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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWS 01-20-1998 MINUTES . CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA WORKSESSION TUESDAY, JANUARY 20,1998 4:45 P.M. - ARMY RESERVE CENTER, 4655 LEXINGTON A VENUE NORTH CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Acting Mayor, Dale Hicks, called to order the City Council Worksession at 4:55 p.m. Present were Acting Mayor Dale Hicks, Councilmembers Beverly Aplikowski, Susan Keim, and Paul Malone; City Administrator, Brian Fritsinger; Community Development Director, Kevin Ringwald; Parks and Recreation Director, Cindy Walsh; Public Works Superintendent, Dwayne Stafford; and Administrative Secretary, Sheila Stowell. Mayor Probst arrived at 4:57 p.m. and Councilmember Keirn left the meeting at approximately 6:30 p.m. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Aplikowski moved and Keim seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda for the January 20, 1998 Worksession. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). CITY ISSUES - SHORT TERM ~ a. Cable Franchise Agreement Renewal City Administrator Fritsinger introduced Ms. Coralie Wilson, Executive Director ofthe North Suburban Cable Commission. Ms. Wilson, in turn, introduced Robert Vose, Assistant Attorney at the Cable Commission's law firm of Bernick and Lifson. Ms. Wilson provided Councilmembers a bench handout, which addressed and updated numerous franchise agreement renewal points. Ms. Wilson gave a summary of proposed renewal issues and extensions to current agreements, while awaiting a ruling by the FCC and final ownership determination, prior to completion of a renewal ordinance for Council consideration. Mr. Vose stated that one major component of the renewal ordinance would be inclusion of a Model Telecommunications or Right-of-Way Ordinance. After further discussion, Ms. Wilson advised the Council that upon completion of negotiations and approval of documentation and financial analysis, the Cable Commission anticipates approval of the transfer of ownership, and would at that time request a revision to the City's current ordinance supporting the Cable Commission's decision. Mr. Fritsinger advised the Council that the City had not reviewed options for adoption of . a Model Telecommunications or Right-of-Way Ordinance, as it was anticipated they would be included as part of the Codification process. Mr. Fritsinger stated that, due to ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION - JANUARY 20. 1998 2 . the delay in the codification process, staff would be providing a draft ordinance to the City Council in the near future for their consideration. b. Tony Schmidt Park Master Plan Discussion. Greg Mack. Ramsey County Mr. Fritsinger advised Councilmembers that Parks and Recreation Director, Cindy Walsh, had been serving as the City's Liaison on Ramsey County's Tony Schmidt Park Task Force and at recent resident meetings. Mr. Fritsinger then introduced Greg Mack, Larry Holmberg, representing the Ramsey County Parks Department, and Mr. Bill Sanders, of the Landscape Design firm of Sanders, Wacker, & Bergly, Inc. Mr. Sanders gave the Council a preview of the Preliminary Trail Plan. Ms. Walsh pointed out that part of the proposed trail is currently used as a maintenance road by Public Works in order to access the Perry Park Lift Station. Mr. Stafford suggested that the City and County work in cooperation to utilize as many existing City easements as possible for trail location, allowing the City to keep the easements clear and facilitate maintenance. 4t Mr. Fritsinger requested clarification on the linkage shown to the Valentine Hills area, and whether this information was taken from an old plat. Mr. Sanders responded affirmatively. Mr. Fritsinger also requested what the public input had been on the County maintaining the existing compost site location. Mr. Mack responded that members of the Task Force favored the current location due to its easy access and availability, as well as the statement made regarding the fact that it was environmentally complementary. It was Mr. Mack's opinion that members of the Task Force felt that the only good option available to consider in closing the site would be a location at TCAAP. Mr. Sanders then reviewed the Preliminary Master Plan for the redevelopment of Tony Schmidt Park. Mr. Mack advised that the total estimated expenditure allotted by Ramsey County was $930,000 with a substantial portion being utilized for the preliminary design work. Mayor Probst requested an updated redevelopment schcdule. Mr. Mack responded that the County anticipated site work beginning in the eastern portion of the park in 1998, which would consist of clearing of proposed trails, parking lot construction, and utility installation. Mr. Mack stated that in 1999, the County would propose the construction of all buildings in the eastern portion of the park, and completion of the majority ofthe infrastructure. Mr. Mack advised Councilmembers that development ofthe west side of . the park would be future development as funds became available. Mayor Probst asked what part the County wished the City to play in the redevelopment at ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION -JANUARY 20.1998 , " . this time. Mr. Mack responded that the City should continue to encourage Ramsey County Commissioners to proceed with the redevelopment as a vital park in the Arden Hills and Ramsey County area. Additional discussion items included the necessity of relocating the boat landing and ramp; boat and trailer parking availability; safety issues as