Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 07-12-1999 . . . MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 12, 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 Dennis Probst, Councilmembers Beverly Aplikowski, Gregg Larson, Paul Malone, and Lois Rem. Absent: None Also present were City Administrator, Brian Fritsinger; Public Works Director, Dwayne Stafford; City Accountant, Terrance Post; City Engineer, Greg Brown, BRW; and Recording Secretary, Lori Rolfson. ADOPT AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to adopt the agenda for the July 12, 1999, regular City Council. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. June 28, 1999 Regular Council Meeting Councilmember Larson noted that on page two, last paragraph before the motion, Mr. Post had been explaining why the bond issue for Presbyterian Homes had included amounts of money that would be spent in other cities. Mr. Post had indicated that Presbyterian Homes had approached other cities to see if there would be any conflict with other bond issuance's planned for this year, and that the upper limit of bank qualified debt was $10,000,000 each year, which the bond proposal would have exceeded. Mr. Post had further explained that since Arden Hills was not planning any debt issuance debt this year, the City was the logical candidate to issue the bonds through Councilmember Larson noted that the bond issuance was for $30,000,000 and it would seem that this would have exceeded the debt-qualified limit. He assumed that what Mr. Post had been saying was that some of those cities were planning to issue bonds for this year. Mr. Post stated that those cities had either already issued, or were planning to issue bonds this year. These cities wanted to retain their ability to have those debts remain bank qualified. Since the Presbyterian Homes issuance was so large, they knew it would not be bank qualified. Councilmember Larson asked if this would also be true for the City of Arden Hills. Mr. Post explained that if the City were to issue any debt this year, it would not be bank qualified. Councilmember Malone added ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 2 that, from the City's point of view, the first $10,000,000 ofthe bond would be bank qualified and . the remaining $20,000,000 would not be. Councilmember Larson asked how this debt is affecting the City of Arden Hills. If there is an upper limit of $1 0,000,000 per year and the issuance is for $30,000,000, is all of the $30,000,000 issued in the same year? Mr. Post stated that the issuance would occur within one year. He noted that the upper limit is only for bank qualification, not how much debt the City can issue in one year. Since the City is not planning to issue any debts this year, this bond issuance will not impact the City. With regard to page four, paragraph two, first sentence, Councilmember Malone stated that he recalled Mr. Tolaas making these comments, however, he did not believe that the information was correct. He did not believe that the City staff actually worked with Ramsey County on this design proposal. Mr. Fritsinger stated that staff had been involved in the meetings regarding the frontage road options. . Councilmember Malone stated that the implication with the way this statement was made was that staff agrees with the proposal, which staff did not endorse. Mr. Fritsinger stated that when Mr. Tolaas had presented staff with this proposal, the reaction from staff was that an agreement on the ramp design had already been made and staff would not support the proposal. Additional conversations were held with staff and Ramsey County and some members of the City Council were informed of the proposal. Staff then discussed with Ramsey County, if MnDOT were to require a frontage road, how to design a frontage road which will best work for the City and work in the area. Councilmember Malone stated that he would prefer that this sentence start with "Mr. Tolaas stated that..." otherwise the sentence suggests that staff had supported the frontage road option. With regard to the third sentence of the same paragraph, Councilmember Malone noted that traffic traveling in either direction on US Highway 10 traffic would not be able to access Highway 96, as all accesses would be eliminated with that proposal. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this was correct. Councilmember Malone stated that on page four, paragraph three, the third sentence should state, "This option does put a greater focus on the interchange at Highway 96 and I35W." On page five, fifth paragraph, first sentence, Councilmember Malone stated that he was not sure that this information was correct. Mayor Probst stated that the information was correct because he was referring to Old Highway 10, the frontage road. Councilmember Malone asked Mayor Probst if the rest of paragraph five was correct. Mayor Probst stated that the remaining information in paragraph five was correct. MOTION: Council member Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the meeting minutes of the June 28, 1999 Regular Council Meeting, as amended. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 3 .. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Claims and Payroll B. Regular Employee Status, Scott Freyberger MOTION: Councilmember Malone 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 (5-0). 