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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-23-25 SWS Request for Special City Council Work Session A special meeting may be called by the Mayor or by any two Councilmembers. Reason for meeting: 1. Public Inquiries/Informational 2. Response to Public Inquiries 3. Agenda Items A. Boston Scientific Concept Plan B. SCORE Incentive Funding C. 2026 PMP Feasibility Review D. Zoning Update E. Agenda Planning F. Rice Creek Commons/TCAAP Discussion 4. Council/Staff Comments Adjourn Requested Date: 06/23/2025 Requested time: 5:00 pm Open meeting X Closed meeting Signature of person(s) making request: 06/18/2025 Mayor or Council Member Date / / Council Member Date -This section to be completed by City staff- Date received: 06/18/2025 Date meeting to be held: 06/23/2025 Time of meeting: 5:00 pm Location: City Hall All necessary postings and notices have been completed. 05/22/2025 Signature of City Clerk Date City of Arden Hills ▪1245 West Highway 96 ▪ Arden Hills Minnesota 55112 Phone 651.792.7800 ▪ Fax 651.634.5137 ▪ www.cityofardenhills.org lt ,-A1�EN HILLS Approved: July 28, 2025 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JUNE 23, 2025 5:00 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Pro Tem Tena Monson called to order the City Council Work Session at 5:08 p.m. Present: Councilmembers Tena Monson, Kurt Weber and Brenda Holden Absent: Mayor Grant joined remotely at work session, but due to city related technical difficulties he was unable to participate for entirety of meeting. Councilmember Rousseau was excused. Also present: City Administrator Jessica Jagoe; Public Works Director/City Engineer David Swearingen; Finance Director Joua Yang, Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Julie Hanson, Senior Planner Elena Fransen and Jen Estling, Deputy Clerk 1. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL None. 2. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES None. 3. AGENDA ITEMS A. Boston Scientific Concept Plan John Larson, Project Manager with RSP Architects introduced himself. He introduced the team he is presenting with. They are Tony Baxter with ESI Engineering, Savannah Doerr, Project Manager with Boston Scientific and Chuck Evans with Damon Farber Landscape Architects. Larson said he is presenting the concept to install a Screening Wall at Boston Scientific's Building 14. In the interest of time, he asked if Council would prefer him to walk through the concept or stand for question if Council has any. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 2 Mayor Pro Tem Monson said we generally understand there is some sound coming from Building 14. There were other mitigation steps taken in the past. This is one more mitigation strategy for a noise barrier. Larson confirmed. He said the goal is to do something they have not been able to accomplish in the past. There have been incremental things with each project that have been an attempt to solve issues. They have been testing this idea for the past six months. They propose to build a noise barrier to the north and to the west, approximately 15 feet back from the property line. It varies in height, dependent on the topography of the site. This is a concept, at this time. They have looked at structural concerns so this will last a long time. They have had discussion on what the right height and configuration of the wall should be. Councilmember Holden said after previous mitigations, the noise level is not out of compliance. Doerr confirmed. They are meeting all standards and requirements now. There are smaller noise mitigations they could do but this will be a significant reduction. This proposal is above and beyond what is required because they want to be good corporate citizens. Councilmember Holden asked if they planned to build something else next to Building 14. Doerr said there are currently no plans to expand. Boston Scientific is always developing and growing, so she can't say there won't ever be improvements. This concept builds Boston Scientific a buffer if they wanted to expand later, but there are no plans for expansion, at this time. Larson said that is true based on the PUD in place. There are no projected additions planned adjacent to Building 14 or north of it. There isn't room between the property line and the building. Decibel levels are difficult to put a tangible description on. The level of reduction that this will create will be very noticeable. It will reduce the nuisance noises. Councilmember Weber asked for clarification that this will be a PUD amendment. Senior Planner Fransen confirmed. Doerr said Boston Scientific is always looking to improve and are open to ideas for future development while remaining good corporate citizens. The noise barrier will reduce the noise level but Boston Scientific is also always looking for ways to lower their carbon footprint globally. That requires infrastructure changes to the roof and on the building. They don't know exactly what those future improvements may be. Most of it is reducing sound with the different HVAC units on the roof. This wall will provide a buffer in the future if changes are needed in order to meet their global decarbonization efforts. They are always looking for ways to improve the health of patients and the health of the community they are embedded in. There are smaller efforts that could be done but they believe this concept is a slam dunk for Boston Scientific and Arden Hills. They minimize the nuisance noises, like trucks loading, as best they can. The main purpose of this wall is to minimize noises for the neighbors but they also want it to be tastefully constructed. They want it to be beautiful for the neighbors who live there, as well as, the residents who use that trail. She said the landscape is intended to look natural. They will enhance what exists by adding some native plants that will grow well there. