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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/11/2013LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 4 June 11, 2013 Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. Councilors present: Roxanne Grove, Mary Gaasch, Denise Hawkinson, Lara Mac Lean and Mayor Jeff Dains. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator; and Kevin Kelly, Deputy City Clerk. Mayor Dains asked for changes to the meeting agenda. Butkowski added the Larpenteur Avenue Project to the agenda. Councilor Grove moved to approve the amended agenda. Councilor Gaasch seconded the agenda and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the May 28, 2013 City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved approval of the claims totaling $82,064.90. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Hawkinson moved adoption of the Consent Agenda approving the Agreement with Tennis Sanitation for Bulky Waste Collection. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Informational Presentation: Bownik stated the Music under the Trees events this summer will be held on June 24 and July 15. The Falcon Heights -Lauderdale Lion's Club is sponsoring the music at this year's events. Schwan's will be handing out frozen treats and will be at Community Park from 3:00-9:00 p.m. with their food products for sale. Discussion/Action Items: Front -Yard Variance Request for 1728 Malvern Street Bownik said Jeremy and Jessica Newhouse would like to rebuild their fire damaged home 21 feet from the front property line. Due to the average of the adjacent clause in city code, he could build 24.5 feet from the front property line without a variance. He is requesting a 3.5 foot variance from the front -yard setback. Mayor Dains opened the hearing regarding the variance at 7:45 p.m. Jeremy Newhouse, the owner of the property at 1728 Malvern, addressed the Council. Newhouse stated he would like to encroach into the front setback with the construction of his new home. Newhouse stated he LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 4 June 11, 2013 enjoys living in the neighborhood and the setback variance would allow his family to have a larger backyard for his children to play in. No one else came forward and Mayor Dains closed the hearing at 7:47 p.m. The Council discussed the comments made by Newhouse during the public hearing and in his application. They felt the request was reasonable as it would make the neighborhood more family -friendly, which is a goal of the City Council. Councilor Hawkinson moved approval of the 3.5 foot front -yard variance request for Jeremy and Jessica Newhouse, owners of 1728 Malvern Street. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Skyview Park Fence Bownik presented quotes for different styles of fencing for the northern property line of Skyview Park. Bownik stated that the Park and Community Involvement Committee recommended a wood cedar privacy style fence. Earl Peterson, owner of 1738 Walnut Street, addressed the Council. He said he would like to see a privacy style fence constructed beyond his clothes line (on City property). Peterson stated there can be quite a bit of noise from the park and suggested the City plant trees or a community garden to help decrease sound from the park. Doug Voges of 1731 Malvern addressed the Council. He stated the Park is in the back of his property and enjoys the Park and the views of the downtown skyline. Councilors were concerned about the maintenance of the fence and how a community garden would work in this Park space. Mayor Dains tabled a decision on the fence until the property corners are identified and the exact location of the property line is known. 2014 Police Contract with. the City of St. Anthony The Council had previously reviewed the draft agreement. No changes were recommended so final approval of the agreement was moved. Councilor Gaasch moved approval of the 2014 Police Contract with the City of St. Anthony. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 4 June 11, 2013 Railroad Agreement To complete the sewer lining project, the City and its contractor need to get a permit from MT Properties (Minnesota Commercial Railway). The agreement was prepared in coordination with the city attorney and legal staff from the League of Minnesota Cities. The permit is ongoing so the City will not need an agreement for any future work on the sewer line. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the agreement with MT Properties as presented. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Additional Items: Pedestrian Improvements on Larpenteur Avenue Geoff Martin from Stantec updated the Council on the progress of the Larpenteur Avenue pedestrian improvement project. Martin segmented the proposed plans into different phases with the costs for each phase itemized. The phases included the area on the north side of Larpenteur from TH280 to Fulham Street. The work incorporated plantings, bus shelters, street lighting, improved and expanded sidewalks, and stormwater improvements. Councilor Grove moved approval of Stantec continuing to work on the pedestrian improvement plan including ordering lights through the City of St. Paul and bus shelters through Metro Transit. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Agenda items for the June 25 Council Meeting may include a discussion of the Animal Control Ordinance, the Planned Unit Development agreements with Croix Oil, and further work on the Larpenteur Avenue project. Mayor Dains explained that the Council was moving into the work session. Work sessions are a continuation of the meeting but not aired on community television. Mayor Dains asked if anyone wished to address the Council. Brian Olson of 1592 Roselawn Avenue in Falcon Heights addressed the Council. He noted that the addresses of the properties being discussed in the closed session were not included in the packet. Mayor Dains responded that he would be reading the addresses into the public record prior to closing the meeting. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 4 June 11, 2013 The Mayor said the Council was going into a closed session to discuss the purchase of real property. The addresses of the properties being discussed are 2424, 2430, 2436, and 2448 Larpenteur Avenue. Closed Session: The Council went into closed session at 9:28 p.m. The Council came out of closed session at 10:15 p.m. The Mayor announced that the Council had taken no action during the closed session. There being no further business on the council agenda, Councilor Hawkinson moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m. Respectfull submitted, Kevin Ke ly Deputy City Clerk