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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 04252006I CITY OF ST. ANTHONY 2 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES 3 APRIL 25, 2006 4 5 CALL TO ORDER. 6 Mayor Faust called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 8 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 9 Mayor Faust invited the Council and audience to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance. 10 11 ROLL CALL. 12 Present: Mayor Faust; Councilmembers Gray, Horst, Stille, and Thuesen. 13 Absent: None. 14 Also Present: City Manager Mike Mornson, Assistant City Manager Kim Moore - Sykes, 15 and Finance Director Roger Larson. 16 17 CONSIDERATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ALL OF THE FOLLOWING 18 ITEMS. 19 20 I. APPROVAL OF APRIL 25, 2006 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA. 21 Motion by Councilmember Thuesen, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to approve the City 22 Council Meeting Agenda of April 25, 2006. 23 24 Motion carried unanimously, 25 26 II. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS. 27 A. Proclaiming May 21, 2006 as Minnesota Rock Day_ 28 29 Mayor Faust invited Councilmember Horst, who is spearheading this event and the liaison to the 30 Sister City Program, to present this item and read the proclamation. 31 32 Councilmember Horst explained that St. Anthony is working with Public Art Saint Paul on an 33 International Stone Carving Symposium from May 22 through the end of June. Rock carvers 34 from seven countries and local artists will create sculptures to be placed in St. Paul and one 35 sculpture will be placed in Salo Park. Councilmember Horst read the proclamation and advised 36 that the kickoff will be May 21 s`. 37 38 Motion by Councilmember Stille, seconded by Councilmember Horst, to adopt Proclamation 39 declaring May 21, 2006 as Minnesota Rock Day. 40 41 Motion carried unanimously. 42 43 111. CONSENT AGENDA. 44 A. Consider April 11, 2006 Council meeting minutes 45 B. Consider licenses and permits. 46 C. Consider payment of claims. 47 D. Resolution 06 -040: Amending the 2005 Operating Budget 48 E. Resolution 06 -041 • Accepting a monetary award from Hennepin Count . City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 2 F. Resolution 06 -042• Accepting a monetary donation from Wal-Mart to St Anthony Fire Department. 4 Mayor Faust advised that Item E is to accept a monetary award from Hennepin County in the 5 amount of $2,774.74, which helps defray the storm emergency costs for the City of St. Anthony. 6 Item F is a monetary donation from Wal -Mart to the St. Anthony Fire Department in the amount 7 of $2,500. Mayor Faust reviewed that last month, the City received a grant from Wal -Mart for 8 the Police Department. These funds help those departments obtain the equipment they need to 9 better serve St. Anthony residents. 10 11 Motion by Councilmember Stille, seconded by Councilmember Horst, to approve the Consent 12 Agenda items A through F. 13 14 Motion carried unanimously. 15 16 IV. PUBLIC HEARINGS. 17 A. Public Hearing on 2007 Budget. 18 19 Mayor Faust opened the public hearing at 7:05 p.m. 20 21 City Manager Morrison explained that this is the seventh year that St. Anthony has started the 22 budget process in April and the public hearing tonight is on the 2007 budget. He noted the 23 Finance Director has prepared a brief presentation to highlight the 2006 budget and 2007 budget. 24 City Manager Morrison reviewed the 2007 budget schedule, noting the process actually started in 25 January when the Council met for goal setting, financial strategies and planning. Tonight is the 26 public hearing to allow residents with an opportunity to provide input. City Manager Morrison 27 stated that during May to July he will be meeting with department heads to prepare the budget 28 and the City Council will receive the first draft of the 2007 proposed operating budget at the 29 August 8, 2006 work session. By September 12 the City needs to adopt a resolution setting the 30 proposed budget and tax levy and set the date for the Truth in Taxation meetings. He explained 31 that last year St. Anthony did not have a Truth in Taxation meeting because it was under the levy 32 limitations but he is not sure what will be the case for next year. 33 34 City Manager Morrison then presented the revenues and expenditures for the general fund as well 35 as a graph depicting the percentages for revenue sources and expenditures. He pointed out that 36 the largest revenue is the tax levy at 59.8 %. The largest expenditures is the Police Department at 37 28.5% followed by Public Works at 18.1% and Contracts at 15.2 %. City Manager Morrison 38 explained that the tax levy is about 60% and that has gone up from 50% in previous years due to 39 cuts in LGA. 40 41 There being no public input, Mayor Faust closed the public hearing at 7:08 p.m. 42 43 Mayor Faust noted the slide on the revenue source indicates that only 59.8% of the City's 44 revenue comes from property taxes that makes up the $4.1 million budget. The rest is received 45 from other sources. He commented that St. Anthony is fortunate to have those other revenue 46 sources. 47 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 3 1 V. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF. 2 There were none. 3 4 VI. GENERAL POLICY BUSINESS OF THE COUNCIL. 5 A. Consider Resolution 06 -043• Supporting Silverwood Park 7 Mr. Morrison reviewed the resolution with the Council indicating the City's support to develop, 8 construct and operate Silverwood Park. 9 10 Mayor Faust recognized Rosemary Franzese, the Park Commissioner from Three Rivers Park I 1 District who represents St. Anthony's district. 12 13 Ms. Franzese thanked the Council for the invitation to attend the meeting tonight and provide an 14 update on their plans. She noted it has been along journey since this site was acquired in 15 September 20, 2001. She stated they are now ready to move forward and get all the components 16 in place to make something special happen. Ms. Franzese stated they take great pride in this 17 marvelous piece of land and acknowledge it was the will of Salvation Army, the former 18 occupants, to make this public accessible land. She thanked the Three Rivers Park District staff 19 who are present to answer questions and provide a complete presentation. 