Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-27-26 WSApproved: May 11, 2026 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 27, 2026 5:30 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the City Council Work Session at 5:30 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Tena Monson, Emily Rousseau and Kurt Weber Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Jessica Jagoe, Public Works Director/City Engineer David Swearingen, Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Julie Hanson, Community Development Director Jake Reilly, Public Works Superintendent Jeff Frid and Parks and Recreation Manager Jess Skalicky 1. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL Ben Lindau, 3288 Katie Lane, stated he is a Planning Commissioner but is speaking tonight as an Arden Hills Resident. He wants to address the Affordable Housing item on the Regular City Council Meeting agenda. He can't attend the regular meeting due to a coaching conflict. He knows the discussion will encompass what affordability means and how we can bring it to Arden Hills. He researched the topic a little. He said Shoreview has a similar market. They shared how they got there. The direction they went makes sense. 2. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES None. 3. AGENDA ITEMS A. TRC Amendments Discussion ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 2 Eric Fosmo, from Kimley Horn is the Project Manager for the Rice Creek Commons Infrastructure project. John Mazzitello, Deputy Director of Public Works for Ramsey County is the Project Manager for the spine road. They introduced themselves. Mr. Fosmo said they will be presenting a code amendment to the Planning Commission at the end of the month, with it being heard at City Council in June. They are seeking feedback on the multi- use trail width in the TRC code. It currently specifies a minimum 12-foot trail width for any trail along the spine road and other roads in the development. The amendment will request a 10-foot width along Rice Creek Boulevard. He shared a graphic showing the specific area they are talking about. It proposes a trail along the outside of the right of way, allowing for significant green space, trees, landscaping or buffers between the road and the trail. There are a few reasons for this request. The Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD) has allowance for up to 10-foot trails. If you have 10- foot trails with an appropriate green space boulevard, it doesn't require additional storm water treatment for that paved space. Councilmember Holden said Xcel Energy requested the trail be 12 feet. City Administrator Jagoe said City Staff checked with them and they said 10 feet was acceptable for them and have no comments to require 12-feet. Mr. Fosmo said the 12-foot trail would require additional storm water with additional space within the natural resources corridor to be dedicated to storm water for the public improvements. There is a cost to constructing that storm water and it is a loss of flexibility for future development. The Ramsey County standard for trails along their roadways is 8 feet, trails that are off -road trails have a 10-foot minimum width. The standard for Arden Hills, outside of Rice Creek Commons, is 8 feet. The proposed 10-foot width meets all county, state and federal standards for a multi -use trail. Councilmember Rousseau said there are no bike lanes. So bikers would ride on the roadway with traffic or pick a different trail. She asked how this fits in with Arden Hills being a walkable city. Mr. Fosmo said they aren't proposing to reduce the length of any sidewalks or trails. It's still proposed as a multi -use trail on both sides of Rice Creek Boulevard. It still allows for bikes and pedestrians to utilize the trail at the same time in both directions, on both sides of the road. The shoulder is wide enough to allow for commuter bikes who prefer to be on the roadway. There won't be dedicated bike lanes but the 5-foot width is considered a bikeable shoulder. Councilmember Rousseau said this feels like we are prioritizing vehicles. Councilmember Holden asked where the bike lane will be. Mr. Fosmo on the shoulder or the multi -use trail. The rider can decide. Councilmember Holden said it will be dense up there. She isn't sure if a 5-foot shoulder on each side of the road is sufficient. Mr. Mazzitello said the intercommunity traffic is more likely to use the trails. The commuters who are moving through Rice Creek Commons will be more apt to use the shoulder. Councilmember Weber asked what the proposed speed is on Rice Creek Parkway ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 3 Mr. Fosmo said 35 mph. Councilmember Weber said he supported this at the Joint Development Authority (JDA) meeting and still does. If 10-foot trails are the norm, he thinks 10-foot trails on each side and 5-foot shoulders on each side is sufficient. Councilmember Rousseau asked if we ever anticipate having buses. Mr. Fosmo said the corridor is wide enough to accommodate a future transit line. We would anticipate bus traffic to be part of development. There are no bus stops delineated at this time but the corridor and green space are wide enough to construct future bus stops. Councilmember Rousseau asked if they have had any outreach to the biking community to get their opinion. Mr. Mazzitello said the biking community are very vocal about all Ramsey County projects. What they say is they want to be able to commute through the development without going through subdivisions. They are interested in having a nice through -route for commuter bikes. Councilmember Rousseau asked if those comments could be shared. Mr. Mazzitello said the comments are scattered throughout their work. Before construction and during public engagement they will have that conversation. Councilmember Monson said there was a lot of discussion at the