcr Grant indicated the citizens in the City did not like it when trees werc cut down and noted good screening year round was a very important element in order for Guidant to be a good neighbor. John Larson, RSP Architects, summarized the proposed ramp for Council. He statcd they would like to sit down with City staff and a landscape architect they had hired to discuss the landscaping plan. He indicated they would do the best job they could to prcscrve the mature oak trees in the area. Chris Anderson, 1361 West Floral Drive, expressed concern about the landscaping and screening. She indicated she was a landscape designer and had . offered to give assistance to Guidant free of charge regarding landscaping and screening. She presented an example of a proposed landscape plan. She noted a growing screen was not appropriate for this area as a screening method. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to approve Planning Case No. 03-23: Guidant Site Plan Review Parking Ramp #1 with the conditions as noted in staffs September 29,2003 report. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). E. Planning Case No. 03-25: Guidant Master PUD Amendment for Building N Addition Mr. Hellegers explained applicant was requesting approval of a second amendment to the previously approved Master Plan Planned Unit Development (PUD). He noted the Planning Commission had recommended approval of this PUD Amendment with conditions as noted in staffs September 29, 2003 report. MOTION: Councilmember Grant movcd and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to Planning Case No. 03-25: Guidant Master PUD (second) . Amendment for Building N Addition subject to the conditions as noted in staffs September 29, 2003 report. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 10 . F. Planning Case No. 03-24: Guidant Site Plan Review Building N Addition Mr. Hellegcrs explained applicant was requesting approval of a Site Plan Review for Building N (formerly the Friskies Building). He indicated the Planning Commission recommended approval of this Site Plan Review with conditions as noted in staffs September 29,2003 report. Judd Brasch, RSP Architects and Project Architect, summarized the proposed Building N Addition. He indicated the new addition would not exceed the current building height. He noted they would provide additional landscaping to screen the area from the residential area. He stated they would like to start construction as soon as possible with anticipated move in late spring. Mr. Brasch stated they were more than willing to work with the residents regarding their concerns and noted the new roof top additions would be moved as . far away from the residents as possible. MOTION: Council member Grant moved and Council member Holden seconded a motion to recommend approval of Planning Case No. 03-24, Guidant Corporation, 4100 North Hamline Avenue, Site Plan Review Building N Addition subject to the conditions as noted in staffs September 29, 2003 report. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 7. OPERA nONS & MAINTENANCE None. 8. ADMINISTRA nON A. Ramsev County IT Study Ms. Wolfe explained she had attended a recent meeting sponsored by Ramsey County regarding the Business Infonnation and Technology Initiative. She noted . Ramsey County was providing a senior staff member to serve as project manager, and would cover the costs of the study. Participating partners would have no up- front costs, other than staff time. She stated it was her recommendation that the ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29,2003 11 ~-_. . City participate so it was represented and have some say in the final outcome. Shc indicated if at any time stan was not comfortable with the direction of the study, if it was taking up too much staff time, or if any other concerns arise, they would report to Council and re-evaluate the participation level. MOTION: Councilmember Rem moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to authorize City staff to participate in the Ramsey County Business Information and Technology Initiative. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). CITY COUNCIL REPORTS Ms. Wolfe - None. Councilmember Holden - Stated the Newsletter Committee was meeting on Wednesday, October 1 at 5:30 p.m. She asked for a status update the Cummings Park hockey rink and the educational trip to the former Glenview, Illinois Naval . Base. Ms. Wolfe stated she had drafted a letter regarding the hockey rink indicating the information had not changed and they were not sure what would happen with the hockey rink for the upcoming season. She indicated they were waiting for final designs and weather could also be a factor. Mr. Moore replied until the building was actually built, he did not know what type of a rink they would be able to put in, but they would have some type of an ice rink in that area, in the future. Mr. Parrish stated with respect to the educational trip to the former Glenview, lIIinois Naval Base, the trip would allow Council to see a well-designed concept for military reuse. He stated if they wanted to see a high-quality redevelopment, this would be a great opportunity to do that. He indicated there were no legal issues regarding this trip and two Councilmembers could attend this trip without violating the open meeting laws. Councilmember Holden noted the City was not paying for this trip. She expressed concern about whether Council members should attend. . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 29,2003 12 . Councilmember Rem - Stated she would be absent from the first neighborhood meeting. She stated she was willing to pass up the Glenview, Illinois trip to allow two other Councilmembers to take the trip. Councilmember Grant - Stated he believed the development team could present the trip by some other means, other than having the Council go to Glenview, Illinois. He noted he was willing to forego the trip so two other Councilmembers could attend. He stated the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee had recently met and had looked at the proposed shelter for Perry Park. Mayor Aplikowski - Asked staff into looking into either moving the podium in the Council Chamber closer to the presentation screen, or obtaining a wireless microphone. She requested staff prepare a letter of commendation to the principal at Mounds View High School for the three students who had perfect SAT test scores. With respect to the Glenview trip, November 7 was the best date for her. She asked staff to look into the possibility of adding crosswalk signs at Tony Schmidt Park. She reminded residents that on the first Wednesday of each month . she was in her City office from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Mr. Parrish reminded the Council that the next Council meeting would be on Tuesday, October 14 and not on Monday, October 13 due to the holiday. Mayor Aplikowski adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at 10:02 p.m. ti1'lZt '\ I '1 ~/1 1 , ,/rt - I! ,II ) II 1///'/' .n:'a~ ~fl~/~<"dtt. r rZlV . / ~ytt I! LA~ Beverly lik wski Michelle Wolfe {/ Mayor City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next Council Meeting will be held Tuesday, October 14,2003 at 7:00 p.m. in the Arden Hills Council Chambers. .