20 21 Douglas Bryant, Three Rivers Park Superintendent and Secretary to the Board, introduced staff 22 members who were present and asked Don DeVeau to begin the presentation of the Silverwood 23 Park Master Plan. 24 25 Don DeVeau, Planning and Development Administrator, presented the planning framework for 26 the Silverwood Park Master Plan and explained that Silverwood Park Special Recreation Feature 27 (SRF) is a component of the Metropolitan Regional Park System that covers the seven counties 28 of the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area. SRF is an important designation since the 29 District does not intended to duplicate recreational facilities provided by park reserves or 30 regional parks. Each park in the Park District's system has a master plan to provide guidance on 31 acquisition, development, and management. It also provides a framework in how Three Rivers 32 Park District and the Metropolitan Council will recognize future development at this site. 33 34 Mr. DeVeau presented Section 1 and stated the Park District recognizes the significance of the 35 Metropolitan Council planning requirements and adheres to them when developing or 36 redeveloping parks and when amendments are needed to the master plans. The master plans are 37 on file with the Metropolitan Council and are updated every ten years to assure they are current. 38 39 Mr. DeVeau referenced page 3 that contained a map identifying the location of Silverwood Park 40 and then described the types of parks that the District manages including Regional Park 41 Reserves, Regional Parks, and Regional Trail Corridors. He advised of the SRFs contained in 42 their parks and criteria needed to be met to be considered a SRF. He noted the Master Plan 43 includes information on the land use zone system, lakes and wetlands, recreational development 44 areas, natural areas, and key environmental components. 45 46 Mr. DeVeau stated the Master Plan provides an opportunity to assess current trends and position 47 the Park to better serve the current and future needs of the region by providing special City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 4 1 recreational amenities not found in other parks. He noted the list of public agencies involved in 2 the Master Plan process. Mr. DeVeau explained the recommendation was made during the 3 master planning process to change the name of Silver Lake Special Recreational Feature to 4 Silverwood Park. 6 Michael Horn, Landscape Architect, read Section II, Park Description and Background, for this 7 park that is located on the north shore of Silver Lake. He described the location of Silverwood 8 Park SRF as well as a description of the landscape, history, park boundaries, acquisition status, 9 and additional acquisition considerations. 10 1 I Mr. DeVeau introduced Section III, Public Process & Demand. He explained that Silverwood 12 Park will become the third SRF within the Park District's system of regional parks. Since a clear 13 direction for development was not present when the site was acquired, the public process was 14 defined. The Park District determined that the best way to obtain public input and created an 18 15 member Master Planning Group to solicit input from the City of St. Anthony and adjacent cities. 16 Mr. DeVeau advised of the series of seven meetings that the Master Planning Group conducted, 17 culminating with a presentation on September 14, 2004 before the St. Anthony City Council. 18 19 Tom McDowell, Director of Facilities and Program Services, completed the presentation of 20 Section III by reading the mission statement indicating: "Silverwood Park will serve as a 21 regional center for the arts and the environment, devoted to the integration of artistic creation, 22 appreciation and natural resources." He stated this conjures up a different mental picture to 23 different people. In Silverwood Park, they want to use the arts as a way to connect with natural 24 resources. This is done at the nature centers through environmental education and interpretation. 25 Also, a variety of recreational activities are used to help people connect with the natural world, 26 such as a farm setting with introduction to agriculture. With Silverwood Park they will pursue 27 and develop performing and visual fine art and craft occurring in or inspired by the natural 28 environment using on -site studio facilities and residency programs. Visual art will be created 29 and displayed in outdoor and indoor spaces and performing arts will include dance, theater, 30 music and spoken word. 31 32 Mr. McDowell reviewed the information utilized to determine the need for art facilities, 33 performance and practice space. He then presented a graph identifying what the public identifies 34 as the region's most attractive features. Mr. McDowell reviewed the findings of the Springboard 35 for the Arts assessment of the art community's interest and the McKnight Foundation report that 36 assessed the inventory and demand for arts opportunities in the suburbs. He explained that at the 37 open houses and meetings, staff fielded numerous questions indicating a concern that Silverwood 38 Park would be so specialized that it would not have the appeal in what people expect in a park 39 setting. Mr. McDowell stressed that Silverwood Park will be an arts inspired park setting and 40 will have many of the amenities people expect to find in a park setting like trails, picnic areas, 41 canoe rentals and fishing piers but in this setting they will be arts inspired. These art amenities 42 will be established with input from the art community and provide a unique park setting that will 43 draw from a regional area. 44 45 Don DeVeau introduced Section IV, Resource Assessment and Management, and described the 46 character of the land and topography. He stated the area most likely for development will be in 47 the center and center /southern portion of the site. The DNR does not recognize any rare or City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 5 1 endangered or threatened species within Silverwood Park. The DNR does recognize the oak 2 forest and mature oak trees in general as important and unique features. Mr. DeVeau then read 3 the section on land cover present at Silverwood Park and explained that Silver Lake is the 4 dominant feature and is about 69 acres in size. It has poor water quality, is classified as 5 eutrophic, and included on the MPCA Impaired Waters list. Mr. DeVeau advised of their 6 resource management efforts and that there are no known archaeological sites within the Park. 7 He explained the white oaks are the most significant vegetative feature. 9 John Barton, Water Resources Manager, stated the Park District will implement the Best 10 Management Practices to address Silver Lake and protect the Park's resources. He advised that 11 the Park District adopted a non - degradation policy which prohibits increasing the nutrient 12 loading to any water body. So, no development can increase pollutant loading to a water body 13 and this development will also comply with that policy. In addition, the Park District rigorously 14 implements the sequencing provision of the Wetland Conservation Act and proposes to develop 15 natural area buffer zones around the wetland basin. 