JDA. She thinks it feels like we are taking something away by going from 12 feet to 10 feet. She struggled with that a little. What convinced her is that it's on both sides of the road. She also hopes it will help avoid delays for watershed permitting. She liked that it won't restrict other parts of development. The current trails are 8 feet and they're fine. This is better. Another point made at the JDA is a 10-foot trail can be plowed in a single pass vs. a 12-foot trail that would either be plowed at 10 feet or Public Works would have to plow it twice. Mayor Grant said RCWD originally wanted 12 feet. If they are okay with it being 10 feet, he is okay with that. Councilmember Holden said we would have had a slightly larger stormwater pond with a 12-foot trail vs. a 10-foot trail. She asked if that was correct. Mr. Fosmo said all of the water will still flow to storm water treatment. It's the way the district calculates their credits. Anytime water runs off of something; paved trails, buildings, etc., the RCWD says treatment must be provided. Having 12-foot trails means that has to be accounted for in the calculation, which takes up space within the development. Councilmember Holden said we have a lot of things that were made for the 100-year storm. We could see multiple 100-year storms. She asked if the way they calculate the volume in the stormwater ponds has changed at all. Mr. Fosmo said those are two separate things. How you calculate for the flood event accounts for everything. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 4 Councilmember Holden said we've had flooding over and over again. Her question is have they increased the volume so we don't have full or overflowing stormwater ponds. Mr. Mazzitello said about 10 years ago there was a study on storm frequencies and intensities. They increased the rainfall amounts that we use to calculate the storage volumes of the ponds. Mayor Grant said we have general consensus on 10-feet trails. He asked they present the other item. Mr. Fosmo concluded that the proposed amended trail width language is in the agenda packet. He noted the amended language is only requesting this along the spine road. Mr. Fosmo said the second topic is street lighting along Rice Creek Boulevard. The current TRC code requires streetlights to be placed every 40 feet. The amendment request is to allow for more context appropriate street light spacing. Essentially it references the MnDOT roadway lighting design standards as the basis for placing streetlights. He said 40-foot spacing for streetlights is far denser than any other example they could find. It is cost prohibitive for construction, as well as long-term maintenance for the City. Requiring 40-foot spacing would result in excess light on the roadway. The 40-foot spacing on the roadway would not light the trail sufficiently, if that was the intent. Mr. Fosmo said the City contracts the maintenance of streetlights with Xcel Energy. The City's selected type is based on what is available through Xcel. Councilmember Rousseau asked if the streetlights will face downward. Mr. Fosmo confirmed. He said the design intent is a downcast fixture. Mr. Mazzitello said a traditional cobra head design has a bulb, this fixture has a box that is directed downward. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the City's lighting palette includes the dark sky element. These will meet that. Councilmember Holden said when the 40-foot spacing was put in place, there were different lightbulbs. The decision was based on safety of residents using the trail. The lighting has changed so significantly, it doesn't matter if we go to 50 feet now. Mr. Fosmo said if MnDOT roadway lighting standards are applied, the lighting along the streets would need to be spaced at 200 feet and if we wanted to do pedestrian lighting, they would be spaced at 50 feet. The standard recommended roadway illuminance would be 1 foot candle. The 40-foot spacing would be 7.3 foot candle lighting. When you set up streetlighting for a roadway, you want the intersections better lit than the straight sections with no intersections. At 40-foot spacing, the straight aways will be better lit when intersections are wider than 40-feet and you can't maintain that distance between light poles. That makes activities less safe along those roadways and at those intersections. Councilmember Holden asked who is responsible for maintaining the green space and boulevard. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 5 Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the City will maintain it. Councilmember Rousseau asked if that includes the roundabouts. Discussion ensued that maintenance of the center median and center of roundabouts are still up for debate. That will be part of the cooperative agreement. Conduits will be stubbed in during construction, for future irrigation. Mr. Fosmo provided a graphic depicting what lighting will look like with the proposed amended code. Councilmember Holden asked if there would be enough lighting for people to safely cross a roundabout safely at night. Mr. Fosmo confirmed. Pedestrian lighting is different. The MnDOT roadway design lighting standard is the recommended minimum illuminance of 2 foot candle. The standard for a pedestrian zone is greater than the minimum lighting for a roadway. We can achieve that with 50-foot spacing for the pedestrian lighting on trails. Pedestrian light poles are shorter in height and would still be downward pointing. Councilmember Holden said she wants it to be safe for whoever is traveling the road or trails. Metropolitan Council is in the hole for the next 10 years. She doesn't know how there will be money for a bus line here. Mr. Mazzitello said we can't control what Met Council does. This is designed to be transit -ready and capable of handling bus stop stations. Councilmember Monson said the TRC amendment is for