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. Pay Estimate #3, Forest Lake Contracting Mr. Brown explained that he was presenting Pay Estimate #3 for the West Round Lake Road Improvements, Phase I. The City of Arden Hills awarded Forest Lake Contracting, Inc. of Forest Lake, Minnesota this project on March 8, 1999. .. This third payment represents work accomplished to date. The Contractor has placed the sand base for the road and is almost finished placing the class-5 base. Grading of the pond and roadway are complete and the curb work will begin this week. Payment Estimate #3 was a large amount because it included the remainder of the earthwork, the sand sub-base, and any other items not paid under Pay Estimate #2. Mr. Brown advised that the Arden Hills City Engineer recommended the Council approve Pay Estimate #3 for Forest Lake Contracting, Inc. of Forest Lake, Minnesota in the amount of $271,719.87. A retainage of5% is being held for the project Mayor Probst asked Mr. Stafford if he was happy with the work accomplished so far. Mr. Stafford stated that he was happy with the work and noted that the Contractor was ahead of schedule and has been very cooperative. . Councilmember Malone stated that he had been surprised to see the dip in the road. Mr. Brown agreed that the road is lower at one point He explained that, once Phase II is completed, the grade will break-even at the center of the Nott Company. Temporarily, the grade will be slightly steeper, at an approximate three percent grade. In the final analysis of Phase II, there will be an approximate one and one-half percent grade. The area at which these grades will meet will be milled out to the west side and the east side will be more gradual. Once the curb is cut, the dip will not be so severe. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 4 . Councilmember Malone confirmed that West Round Lake Road would be downhill. Mr. Brown stated that West Round Lake Road would go downhill slightly. The high point will be approximately the center of the Nott Company, with drainage north to the retention pond. MOTION: Cowlcilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to approve Pay Estimate #3 for Forest Lake Contracting, Inc. of Forest Lake, Minnesota in the amount of$271,719.87. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). B. Pay Estimate #3, Final Pay Estimate, Jay Brothers . Mr. Brown explained that Pay Estimate #3 represents the final payment for the Lift Station Number Three Reconstruction Project. The majority of this project had been complete last winter and there were a few minor clean-up items that had to wait until this spring and summer. These included site grading and the laying of class-5 material for access to the site for City maintenance. The final payment represents the release of all withheld retainage Mr. Brown advised that the Arden Hills City Engineer recommended the Council approve Pay Estimate #3 for Jay Brothers, Inc. of Forest Lake, Minnesota in the amount of$7,507.34 Mayor Probst asked Mr. Stafford if he was happy with the outcome of this project. Mr. Stafford stated that the Lift Station had been up and running for five months. He noted that there had been some minor grading work that was held until spring to allow for any soil settling which may occur. He added that the new Lift Station was a major improvement to the City sanitary sewer system. Mayor Probst noted that the road appears to run along the property line of the site. He asked if there was an easement for the road. Mr. Stafford stated that there is an easement in this area for the sewer line that runs to the south and follows the shoreline between the homes on Siems Court and the shoreline. Property owners do use this easement at times as it allows easy access to the lake. Councilmember Malone noted that this project was completed approximately $400 below the contract price which seemed atypical. Mr. Brown stated that the Contractor had aimed for meeting the contract budget. In this case, there was not a lot of uncertainty in the job as it primarily involved large, lump-sum items. On items that could exceed budget, they were estimated conservatively. MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to approve Pay Estimate #3 for Jay Brothers, Inc. of Forest Lake, Minnesota in the amount of $7,507.34. . Councilmember Larson asked if a guardrail would be installed between the control panel stainless steal casing and the road. Mr. Stafford stated that he did not recall this being part of the contract. Councilmember Larson asked if there was a future plan for a guardrail in this location. Mr. Stafford stated that there is a plan to pour a walk to the roadway, but no plan for a guardrail. Mr. Brown stated that he was comfortable with the separation in this area and it does meet the clearance criteria for a County road. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 5 Councilmember Rem stated that she had visited the reconstructed Lift Station and did not recall comments regarding a guardrail in this location. She agreed that there was plenty of separation to not warrant the installation of a guardrail. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). C. Resolution #99-20, Supporting a Joint Powers Agreement Between the City of Arden Hills and Ramsey Connty Regarding County Collection of Recycling Fees for the City Mr. Stafford explained that the City of Arden Hills pays approximately $70,000 per year for residential curb-side recycling and spring and fall cleanup days. Approximately $20,000 of this cost is funded by by Ramsey County. The remaining $50,000 is funded by residential property owners. This results in an annual property tax service fee of approximately $22.00 per parcel. For the past eight years, Ramsey County has collected these fees under a Joint Powers Agreement with the City. The original fee charged by the County for the collection service was $.12 per parcel, per year. The County has now raised their collection fee to $.40 per parcel, per year, beginning in the 1999/2000 year, under the new Joint Powers Agreement. Mr. Stafford stated that Mr. Post had indicated it would still be cost effective for Ramsey County to continue recycling service fee collection for the City of Arden Hills. The process by the County is that they add the $.40 per parcel to the $22.00 per parcel and add this to the tax statement. Mr. Stafford stated that Ramsey County is asking that the City of Arden Hills renew the Joint Powers Agreement until the year 2004. Either party may cancel the agreement at their discretion following a 180-day written notice to the other party. Mr. Stafford advised that Staffrecommended the City County adopt Resolution #99-20, supporting a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Arden Hills and Ramsey County regarding County collection of recycling fees for the City. The recommendation is subject to the City Attorney reviewing the agreement and making any minor non-substantial changes as necessary. Mr. Stafford noted that under the first paragraph of the Resolution, the date 1993 should be changed to 1991. MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to adopt Resolution #99-20, as amended, supporting a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Arden Hills and Ramsey County regarding County collection of recycling fees for the City, subject to the City Attorney reviewing the agreement and making any minor non-substantial changes as necessary . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12 1999 , 6 . Mayor Probst confirmed that this .loint Powers Agreement was the same as the previous agreement. Mr. Stafford stated that this agreement was almost identical to the previous one. Mayor Probst noted that in Section N on page two of the agreement it stated that "The City shall pay the County up to $.40 per parcel..." He asked if this was a fixed cost or if there was any chance that it could be less. Mr. Stafford stated that this was a fixed cost and will remain for this five-year agreement. Although it had been stated that $20,000 of the fee comes from Ramsey County taxes, Mr. Post noted that these funds actually come from the State of Minnesota SCORE grant which is distributed by Ramsey County. Council member Larson confirmed that the City is charging $22.00 per year that results in some revenue for the City. This revenue is then used to pay for the recycling program costs, which is balanced by the payment of the SCORE grant money. Mr. Stafford stated that the $22.00 per parcel, per year, plus the SCORE money covers the entire recycling fee for the City. Mr. Post noted that the SCORE grant program subsidizes residential recycling service fees. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). D. Proposed Public Works/Parks Maintenance Facility, Space Needs Study, TKDA . Mr. Fritsinger explained that, over the last couple of months, the City Council had discussed a new maintenance facility, especially since the point in time when Congressman Vento and Senator Grams submitted language into the Defense Bill which dealt with the transfer of property on the Arsenal from the Army National Guard to the City of Arden Hills and to Ramsey County. At that time, Ramsey County had solicited each of the various taxing districts within Ramsey County to participate with their consultant to help with the space planning and study of the maintenance facility complex. The City Council had directed staffto contact Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc. to discuss the undertaking of a space planning study for the proposed maintenance facility. Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc. has been working with Ramsey County on the space planning study for their proposed maintenance facility. Attached to the staff report was a proposal from Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc. to work with the City of Arden Hills on this project. The study would be completed on an hourly basis at a cost not to exceed $8,500. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the proposal was straightforward. He noted that City Attorney Filla had not yet reviewed the proposal and staff will have this done accomplished to proceeding. . Mr. Fritsinger stated that, in talking with Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc., the one area that the City of Arden Hills and Ramsey County did not want to get into at this point was the idea of ajoint-use facility. The City staff and Ramsey County felt it would be appropriate to review the study completed by the City in the early 1990's and using this as a ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 7 . baseline to move forward. He felt that this issue should be discussed at a later date when all the parities that could potential be a part of a joint-use facility would be at the table. Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc. had proposed to do some of this work for approximately an additional $4,500. This portion had been removed from the proposal. Mr. Fritsinger stated that he felt the amount being charged by Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc. was fair, although it was slightly higher than the amount spent on the City Hall facility study. However, the City Hall study had been part of a larger contract. Mr. Fritsinger advised that staffrecommended that the City Council authorize the execution of an agreement with Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc. for the space planning study for the proposed Public Works/Park Maintenance facility, in an amount not to exceed $8,500, subject to review by City Attorney Filla. Councilmember Malone noted that the study would consider a 10-year space needs projection. He asked ifthe City of Arden Hills had discussed with Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc. the future developments of the TCAAP area. Mr. Fritsinger stated that staff had not discussed the TCAAP area and indicated that he would. Councilmember Malone stated that the square footage of the TCAAP area should be considered. . Mayor Probst agreed with Councilmember Malone and noted that the study should move forward. This study should include information from staff regarding how they see maintenance operations taking place in the future and what equipment may be needed for any additional development. Councilmember Larson asked if any of the other nine organizations expressed any interest in the proposal. Mr. Fritsinger stated that, to the best of his knowledge, none of the other organizations have expressed any interest. The Mounds View School District did contact the City two weeks ago expressing interest in participating in the proposal. He forwarded the School District to Mr. Paul Kirkwald and, at this point, he was not sure what role they may play in this proposal. He added that the Minnesota Army National Guard has not proceeded with any sort of space study. Councilmember Larson asked if staff had heard from the Sheriff Department with regard to the proposed facility. Mr. Fritsinger stated that he had heard from Commissioner Bennett regarding the Sheriff having potential interest in these activities. COlillcilmember Aplikowski asked why the space needs study would not project further out than the proposed 10-year span. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this time limit was typical for most studies he had been involved with. Thc TCAAP area is unique for the City and it would make sense to take a longer look. He noted that the City Hall study was for 10 years as well. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that she did not like these sorts of studies. She felt that the City already knows all of what it will need. . With regard to the addition to the recommendation that City Attorney Filla review the agreement, Mayor Probst noted that the City Council had discussed the execution of agreements in the form ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 8 . as submitted by the consultants. The question had been raised whether or not the City should establish its own form of agreement. He noted that this particular agreement was not risky and he was comfortable with the addition to the recommendation. MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to authorize the execution of an agreement with Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc. for the space planning study for the proposed Public Works/Park Maintenance facility, in an amount not to exceed $8,500, subject to review by City Attorney Filla. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). E. Municipal Code Codification, Chapters 5 - 7 Mayor Probst led the discussion on the potential changes to the municipal code, Chapters 5-7. The City Council and staff discussed numerous ideas, thoughts, questions, and changes to these Chapters of the Code. Staff was directed to note the various suggestions for the League of Minnesota Cities and forward these to the League at its earliest opportunity. Councilmember Malone asked how many Chapters of the Code the City Council would be reviewing at its next meeting. Mr. Fritsinger stated that he would be presenting the Council with the final three Chapters. Councilmember Malone suggested that staff present the Council with the Chapters related to traffic and utilities and hold off on the building Chapter. Mr. Fritsinger concurred. . ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS With regard to agenda item number eight, Council Comments and Committee Liaison Activity Reports, Mr. Fritsinger stated that this item stemmed from conversations with the committees and some of the concerns that they expressed regarding how to communicate back and forth with the City Council. He was not sure that this was the appropriate time to include this in the agenda. Since it was 10:10 p.m., it may be too late to really focus on this issue. He suggested that this item be added at the beginning of the agenda for the next meeting. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Larson stated that he had attended a Fire Board meeting. He indicated that, after three meetings, the Board was finally able to get the Fire Department to agree that the Board has the ability to approve expenditures from the reserve funds. The Fire Department will either have to present the Board with any proposed expenditures prior to the expenditure or, if it is an emergency, after the fact. . Councilmember Malone stated that the Planning Commission, at its July 7, 1999 meeting, approved a site plan for Bethel College to construct gates at the east and west entrances. He did not feel that this site plan should have been approved because the proposed eastern gate is moved closer to Highway 51 than shown on the master plan. He invited the City Council to review this situation. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 9 . With regard to the City re-keying the City Hall, Councilmember Malone suggested that staff consider access cards rather than keys. He noted that he did not actually need a key, as he had never used the one he has. Mr. Fritsinger stated that staff has considered different mechanisms and found that access cards were the worst option. It was suggested to stafJthat a code key would be a better option. However, the code key would cost an additional $500. Staffhad decided that this was not a large issue at this time. With regard to the issue of keys, Mr. Fritsinger stated that, with the new facility, one consideration would be how the City Council plans to utilize the space. He indicated that in other cities, some Councilmembers visit the City Hall on a regular basis. However, the City of Arden Hills' Council has not been interested in spending a great deal oftime at the City Hall. He noted that the Council and Committees are generally not required to lock the facility and it would be worth discussing whether or not the Councilmembers want keys. Mayor Probst stated that, as the City considers the new City Hall facility, it should consider the use of code access pads. He agreed that this would not be a worthwhile expenditure for the current facility, as this facility will not be used for a long enough period of time to warrant the expenditure for access pads. Mr. Fritsinger agreed that the new facility may need to be keyed differently, however, code access pads had not been included in the plan. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that the City Council should congratulate itself and Mr. Fritsinger because today marked Mr. Fritsinger's sixth year with the City of Arden Hills. . Councilmember Aplikowski stated that Operations Committee would be meeting for the first time on Thursday, July 15, 1999. She noted that not all members have been appointed yet and she hoped that this Committee would take off to a good start. Mr. Fritsinger asked ifCouncilmember Rem had any additional information regarding interest in the Parks and Recreation Committee. Councilmember Rem stated that she did not have any additional information and indicated that she would follow-up on this issue. With regard to the proposed Bethel College park project, Councilmember Rem noted staff had indicated that the Parks and Recreation Committee had unanimously been opposed to this project. The Parks and Recreation Committee had determined that it would not be worth while for the City of Arden Hills to make a financial commitment to be involved with this park project because the City would not gain regular use of the facilities. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this clarification was important, as he had not been aware that the Parks and Recreation Committee had only been opposed to the financial commitment to the park project. He had assumed that the Committee had been opposed to the entire project. Councilmember Rem stated that she would clarify this, however, the staff memo had suggested a much stronger opposition than she had recalled. . Mr. Fritsinger stated that staff had met with the Bethel College representatives and the last meeting was not very positive with regard to the Bethel College park project. Staff had left this meeting with Bethel College with the position that it was time to query the Parks and Recreation ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 10 . Committee to find out their position. Both the City staff and Bethel College had believed that the Committee did not want to be involved with this project. Staff had contacted the Committee Chairperson in order to discuss with the Committee whether or not the City should be involved. Councilmember Rem stated that her understanding from the Parks and Recreation Committee meetings had not been for an entire shutout of the project. The consensus had been that the City not participate financially. Mayor Probst stated that he had spoken with Mr. Moore and Mr. Messerly regarding this issue last week and had been informed that the consensus was that City should not participate in this park project. The primary reason for this was the fact that the City would not gain use of the soccer fields for the fall soccer league. He noted that there had also been discussions regarding the City gaining fee title to the property and he was not sure if this was still part of the deal. There have been indications that Bethel College intends to proceed with some sort of recreational development with or without City involvement. It was his belief that the City would be better off being involved as a partner in this project. Mayor Probst stated that he had asked Mr. Fritsinger to arrange a meeting with Bethel College and the City Council in order to determine if the City had reached a point where it can make a decision, or if more information is required. . Councilmember Rem stated that the concern of the Parks and Recreation Committee had been that, when it came down to scheduling the park facilities, the City would not gain much use of the facilities. The Committee would prefer that the City spend money in a project that would allow tile City a more long-term benefit. Councilmember Rem stated that she had received a call from a resident complaining that the City Council meetings are being broadcast with no sound. She noted that the tapes of the meetings were not being sent to the library. Council member Rem stated that she had attended the League of Minnesota Cities conference. At this meeting she had been informed by a resident of Arden Hills that Mr. Scherbel was the most helpful Building Inspector he had ever worked with. Councilmember Rem stated that many residents are calling the recent Day in the Park event the best ever. She expressed her appreciation to the Parks and Recreation staff for their hard work on this event. . Councilmember Larson stated that, with regard to the Bethel College park project, if the City is going to approach the College to deternline what their final offer would be, the City must know what its bottom line is. Mr. Fritsinger stated that one struggle with this issues was if it makes sense for the City to participate if it is unknown how much it would cost the City. The plan had been to come up with a good design which would benefit both parities, determine the cost of this design, then decide if the City would be willing to participate financially. He stated that the City must work through this process in order to determine the value to the City and he was not sure that the City would be able to state what its bottom line would be at this time. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 11 . Councilmember Aplikowski asked if the City had the proposed summer schedule for this park. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the City was provided with a schedule for both the City and Bethel College. Mr. Fritsinger stated that one issue with the soccer fields was that there would not be much usage for the City in the fall during the week. The City would have full use of the soccer fields on the weekends during the fall. Councilmember Rem stated that what the Parks and Recreation Committee did not approve of was the fact that the City would be allowed use of the soccer fields at night, after the College is done using them. The problem with this was that, in the fall, it gets dark quite early at night and the Committee did not feel that the City would be able to work with this schedule. Mr. Fritsinger noted that it would cost the City a lot more to build fields on its own and they would most likely get the same amount of use as the field at the proposed Bethel College park. . Mayor Probst stated that Arden Hills is not a park-rich community and there would be advantages to the park proposal in terms of summer use. There would be a class-A softball field and soccer fields for summer leagues. He indicted that, other than the use of the soccer