16 17 Michael Horn, Landscape Architect, presented an overview of Section V, Development Plan, 18 which provided an overview of the Park, location of amenities, and description of those 19 amenities. He stated it will be essential that all features of the Park contribute to the mission 20 statement and will have a nature inspired art emphasis in design, material, and appearance. He 21 explained the overall development focus for Silverwood Park is directed toward the central 22 portion of the Park. The site plan has been developed around the simple shape of circles. Mr. 23 Horn presented a building and non - building amenity overview and then described how each will 24 be developed. Amenities include a performing arts stage, garden space, visitors' center/large 25 group reservation facility, studio /classrooms, trailways and walkways, parking lots, and fishing 26 pier/bridge. 27 28 Denis Hahn, Outdoor Education Manager, stated it is believed that most of the use at Silverwood 29 Park will be self directed for use of the land, walking, bicycling, enjoying public gardens, 30 participating in large group activities, but complement that main use with educational programs. 31 That will include programs for scheduled and school groups as well as for the general public. 32 Staffing will include a site supervisor who will oversee a number of staff including educational 33 staff (naturalists and artists). The programmers will use the facilities at the park and natural 34 features to educate people and allow them to be inspired by the natural world and then produce 35 art. There will also be site events with 500 or so attendees who will participate in a nature 36 inspired activity. Occasionally they will host special large events that are attended by well over 37 1,000, such as a raptor release or art festival. The Park District intends to partner with local and 38 regional art groups, both public and private, to work to create educational programs. They also 39 intend to work with public and private schools and home schoolers, and civic organizations. The 40 other opportunity at Silverwood Park is to provide people with volunteer opportunities for 41 natural resource based programs. 42 43 Mr. DeVeau stated Silverwood Park is operated under the Park District ordinances and policies. 44 He briefly presented the ordinances the Park District has adopted that define the rules and 45 regulations of the Park District in order to provide for a safe and peaceful use of the Parks. He 46 advised that a Park Service Officer (PSO) will be assigned to Silverwood Park. He also advised 47 of maintenance services for this Park. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 6 2 Mr. DeVeau then presented details on the estimated acquisition costs and funding. He stated the 3 Park District has spent approximately $7,813,670 for the acquisition of this Park. The estimated 4 total to develop this and future phases is estimated to cost $15,400,000. He stated the operating 5 costs also need to be identified. He reviewed the preliminary operating costs for maintenance, 6 public safety, facility services, and programming costs. Mr. DeVeau stated they are interested in 7 developing Phase 1 of the park at $12 million. 9 Mr. DeVeau explained annual operating costs are funded through the Three Rivers Park District 10 General Fund Budget. The Park District does not charge an entrance fee to any of its parks. The 11 primary source of funds is property tax with some revenues received from special programming 12 events. Mr. DeVeau advised of potential funding sources and thanked the City Council for the 13 opportunity to present the Silverwood Park Master Plan. 14 15 Mayor Faust thanked all for their presentation. He asked why the Park District needs the 16 resolution. Mr. DeVeau stated they would respectfully request a resolution or an endorsement as 17 a good faith effort that the Park District has cooperated with the City. Their next step will be 18 before the Metropolitan Council so any recognition would be highly advantageous as this project 19 moves forward. 20 21 Mayor Faust asked if it is needed for funding. Mr. DeVeau stated the resolution is not needed 22 for funding. 23 24 Councilmember Gray noted the public safety component estimate is $18,000 once the master 25 plan is implemented, which would not indicate full coverage by either a Park Service Officer or 26 Park Police Officer. He asked what kind of coverage there will be and the expectation on the 27 surrounding community to provide police support. 28 29 Mr. Bryant stated the correct public safety estimate is actually $180,000. He explained the Park 30 District Board of Commissioners approved a predevelopment budget of about $100,000 and they 31 are doing a lot of movement of personnel to Silverwood Park. He stated it is very premature to 32 start looking at staff until approvals are given to move forward. The proposal for the 2007 33 operating budget is for one full -time certified and three full -time PSOs for Silverwood Park. In 34 addition, they would bring in personnel as needed for investigations and things of that nature. 35 36 Hugo McPhee, Public Safety Manager, explained that they contract for fire protection services 37 from different agencies outside their organizations. They have similar contracts throughout 38 Hennepin County. He explained that emergency medical services would be provided by Allina 39 of HCM; however, most of their staff is either EMTs or first responders. 40 41 Mayor Faust stated St. Anthony has a Fire Department so the Park Board could contract with the 42 City for those services. Mr. McPhee stated they will explore that avenue since they do not 43 provide for fire suppression. He stated currently a 911 call would be responded to by Ramsey 44 County or Hennepin County, depending on whether the call trips the Ramsey County tower or 45 Hennepin County tower. Mr. McPhee requested that for first aid type of calls, the St. Anthony 46 Police Department be dispatched since they will be closer. 47 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 7 1 Councilmember Gray asked whether the report should indicate the annual cost for public safety 2 services at Silverwood Park is projected to be $85,000 at the time the Master Plan is fully 3 implemented. Mr. McPhee stated that is correct, it should say $85,000 (not $8,500). 4 5 Councilmember Thuesen asked how often the Park District gets police backup from the local 6 community. Mr. McPhee stated he expects they will take care of 99% of the calls from 7 Silverwood Park. However, if there is an officer safety type of call, there would naturally be 8 backup from New Brighton, St. Anthony, or another agency. 