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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-04-2008 CCMMINUTES APPROVED: March 18, 2008 City of Lake Elmo City Council Meeting Minutes March 4, 2008 Mayor Johnston called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Johnston, Council Members DeLapp, Johnson, Park and Smith Also Present: City Administrator Hoyt, Finance Director Bouthilet, City Attorney Filla, City Engineer Griffin, Planning Director Klatt, and City Clerk Lumby APPROVAL OF AGENDA: MOTION: Mayor Johnston moved to have the AUAR Development Scenario selection item on the March 18, 2008 agenda. Council Member Johnson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. MOTION: Council Member Johnson moved approval of the March 4, 2008 agenda as amended, including the Community Improvement Committee on Fall Festival and Update on 9240 31st Street. Council Member DeLapp seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. ORDER OF BUSINESS: APPROVE MINUTES: Consider approval of February 19, 2008 minutes The minutes were approved by Council consensus. PUBLIC COMMENTS/INQUIRIES: Bill Wacker, 3603 Laverne Avenue N., asked when the status of the fire whistle will be discussed by the Council. Mayor Johnston said that Mr. Wacker will be contacted about this topic. Ann Suckow, (1945 Polaris Place, North St.Paul), Lake Elmo Jaycees Community Development VP 2008 reported on the monthly coloring contest, and the Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Egg Coloring contest held on Saturday, March 22, 2008. Ed Gorman, Gorman Restaurant, 11011 N. Stillwater Blvd., was unable to attend the AUAR -open house on February 28 and he wanted to explain that the AUAR costs would ultimately be covered by the property owners/developers. Mr. Gorman also expressed his support to include the option of 1,600 housing units in the development scenarios. He asked that the City consider sewer charges to businesses at the point in the planning and development process when sewer financing decisions were being made. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 4, 2008 1 Ann Bucheck, 2301 Legion Avenue, asked the Council to listen to the residents that expressed their support for studying only the 600 housing unit option as part of the AUAR development scenarios at the February 28, 2008 workshop so that the downtown can remain as small as possible. Ms. Bucheck also submitted approximately seventy (70) signed comments from residents regarding the AUAR development scenarios. CONSENT AGENDA: MOTION: Council Member Johnson moved to approve the consent agenda as presented. Council Member Smith seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. • Approve Resolution no. 2008-013 payment of claims in the amount of $285,903.70. REGULAR AGENDA: Community Fall Festival Council Member Smith announced the Lake Elmo Fall Festival has been designated the official name for the citywide festival on September 5 and 6th and volunteers are needed to help with planning and events. Conditional job offer to Steven Henjum, Ben Hall and GT Magnuson MOTION: Council Member Johnson moved to make conditional job offers to Steve Henjum, Ben Hall and GT Magnuson pending the outcome of their department physical and each will be placed on probationary status with the fire department if their physical is passed. Council Member DeLapp seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Request to provide funding for the Lucy Winton Athletic Fields Steve Dobbs, Director of Belwin, asked the City Council to provide an annual capital contribution of $12,136 per year for five years for a total of $60,680 to support the Lucy Winton Bell Athletic Field Complex improvements. The organization is planning an expansion that will include a new concession and gathering building with restroom and a covered patio area as well as the potential for adding more fields and lighting the fields. Lucy Winton Bell director Colleen Danford and volunteer Tom Weidner noted the City would save more money in future planning and maintenance fees if it joined the effort at Belwin. Mayor Johnston explained that the City is already addressing the need for fields and parks for the future. The City is in the process of reconciling and finalizing its 2007 financial records and in revisiting the 2008 budget to determine if the anticipated revenue budgeted is realistic given the decline in building revenue. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 4, 2008 2 MOTION: Council Member Park moved to add the request for Lucy Winton Bell Recreation Fields to the City’s long range capital improvement planning process. This will allow the City to evaluate the request as part of future planning activities and in the context of other City priorities as well as with an understanding of the funds available to serve all City capital needs –parks and other needs. Belwin representatives were to return to the city in 2009 if they wished to make their request again. Council Member DeLapp seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Consider an application from Oakdale Gun Club amending its Conditional Use Permit, 10386 10th Street N. Planning Director Kyle Klatt summarized the request from the Oakdale Gun Club to amend the Conditional Use Permit for construction of a building shell over an existing range that will provide additional noise abatement within the site and a small expansion of an existing