Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2005/03/2811, PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW CITY COUNCIL ~ ~ ~ ~--~~~ • CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW ~_ -- RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA r.. Regular Meeting March 28, 2005 Mounds View City Hall 2401 Highway 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 7:00 P.M. 1. MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Marty announced Boy Scout Troop 167 was unable to attend tonight's meeting, 3. ROLL CALL: Marty, Stigney, Gunn, Flaherty, and Thomas 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A. Monday, March 28, 2005 City Council Agenda. • MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Flaheriy. To Approve the Monday March 28, 2005 agenda as presented. Ayes -5 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 5. PUBLIC INPUT Tom Winiecki, 2700 .Sherwood Road,. asked when the road between. Groveland, Red Oak, and Sherwood was going to be done. Public Works Director Lee stated that it is not in the current five-year plan. Mr. Winiecki stated that his road is in very bad condition and needs to be fixed soon. Carol Mueller, 8343 Groveland Road, stated that there are severe speeding issues on Groveland Road. She stated that the police are good about patrolling Highway 10, but she asked for more patrolling on the community streets to protect the children. Public Works Director Lee stated that one of the opportunities that the City would have in the future when they redo Groveland Road is to narrow it and have a sidewalk. • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 2 Brian Amundsen, 3048 Woodale Drive, asked the Council to direct staff to put up a complete • five-year comprehensive plan for the street projects and any decisions that have been made either in work sessions or by previous Councils in regard to policies about the construction of roads. He stated there could be a significant savings by reconstructing rather than adding concrete curb and gutter. He asked whether the full financial study of the street project would be made available to the public. He stated by his calculations, he would be paying about $500 more in taxes just for street improvements, so he didn't think it was correct that it would only cost him $3,000 for the current project. He stated he was disappointed that the Council approved a feasibility study last session that had no options in it. Mayor Marty stated that the Council started working on this in the late 1990's, the citizens didn't want their streets fixed because the costs were so exorbitant. He stated that several years ago he brought up the fact that the bonding rates were low, so everyone in the city would pay a smaller portion when the streets are made. Mr. Amundsen stated that he is not opposed to the roads being repaired, but he questioned the manner of financing them, the impact on the watershed, and the use of concrete curb and gutter. Council Member Thomas stated that the feasibility study doesn't lock them into anything, and the project has not been approved at this point, so discussions will be ongoing. Council Member Stigney stated that Mr. Amundsen might be correct, and this looks good now, but it's projected. • Finance Director Hansen stated that the bonds they've sold and will continue to sell will be 10- year bonds, and the first bond was sold last year. He stated they are levying the tax for the first time this year. In nine years, they will levy the tax for the last year's bond, so the next ten years the debt service levy will continue to grow, and then it will level off. He stated the existing TIF Districts will reach the end of their life span in about the eighth or ninth year of that timeframe, and then that value comes back onto the general tax rolls, which would help spread out the tax burden a little bit farther. He stated that it's hard to calculate exactly what the benefit will be, but the tax levy is going to grow significantly if they follow the course as is, so he didn't want to underestimate that. Council Member Stigney stated he hasn't seen projections or dollar figures after nine or ten years for what the tax burden is going to be, so he would still like to see that. Finance Director Hansen stated that he had seen that because it was part of the last year. Council Member Stigney stated that as long as they are preparing it for Mr. Amundsen's request, he would like that brought forth to let the residents see it and also to put it in Mounds View Matters. David Jahnke, 8420 Eastwood Road, asked whether it was better to do concrete curb and gutters. • He stated they had put a lot of money into the golf course, and they maybe could have used that Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 3 • for the roads. He stated that sometimes the voters don't want to spend the money on the streets, so it goes to pieces. Mayor Marty stated that they need to take aggressive action regarding the streets. He stated that the original program was that since the city didn't have any money, they were going to assess the residents, and the residents were up in arms over having to pay the total cost of the project. He stated that they then started earmarking half of the money from the franchise fee for the street fund, which generates about $200,000 per year. He stated that the streets are past fixing, so they need to put in new ones or else no one would want to live in Mounds View. David Jahnke asked whether if a group of residents wanted their street fixed now if they could come to the Council or Public Works. Public Works Director Lee stated that they would be very happy to receive input from residents in order to start mapping out areas where the people are in favor of the street repair, and they could then focus their attention on those areas. Mayor Many asked whether Public Works Director Lee had been in charge of a street program in another city prior to working at Mounds View, and Mr. Lee stated that he had been. He stated that once the street projects began, the residents realized what they were getting for their money and that it raised their properly values. • Jerry ,brought up the question of how to get the residents to respond. He stated that all affected residents had received a notice of the February 17a' neighborhood meeting, and that the feasibility report and a feedback form would be given out at that