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<br />Item No: 3 <br />Meeting Date: Aug 6, 2012 <br />Type of Business: Work Session <br />City of Mounds View Staff Report <br />To: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From: James Ericson, City Administrator <br />Item Title/Subject: Discuss Estimated MnDOT Signage Costs Associated with <br />County Road 10 Name Implementation Project <br /> <br />Introduction: <br /> <br />In 2011, the city councils from Blaine, Spring Lake Park and Mounds View met jointly to <br />discuss issues of common interest and mutual concern. One of the issues discussed was <br />the persisting confusion from having two similarly named highways bisecting the <br />communities. The City Councils asked that a task force be created to examine the issue <br />and to identify a name for County Road 10 <br /> <br />Discussion: <br /> <br />As a result of the Councils’ direction, a task force was established to consider possible <br />names for the County Road 10 corridor. The task force met in February, March and April <br />of 2012 and through these meetings a single name emerged to be recommended to the <br />City Councils—Northtown Boulevard. The three city councils met separately to informally <br />consider the name, and all the three bodies consented to the Task force’s <br />recommendation. <br /> <br />The next step was to (1) work with MnDOT to ascertain the estimated costs associated with <br />changing the signage on 35W, Highway 65 and Highway 47, and to (2) prepare a joint <br />powers agreement between the three cities to identify tasks and assign costs accordingly. <br />MnDOT staff had originally indicated to staff that the cost to swap out all the affected signs <br />could easily exceed $50,000. Staff notified MnDOT of the name to be implemented, and <br />they responded with an estimate that was significantly higher than anyone expected-- <br />$400,000. Little explanation was given to account for the huge discrepancy between their <br />original estimate and the more refined figure. <br /> <br />Direction: <br /> <br />Staff is requesting direction from the City Council as to how it should proceed, given the <br />new cost estimate from MnDOT. Staff has already heard from one of the other two cities, <br />which preliminarily indicated they would be unable to accommodate the additional cost. <br /> <br />Respectfully submitted, <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />________________________ <br />James Ericson <br />City Administrator <br />