HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMin_010516City of Falcon Heights
City Council Minutes
May 16, 2001
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Gehrz at 7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Gehrz, Kuettel, Lindstrom, Talbot. Also present was Heather Worthington,
City Administrator, Pat Phillips, Deputy Clerk
COMMUNITY FORUM: There was no one present wishing to speak.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of April 25, 2001 were approved.
CONSENT AGENDA
Councilmember Kuettel moved to approve the following consent agenda. The motion passed unanimously.
General disbursements and payroll.
Licenses
Adoption of chair schedule for the Board of Water Commissioners for the St. Paul
Water Utility
Authorization for staff to plant sod in place of the prairie that currently exists near the city hall building and fire station for safety reasons
POLICY AGENDA
Request a motion to formally include the Lindig Mini Park in the Falcon Heights park system on a permanent basis
Administrator Worthington said a tax forfeit city lot was acquired by the city in the late 1970's and has been used as an informal park where neighborhood children play games.
Ramsey County notified the city that in their field review of properties, this parcel appeared as not being used for its stated public purpose. The city maintains this parcel but Worthington
noted that it had never been formally dedicated as park land and a sign indicating such was not in place. After brief discussion, councilmember Talbot moved to formally dedicate this
lot and include it in the city's park system, and to install a small sign indicating that it is park land. The motion passed unanimously.
Request for authorization to contract with Short Elliott Hendrickson to conduct a Property Redevelopment Eligibility Assessment
Administrator Worthington explained that our consultant at Ehlers & Associates had recommended the city conduct a property redevelopment eligibility assessment as part of the redevelopment
process for the Southeast corner of Snelling and Larpenteur.
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May 16, 2001
All of the data collected will be entered into a GIS system and would then be available to the city for future projects and would be compatible with the city's GIS system. Worthington
said the city expects to be able to recover these costs in a subsequent development agreement after a developer is chosen for the project. Request for proposals were sent out and staff
recommends the contract be awarded to SEH at a cost of $7,600.00. After brief discussion, councilmember Kuettel moved to contract with SEH for this property redevelopment eligibility
assessment of the Southeast corner. The motion passed unanimously.
Proclamation of June 12 through June 16 as "Arabian Nights in Falcon Heights" for the Region 10 Championship Arabian Horse Show to be held at the State Fairgrounds
Mayor Gehrz said the International Arabian Horse Association expects 500 horses to compete in this year's regional show and requested the mayor to declare the evenings of June 12-16
as "Arabian Nights in Falcon Heights" to honor the out-of-state and in-state exhibitors who will participate in the show. The mayor read the proclamation and councilmember Lindstrom
made a motion to proclaim the evenings of June 12-16, 2001 as "Arabian Nights in Falcon Heights". The motion passed unanimously.
Council appointment to fill the vacancy left by resignation of John Hustad
Mayor Gehrz explained the application process for appointment to the council seat due to the resignation of John Hustad. Gehrz said eleven people applied and gave short presentations
and the reasons and qualifications for serving on the city council. The council then voted for seven finalists who were interviewed on May 9 or May 10. The councilmembers each voted
for the one person they felt had the best qualifications. Mayor Gehrz then asked each councilmember to announce their selection and the reason for it. The mayor and all councilmembers
unanimously voted for Robert Lamb. Councilmember Kuettel moved to appoint Robert Lamb to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of John Hustad whose term expires December 31, 2001.
The motion passed unanimously.
Appeal of Zoning Administrator's decision by Bruce Callahan, 1437 Idaho Ave. West, in the matter of a garage site plan review
Administrator Worthington said Mr. Callahan submitted two different site plans for a new garage and was subsequently notified that the plans he submitted did not comply with the zoning
code. Worthington offered to process a variance request for Mr. Callahan but he declined. Mr. Callahan advised Worthington that he wished to appeal to the Planning Commission for
their review and recommendation which process is covered in Chapter 9-15.02, Subd. 3. Councilmember Lindstrom made a motion that Callahan's
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May 16, 2001
appeal be referred to the Planning Commission at their May 22, 2001 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mayor Gehrz publicly thanked John Hustad for his many years of service to the city as a solid waste commission member and as a member of the council. His guidance and expertise in many
areas were invaluable.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Pat Phillips
Deputy Clerk