HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWkspMin_08May28Falcon Heights City Council Workshop
May 28, 2008
The council retired to a workshop to discuss the Larpenteur Avenue streetscape proposal following their regular meeting.
Members of the council present: Mayor Lindstrom, Council members Harris, Long, and Mercer-Taylor, Administrator Miller, and Assistant City Administrator/Deputy Clerk Kreuser.
Administrator Miller said the council had been discussing beautifying Larpenteur Avenue for some time, as the area is barren with wide medians. He said nine firms were recommended by
the engineers and four submitted proposals – Bonestroo, Kimley-Horn, SRF, and Olsson Associates. Administrator Miller, Engineer Bloom, and Planning and Zoning Director Jones reviewed
the submitted proposals and all came to the same conclusion, choosing one favorite. That company, SRF, concentrated on public input and creating a task force, while also encouraging
resident involvement.
The council discussed, and agreed that SRF had the most comprehensive proposal, was most full-service, and had the assets Falcon Heights needed.
Mayor Lindstrom asked if reimbursement on an hourly basis was consistent between all the firms. Miller replied they were all the same, adding SRF provided the most comprehensive break-out
of fees. He added that Falcon Heights is big on meetings, and one of the biggest cost drivers was meetings. He said after talking with the firm, SRF was willing to negotiate, and was
okay with staff taking the lead at the meetings to cut down on costs, and instead have a SRF representative present simply to answer questions rather then facilitate.
Council member Long pointed out that the other firms had final numbers, but SRF had eight meetings included in their proposal compared to Olsson’s and Kimley-Horn’s three.
Mayor Lindstrom and the council continued to favor SRF, outlining their past projects, advisory committee for the streetscape, and their traffic professional on-staff.
Miller added that the city is not under any obligation to implement any of the contractor’s recommendations, and he does not envision the project being as large-scale as Roseville’s
Lexington/Larpenteur project. He said he has spoken with the contractor, and they are aware of our funding and other limitations.
Mayor Lindstrom said it sounded as though there was consensus among the council, and gave Miller permission to move forward with SRF. Miller said SRF may be invited to the workshop
in July for some preliminary discussion. He asked the council to think about what goals they have, what they’d like to see, keeping in mind the U’s ag fields, medians, and shoulders.
The workshop was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Stacey Kreuser
Assistant City Administrator/Deputy Clerk