9 10 Councilmember Stille asked about the work hours for the Park Service Officers (PSO). Mr. 11 McPhee advised that the three PSOs would be there when the Park is opened. The full -time 12 officer would be on various schedules and the primary area of responsibility will be the 13 Silverwood Park area. Councilmember Stille asked what is a typical incident. Mr. McPhee 14 stated it is mostly calls for service, first aid, assistance issues, vehicles locked out, and missing 15 children. They receive minimum calls for disorderly conduct, smoking, or drug use calls. A 16 lower incidence would be for a more serious calls such as assault or criminal sexual conduct. 17 18 Councilmember Horst questioned whether they will have public safety officers on horseback. 19 Mr. McPhee stated they actually do have the oldest continuous mounted patrol unit in the upper 20 Midwest, which started in 1980. They have eight officers assigned to mounted patrol and it is a 21 potential use in Silverwood Park if there is justification. 22 23 Councilmember Thuesen asked about the usage patterns of the Park since the focus is on arts and 24 the environment. He noted that some parks are more heavily used during warm weather months 25 but questioned whether it will be different at this Park since the focus is on arts and education. 26 27 Mr. Bryant stated he will send the City the 2005 incident report so the Council can see the types 28 of calls made. He explained they work with 100 cities throughout Hennepin County and other 29 counties and believe it is extremely important to work with the City. If this project goes forward 30 there will be collaboration on management activities. He stated that passage of the resolution 31 and the Council's message to support this project is very important to them. It does not 32 necessarily mean the Park District will or will not get money but they believe it is important to 33 work with St. Anthony and the City Council to provide this facility, programs, and recreational 34 opportunities. Mr. Bryant noted this is a significant project with Phase 1 costing $12 to $15 35 million and the net operating costs are between $550 and $600 million. He stated he hopes this 36 is a great project for this community and the surrounding area. 37 38 Mayor Faust stated that St. Anthony also wants to work with the Park District but they do have 39 concerns with the Master Plan and need answers prior to considering a resolution in support. 40 41 Mr. McDowell explained that there is an ebb and flow of usage at the park so it is a little difficult 42 to predict but there are some rhythms in place at the rest of the parks. On a weekly basis they 43 know that usage at the program centers, Monday through Friday, is predominantly scheduled 44 programs. On weekends there are more public and family driven activities. Mr. McDowell 45 stated that they have four people on a daily basis coming into the parks in spring and fall for 46 every one person who comes into the parks in the winter. April and May tend to be the busiest 47 months along with September and October. However, Silverwood Park is entrenched in a high City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 8 1 residential area so the amount of day -to -day usage from those residents could be quite a bit 2 higher due to the setting. 3 4 Mayor Faust stated it was indicated that 100,000 individuals would be attending Silverwood Park 5 on an annual basis and that is about 300 a day. He noted this attendance will probably not occur 6 through the winter months so that means there may be 600 on other days. He asked how long 7 someone uses the park, noting a nearby resident may not stay very long. Mr. McDowell 8 explained 100,000 is the user occasions and that number may be indicative for someone 9 attending a program for three to four hours and another individual who stops by for five minutes 10 at the water fountain. 11 12 Boe Carlson, Governmental Relations Administrator, explained the Park District uses an 13 accounting system for visitation that was established by the Metropolitan Council. It does not 14 count them as visitors but visitor occasions. If they walk a dog three times in the park that is 15 three visitor occasions. At this site, while it will have programs to extend the visitor duration, 16 most will be smaller visitor durations. It was clarified by Mr. McDowell that the Three Rivers 17 Park Board of Commissioners adopted a dog management plan that identifies dog walking areas 18 in some parks. However, Silverwood Park will be a dog free park. 19 20 Councilmember Thuesen read a statement from page 24 of the Master Plan related to Silver Lake 21 being identified as "impaired waters" and the need for a total maximum daily load analysis 22 (TMDL). He asked who will be responsible for that reporting. Mr. Barten stated that in this case 23 the Rice Creek Water Management would be the responsible agency for implementing TMDL. 24 25 Councilmember Thuesen asked whether any testing is being done by the City and what is the 26 cost. City Manager Morrison stated he will need to get that answer from Todd Hubmer. 27 28 Mayor Faust advised that Ramsey County has done some work on Silver Lake and now the 29 Middle Mississippi Water Management Organization is doing some work with TMDL. 30 31 Councilmember Thuesen asked about the timeframe if there are only limited dollars available. 32 Mr. Bryant noted the Park District expended $8 million to acquire the property and to date have 33 received reimbursements of only $2 million. He stated a significant amount of money is needed 34 for this project and they are hoping to get grants for 5 -10 years to reimburse the Park District for 35 acquisition and Phase 1 development. Because of the magnitude of projects addressed each year, 36 he does not think the Board will consider Phase 2 until all or a majority of the funding advanced 37 has been reimbursed. Mr. Bryant noted that Phase 1 development is the majority of the 38 amenities in the park. He advised that the Board of Commissioners is committed to this project 39 and elected to go ahead with Phase 1 planning and implementation even though reimbursement 40 for acquisitions costs have not yet been received. That demonstrates support for the project and 41 as soon as dollars are available he believes the Board will consider Phase 2. 42 43 Councilmember Thuesen asked whether the park will be open for families and residents to enjoy 44 the area and paths if there is limited funding. Mr. Bryant stated the only time they have talked 45 about closing the facility is during construction because it may not be safe for park guests. If all 46 funding is lost, then he can not speak to that period of time and the Park District may not be able 47 to operate any parks. Mr. Bryant stated he does not contemplate that and sees no reason why, City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 9 1 after the completion of Phase 1, the Park would not be open. He explained that there will be 2 occasions there are activities at the visitor's center where the building will be open beyond 3 sunset. 