HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWkspMin_07Jun06Falcon Heights City Council Workshop
June 6, 2007
Members present: Mayor Gehrz, Mayor Dains, Council members Christensen, Doherty, Gill-Gerbig, Harris, Hawkinson, Kuettel, Lindstrom, and Talbot, Administrator Miller, Administrator Heck,
Assistant City Administrator/Deputy Clerk Kreuser, Assistant to the City Administrator Bownik, Deputy Clerk Butkowski.
Mayor Gehrz called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
The councils made their introductions and the workshop got underway.
1. Fulham Discussion
Mayor Dains gave an overview of the condition of the street, and stated it needs attention. He said since Lauderdale is under 5,000 population, the city is not eligible for MSA funds.
He added that since Falcon Heights owns half of Fulham and Lauderdale the other half, the cities together should decide what to do.
Mayor Gehrz asked what the process would be to turn back Fulham. Administrator Heck answered he had posed the question to his city attorney but had not heard back yet. He ventured
that a resolution from each city would suffice, but since there are MSA funds in play he wasn’t sure. Heck stated he’s had conversations with County Manager Twa and some engineers regarding
turning back Fulham, and has gotten the same response. Administrator Miller said a JPA might also be an option between the two cities, with duties for each spelled out in the agreement.
He thought Falcon Heights could also keep Fulham, and then the two cities could split costs. He added Falcon Heights' engineering was not sure either what might happen with MSA funding
should the street be turned back.
Gail, a Lauderdale resident from Fulham, asked about the water pipes under Fulham. Heck replied the pipes are maintained and owned by St. Paul Water Utility.
Council member Gill-Gerbig said the area of Fulham north of Larpenteur is a chronic spot for flooding when heavy rains fall, the storm sewer can’t keep up, and also noted with the snowplows
the ditches that used to be five feet deep are now shallow enough for people to park on the east side. The west side has curb and gutter.
Mayor Dains pulled the conversation back to ownership issue of Fulham and stated Lauderdale wanted something done. He added that a sidewalk along the east side of Fulham would be ideal.
Mayor Gehrz replied that dealing with the U is often more difficult than one might think, as they must have money appropriated from the legislature for assessments.
Mayor Gehrz asked to outline the options the cities had – the first would be to do nothing. Heck said the second would be to pass a resolution that would make it a local road rather
than a county road. Gehrz added the cities could make the turn back contingent on getting money from the county to bring the road to favorable condition. Heck stated he’d been in contact
with the county and had only heard they don’t have the money to spend. Miller said the third option would be for Falcon Heights to take the road, get the MSA funds for it, and then
hand it over to Lauderdale. He added he would get in contact with St. Paul Water to find out the condition of the water pipes.
Administrator Heck said there’s a desire for a certain level of service in Lauderdale, and with the other roads in good condition, Fulham, Eustis, and Roselawn, which are county-handled,
are very bad in comparison.
It was suggested to lobby a county commissioner to obtain the necessary funding. Mayor Gehrz replied the county has a formula by which roads are set for reconstruction. She added that
political pressure from two commissioners would open up all roads funding to politics.
Administrator Miller stated he and Heck would do some research and bring back the options to the councils at a future date.
Mayor Dains added that there is a sense of urgency since the intersection of Larpenteur and Eustis is set for redevelopment in the future. He said the longer improvements wait is equal
to the city losing ground on the redevelopment.
2. Blue Cross/Blue Shield Grant Application
Administrator Miller began by stating the cities shared a common goal to make residents more active. The idea for the grant application is to start a walking program, perhaps injecting
a bit of friendly competition between the two cities. With the grant dollars, purchasing pedometers, t-shirts, and having it run from October to October 2008, would encourage residents
to participate.
Council member Harris stressed the importance of making the application creative and outlining the sustainability of the program.
Mayor Gehrz stated the grant money could be used for door prizes, incentives, and for team incentives. She added that creating a map of Falcon Heights and Lauderdale, with the highlight
attractions would encourage people to walk. Miller said there’s a Falcon Heights, Texas, and Lauderdale informed Miller there’s a Lauderdale, Mississippi. It was agreed it would be
fun to have a competition between which teams, in terms of miles, could make it to their city first. A progress chart would be kept in each City Hall so teams could track their miles.
Mayor Gehrz said the target is for people who currently aren’t active, and so keeping it to walking would be a good way to get the program going.
Lauderdale councilors said a map of the “Grand Rounds” would be good to give out to people.
Miller stated the application would be on the June 27 Falcon Heights council agenda, and Heck stated for Lauderdale it would be on the 26th. Gehrz concluded the workshop by stating
there was good support on both sides.
The workshop was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Stacey Kreuser
Assistant City Administrator/Deputy Clerk