HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMin_02May22City of Falcon Heights
Council Minutes
May 22, 2002
Acting Mayor Laura Kuettel opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Kuettel, Lamb, Lindstrom, Talbot. Also present was Heather Worthington,
City Administrator and Pat Phillips, Deputy Clerk
ABSENT: Gehrz
COMMUNITY FORUM: There was no one present wishing to speak before council.
Kuettel introduced the first of three presenters on the agenda.
PRESENTATIONS:
Matt Anderson, President of the Ramsey County Library Board gave a brief report on the Ramsey County library system. He said approximately 2,861 Falcon Heights residents are current
library cardholders and participate in the library’s programs and activities. Without sufficient resources, the county library would have to reduce its services and accessibility to
residents. Mr. Anderson asked council for their support in maintaining the current level of operation and councilmember Lindstrom made a motion to approve resolution 02-13 acknowledging
this support. The motion passed unanimously.
Lt. Dominic Cotroneo of the St. Anthony Police Department presented the 2001 crime statistics for Falcon Heights and answered brief questions from council.
Councilmember Lindstrom reminded everyone of the availability of gun locks at city hall and also at the police station.
Dave Engstrom of MnDOT spoke before the council to inform them of the proposed recommendation to change the speed limit on Snelling Avenue. The proposal is for a 10 mile per increase
between Hoyt and Larpenteur (from 35 mph to 45 mph). Mr. Ed Brown provided councilmembers with a map of the area showing speed sample locations and summary; traffic volumes, current
speed limits and preliminary proposal for future TH 51 speed limits. Councilmember Talbot expressed concern for the safety of pedestrian traffic particularly at the corners of Larpenteur
and Snelling and Hoyt and Snelling. Councilmember Lindstrom said the crosswalks will have to be painted clearly and regularly. Councilmember Lamb would like to see a statistical followup
analysis 6 months to 1 year after implementation to see if the change
has had any impact on traffic flow, pedestrian safety, etc. These concerns/comments will be sent to MnDOT in the next two weeks.
MINUTES: The minutes of May 8, 2002 were approved as written.
CONSENT
Councilmember Lamb moved to approve the following consent agenda. The motion passed unanimously.
Council Minutes
May 22, 2002
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General disbursements and payroll
Licenses
Repairs to drain scupper on roof above Fire Department meeting room.
POLICY
Approval of Petition and Waiver Agreements for Fulham Street lighting project
Administrator Worthington said residents of Fulham Street on both the Falcon Heights and Lauderdale side, have petitioned both cities to install street lighting that would match the
lantern-style lighting on the St. Paul side of Hoyt Avenue. The city has obtained the necessary petition and waiver forms from each property owner and is now ready to recommend that
the improvement be ordered. Approximate cost of lighting is $10,700 divided between twelve households total. Worthington said this project is a joint endeavor with Lauderdale and their
city administrator is coordinating the reports and contract documents. After brief discussion, councilmember Talbot moved to approve the petition and waiver agreements. The motion
passed unanimously.
Adoption of Resolution 02-12, declaring the adequacy of the 100% petition and ordering a report for the proposed Fulham Street lighting improvement
Administrator Worthington said in order for the lighting project to proceed, the council is required to adopt a resolution stating that 100% of the residents who will be assessed for
the work have petitioned for the work. Also, the resolution will order the improvement and direct staff to prepare reports and complete the necessary contract paperwork. Councilmember
Lindstrom made a motion to adopt Resolution 02-12. The motion passed unanimously.
Approval of not-to-exceed contract with Short Elliot Hendrickson for planning services
Administrator Worthington explained that the Planning Commission has been dealing with the issue of lot coverage in an R-1 zone in recent meetings. Staff has done a great deal of research
on the issue and wishes to consult with a planning consultant. A proposal from Dan Cornejo of
SEH included analysis of the zoning code provisions, recommendations on changes to the lot coverage provision, presentations to the Planning Commission and City Council, and drafting
the
amendments necessary to implement changes to the code. The not to exceed amount of this contract proposal is $3,200. After brief discussion, councilmember Lindstrom made a motion to
approve the contract with SEH. The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion of possible cooperative service arrangement
Councilmember Lamb said there may be services or projects that Falcon Heights and Lauderdale can collaborate on and realize cost savings. Staff from both cities have discussed the possibility
of collaborating on street sweeping or street maintenance. Lamb said sharing equipment such as bobcats might also be considered. Lamb would also like to see discussion of shared services
in
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Council Minutes
May 22, 2002
areas such as forestry, inspectors, and recreation. Lamb also suggested looking into the possibility of sharing legal and engineering consultants. After considerable discussion,
councilmember Lindstrom moved to authorize staff to start a line by line analysis of where the city can leverage its buying power and present it to the council at a future date. The
motion passed unanimously,
Update on SE Corner Redevelopment
Administrator Worthington said the developer is moving forward with the redevelopment process. The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and Met Council awarded $3.7 million funding towards
the project and $500,000 was received from Ramsey County Housing Endowment Fund. The developer, George Sherman, and the city are drafting a final development agreement to be presented
in early August. Worthington said a series of meetings with residents and business owners will be held in mid June and mid July. Worthington noted
the projected timeline for demolition and groundbreaking is June of 2003 and will take approximately 18 months to complete. The project will be done in phases with the multi-family
building to be done first, then the townhomes, and finally the senior units. Worthington said
the MHFA will fund 25 units to people earning $25,000/yr and 25 units to those earning between $35,000/yr and $55,000/yr. The rest of the units will rent at market rate including the
senior units. The townhomes will be sold at market rate which is expected to be between $225-$250,000.
INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Councilmember Talbot said that scholarships in the amount of $53,400 went to 17 young people
who applied. The scholarships were offered through CTV 15 and are awarded to students whose major is applicable to the media. Talbot said eight $5,000 scholarships, three $2,500 scholarships
and three $1,000 scholarships were given.
Councilmember Lindstrom said that he and Councilmember Kuettel attended the meeting that
Falcon Heights United Church of Christ held regarding the addition they are proposing along the Pascal side of the property. A notice of the meeting was sent to all nearby residents.
It is the church’s hope to have a groundbreaking in a month with completion around Easter of 2003.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Pat Phillips
Deputy Clerk