4 5 Mayor Faust asked whether St. Anthony will be notified should the Master Plan be changed. Mr. 6 DeVeau stated the Park District will more than notify St. Anthony of changes to the Park 7 District's Master Plan because it will be done in conjunction with the City. 8 9 Councilmember Stille referenced Page 13, public process, and asked who served on the 18 10 member master planning group. Mr. DeVeau read the list of members who served on the Master 11 Planning Group. Councilmember Stille noted that about one -third of the planning group are 12 from St. Anthony. 13 14 Mayor Faust noted the Master Plan indicates that regional park reserves are developed to 20% 15 and asked about the development percentage for a SRF. Mr. DeVeau explained that park 16 preserves generally are the largest park in the system and can only be developed to 20% for 17 active recreational use. In theory, a regional park can be developed to 100% but typically it is 18 30 % to 40 %. 19 20 Mayor Faust asked about the new fishing pier being farther to the west and if that is where the 21 camp had their swimming beach. Mr. Horn stated their intention is to provide a new bridge to 22 the island and swing it to the west to get into deeper water, which is near the previously used 23 beach. 24 25 Mayor Faust commented on the parking space and expressed concern with the semicircle of 26 parking by the lake, which may impact water run off into the lake. Mr. DeVeau stated the Park 27 District cannot pollute Silver Lake so provisions will be made to capture the run off. 28 29 Mayor Faust expressed concern that people may be parking by the bridge to go to the island. He 30 stated it is not a good idea to have cars parked that close to the Lake and ask the Park District to 31 consider that situation since it will not help water quality. Also sometimes picnic tables are 32 thrown into the lake and asked that they also address that concern. 33 34 Mayor Faust asked about the Park District having the ability to tax. Mr. Bryant explained the 35 Three Rivers Park District is a taxing authority in suburban Hennepin County and has a joint 36 powers agreement with Scott County for contribution to parks in Scott County. 37 38 Mayor Faust asked if they will be asking Ramsey County or St. Anthony for funding. Mr. 39 Bryant stated they are not asking St. Anthony or Ramsey County for funding. He reviewed that 40 there was discussion years ago with the Commissioner from Ramsey County and their Park and 41 Recreation Director about forming a collaborative but they did not feel they could handle that 42 financially. Mr. Bryant stated the Park District will not be asking St. Anthony for funding for 43 this project. It will come from tax base, grants, and non -tax revenues. 44 45 Mayor Faust thanked the staff of the Three Rivers Park District for attending the meeting. He 46 noted the needed corrections to the Master Plan: Page 42, correct dollar figure of $8,500 to City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 10 1 indicate $85,000, correct dollar figure of $18,000 to indicate $180,000, and address concern with 2 conceptual plan parking and how to secure picnic tables. 4 Motion by Councilmember Gray, seconded by Councilmember Thuesen, to adopt Resolution 06- 5 043, A Resolution of support to develop, construct, and operate the Silverwood Park regional 6 special recreation feature pursuant to the Three Rivers Park District master plan as corrected 7 above. 8 9 Motion carried unanimously. 10 11 Mr. Bryant thanked the Council for its support. He stated they look forward to working with St. 12 Anthony on this project and hope Phase 1 can be developed as soon as possible and make St. 13 Anthony proud of their relationship with the Park District. 14 15 B. Consider Resolution 06 -044• Northeast Diagonal 16 17 Robb Urquhart, Minneapolis Public Works, stated the Northeast Diagonal Trail project was 18 presented to the Council during a workshop meeting and they would like to formally introduce 19 this project to the City Council and the television audience. He explained it is a regional trail to 20 connect the Minneapolis trail system through St. Anthony, the Ramsey County park system, and 21 the Roseville park system. This trail has been in the planning stage since 2000 and money will 22 be available in 2007. He explained they are looking for the Council's support for their 23 solicitation to the Metropolitan Council. 24 25 Tony Wagner, URS, professional engineer doing detailed design, stated they had attended the 26 Council's January 31, 2006 work session to present an overview of this project. He advised of 27 the alignment of the two legs of the Northeast Diagonal Trail. He explained the trail is currently 28 under construction and is to be completed in 2006. They are seeking approval of Resolution 06- 29 044 for a 20% local match for construction of the trail within St. Anthony. 30 31 At the request of Mayor Faust, Greg Brown pointed out the portion of trail within St. Anthony. 32 Mr. Wagner stated that there is three- fourths of a mile in St. Anthony in addition to the 350 foot 33 ramp. 34 35 Councilmember Gray stated in looking at the map provided, he has a hard time figuring how this 36 will benefit the residents of St. Anthony since 100% of residents live northwest of the trail and 37 across Highway 88. He noted that Highway 88 is a barrier for children to use the trail and if 38 someone wanted to use it to commute to downtown, they would have to go out of their way to 39 get to the trail and then get back to Stinson. 40 41 Greg Brown, URS and project manager, stated that is a valid point. He noted the connection on 42 St. Anthony Boulevard and explained that the basis of their request is the footage in St. Anthony. 43 He agreed that if heading downtown you would use other parts of the regional trail, maybe to 44 Stinson and down to join the system at the quarry. Mr. Brown stated there are proposals for 45 subsequent expansion to the regional trail to the University of Minnesota. 46 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 11 I Councilmember Gray stated when this was first presented in January the estimated cost was 2 $66,000 but that is now up 38 %. He stated he is cautious about considering approval of a 3 straight 20% participation since it is a bit of a "blank check" when the final cost is not known. 4 5 Mr. Wagner explained that in January the project was in the preliminary stages and $66,000 was 6 the 20% match at that time. The design proceeded and the current 20% match is $91,000 based 7 on current engineer's estimate. 9 Councilmember Stille asked where the trail goes to the northeast once you get into Roseville. 10 Mr. Wagner explained the trail follows County Road B2 into Roseville, to Rosedale, and then to 11 Lexington. The trail is adjacent to County Road B2, then County Road C, and then connects to 12 the Ramsey County system along the railroad corridor. 