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 3 Baxter shared a graphic showing the location of Building 14 in the upper and west corner of their campus. The property lines of the neighboring homes are less than 100 feet away. Boston Scientific raised the question if something can be done to reduce all of the sources of the noise complaints from neighbors. The goal was to get 5 decibels reduction for the mechanical equipment sources. He thinks a significant amount of noise complaints come from the loading dock area on the north side. That is where deliveries are brought in. The garbage is collected there. It's the place for snow plow activity in the winter. It isn't just the engine noise; it's also the beeping when trucks back up. Mayor Pro Tem Monson asked other than the trucks, where is the equipment located that makes noise. Baxter said there is mechanical equipment on the rooftop. There are some sources on the side of the building, as well. Councilmember Holden said that is a problem for the neighborhood. She pointed out that Boston Scientific are meeting the qualifications now. Baxter confirmed that they are below requirements but they would like the noise levels to be further away from the max limit. Councilmember Weber said the tallest portion of the wall is further down the trail. He asked if the wall will be tall enough on the north side to make an impactful difference. Baxter outlined the topography of the site. He shared a graphic analyzing noise levels. The requirement is they cannot be more than 60 dba during day hours and 50 dba at night. He outlined what the graphic indicated for sound. Councilmember Holden thinks it is louder in the winter. She wondered what time of the year this data was collected. Baxter said these are theoretical calculations, rather than actual measured noise levels. It may sound louder in the winter because it is quieter outside. At this close of distance there probably isn't that big of a difference in the mechanical noise created on the roof regardless of the season. He described how the wall will create an acoustical shadow behind the wall. He said the source of the noise from the roof is from mechanical equipment. Many of them will be replaced in the near future as part of the decarbonization. They will be replacing gas -fired equipment on the roof top and changing of some boilers inside the building to electric. The new units will mostly be in the same location but the newer equipment will have better decibel level performance. Those replacements are already being planned, in advance of this wall. Larson said this includes some of those changes that might happen. We added sources to this graphic that do not exist today. Baxter said when doing an engineering analysis, we want to know what the worst case scenario is and work from there. He explained that the length of the wall on the northern end wouldn't see any added benefit by extending it. They would have preferred to extend it longer in the other direction but a pond and wetland prevent that. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 4 Mayor Pro Tem Monson clarified if the wall will be the same height all along. Baxter said the height of the wall does start to fall away, but not as rapidly as the ground does. Councilmember Weber asked about the top of the wall at the northern most section. He asked how that compares to the roof line. If it's 8 feet tall and the building height is way higher than that, this may not be impactful. He stated that they are already meeting the noise standards, he is just curious if this wall will impact the noise coming from the rooftop equipment. Baxter believes the wall is taller than the roof, but not by a lot. The topography falls off as it goes toward the homes. So the wall will essentially sit up on a hill. Councilmember Weber said when they come back with this, he would like to know how the entire profile of the wall aligns visually to the neighboring properties. Larson said the line of sight to the neighbors is the wall. It may not be as tall as the building but the wall interrupts the line of sight. Councilmember Holden said the noise complaints haven't been regarding the rooftop equipment. She asked what the difference is between the shades of green on the graphic he showed. Baxter said there is about 5 decibels difference between the light and dark green. Discussion regarding the different colors and shading on the graphic and he showed how that is effected by the height of the wall at different spots. Mayor Pro Tem Monson asked if there are different vibrations between the low sounds and the high sounds. She asked if the wall will block those vibrational frequencies. Baxter said these walls are more effective at higher frequencies. There will be a significant reduction of the higher frequency noises. Councilmember Weber said the beeping that generates most of the noise complaints should be the most impacted by this wall. Baxter outlined on the graphic how that beeping was reduced with the installation of this wall. They believe there will be at least a 15 decibels reduction. He explained a 5-8 decibel reduction is significantly quieter. A 10 decibel reduction is about half of what it was. The presenters stood for questions. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said that by eliminating the high frequency noises, it may draw attention to the low frequency sounds. She suggested that they be thinking of that as they move forward. Larson understands her point. He said people are more tolerant of low frequency sounds. You can't hear them as well. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 5 Councilmember Holden said she has been in those backyards and there is a constant noise from that building. The constant noise from the filtration system is what they are hearing. It's never quiet in those backyards. Larson said there should be an improvement with this wall. They aren't saying there won't be any noise. Councilmember Holden understands. She said they seem fixated on the trucks coming and going. She just wanted to point out the calls are in regard to the noise from the filtration system. Larson explained that their analysis included those noise sources. Councilmember Holden said her only advice is, when talking to the neighbors, talk about all the noises not just the beeping trucks. Mayor Pro Tem Monson paused the meeting to bring Mayor Grant into the meeting who was participating remotely. Mayor Grant said he could hear the meeting but he could not see, as is required by statute to participate in a remote meeting. He decided to disconnect from the meeting and he would watch the playback at a later time. Evans showed a graphic outlining the footprint of the building and the location of the noise wall. The wall would be approximately 15 feet off of the property boundary. It would be a little further from the edge of the trail. Larson pointed out the location is not an arbitrary location. They considered different positioning of the wall, closer to the building, to allow for more of a landscaping buffer. The wall was less effective when it was closer to the building, unless the wall was much taller. They couldn't go any closer to the property line and still construct the footings and foundations required. Evans said they can't extend the wall further to the south because of the existing wetland there. He stated some trees will need to be removed to build the wall. The wall will be built from the Boston Scientific side. Everything on the other side of the wall will be preserved, in place. Many of the trees on the side of the wall where the homes are, will be saved. The neighbors will be looking at mostly the same trees they have been looking at. The trees that are removed on the Boston Scientific side of the wall will be replaced. Councilmember Weber asked for confirmation that the trees between the wall and the trail will be preserved. He would prefer to see a tree preservation and tree removal plan. There are a lot of nice trees in that area. Larson said they have hired a firm to survey the topography and that included a tree survey. Many of the trees are Ash trees and not in very good shape. He will provide a tree preservation plan as part of the land use application. He said the majority of the heavy activity from this wall will be on the Boston Scientific side. They are going to construct a temporary pathway that will be deconstructed upon completion. This pathway will cover civil engineering needs. There is a bio-filtration basin. There will be some trees that have to be replaced on the homes side of the ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 6 wall, as well. Those trees will be replaced per City requirements. That will be something they will discuss with the neighbors, as well. Councilmember Holden asked how the 15-feet of property on the trail side of the wall will be maintained. Evans stated the design intent for that area is consistent with what is there today. It's a native woodland. It is a lot of volunteer species. He can't say if they were planted or just took root. Currently it is wild and natural looking, no one is mowing that area. That is the intent, long term. Councilmember Holden noted it is dark and shady right there. If they remove a bunch of trees, that may change the environment and species that can survive and thrive there with little to no maintenance. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said installing a wall there will attract more people looking in that direction. If they see something that looks ugly, we will get complaints. He wouldn't want the City fielding calls on a low maintenance planting that actually should be maintained. He could see Buckthorn taking over that area pretty easily. Larson said one of the benefits here would be they will remove that. Councilmember Holden said that it may be a different story ten years from now if they don't maintain it between now and then. Mayor Pro Tem Monson summarized what she has heard. She believes this is a good concept. She asked if any other Councilmembers had any final comments. Councilmember Weber asked about the space around the footings. He asked if they are augered holes. Evans said completing soil borings will be one of the next steps. The soils on campus are fairly poor and they don't expect a miracle here. The assumption they are making is the soils will be similar to what is on the rest of campus. They will use helical pile. They are augered down, into the ground and there is a cluster of them at each post. Councilmember Weber asked if there will be excavation. Evans said there will be some excavation near the footing near the top. He can't say there won't be any excavation along the length of the wall to create a good place for the wall to land. They need the pre -cast concrete panel to engage the ground. There may be some minimal excavation required to get that panel down to the ground. It doesn't have to be a lot but we will want to ensure sound isn't making its way through any gaps at the bottom. Councilmember Weber said those are a standard 8-foot tall panels. At the top of the hill the wall is 8 feet tall. He assumes they need to bury that portion significantly. Evans shared the elevation drawings. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 7 Larson pointed out that from the top of the wall, as the ground falls away the pre -cast concrete tends to appear to grow. There will always be a little bit of pre -cast concrete at the bottom. Councilmember Weber said that will preserve the wood, as well. He stated those panels will pretty much be custom to each section. Larson said somewhat. They will be in the ground a little farther in some locations. Councilmember Weber asked if the wood will be treated aesthetically. Larson said that is not the goal. They would like it to go gray, naturally over time. Evans said they will use Southern yellow pine. It's a common wood for a project like this. Councilmember Holden asked if they will continue to do the small corrections to stop the noise or if they will install this wall and stop caring about the small things. Doerr said there are plans for silencers on exhaust fans and other roof top equipment. The reason they completed a full building study is we can mock it up to see if a silencer is needed. If there is any mechanism available to quiet a new piece of equipment, they are looking at that. Councilmember Holden asked if they will be moving forward with a meeting with the neighbors. Larson confirmed. He would like to discuss, with Staff, how best to do that. Senior Planner Fransen said Staff will work with Boston Scientific to make sure next steps are taken there and that the meeting is properly noticed. Councilmember Holden said the City wouldn't typically take the lead on this type of meeting between a business and residents. Senior Planner Fransen clarified that she would share the process, as established with the City. Larson doesn't remember if Staff was present at these meetings in the past, on other projects. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said they can organize that with Staff. Council trusts Staff to lead that in the right direction. She asked if this intended to be built in 2026. Doerr confirmed. Construction would be in spring of 2026. Mayor Pro Tem Monson asked if it would be completed in one season. Doerr confirmed. They expect it to be completed around August of 2026. Evans showed a graphic of the landscaping they are envisioning. There are some existing trees, new trees will be added and new native plants will be put in, as well. They expect the plantings will do well on their own, with little maintenance. There will be some tree trimming, to raise the canopies over time. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 8 Councilmember Weber said he appreciates them addressing this proactively. They are currently meeting all the noise standards and he thinks it's commendable to go above and beyond. B. SCORE Grant Incentive Funding Deputy Clerk Estling said the City receives SCORE grant incentive funding every year, in addition to the base grant fund amount. The formula for allocating incentive funds has changed and the City received $23,815 in 2025, when in 2024, the incentive was $4,007. It has been discussed that Council would like to see a cleanup event held in Arden Hills, as it was several years ago. Staff identified a vendor who will come into Arden Hills and bring his own roll off dumpsters and employees. He is willing to check IDs and would take coupons for free items, if we chose to do that. Staff is seeking direction on if Council would like to use SCORE grant incentive dollars to facilitate a cleanup event in Arden Hills. Councilmember Weber asked if the $2,650 cost outlined for the vendor includes the two free items. Deputy Clerk Estling said that is the cost to have him facilitate the event. Mayor Pro Tem Monson asked what is included with that cost. Would we still have to produce coupons? Deputy Clerk Estling said all of the administrative costs can be reimbursed as part of the event. If we print coupons, the printing and mailing costs can be reimbursed. Staff time to plan and help at the event will be reimbursed, as well. Councilmember Holden thinks the prices are high. Residents can dispose of many of these things much cheaper or free at the Ramsey County Environmental Center. She asked if the free item coupon could be any item on the list. Deputy Clerk Estling confirmed. It would be similar to the current partnership with Recycle Technologies in Blaine. City Administrator Jagoe said the estimated cost of $3,863 is just providing the location and staff to hold the event. Residents would pay for every item that they bring in. The coupon costs are not factored into that number. She said we could give residents coupons. There is the option to have everything that is dropped off be free of charge to the resident. The cost would be unknown. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said if we have this event she would want some coverage on the material the recycler turns in. She thinks the list of collected items could be narrowed. She asked if we can hold on to the $4,000 from 2024 and she asked when we get paid in 2025. City Administrator Jagoe said the City pays upfront and gives the receipts to the County. They will reimburse the City upon receiving that proof of the expense. Mayor Pro Tem Monson asked if we could bundle the $4,000 and the $23,000 for one event to cover coupons. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 9 City Administrator Jagoe said the total incentive dollars for 2025 is the $23,000. We received almost $20,000 more than in previous years. Staff was trying to come up with a second option to use those incentive dollars. Mayor Pro Tem Monson asked if we could use it for the coupons. City Administrator Jagoe confirmed. She said we can still hold the Recycle Technologies event. We can assume it will be approximately $4,000 as it has been in the past couple of years. This event is estimated at just under $4,000 to facilitate the event. She outlined how we could offer coupons or the City could choose to use all of the dollars to pay for the entire event. There are other things to explore. Councilmember Weber said $20,000 won't go far. At $20 each, that's only 1,000 coupons. Councilmember Holden asked how much have we spent when the coupons were used? City Administrator Jagoe said it was the $4,000. The amount we pay to Recycle Technologies is for the coupons they collected. Councilmember Holden said she thought there was conversation with Walters to try to collect curbside. We should be advertising where residents can take these items for free. City Administrator Jagoe said during the contract discussions with Walters, they said offering a bulky item collection event is difficult for them to coordinate. People would have to schedule in advance because the item being picked up determines what truck they need to use. We can possibly work with Walters that maybe we have one month where residents can call to arrange for a curb side pick-up. But Walters said items would need to be scheduled in advance for that type of event. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said she thinks this is an interesting concept but she doesn't think we have enough information. She would love to see what a Walters' event looked like. She wants a cleanup option to be impactful. She doesn't have a great view of what that looks like yet. Councilmember Holden said we could limit the list of what is accepted. She asked if the document destruction is done on site or do they collect it and bring it to another location to destroy it? Deputy Clerk Estling said it is destroyed on -site. Mayor Pro Tem Monson suggested sending this item back to Staff and get a better picture of what a cleanup day would look like if we limit the scope or if we offer coupons. City Administrator Jagoe said from Staff s perspective, we just don't know how well it will be utilized. It is difficult to know how many more residents might participate if it's in Arden Hills vs. driving to Blaine. We know that Recycle Technologies collects approximately $4,000 worth of items. If we offer the event as completely city -paid and free to the residents, we don't know what that will look like. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said there are too many options on the table. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 10 Councilmember Weber said in his experience the limiting factor for participation is the massive line. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson said the location of the event would be at the Public Works yard space off of Hamline, where it used to be when we partnered with the City of Shoreview. Councilmember Holden said there are places that some of the items on the list can be recycled free of charge. She would like Staff to narrow the list and identify where those items can be taken for free. She said there wasn't a line in Blaine. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson said the only complaint she has heard is that residents don't like driving to Blaine. Mayor Pro Tem Monson directed Staff to narrow the plan and bring this item back. Council agreed to max out the $20,000. Councilmember Holden doesn't want tablets and laptops on the list because there is not guarantee the devices will be wiped clean of resident data. She doesn't want those items to be collected at this event. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said that would be the resident's responsibility. Councilmember Holden understands that, but a lot of people don't understand how to do that. C. 2026 PMP Feasibility Review Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen introduced the 2026 PMP Street Utility improvements project feasibility study. This is a special assessment project. The feasibility study is part of the 429 process. He is seeking Council feedback prior to the final report that will be brought back to Council at a regular meeting for approval. He said Brad Fisher from Bolton and Menk will present a high level summary of the project. Staff will walk through the items they are seeking direction on after the presentation. Brad Fisher, Project Manager with Bolton and Menk said he will discuss the scope and preliminary fees associated with the 2026 PMP project. He said the scope of work is an infrastructure maintenance project. There will be various methods of street pavement rehabilitation. The majority of the project will receive a reclamation and overlay and one of the streets will receive a mill and overlay based on the condition of those pavements. All of the project areas will receive spot concrete curb and gutter replacements if there is significant deterioration or insufficient drainage. There will be some spot storm sewer repairs and water quality infrastructure improvements, including sediment capture devices prior to outlet into the lake. Also included are sanitary sewer repairs and I&I improvements. An area along Highway 96, where there have been some watermain breaks, will be realigned. The watermain runs along the curbline of Highway 96. Repairs require digging into the County Road. They will relocate that watermain to the south. The repair will prevent future breaks but if there were a break or if maintenance was required, it would only impact the trail, not the County Road. Phase 2 of the stormwater BMP pond is a continuation of phase 1 which was an improvement along the ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 11 southeast corner of the project where some slope stabilization was completed. They will implement a stormwater pond that would capture and treat water before it outlets to the lake. There are select trail rehabilitation areas, potential sediment removal at Karth Lake and will give some options for Karth Lake pump system improvements. Fisher shared a graphic showing the north project area. He noted where the orange color indicates a residential mill and overlay and the yellow on the graphic showed where streets will receive a reclamation and overlay. He noted the blue graphics indicate where the potential proposed sediment removal locations in Karth Lake. The south project area graphic shows reclamation and overlay of the road as well as some trail location that have deteriorated pavement and will fill fortify accessibility for maintenance staff. Some areas near the tennis courts will be improved knowing construction equipment will need to get to the location of those improvements. The cross walk on the cul-de-sac at Cummings Park Drive currently goes across the entire cul-de-sac. During final design he will evaluate potentially moving that to the east toward the water tower, to make the crossing shorter and more visible. He pointed out the final area identified for sediment removal and the location to implement the storm water pond. Councilmember Holden asked if the sediment removal location is a storm water pond. Fisher said that is part of the lake. Councilmember Holden asked if there is a culvert there. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the water level is typically higher than what the graphic shows. Fisher wanted to give an overview on the processes they will be performing. He said a mill and overlay is a process where you grind out the top two inches of pavement, leaving the bottom layer. You would do any corrections needed and then repave. With the exception of the spot curb replacements, the curb will remain in place and the existing grades would remain the same. Reclamation and overlay is a similar process but that is prescribed when the pavement is a little more deteriorated and the base pavement isn't in good condition. A similar machine is used but it pulverizes and grinds up the existing pavement and mixes it with the underlying gravel. This creates a new aggregate base for the new road. Then you pave two lifts of two inches each, for a total of four inches of new pavement. Fisher discussed the storm sewer and water quality improvements. Staff has done a preliminary investigation into existing utilities and provided some specific locations where there are some structure replacements and minor rehabilitation needs. There will be some rip rap work at some of the outlets will mitigate erosion. Drainage structure sumps and SAFL Baffles are proposed to be installed at locations that don't have existing pre-treatment devices, prior to out letting into the lake. There is only one location that doesn't have one and there is one that is in poor condition that they would replace. They performed a risk assessment on some of the submerged culvert aprons. A number of the culverts that outlet to the lake were installed at lake levels at the time and are partially or completely submerged. The risk assessment identified the risk of leaving them there without bringing them up to the water level. They determined right now there are no issues. The potential issues exist during the freeze/thaw action in the winter. When the lake ices over, it can move those culvert apron ends to the point where they could fall off, if not properly secured. There is also a minor risk of potential flooding upstream where it would outlet out of the next ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 12 upstream structure. There is no significant risk with leaving them the way they are. However, we could choose to be forward thinking and add it to the project to get it completed. Fisher said the potential sediment removal at Karth Lake Deltas could improve constructability options, access and management level associated with it. The pricing outlined in this report is separated out into a design alternate. He has reached out to some contractors to try to scope this out because there is some difficulty with access. Other than the park access, the other four locations are going right between houses within existing easements. Four of the five locations are relatively steep. Nearly all of them have some level of tree impacts where some trees within those easements would need to be removed. Some of them have private landscaping that will be impacted. We would have to work with homeowners to potentially salvage or reinstall. We have done this type of improvement on the last project. We would get access to get down to the lake. A storm water pond can typically be fully drained. You drain the water, dig it out with an excavator and load the sediment into a truck. Most of the access locations for this project are so steep that we won't be able to get a dump truck back there. We can't entirely drain lake, like you can a storm water pond. You can create a cofferdam at each of the outlet locations. You take steel sheet piling and pound them in, in a half moon shape to isolate the outlet locations so you can de -water them. This would eliminate the water in the working area. There would still be the issue of getting dump trucks back there. It would require a smaller piece of equipment that would bring that material from the lake, to the truck in the road for removal. The higher costs outlined are due to the compounding issues. It is difficult to specifically identify pricing. Fisher outlined that the report identifies some options that could be explored further. These options include hydraulic dredging. That is the most common technique for clearing boat routes on lakes or hauling routes on rivers. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said realistically the best option is going to be using the coffer dam and then use smaller equipment to bring material to the dump truck. Fisher confirmed. That would accomplish the end goal. The dredging would need boat access. The last feasible option is using a vac truck. Then you would suck the materials underwater. There would be no way to quantify the totality of the benefit. We would just know by the amount of material that you suck up. That would be a cheaper option but less definable. Fisher discussed the sanitary sewer improvements. There will be spot rehabilitations. They will replace the castings on the manholes and install new chimney seals to improve I&I. The manholes that have significant rings at the top that deteriorate over time will be reconstructed. Fisher said they are looking to realign the existing watermain along Highway 96 and put it under the trail, closer to the retaining wall. Spot hydrant and valve replacements will happen based on what Staff had identified. There will also be some curb stop adjustments. Their survey team and City Staff will identify each curb stop in the project area that are either too high or too low and adjust those back to final grade. Fisher said for trail improvements, they would strip the trails and re -overlay them. They would add aggregate base, as needed. There is an electrical box at the pump system, with a four -tiered timber retaining wall that has been identified as failing and contributing to erosion into the lake. They would want to replace that with a single tiered wall. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 13 Fisher said they have had some good conversations with the Rice Creek Watershed and the Karth Lake District board regarding the pump system improvements. They can coordinate directly with the DNR regarding available options. There is a three tiered approach of different options for consideration. He said Karth Lake is an isolated lake with no emergency overflow on the lake. If nothing is done it will flood, over time. The City has a permit to pump out the lake. There is a force main that runs down to Cummings Drive and outlets into the storm sewer system. It operates at a two -foot bounce level. When it reaches a certain level, a manual pump is deployed that is connected to the electrical system. They pump it down about two feet and remove the pump. That process needs to be repeated every time the water rises. The Karth Lake Improvement District is requesting a six-inch bounce level vs. two -feet. That would help with erosion around the banks and from a recreation standpoint. The existing system is manually deployed. City Staff has to watch water levels to know when to deploy it and then have to manually remove the pump when the water levels reach the desired depth. They evaluated three options. The first option is to maintain the existing deployable pump but add a water logger device that would be anchored by a buoy which would monitor the lake level. It gives live readings of the lake levels but that can be impacted by wave levels and wind. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said that is essentially how we act today because the Karth Lake Improvement District is very active. This would just be automated so we get signals when the water rises. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said you still have to manually deploy it. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen confirmed. Mayor Pro Tem Monson remembers Council being interested in it being as automated as possible. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen clarified that they don't deploy it every time. It's on a floating device. We have to manually go down there and turn it on and off. Fisher said the second option is to use the existing pump but add a reinforced concrete structure that would go into the ground and the structure would be connected by a reinforced concrete pipe culvert directly to the lake. They would need to isolate the area for construction. The culvert would be underwater and the structure mimics the level of the lake. That would mitigate wave and wind impact. The pump would be set in there and we would automate that pump. Councilmember Holden asked how old the pump is. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said this is only a handful of years old and is in pretty good condition. Fisher said the third option is a complete lift station. You would have multiple structures connected. It would be connected to the lake, like in option two, but there would be complete control panel, the pump, the logging device and all of the equipment. This option would likely include replacement of the pumps to fit the project better for the long term. The final piece, if the pumps are upgraded, we would need to explore how that impacts the pump curves associated with the existing the forcemain. The forcemain is in good condition. As long as we can maintain the desired water levels there's no need to replace it. If this option is chosen the 6" forcemain may ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 14 need to be upsized. There is no use in making this investment if that improvement isn't approved. That can all be looked at during final design, if we go in that direction. Fisher said a preliminary resident survey was sent out. It went out to everyone in the project area, as well as, residents who are outside the project area but adjacent to Karth Lake. There were 49 responses to the online survey. The responses included general support for the street improvement project, concerns over private landscaping impacts, concerns regarding erosion in and around Cummings Park trail and to Karth Lake, assessment calculations and a handful of respondents in support of the lake level monitoring and pump system. Fisher outlined the base project costs. It won't include the pump system improvements or the alternate of the sediment removal. The base cost is just under $3.1 million. He discussed how the costs are distributed between the different elements of the project. The overall project costs, include estimated construction costs, a 10% contingency and 27% indirect cost for overhead. Councilmember Holden asked if we need a new electrical box. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the panel is okay but it may need to be relocated. Fisher summarized the funding sources for the nearly $3.1 million base project which include the general fund, assessments and three utility funds. He walked through the preliminary estimated costs for the four alternate improvements above the base project. Fisher outlined the special assessment process for the 429 assessments. The first step is to develop a feasibility study. After that is complete, there would be public hearings, final design with engineered plans and competitively bidding the project. The public hearings require estimates of the assessments and mailed notice to each property proposed for assessment. There would also be open houses associated with the final design and just prior to construction to keep residents informed. He outlined how special assessments are applied, based on City policy. The assessments are only for street improvements. Residents aren't assessed for utilities or the Karth Lake improvements. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said on a previous assessment there was a case where there were two lots within one property. There are no properties like that in this project area so that won't be an issue this time. Councilmember Holden said the Karth Lake improvements could be assessed to Karth Lake District, if the board agrees. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen confirmed. He said the district is there and that could be a discussion. Fisher said based on the street costs presented, they divided out the assessment calculations. Preliminary assessment calculations for residential properties are estimated between $3,000- $6,500, depending on if the improvement is the mill and overlay or the reclamation and overlay. The Industrial properties will vary by property. He walked through the formula for how those amounts were calculated. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 15 Fisher said they are in the process of soliciting the general benefit appraisal for the project. That should be ready in the next week or two. The appraiser will go through and based on the improvements being proposed determines what the actual benefit to each property is. This isn't individual appraisals, it's on a neighborhood basis. Fisher outlined the project schedule and next steps. They will come back on July 14 so Council can accept the feasibility report and order the Public Improvement Hearing. On July 28, the Public Improvement Hearing will be held. Starting in September they will be targeting the final design and plan production. Bidding would be in the first part of 2026, with construction to begin in the spring. Mayor Pro Tem Monson asked Council if they had any questions, starting with base project. Councilmember Holden asked if the manhole covers are okay or will we get new ones? Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said they will be replacing the sanitary manhole castings. Councilmember Holden asked if there was money in the budget to cover all of the costs. Finance Director Yang said we have it in the CIP budget. Councilmember Holden asked if any of the utility funds will go in the hole. Finance Director Yang said no. Councilmember Weber said he supports the base program entirely. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said with no further questions Council should discuss dredging. She asked what if we didn't do it. She asked to be walked through the risk and if this is something that we're delaying and will have to do in 5-10 years anyway. Councilmember Holden wondered if we will have to do the same for all the other lakes. Fisher said they performed a bathymetric survey. For that, they take a rod and determine where the top of sediment is and then push through to the hard bottom. The limitation is if you get gravel or hard sands you can't calculate it properly as it includes organic matter. Trees will drop leaves every year so you will continue to get the organic matter. You can't mitigate that unless you remove the trees. He noted each of the outlets are clear. They aren't building up sediment beyond the invert of that pipe opening. It's not impacting the hydraulics. It is being pushed into the lake a little. By being proactive and improving them right now will only ensure less sediment gets into the lake in the future. Councilmember Weber said the scenario that was used that may cause the storm sewer to fail were an exceptional snow fall or erosion event that would lead to the storm sewer inlets to be blocked. He said even if we were to dredge, that scenario is still feasible. Councilmember Holden worries that we are setting a precedent and we'll have to do Lake Johannah and Lake Josephine. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 16 Mayor Pro Tem Monson said she doesn't think there is a lot of appetite for that. If we did, it would have to be a much bigger discussion before they could decide. She thinks we are going to hold on that. She'd be fine if we received bids on it to see what the cost is. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said it is a maintenance item and the risk is very low, if we decide to pass on it. Now that we do have sediment control devices, we maintain them annually, if not bi-annually, if time allows. They are wide open. He thinks the sediment control devices are very effective and with the maintenance program we are able to not add sediment to the lake. Councilmember Weber assumed the sediment depth testing was done only by the lake inlets. Fisher confirmed. Councilmember Weber said we don't know if those levels are uniform. He thinks ahead of any discussion on City-wide policy on dredging, it would be important to investigate the sediment depths of the entire lake. Councilmember Holden said she would like to eliminate the alternate option. Councilmember Weber agrees. Mayor Pro Tem Monson said she would prefer the second option for the pump improvements. The first option doesn't go far enough and the third option is too expensive. Councilmember Weber agrees. Councilmember Holden agrees with the second option. She thinks the cost should be split between the City and the Karth Lake District. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the watershed has shown some serious interest in partnering with the City on the pumping operations. They haven't said exactly what they would be willing to fund but they are open to discussion. We can propose this to them. Once we understand what their funding would be, we could bring it back to Council. Councilmember Weber said if they are willing to discuss the pumping, maybe they would do the lift station. Fisher said the watershed asked us to bring a proposal to them, outlining what the City wants. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen pointed out the memo states that Staff is recommending option two but would recommend exploring option three to see if the watershed may pay for it. Mayor Pro Tem Monson agrees with Staff recommendation. She said go with option two and explore other options, as discussed. D. Zoning Update ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 23, 2025 17 Mayor Pro Tem Monson asked Council if they wanted to recess and return after the regular Council Meeting. She noted that Mayor Grant and Councilmember Rousseau were not present. Discussion ensued that the Zoning Update discussion should take place when all five members of the Council are present. City Administrator Jagoe said she doesn't think there is a lot left to go through. July 14 is the budget discussion. She reserved part of the July 28 meeting, as well. She said it could be on the June 30 Special Work Session. Council agreed to put the Zoning Update discussion on the agenda for the June 30 Special Work Session. If any members are absent or if time doesn't allow, we can move it again. E. Agenda Planning Councilmember Weber pointed out that the ADU and Cannabis discussions were going to happen parallel to the Zoning Code review. He would like to address that sooner rather than later. City Administrator Jagoe said she remembers the comments were in parallel with the Zoning Code updates but also once the Community Development Director is hired. F. Rice Creek Commons/TCAAP Discussion This item was not discussed. 4. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES None. ADJOURN Mayor Pro Tern Monson adjourned the City Council Work Session at 6:50 p.m. st, J12,1-0,J 4DO st mg David Grant Clerk Mayor