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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-16-07-WS Approved: CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 16, 2007; 5:00 P.M. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1. CALL TO ORDEWROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Stan Harpstead called to order the City Council Work Session meeting at 5:07 p.m. Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead, Councilmembers David Grant (arrived at 5:15 p.m.), Fran Holmes, and David McClung Absent: Councilmember Brenda Holden Also present: City Administrator Michelle Wolfe; Finance Director Sue Iverson; Civil Engineer Kris Giga; Public Works Director Greg Hoag; Parks and Recreation Manager Michelle Olson; Bill Henry - Chairperson of Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee; Lanny Bauman, Jim Crassweller, John Peck, Steve Zilmer, Joani Werner, Rich Straumann and Roger Williams - Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee Members, and Recording Secretary Dianna Wise. 2. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember McClung moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously (3-0). 3. AGENDA ITEMS A. PTRC Funding Strategy Discussion Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported the PTRC has been researching and discussing alternative funding sources for park and trail development and improvement. She stated the 1998 Comprehensive Plan identified many issues similar to priorities and strategies identified by the PTRC. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - JULY 16,2007 2 Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated the Park Fund could no longer be utilized for maintenance proj ects. She reported that the Legislature enacted several changes to the Park Land Dedication Statute in 2004. She explained the new law specifies Park Dedication funds could no longer be used for ongoing operation and maintenance. She reported the statute was amended in 2006 to state Park Dedication Funds could be use only for acquisition, development, or improvement of parks and not for ongoing operation and maintenance. She stated maintenance projects must be funded from the General Fund. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported the PTRC identified the following as possible funding sources: Bonding, Park Referendum, TIP District Funds, and a Levy Increase. She stated the PTRC encourages the City to pursue other alternative funding sources as well whenever possible such as: Federal and State grants, Cooperative Agreements, Scholarships and Partnerships, and Municipal State Aid (MSA) Funds. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated two projects that have been listed in the CIP as utilizing Municipal State Aid Funds include the CP Rail Bridge and the County Road E Bridge. She stated that staff was to come back to the City Council with MSA fund balances and with reaffirmed cost estimates. Mayor Harpstead asked about MSA funding and Snelling Avenue. Engineer Giga replied the spreadsheet is based on previous direction received from Council and on state aid funding eligibility. She stated Snelling Avenue was pushed out to 2010. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated that the estimates for the projects at the County Road E bridge and the CP Rail Bridge were reviewed. She commented staff feels comfortable with the current estimates; however, every year the proj ects are not completed, cost estimates will likely mcrease. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported a Cooperative Agreement with the State does not seem to be the appropriate funding mechanism for the County Road E Bridge Project. She stated staff is looking for direction from Council on the next step for both the CP Rail Project and the County Road E Bridge. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported the PTRC attended numerous workshops for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Grant and heard a strong message that trails should not be looked at simply as a recreational benefit, but should also be considered a necessary alternative mode of transportation. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated that the PTRC requests the City Council consider establishing a dedicated fund for park and trail enhancement. She stated this would serve as the Park Improvement Fund for park and trail development, renewal, and maintenance. She reminded Council that the current Park Fund could be used for new projects but not for maintenance. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - JULY 16, 2007 3 Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated that if developing this type of fund is the direction Council would like to pursue, staff has prepared rough estimates on the construction and seal coating of trails in order to facilitate discussion on a specific yearly allotment. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson discussed short term and long term plans to establish a dedicated fund for park and trail enhancement (renewal, development, maintenance, and purchase of park and trail amenities). She stated the PTRC would continue to pursue grants, cooperative agreements, and sponsorships. Also, she stated that if the PTRC decides that a specific proj ect could utilize bonding/referendum, they would be in favor of that form of funding. Councihnember Grant pointed out the numerous things that have been accomplished during his tenure on the City Council. He stated that well over a million dollars have been spent and it speaks well of the progress done. He stated he is saddened to hear the PTRC feels not much has been done. Mayor Harpstead stated he would like to continue going forward and recognized there are gaps in the trails. He pointed out the City has not yet accomplished what it set out to do. He commented he is interested in possible solutions and on-going maintenance. Mayor Harpstead asked about new programs and strategies and stated some have a higher priority than others. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson replied the PTRC did not want to assign a priority number to projects. Mr. Henry stated the question is what could the City afford to do and when. Mr. Crassweller stated there is money in the Park Fund. He stressed that all the pieces of the trails have similar priorities because there are no north/south or east/west connections. Mayor Harpstead asked what dollar amount is required. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated they did not have that number. Mr. Crassweller stated he thought the amount was about $20 million over 20 years. Mayor Harpstead asked what Council thought the residents would say if the City said they needed to come up with $20 million for trails. Mr. Henry commented they tried to focus on arterial trails for nortb/south and east/ west connections. He mentioned he did not believe it was $20 million. He stated the two bottle necks are the CP Rail Bridge and the County Road E bridge. Mayor Harpstead asked the group for a sense of how the community would accept the concept. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - JULY 16, 2007 4 Mr. Henry replied the residents of Arden Hills are not familiar with a trail they can walk along. He stated the question should focus on how a trail might change their lives or how they see themselves using the trail. Mayor Harpstead questioned whether this is the correct trail to create community enthusiasm. He asked about the east/west trail option. Mr. Henry commented he thought it would be $400,000 to $500,000. He stated he thought the east/west trail would be grasped more readily than the north/south trail. Consensus was that is true. Mr. Peck asked if Bethel College would benefit from these trails and had they been approached. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson replied Bethel is in favor of a trail but are not necessarily prepared to financially contribute to it. Mayor Harpstead stated he is trying to get the group to decide what it could take to the community and glean the capacity to encourage the PTRC to look at something bigger for the community. He commented Council did not have control of the money to pay for the trail issues. Mr. Williams stated it would be helpful to hear whether Council would support a referendum. Councilmember McClung replied he would like to know if the community would support a referendum; until then he could not support one. Mr. Henry asked how the PTRC and Council would know what the community wanted. He stated we only know what we know and we don't know what we don't know. Councilmember Holmes stated Council would need to make a good case for the trail project. Mr. Crassweller asked if Council would support the plans that have been in place since 1998. He believes there is a way to pass funding. Mr. Williams stated he believed a well planned project would be supported by the community. Mayor Harpstead asked Council members to give him a sense whether or not they would support tasking the PTRC with developing a proj ect the community would support. Councilmember Holmes indicated she would support tasking the PTRC. Councilmember Grant stated he would like to look at other funding sources before considering a referendum. He pointed out many groups have financial issues. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - JULY 16, 2007 5 Councilmember McClung stated Council could not say it would do one thing; it must take several approaches and come up with a decision. Mayor Harpstead stated there is much to be gained by explaining to the community that the piece meal approach to the trails project would not work. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated the PTRC would like Council to clearly state if it is in favor of a Park Improvement Fund for parks and trails. Mayor Harpstead asked Finance Director Iverson about the parks funding. Finance Director Iverson explained how this funding is currently set up and how internal management and control could work to set up a fund. City Administrator Wolfe pointed out the wording used and to ensure clarification of language and operational definitions exists so everyone is clear on what the funding would be used for. Council reached consensus to task Finance Director Iverson, Parks and Recreation Manager Olson, and Public Works Director Hoag to work out the funding specifics for parks improvements, replacement, and maintenance. Council