fields in fall, he did not understand the total opposition to the project. He felt that it would be valuable to discuss this project with Bethel College and ask the College what their bottom line is. Councilmember Larson noted that, if the City asks Bethel College what their bottom line is, the College will most likely ask the City what it specifically wants and he was not sure that the City has a position as far as what the City must have in order to participate. Mayor Probst stated that the City has not taken an offIcial position. He presumed that part of the interest for the City to participate was that the park would become a City park. The other issue was the extent to which this project would or could be a partnership in terms of how the park is developed. The neighborhood has some significant concerns and interest in the proposed park and, as a partner, the City would have the ability to influence how the park is laid out. The City must determine what Bethel College expects in terms offinancial participation. He was not sure what the threshold number should be, however, he would think that if it was less than $100,000 it may be reasonable. If the College were looking for as much as one-half of a million dollars, it would be an easy decision to not participate. Councilmember Rem stated that the Parks and Recreation Committee saw this proposal as Bethel College's plan and park and that it would be the College's ball fields. The Committee did not get the impression that this park would be a City park at alL . Mr. Fritsinger stated that when this proposal first came up, Bethel College had looked at this issue differently. Bethel College had wanted to be responsible for all maintenance, as there will be a special design and materials being used. He stated that the proposal had been presented as a Bethel College complex. Councilmember Rem noted that Mr. Kunkel had never mentioned the City owning the park. Mr. Fritsinger stated that this had not been discussed and was to have been worked out at the end of the process. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 12 . Mayor Probst noted that one issue was that the immediate negative attitude of the residents in the area had an effect on the discussions. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that there is a long history behind the negative attitude by the residents when it comes to Bethel College. She agreed that it would be good for the City to be part of the planning of the proposed park and the City should remain open minded until all questions are answered. Councilmember Larson stated that it did not matter much to him whether the complex would be called a City park or a Bethel College park. What is important was what does the City get by participating in the project, how long would the agreement be for and what, if anything, should the City be paying. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the way the process had been set up was for the City to work on the design and help the neighborhood to understand what was being proposed. What Councilmember Larson had been discussing would be dealt with at the end of this process. Councilmember Malone stated that Bethel College was most likely assuming that the City would help financially. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the attitude of Bethel College had changed because of how long this process had been going on. The City had understood from Mr. Hjelle that anything the City could do to participate would only make the project that much easier. Mr. Hjelle had been asking that the City approach the State of Minnesota or Ramsey County and seek grant funds to help with the project. It was never the understanding that the City would be required to invest park funds into this project. . Mayor Probst stated that when these discussions had first begun, Ramsey County had been publicly advertising the need for soccer fields and there had been an understanding that there would be financial support from the County. Upon pursuit of Ramsey County funds, Ramsey County had indicated that they did have a need for soccer fields, however they would not participate financially. Therefore, this avenue for the City had been taken away. He stated that it was time to bring this issue to a reasonable closure, as Bethel College will proceed with or without assistance from the City. The College hopes to have this complex ready for use this fall. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the College had felt tbat, ifthe City were going to fund raise for the project, this would have to start now. Mayor Probst stated that this would be a difficult issue for the neighborhood. There have been statements made by residents that there is a need to preserve the wetlands. This is not true because the College campus is private property and there are wetland replacement options available to the college. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the proposed park would meet the Zoning Ordinance and the only outstanding issue was the parking lot. Mr. Fritsinger stated that, whether the City participates or not, Bethel College expects the City to be allowed to use the facilities, however, the City may have to pay for this use. He noted that Bethel College currently uses the City of Arden Hills facilities. . Once staff has better information regarding the land transfer status, it will be brought to the City Council in order to decide how to proceed. The City will not proceed with construction bids until status of the land transfer is known and related paperwork is completed. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JULY 12, 1999 13 ADJOURN MOTION: Councilmember Malone moved and Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:45 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (5- 0). ~ Mayor B~ nan ntsmger City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next regular City Council meeting will be held Monday, July 26, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arden Hills Council chambers.