13 14 Mr. Urquhart explained that this is a connection to a trunk line so you can go from more remote 15 places rather than just circulate in the local area. He agreed there are some limits in access to the 16 three- quarters of a mile section in St. Anthony, but it would be part of the overall bikeway trail in 17 the metropolitan area. Because of gas prices, bicycle use may increase and provide an 18 alternative mode to go shopping and recreate. Mr. Urquhart restated that this three - fourths of a 19 mile leg is important to complete the corridor. 20 21 Councilmember Stille asked what entity owns the land. Mr. Urquhart answered the City of 22 Minneapolis and Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority who bought the corridor when the 23 Sioux line went out of business. They are giving a limited permit to use that corridor for this use 24 but are still the underlying fee owner of the property. 25 26 Councilmember Stille stated the land use transit study for Northeast Diagonal had no eminent 27 plans but it still preserves that option. Mr. Urquhart stated it is correct that this is escrow 28 property and a 15 -year design before pavement has to be replaced so it is to utilize the trail in a 29 responsible transportation way. They are escrowing that right -of -way for a different corridor. 30 31 Councilmember Thuesen stated that Councilmember Gray raised a good point about the 20% 32 local match, which is now estimated at $91,000. He expressed concern in how the Council can 33 protect the City so the costs do not increase. He agreed the Council cannot give a "blank check" 34 and noted that this Council is careful about allocating dollars. 35 36 With regard to the price increase, Mr. Urquhart explained that they worked with City engineers 37 and staff to address drainage issues in this corridor. Also, the estimate includes a 15% 38 contingency. He stated it would be acceptable if the Council wants to remove the contingency 39 and limit the cap to limit exposure. 40 41 City Manager Morrison asked if the Council has the current project overview or one that was 42 developed several years ago. Mr. Urquhart stated the project overview is a rendering of what 43 was submitted to the Metropolitan Council in executive summary form. Since then, some things 44 have transpired during intervening years. 45 46 City Manager Momson noted that St Anthony is not listed as a funding source. He explained 47 that Mayor Faust and Assistant City Manager Moore -Sykes were on this committee and had the City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 12 1 impression that since there was such a small section in St. Anthony, Hennepin County was going 2 to pick up the cost of the City's segment. 4 Mr. Urquhart pointed out that the five -year capital improvement project identified a $60,000 5 participation from St. Anthony; however, this is not going to be a "project breaker." He 6 explained that after the discussion in January, they met with the Three Rivers Parks District on 7 the maintenance and operation of the trail outside of Minneapolis, which is the responsibility of 8 the Park District who is a partner. 9 10 Mayor Faust asked if it is the responsibility of the Minneapolis Park Board or the Three Rivers 11 Park District. 12 13 Boe Carlson, Three Rivers Park District Governmental Relations Administrator, explained that 14 this project was presented several years ago and identified a series of trails throughout first ring 15 suburbs. At that time in the late 1990s, it was identified that the Park District would provide 16 maintenance and capital for the segment outside of Minneapolis and be responsible for the 17 portion in St. Anthony Village. Mr. Carlson explained the intention is that section would fall 18 under their jurisdiction. At the time the report was put together, the Park District was wiling to 19 do that. However, that information is quite dated and the Park District has not taken a more 20 recent position or been approached by Minneapolis Public Works formally to present this to the 21 Park District Board of Commissioners on the cost or match. Mr. Carlson stated he is indicating 22 that the Park District would be interested in covering the capital portion of the section in St. 23 Anthony and also provide for maintenance. 24 25 Motion by Councilmember Horst, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to not adopt Resolution 26 06 -044, Approving the Northeast Diagonal Trail Plan and the City of St. Anthony's estimated 27 cost of $91,000. 28 29 Councilmember Horst stated the Council as defined key financial strategies; this would be a 30 major expenditure and the City does not have the funds. He stated he supports the development 31 of a trail system but this is a lot to ask for a City the size of St. Anthony. Councilmember Horst 32 stated that in this case, he can't support the resolution at this time. 33 34 Mayor Faust stated his agreement with Councilmember Gray that it is hard to see how this trail 35 can be tied in with St. Anthony's residents. He stated he supports the idea of interconnectivity 36 and would support the trail if there was a way to access it but Highway 88 is a major 37 impediment. He encouraged Mr. Urquhart to talk to the Three Rivers Park District because they 38 could partnership with them and they do have taxing authority. Mayor Faust stated he thinks that 39 some day it will be a corridor for light rail or bus and provide transport to Minneapolis. 40 However, at this time, it is not a priority of this Council. 41 42 Councilmember Thuesen stated he shares the same concerns. He stated he supports connectivity 43 of the trail systems in the metropolitan area but this community has to be careful with allocation 44 of resources. He noted the Council is looking at adding sidewalks to provide safe passage of 45 children to and from school. Councilmember Thuesen stated that at this point it is hard to 46 consider spending $91,000 for this trail when there are greater needs. 47 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 13 1 Motion carried unanimously. 2 3 Mr. Urquhart thanked the Council for their input and asked for a resolution to support the project 4 even if there is no financial commitment. He explained that such a resolution is important for 5 them to obtain federal financing. 6 7 City Manager Mornson stated that resolution can be drafted by staff 9 Mayor Faust stated the Council will consider that resolution at the May 9, 2006 Council meeting. 10 11 C. Consider Resolution 06 -045• Police Contract with Falcon Heights. 