Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 06-14-1999 . . ~ MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 14, 1999 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 7:30 p.m. Present: Mayor Dcnnis Probst, Councilmembers Beverly Aplikowski, Gregg Larson, and Lois Rem. Absent: Councilmember Paul Malone. Also present were City Administrator, Brian Fritsinger; Assistant to the City Administrator, Kevin Ringwald; City Accountant, Terrance Post; Associate Planner, Nancy Randall; Parks and Recreation Director, Tom Moore; Public Works Director, Dwayne Stafford and Recording Secretary, Lori Rolfson. ADOPT AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Rem moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to adopt the agenda for the June 14, 1999, regular City Council meeting, as submitted. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. May 24, 1999 Regular Council Meeting B. June 7, 1999 Special Council Meeting Councilmember Larson requested the following changes to the May 24, 1999 Regular Council minutes: On page six, last paragraph, the first line should read, '" ... he is convinced that something more should be done than using an assessed valuation." On page 10, the first full paragraph, last sentence, the figure $10,000 should be changed to $2,000. With regard to Councilmember Larson's change to page 10 of the minutes, Mayor Probst requested confirmation whether the action reflected in the minutes had taken place before or after the Council took action. Councilmember Larson stated that the motion had already been made when his statements regarding the increase in the park dedication fee and his request to amend the motion were made. Councilmember Rem requested the following change to the May 24, 1999 Regular Council minutes: On page 15, forth paragraph under Council Comments, the reference "Coalition for Health and Youth" should be changed to Coalition for Healthv Youth." . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 2 Mayor Probst requested the following changes to the May 24, 1999 Regular Council Minutes: On page eight, fifth paragraph, the first sentence should read, "...whether or not the developer believes..." With regard to page 12, second paragraph from the bottom, first sentence, Mayor Probst stated that he was not sure he had used the word "illegal". He asked that the recording of the meeting minutes be double checked to ensure the proper wording was used. On page 13, second paragraph from the bottom, the first sentence should read, "...the homeowner would have responsibility for improvements." On page 15, third paragraph from the bottom, the last sentence should read, "Mayor Probst stated that it was his understanding from the County that the contractor was required to cooperate." MOTION: Councilmember Aplikowski moved and Council member Larson seconded a motion to approve the meeting minutes of the May 24, 1999 Regular Council Meeting, as amended, and the June 7, 1999 Special Council Meeting, as submitted. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). CONSENT CALENDAR A. Claims and Payroll B. Pay Estimate #2, Forest Lake Contracting C. Business License Application 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. There were no public comments. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Planning Case #99-08, John Woitas, 1535 Oak Avenue, Street Vacation Ms. Randall explained that the applicant was requesting the vacation of excess street right-of- way on a single family lot zoned R-l. The excess street right-of-way is located just west of 1535 Oak Avenue. The City reconstructed Oak Avenue in 1996. In preparing the plans and specifications for this construction, the City found that the existing Oak Avenue was built outside of the existing right- of-way. The City Council determined that the general alignment for the existing Oak Avenue should be maintained. Right-of~way was acquired on the west side of the road to accommodate the new alignment Additionally, on March 30, 1999, the City Council approved the vacation of the excess right-ot~way on the west side of Oak Avenue. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 3 The excess right-of-way on the east side of Oak A venue was not reviewed at that time. The applicant discovered the excess right-of-way when they requested a building permit for an addition to their home at 1535 Oak Avenue. The proposed addition would be less than the required 40 foot front yard setback, with the existing property. The vacation of the excess street right-of-way would eliminate the need for a variance and allow the applicant to proceed with the proposed addition. The City Council may by resolution vacate any street, on its own motion, or on petition of a majority of the owners of land abutting the street. There are two abutting landowners, the applicant and his neighbor, Mr. Shepley, immediately across the street. The applicant, with his application, has supplied a letter from Mr. Shepley in support of the vacation request. Ms. Randall advised that the Planning Commission recommended approval of Planning Case #99-08, for the vacation of excess right-of-way for Oak Avenue, subject to the recording of the vacation with Ramsey County. Additionally, staff recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution #99-18, ifthe City Council approves the vacation. Mayor Probst stated that he was supportive of the request. He noted that with the realignment of Oak Avenue, one other property owner was affected with excess right-of-way. He asked if the City Staff is considering any action to vacate this excess right-of-way as well. Ms. Randall explained that with this application, the applicant was only requesting the vacation of the right- ot~way portion in front of his home. There is a small area to the south, which could also be vacated. She indicated that the Staff could prepare the legal work in order to vacate this additional small amount of right-of-way, ifthe Council so desired. Councilmember Larson asked if the area at the intersection of Oak Avenue, north of County Road E was City right-of-way. Ms. Randall stated that this area is City right-of-way. She noted that the alignment of the street is actually straighter than it appears on the map. What was being shown was prior to the street realignment in 1996. Mr. Fritsinger stated that, as part of the road reconstruction project, there were two areas of conditional easement, which had to be obtained from property owners. MOTION: Counci1member Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve Planning Case #99-08 and adopt Resolution #99-18, for the vacation ofthe excess right-of-way for Oak Avenue, subject to recording the vacation with Ramsey County. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). Mayor Probst asked Staff to inform the other property owners in the area that have excess right- of-way in front of their homes that, ifthey have an interest in pursuing a vacation of right-of- way, they can do so. B. Arden Oaks Playstructure Replacement Mr. Fritsinger explained that, as part of the 1999 budget process, the Capital Improvement Plan allocated $15,000 for the replacement ofthe playstructure at Arden Oaks Park. The existing playstructure was installed in the summer of 1985 and is at the end of its useful life. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14,1999 4 The City has been going through a process over the last few years of replacing all of its play structures and making all the parks ADA accessible and upgrading the standards. Thc City received three quotes from companies expressing interest in this project. Each company provided two options as part of their quote. Each option was based upon a different layout design and playground equipment. The Parks and Recreation Committee reviewed the three bids at the April 27, 1999 Parks and Recreation Committee meeting. A Neighborhood meeting was held on May 18, 1999, in order for the residents to identify which playstructure is prefcrable for the neighborhood. Only one family attended the meeting. The bid selected was Option #1 from the Miracle Recreation Equipment Company at a cost of$14,996.86, plus Sales Tax. In previous replacement projects, the cost of professional installation was not included in the overall cost. The CiLy of Arden Hills Parks Maintenance Staff provided installation and would spend as much as five weeks on installation. Professional installers can get the project done in seven to 10 days. In addition, utilizing professional installers reduces the risk of improper installation and the voiding of certain warranties. The cost for complete installation by the Miracle Recreation Company would be $2,730. Mr. Fritsinger advised that Staff recommends the playstructure at Arden Oaks Park be replaced and that the Miracle Recreation Company provides complete installation at a total cost not to exceed $17,726.86. MOTION: Councilmember Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to replace the playstructure at Arden Oaks Park and for the Miracle Recreation Equipment Company to provide complete installation at a total cost not to exceed $17,726.86. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). C. 1999 CommitteelTask Force Appointments Mayor Probst statcd that, at its May 24, 1999 meeting, the City Council discussed the potential appointment of individuals to serve on each of the new committees and task forces. The City Council agreed that the respective Council Liaison for each committee or task force would contact the current and prospective members, who had expressed an interest in serving, to clarify their intent. Mr. Fritsinger stated that discussions had been held between the Council Liaisons and prospective committee members. The nature of those discussions has varied, depending upon the committee. Therefore, it may be necessary to delay some appointments until further discussions are held with the interested individuals. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the intent for this evening's meeting was to gain information from each of the Council Liaisons regarding the discussions which have been held and where the Council stands on moving forward. The one component, which was not discussed at the last meeting deals with the Maintenance Facility Task Force. At this point, only two citizens have expressed . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 5 interest in serving on this task force. The Council should discuss how it wants to go about recruiting additional members for this task force. Councilmember Larson reported that all the members of the Communications Committee wish to be re-appointed. He indicated that he had not directly contacted anyone regarding the Water Quality Task Force. However, he did put together a list of interests and those individuals who he felt may be represented. The list basically includes people who have expressed an interest in serving on the task force. He felt there should also be association representatives from the Lake Josephine Lake Shore and Lake Johanna Lake Shore Associations. Additionally, there should be representatives from Bethel College, Northwestern College, TCAAP, the Rice Creek Watershed District, a High School student trom Mounds View, the City Engineer and Public Works Director. He asked if the other Councilmembers had any additional ideas to add to the Water Quality Task Force. Mayor Probst stated that the list provided by Councilmember Larson contained a large group of good candidates. Councilmemher Rem noted that some of the names on the list might overlap with interest expressed in other committees or task forces. Mayor Probst asked Councilmember Larson ifhe was suggesting that the Council formalize some appointments to the Water Quality Task Force. Councilmember Larson stated he had simply wanted to ensure that