operations building to provide additional interior usable space. These changes are requested in order to improve staging and coordination of the various activities and to provide noise abatement for apportion of the area that is currently outside and will be enclosed. The Planning Commission and staff recommended approval of the amendment to the conditional use permit with conditions because it met the conditions of the zoning code. Mr. Tom Tousignant of the Gun Club explained that the request is to build facilities that will include sound proofing. Mr. and Mrs. Richard McNamara, 10321 10th Street N., live near the Gun Club and find the noise to be excessive at times and said that it had increased. Mr. McNamara asked that the City consider methods to control the noise levels. The City Council discussed the necessity of having more information on the sound and soils on the Gun Club site as an additional condition to the Conditional Use Permit MOTION: Council Member Smith moved to table this agenda item until either the April 1st or April 15th Council meeting because the City had until April 21st to take action on the application. Council Member Johnson seconded the motion. Mayor Johnston and Council Members DeLapp, Johnson, Smith voted in favor of the motion with Council Member Park voting against the motion. Preliminary Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Map Planning Director Kyle Klatt summarized the information related to the updated Flood Surface Study (FIS) and Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) that has been prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Washington County. There will be a net change of approximately 350 parcels added to flood hazard areas and a net reduction of 17 individual structures from flood hazard areas if the maps are adopted as submitted to the City. The City is required to adopt these revised maps at the end of the federal review LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 4, 2008 3 process. The Planning Commission will conduct a public meeting for affected land owners concerning proposed maps changes. Direction on draft letter of response to the MPCA regarding remediation alternatives at the Washington County Landfill City Administrator Susan Hoyt provided a draft letter to the PCA which included council and citizen input. This letter will be submitted during the comment period on the proposed options for remediation contamination at the Washington County Landfill. Resident Jim Blackford, 9765 45th Street N., asked the Council to write a stronger letter including a compensation request for all well owners who have lost their wells as well as compensation to the City for providing City water. MOTION: Council Member DeLapp moved to provide a letter of comment which clearly asks for a permanent solution at the Washington County Landfill and which recognizes the history of contamination and remediation solutions at the site. Council Member Smith seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. MOTION: Council Member DeLapp moved to direct staff to draft a second letter, which will be brought back to City Council in the future, to include a request for compensation for residents who have lost their wells and subsequent well closing costs and City costs for providing water to those who cannot drink their water. Council Member Smith seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Authorize a training workshop on “How to Have More Effective Meetings” through a working knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure City Administrator Susan Hoyt asked for authorization for training on Parliamentary Procedures by Mr. Tom Gmeinder at an April 8, 20008 workshop. The Chairs of the Planning and Park Commission will be invited to attend. MOTION: Council Member Smith moved to authorize a workshop on “How to Have Effective Meetings” through a working knowledge of parliamentary procedure by contracting with Mr. Tom Gmeinder at a cost of $895 which would be charged to the conference and training budget for the Council and the administrative staff budget. Council Member Johnson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. K. REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: (These are verbal updates and do not have to be formally added to the agenda.) • Mayor and Council Members • Mayor Johnston and Council Member Johnson attended the Highway 36 and 17 meeting where all comments received will be back on the May meeting because the April meeting has been cancelled. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 4, 2008 4 • Administrator • Washington County approved the City’s Community Development Block Grant request of $50,000 for updating Cimarron Gas Line service . The new owner for 9240 31st Street has been notified by staff of requirements that need to be met. • Minnesota Department of Health will report on PFCS/PFBA at City Council’s March 11th workshop, 6:30 p.m. • On March 12th there is a Minnesota Department of Health Open House on PFCS, Oakland Jr. High School, 6-9 p.m. • The City Council will be selecting the various development scenarios to gather information for the AUAR process at its March 18, 2008 City Council Meeting. Mayor Johnston adjourned the meeting at 10:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sharon Lumby, City Clerk. Resolution No. 2008-013 payment of claims LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 4, 2008 5