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COUNCIL MINUTES <br />158 - staff and the County have worked hard to design a project that avoids taking a property at NE <br />159 corner West Shadow Lake Drive; <br />160 - Pedestrian safety at crossings is a key element; the engineer has put together a memoradum <br />161 outlining safety considerations of the roundabout and Anoka County has committed to evaluating <br />162 the addition of a flashing safety sign along with other safety considerations included in the project; <br />163 -The JPA lays out a description of the improvements and agreement on the overall layout, identifies <br />164 intersection modifications, includes language that allows the City to acquire land for a future Well <br />165 No. 7, deals with consideration of a pedestrian flasher and landscaping in the future, and cost <br />166 sharing on the project which is down by about $60,000; <br />167 -the City's cost would be born by Municipal State Aid (MSA) funds designated to the City and the <br />168 City's utility funds. <br />169 Mr. Grochala noted that Anoka County Engineer Jason Orcutt was on line to answer questions. <br />170 Mr. Orcutt noted in particular the right of way process and that, through good design and working with <br />171 staff, they have minimized the number of parcels involved (some of which are City owned). Also they <br />172 have worked with the area school to make this project move as smoothly as possible for them. <br />173 Councilmember Stoesz noted that there is an embankment by the base of the southside trail tunnel <br />174 where there is a bump; will that be smoothed at all? Mr. Orcutt explained that they will be looking at <br />175 the trail situation and attempting to improve it and make it better for use. <br />176 Council Member Stoesz asked if there will be improvement of the Chomonix sign on Birch Street that <br />177 is badly faded. Mr. Grochala suggested that the sign actually serves to warn people that there is no <br />178 access to Chomonix. <br />179 Councilmember Cavegn asked for a timeline and if the pandemic situation will impact that. Mr. Orcutt <br />180 suggested that construction is planned to begin in 2021. They do not at this point expect an impact <br />181 related to the pandemic. <br />182 Councilmember Lyden noted that this is a huge project for the City. He appreciates the efforts of the <br />183 residents working with Anoka County to bring a project design to fruition. He is still concerned about <br />184 cars approaching the roundabouts being able to clearly see pedestrians in the crosswalk. Mr. Orcutt <br />185 explained how the space is planned in that area; it is also an important consideration that the street will <br />186 be aligned so as to slow traffic as it approachs roundabouts. <br />187 Mayor Rafferty remarked that the idea of this project has evolved over the past twenty years. He knows <br />188 that there have been many positive changes in this project and he has seen Anoka County work very <br />189 hard to solve issues for the community. Public safety has been and remains the most important <br />190 element. <br />191 Mr. Orcutt thanked the council for allowing staff to work through a good process. It's been an open <br />192 discussion and has resulted in a good project. <br />193 Councilmember Ruhland concurred and thanked county staff for working hard on communication, <br />194 especially during this difficult social distancing period. <br />5 <br />