meeting. He stated that at the February 17~' meeting, all present received the 58-page report. He stated that all affected residents received notice of the March 14~' meeting, and again a copy of the 58-page report was given. He stated that notice was again given in the New Brighton/Mounds View Bulletin on March 9~', and notice was given in the Mounds View/New Brighton/St. Anthony Focus on March 10~'. He stated that Public Works Director Lee had done anabove-board job of informing the residents. He stated that a petition may already be in circulation. He stated he hoped that whoever was circulating the petition asks the residents to read the report so that they are informed before signing the petition. He stated they've had meetings for projects like the street and utility repair and the County Road H sidewalk repair, and that is good to a point and as it should be, but he felt that they overlapped. He stated he felt there had been wasted time by having so many meetings. He stated the city had done a tremendous job of presenting the report and showing slides and pictures. He asked why the Council members had not been present at the prior meetings so additional time wouldn't have been wasted with questions by the Council raising the same questions that had already been addressed at the previous meetings. He stated he felt too much time is being wasted by criticizing the Rice Creek Watershed District, and it would be a very sad day if they didn't have that organization. He stated that Rice Creek Watershed District's mission statement is to prevent flooding and to enhance water quality and harmony with the development for the common good. He stated he agreed with Council Member Thomas to a point regarding her statement that areas in the city are different, and residents should • be able to have a say in what they want. He stated he felt the city should have uniformity because Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 4 all the streets belong to all the residents, and not just a few in a certain section. He stated that • maybe they should have acity-wide feasibility report to cover five years, with adjustments to the areas that have already been completed, and send all residents a survey form. He stated that the new City Council is a breath of fresh air, and that the employees of the city have been doing an excellent job. Council Member Stigney stated that Public Works Director Lee has done an excellent job, and he asked whether he had any thoughts on how they could get the 75 percent of the people to respond that haven't. He stated he had asked if the neighborhood meetings could be videotaped, and he would have viewed that had he had the opportunity. Jerry stated that they should go by the people that have responded, and that is what they should go by since apparently the others don't care. He reiterated the need to educate the residents when the petition is brought around. 6. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUISNESS None. 7. JUST AND CORRECT CLAIMS. Council Member Stigney asked what the $1,337 for Elliot and Hendrickson for the Community Center Banquet Center improvements was for. . Public Works Director Lee stated it was for the redesign of the entryway to the Banquet Center that SEH did and also for some consulting regarding sprucing up the Banquet Center. Council Member Stigney asked if that fell under the heading of equipment. City Administrator Ulrich stated he didn't know why that title was used, and it seems a bit inappropriate. Council Member Gunn asked about page 6, No. 115717, and whether that was for water filters. Council Member Thomas stated that it was. Mayor Marty asked about page 1, No. 115690, building permit surcharge report. He asked what building that was for. Finance Director Hansen stated that when permits are issued, there is a state surcharge, and this is for the fourth quarter of last year. Mayor Marry asked about page 5, No. 115705, waste recovery, and whether they burned the recycled oil. • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 5 • Public Works Director Lee stated that this was for cleanup of a hydraulic spill that occurred on Irondale. Mayor Marty asked about page 5, No. 115712, for $1,700. Public Works Director Lee stated that is was for adding an additional outlet for the electrical ovens that were added to the Community Center. Council Member Stigney asked if the Banquet Center was paying for that. Public Works Director Lee stated that he was not sure. City Administrator Ulrich stated that he would have to check. Mayor Marty asked about page 7, No. 115728. He asked if it was for the meth lab. Director Ericson stated that it was for a property that the department had issued a corrective order on. It had been deemed a hazardous building. He stated there were some structural issues, and Kennedy and Graven were helping them to issue the orders. Mayor Marty asked if this was billed to the property owner or if the city had to absorb the legal fees. • Director Ericson stated that he wasn't sure, but it may be something the city would need to pay to maintain a healthy neighborhood. Mayor Many stated that since the property is abandoned, would somebody still have to pay for it. Director Ericson stated that somebody owes it, and they will try to work out that issue. Mayor Marty stated he would like to see that happen. He asked about page 11, No. 115761, Silverview Park Pond. He asked if this was the final bill. Public Works Director Lee stated that this is the final bill on that, and the project is complete. MOTION/SECOND. Thomas/Flaherty. To approve the Just and Correct Claims as Presented. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. 8. CONSENT AGENDA Council Member Flaherty stated he would like to pull Item E. Mayor Marty stated he would like to pull Item A. • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 6 A. Resolution 6480 Approving the Purchase of Items Associated with the 2005 • Parks Improvement Project. B. Resolution 6483 Approving the Hire of a Part-time Temporary Building Inspector. C. Resolution 6486 Approving the Contract Award for the 2005 Tree Removal Program. D. Licenses for Approval E. Resolution 6489 Approving Expenditure of Funds to Repair Roof Top Unit No. 4 at the Community Center. MOTION/SECOND. Thomas/Gunn. To approve Items B, C, and D of the Consent Agenda as presented. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. A. Resolution 6480 Approving the Purchase of Items Associated with the 2005 Parks Improvement Project. Mayor Many asked if it was going to be about $8,000 to do the parking lot. Public Works Director Lee stated that it was, and the crack sealing would be done in 2005, and they would include the rest of the parking lot as a chip seal, with a larger street chip sealing project in 2006. He stated they are hoping to get better bids on that to be included with the larger • project. Mayor Marty stated he didn't notice it in 2006 and he asked if it was on there. Public Works Director Lee stated that this is just from 2005. Mayor Marty stated this is just 2004, and the total cost estimate carried over from 2004 was $23,353, and this year the total cost estimate is $38,400. He asked whether all of these were absolutely necessary and if the funding was coming from the Park and Recreation dedication fee. Public Works Director Lee stated that that was correct, and the funds utilized would be coming completely from the Park Dedication Fund. Mayor Marty stated that on the summation of the 2005 Park Dedication Fund, it's $43,200 that was budgeted. He stated that the Park Dedication Fund is spending down rapidly at this point, especially with the Groveland Park building. He stated he didn't want this Council to do as other Council's had done such as spending the street fund down to zero. Finance Director Hansen stated he didn't recall the exact numbers, but the Park Dedication Fund at the end of 2004 had between $400,000 and $500,000. He stated over the next three or four years the Park Dedication Fund does get spent down to zero, but even if they were to cut some of • these items, without new money coming into the Park Dedication Fund, at some point it is going Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 7 • to be spent down to zero, and they will have to find some other source of funding in order to continue to do park improvements. He stated with the exception of a big Medtronics type project, they are not going to have a continuous flow of new Park Dedication fees. He stated there would be a few fees, but it wouldn't be enough in the long run to maintain the parks, and eventually they'll have to look for a different source of funding for the parks. Mayor Marty stated the reason he raised the question was when he was first elected to the Council, he was a liaison to the Park and Recreation Commission, and at that time the Park and Recreation Commission had decided that the fund was relatively healthy. He stated that ever since then, they've been spending the park dedication fees as they been coming in, and he's concerned they'll have to start taxing people to keep up with the parks. Council Member Gunn stated that the things on the list need to be, and if they don't maintain these items now, they will be spending way more money in the future to get these items fixed. Mayor Marty stated that he realized that, but he wanted to make sure these items were absolutely necessary. Council Member Thomas asked what number they were talking about as far as interest on this in a year. Finance Director Hansen stated that there is a conservative group of investments he can invest • the City's money in, so there isn't a great interest rate. He stated in 2004 it was 2 percent. He stated at the end of the year it may raise to 3 percent. MOTION/SECOND. Marty/Flaherty. To waive the reading and approve Resolution 6480 Approving the Purchase of Items Associated with the 2005 Parks Improvement Project. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. E. Resolution 6489 Approving Expenditure of Funds to Repair Roof Top Unit No. 4 at the Community Center. Council Member Flaherty stated that after looking this over, it was going to cost $8,000 to replace these items. He stated he thought 2-4 days for two technicians to change out the heat exchanger would be excessive. He asked if they knew what the past BTU's used were. Public Works Director Lee stated he couldn't answer that because he didn't have the specs on that particular unit. Council Member Flaherty stated he felt four days would be excessive to replace that kind of heat exchanger. Public Works Director Lee stated that four days is the worst case scenario, and most likely it • would only be two days. Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 8 Mayor Marty asked whether it could then come back as $6,500 or $7,000. • Public Works Director Lee stated that the original estimate was around $5,000, but they had given the worst case estimate. Council Member Flaherty asked if they knew what the cost of a new one would be. Public Works Director Lee stated that he didn't have that information, but he could look it up. Council Member Thomas stated she had also wanted to pull this item because the numbers were jumping out at her, and this company has been maintaining this piece of equipment for three and a half years, and it keeps failing. She asked why there wasn't better planning on this unit since there has been constant work on it. Public Works Director Lee stated that UHL was hired to fix all the corrections that were identified in their report that was put together 3 %Z years ago. He stated he didn't know how detailed that report was, but he didn't think this particular one had been identified in that report. He stated there were a lot of issues with it at the Community Center, and they had been making corrections over the last three years. Council Member Thomas asked if this was the same unit they had been talking about before. Ma or M stated he didn't recalls ecificall . • Y ~Y p Y Council Member Thomas stated she didn't mean to say they were falling down on the job, but she felt this was the same unit they had been having trouble with significantly over the last four years. Public Works Director Lee stated that the breakdown was caused by plastic gears that sheared and broke and the shutter door didn't open. He stated that the proposal was to put metal gears in to make sure this didn't happen again. Mayor Marty asked if they had looked into them, if they had plastic gears, if they could do some preventative maintenance. Public Works Director Lee stated he would have to look into that. He stated he could research that and make sure that the other units are checked so they don't have the same failure. Mayor Marty stated he would prefer to have them check it and maybe do some preventative