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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 06-09-1997 6 .~ e MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 9, 1997 7:30 P.M. - NEW BRIGHTON 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 7:31 p.m. Present: Mayor Dennis Probst, Councilmembers Dale Hicks, Susan Keirn, and Paul Malone. Absent: Councilmember Beverly Aplikowski. Also present were: City Administrator, Brian Fritsinger; City Accountant, Terry Post; Public Works Superintendent, Dwayne Stafford; Parks & Recreation Director, Cindy Walsh; Administrative Secretary, Sheila Stowell; and Recording Secretary, Cindy Schneider. ADOPT AGENDA MOTION: Keirn moved and Hicks seconded a motion to adopt the revised agenda for the June 9, 1997, Regular City Council meeting as presented. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. May 27,1997, Regular Council Meeting Councilmember Malone requested the following change to the second sentence of the last paragraph on Page 4: "He stated this business was using a truck for a sign in violation of City ordinances." MOTION: Malone moved and Keirn seconded amotion to approve the May 27,1997, Regular Council Meeting minutes as amended. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). CONSENT CALENDAR A. Claims and Payroll B. Sanitary Sewer, Authorization for Engineering Report and Recommendations C. Business License, Natale's Caffe, Inc., 3673 North Lexington Avenue . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 9. 1997 2 MOTION: Hicks moved and Malone seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as submitted and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Probst invited the audience to address the Council on any issue not already on the agenda. There were no public comments. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Resolution #97-13, Approving an Amendment to the Master Agreement with the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission for the Construction and Operation of a Four-Sheet Ice Arena Brian Fritsinger, City Administrator, stated the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission (MASC) was requesting several amendments to the Master Agreement in order to conform to the Anoka County Financing Agreement. The City originally approved the Master Agreement for the four- sheet ice arena at its January 27, 1997 meeting. Mr. Fritsinger stated that all of the conditions of this approval had been met. Over the past several months, MASC, community representatives and other interested parties have been working on the preparation of a facility design and the issuance of bonds for the project. The bonds have been issued with a closing date scheduled for June 19, 1997. It is necessary for all parties to the Master Agreement to execute an amendment with the following provisions to conform to the Anoka County Financing Agreement: A. Include concession and sponsorship revenues in the annual budget as per financing agreement; B. Add language to preserve the tax-exempt status of the Bonds; C. Change in capital improvement reserve. The final bond amount of $8,440,000 is an increase of the original estimate of $7,400,000, but does not exceed the approved limit of $9,000,000 stated in the Master Agreement. The main reason for the increased costs is the addition of a larger concession area than was originally planned. Paul Erickson, Director of MASC, came forward to address the Council and answer questions. He stated the language of provision A is not inconsistent with the earlier language, and the City's financial obligations have not changed. The City's additional debt service will now be tied to the revenue stream produced by the upgraded concession area. In discussing provision C, Mr. Erickson stated the deposits would be used for the capital fund. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 9. 1997 3 . Mayor Probst requested clarification that provision C would reduce the capital funding in the first three years of operation, and it would become fully effective the fourth year. Mr. Fritsinger stated that was the case. Mayor Probst inquired if the City would incur costs if the maximum rentable hours were not met. Mr. Erickson stated that while the estimates ofrentable hours were on target, the estimated revenues from food concessions were lower than projected. Mr. Erickson further stated that after additional research, it was decided to increase the size and scope of the concessions, as the preliminary space was found to be too small. Mr. Erickson clarified that this action would not increase the City's debt service, but the concessions would earn extra revenue for the project. Mayor Probst inquired if the concession area was partitioned or open space. Mr. Erickson replied it was open, however there may be a portion that has the ability to be partitioned for meetings, banquets, etc. Councilmember Malone stated he was very concerned with the extra funds being requested