the efforts were moving in the right direction and for the Council to provide any suggestions they may have. He indicated that he would be contacting the individuals on the list in order to determine their intent. With regard to a Rice Creek Watershed District representative, Councilmember Aplikowski stated that although the City does need to be more in touch with them, the agency tends to bring too much baggage with them. She agreed however, that in this particular case a representative trom the Rice Creek Watershed District might be a good suggestion. Mayor Probst stated that, although he would agree with Councilmember Aplikowski's concerns, since the entire City of Arden Hills is within the District, the Rice Creek Watershed District should provide a representative to share concerns and work cooperatively with the City. With regard to the list of prospective members for the Water Quality Task Force, Mayor Probst noted that Andy Holewa had expressed an interest in several other groups, which may reduce the number on the list by one. Councilmember Larson stated that he would make contact with the prospective members and see where things go from there. Mayor Probst suggested that, since the Newsletter (Communications) Committee is asking to be re-appointed, the Council should make a formal motion re-appointing the committee members and Chair. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to re-appoint the existing members serving on the Newsletter Committee . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 6 to the Communications Committee and designation of the Committee Chair, Ms. Sue Schroeder. Committee members appointed were: Fran Holmes, Sharon Hanzalik, Betty Mullin, Elwood F. Caldwell, and Mary Nosek. Councilmember Aplikowski asked if the list of Communications Committee members was current as of the list dated May 21,1999. She had believed that one of the committee members had resigned. Councilmember Larson stated that all the members listed are current members of the Newsletter Committee. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). Councilmember Aplikowski stated that she would like to propose six members for the Operations and Finance Committee. She indicated that she had put out feelers for additional members. Ofthe six individuals interested in the committee, four have served on either the Finance Committee or the Public Works Committee. The members would represent all but one area of the City and she hoped to have more representation in the lower eastern portion of the City. Mayor Probst asked if a Chairperson had been selected for the Operations and Finance Committee. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that one member had expressed an interest in serving as Chair for the committee, however, this person is currently out of town until the end of July. She noted that she would like to have the orientation kick-off in July. With regard to the Events Committee, Councilmember Aplikowski stated that, although the committee would not be starting now, it would not be too early to start planning for the anniversary events. She indicated that she had spoken with two individuals who are ready to begin work on the committee. Mayor Probst suggested that the Council proceed with the appointment ofthe six members for the Operations and Finance Committee and defer the appointment of the Chair until more members are appointed. MOTION: Councilmember Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to appoint the six identified individuals to serve on the Operations and Finance Committee and to defer designation of the Committee Chair until a later date. Committee members appointed were: Chuck Mertensotto, Charles Stoddard, Ray McGraw, Terry Nygaard, Aaron Fredrickson, and A. Clayton Zimmerman. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). With regard to the Events Committee, Mayor Probst asked if the appointments should be held off for now. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that this would be acceptable since the committee will not formally begin until September. Councilmember Larson noted that the Chair for the Public Safety Committee was not included on the list of members and asked ifhe would be remaining on the committee. Councilmember ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 7 . Ap1ikowski stated that the Chair for the Public Safety Committee had been asked to continue serving, however, he has two young sons and wishes to spend more time at home with them. Councilmember Rem reported that the Parks and Recreation Committee had two resignations. The remaining members are willing to continue serving on the committee ffild the Chair will be re-appointed. She indicated that there was a list of other individuals interested in serving on the committee as well. Some names on this list do appear on lists for other committees. Councilmember Rem stated that she would be inviting those individuals who have expressed interest in serving on the committee to the June 22, 1999 Parks and Recreation Committee meeting in order for them to get a feel for how the committee operates. One concern she had was that there be a broader geographic representation on the committee. She expects the committee to fill out by the end of the summer. Mayor Probst asked if the re-appointments to the Parks and Recreation Committee should be made at this time or deferred until the next Council meeting. Councilmember Rem stated that it would be up to the Council when to proceed with the re-appointments. Mayor Probst suggested that the Council proceed with the re-appointments of the committee members and Chair. He anticipated that additional appointments would be made at the June 28, 1999 City Council meeting. MOTION: Councilmember Ap1ikowski moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to re-appoint the existing members serving on the Parks and Recreation Committee and to re-appoint the Committee Chair. Those committee members appointed were: Don Messerly, Chairperson, Dorothy McClung, Louis Speggen, Rich Straumann, Anita Larson, and Jim Johnson. The City had recently received and accepted the resignations of Lynette Kreidler and Megan Ricke from the committee. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). . Mayor Probst asked if committee appointment information had been received from Councilmember Malone. Mr. Fritsinger stated that no information had been received. D. Round Lake Trail Extension, Authorization to Prepare Plans and Specifications Mr. Fritsinger stated that, at its May 10, 1999 City Council meeting, the Council discussed the status of the County Road F trail project. At that meeting the City Council directed staff to notify the State of Minnesota that the City would be attempting to utilize the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources grant money elsewhere, or to inform the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources that the grant money will not be used. Staff was also directed to look elsewhere in the City for a comparable project to utilize the funds budgeted this year to complete a trail segment. . The head of the Trails and Waterway Division will be out of town until Wednesday, June 16, 1999. At that time, Mr. Fritsinger indicated that he would be requesting to utilize the grant funds for the Round Lake trail extension. He suspected, however, that the answer will be no. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 8 The City's trail master plan includes a 10 foot wide trail segment between the recently constructed Gateway Boulevard and Highway 96 between the existing businesses and ROlil1d Lake. As part ofthe development agreement with Welsh Properties, a segment of the trail was constructed in 1998, beginning at Gateway Boulevard and extending into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife property to the northern property line ofthe Manufacturer's Services Building site. The northern segment of the planned trail through the former Indykiewicz property will be constructed as part of the West ROlil1d Lake Road, Phase I project. The projected cost tor this trail segment would be approximately $75,000. This is somewhat comparable to the cost for the County Road F trail which had a net budget of $65,000. The City Engineer is currently recommending that the City work with the contractor, Forest Lake Contracting, to add this segment to the West ROlil1d Lake project for a couple of reasons. The contractor will be doing the trail work on the north end and it could avoid problematic issues of timing. Depending upon how the segments were to be completed, constructing the middle segment of a trail in the future would require access from either the north or south, which could significantly damage existing trails. The recommended trail alignment would coincide with the existing sanitary sewer easement through the Nott Company, Grainger and part ofthe Scholls property. The recommended trail alignment would meander off of the sanitary sewer easement through the Scholls and ROlil1d Lake Business Center properties towards the U.S. Fish and Wildlife property, then run along the western edge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife property to connect to the existing trail constructed in 1998. The trail would require changes to tlle easement descriptions for the Nott Company and Grainger to provide for trail use as well as sanitary sewer. New easements would need to be granted by Scholls and the Round Lake Business Center for the segment of trail located in their properties. An agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would also be necessary in order to construct the trail within their property. Preliminary discussions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Noll Company and Scholls have indicated general agreement with the proposed trail alignment. Mr. Fritsinger advised that the City Engineer recommended the COlil1cil authorize staff to acquire all necessary easements and permits and prepare the Change Order to the West Round Lake Road, Phase I contract for the work. Mayor Probst asked what the approximate length of the trail segment would be. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the trail segment would be approximately one-third to one-half mile long. Mayor Probst requested confirmation that the cost estimate is based on per-unit prices. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this was correct. Mayor Probst asked if staff had contacted any of the other bidders to compare the per unit cost for the project. Mr. Fritsinger stated that staff had not compared the per-unit cost with other contractors. Mayor Probst stated that he would like to know how Forest Lake Contracting's per-unit price compares with prices from other contractors. Mr. Fritsinger stated that he would contact the City Engineer to determine how the prices would compare. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 9 . Mayor Probst confirmed that the trail would extend to the Vaughn property, Mr. Fritsinger stated that this was correct. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to authorize staff to acquire all necessary easements and permits and prepare the Change Order to the West Round Lake Road, Phase I contract for the West Round Lake trail extension work. Considering the damage to the existing trail in the area, Councilmember Rem asked if any thought had been given to cleaning up that portion of the trail. Mr. Fritsinger stated that there has been ongoing discussions with Welsh and the U,S, Fish and Wildlife Service regarding how to do something different along the trails to prevent wash outs, The problem with the current trail easement is that there is no excess property extending into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife property, Therefore, the City cannot go in and do any grading or repairs to the property closest to the lake, which is undermining the trail. The U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service indicated last week that they were open to working with the City in order to make some grade changes and prevent the wash-out situation. Mr. Moore stated that Welsh had performed some grading and planted some grass to slow down the water before it hits the trail. He indicated that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is aware of the problem and is agreeable to the trail extension. . Councilmember Rem asked if there was a chance that the new trail segment would survive intact. Mr. Fritsinger stated that one difference with this trail segment construction was that the City had not been involved in the construction of the trail segment installed in 1998. The Welsh Company had coordinated the entire construction of the trail and the City had simply agreed to the general layout and design of it. In this case, the City would actually be constructing the trail and monitoring the construction to ensure there are no trouble areas. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the reason the trail is not a straight line around the lake was to take better advantage of the topography. The maintenance crew has indicated that with some of the new trails being constructed, while the trails are installed in nice scenic areas, they are not conducive to maintenance. Councilmember Aplikowski asked whom this trail segment is intended to serve. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the trail will connect with Gateway Boulevard and will also connect into New Brighton. The next piece would involve obtaining property along the south end ofthe lake, which would run the trail back to Highway 10, At this time the trail is primarily being used by the employees of the Gateway Business Park. In the future when the trail is fully connected, most residents of the community would use it. . Councilmember Rem stated that a number of residents south of Highway 694 have expressed an interest in a trail connection from Old Highway 10 running along the south side of the lake to New Brighton. These residents look forward to being able to get around the lake, . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 10 Councijmember Aplikowski stated that, while she is not opposed to the trail segment, it seems like a lot of maintenance work for such limited use, Mr. Fritsinger stated that, if the larger map is considered, it could be seen how this trail interrelates with the rest of the community trails, It is a trail that connects to Highway 96 and that will create an uninterrupted trail from White Bear Lake to Long Lake Regional. Mr. Fritsinger expressed his belief that this trail currently experiences substantial use, and heavier use is projected in the future as this business area continues to develop. Mayor Probst concurred with Mr. Fritsinger's statements and indicated that he would support the construction of the trail. He noted that other communities construct miles of trails at a time, where the City of Arden Hills constructs shorter segments at a time which makes it difficult to focus on the big picture. He snggested that it might be helpful for staff to revisit what has been done and what is left to be accomplished, The City may also wish to consider a different strategy where larger portions of trail are constructed every other year rather than small sections every year. Mr. Post pointed out that the Park Fund would fund the trail segment. The motion carried unanimously (4-0), ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS Thcre were no Administrator comments, COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Larson stated that he had attended the Fire Board meeting a couple weeks ago. The major topic of the meeting was the amount of oversight that the Board would have over the Volunteer Fire Department and how much leeway is to be given to the Department to exceed the budget if it became necessary to do so. The Arden Hills representatives argued for tighter reigns, while Shoreview and North Oaks wished to be more flexible, The result was that the Fire Department would be allowed to exceed the budget by a certain percentage each year. Arden Hills also wanted, but did not succeed with, a requirement that the Fire Department come before the Fire Board to explain what is needed that will exceed the budget. The Fire Board would then decide whether or not to grant its approval, It was decided that, ifthere was an emergency which required the Fire Department to exceed the budget, and there was not time to come before the Board, the Department would be required to present the Board with an explanation ofthe expenditure. Therefore, if the Fire Board did not agree with the expenditure, then the Fire Department would have to raise the money to cover the budget. Mr. Fritsinger noted that in the past the Fire Department had been paid twice per year for their services, As a part of the current contract, the City had negotiated a quarterly payment, This results in the Fire Department apparently being short on cash, The Department will typically carryall their fire runs for 1998 and pay them the first month of 1999, By staggering out the ~ . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 11 bills throughout the year, they do not have enough cash for these services, aside from the reserve account. