HomeMy WebLinkAbout2D, Staff UpdatesWorksession Date: October 18, 2010
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EN HILLS
Request for Council Review
Prepared By: Patrick Klaers, City Administrator
Discussion Topic:
Staff Updates
Verbal updates on the following:
• Arden Hills Library
• Hazelnut Park and Trinity Lutheran Church negotiations
• Six month performance review for the City Administrator
• Staff photos
Supporting Documents:
1. Memorandum dated October 18, 2010 from Patrick Klaers.
EN HILLS
MEMORANDUM
DATE: October 18, 2010
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Patrick Klaers, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Staff Updates
As time allows, I would like to verbally update the City Council on a number of current
activities. The list of update items includes the following:
1. The Arden Hills Library
2. Hazelnut Park and Trinity Lutheran Church negotiations
3. Six month performance review for the City Administrator
4. Staff Photos
Item #1.) By way of background on the Library topic, now that the County
Commissioners have approved the County Library Board's recommendation to relocate
the Arden Hills Library to New Brighton, we may want to again voice our support for
keeping the Library open until the New Brighton facility is ready. At the County
Commissioner's discussion on October 12 there appeared to be support for finding
funds to keep the Library open until approximately June, 2011.
Also, since Arden Hills gave the land to the County for the Library and there will no
longer be a Library on this site, it seems appropriate to request that this land be given
back to the City. This would be after the County demolished the existing structure. In this
manner, the City could decide the best future use of the site. Staff is researching if deed
restrictions were placed on the land as part of the gift to the County for a Library. If this
is something we want to pursue, then we may want to discuss possible uses for the site
and to review the idea with Commissioner Bennett. I don't know about the history of the
Library in Arden Hills so this idea may be an unreasonable request, but I would like to
have a conversation with the Council on this topic.
Item #2.) Regarding the Hazelnut Park issue, a staff meeting has been set up with Church
representatives for October 28 We are looking for examples of how park land is
generally valued and they have asked their appraiser for an opinion on the value of park
land. We are looking at the cost for improving and maintaining the soccer field and the
parking lot. I would like to review with the Council some strategies for obtaining a fair
financial package.
If deemed appropriate, we could have this discussion in a closed session at a future
meeting.
Item #3.) My 6 month anniversary is November 3, 2010.
Item #4.) Staff photos have been taken and in the very near future (hopefully by Monday
night) the Council can take a look at their City employees on the City Intranet web page.