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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 10-30-2006 . ~ ~1~~J-IILLS Approved: 11/13/06 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 30, 2006; 7:00 P.M. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Beverly Aplikowski called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:03 p.m. Present: Mayor Beverly Aplikowski, Councilmembers David Grant, Brenda Holden, and Vincent Pellegrin. . Absent: Councilmember Gregg Larson (excused). Also present were City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; City Attorney, Jerry Filla; Public Works Director, Gregory Hoag; Community Development Director, Karen Barton; City Engineer, Kris Giga; Parks and Recreation Manager Michelle Olson; and Recording Secretary, Kathleen Altman. 1. APPROV AL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Pellegrin seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 2. APPROV AL OF MINUTES A. October 10, 2006 City Council Meeting MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmcmber Grant seconded a motion to approve the October 10, 2006 City Council Meeting Minutes as presented. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 30, 2006 2 . 3. CONSENT CALENDAR a. Claims and Payroll b. Motion to Approve Payment #4 to Amt Construction in the amount of $392,661.84 for the 2006 Ridgewood Neighborhood PMP Project c. Motion to Order the Removal of Discased Trees at 1901 Stowe Avenue, 1926 Stowe Avenue, and 1870 Glenpaul Avenue d. Resolution No. 06-51: Authorizing the Application for Recycling SCORE Grant Funds for 2007 MOTION: Councilmember Pellegrin moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar and to authorize execution of all necessary documcnts contained therein. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 4. PULLED CONSENT ITEMS None. 5. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL . Kathy Nelson, 3475 Siems Court, stated she was representing the neighbors who used the Siems Court, Lake Johanna intersection on a regular basis. She stated no one in the community who used the road was consulted before it was drastically changcd. She asked from what they were being saved from. She noted vehicles were not able to turn onto Siems Court off of Lake Johanna and stay in their own lane in either direction. She noted this has become extremely unsafe. She stated their street had been natTOwed to 22 feet wide, whcn it used to be 25 feet. She stated they did not have enough room to safely maneuver. She indicated they were also concerned about walkers and bikers who had nowhere to go. She requested they change the nalTOW entrance by widening it and scheduling a neighborhood meeting to address the concerns. She indicated there were 25 people who had signed this request. Diane Pearson, 1556 Arden Place, statcd she had also personally expericnced the problem of exiting her neighborhood. She noted the problem was that they needed the entire width of the road to make the turn in. She did not believe this was safe. Ms. Giga stated the width of the intersection was a result of neighborhood meetings and it was in the feasibility report. She indicated the neighbors had desired the existing width. She noted to minimize other impacts upon the roadway; the road was designed at a 22-foot width. She stated they wanted to improve the angle of the intersection and to provide a better transition as well as to improve sight lines. Deb Bloom, City Engineer, stated the intersection used to be at a 40 degree angle and now this . angle had been improved. She indicated all intersections met or exceeded the required turning ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 30, 2006 3 radiuses. She indicated to removc this would cost money and they did not recommend . reconstructing this intersection because it met all of the required standards. Dan Leatblad, 3520 Siems Court, stated in theory that sounded good, but it did not work in practice. He indicated the angle was difficult to maneuver. Councilmember Holden noted most of the neighborhood input had been that they did not want sidewalks. Councilmember Grant asked if minimum standards changed due to grade of the road. Deb Bloom responded the engineers had widened the curb radiuses to 30 feet and the minimum was 15 feet. She indicated they should be able to make the tU111 with that radius. Councilmember Grant stated he was not sure he could make any decision on this tonight until he looked at this intersection himself. He requested the City Engineer review the intersection. Deb Bloom responded they would look into this, but noted nothing could be done this season. Mayor Aplikowski asked if they could add some type of signage. Deb Bloom responded they would look into this. Diane Pearson stated the width of the road was not a problem in general, but at this intersection, the mouth of it needed to be widened. . Diane Pearson, 1556 Arden Place, stated she had two conce111S regarding the trees in their neighborhood, including the number of trees taken out and the number of trees being replaced. Shc stated they had collected 60 people's signatures in support of