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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 02-24-1992 . . . . MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING February 24, 1992 CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Sather called to order the regul ar City Council meeting at 7: 30 p. m. Present: Mayor Thomas Sather; councilmembers JoAnn Growe, Thomas Mahowald, Paul Malone. Absent: Dal e Hicks. Al so present were: Public Works Superintendent, Dan Winkel; Clerk Administrator, Gary Berger; Deputy Clerk, Catherine Iago; Recording Secretary, Shar Foster. AGENDA ADOPTION MOTION: Malone moved, seconded by Hicks, to adopt the February 24, 1992 agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously (4-0) . APPROVAL OF COUNCIL MINUTES MOTION: Mahowald moved, seconded by Malone, to approve the minutes of the January 13, 1992 Regular Council Meeting as prepared. Motion carried unanimously (4-0). CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION: Malone moved, seconded by Growe, to approve the Consent Calendar and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. Motion carried unanimously (4-0). a. Approve Purchase of Dictation Equipment b. Approve List of Claims/Payroll PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. SCHEDULE WORKSESSION MEETING FOR DISCUSSION OF MEDIAN CLOSING OF TRUNK HIGHWAY 51 - SNELLING AVENUE Council considered an appropriate meeting time to discuss the issue of the median closing of Trunk Highway 51 - Snelling Avenue. Staff recommended a meeting at 4:30 p.m. on March 23, 1992; Clerk Administrator Berger added that a MnDOT engineering representative has been invited to attend the meeting. Councilmember Growe suggested holding the meeting at 7:00 p.m or 7:30 p.m. to make the time most convenient for residents who have shown interest in the issue. . . ~ Arden Hills Council February 24, 1992 2 Mayor Sather recommended that the meeting be informal and primarily for informational purposes, but conducted similar to a public hearing inviting public input. Councilmember Mahowald agreed that a less formal meeting may be the most positive way to handle this issue. councilmember Malone commented that Council should discuss with MnDOT what the "trade off" is in closing the median, i.e., fewer accidents but worse traffic flow. Councilmember Growe added that the accident rate of other nearby intersections may need to be studied to determine if closing the median simply moves the safety problem to other locations. Mayor Sather suggested that traffic counts in the area also be reviewed. MOTION: Malone moved, seconded by Growe, to hold a worksession meeting for discussion of the median closing of Trunk Highway 51 - Snelling Avenue, at 7:30 p.m. on March 23, 1992. Motion carried unanimously (4-0). B. ORDERING PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR 1992 PARK AND TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS Counci 1 reviewed proposed Resol ution 92-15, which directed the Ci ty' s engineering consul tant, Maier Stewart and Associates, to prepare plans and specifications for 1992 improvements to the following parks and trails: Cummings/Floral Trail Paving, Perry Park Regrading #3 and #4, and Valentine Drainage. Council member Malone questioned whether the Council had taken action on this matter at an earlier Council meeting; consensus was that although Council had discussed this issue earlier it was not officially adopted. MOTION: Mahowald moved, seconded by Malone, to adopt Resolution 92-15 Ordering Plans and Specifications for 1992 park/ Trail Improvements. Motion carried unanimously (4-0). C. DISCUSS SCHEDULING DATE FOR ARCHITECT INTERVIEWS - NEW CITY HALL Council reviewed and briefly discussed the proposals of the five finalists for the position of architectural consultant to deal with the new City Hall and Public Works/Parks and Recreation facilities being considered for the City. Clerk Administrator Berger provided Council with a list of suggested questions which Council may utilize during interviews. Mayor Sather suggested that perhaps the interviewing process be handled in round table fashion giving the candidates a few minutes to represent themselves; he recommended if Council was unable to make a final decision after the initial interviews, the candidates could be narrowed to two and a second interview scheduled. . . . Arden Hills Council February 24, 1992 3 Council concurred to eliminate one of the five finalists. The four remaining finalists to be interviewed were: BWBR; Lindberg Pierce; BRW Architects; Bonestroo, Rosene et al. Councilmember Mahowald asked that staff summarize as much background information on the City Hall study as possible and forward same to Council before the first regular Council meeting in March in order to give Council time to prepare for the interviewing process. MOTION: Malone moved, seconded by Growe, to set a date 23, 1992 at 4:30 p.m. to interview the four archi tect ural fi rms at 1/2 hour interval s. carried unanimously (4-0). of March finalist Motion COUNCIL COMMENTS TONY SCHMIDT