related to overflow street parking and pedestrian traffic on Lake Johanna Boulevard; future underpass possibilities under Lake Johanna Boulevard; paving of various trails; average daily traffic counts on Lake Johanna Boulevard; and accessibility of the park and boat launch areas during construction and notification of residents. It was noted that the Preliminary Master Plan and Trail Plan would be presented to the City's Planning Commission at their February 3, 1998 meeting, and would come before the Council for action at their February 26, 1998 meeting. Following the City's proposed concurrence with the Preliminary Master Plans, Ramsey County would then call for the preparation of plans and specifications prior to bidding the project. c. City Hall ~ Mr. Fritsinger presented a bench handout received from the City's City Hall Architect, Peter Vesterholt of Architectural Alliance, which provided a proposed schedule for the project. Mr. Fritsinger reviewed the proposed schedule, as developed by Community Development Director Ringwald, Mr. Vesterholt and himself. It was the consensus of the City Council that very few comments had been received at the recent Town Hall meeting, except regarding the inclusion of the mezzanine and building elevations on the Highway 96 side. Mr. Fritsinger advised Councilmembers that he had been meeting with staff members regarding the interior layout details, and advised the Council the proposed budget may not be inclusive of any extra costs for site improvements and engineering fees. Discussion items ineluded the size of offices; mezzanine and basement construction; inclusion of an additional stairwell in the basement; moving of stairwell/elevator from the proposed lakeside location; lobby space, office security; storage space; and community space. it was the consensus ofthe City Council to direct staff to notifY the Architect to proceed with detailed plan preparation, and to prepare budget estimates as soon as possible for . Council review. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION - JANUARY 20. 1998 4 . CITY ISSUES - LONG TERM a. Town Hall Meeting. Review Mr. Fritsinger sought Council comments and any suggestions for future changes in format on the recent Town Hall meeting held on January 10, 1998. Discussion items includcd the possibility of holding the meeting at the new City Hall in 1999; holding an open house at City Hall and keeping the Town Hall meeting located at Bethel College; format and participation at the question and answer segment; a possible moderator with rotation of questions to various Councilmembers; the accessability and openness of staff; inclusion of additional civic organizations; and the usefulness of the informational handouts provided by staff. Council considered preliminary plans for an open house celebration at the new City Hall when construction is completed, with the 1999 Town Hall meeting held as in the past two years, with a determination to be made at a later date. b. Personnel. Policy & Insurance Issues Mr. Fritsinger advised he was reviewing revisions to the City's personnel policy . regarding sick leave, vacation leave and severance, all of which had been previously addressed by the Council. Mr. Fritsinger advised he was awaiting additional information regarding employee health insurance, as well as quotes on short and long-term disability and life insurance coverage. Mr. Fritsinger advised Councilmembers that the staff committee would be providing a recommendation to Council in the near future. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS Legislative Issues Mr. Fritsinger provided a bench handout from the League of Minnesota Cities regarding several pending legislative issues the Council may wish to monitor. Metropolitan Council Mr. Fritsinger addressed a request from the Metropolitan Council regarding a grant received by the City of Roseville from the Board of Government Innovation for cooperative planning between school districts and municipalities. The City of Roseville was seeking involvement from the City of Arden Hills due to the portion of School District No. 623 that was within the boundaries of Arden Hills. Staff was directed to cordially respond to the Metropolitan Council that the City would . appreciate being kept informed of this developments in this cooperative effort and had a real interest in this issue, but was unable to provide stafItime for active involvement at this time. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION - JANUARY 20. 1998 5 e Stop Sign Request Councilmember Malone advised the Council that a stop sign request from Ramsey County at Dunlap Street N and Tiller Lane was being brought to the Council by the Public Safety Commission. Mr. Stafford advised that residents would be contacted regarding this proposed installation prior to Council action. Lake Johanna Volunteer Fire Department. Relief Association Councilmember Malone advised Councilmembers that, at their annual meeting held on January 10, 1998, the Lake Johanna Volunteer Fire Department had voted affirmatively to raise their retirement benefits. In a related note, Mr. Fritsinger requested Councilmember Malone's assistance, as Fire Department Liaison to the Council, in obtaining a Fire Department Budget for City information and review. Lake JoseDhine Ordinance Mr. Stafford advised that a proposed ordinance would be forthcoming to the Council for Lake Josephine which would be similar to the Lake Johanna ordinance in place now. - ADJOURN MOTION: Malone moved and Hicks seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:53 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). .