12 13 City Manager Morrison reviewed the resolution with the Council and indicated that in March a 14 similar resolution was considered for Lauderdale. This contract will be for three years with the 15 City of Falcon Heights. He stated the cost for services for each year, noting it reflects a 5.5% 16 increase for the three year contract. City Manager Morrison explained that currently St. Anthony 17 is billed for 911 calls and then has to bill the two cities. But that will be changed and Ramsey 18 County will bill them directly. He noted that St. Anthony signed the union police contract at 19 3.5% for 2007 and 2008. The City does not know what it will be in 2009 but if it is higher, there 20 would have to be an increase. 21 22 Mayor Faust stated he is glad to see both are being treated fairly and noted this gives two cities 23 peace of mind to know they have police protection from people they have come to know and 24 love. 25 26 Motion by Councilmember Stille, seconded by Councilmember Horst, to adopt Resolution 06- 27 045, Approving the joint powers agreement for police services with the City of Falcon Heights 28 and authorizing the Mayor and City Manager to execute said agreement. 29 30 Motion carried unanimously. 31 32 D. Update on Feasibility Report for Wi Fi 33 34 35 Mr. Morrison reviewed that the issue of wireless internet (Wi Fi) has been discussed for over a 36 year and a half. In November, the Council asked for a feasibility study for the capability for St. 37 Anthony to provide Wi Fi. 38 39 Cheryl Johnson, Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (CTC), presented their study and 40 noted that key drivers are economic development, availability, affordability, and meeting internal 41 needs. Key considerations are community alliances, public private partnerships, funding and 42 grants, operation and maintenance of the system, and sales and marketing to get the word out 43 about the service. She presented financial projections to provide low -cost high -speed offering to 44 compete with dial -up services at a rate of $25 /month for basic service to residential and 45 $30 /month to have a higher level of service than basic. They found the capital requirements to 46 build this system are $775,000, which includes operational systems for year one. Due to these 47 needs, market share requirements to make that financial threshold are 52% residential and 25% City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 14 1 business. Ms. Johnson stated that level of market share is not very realistic so they would have 2 to look for grant monies, seek alliances with surrounding communities who may want a system, 3 leverage public /private partnerships to share cost, and investigate sharing access. They 4 recommended the City implement a fiber and conduit policy with upcoming construction so any 5 time the City is doing a major street dig it should look at implementing conduit and fiber at that 6 time. 8 City Manager Morrison noted the Council packet included a summary report and staff has 9 additional detail if the Council would like to review that document. 10 11 Councilmember Thuesen asked about having two systems. 12 13 Tom Asp, CTC, explained that the vendor community wants you to believe they have the 14 standard network but every Wi Fi network is a proprietary network with a standard based 15 interface. There are fairly large cost swings in deploying the architecture of the network. He 16 explained that they reviewed two placeholder networks and used a Tropos network in the 17 estimates since it is used by several other communities. A comparative is Sky Pilot, which 18 would reduce capital requirements by $114,000, which relates to a 5% market share difference 19 between the two networks to maintain the needed financial threshold. 20 21 Councilmember Stille referenced the break even point is 52% residential and 25% commercial. 22 Mr. Asp explained that is market share percentage, which is quite aggressive. Chaska is about 23 30% of market share so it may be easy to get to that percentage but a harder push to get beyond 24 that level. 25 26 Councilmember Gray asked if 82% is of internet users, not wireless users. Mr. Asp stated that is 27 correct and the market will be slightly larger than that. In the Moorhead and St. Louis Park pilot 28 program, 50% of the new subscribers are coming from dial up internet, 10% are new users, 13% 29 from cable, and 10% from DSL. 30 31 Councilmember Stille noted that St. Anthony is not St. Louis Park or Woodbury and has 32 different demographics. Mr. Asp stated they did surveys with other communities but decided for 33 cost savings to use a feasibility study instead of a survey for St. Anthony. He noted that in 34 looking at the 2000 census data, St. Anthony tracks closely with St. Louis Park in terms of 35 internet usage. In Woodbury, just over 90% of households have internet access. 36 37 Councilmember Stille stated the difference between St. Louis Park and St. Anthony is that the 38 residents ages 25 to 44 and 65 are flip flopped. He asked what is feasible and what is the gap. 39 Mr. Asp stated without doing specific research in St. Anthony, it is just an estimate and he thinks 40 it is about a 15 -point gap or maybe $350,000. Mr. Asp stated if you want to pursue this system, 41 there are ways to look at creating a larger customer base by including surrounding communities 42 and to share some of the common expenses among a larger user base. Other options are to create 43 alliances with private partners to provide hosting or explore the performance contracting 44 concept. 45 46 Mr. Asp noted that while police and fire personnel are in the City's boundaries a majority of the 47 time, they would need another data terminal if they are outside the boundaries. That is a benefit City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 15 1 of including surrounding communities. He stated this is a great idea but the issue is timing and 2 financial feasibility. Mayor Faust stated the Council is talking about getting high speed internet to all of the residents, which may or may not be Wi Fi. He noted that currently not all areas, commercial or residential, are served by DSL. 8 Councilmember Horst asked if there is a different cost structure for residential versus business. 9 Mr. Asp stated they priced two tiers but are not separating between residential and commercial 10 because this is not like a T -1 business with high usage or functionality. 11 12 Councilmember Horst questioned the projection to create opportunities for new business. Mr. 13 Asp explained that about one -third of the community cannot get DSL service today so it is an 14 option for them to get connection with Wi Fi. 15 16 Councilmember Horst pointed out they could also use satellite. Mr. Asp stated that is correct but 17 it gets into a price issue and what you are competing against. Councilmember Horst asked about 18 second tier pricing for businesses. Mr. Asp stated that is correct and would help with revenues 19 but the majority of the revenue will come from the residential base. 20 21 Councilmember Gray stated the bottom line is that it looks like there is no way to make this work 22 at a break even because the City will probably not get close to 52% market share. Mr. Asp stated 23 that is correct. 