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Mounds View City Council June 11, 2001 <br />Regular Meeting Page 7 <br /> <br />Council Member Stigney indicated he had not heard before that the pre-July 1, 1997 funds had <br />been expended. <br /> <br />Council Member Thomas stated she was not against the project but is against the fact that the <br />costs were raised by so much. She then indicated she would like to have the project re-evaluated <br />to determine if the project can be done less expensively as she feels $150,000 is too much to ask <br />the City to pay. <br /> <br />Council Member Marty asked how much of a delay the project could handle and still be <br />completed this construction year. <br /> <br />Economic Development Coordinator Parrish indicated he would pose the questions to the <br />engineer and see what, if anything, can be done. He then indicated that the only way to cut <br />money on the project as far as he was concerned is to make the project smaller but noted the City <br />would need to reduce the benefiting area and indicated making the pond smaller may not save <br />much money at all. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Ericson indicated that reducing the size of the pond may <br />actually increase the costs because there would be a need to go back through the engineering <br />process and a need for new documents. He then indicated he would be willing to bet that making <br />the pond smaller would increase the costs because of the extra engineering fees involved. <br /> <br />Council Member Thomas indicated that her question is not how to make the pond smaller but <br />how to make the pond fit the budget and whether that is possible. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Ericson indicated he was not sure if it could fit the budget. <br /> <br />Council Member Quick questioned what the funds would be used for if not for the pond. He <br />then stated that he thought the idea behind having TIF monies was to reinvest in the community <br />to enhance the City and make things work better rather than amassing a large sum of money in <br />the TIF fund. He further stated that he feels the TIF funds should be used rather than be left to sit <br />in the account and the City risk losing the funds. <br /> <br />Council Member Marty asked if there were any other uses for the land designated for the pond. <br /> <br />Economic Development Coordinator Parrish indicated the land needed to be used for a storm <br />water pond as the reason the Metropolitan Council deeded the land to the City was for a pond. <br />He also indicated the same was true for the School District. He further indicated that the clock <br />began running on the grant money in 1999 and the grant will expire on 12/31/01 which means the <br />funds need to be spent by then. He also noted that the City has made certain representations to <br />the School District that the construction of the pond would not have an impact on classes starting <br />this fall. <br /> <br />Council Member Marty indicated the $333,333 in grant monies needed to be spent or they would <br />be lost. He then indicated that if the City does not build the pond now it may be required to do so