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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/11/2020LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 4 February 11, 2020 Call to Order Mayor Gaasch called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. Roll Call Councilors present: Andi Moffatt, Jeff Dains, and Mayor Mary Gaasch. Councilors absent: Roxanne Grove and Kelly Dolphin. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator; and Miles Cline, Deputy City Clerk. Approvals Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any additions to the meeting agenda. Mayor Gaasch stated that she would like to add a discussion regarding snow plowing to the Additional Items section of the agenda. There being nothing else, Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of the January 28, 2020 city council meeting. There being none, Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the minutes of the January 28, 2020 city council meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any questions on the claims. There being none, Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the claims totaling $83,678.44. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the Consent Agenda thereby approving pay request number 7 for Northdale Construction. Informational Presentations/Reports A. CTV 2019 Look Back by Dana Healy, Executive Director Dana Healy, CTV Executive Director, and Jared Wiedmeyer, Municipal Media Coordinator, were in attendance to provide an overview of their work in 2019. In addition to recapping last year, they also discussed upcoming projects and expectations for the future at CTV. B. City Council Updates Councilor Dains stated that the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization had the inaugural meeting for their comprehensive plan on February 11. Part of the discussion involved Lauderdale's High Density Residential Conservation Zoning Ordinance. Mayor Gaasch noted LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 4 February 11, 2020 that she had a conversation with Mitra Jalali of the St. Paul City Council about Breck Woods. They discussed Lauderdale's efforts to preserve them as much as possible. Gaasch thanked all of the warming house staff for their work this winter. Discussion/Action Items A. 2020 Community Event Schedule Assistant to the City Administrator Bownik approached the dais to give a presentation on the 2020 community events schedule. It was decided to keep similar times and dates as last year for the City -Wide Garage Sale, the farmers markets, Night to Unite, Day in the Park, and the Halloween party. B. Resolution No. 021120A Authorizing Application for CDBG Funds for Playground Improvements at Skyview Park In order to receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for Skyview Park, the City has to make an official application. Staff have prepared and submitted that. The final piece is City Council approval of the resolution showing support. Councilor Moffatt made a motion to adopt Resolution No. 021120A A Resolution Authorizing Application for Community Development Block Grant Funds for the Playground Improvements at Skyview Park. This was seconded by Councilor Dains and carried unanimously. C. Community Park Playground Woodchip Project Quotes Butkowski said the playground equipment at Community Park was installed in 2010 and 2011. Over the years, the woodchips have deteriorated. Fresh chips are brought in regularly but over time these woodchips have become moldy and highly decomposed leaving an undesirable surface. In talking with the playground vendors about Skyview Park, staff learned that this is normal and after about ten years a full replacement of the chips is necessary. We asked three vendors to provide quotes to remove the existing woodchips, repair the geotextile fabric, and bring in engineered wood fiber. Being that this is a project the community can help with, we asked them to identify the savings if community members were to spread the chips. As the playground surface is currently frozen, the vendors estimated how much is needed to be removed, and how many cubic yards of new chips need to be brought in. Staff asked them to provide comparative information to determine the best value, but the actual installation may be a little more or less depending on the volume of chips needed. These numbers are based on bringing in 280 cubic yards as each quote reflect a different volume being brought in. Flagship Recreation: $17,391 with full installation; 413,111 if we spread the chips. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 4 February 11, 2020 Midwest Playscapes: $18,246 with full installation; $16,846 if we spread the chips. GameTime: $39,399 with full installation; 431,569 if we spread the chips. After discussion, Councilor Moffatt made a motion to accept Flagship Recreation's quote for the removal and installation of wood chips at the Community Park and repair of underlayment per the quote provided. This was seconded by Councilor Dains and carried unanimously. Additional Items A. Snow Plowing Discussion Administrator Butkowski stated that Ramsey County Public Works would like the City to find another snow plowing option starting with the 2020-2021 season. They would like to move to larger equipment, optimize routes, and eliminate residential plowing to streamline their operations. Staff told them that an alternative would be hard to find as neighboring cities have their own plowing needs to meet, private contractors generally don't have plow trucks, and the cost to buy trucks and hire additional staff would be prohibitively expensive. Staff asked Ted Schoenecker, Ramsey County Engineer, to discuss internally what the City could do to be included as part of their operational changes. The Council agreed that Ramsey County was the most cost-effective option for plowing service and agreed that changes could be made if they allowed county staff to provide better plowing services as that has proven to be a challenge this year. The County will likely ask that cars be towed instead of ticketed as moving around parked cars with big equipment is difficult and leaves a lot of snow on the roadway. The Council directed staff to follow up with Schoenecker in the near future so that any changes could be determined and communicated to residents well ahead of the next winter season. Set Agenda for Next Meeting Administrator Butkowski stated that the February 25 council meeting may include the January financial report and front yard fence regulations. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end by 6:30 p.m. to allow for participation at the precinct caucuses that night. Work Session A. Opportunity for the Public to Address the City Council Mayor Gaasch opened the floor to anyone in attendance that wanted to address the Council. There being no interested parties to speak, Mayor Gaasch closed the floor. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 4 February 11, 2020 B. Community Development Updates Administrator Butkowski mentioned that City staff had a meeting on February 11 with Falcon Heights to discuss fixing an eroding ravine along the trolley tracks in the Nature Area. The project would require the participation of homeowners along the ravine. Butkowski mentioned that the City received a draft of a fire contract from St. Paul to review. Adjournment Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to adjourn the meeting at 9:03 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Heather Butkowski City Clerk -Administrator