this soon after the Master Agreement being signed. He inquired if the City Administrator had been a party to the bond issuance language. Mr. Fritsinger indicated he had been. Councilmember Malone stated he would abstain from voting on this issue. . Councilmember Hicks stated he also had concerns regarding the additional funds being requested. He stated this amount was very close to the cap of $9,000,000 and inquired if the plans were far enough along that the estimated amounts would be close to the actual amounts. Mr. Erickson stated two construction companies had provided estimates on this project, and both agree with the stated figures. Councilmember Hicks inquired if this project had actually been bid, or if these were estimates. Mr. Erickson stated the companies gave cost estimates, and he expects to have the actual figures in mid-July. Councilmember Hicks stated it was his opinion at this point that the City has no choice but to approve the Amendment, as the Master Agreement had been signed. Mayor Probst stated the additional funding for concessions appeared to be an appropriate expenditure. He noted the absence of one Council member, and stated a vote would still need to be taken on this issue at tonight's meeting. Councilmember Hicks inquired if the other cities were expected to approve this Amendment. Mr. Fritsinger explained that while Blaine and Coon Rapids have approved the Amendment, Arden Hills was the first Ramsey County city to review it. He further stated that while a few cities have concerns, the majority feel it is appropriate and plan to approve it. . Councilmember Malone stated that approving the Amendment because all the other cities are planning to wasn't necessarily a good reason. Mr. Malone expressed concern with information . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 9. 1997 4 provided in a report by financial advisors, Ehlers & Associates, Inc., in which they referred to a lack of comparable information. Mayor Probst stated he would continue to support this proposal, and stated the City could not have entered into a project of this scope on their own, or not even with the other four Ramsey County cities. He stated that although he was concerned with the level of risk, he would support the Amendment. Councilmember Keirn observed that although the bonding amount had increased, it had not gone above the $9,000,000 limit, which the City had already approved. She stated that MASC was making changes in the interest of providing more revenue, and stated the City was aware of the risks when the Master Agreement was initially approved. MOTION: Keirn moved and Hicks seconded a motion to adopt Resolution #97-13, Approving an Amendment to the Master Agreement with the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission for the construction and operation of a four-sheet ice arena. The motion carried 3-0-1, with Malone abstaining. Mr. Erickson stated bookings for the arena were already running much higher than previously projected, with major events such as the World Women's Hockey Championship in 2001 already confirmed. B. Adoption of Safety ManuallPolicies Dwayne Stafford, Public Works Superintendeut, reported that during a recent Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) inspection, it was found the City of Arden Hills' Safety Program was not in compliance with OSHA requirements. The information in the City program was only general and not specific to the City of Arden Hills. Mr. Stafford had reviewed safety information from many sources and put together four programs to comply with OSHA requirements. These programs include A W AIR, Right-to-Know, Confined Space Entry Policy, and Lockout/Tagout. Mr. Stafford requested Council approval of the four (4) safety programs, which would then be immediately implemented. MOTION: Malone moved and Keirn seconded a motion that the City Council approve the four safety programs as written by the Public Works Superintendent. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). C. Purchase of a Blacktop Rollerffrailer Mr. Stafford reported to Council that the Public Works Department was in need of a new blacktop roller, as the City's existing machine was 20 years old. The Public Works Department had budgeted $24,000 for the purchase of a new blacktop roller and trailer. The Public Works Department had researched three brands of rollers, and recommended purchase of a Wacker ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 9. 1997 5 . brand roller, priced at $11,444, a Redi-Haul trailer priced at $3,200, for a total of $15,595.86, including sales tax. MOTION: Hicks moved and Keirn seconded a motion to authorize purchase of the Wacker blacktop roller and Redi-Haul trailer as specified, at a cost not to exceed $15,595.86. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). D. Purchase ofToro Workman Ballfield Groomer Ms. Cindy Walsh, Parks & Recreation Director, reported to the Council that she was recommending purchase of a Toro Workman Ballfield Groomer, which provided OSHA- recommended safety equipment. This equipment had been budgeted for 1997, and at a cost of $13,069 including sales tax, would remain under budget after trade-in allowance. MOTION: Hicks moved and Malone seconded a motion to authorize the Parks & Recreation Director to purchase the Toro Workman Ballfield Groomer as specified, at a cost not to exceed $13,069, plus sales tax, and allowing for a trade-in allowance. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS . City Administrator Fritsinger discussed the CPI grant, reporting the City will be requesting $200,000, and not $300,000 as previously planned, due to the limit on the total dollars a city can receive in one year being capped at $500,000. Mr. Fritsinger and Community Development Director Ringwald will be recommending a grant/loan split of $1 00,000/$1 00,000, and to request the remaining $100,000 in Phase III of construction in a later year. Mayor Probst inquired if the City would be able to set up an Economic Development revolving loan program with the $100,000 portion of the grant. Mr. Fritsinger replied that could be done with a City Revolving Loan Fund Policy in place. Mayor Probst inquired ifthese funds could be used for housing rehabilitation. Mr. Fritsinger stated these funds are usually used for business development purposes. Mr. Fritsinger stated the Day in the Park had been very successful and was enjoyed by those attending. Mr. Fritsinger discussed Local Performance Aid, stating that recent legislation eliminated the second-year window for implementation. In order for the City to participate, the performance aid requirements would have to be in place this year. The estimated amount available to the City for their participation would be $12,000, and staff will continue discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of the City's participation at this time, or in the future. . Mr. Fritsinger referred to a bench handout consisting of a letter recently distributed to Shoreview residents, stating the City does not know the identify of the author. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 9. 1997 6 COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Hicks stated that he would be unable to attend the Council's June 16, 1997 Worksession. Councilmember Mr. Hicks also requested an update on the TCAAP property. Mr. Fritsinger stated the application for the land transfer was currently in Washington D.C., and apparently going through the approval process. Mayor Probst stated that he remains confident the land transfer will take place as planned, although the timeframe is uncertain. Councilmember Hicks inquired if this application process was being monitored. Mr. Fritsinger stated that General Monroe's staff was monitoring it's progress. Mayor Probst stated that the National Guard appeared optimistic about the approval, and he believed the City should be also. He asked that the Council come to the June 16, 1997 Worksession prepared to discuss proposed Phase II development of the TCAAP property. Councilmember Hicks stated that his desire would be to have discussions with the architect begin before fall. Councilmember Malone stated this land transfer was vitally important to the future of the City, and must be followed closely. Councilmember Malone inquired regarding the Planning Commission's work regarding adult use ordinances. Mr. Fritsinger stated these proposed ordinances were still in the discussion stages, and would be presented for formal approval at a later date. Councilmember Malone discussed the Metropolitan Council's traffic report. Councilmember Keirn commended the Parks and Recreation staff for the Day in the Park. Mayor Probst stated he would like to see Day in the Park become an annual event. Mayor Probst reiterated the City's need to remain current on the TCAAP project. Mayor Probst discussed TCAAP's possible donation of trees, which might be available for Highway 96 landscaping purposes on the Arden Hills segments. Mayor Probst noted the 1-35W Corridor Coalition had received $200,000 in funding through the Department of Trade and Economic Development. Mayor Probst briefly discussed the proposed trail connection over Highway 96, and endorsed staffs recommendation as a more favorable approach than Ramsey County's. , ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JUNE 9. 1997 7 Mayor Probst indicated that he planned to attend Thursday night's Healthy Youth Coalition meeting. Mayor Probst indicated that Terry Post had been attending the Metropolitan Council's Environmental Services Division budgetary planning meetings. ADJOURN MOTION: ~alone moved and Keirn seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 p.m. /pe moti~J1. arried unanimously (4-0). /tJ( / J (?/ Brian Fritsin er City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next regular City Council meeting will be held June 30, 1997, at 7:30 p.m. at the New ~ Brighton Council Chambers. I