additional trees. She stated they had 84 trees taken out and approximately 56 trees were going to be replaced. She stated they wanted all of the trees replaced that had been taken out. She proposed the number of trees taken out be replaced and the trees coming in were of the same value as the trees taken out. She stated they also wanted input into where the trees were going. Ms. Giga stated the State definition of a tree was anything 4 inches or larger in diameter regardlcss of species. She stated there were oaks, ash, buckthorns, maples, as well as other trees that wcre removed. Kathy Nelson, Siems Court, stated on Siems Court 49 trees were removed, Arden Place four trees were removed, Ridgewood Road five trees were removed, Beach Club Ponds 26 trees were removed. She stated ten trees were replaced on Siems COllli, one tree was replaced on Arden Place, two trees were replaced on Ridgewood Road, and 17 trees were replaced on Beach Club Ponds. She noted along Johanna Wetland Pond, 60 trees were removed and 20 trees were being replaced. She stated she had talked with Rice Creek Watershed District who indicated they would get in touch with the City and offer some funds for larger trees. Ms. Wolfe stated she had not hcard from Rice Creek Watershed District. Dan Leatblad, 3520 Siems Court, statcd the numbcr of trees that came down was remarkable. He indicated they used to have a canopy of trees, which were now rcmoved. He stated ten trees . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 30, 2006 4 were not sufficient and they needed larger trees put in. He noted it would be a problem to put in large trees along the wall because of all of the sand below the top soil. , '---' Diane Pearson, stated she was concerned about lower Siems Court and it being bare in places on the hill. She expressed concern the hill was not supported and it needed to be replaced to help hold the road up. She indicated the trees that were still on the hill had been covered with sand and she was not sure they would survive. She requested the City take steps to make sure the hill was reforested and landscaped to hold up the road. Ms. Giga responded the property owner and developer had agreed to add more trees and vegetation and would submit a landscaping plan. She stated they were aware that they were responsible for maintaining the slope. Councilmember Holden asked if the City was paying for the development of the lots. Ms. Giga responded the City was not paying for the development. All the City did was dump the fill onto the land and the developer was responsible for spreading it out. Peter Roess, President of the Minnesota Museum Metropolis, Inc. summarized the purpose and mission of the organization. He stated they would like to look at a museum development on the TC AAP property. He believed they had one of the best and unique ideas for the TCAAP property. Mayor Aplikowski requested he work with staff on this and present their plan to staff. Kathy Nelson, stated they would like to see the City come up with a Tree Preservation Policy. She believed since the City logo was a tree, it would be a good idea to have a Tree Preservation . Policy. Ms. Giga responded she had spoken with the City Planner about this and they were talking about drafting a Tree Preservation Policy. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS At. Motion to Authorize the City En2ineer to Prepare the Feasibilitv Report for the 2007 PMP Proiect Ms. Giga stated staff had discussed the 5-year CIP and Pavement Management Program with the City Council at several Work Sessions this year. In order to move forward with the 2007 PMP and advertise the project early in 2007 to obtain competitive bids, staff was requesting Council authorize preparation of the feasibility report at this time. Staff had reviewed this project and had determined that this work could be done utilizing City of Roseville engineering staff, as opposed to contracting with the consulting engineers, URS, to complete this work. Councilmember Holden asked if they would save money on the City Engineering contract. Deb Bloom responded they would be eliminating a step and therefore they were saving money. . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 30, 2006 5 Councilmember Holden requested updated inforn1ation on the sewer televising. Ms. Giga . responded they were working on this and would update Council in the future. Councilmember Grant stated normally they did a neighborhood approach, but he noted in the Chatham neighborhood they were dividing the project. He stated he was concerned the one area would need an overlay before it was scheduled to be done. He asked if this would be evaluated. Ms. Giga responded it would be evaluated as pati of the feasibility repmi. Councilmember Holden noted with the cost savings, were there any other streets they could add. Ms. Giga responded they would be looking at this when the feasibility study was prepared. Councilmember Pellegrin stated he believed this was well thought out and it was a nice presentation and he wanted to move this along. MOTION: Councilmember Pellegrin moved and Council member Grant seconded a motion to authorize the City Engineer to Prepare the Feasibility Report for the 2007 PMP Project. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). A2. Motion to Approve the Construction A2:reement with the Citv of Roseville for the 2007 PMP Proiect MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Council member Grant seconded a ~ motion to approve the Construction Agreement with the City of Roseville for the 2007 PMP Project. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). B. Motion to Authorize Staff to Ne2:otiate a Contract with MMKR for Professional Auditin2: Services Ms. Wolfe stated the City of Arden Hills had retained the firm of Abdo, Eick and Myers as City Auditor for many years. The City also contracts with other firn1s for a variety of professional services such as engineering and legal services. The City Council and staff have discussed the need to periodically conduct a request-for-proposals (RFP) process for professional services, as a due diligence procedure. This helps the staff and elected officials feel comfmiable that the City was receiving good services for good value. In 2006, the City spent just under $31,000 for auditing services. She noted last summer, the City issued an RFP for professional auditing serVIces. The City received five proposals. Staff evaluated the proposals and selected three firms as finalists with MMKR submitting the lowest bid in the amount of $24,750. She stated staff recommended Council authorize staff to negotiate a contract with Malloy, Montague, Karnowski, Radosevich and Co., P.A. (MMKR) as City Auditors, to provide Professional Auditing Services for the years ending December 31,2006 (total not to exceed $24,750), 2007, and 2008. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Council member Pellegrin seconded a motion to authorize staff to negotiate a contract with MMKR for . Professional Auditing Services for the years ending December 31, 2006, ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 30, 2006 6 2007, and 2008, with the first-year not-to-exceed the cost of $27,500. The . motion carried unanimously (4-0). C. Motion to Approve a Contract with Ramsev Countv for $50.000 in Environmental Response Grant Funds for the Brownfield Remediation at the former ATS Steel Site Ms. Barton stated at the April 24, 2006 City Council meeting, Council approved resolutions 06- 31 and 06-32 authorizing the application for contamination clean-up grants from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Ramsey County, and the Metropolitan Council. on behalf of Chesapeake Companies for Brownfield remediation at the former A TS site, 1901 Gateway Boulevard, subject to the following conditions: 1. Execution of a secured reimbursement agreement between the City and Chesapeake Companies, in a forn1 approved by the City Attorney. 2. Execution of a perforn1ance agreement between the City and Chesapeake Companies, in a form approved by the City Attorney; and 3. Chesapeake Companies must apply for a Final Plan approval prior to any grant-related remediation work being started on the site. She recommended Council approve the Ramsey County Environmental Response Grant contract for Brownfield Remediation at the Chesapeake property, located at 1901 Gateway Boulevard, and authorize staff to execute said contract. . MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Pellegrin seconded a motion to approve the Contract with Ramsey County for $50,000 in Environmental Response Grant Funds for the Brownfield Remediation at the former A TS Steel site, 1901 Gateway Boulevard. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. TCAAP Update - Verbal Ms. Barton updated on the Council on recent TC AAP developments. B. Motion to Extend the Propertv Closin2: Date for the Old City Hall Site Ms. Barton stated due to concerns regarding the level of contamination on the Old City Hall/Public Works site by Royal Oaks' lender, Royal Oaks, was requesting an extension of the closing date on or before November 29,2006 to allow time to complete some additional testing. She recommended Council approve the requested closing date extension for the sale of the Old City Hall/Public Works site to Royal Oaks Realty to on or before November 29,2006. Mr. Filla stated he did not see this as a major problem and he did not believe it would take until (-. the end of November. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 30, 2006 7 . MOTION: Councihnember Grant moved and Councilmember Pellegrin seconded a motion to extend the property closing date for the Old City Hall Site to on or before November 29, 2006. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 9. COUNCIL REQUESTS A. Mayor Aplikowski stated the 800 MHz was looking for people to serve on the policy committee. Council member Holden stated she would like to serve on the committee. Mayor Aplikowski adjourned the Regular City Council meeting at 8:35 p.m. ~~. ~V~~ Beverly hko skl Michelle Wolfe Mayor City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next Council Meeting will be held Monday, November 13, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at the Arden Hills Council Chambers. . .