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LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 3, 1987 PAGE 7 Ed Stevens, 10133 47th St. N., spoke to Mr. Morris, District State Aid Engineer at the State Highway Department. Stevens expressed his concerns if the road is put in as designed, a substantial part of the land he has will be taken. Large oak trees at the foot of his driveway would have to be cut down. A suggestion made at the last meeting was the possibility of putting in steel ramps or steel cables alongside the road in order to prevent the taking of the trees. Mr. Morris agreed that this would be acceptable, but they would have to see the specific design and probably be extended to 75-100 feet beyond the tree. Stevens would like Bohrer to investigate the possibility of doing this sort of thing to prevent the removal of the large trees. He also questions the desirability of putting such a large road in an area that is not going to be used very much and in keeping with the rural atmosphere. A possibility to be considered is to leave the road asis and top it with oiling or blacktopping and just do a minimum of upgrading that would satisfy the people on this road without state aid. Also up to 25% of the state aid can be used for maintenance and maintenance can be construed as putting a blacktop on an existing road so considerable amount of money would be available for this. Stevens added the point of "citizenship". People are complaining of how money is wasted in Washington D.C.. If a department doesn't spend all its money before the year is out, they spend it on anything just to get rid of their money. In a way we are doing the same thing here. We are getting money from the State of Minnesota to put in a road at a dimension that is far greater that we really need, but if we don't do it we feel the money is going to be lost to us. So we would rather waste State money, rather than say we will do it our own way and maybe not to those high standards and save money all around. Mayor Christ looked into this and found that blacktopping 50th Street, 43rd Street and Kimbro would cost an estimated $130,000. This would be a gravel based on the existing road and a 22 foot wide blacktop with the contours of the road as they exist today. Mr. William Boylan, 10711 50th Street North., objected to a stop sign on 47th Street for traffic traveling east on 37th Street becasue this will create a serious traffic hazard. He suggested a gradual curve be constructed at 47th Street and Kimbro regardless of whether the road continues north or south on Kimbro. This would require a stop sign on Kimbro which will be much safer. City Engineer Bohrer explained in the past year he has been called to supply a deposition for two law suits that the City has against it for traffic accidents. One on the Intersection of Keats and 47th and the other at the intersection of 20th Street and Manning Avenue. Each time the question that comes up "were these roads designed and built to current prevailing standards." These are very expensive lawsuits to defend. Bohrer felt that the MSA standards are reasonable and the two roads they have constructed with State aid funds are safe and will carry existing and