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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-16-07-WS CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA WORK SESSION MEETING APRIL 16, 2007; 5:00 P.M. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1. CALL TO ORDERlROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Harpstead Stan Harpstead called to order the City Council Work Session meeting at 5 :07 p.m. Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead, Councilmembers David Grant, Brenda Holden, David McClung, and Fran Holmes. Absent: None. Also present: City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; City Manager Assistant City Administrator Schawn Johnson; City Plauner James Lehnhoff; Finance Director Sue Iverson; Public Works Director Greg Hoag, Civil Engineer Kristine Giga; Parks and Recreation Manager Michelle Olson; Community Development Director, Karen Barton; Mr. Rick Collins, RRCL/Ryan and Ms. Gen McJilton, RRCDlRyan; Mr. Mark Benson, and Mr. Jaimie Sloboden, SEH; Mr. Jim Tolaas, Ramsey County, and Recording Secretary, Dianna Wise. 2. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved and Councihnember McClung seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously (5- 0). 3. Community Survev Discussion with Decision Resources Assistant City Administrator Johnson provided the City Council with an overview of the survey process and introduced Mr. Peter Leatherman of Decision Resources, LTD. Mr. Leatherman provided the City Council with a summary of the survey process and steps involved. He stated a draft community survey would be put together and sent back to City. He noted that the survey could take 12 hours or 12 months, depending on the City. Mr. Leatherman explained a pretest and survey of 40 people in the community would be conducted to make sure the correct questions are asked. He stated that if there are no issues, the survey would go forward. Mr. Leatherman indicated the field work would begin mid May and continue for about three weeks. He stated the results would be available about two weeks later ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16,2007 2 and a meeting would be held to do the comparison of other cities in the metro area. Mr. Leatherman stated the final report would be written based on the survey and the questions from the meeting. He stated the process would take about five weeks from start to finish. Councilmember Holden asked how the sample would be done. Mr. Leatherman replied it would be random. He explained the computer generates random list and assigns numbers. He commented the City would be divided into precincts. Councilmember Holden asked if the same house could possibly be surveyed twice. Mr. Leatherman replied that technically it could happen. Councihnember Holmes asked if the surveyors would continue to call until they reached a number. Mr. Leatherman replied he would work with the City in informing the residents of the community survey and that they may be receiving a call from Decision Resources. He stated that once it is determined that a particular household in the City is being asked to complete the survey; they will do as much as possible to have that particular household complete the process. Councihnember Holden asked if the results could be separated by a particular area of the City. Mr. Leatherman replied the results would be divided up by precinct. He commented cross demographics are determined by the last survey questions. Councihnember Holmes stated 130 questions seemed like a lot. Mr. Leatherman commented the longest survey he has done included 250 questions and took about 52 minutes to complete. Mayor Harpstead asked Mr. Leatherman to talk more about the demographics. Mr. Leatherman replied the demographics are determined by how the City wants to see the community divided. He stated surveys usually contain: Households with school age children, young adults, single-family townhome/condos, apartment, senior housing, affordable housing, occupation, income, rental, age, and education. Councihnember Grant asked if the raw data from would be provided to the City Mr. Leatherman replied he could provide the data, but it would require the City to purchase the SPSS software to access it. Mayor Harpstead asked Mr. Leatherman ifhe would look at the data for cross tabulation. Mr. Leatherman replied yes. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16, 2007 3 Councilmember McClung asked if there would be a problem contacting residents that use a cell phone exclusively. Mr. Leatherman replied only about 20 percent use cell phones exclusively. He commented a cell phone directory is scheduled to be coming out in the near future. Mayor Harpstead asked Mr. Leatherman to talk about the survey content. A discussion on housing, TCAAP, and green space/open space, building heights, and City character ensued. Councihnember Holden commented that a question on what a resident would pay for parks was not advantageous. Mr. Leatherman replied that if the City was looking at a possible property tax increase, it would want to determine if the residents support additional funding for parks or other major projects. He stated it depends on whether the City is looking conceptually or gauging interest in an actual tax increase. Councihnember McClung stated traffic is important and should have its own category. Mayor Harpstead replied it is part oftransportation and interchange issues. Councilmember Holden commented she would like to focus on a specific area relative to transportation. Mr. Leatherman explained how some cities address traffic and transportation. Councilmember Hohnes asked that public transportation be included. Mayor Harpstead commented that parks, access to parks, and park maintenance could fit into the City character section. Councilmember Grant commented questions concerning the Sherriffs department and patrolling should be included in the survey. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated she would like to know how the residents felt about a community celebration. Mr. Leatherman asked about the building heights question. A discussion on building heights ensued. City Planner James Lehnhoff stated he would like the community's feedback on redevelopment. Councilmember Holden suggested signage questions be added. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16, 2007 4 Mayor Harpstead stated he would pass on signage, but would like to know about structured parking/parking ramps in TCAAP. Mayor Harpstead stated he would like to know how Arden Hills compares to other communities. Mr. Leatherman stated that he will be submitting a sample survey to the City for further review within the next two or three weeks. 4. Public Works Updates A. Highway 10/CSAH 96 City Administrator Michelle Wolfe presented a recap of staff activities to date including the recent public meeting. She asked Council members for their observations and input regarding the resident comments. Councihnember McClung stated he received comments on the proposed improvements to Highway 10 and CSAH 96. Councilmember Hohnes commented it is causing Council to reconsider its actions. Councihnember Grant stated that most people he talked to were concerned about what would happen to Hamline A venue. He stated others were surprised that the Highway 10 and CSAH 96 discussion were being proposed as a diamond north of Highway 10 and CSAH 96 rather than the 10/96 overpass. He stated the general concerns were about noise on Highway 10. Councihnember Holden stated she has received calls concerning the manufactured housing community. She stated there are problems with people getting out of TCAAP and having to drive through TCAAP to get to Highway 10. CityPlauner Lehnhoff replied it was a concern with the residents, including compensation if they are required to move. A discussion on the options for Highways 10 and CSAH 96 ensued. 1. Financinl!: Stratel!:V Update Mayor Harpstead stated he and City Administrator Wolfe attended a meeting to discuss funding strategies for the County Road H interchange project as well as the Highway 10 and CSAH 96 project. He stated the developer has contracted with a lobbying firm. He commented that the County Road H intersection is in a committee bill presented by Representative Jim Oberstar. Mayor Harpstead stated that the question is how to create similar momentum for the Highway 10 and CSAH 96 intersection project as well as building bridges with the County, State and local representatives. He stated that because of nature of the two intersections, County Road H fits into the Federal Funding procedure. He commented that there could be special earmarks for Highway 10 and CSAH 96. He commented that it would be a good idea to bring all the transportation stakeholders together to discuss what could be done. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16, 2007 5 Councihnember Grant asked if Highway 10 is considered part of the off ramp and if so, is it part ofthe Federal system. Mr. Jim Tolaas, Ramsey County, stated Highway 10 is part of the federal transportation system. A discussion on Highway 10 ensued. Councihnember Grant asked if the county had enough money to do the project. Mr. Tolaas replied the County has funding to do the work related to CSAH 96. Mr. Tolaas explained how federal money can be used for City and County road projects. Mayor Harpstead commented that the schedule is complicated. He discussed the timeline to complete the County Road H, Highway 10, and CSAH 96. A discussion ensued on the timeline and funding process. Mayor Harpstead stated the issue of the timeline is getting onto the Governors bonding bill for the Highway 10, and CSAH 96 project. City Administrator Wolfe stated the application deadline for the Governor's bonding bill is May 2007. A discussion on 35W, 694 and Highway 10 ensued. Ms. Gen McJilton, RRLDlRyan, stated that the resolution formalizing a design concept for County Road H, Highway 10, and CSAH 96 would begin the project in fall of 2008 and conclude the fall of 2009. She commented they are looking for available funding at the Federal, State, or County level and need a resolution that enables them to be reimbursed if the City is able to acquire additional funding from the federal or state govemment. A discussion on the County Road H, Highway 10, and CSAH 96 projects ensued. 2. Next Steps Mayor Harpstead recommended breaking the discussion into the two intersections. A discussion on how the resolution should be worded ensued. Mayor Harpstead commented the $20 million requested in the federal process is tied to a specific project (County Road H). He stated the City must come up with a 20% match ofthe total cost of the project; this is the 80/20 project match. He explained the concept of the 80/20 project match and understanding the funding timelines. The match could come from the state, county, Met Council, or other sources. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16, 2007 6 Mayor Harpstead stated the preliminary design cost for County Road H is $425,000. He explained the Federal government has a rule that says anything spent prior to the authorization is not covered in the project unless prior authorization is given. He stated the important point is the design and anything spent before authorization is not reimbursed. City Administrator Wolfe commented the preliminary design needs to start in May to meet the proposed project timeline. A discussion on the resolution wording ensued. City Administrator Wolfe stated the resolution is for the $425,000. Mayor Harpstead stated a resolution is not required to request money from the Federal government. He stated the discussion is about the design money that must be fronted before the authorization is passed. Mayor Harpstead stated consensus reached that a resolution is required to cover the $425,000. Mayor Harpstead moved the discussion to the Highway 10 and CSAH 96 project. A discussion on the Highway 10, and CSAH 96 project ensued. Mayor Harpstead recommended a stakeholders meeting, to include local representatives from the Federal, State, County, and City, be held in the near future to talk about transportation priorities. He asked that two Council Members attend this meeting. City Administrator Wolfe stated the other part ofthe financing process is to put in a one sentence bill at the State legislature. Councilmember Holden asked who pays for the acquisition of land. Mr. Tobaas stated one would look at the entire project. He explained the process involved in land acquisition. Mayor Harpstead this is an area the City Council needs to look at the impact on the mobile homes. He commented he is uncertain as to what the City's obligations are to Met Council relative to affordable housing. He stated the manufactured home community is affordable housing and City might need to replace it with other affordable hosing. Councihnember Grant discussed affordable housing and the overall deficit in Arden Hills. Mayor Harpstead summarized the issues as being: community input, neighboring cItIes, MnDOT, County, the financial impact on TCAAP, the potential financial impact on Arden Hills, and the issue with not being able to build towards the lake. He stated the next steps must be worked out. Councihnember Holden asked about the resolution to the state legislature. Mayor Harpstead stated this must be done in the next three weeks. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16, 2007 7 Councilmember Holmes asked if the manufactured home community would be part of the resolution. Mayor Harpstead stated that if a resolution is done requesting a placeholder in the next year's bonding bill, there is the question of including funding for land acquisition of the manufactured home community to move CSAH 96 sixty feet to the north. A discussion on land acquisition ensued. Mayor Harpstead stated there are two Council meetings before the resolution must go to the State. City Administrator Wolfe stated, given that a design is not yet chosen, and the goal is one line as a place holder and a certain dollar amount, a strategy would be needed to set a dollar amount to cover all possible options. Mayor Harpstead suggested that the resolution be made and put into place. He stated the feedback should be received before the resolution is written. He recommended that the resolution reflect the importance of the intersection. He recommended that the resolution also mention the final design for the project would be available in the near future. Mayor Harpstead stated other processes are needed to get the details done on Highway 10 and CSAH 96. Councihnember Grant and Mayor Harpstead will attend the stakeholders meeting. Mayor Harpstead mentioned he would set up the stakeholders meeting. Councihnember Holden commented a conversation with the residents of the manufactured home community is needed. Mayor Harpstead said he would like to have fmancial input as to how this impacts TCAAP and Arden Hills. He directed staff to talk to Ehlers and Associates. A discussion on how the manufactured housing community would be impacted ensued. Mayor Harpstead directed staff to gather financial information on the impact on the manufactured home community and the issues of affordable housing in Arden Hills. Mayor Harpstead stated that as the City moves forward, Council must decide what it wants. He proposed: the impact on the community, the impact neighboring communities and/or stakeholders, the direct financial impact on Arden Hills directly, the impact on financial liability of the project itself and to really know we have the appropriate engineering facts and data required to make a decision. A discussion on the proposed information ensued. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16, 2007 8 City Administrator Wolfe asked Council to discuss how to proceed to a decision regarding a preferred option for Highway 10 and CSAH 96 and decide what documentation Council needs to reach a decision. She asked what additional information Council wants in the report. Councihnember McClung requested the accident statistics on 694/10 and 35W/IO. Mayor Harpstead stated he would like a factual report on the impact on Highway 35W/694 if the traffic volumes were different. He commented he would like to see the environmental pros and cons. Mayor Harpstead requested a final report with statements of fact and the options. City Administrator Wolfe stated she needs a list of the proposed attendees to confirm a meeting with MNDOT to continue the dialog City Administrator Wolfe summarized the next steps. B. 2006 PMP- Siems Court Civil Engineer Kris Giga reported that last fall, as part of the 2006 PMP, the project included the reconfiguration of Siems Court and Lake Johanna Boulevard. She commented that residents in the neighborhood asked to City to address their intersection concerns. Civil Engineer Giga provided the City Council with different options to consider at this intersection. She stated Council directed staff to look at widening the entrance and associated construction costs. Civil Engineer Giga stated staff will be scheduling a neighborhood meeting in the near future. The meeting has been tentatively scheduled for May 7, 2007. Public Works Director Greg Hoag stated that he has received no complaints regarding snow removal at this intersection. Civil Engineer Giga stated that over the winter she received a few calls stating that no change was necessary. Councihnember McClung reported he went out of his way to turn at this intersection at different times ofthe day and experienced no problems. Mayor Harpstead stated the Council consensus is that a meeting should be held. He asked how many options should be given to the residents. A discussion on the options for the intersection of Siems Court and Lake Johauna Boulevard ensued. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16,2007 9 Mayor Harpstead directed staff to hold the meeting with the understanding that Council sees no reason to change the intersection. Civil Engineer Giga stated her recommendation is that there IS no reason to change the intersection since it as it was designed appropriately. A discussion on potential runoff and options ensued. Civil Engineer Giga stated her plans are to send out a newsletter and a survey, and compile the data prior to the meeting. Mayor Harpstead recommended showing the residents options three and four. A discussion on the options ensued. Civil Engineer Giga reported they are going out for a separate bid for the additional trees proposed. C. Old Highway 10/CP Bridge Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported that as part of the 2002 Parks, Trails, and Recreation Master Plan, a trail from Old Snelling to CSAH 96 was identified as a regional trail corridor. She reported that the existing CP Rail Bridge crossing Old Highway 10 to north of County Road E is a significant bottleneck for the pathway. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated the City sent Ramsey County and the CP Rail a letter on October 5, 2004, describing the proposed trail improvements and requested they consider making improvements to the bridge and Old Highway lOin conjunction with a City pathway project because of the risks the bridge posed to public safety. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated the CP Rail did not share the concerns expressed by the City with regard to public safety or with the railroad traffic it handles. She commented CP Rail indicated they had no immediate plans of modifying the bridge to accommodate a pedestrian path. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated Ramsey County responded with regard to improvements to Old Highway 10 saying that the road segment is not included in the County's long range Capital Improvement Plan. She commented funding for these improvements has not been identified and there is no timeline for the roadway improvement. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported the cost for modifications to the CP Rail Bridge were estimated at $230,000; this includes $46,000 for engineering and $184,000 in construction costs. She stated these costs did not include pathway construction costs. She stated $50,000 of the project costs are budgeted in the Special Revenue Parks Fund and the balance of the project is slated to be funded using City State Aid Funds. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16, 2007 10 Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported on the County Road E2 Pathway, the County Road E Pathway and Bridge Improvements, the Old Snelling Street Reconstruction, and the Lake Johanna Boulevard Pathway project. A discussion on the CP Rail Bridge project ensued. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson indicated the next step is to prepare and submit preliminary plans to CP Rail for review. Civil Engineer Kris Giga reported there is $500,000 available in State Aid Funds. She commented that based on the numbers, the City would receive about $190,000 per year for State Aid designated grounds throughout the City. A discussion on the State Aid designated grounds ensued. Mayor Harpstead stated it is important to designate State Aid roads appropriately and strategically link them to future projects. A discussion on funding options ensued. Mayor Harpstead asked staffto report back with plans and dollar projections. 5. Five Year CIP and PMP Discussion City Administer Michelle Wolfe asked if everyone was comfortable with the report submitted. She commented the goal is to make sure the new City Councilmembers are comfortable with the CIP and PMP process. A discussion on the CIP and PMP projects and funding ensued. 6. City Council/City Staff Retreat Follow-up A discussion ensued on the retreat. The discussion included wording of the goals, who is assigned to work on specific goals, and a timeline. Consensus reached to have a report on individual goals by May 1, 2007. The goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. 7. Council Comments and Requests Comments and discussion on the quality of the audio video web streaming for City Council meetings ensued. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - APRIL 16, 2007 11 Comments and discussion on various signages throughout the community that violates the City's sign ordinance. Councilmember McClung stated he would discuss with each councihnember the development projects he observed while on vacation in northern Virginia. Councihnember McClung asked about the League of Minnesota Cities event in Duluth and if anyone would be attending. A discussion on the League of Minnesota Cities ensued. Mayor Harpstead reported he talked to Senator Klobuchar and she apologized for not seeing his email earlier. Mayor Harpstead reported Ryan would meet with Governor Pawlenty on TCAAP. 8. Adjournment MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to adjourn the at9;15 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). , ~)k{Jm( )~W ' KVQ_/ Michelle A. Wolfe F City Administrator