reached consensus to task the PTRC to develop a project/funding package to present to the community. Mayor Harpstead would like to see a funding proposal go to the people to complete a full project as opposed to completing only part of a project. B. Bocce Golf Proposal Discussion Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated the PTRC recommend allocating $2,500 to locate a 9-hole Bocce golf course at Lindey's Park. Mr. Baumann demonstrated what bocce golf is. Mayor Harpstead asked about the annual maintenance cost. Mr. Baumann replied it would be about $100, which includes upkeep of the hole markers and the trademark naming fee. Mr. Hemy commented this is an opportunity to introduce people to the parks. He stated Bocce Golf is an inter-generational sport and something no other community has. Public Works Director Hoag commented that he was intrigued by this idea and it is ideal for the central open space in TCAAP ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - JULY 16, 2007 6 Mayor Harpstead indicated support from Council. C. Wild Animal Management Policy Recommendation Mr. Henry reported the PTRC supported a Wild Animal Management Policy for aesthetic, public safety, and long term water quality concerns. Mayor Harpstead stated he received an email about rabbits. He would like comments about lake . shoreline opportunities to prevent the nesting of geese. He asked if the Lake Johanna Lake Association is working towards this. Mrs. Jenny Michels, Lake Johanna Lake Improvement Association, reported if the geese are not controlled, it would impact the use ofthe trails. Councilmember Holmes asked why the City would concentrate on controlling only the geese at Lake Johanna. Ms. Michels replied the community would not use the park with the geese problem. Mr. Crassweller stated it is only $500. He stated the PTRC is prepared to develop a Wild Animal Management Policy. Ms. Michels explained a group from the University of Minnesota rounds up the geese for processing, and contributes the meat to food shelves. Council reached consensus that the Lake Johanna Lake Improvement Association talk to the County for funds also as it has a County park on Lake Johanna. Mayor Harpstead asked that the Lake Association discuss improving the overall condition of the lake. Council did not reach consensus in contributing to controlling geese at this time. D. TCAAP Parks and Trail Integration Discussion Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated it is important for City Council to define the role of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee relative to comprehensive open space and park design discussions. She questioned when the PTRC should become more involved. Councilmember McClung stated he believed the PTRC should be involved. Mr. Crassweller stated the questions indicated on the staff memo are sincere from the PTRC. Councilmember Grant provided information relative to where the City is with TCAAP. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - JULY 16, 2007 7 Mayor Harpstead explained the detailed decisions could not be made until the risks are understood. He stated to involve the PTRC at this time would not be the best use of its time. Mr. Henry commented there is little chance the PTRC would abandon its interest in the current and existing parks, trails, and recreation in order to become involved in TCAAP. He stated they are interested in developing linkages. Mayor Harpstead and Council agreed the PTRC should be involved at some point. Mr. Crassweller stated the trails and parks are important as are the connections. He indicated the parks and trails do not make the City money; therefore, it would be easy to decrease funding during a budget shortage. He stated TCAAP is a great opportunity for the trail system. Councilmember McClung commented the developer understands the balance required. Councilmember Grant commented trails and parks contribute to the community. Regarding the proposed athletic fields on TCAAP, Mayor Harpstead recommended that a discussion not take place at this time. He explained the National Guard is willing to work with the City relative to access to the property. He stated it is important to understand the cleanup and demolition issues before the transfer ofland occurs. Mayor Harpstead stated the PTRC should have input into the final design concepts for TCAAP. E. Intersection Safety Study Public Works Director Hoag reported staff identified three potentially key City intersections for possible study. They are: County Road E; Old SnellinglHighwayl0; West County Road E and New Brighton Road; and County Road D/New Brighton Road/Lake Johanna Blvd. He discussed the reasons and results of the study addressed in the staff memo. Public Works Director Hoag stated that the best way to improve pedestrian safety at intersections would be to provide trails in the areas. Mayor Harpstead stated County Road F might need to be added to the long term plan. He indicted no glaring omissions are evident on the report. Public Works Director Hoag commented that the County is becoming reluctant to paint crosswalks because it gives pedestrians a false sense of security. Mayor Harpstead stated there are a number of intersections without crosswalks and traffic lights. Public Works Director Hoag asked what the Council wanted to accomplish based on the results of the study. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - JULY 16,2007 8 Mayor Harpstead suggested a signal study be conducted from a safety standpoint at the intersection of County Road E and Old Snelling. Other Council members present concurred that conducting a study would be an appropriate next step. F. Parks, Trails, Facilities Inventory, and Maintenance Plan Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated a better plan to proactively and properly maintain parks, trails, facilities inventory, and maintenance is necessary. She explained that Public Works is currently creating a plan but it is a work in progress. Playgrounds, Equipment, Buildings, Tennis Courts, and Trails are all included in this Comprehensive Maintenance Plan. Staff is currently conducting a trail inventory. After this is completed, the 2007 budget included funds to bring in Goodpointe Technologies to do a PMP trail assessment. This type of document can withstand staff turnover, which is important. This plan is constantly changing and evolving. City Administrator Wolfe stated Parks and Recreation Manager Olson and Public Works Director Hoag are to be commended for the work they have done on this project. Mayor Harpstead stated he would like to know the number of trails yet to be finished. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated that staff is interested in the distance for unfinished trails as well and will work on acquiring that information and report that back to Council. G. Ice Rink Warming House Review-Valentine Park Discussion Parks and Recreation Manager Olson presented an over view of ice rink building maintenance completed in 2006. She commented staff needs direction on the next logical steps for Valentine Park. The park building was removed in 2006 and replaced with a temporary building because the park cannot sustain a permanent building due to the flooding/drainage issues. She stated a drainage study could be accomplished for an estimated cost of $20,000. A discussion ensued on drainage issues. Mayor Harpstead asked if the drainage study is important to the improvement of the park. City Civil Engineer Giga replied it is. Mayor Harpstead asked if grant opportunities exist from the Rice Creek Watershed District. City Civil Engineer Giga replied she would look into this. She stated the study output would enable the City to interpret what would happen in a storm event and what could be done. Mr. Crassweller pointed out the impact of a major storm water event to the Rice Creek Watershed District. Mayor Harpstead asked if a study would be needed if the City planted a rain garden. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - JULY 16, 2007 9 City Civil Engineer Giga replied not necessarily. Councilmember Grant commented it is important to also study what drains into Lake Valentine. Mayor Harpstead questioned whether the study should be put in the 2008 budget. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson asked about the City Council's thoughts on continuing in 2007/2008 with a temporary ice rink warming house (mobile unit) at Valentine Park. A discussion ensued. Council reached consensus to add a drainage study and temporary shelter for Valentine Park to the 2008 budget. Council reached consensus to budget moving the warming house at Hazelnut Park in 2008. 4. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REOUESTS Councilmember Grant commented on the number of sheriff deputy position funded for Arden Hills. He stated a traffic deputy was added most recently. He asked if the sheriffs department could estimate the time used at court on Arden Hills business. Mayor Harpstead tasked Councilmember Grant and City Administrator Wolfe to draft a letter to the sheriffs department requesting the staffing information. Councilmember Grant mentioned Council compensation, questioning whether the amount must be stated in the Ordinance. He would like to see progress made relative to compensation. Mayor Harpstead stated he looked at the numbers and compared it to surrounding cities. He commented Arden Hills is within the range of these cities. He indicated there is justification to bring the compensation up to that of a population of 15,000. He stated this issue needs to be on a work session agenda. Councilmember Grant commented on his lack of comfort on communication with RRLD relative to the TCAAP concept plan. City Administrator Wolfe commented the next MDA meeting is a key time to discuss this with Stacy Kvilvang, Project Manager. City Administrator Wolfe reported Mr. Steve Bubul would take a three month leave. She indicated Mr. John Dean would fill in until his return. Councilmember McClung mentioned the Lake Johanna Fire Department Board meeting IS scheduled for July 18. The Board will be reviewing the proposed 2008 budget. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION -JULY 16,2007 10 5. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Councilmember McClung moved and Mayor Harpstead seconded a '. __. to adjoum the meeting at 9:37 p.m. The motion carried unaninlOusly (4-0). cM~~wA Michelle Wolfe City Administrator