streetlighting. We aren't amending the pedestrian lighting. She said the proposal will include pedestrian lighting, but the TRC doesn't require it. Staff confirmed. Councilmember Weber said we would have to amend the TRC if the JDA decided to require it. Discussion ensued that the proposed the amendments won't say anything about requiring pedestrian lighting. This just identifies where lighting should be placed if it is included. Councilmember Monson said an additional TRC amendment should be considered to ensure that trail lighting be required. Mayor Grant said the previous example was talking about Rice Creek Parkway. It sounds like a discussion is needed on pedestrian lighting across the entirety of Rice Creek Commons walkways. He would like to ensure that the trail lighting is consistent everywhere. Councilmember Holden thought trail lighting is required on the sidewalks through the HOAs. Staff would have to look that up and get back to Council. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 6 Mr. Mazzitello said the amendment request is for Rice Creek Boulevard Councilmember Monson said if we are going through a TRC amendment process and trail lighting is not already required, we should bundle that requirement so it's just one amendment. Mayor Grant said that Council is being asked to recommend Planning Commission review. He believes they have the feedback they were seeking in regards to Rice Creek Parkway. Discussion ensued that the JDA may want to discuss trail lighting, in general. This amendment is timely because we're 80% into the design stage of Rice Creek Parkway. This needs to be decided now. Further discussion ensued that the reduction in streetlighting doesn't impact the trails. Council would like to have a discussion on trail lighting. Councilmember Holden said this was Ramsey County's project and we assumed they would want lighting on their trail. The HOAs and downtown include lighting. This may be a moot point. Councilmember Weber said the county has stated at the JDA meetings that the county doesn't typically light its trails. Mayor Grant said Rice Creek Commons is going to be a step above. He doesn't want it to look like a rural county road with lights every 250 feet. He said 40 feet is excessive. We want it to be lit and look community oriented. Mr. Mazzitello said the design speed of the road plays a factor. The slower the road, the closer the lights get. We will light this appropriately, according to the MnDOT manual it's just not going to be 40 feet. They aren't specifying a number. Mr. Fosmo said the MnDOT Roadway Lighting Design guide is for if a roadway is lit. Rural highways won't be lit. Those roadways only have lighting at intersections. The design standard we will apply is for fully lit corridors. Mayor Grant said his point is if they added 2 or 3 more on each side of that one -mile stretch, it presents to people that that this is special. Mr. Mazzitello said this is a county road but ultimately they will build what the JDA wants them to build. Councilmember Rousseau said there is a corridor where there is a lot trees, which is great, but she would probably walk in the street at night vs. that corridor where others couldn't see what is happening. She would recommend they look at the lighting in that area. She was expecting something more for this trail and is a little underwhelmed with what is happening here. Mr. Mazzitello clarified the images they are sharing are conceptual renderings, not final designs. Discussion ensued that St. Anthony Parkway was reviewed as a comparison, however the spacing on that road is 70 feet. The design manual will be used rather than picking a hard number. When the design speed and lighting requirements are evaluated, the number will be determined. The Planning Commission will be made aware of this so they won't be misled. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 7 Council agreed this can be advanced to the Planning Commission. B. Public Works CIP Equipment Discussion Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said this discussion will be about Public Works Capital equipment. He said Staff s approach for creating the CIP is to consider the frequency table, a scoring system and Public Works works with the Finance Director to fine tune what works with the budget. He said equipment and building improvements are within the same fund. We have to balance those needed improvements with keeping our equipment on a replacement cycle that ensures reliable equipment. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the front-end loader options are outlined in the packet. We recommend that the city have a front-end loader. We also recommend that the city have a mini excavator with the capabilities proposed. Operations have changed to the point that the backhoe is not used as often because we can get the same production from a mini excavator. Attachment D proposes to eliminate the backhoe, upgrade the mini -excavator and replace the front- end loader. Discussion ensued that this would free up space at the Public Works shop. Mayor Grant asked if the backhoe that is proposed to be eliminated is in the replacement schedule. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said it is in the 2026-2030 budget for replacement in 2027 at $172,000. Mayor Grant asked the price of the front-end loader. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the estimate is roughly $225,000 or less. We haven't received actual quotes yet. Mayor Grant said a snowplow or other attachments will cost extra. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen confirmed. He said Attachment F shows White Bear Townships' recent purchase of the same size front end loader. Discussion ensued on the cost of the mini excavator. The CAT backhoe being proposed is one or two sizes larger than the Bobcat backhoe we currently have. The $130,000 covers what is being proposed for replacement. That includes two or three different buckets. Mayor Grant said they are adding $25,000 for the excavator and the front-end loader is less than what is previously at $225,000. By eliminating the backhoe at $172,000, we have the equipment we need and we're saving about $150,000. Plus we will free up one space in the maintenance facility. Staff confirmed. Councilmember Holden said the replacement for the loader is $300,000 but the project by list it's $275,000. Which is it? ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 8 Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the total cost is $300,000 for the front end loader with the plow attachment. The $275,000 is the cost after applying the trade in value for the old equipment. Councilmember Weber asked for examples where a larger excavator is beneficial. Public Works Superintendent Frid said we currently use the mini -excavator primarily for storm sewer clear out, removing sediment, setting rip rap, catch basin rebuilding. We often need more reach to stay in the roadway or on the boulevard to reach the aprons. It would help immensely with storm sewer projects but a backhoe can be used for many more projects. In the winter you can go around with a forestry head attachment so it has auxiliary hydraulics. Councilmember Weber asked if we have experienced lack of reach and leaving things behind. Do we not have platforms? Public Works Superintendent Frid said not leaving it behind but we're only able to reach what we can with the current equipment. If we have to crawl down we could use mats but we don't own any. We would have to rent them, trailer them in, set them up and tear them down. He can only think of two instances when we rented mats. He wouldn't want to rely on that method. He would prefer to have a machine that can get the job done with less restoration and we can reach what we need to. It also gives us larger lifting capacity. Councilmember Weber appreciates seeing what the surrounding cities have for case loaders. He sees that at least one city say they contract out any loader work. Was that a consideration? Public Works Superintendent Frid said there are a handful of functions that Falcon Heights doesn't do. Their watermains are taken care of by St. Paul Water. They purchased used Ramsey County plow trucks and they bring those trucks to the county shop to get salt. The county still helps them with plowing. They don't operate the same as us. Councilmember Rousseau asked when we are paying for trails. Finance Director Yang said trails are scheduled for 2027. Councilmember Rousseau said we've had the case loader for 30 years. She appreciates that we would like to get a new one more frequently than that. That cost is $10,000 per year, spread over that time. She sees the City Hall roof is coming up. She asked if we are doing solar with any of that. She thought we should use greater discretion around those two. Councilmember Monson said she trusts Staff to make decisions on what equipment they need on a day-to-day basis. Her job is to trust and understand Staff but also know that we have to remain within budget. The replacement timeline is an approach to normalize the costs and ensuring we aren't letting equipment fall into disrepair to the point of creating emergencies when we need it. She remembers talking about giving a budget number that Staff will have to figure out how to work with that amount on an annual basis. That could be a valuable second layer. You could use the replacement table and slice and dice it to fit with the number. She would prefer that structure. These discussions feel heavy handed from the Council. Our job is to set policy to help Staff have the resources they need while balancing the budget. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 9 Councilmember Holden said we have had incidents of receiving a lemon for a piece of equipment and had to replace it really soon. That would blow the whole budget and you can't get anything else. She asked how long it would take to get the case loader, once it's ordered. Public Works Superintendent Frid thought about six months. Councilmember Holden asked how much time is added to a project if we use the smaller loaders. Is it twice the time? Public Works Superintendent Frid said the issue he is running into is the backhoe we are looking to phase out is also up for replacement. That is the only other machine with a bucket, other than the loader. Councilmember Holden asked what we're doing on the backhoe for maintenance vs. repairs. Public Works Superintendent Frid said the backhoe has seen minimal use because operations shifted toward the mini excavator. For that to work, we need to replace the loader. Councilmember Holden asked why we are getting rid of the backhoe. Public Works Superintendent Frid said there are hydraulic hose issues. It's at the age where once you replace one hose, the next week something else will go. That's the issue with the loader, too. Mayor Grant said this is a piece of equipment we have talked about for a few years. Staff has come back with an idea. He thinks this is a better solution. Councilmember Holden asked if the equipment approved for 2026 has been ordered. Staff confirmed. Councilmember Holden asked if those orders were under budget or over budget. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen thought we were under by almost $30,000. Councilmember Weber asked why Ramsey County doesn't load the salt into our vehicles anymore. They used to. Public Works Superintendent Frid said they had staff rollover with their operators and they only have one operator. They prioritize getting their trucks filled. Councilmember Weber asked if we are storing salt separately from them. Public Works Superintendent Frid said there are two large salt sheds. We have the back corner of the west salt shed. We buy that material and load our trucks from that supply. Councilmember Weber said the fund is healthy, even after this, but it does get to a low point after the roof and these proposed items. He would like to see budget projections a little further out than 2031. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 10 Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said May is the timeline when Finance Director Yang sends notice to start CIP discussion. So we will be dialing in the 10-year CIP for equipment over the next month. The first budget discussion will have those projections. Councilmember Weber said he recognizes the need and he can support this. He hopes we can find a way to use it more often. Mayor Grant said the only other option would be to find a used vehicle with low hours. Public Works Superintendent Frid said he did look into that. He added we do get cooperative contract pricing, which is $100,000 off the list price of the loader. Councilmember Holden said the street sweepers we ordered caused physical issues. She asked if this is ergonomically correct for Staff. Public Works Superintendent Frid said this loader is leaps and bounds better than the 1993 model. Council supported this approach to CIP Equipment. C. Adopt -A -Park Discussion Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the City has a long history of residents doing a lot of great volunteer work in our parks and natural spaces. The 2026 Strategic Plan calls for expanding our current Adopt -A -Park program. The Rotary has adopted Floral Park as a pilot. We want to create a formalized way for individuals and groups to adopt both parks and amenities. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she researched Adopt -A -Park programs in the Twin Cities and across Minnesota. Most programs recruit volunteers for trash pick-up. The commitment is one hour, once a month. There are a few cities that have more robust programs. Many call them Adopt -A -Spot. There are opportunities for people to adopt fire hydrants, storm drains, streets, rain gardens and different amenities. She didn't see anything with the intensity of what the Rotary is doing at Floral. They are there multiple times a week for multiple hours. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said in developing the Arden Hills program she aims to align with best practices used by peer cities by also creating a program the reflects the existing park stewardship efforts. She wanted to clarify the rolls between the City and the responsibility of the adopters. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she doesn't want the packet provided to be the public facing document. We can keep it if it serves as a backup for volunteers who want to apply in person or don't have convenient access to a computer. She points that out so tonight's conversation can avoid discussion of fonts and colors. The best practice will be to get this information on the website. It is easier to update the website vs. a printed PDF. The most robust programs have a comprehensive web page that outlines the expectations and responsibilities for the adopters, an integrated online registration system that outlines everything people need to know when they are going to adopt, gives rules for what they are going to do and has a GIS that shows what is available to adopt. She is hoping to outline opportunities for a trash pick-up, have ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 11 opportunities for adopt -a -drain, fire hydrant, rain garden, etc., and create opportunities similar to the robust activities the Rotary is doing. Councilmember Holden said most people are interested in park signage. She has visited each park multiple times a year. There's no trash to pick up. She would like to see us push other activities before garbage pickup. She asked if there will be training to recognize what flowers should be planted vs. what weeds should be pulled, if they adopt a park sign. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said we could create a simple handout about what could be planted and the weeds we want them to remove. Councilmember Rousseau asked how many applications we have received so far. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said we aren't actively advertising this program. So the Rotary is the only group. Councilmember Rousseau would be interested in kicking it off with Crepeau, Perry, Cummings and Floral. Those should be the parks to be recommended to premier partners. She thinks the Adopt - A -Spot will help with the encroachment conversations. She said Rotary mentioned there is a communications gap. They are trying to figure out how they can get more support either by using the city website or some listserve. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said said it may not have been decided prior to the partnership with Rotary who is responsible for recruiting volunteers. She noted that best practice is to clearly specify that the adopter is responsible for recruiting volunteers. Councilmember Rousseau said we could send out a message at the beginning of the season to identify a few days where volunteers can show up. Council supports moving forward with the program. Council recessed the Work Session at 6. 56 pm. Council did not return to discuss Work Session items. D. Volunteer Recognition Policy Not Discussed. E. Alternative Funding Sources Discussion Not Discussed. F. Fl. Human Rights Commission F2. Immigration Enforcement Discussion Not Discussed. G. Code of Conduct (Item 3G on published agenda) ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 27, 2026 12 Not Discussed. H. Rice Creek Commons/TCAAP Discussion (Item 3H on published agenda) Not Discussed. I. Agenda Planning (Item 3I on published agenda) Not Discussed. 4. COUNCIL/STAFF COMMENTS None. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session at 11:53 p.m., following the Regular City Council Meeting. J stling David Grant Deputy Clerk Mayor