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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 04-12-1999 -. . . MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 12, 1999 7:30 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDERlROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Dennis Probst called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:32 p.m. Present: Mayor Dennis Probst, Councilmembers Gregg Larson, Paul Malone and Lois Rem, Absent: Councilmember Beverly Aplikowsh Also present were City Administrator, Brian Fritsinger; Public Works Director, Dwayne Stafford; City Engineer, Greg Brown, BRW; City Accountant, Terrance Post; Parks and Recreation Director, Tom Moore; and Recording Secretary, Lori Rolfson. ADOPT AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Malone seconded a motion to adopt the agenda for the April 12, 1999, regular City Council meeting, as submitted. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. March 29,1999, Special Council Worksession B. April 5, 1999, Special Council Worksession Mr. Fritsinger requested the following changes to the April 5, 1999, minutes: Page six, last paragraph, the last line should read, "..,use of the current application form, with some minor revisions. was encouraged." Page seven, second paragraph under Human Rights Committee, third line, the word "challenge" should be changed to "work with" With regard to the second paragraph under Restructuring Process on page seven, Mr. Fritsinger indicated that the wording was incorrect. He asked to change the last sentence of this paragraph to, "This meeting would be held after the Council took action to adopt the Resolution summarizing the committee restructuring." Mr, Fritsinger stated it was his understanding that, at the April 19, 1999, Council Worksession, he would be bringing forward a summary of the discussions regarding ratification, At the April 26, 1999, Council meeting, there would be a formal adoption of the resolution. He indicated that there had been a debate whether there would be informal, or formal meetings, or one large meeting with all the various committee members, He stated that it had been his ~ . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRIL 12, 1999 2 understanding that, over the month of April, the Council Liaisons would be informing the various committee members of the status and timing of the restructuring. In May, the committees would be given a deadline as to when to complete those items that need to be accomplished. At some point thereafter, the committees would be brought together for an initial meeting to discuss what committees the members would be interested in serving on, Councilmember Malone stated that, according to his recollection, the discussion of meetings had been properly reflected in the minutes, Mayor Probst concurred. MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the meeting minutes ofthe March 29, 1999, Special Council Worksession, as submitted, and the AprilS, 1999, Special Council Worksession, as amended, The motion carried unanimously (4-0), CONSENT CALENDAR A. Claims and Payroll B. 1999 Business License Renewals MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Councilmember Rem 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. Mr. Fritsinger introduced the new Parks and Recreation Director, Mr. Tom Moore, UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Shared Building Inspector, Memorandum of Understanding Mr. Fritsinger explained that, as part of the 1999 budget process, the City Council authorized the inclusion of a half-time Building Inspector position, This position was described as a shared position with the City of Shoreview. The intent was for the two cities to work together cooperatively to provide additional building inspection and code enforcement activities. As part of this arrangement, the City Attorney has recommended that a Memorandum of Understanding is appropriate between the two cities. The City of Arden Hills will commit to sharing the position for the remainder of 1999, Anyon- going relationship would need to be determined at the time ofthe annual budget discussions, The City of Shoreview will hire the new inspector and the position will be part of the Shoreview staff Shoreview will provide salary, benefits, and training to the Building Inspector. The City . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRIL 12, 1999 3 of Arden Hills will reimburse the City of Shoreview for services provided, based on an average of 20 hours per week. Should either city decide to terminate the services of the Building Inspector, it must provide the other city with a 60 day notice. ML Fritsinger advised that Staffrecommends approval of the Memorandum of Understanding for a shared Building Inspector with the City of Shoreview, and that the City Administrator be authorized to execute the Memorandum, Mayor Probst stated that he was pleased that the City of Shoreview was willing to agree to the shared position and was pleased that they were willing to accept thc commitment from Arden Hills of only one year. He indicated that the shared position would be a grcat help to the City of Arden Hills. Councilmember Larson requested confirmation that the billing would be based on actual time and, if the Building Inspector worked more than 50 percent of his time in Arden Hills, the City of Arden Hills will pay for the extra time. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this was correct. MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the Memorandum of Understanding for a shared Building Inspector with the City of Shoreview, and authorize the City Administrator to execute the Memorandum. The motion carried unanimously (4-0), B. Ordinance #313, Relating to the Arden Hills Emergency Operations Plan Mr. Stafford explained that the City of Arden Hills' Code of Ordinances, Chapter 7, relates to Civil Defense and disasters, Written in 1967, without a specific chain of command or specific assignments for any individual, the chapter provides little, if anything, that would be helpful in the event of a disaster. With the City Council's instructions to develop a more comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan, the Public Safety Commission began researching necessary steps to prepare an Emergency Operations Plan specifically for the City. At its May 26, 1998 meeting, the City Council authorized expenditure of up to $500 for fees to a consultant to help develop such a plan, The consultant, Mr. Mark Bishop, with assistance from the Public Safety Commission Chairperson, Jolm Tholen, and the Public Works Director, then drafted a plan. Copies ofthe draft plan were provided to the City Council, Ramsey County Sheriff Department, Lake Johanna Fire Department, and City Attorney Filla for review and input. The Staff does expect the Plan to be revised and updated over the years, however, they believe this is a good start on a usable tool in the event of a disaster, Mr. Stafford advised that, if the City Council finds the Emergency Operations Plan to be acceptable, the Public Works Director recommends that the City Council adopt Ordinance #313, An Ordinance Relating to the Arden Hills Emergency Operations Plan, t . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRlL 12, 1999 4 This Ordinance would then replace Article I of Chapter 7, and Section 7.1 of the Arden Hills Code of Ordinances. The Emergency Operations Plan itself will become Appendix C, and be added to the existing City of Arden Hills Code of Ordinances. Mayor Probst stated that he was pleased with the results of the Emergency Operations Plan, He noted that the Plan does not currently list the Fire Marshall. He suggested rather than using question marks, the plan state "To be determined." He also indicated that a revision of the Multiple Deaths section might be helpful. Councilmember Rem referred to the cover page of the Ordinance and indicated that the sentence under Effective Date does not make sense as it was presented. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this sentence should read, "This Ordinance shall become effective the day following its publication," Mr. Paul Rignell, Focus Newspaper reporter, stated that the phone number and fax number listed in the Plan for Focus Newspaper were the numbers from their Fridley office and were incorrect. The phone number should be changed to, 651-633-3434, and the fax number changed to, 651- 633-9550. Councilmember Malone asked Mr. Rignell if the Focus Newspaper office in Fridley was still in operation, Mr. Rignell stated that it was not. With regard to the list of possible evacuation sites, Councilmember Malone asked Staff if the locations were contacted to confirm the use of their facilities in the event of an emergency. Mr. Stafford stated that a letter had been sent to all locations identified as possible evacuation sites asking if they would be willing to allow the use of their facilities in the event of an emergency. The list of facilities provided in the Plan is the result of the responses to this letter. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Malone seconded a motion to adopt Ordinance #313, An Ordinance Relating to the Arden Hills Emergency Operations Plan, as amended, and inclusion of the Plan in the existing City of Arden Hills Code of Ordinances, as Appendix C. The motion carried unanimously (4-0), C. Change Order #1, West Round Lake Road, Phase I, Forest Lake Contracting Mr. Brown explained that the City of Arden Hills awarded Forest Lake Contracting the West Round Lake Road, Phase I project on March 8, 1999. The total awarded contract amount was $794,725.05, which included Bid Alternate A, topsoil excavation, and Bid Alternate B, landscaping. Prior to award of the contract, Forest Lake Contracting verbally agreed to perform the topsoil excavation included in Bid Alternate A for $0,00 if the City would allow them to utilize the northwest portion of the Indykiewicz property for stockpiling purposes until December 31, 1999. This would allow the Contractor additional time to market the topsoil. Their original bid price for Bid Alternate A was $32,000. The completion date for the roadway work is also being adjusted as a part of Change Order # I to address the delay in starting the project resulting trom the acquisition process. The contract bid documents included a project completion date based on . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRlL 12, 1999 5 starting in late January. Change Order #1 revises the starting date to April 12, 1999 and completion date to August 14, 1999, Mr. Brown recommended the City Council approve Change Order #1, thereby reducing the contract amount by $32,000 from $794,725.05 to $762,725.05, and revising the contract completion date to August 14, 1999. Councilmember Malone confirmed that the contract for the roadway would end on August l4, 1999, and Bid Alternate A was extended until December 31,1999 for the dirt removal, Mr. Brown stated that this was correct He explained that Forest Lake Contracting is attempting to find a buyer for the topsoil and, until one is found, the soil would be stock piled on the property. There had been one individual who had been interested, however, it was for only a small quantity, MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to approve Change Order #1, reducing the contract amount by $32,000 from $794,725,05 to $762,725,05, and revising the contract completion date to August 14, 1999. Thc motion carried unanimously (4-0). D. City Hall Discussion Mr. Fritsinger stated that at the last Council Worksession, there had been discussions regarding the status of the land transfer with the Minnesota National Guard, and the subsequent lease for the construction ofthe new City Hall, Mr. Fritsinger indicated that he had spoken with the Commander's Representative, Mr. Mike Fix, regarding the status of the land transfer. He also followed up on a phone call made by Council member Aplikowski to Congressman Vento's office, Councilmember Aplikowski had contacted Congressman Vento's office and was informed that they would do some research to try to determine the status of the land transfer. As of this morning, Mr. Fritsinger had not heard back from Congressman Vento's office. He also called the Staff Member for the Congressman's Minneapolis/St Paul oflice and has not heard back from this individual either. Mr. Fix had indicated it was his understanding that the land transfer was still proceeding. Industrial Operations Command has signed the land transfer agreement and the paper work had been forwarded to the Army Materials Command level for execution. While the agreement has not been formalized, Mr. Fix had indicated that he does not expect there to be any problems, Mr. Fritsinger stated that he will continue to follow up with Congressman Vento's oflice and will place a call to Senator Gram's office to request assistance, Mayor Probst stated that he had attempted to contact General LeBlanc and has been unsuccessful so far. He indicated that the General has been spending most of his time at the Capital during the Legislative Session. Mayor Probst stated that he would continue to pursue an in-person visit with General LeBlanc, . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRIL ]2, ]999 6 Mayor Probst noted that Councilmember Larson would be in Washington D.C. at the end of the month, He suggested that if the transfer is still pending, Counci]member Larson and Administrator Fritsinger speak on behalf of the City of Arden Hills in order to expedite the land transfer process. E. Roseville Area High School Financial Request Mayor Probst stated that, on behalf ofthe City, he had received a request for funding assistance from the Roseville Area High School, The funds would be used to help host the 63rd Annual National Association of Student Councils Conference. Mr. Fritsinger explained that the Roseville Area High School is hoping to raise $320,000 to help fund the conference, The request had also been submitted to the City of Shore view and Ramsey County. It was not clear whether the request had been submitted to the City of Roseville. The City of Shoreview circulated the request to their City Council and has not taken any formal action on whether or not to participate in the request. Ramsey County has on their agenda a requested action to allocate a $6,000 contribution. The Assistant City Manager of Roseville indicated that he was aware of the activity, however, he was not aware of the funding request. Mayor Probst suggested waiting to take action on this request until it is known what, if any, funding dedications are made by the sister cities, If other cities support the request, it may be appropriate for the City of Arden Hills to consider supporting the request as well. He would be hesitant to offer support if the other cities are not supporting the request since Arden Hills is such a small portion of the High School, Because he is relatively new to the City Council, Councilmember Larson requested background information on how these types of requests have been dealt with in the past. He noted that there are many worthy activities to support and it is difficult to decide who to support and where to draw the line, Mayor Probst stated that he was aware ofthree examples of past funding requests. One request had been from Mounds View to support the activities of this sister city. The Council chose not to support this request. A modest contribution of $250 was made to the Healthy Youth Coalition. The City had also donated $2,000 to the Valentine Hills play structure because it functions as a community playground, Mayor Probst indicated that the City has struggled with these types of requests in the past and deals with them on a case-by-case basis, Councilmember Malone stated that the City has tended to be very stringent when it comes to these sort of requests, He agreed that there are many good causes to contribute to, however, the business of the City is to run the City, The taxpayers do not expect the City to be in the business of charity, Although saying no is difficult, saying yes to contribution requests on any sort of regular basis can create a snow ball affect. - . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRIL 12, 1999 7 Mayor Probst stated that the options before the Council would be to take no action, to take action denying the request, or defer action for additional information. The consensus of the Council was that no action be taken on the request at this time. ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS Mr. Fritsinger reminded the Council Committee Liaisons to update the committees regarding the status of the process to restructure the committees in hopes to bring closure to this issue within the next two weeks. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Larson asked Mr. Fritsinger if a permit had been acquired for the new portable sign at the northwest comer of Lexington A venue and County Road E. He indicated that the sign is very unattractive. Mr. Fritsinger stated that a temporary sign permit had been granted, With regard to the non-agenda information, Councilmember Larson stated that he had been interested in the comment that Staff had met with Bethel College and Ramsey County regarding the possible improvements to Snelling Avenue between the railroad tracks and Bethel Drive. He noted that the City s Master Plan indicates that this road is proposed to be a boulevard. Councilmember Larson indicated that, if the project moves forward there would be a need for turn lanes and a center island. The City should consider extending the boulevard from the railroad tracks to Lake Valentine Road, Mr. Fritsinger stated that Mr. Dan Soler of Ramsey County had indicated that the concept being prepared at this time would be to narrow the drive lanes. Staff had asked Ramsey County how they would handle the center median and whether it would be a turn lane. If it is a center turn lane, running the entire length of the road, there is no where to turn to the east except to access Lake Valentine. Ramsey County had indicated that they would contact the City when this issue is figured out. Mayor Probst indicated that he did not recall this stretch of road being slated for a boulevard. He concurred with Councilmember Larson's suggestion and asked Staffto pass this on to Ramsey County. Councilmember Larson stated that the there have been a number of complaints that the road is a speed way and it needs to be slowed down. Mayor Probst agreed that the four-lane road only serves to allow people to drive faster. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the County is also in the process of preparing to widen the railroad bridges at New Brighton Road and Snelling Avenue. Councilmember Malone stated that it would be best for the City to not build the proposed trail at County Road F since it might be removed with the Highway 694 project and the City would have to pay back the money for its construction. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRIL 12, 1999 8 Mr. Fritsinger stated that if the road is rebuilt in the future, the City is obligated under contract to pay back the State of Minnesota. The issue is whether the County could be involved in the pay back or if the State could possibly pay back itself If the project were to be delayed there may be a way for the County to pay a portion of the project, . Mr. Brown stated that the County would be willing to participate, at a minimum 01'25 percent, for some or all of the trail project. He indicated that he was not aware of the State being willing to reimburse funds, If the trail is constructed and is later taken out in order to widen the road, the State would not participate in a future trail. They would consider the trail a preexisting condition as it was built in an area that was subject to be demolished, If the City does not build the trail now and it was constructed with the County project, the cost would be less and County would participate at a minimum of 25 percent, One issue to consider at this time is the amount ofland available, If the road is 36 feet wide, there would be 10 feet of right-of-way to the north and 20 feet of right-of-way to the south, There is a major power line that splits the southern right-of-way. It may be possible to built the trail on the north side, however this would encroach on private property. The trail could be built on the south side now, however, it would make the most sense and be safest on the other side of the power line, . Mayor Probst asked if there would be any chance of moving the funding for this trail project to another trail project since the conditions have changed. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this question would have to be posed to the Minnesota Department ofNaturaI Resources. He was not sure they could be convinced to allow the City to move the funds to a different portion of the trail. In this case, the trail would be connecting two communities together and address the safety issues in the area. Mayor Probst stated that, if the City must reimburse the funds for the project, and the project has a chance to occur in the future, it would not be wise to spend the tax payers money on a project which will be torn down. He expressed his concern that the conversations with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are handled properly in order for the City to maintain a good relationship with the State. Councilmember Malone noted that there are similar issues with some intersections, such as County Road F and Hamline A venue, where there is a recommendation to install a traffic light that would be torn down when the roads are rebuilt, He indicated that this intersection does not warrant a traffic light at this time as it is only congested during one-haIl' hour of the day. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this intersection did meet two of the warrants that support a traffic light; accidents and traffic levels. The information received was that the traffic lights would be installed to standards and the location would be the same for the future roadway. City staff had indicated that it would support this recommendation. . With regard to Old Snelling Avenue, Councilmember Malone stated that he could not understand why four lanes had been constructed between the railroad bridge and Lake Valentine Road, and now more money will be spent to narrow the road, If the road will be narrowed, he stated that turn lanes must be added. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRIL 12, 1999 9 Councilmember Larson asked if the improvements to Hamline Avenue and Highway 694 would be part of the regional assessment ML Fritsinger stated that it would not be. He explained that a project director has been hired to prepare the design options for Highway 694 from I35E to I35W. The Hamline Avenue project is considered a part of this project and there has been no reference to the study done by the I35W Corridor Coalition, Councilmember Larson noted that there is an unofficial trail that runs from Lydia Avenue along Snelling Avenue, This trail is well used and is mowed in the summer time. He suggested that this trail could be considered to tie the communities togetheL Councilmember Rem asked what the future status of the Bethel Park project would be now that ML Hjelle is lcaving the College. Mr. Fritsinger stated that, although it is unknown who ML Hjelle's successor will be, the project will continue. An Arden Hills resident, ML Bruce Kunkel, will oversee the project in the mean time. Mayor Probst stated that he attended the Army Reserve Open House on Saturday, April 10, 1999. He noted that public attendance was light, however, there was a steady stream of people and Army personnel. He indicated that the Sheriff Department was present at the Open House and it was interesting to walk through the storage buildings, Mayor Probst stated that he had received a flyer announcing the Light Rail Transit Conference. The conference will be at the Hilton Hotel in Bloomington and Ted Mondale will be in attendance to make a presentation. He indicated that the $15 fee will include lunch and, if any of the Councilmembers were interested in attending, the City will cover the cost Mayor Probst stated that the City received an invitation to make a nomination for the National Brick Award, He indicated that he was not sure that the City of Arden Hills would have anything that would apply to this award. Mayor Probst stated that he had been invited to submit a nomination for the Governor's 1998 Acts of Kindness Volunteer A wards, Any nominations for this award must be submitted prior to May 20,1999, Mayor Probst stated that there would be a neighborhood night out on Wednesday, May 19, 1999. He indicated that the City is encouraged to hold block parties. In the past the City has not participated in these types of events and he suggested this be discussed at a Council Worksession. Mayor Probst stated that the Ramsey County League of Local Governments Meeting would be held Thursday, April 15, 1999. Because she is still on the Board, he assumed that Councilmember Aplikowski would be in attendance, Mayor Probst stated that he would try to attend and he encouraged the other Councilmembers to attend as well. He indicated that this would provide an opportunity to discuss activities in this part of the County, such as the Tony Schmidt Park redevelopment project Councilmember Larson noted that the newspaper had not announced the Governor's Metropolitan Council appointments, Mr, Fritsinger stated that the appointments are still . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, APRIL 12, 1999 10 pending. Councilmember Malone stated that Roger Williams did make the final cut. Mayor Probst indicated that he did send a letter on behalf of Mr. Williams. ADJOURN MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Counci1member Larson seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:38 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (4-0), _/~;>:':' //B~2 ~sm:r City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next regular City Council meeting will be held Monday, April 26, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arden Hills Council Chambers.