PARK councilmember Mahowald advised that he recently received a call from the Arden Hills Sportsman's Club; the Club has indicated that they would provide the labor needed to install playground equipment at Ramsey County's Tony Schmidt park if funding were available for materials. He suggested the Sportsman's Cl ub seek a funding commitment from st. Paul Turners charitable gambling operation. FOR-PROFIT ENTERPRISES ON GOVERNMENT PROPERTY councilmember Mahowald stated that it has come to his attention that AlliantTech Systems, a for-profit enterprise, exists on the arsenal property and thus is escaping taxation. He expressed concern regarding this situation. It was mentioned that AlliantTech may not be the only such situation in the City and that although there is not the normal taxation process imposed, there may be some other requirements which AlliantTech must meet in order to exist on government property. DIpCUSSION OF TIF - THE COTTAGES DEVELOPMENT Councilmember Malone expressed concern with regard to the possibility of using tax increment financing (TIF) monies for the Cottages development project. He suggested discussion of this proposal in more detail to determine whether the project should be considered under TIF. He noted the developer is seeking guidance prior to submitting formal application. SEH STATEMENTS Councilmember Malone referred to statements (totaling approximately $6,000) recentl y received from SEH Engineers for the cl evel and Avenue Lift Station project. He commented that if the work was . . e Arden Hills Council February 24, 1992 4 done by SEH, the City should probably pay the bills, but questioned the charges/rates reflected on the bill. The Administrator explained that staff reviewed the bills and they do not appear to reconcile with the work completed. Council expressed concern that receipt of the statements was del ayed qui te some time after completion of the work. Mayor Sather suggested that SEH be requested to reconstruct the statements prior to further consideration of payment in order to substantiate the charges and reconcile the statements with the project, to the satisfaction of staff. OAK GROVE SUPERFUND Councilmember Malone reiterated his position that the possible costs to cities for the Oak Grove clean up are extremely high; and asked for the latest update on negotiations regarding the Oak Grove situation. Clerk Administrator Berger advised that offers have been made to the EPA by Arden Hills and other cities for de minimus settlement of the issue and that the initial response appears to be favorable to the City. He added that Arden Hills and other cities may consider lobbying legislature regarding the Oak Grove issue given the evidence in favor of the cities. NORTH RIDGE APARTMENTS Mayor Sather reported he was contacted by Chuck Cook, continental Development Co., that Cook indicated he had spoken to HUD and there appears to be a possibility that the project could be done without TIF. Cook asked if Council may consider the rezoning of the property and approval of the project if TIF financing is not used. Council concurred that the project was acceptable without the TIF financing and suggested Cook resubmit an application. JOINT MEETING WITH SHOREVIEW Cl erk Administrator Berger advi sed that Shoreview City counci 1 requested a joint meeting with Arden Hills on 3/17/92 at 7:30 p.m. Council agreed that 3/17/92 would be an appropriate date, however, requested the time be moved to 5:30 P.M. Berger was directed to work out the time with Shoreview and report back to Council. PUBLIC WORKS UPDATE Publ ic Works Superintendent Winkel reported that employee Fred Reed fell at his home recently, had to be hospitalized, and is now experiencing some serious complications. Winkel added that he would keep Council updated as to Reed's progress, but the City may need to address staffing shortages until Reed can return to work. Winkel invited Council to view the recently repainted City vehicle; he added that he is satisfied with the results of the repainting. . . . A~den Hills Council Feb~ua~y 24, 1992 5 WATER LOSS STUDY STATUS REPORT Winkel advised that ~ecent study ~esults indicate wate~ loss in the city's wate~ system is 10.3%, down from 24% last year, and although 10-12% is an acceptable standard fo~ a system of this size, the staff is still attempting to ~esolve the problem. ADJOURN MOTION: Malone moved, seconded by Growe, to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m. Motion carried unanimously (4-0). ~ 7t t3~ Gary Berger, Clerk Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS: The next regula~ Council meeting will be held March 9, 1992 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. TENTATIVE joint meeting with the 1992. (The time of 5:30 p.m. date/time to follow.) City of Shoreview on March 17, has been suggested. Defini te There will be a meeting held on March 23, 1992 at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall to interview architectural fi~m candidates, followed by a meeting at 7:30 p.m. to discuss median closing T.H. 51 - Snelling Avenue.