24 25 Councilmember Gray asked if other municipalities are looking at it as a group. Ms. Johnson 26 advised that several suburbs in this area are looking at it within the North Suburban 27 Communications (NSC) area as well as south Washington County who will be studying this 28 shortly. In the metro area, some communities are looking at pooling resources to study this 29 issue. 30 31 Councilmember Gray noted that NSC has not yet talked about implementing this as a group. Mr. 32 Asp stated they have not but as communities start moving forward, they may also be looking at 33 how to work jointly with other communities. Ms. Johnson advised that the Lake Minnetonka 34 Communications Commission discussed this issue and is considering whether they should move 35 forward with a study. 36 37 Councilmember Gray noted that would be the way to partner with someone to get it done. Mr. 38 Asp answered in the affirmative. 39 40 Councilmember Horst asked about Minneapolis being a partner with St. Anthony. Mr. Asp 41 stated Minneapolis is pursuing a system and that may be something to entertain because whoever 42 they select as a vendor may be interested in expansion into St. Anthony Village. He explained 43 that Minneapolis is in the process of deploying two pilot areas, one with Earth Link and the other 44 with US Internet. That arrangement looks like a cable franchise model where they are opening 45 certain rights -of -way for other considerations to provide access to certain bandwidths. The weak 46 point is if you want to increase availability of low cost access; what is the definition of low cost 47 and what influence would the City have on pricing. He advised that St. Louis Park had some City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 16 1 proposals of franchise models but did not pursue that option after going back to their core 2 objectives because they felt it did not meet their long -term needs. Mayor Faust noted the Minneapolis model is where St. Anthony is at with one provider but that does not have the competitiveness that the City prefers. He asked if all of St. Louis Park has access to DSL. Mr. Asp answered that about 30% of St. Louis Park can get DSL service so there is more DSL access in St. Anthony. 9 Mayor Faust pointed out that Falcon Heights and Lauderdale have police contracts with St. 10 Anthony and are aligned to the southeast. He asked if that would present any unusual I 1 technology problems because of crossing interstates and major roadways. Mr. Asp stated it may 12 increase construction costs but is not a major obstacle with Wi Fi. 13 14 Mayor Faust stated this option needs to be out in the public forum to be discussed. He thanked 15 Mr. Asp and Ms. Johnson for their input. Ms. Johnson noted this report is posted on the City's 16 website. 17 18 Mayor Faust stated that a lot more work is needed on Wi Fi and it will again be discussed by the 19 Council to create a framework of specific objectives. He encouraged the staff to continue 20 looking at what is happening with Wi Fi, potential partners, and pilot programs. 21 22 VII. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER AND COUNCILMEMBERS. 23 City Manager Morrison reported the following: 24 • Thanked the St. Anthony Chamber of Commerce for recognizing St. Anthony as 25 "Business of the Year" and congratulated Councilmember Hal Gray for being recognized 26 as "Villager of the Year." 27 • The annual clean up day is May 6, 2006 and asked people who want to volunteer to 28 contact staff. 29 • May 8, 2006 is the first Comprehensive Plan meeting at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. 30 • At the May 9, 2006 Council meeting, the highlight will be an update by Cora Wilson on 31 the North Suburban Cable Commission. Other items under discussion will be the TIF 32 policy and ordinance amendments. 33 • Summer hours for the front office will start on May 15, 2006. 34 • Welcomed Megan Lee, the new reporter for The Bulletin. 35 36 Councilmember Horst reported on the VillageFest meeting where 14 to 15 residents were in 37 attendance. He stated that while they feel they have enough volunteers to hold VillageFest, 38 they are still seeking volunteers to help with the parade and silent auction. Their next 39 meeting is May 1, 2006. Councilmember Horst stated he has agreed to chair the VillageFest 40 Committee and appreciates the support from members of the community who have contacted 41 him to volunteer. 42 43 Councilmember Stille had no report. 44 45 Councilmember Thuesen reminded all of the upcoming Patriot Garage Sale, which raises 46 funds for a marching band collaborative between Spring Lake Park and St. Anthony. He 2 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2006 Page 17 stated this band is well known in Minnesota as well as nationally. They are raising funds to go to Calgary and all proceeds will go to this outstanding group. Councilmember Gray had no report. Mayor Faust reported on the Table Top Exercise recently conducted on the City's emergency operations plan. This was an opportunity to meet with department heads, Hennepin's County and Ramsey County's emergency operations center, and learn of NIMS. Mayor Faust noted the City has dedicated to have the Council and staff NIMS qualified by September 30. Once qualified, the City can apply for grants. Mayor Faust reviewed that on April 20, 2006, the Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting and honored the City's employees. He stated the City's employees truly run a business through contracts with police and fire, the liquor operation, and water funds. He stated City Manager Morrison gave a tremendous accounting of what the City's employees do for its residents and complemented him on his presentation. Mayor Faust congratulated Councilmember Gray for being named by the Chamber of Commerce as the "Villager of the Year." Mayor Faust provided an update on their work for the Salo visit and park dedication on June 8, 2006 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Salo Park. He invited the community to attend the ceremony where there will be music, visitors from Salo, and a park dedication. VIII. COMMUNITY FORUM. Mayor Faust invited residents to come forward at this time and address the Council on items that are not on the regular agenda. IX. 34 X. 35 36 37 XI. 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 Hearing none, Mayor Faust moved forward with the agenda. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. None. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATIONAL DOCUMENTS. None. ADJOURNMENT. Mayor Faust adjourned the meeting at 10:01 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Carla Wirth TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. 46 ATTEST: 47 ayor Motion carried unanimously