maintenance so they wouldn't have to spend more money later. Council Member Flaherty stated that it seemed to be a lot of money to replace a heat exchanger. He asked if they had ever contacted Carrier and asked them for a recommendation. • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 9 • Public Works Director Lee stated that the logic with using UHL is they know the system, and it would be cheaper than using a company that didn't know the details of it. Council Member Flaherty stated he would like a better breakdown on what the $8,000 would be used for. Mayor Marry asked if they wanted to move to table this item until they got more information. Council Member Gunn asked what the incentive was for them to get it done in two days for the $5,000. Public Works Director Lee stated that the City has built a very good trust relationship with UHL. Council Member Stigney asked if there was any warranty on this and for what time period. Public Works Director Lee stated that he would have to get back to him on that because he didn't know if there was a warranty on the gears they were putting in. Council Member Stigney asked what "all materials guaranteed to be specified" meant in the second paragraph of UHL's proposal. Public Works Director Lee stated he didn't know what that meant. • Council Member Stigney asked whether anyone had gone back to the manufacturer for their recommendations. Council Member Flaherty stated that they couldn't go back to the factory because they would send them to a distributor. Council Member Gunn asked how urgent this matter was. Public Works Director Lee stated that it could be tabled until the next Council meeting, and right now the unit is red tagged and shut off, and due to the time of year, it should be okay to wait. MOTION/SECOND. Thomas/Flaherty. To table this item until the next Council meeting. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. Bill Werner, 2765 Sherwood Road, asked if it turned out to be $5,000 if the Council would was going to accept less money. Mayor Marty stated that they were going to pay less money. Mr. Warner asked if anybody would be embarrassed about working with the lower bid, and then having it come back to them and asking for more if it's really necessary. Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 10 Mayor Marty stated that it has to be at a Council meeting, and if UHL got to the $5,000 mark and • said they were not working past that by their contract, they may stop at that point. Mr. Werner stated that it was more complicated than he thought. Council Member Stigney asked if they estimate $5,000, and they went up to $8,000, whether there hadn't always been something about going 10 percent over the estimate to allow for contingencies. He asked why this is so high compared to the $5,000. Public Works Director Lee stated he understood it was the difference between having two technicians working two days versus four days. and there is uncertainty about the time it's going to take to do that. 9. COUNCIL BUSINESS. A. 7:05 p.m. Public Hearing to Consider the Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 758, an Ordinance Limiting Garbage Pickup to Thursdays only. (ROLL CALL VOTE) Public Works Director Lee stated that this was first introduced to the City Council on March 1 at a work session, and the introduction of the first reading of this ordinance provision was presented on March 14th. It's now being presented as the second reading to change the garbage hauling for • residential properties from Wednesday and Thursday to just Thursday, and this does not pose a problem to any of the current haulers. Mayor Marty opened the public hearing at 8:17 p.m. Brian Amundsen, 3048 Woodale, asked why the city felt the need to restrict the haulers to a single day of the week. He urged the Council to vote against this item because he thought they need two days so the haulers have an opportunity to be able to cut their costs by attending to the city on a day when they may have excess labor available. Mayor Marty stated that there was an issue with residents who worked nights who couldn't sleep when the garbage trucks were making so much noise many days of the week. Brian Amundsen stated he thought this would freeze out competition. Council Member Thomas stated that the haulers they have are willing to work within this schedule, and she didn't feel that the competition had any problem with it. She asked that if the haulers had a problem with this schedule, they could bring it back to the Council. She stated it's not something they couldn't change again. Dave Jahnke asked if they've compared the cost to other cities that have one hauler. He asked if their rates were higher than the way it's done in Mounds View. Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 11 • Mayor Marry stated it could be, but different haulers provide different services. Mr. Jahnke stated maybe it could be done cheaper if there was one hauler doing every house on every street. Mayor Marty stated that the hauler that they may choose might not provide the services that you've grown accustomed to, and he believes in competition. Council Member Thomas stated that she knows of several places where it's more expensive, and they are trying to get rid of it, but because of contract issues, it's very difficult. Council Member Stigney stated he was opposed to a single hauler, especially with the government involved in it. Mayor Marty stated that it was unfortunate that Larry's Sanitation had sold out because he had performed many services for the residents of Mounds View. Bill Siercks, 2210 Pinewood Drive, stated he would strenuously oppose having one hauler. Mayor Marty closed the public hearing. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Flaherty. To waive the reading and adopt Ordinance 758, an • Ordinance Limiting Garbage Pickup to Thursdays only. ROLL CALL: (Marty/.Stigney/Gunn/Flaherty/Thomas) Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. B. 7:10 p.m. Public Hearing to Consider Resolution 6484, a Resolution Pertaining to an Interim Use Permit for a Temporary Membrane Structure at the Mermaid Banquet and Entertainment Center. Director Ericson stated that this item was to request to have a temporary outdoor membrane structure at the Mermaid in order to have a more informal setting for outdoor events and receptions. He stated the City Council had adopted Ordinance 735, which lists the regulations to be associated with outdoor temporary structures, and there are a number of conditions that would have to be met, and this structure does satisfy all of those regulations. He stated that the Planning Commission recommends approval for the interim use permit for a five year period, and the applicant has no problem with that. He stated the resolution includes a route to bring this back to the Council if there are any issues at any time during the five year period. He stated that the membrane is allowed to be there for 180 days out of the year. He stated that notice was sent to properly owners within 350 feet. Mayor Marty opened the public hearing. • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 12 Brian Amundsen, 3048 Woodland Drive, stated that an ordinance was passed that didn't allow • property owners to have a structure on their property such as this, and he was concerned about unequal treatment of business and residences. He stated he thought this tent had been put up for a temporary use during a phase of construction. He stated that the tent is not attractive. Director Ericson stated that allowing similar type structures in a residential district had been voted down by the City Council, but that the ordinance relating to commercial or industrial districts was adopted, and this structure is consistent with the Code. Mayor Marty closed the public hearing. Council Member Gunn asked whether they still needed this tent structure after the addition of the banquet facilities downstairs. Dan Hall stated that they did. He stated that this was never put up for a temporary use during construction, and that it was put up a year after the construction had been completed. He stated it is booked out every weekend until it's taken down, along with the downstairs room. Council Member Stigney asked whether he had plans to make a permanent structure out of that. Mr. Hall stated he didn't believe a permanent structure could be built there, plus the membrane structure is the most popular booking. He stated that the tent does not degrade Mounds View and that it cost about $250,000. • Council Member Stigney asked whether he had any plans to upgrade to a more permanent structure. Mr. Hall stated that he didn't believe he would be allowed to put one there. Council Member Thomas stated she disagreed with Mr. Amundsen, and if there are inconsistencies between residential and commercial, she didn't think the answer was to deny the commercial properties, and this isn't the only structure like this. She stated perhaps the issue of residential properties could be readdressed at some point, but there is a need for the businesses to be able to conduct their business. Mayor Marty stated he concurred,. and the Planning Commission had spent a lot of time discussing this issue and writing the Code, and the Fire Marshal had been involved. MOTION/SECOND. Stigney/Marty. To waive the reading and approve Resolution 6484, a Resolution Pertaining to an Interim Use Permit for a Temporary Membrane Structure at the Mermaid Banquet and Entertainment Center, as presented. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. MOTION/SECOND. Thomas/Gunn. To Approve Resolution 6484, A Resolution Pertaining • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 13 • to an Interim Use Permit for a Temporary Membrane Structure at the Mermaid Banquet and Entertainment Center. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. C. 7:15 p.m. Public Hearing to Consider a Request for a Conditional Use Permit for an Oversized Garage at 5343 Clifton Drive. Director Ericson stated that the applicant would like to add 456 square feet onto the back of their garage, which is currently 576 square feet. He stated that the addition wouldn't be visible from the street, and that it met all the requirements regarding setback, garage height, and garage area accessory buildings, and back yard coverage area. He advised that the Planning Commission had held a public hearing, and staff received one letter that opposed the request. Others had come into review the plans, and none were opposed to the request. He stated the Planning Commission felt there would be no adverse effects by approving the Conditional Use Permit Application. He stated that the property would have a more aesthetic appearance by reducing the amount of items being stored outside of the garage. He stated that the individual who wrote the letter in opposition had noise concerns, but that the garage addition would actually reduce the noise. Mayor Marty opened the public hearing. There being no public comment, the public hearing was closed. • Council Member Flaherty asked whether there had been any violations of the noise ordinance due to the race cars. Director Ericson stated they had not looked into whether there had been actual noise violations. Council Member Flaherty asked whether the garage would house the fifth wheel in the winter time. Mr. Siercks stated that it would not, and it would be in the driveway. He stated that none of the neighbors have complained, and he didn't think the noise would be that bad for the individual who lived on Raymond Avenue. He stated that his son never unloads the cars in the middle of the night. Council Member Thomas stated that this had been thoroughly reviewed by the Planning Commission, and the applicant had changed their plans several times to accommodate any concerns that the city or the neighbors might have, and she didn't think they could find a hardship to the city. She stated she was in favor of this application. Mayor Many stated that he concurred, and that the applicants had done everything they could to comply. • Council Member Stigney stated that he had watched the Planning Commission meetings, and he Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 14 supports this application. • MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Thomas. To waive the reading and to approve Resolution 6482, Conditional Use Permit for an Oversized Garage at 5343 Clifton Drive. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. D. 7:20 p.m. Public Hearing to consider Resolution 6487 to adopt the proposed assessment for the Hidden Hollow project. Public Works Director Lee stated that the Hidden Hollow project is nearing completion, and there are a few punch list items that need to be completed, as well as putting bituminous on the streets. He stated the proposal is to assess one property owner $395,596.63, and the property owner, Pro Craft Homes, has subdivided the property into 171ots, so the assessment would be divided equally among those lots, which would be $23,270.39 per lot. He stated that staff recommends approval of the assessment roll for the Hidden Hollow project. Mayor Marty opened the public hearing. Gary Nordness thanked the Council and staff for their support of this project, and he stated that they accept the assessment. He stated he had talked about a 4 percent interest rate charge instead of 5 1/2, so that was the only question he had. He stated it was his understanding the payment • would be deferred unti12006, but he asked the Council to take into consideration when that payment is due and when the interest begins. He stated that the home prices are between $400,000-$500,000, and that increased the tax base considerably. Finance Director Hansen stated that the 4 percent was specific to the installment purchase price of the land, and that is what was charged. He stated that although the assessment is set up as a ten-year assessment, as they close on the houses, they would be paying off the assessment, so it wouldn't be out there for ten years. He stated that the assessment would only exist for a few months, and up to two years. Gary Nordness stated that they anticipated paying off six lots prior to the October 25~' deadline. Finance Director Hansen stated that interest would accrue on the remainder. Gary Nordness stated he thought interest would accrue until it was assessed, and he thought Finance Director Hansen had said it would be put on the tax rolls and paid, and they hadn't talked about accruing interest. Finance Director Hansen stated that he didn't recall that part of the discussion. He stated that on the houses that would take another year or two to complete, there wouldn't be any payment due unti12006. • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 15 Gary Nordness stated he understood that, but that's accruing interest up until that point. Finance Director Hansen stated that he didn't recall the agreement being that there would be no interest on the assessment. Gary Nordness stated that they were just bringing that up for consideration as far as if there was a deferral until the assessment is due, and then they would pay down whatever they got as they sell it. Finance Director Hansen stated that it would be up to the Council if they wanted to change the terms of the agreement. Gary Nordness stated that they weren't arguing about the assessment or the dollar amount. Mayor Many asked if the assessment was for the street construction and the utility installations. Gary Nordness stated it's the streets, utilities, curb, and gutter. Mayor Marty asked if that had already been provided. Gary Nordness stated that it had been, with the exception of some minor details. • Mayor Marty asked if the City had paid for this at the present time. Finance Director Hansen stated that there was a bit of finishing work that is estimated in here, and the great majority of the work has been done and paid for. Mayor Marty stated the reason this was constructed was for their project, so the City had done their part of it so they could build the homes. He stated that apparently a number of them had been sold already. He asked when the first one was going to be done. Gary Nordness stated that it would close on Apri122. Council Member Thomas stated that it would make sense to her as far as planning wise, that the work is done, and it would make sense that the assessment would be in place now and the interest would accrue because the work is done. She stated she would be most comfortable leaving the terms as they are. Council Member Gunn read the Resolution aloud. Brian Amundsen, 3048 Woodale Drive, stated that he didn't like the fact that the Council had purchased pieces of this property, and he would like them to reconsider getting involved in the purchase of property and then bundling it and reselling it to developers. He would like to see the developers working with the individual property owners directly. He stated he was disappointed • that all the trees were wiped out in the area, and he had understood that as many as possible trees Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 16 were going to be saved. • Mayor Marry stated that there were issues with grading and elevation levels, and a pond also had to be created, so that may have had an impact on some of the scrub trees. Gary Nordness stated that the initial water table was only 2 %2 feet, so putting in the basements meant taking out the trees, and also the ponding had taken out a range of trees. He stated they had tried to save as many trees as they could. Mayor Marty closed the public hearing. Council Member Flaherty stated that the City generally does not buy property unless there is a plan for it. Mayor Marty stated that that is the consensus of this City Council, and the City had owned a portion of that piece of property for a period of time, and they had purchased one other house a number of years ago. MOTION/SECOND. Flaherty/Thomas. To waive the reading and to approve Resolution 6487, to adopt the proposed assessment for the Hidden Hollow project. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. E. 7:25 .m. Public Hearin to consider Resolution 6488 to ado t the ro osed • P g P P P assessment for the Mounds View Manufactured Home Park Second Access Project. Public Works Director Lee stated this project is now complete, and the total project cost is $17,789.80. He stated the proposed assessment is $16,508.75 to the manufactured home community. Mayor Many opened the public hearing. There being no public comment, the public hearing was closed. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Flaherry. To waive the reading and approve Resolution 6488 to adopt the proposed assessment for the Mounds View Manufactured Home Park Second Access Project. Kathy Pearson, manager of the Mounds View Manufactured Home Park, stated that this has slowed the traffic down immensely, and everybody likes it. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. F. Presentation by Architect and Construction Manager for the Fire Station • Construction Project and Resolution 6479 in Support of Selection of Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 17 Architect and Construction Manager by the City of Blaine. Dan Pellanan, from Montgomery Architects, stated they would be coming to the Council at a later time to go over the design, and they are simply here to recommend approval for architectural services for Fire Station No. 3, which is located in Blaine. He stated Montgomery Architects is a 25 year old company, and there are 26 people on staff. He stated that most of their projects range from $3-$7 million. He stated that they do about 120 projects per year. Pat Simms, the project manager for Bossard Construction, stated that the company is 22 years old, and they do $100,000,000 worth of construction each year. He stated that most of their work is publicly funded for school districts, cities, and counties. He stated that their office is located in Bloomington, and there are 30 people in the office. Nyle Zikmund, Fire Chief, stated that the architect's fee is 7 %2 percent of the construction cost, which will equate to roughly $300,000, and the construction management fee is about $300,000 also. He explained the reasoning for choosing this architect firm and construction company. He stated that the contract is scheduled for approval before the Blaine City Council on April 7th. He stated that the closing of the property is pending, and the purchase price has been agreed to, but there are ongoing negotiations with the property owners along the new frontage road. Mayor Many asked if the soil testing had been done. Chief Zikmund stated that they are anticipating having some soil correction, and they are anticipating ponding on the site. He gave an explanation of the soil borings that had been done. Council Member Flaherty asked if he could explain change orders and cost overruns. Mr. Pellanan stated that there would be three phases of design, and they are going to do estimates at each of the phases to make sure that the project is tracking on budget. He stated that there will inevitably be change orders during construction, but their goal would be to minimize that through the different estimates. He stated they would carry a five percent contingency when they send it out for bid, so if they get five or ten percent over, the project would still be considered on budget. Council Member Stigney asked who would be going out for the bid. City Attorney Riggs stated it would be a competitive bid, and it would be what the subcontractors would bid at that point in time. He stated that he hasn't talked with the City Attorney for Blaine, and Blaine would be holding the contracts, and it's basically up to each community after that. Mayor Marty stated they want a nice looking fire station that is functional, but not extravagant. Chief Zikmund stated that Spring Lake Park has sent that same message, and the Blaine City Council . has scheduled a May 12th workshop to discuss the cost. He stated that the preliminary drawings Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 18 will be available in early July, and there will be a number of opportunities for the Council to give feedback on those. He stated they are confident they can build it for $26 million. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Flaherty. To waive the reading and approve Resolution 6479 in Support of Selection of Architect and Construction Manager by the City of Blaine. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. G. Resolution 6485 Approving Three 2005 Public Works Summer Seasonal Employee Positions. Public Works Director Lee stated that the Council had approved 7 of the 10 proposed positions for summer seasonal employees, and that page 2 of the report shows the funding sources from which the other three remaining positions could be budgeted from. He stated he had given a written report to the Council, and he summarized it. He stated that cutting the three positions would be cutting 15 percent of the summer work that has to be done, so he would propose approval of Resolution 6485. MOTION/SECOND. Thomas/Gunn. To waive the reading and adopt Resolution 6485 Approving Three 2005 Public Works Summer Seasonal Employee Positions. Council Member Thomas stated that the homework that had been done was excellent, and she has a lot of confidence in knowing the need is there for the workers. Council Member Stigney stated it was his view that they should try to get by with the seven seasonal employees that they had approved. Council Member Gunn stated that since they've budgeted for ten, and there is the number ten in there, they could go ahead with adding three more on. Mayor Marty stated that maybe the supervisors could keep a closer eye on the workers to make sure they are not just standing around. There was a discussion about where the funds would come from to pay for the seasonal employees. City Administrator Ulrich stated that if they receive any complaints, they will investigate those. He stated that there are a lot of hard workers in the Public Works Department, and he doesn't want them to be disparaged by the comments. Ayes-4 Nays-1 (Stigney) Motion carried. H. Resolution 6481 Approving the General Concept Plan fora 105-Room Expansion to the American Hotel at the Mermaid Event and Entertainment Center Located at 2200 County Road 10. • • • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 19 • Director Ericson stated that this is a proposed 105-room addition to the 70-room AmericInn. He stated that the site plan has an initial footprint of 81 rooms to the west. He advised that this is ahighly-occupied AmericInn, and this is an opportunity to capture greater use of the hotel, greater use of the Banquet and Convention Center by expanding the hotel. He stated the Planning Commission had looked at this issue, and there are two issues. One is the parking, and there are currently 825 stalls, and would be reduced to 775 after the addition is built. The Planning Commission had suggested checking with other facilities to see what their parking requirements were for similar facilities. He stated he had checked with the Northland Inn and Grand Rios, and they have less parking stalls for similar facilities, so staff feels confident that there is sufficient parking available. He stated that the second issue is that the addition would be within 12 feet to the property line, and the other line would be 30 feet, which is a standard building setback. The PUD required a 50-foot building setback because at the time there didn't appear to be the need to have any reduction of a building