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the issue alluded to by Councilmember Larson was what would be an appropriate balance of the reserve account and how to accommodate their needs as an organization to deal with emergency situations. He indicated that in a future meeting, the City Council would be seeing an amendment to the contract to go back to biannual payments, Mayor Probst requested confirmation that the reserve fund was to be utilized in emergency situations. Mr. Fritsinger explained that the current reserve fund has been utilized for many different things, Councilmember Larson stated that at the last City Council meeting he had sought to increase the amount of park dedication assessment for the subdivision. He indicated that since that time he had been surprised when reading the Ordinance that there is a choice between using the assessed value and the market value when determining the park dedication fees, He expressed his belief that this is not a good arrangement since it allows the Council to deal differently with different developers when the Council shonld be consistent in determining what a park dedication fee should be, The fee should be based on either the assessed value or the market value consistently. Councilmember Larson indicated that the subdivision discussed at the last Council meeting had a valuation difference of close to $150,000 between the County's assessed value and the market value, Although Ramsey County is working to bring these two values closer together, there are some major discrepancies, He asked if there was other support on the Council to have staff review this situation and present the Council with a recommendation, Although there may be situations that call for non-consistency, the way the Ordinance is written at this time is not correct. Mayor Probst asked staff if this was a policy issue. Mr, Fritsinger stated that it is written in the Code how to determine park dedication fees. He indicated that the Council would be receiving the Code back in their packages for review on Friday. This may provide an opportunity within the next couple of weeks to make suggestions as to how the Council would want to proceed with this portion of the Code, Mayor Probst stated that he would be willing to look into this issue. Since there have been a variety of methods used over the years to determine the park dedication fees, it would be helpful to have a rational and consistent approach. With regard to what method to use when determining park dedication fees, Councilmember Rem noted that both methods would be argued for. She indicated that for the most part, the developers always say the fee is more than they can afford, She agreed that the City does need to revisit this portion of the Code. Mr. Fritsinger stated that one difficulty at this point is that the Code works well when dealing with large properties. Much of the development within the City of Arden Hills at this time deals with smaller properties and lot splits, It is often difficult for the developers to understand what ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 12 the fee is associated with, The key is to develop a policy that will be fair to all the various . developments, Councilmember Aplikowski stated that she too supported revisiting this portion of the Code. She expressed her belief that often times fewer options makes things easier. Councilmember Larson noted that sometimes flexibility is desirable, however, it would be preferable if the Code was written with more uniform language while still allowing some flexibility. Councilmember Larson noted that he had not attended the special Council meeting on June 7, 1999 and he wished to extend his congratulations to the Mayor and staff for the developments that have occurred at TCAAP. He stated that the Mayor had been stead fast in not only wanting a ncw City Hall, but for it to be located on that site. Councilmember Aplikowski expressed her appreciation to the individuals who worked to put on the Day in the Park event. She stated that it was a wonderful day all the way around. She also cxpressed her appreciation to the Committee members who spent a great deal of time and effort on the event. Mayor Probst also extended his appreciation to Mr. Moore and Ms. Olson for their hard work in making the event successful. As Council Liaison to the Parks and Recreation Committee, Councilmember Rem also expressed her appreciation to Mr, Moore and Ms. Olson for their hard work and to the staff who helped out with the games, She noted that there where many people at the event, although the day was hot. . Mayor Probst recognized Mr. Jim Perron for celebrating his 10th year with the City of Arden Hills, He indicated that the City does not do enough to recognize the staff members who have been with the City for a long time, Mayor Probst stated that the Channel 16 cable information needs to be updated. Mr. Fritsinger stated that he attempted to correct it this evening, however the computer was down at that time. He assured the Council that it would be corrected as soon as possible. Mayor Probst suggested that it might be better to turn the broadcast off, rather than having it run with erroneous information, Councilmember Aplikowski agreed that the cable broadcast is fuzzy and noted since the channels have changed, it is difficult to know what channel the broadcast is played on. If people cannot find the broadcast, they will lose interest. Mayor Probst asked who controls the broadcast system. Mr. Fritsinger stated that when the Council meetings are broadcast the City staff is in charge of the broadcast. When the Ramsey County Board is in session, the Cable Commission overrides the City's system, Councilmember Larson asked if staff could hang some City maps in the Council chambers, Mr. Fritsinger stated that this had bcen discussed when the City had first moved into its current location, He indicated that he would bring in some maps to hang on the walls, . . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 14, 1999 13 ADJOURN MOTION: Council member Larson moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:37 p.m, The motion carried unanimously (4-0). ",&;V - City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next regular City Council meeting will be held Monday, June 28, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arden Hills Council chambers.