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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMin_08Apr23Regular Meeting of the Falcon Heights City Council April 23, 2008 Members present: Mayor Lindstrom, Council members Harris, Long, and Mercer-Taylor, Administrator Miller, and Assistant City Administrator/Deputy Clerk Kreuser. Absent: Council member Kuettel. Mayor Lindstrom called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The minutes of the April 9, 2008 council meeting were approved as submitted. Consent Agenda: Administrator Miller explained the sprinkler system had malfunctioned a couple times at the park due to some faulty pipe. The pipe was found to be beyond repair, and the new system included interior pipes and more durable material, a better system with lower risk of the pipes filling and freezing. Council member Harris asked about the huge discrepancy between the bids. All contractors bid on the same project, but the low bidder was very hungry for work, Miller said. He added that references were checked. Council member Long moved the following three items for approval. The motion passed unanimously. 1. General Disbursements through 4/17/08: $73,706.22 Payroll through 4/15/08: $15,840.2 2. 2008 Licenses 3. Community Park Fire Sprinkler Repairs Keith Gosline, 1969 Summer, addressed the council and explained his new business is personal fitness, massage therapy, and reflexology. Policy Agenda: 1. Resolution Approving Coventry Apartments Project Conduit Bonding Administrator Miller began the item by explaining Coventry Apartments approached the city for a bond not to exceed $12 million. He said cities issue bonds frequently, and at the Feb. 13 council meeting the bond was given preliminary approval. Tonight the council would approve the final resolution. Council member Harris reiterated it was up to $12 million. Miller stated that was pretty close to what they would issue, and the city would learn within the next couple of months of their sale(s). Harris added this money was not included in the 2008 budget, and is extra revenue the city was not expecting. Council member Mercer-Taylor moved to approve the resolution. The motion passed unanimously. 2. Approval of Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) Grant Application Administrator Miller said in 2005 the federal government allocated $21.5 million to make cities more livable. Minneapolis’ proposal was selected as one of four projects. Last year, the trail application for this grant was just missed, but with this application, the cities of Roseville and Falcon Heights are hopeful the trail will be funded. He explained the trail will go down Fairview from 36, hook up with Larpenteur, and then to Gortner which will connect the St. Paul and Minneapolis U campuses. The application proposes an 8-foot pathway on east side of Fairview along with boulevard improvements. Also, a sidewalk is proposed along Larpenteur on the north side in front of Gibbs Farm. The city will need to talk with Gibbs to get their approval. Along Gortner, sidewalk will be added on the west side, with separate bike and sidewalk lanes. The total estimated cost is $990,000. The deadline for application is Friday, and the city expects to hear back by July 1. Council member Mercer-Taylor said she was thrilled to see the application going forward, and was happy to hear Miller was confident the project would be funded. She asked for clarification on the shoulder and 8-foot wide pathway along Fairview. Miller responded the shoulder would be for bikes, and the pathway would be for pedestrians. Mercer-Taylor asked about engineering, but learned the plans haven’t been made yet. Council member Harris stated the project has to go across Hwy 36 and wondered aloud how that would work. Miller said over the meetings with TLC, information was gathered and the cities learned tips on how to get more points on the application. He added the Hwy 36 area was where engineers would have to get creative with bike lanes. Mayor Lindstrom said thankfully the city was in contact with TLC before making an application. Council member Long asked about the sidewalk/pathway material. Miller said the bike way would be bituminous, and along Larpenteur Avenue it would be concrete and maintained by the city. He added the idea was to connect the whole network, by adding a sidewalk in front of Gibbs and the driving range. Long said it would be great to get that piece added. Mayor Lindstrom said a survey was completed recently that asked people the importance of bike lanes, and 74% said bike paths and pedestrian paths were “extremely important” in home-buying decisions. Council member Harris moved to approve the Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) Grant Application. The motion passed unanimously. 3. Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program Administrator Miller said for the last several months the Environment Commission had been thinking about joining the Mayor’s Kyoto Agreement. One of the provisions of the agreement is for the city as a whole to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Miller said the Environment Commission came across the idea for the city to refund a portion of the permit fee for environmentally friendly appliances. Miller said some cities in California do this, and cities in Minnesota who have electric utilities do offer other incentives. Miller added that if homeowners install certain appliances that meet energy-saving standards they would be eligible for a rebate of ½ their permit fee. He stated the total liability to the city if every single permit and every single person applied for the rebate would be around $6,000. Mayor Lindstrom said the Kyoto Protocol (KP) came about in the early 90s and the US federal government did not sign the agreement. But cities wouldn’t settle, and Seattle began with a local government push for greener initiatives. He said over 1,000 cities have signed the KP, which commits participating cities to trying to reduce emissions to 7% below 1990 levels. Under the agreement, plans must be in place along with implementation strategies, and the Environment Commission has taken this on as a task. He said there are possibilities for Falcon Heights of purchasing wind power and installing compact fluorescent bulbs, or perhaps buying flex fuel public works vehicles in the future. Council member Harris asked about the restrictions on the program. Miller said there would be none. Harris asked if every window already meets the energy star standards. She said she thought it possible that every window and appliance might be, but Miller would look into it further. She said it was a great idea, wanted to know the full impact, but still agreed with implementing the program. Council member Mercer-Taylor asked if information on the KP might be included on the application form. Mayor Lindstrom said that was a good idea – with maybe a little packet of information to hand out to applicants. Council member Harris asked if the Environment Commission would be proposing to join the KP. Lindstrom stated he did want the council’s support and said he would be presenting to them in the next six months. Council member Long said it was a great innovative idea and appreciated that it would not impact the overall budget picture for this year. He moved to approve the Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. The motion passed unanimously. 4. City Hall Summer Hours Administrator Miller stated in the summer there are often Friday afternoons when the phone doesn’t ring and it’s very quiet in City Hall. He said some cities and private sector organizations implement summer hours. It still allows city hall to be open the same number of hours during the week and employees would work the same number of hours, but allows greater flexibility for citizens and contractors. The proposal is for summer hours from Memorial Day through Labor Day. He stated the change would be publicized heavily, and in the case of an emergency, staff would be on-call. Council member Long asked if this would not create any conflicts with summer programs. Miller replied it would not. Council member Harris said it is a nice thing for staff as well, and might be a better thing for residents having earlier and later hours. Plus, it’s better for the environment. Council member Mercer-Taylor moved to approve summer hours. The motion passed unanimously. Information/Announcements: Council member Mercer-Taylor stated on May 14 from 10-12:30 there will be discussion on senior services in Ramsey County. Agencies representing Falcon Heights will be in attendance, and discussion will focus on how to help seniors remain independent in their homes. Anyone interested should contact the city and attend. At the State Fairgrounds on May 3-4 from 10 am-5 pm is the Living Green Expo for reducing your carbon footprint and rain garden info. It’s free. Finally, she announced that on May 9-11 at the Fairgrounds is the Friends School plant sale, with plants at very reasonable prices, native to Minnesota and hardy to cold. Council member Long said he attended the Parks Commission meeting and they discussed the 1,000 Bench program sponsored by Active Living Ramsey County. The commission is thinking of locations and ways for people and the city to get more involved. Lastly, he announced that summer rec registration is still open. Mayor Lindstrom said the community gardeners are ready and fired up for the gardening season. 19 of the 20 spots have been filled by FH residents, and the demand is great – over 35 inquiries had been made to-date. Administrator Miller said the reusable grocery bags are here, $2 each, limit two per household. CERT sign ups are still being taken through the end of the month. No workshop on May 7, and the Farmer’s Market opens on April 29. Mayor Lindstrom adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Stacey Kreuser Assistant City Administrator/Deputy Clerk