2014-06-24_PWETC_Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Schwartz reminded commissioners that there was currently no dedicated funding for new pathways at this point beyond the CIP recommendations the City Council and staff were relying on, showing the Parks Renewal Program running through 2017; with 2018 beginning allocation of some dedicated levy funds for pathway construction. Mr. Schwartz advised that the last levy funds for pathway construction was in 2002, after which the funding allocation was eliminated. Mr. Schwartz further noted that a new update on the City's Comprehensive Plan would be required in another 4-5 years, and suggested an appropriate time to bring that proposal forward for a formal update of the 2008 Pathway Master Plan, allowing a broader discussion with a cross-section of the community and commissions jointly receiving and collating public comment to recommend dedicated funding sources, unless the City shoes to commit to its funding before that time. Mr. Schwartz questioned the value of looking at the pathway ranking and funding now, other than applying state aid dollars for road construction projects and/or addressing certain segments as part of redevelopment as applicable. Member Gjerdingen questioned if all the funding of the $2 million bond issue was already committed to Parks Renewal Project expenses beyond internal pathways in parks as part of the process; and suggested the Parks & Recreation Department be consulted accordingly. Member Gjerdingen spoke in support of a resolution from the PWETC to the City Council recommending a designated amount of dedicated funds for implementation as other major pathway projects (e.g. County Road B-2) were completed. Mr. Schwartz reminded Member Gjerdingen and other members of the PWETC that they had already adopted such a recommendation several years ago, requesting the City Council to consider such funding. Member Gjerdingen suggested the PWETC and City get more creative in requiring businesses to include pathway installation as part of their redevelopment requests in the future (e.g. Interim Use and Conditional Use permits) as opportunities came forward. Member Wozniak, in his prior role on the City's Planning Commission, advised that those discussions were often part of the land use application and approval process. 6. Stenlund Capstone Project Presentation Chair Stenlund reported on a completed senior class project for Civil Engineering Students at the U of MN for an idea he'd submitted and students had bid on a proposal to provide a feasibility study on City/State retrofitting use of LED lighting for street lights. Chair Stenlund noted that the students: Daniel Fife, Page 8 of 18