01-28-2015 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL JANUARY 28, 2015 master agreement acknowledging the State Constitution provisions (5.a. and 5.i.), and this agreement then negates the need to rewrite the bond agreement. McKenzie indicated that the estimates from the railroad for the crossing improvements are reasonable, and indicated that these estimates are typically a little high. The City Administrator reported that the estimated costs are approximately $138,000 over the State bond amount and $108,000 over after the State's contribution of $30,000. If the prices come in better than estimate, this will be fewer dollars that the City will be responsible for. McKenzie indicated that there are three issues that are being pursued at this time. The first is getting the MN DOT 5.i. Agreement in place. McKenzie pointed out that the State bonding money for Little Canada amounts to $1.25 million and MN DOT has agreed to contribute an additional $30,000 from their Federal safety funds which should cover the Canadian Pacific's engineering fees. (The use of those funds also provides liability protection associated with the adequacy of the design.) The second issue that is being worked on is getting crossing agreements in place with the Canadian Pacific Railroad. McKenzie hoped that both the MN DOT agreement and the CP agreements would be presented to the Council for approval in February. The third issue relates to submission of the 60 -day notice for the quiet zone. This notice provides a 60 -day time period for MN DOT and the railroad to comment on the improvement design. McKenzie reported that this notice is ready to go and pending the outcome of the workshop, he could submit it yet this week. McKenzie indicated that the improvements will consist of five standard crossing signals and some median work at two of the crossings. He indicated that the Woodlyn Avenue crossing presented a problem relative to the addition of medians given the way the area is used by local businesses. Therefore, the Woodlyn improvement is proposed to consist of four quadrant gates, which eliminate the need for medians. The estimated cost of the Woodlyn improvement is $275,000. McKenzie noted the decision needed on whether or not to close Woodlyn Avenue. He pointed out that if that decision is not made this evening, the process can move forward with the Woodlyn crossing plans modified at a later date. The City Administrator stated that if Woodlyn Avenue is eliminated, there may need to be a legislative amendment relative to the State bond funding. He also suggested that a decision on Woodlyn Avenue should be made sooner rather than later so that the City can get the crossing improvements into the railroad's queue. The Administrator noted that the railroad may be willing to contribute up to $50,000 toward the improvements associated with creating an alternate route to the Woodlyn businesses if the City 2