setback. The plan that was adopted with the renovation and expansion of the hotel originally, it didn't appear that there would be any further expansion of the site, so they went with a 50-foot setback. He stated that County Road H is not swell-traveled road during the evening hours. He stated that the Planning Commission would support the new setback. He stated the parking information from Grand Rios and the Northland Inn makes staff believe the parking is more than adequate. He stated that this resolution does not obligate the Council to approve the site plan when it is brought forward. Council Member Thomas stated she hoped the speed would be slow enough on the back side • coming in from Highway 10 as far as visibility goes. Dan Hall stated that it's actually the cars that block the visibility at this time. Council Member Thomas stated she was speaking of the cars on the road not seeing the cars coming out of the parking lot. Mr. Hall stated that the cars parked on both sides are what blocks the visibility, and once those cars are not parked there, that takes away the sight block. Council Member Gunn asked if the buildings are going to be connected. Mr. Hall stated that they would be and there is also a third floor skyway. Council Member Flaherty stated that parking is not the issue. He stated that traffic was what he was concerned about and he asked whether there had been a traffic study done recently for that area. Director Ericson stated that they have 2003 numbers for that. Council Member Thomas stated that since they are concerned about the 12-foot setback, whether they could have the six rooms on the east side be the conditional rooms. • Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 20 Mr. Hall stated that that could be arranged. He stated he is working with two different • developers, and he doesn't have an answer right now, but he is looking for approval for the 105 rooms. Council Member Stigney stated he has a problem with the setbacks they are proposing. He asked the applicant to seriously consider reconfiguring it. Council Member Thomas stated that there would definitely be more discussion in the future. MOTION/SECOND. Thomas/Flaherty. To waive the reading and approve Resolution 6481, Approving the General Concept Plan fora 105-Room Expansion to the American Hotel at the Mermaid Event and Entertainment Center Located at 2200 County Road 10. Ayes-4 Nays-1(Stigney) Motion carried. 10. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. February 7, 2005 Special City Council Minutes. Mayor Marty made a correction to page S, line 9, as follows: "He stated he would like civility maintained while speaking with citizens and to one another." MOTION/SECOND. Marty/Stigney. To approve the February 7, 2005 City Council Minutes as • amended. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. B. March 14, 2005 City Council Minutes. Numerous corrections were made by the Council on the March 14, 2005 Minutes, as well as a request for additional minutes in one section, and the Recording Secretary will be submitting a corrected set of Minutes in the near future. MOTION/SECOND. Thomas/Gunn. To approve the March 14, 2005 City Council Minutes as amended. Ayes-5 Nays-0 Motion carried. 11. REPORTS A. Reports of Mayor and Council Council Member Stigney stated he had filled in for the Mayor at the State Legislature last week when they were discussing TIF for possible redevelopment of the Bridges Golf Course, and the • end result was they were going to continue the discussion. Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 21 • Council Member Gunn gave a reminder about the smoking ban in all bars and restaurants that will go into effect on the 31St B. Staff City Administrator Ulrich gave a reminder that the City's town meeting will be held on Saturday, Apri130~'. 1. Golf Course Quarterly Report Mary Burg from the Bridges Golf Course stated that she didn't include financial information because they are still waiting for the financials from last year to be completed. She stated that the outdoor signs had been installed, and they had received their first payment of $62,000. She explained some of the work that has been done on the golf course over the winter months. She stated a lot of her time is spent on marketing strategies. She went over some of the flyers that they advertise in. She stated that the soil testing had been done. She stated that the taxpayer's taxes aren't impacted to help the golf course. Mayor Marty stated that there has always been a misconception that the golf course is costing the resident's money out of their pockets. He stated if the projections are right on, by the time it's paid off in 2018, it's anticipated that there will be $400,000 per year in income • that could be realized by the City. He noted that the Bridges Golf Course had out performed all other nine whole municipal courses in 2004. Ms. Berg stated she appreciated him making that comment. Dave Jahnke stated that he wanted a financial report with numbers on it, and not a slide presentation. Ms. Berg stated that there was a lot of financial information in the fall report, and she doesn't have any additional information to report now. Mr. Jahnke stated that Mounds View is not in good shape financially, and the green space at the Bridges is not helping to pay the bills. He stated that when they built the golf course, they told them how much money it was going to make, and they had hired a very expensive outfit to analyze it. Council Member Stigney stated that they had been told that after three years it was going to be contributing to the tax base. Mr. Jahnke stated that there are too many golf courses, and 15 have closed down already. He stated that it's a sad day when they can't run a golf course without getting income from a sign • company. Mounds View City Council March 28, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 22 Mayor Marty stated the golf course had submitted their numbers at the end of 2004, and the • golf course has been closed since, so that's why there aren't any new numbers. C. Reports of City Attorney None. 12. Nezt Council Work Session: Monday, Apri14, 2005 at 7pm Nezt Council Meeting: Monday, April 11, 2005 at 7pm Town Hall Meeting Saturday, April 30, 2005. 13. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:10 p.m. Transcribed and recorded by: Sheree Theobald Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. U