CC_Minutes_2008_0625Special Session

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Special Joint Meeting Roseville City Council and the Roseville Area School Board, District No. 623 Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Page 6 resentative Mindy Grieling for her assistance in recent legislation for the School District in alternative bonding, specific to the District's Lake Owasso facility (current Comcast- leased facility). Superintendent Thein opined that by each body making each other aware of their initiatives, they could each support each other in pursuing them. Councilmember Roe, with consensus by the Board and City Council, suggested that both bodies team up with the Metropolitan Council to pursue transportation needs for the community. Discussion included walkways; bike parking facilities; safety issues along main corridors, regardless of the city, county or state ownership of those roadways; and unsafe Fairview Avenue crossing; possibility of a bridge, boulevard design, or other options for County Road B to reduce unnecessary bussing if those safety issues were addressed and would allow students, pedestrians and bikers with other options, and ultimately creating more of a sense of community. Further discussion included addressing the "whole child aspect" beyond and outside school confines; other potential collaborative funding and grant opportunities; and recent reactivation by the City of the Pathway Committee and their pending and updated study results. 3. Public Facility Needs a. Short Term Facility Needs -Informational Superintendent Thein briefly reviewed the Alternative Bonding Facility legisla- tion previously referenced, allowing the School District authority to bond for up- grading buildings (maintenance, not new construction), based on square footage and age, or optional divestiture, when needed; and the potentially creative options now available with that legislation, while also recognizing the School District's fiduciary responsibility to all the municipalities within the District. Discussion included mutual use of the Lake Owasso facility and surrounding ball fields and activities; current Comprehensive Plan Update discussions, consistent with the Imagine report, for preservation, enhancement or expansion of existing green space and related priorities and whether to include language that whenever an institutional use changes for the City to designate that green space be a first priority option; and Board options for renting or selling the building and/or prop- erty and its potential future use for high-density residential use to achieve goals of both the Board and City. b. Long Term Facility Needs Discussion continued on long-term facility needs; the City's current emphasis on Master Park and Facilities Plans for inclusion in the City's annual budget process and consistent with the Imagine process and vision; current Fairview facility func- tioning as a community gathering space; and the need for other space for youth