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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003.11.17 CC MinutesMINUTES FOR THE HUGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF NOVEMBER 17.2003 Mayor Fran Miron called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm. PRESENT: Haas, Petryk, Puleo, Miron City Administrator Michael Ericson CD Director John Rask City Attorney Dave Snyder City Engineer Dave Mitchell Water Resource Engineer Pete Willenbring Public Works Director Chris Petree City Clerk Mary Ann Creager ABSENT: Mike Granger APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FOR NOVEMBER 3.2003 Puleo made motion, Haas seconded, to approve the minutes for the City Council meeting of November 3, 2003 as amended. All aye. Motion Carried. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Add F.2 — Discussion of Hugonian News Article "Dire Streets" Add I.4 — Resignation of Teddy Peltier from Planning Commission Add I.5 — Schedule Tri -Cities Meeting for December 11, 2003 Add L.3 — JD2 Culvert Replacement Project Update Add LA — Peloquin Industrial Park P.I. Project Update Miron made motion, Haas seconded, to approve the agenda for November 17, 2003 as amended. All aye. Motion Carried. WBL SCHOOL BOARD REFERENDUM RESULTS On Tuesday, November 4, 2003, voters in the WBL school district approved the $28 million bond ref- erendum for the construction of a new elementary school in Hugo. Voters approved the referendum by a 53%47% margin and the $500,000 a year technology referendum by a 54%46% margin. This suc- cessful referendum involved dozens of volunteers, who worked to inform and educate voters. Pauline Lacher and Dean Dehling from the Creekview Preserve subdivision volunteered as co-chairs for the Parents for Partners Referendum Committee and were present to share with Council their excitement for what this referendum will do for the children in Hugo, as well as their excitement for the future. This collaborative partnership, between the WBL school district and the City of Hugo, was formed out of mutual trust and respect. Council member Chuck Haas was appointed by the Council in spring 2003 to serve on the Referendum Steering Committee, and he was very involved. Many City officials like Council member Mike Granger worked on the bond referendum effort. Mayor Fran Miron shared his positive public comments about the bond referendum, as well as additional appreciative comments from City Council member Chuck Haas. City Council meeting of November 17, 2003 Page 2 HUGO ARTICLE ENTITLED "DIRE STREETS" Mayor Fran Miron discussed the front page article in the November 2003 issue of the Hugonian re- garding the CSAH 8 realignment project. He noted that there were many inaccuracies and discrepan- cies in the article and wanted residents to know that the project was going forward as planned. City of- ficials met with the editor and publisher of the Hugonian on November 17, 2003 to discuss the article. The editor stated that she will be printing a correction and retraction in the next Hugonian. Former Mayor Marvin LaValle was also quoted as saying that he had offered the City "free land" if the 147th realignment route was chosen. Mayor Miron stated that the City had not received a formal offer of land. Miron made motion, Petryk seconded, that staff send a certified letter to Marvin LaValle indicating a willingness to listen to a proposal from him to donate land for the realignment project. This discussion should be take place at the next regular Council meeting of 12/01/02 or at a public workshop. All aye. Motion Carried. CONSENT AGENDA Haas made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve the following Consent Agenda: Approval of Claims Appointment of Laurie McRostie for Oneka Ponds Park Project Approve Performance Review & Salary Adjustment for Video Technician (Cindra Schmidt) Approve 2003-2004 Trail Application for Hugo Snowmobile Club Approve Pay Request No. 1 for Lametti & Sons for Work Completed on the Peloquin Industrial Park P.I. Project Approve Reduction in Letter of Credit and Final Acceptance of the Eagle Shores Subdivision All aye. Motion Carried. APPROVAL OF CLAIMS Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the claims roster for November 17, 2003 as presented. APPOINTMENT OF LAURIE MCROSTIE FOR ONEKA PONDS PARK PROJECT Laurie McRostie was a landscape architect for SEH Engineers and worked for the City as the staff liai- son to the Parks Commission for several years. Laurie recently announced that she will be going into solo practice as a landscape architect specializing in parks planning. As Council is aware, staff in- cluded in the 2003 City budget the elimination of her staff liaison position with the Parks Commission, but clarified that Laurie would be used on special projects. CD Director John Rask and the Parks Commission request her involvement in the design of the new park in the Oneka Ponds subdivision, as well as the adjacent Bernin property. Laurie would be hired at $80/hr, with the amount of time to be determined by the Parks Commission and the CD Director. Her fees would come out of park dedica- tion funds. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the appointment of Laurie McRostie as a con City Council meeting of November 17, 2003 Page 3 sultant for design of the Oneka Ponds park project and adjacent Bernin property at $80/hr, with the amount of time to be determined by the Parks Commission and the CD Director. APPROVE PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND SALARY ADJUSTMENT FOR VIDEO TECHNICIAN (CINDRA SCHMIDT) Cindra Schmidt was hired by the City in July 2003 as the City's new video technician. Her hire came as the result of the departure of Jennifer Vandyke, who had a change in her college classroom hours that prevented her from video taping evening meetings. Cindra has done an excellent job in being on time and enhancing the quality of the video production of both City Council and Planning Commission meetings. Cindra has been working with City staff and video consultant to improve the quality of the production and play back of public meetings. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the perform- ance review and salary adjustment from $10 to $11/hr for Cindra Schmidt. APPROVE 2003-2004 TRAIL APPLICATION FOR THE HUGO SNOWMOBILE CLUB Each year, the Hugo Snowmobile Club makes application to the City for approval of four trails to pro- vide for recreational snowmobiling within the City of Hugo. The club is responsible for maintenance of the trails and the Hardwood Creek Trail. Club president John Udstuen is also responsible for ad- dressing and resolving snowmobile complaints that the City receives each year. This year's applica- tion has been satisfactorily completed and is consistent with those for the prior six years. A certificate of insurance was included in the application, which names the City as an additional insured, which is consistent with the City for liability insurance purposes. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the 2003-2004 trail application for the Hugo Snowmobile Club. APPROVE PAY REQUEST NO.1 FOR LAMETTI & SONS FOR WORK COMPLETED ON THE PELOOUIN INDUSTRIAL PARK P.I. PROJECT Lametti & Sons submitted pay request No. 1 for work completed to date on the Peloquin Industrial Park P.I. Project. Project manager Brian Mitchell from SEH Engineers reviewed the request and found it to be consistent with work complete. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved payment in the amount of $428,684.65 to Lametti & Sons. APPROVE REDUCTION IN LETTER OF CREDIT AND FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE EAGLE SHORES SUBDIVISION Heritage Development made application to the City for a reduction in the letter of credit for the Eagle Shores subdivision. City staff reviewed the public improvement work and the construction completed and found it to be satisfactory and acceptable. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved reduction in the letter of credit to $103,750. PRESENTATION OF PUBLIC WORKS SPACE NEEDS STUDY AND RICE LAKE PARK CONCEPT PLAN BOB RUSSEK) City architect Bob Russek from Elsness Swenson and Graham Architects (ESG) made a presentation to Council regarding the Public Works Space Needs Study and the Rice Lake Park Concept Plan, City Council meeting of November 17, 2003 Page 4 which were awarded to FSG by Council at its September 2, 2003 meeting. Bob met with the Public Works Building Committee on October 24, 2003 to finalize changes to the Rice Lake Park Concept Plan, as recommended by the Parks Commission at its October 8, 2003 meeting. This new concept plan will be reviewed by the Parks Commission at its November 12, 2003 meeting. Council discussed at length the pros/cons for location of the public works facility on the east or west portion of the property. Council member Petryk supported installation softball fields that would need to be lo- cated at the west end of the land, which was also the best location of the public works building. Al- though the softball fields would be constructed at no cost to the City, Council recognized that the main focus needed to be on the public works facility. Miron made motion, Puleo seconded, to accept the Public Works Space Need Study as presented. All aye. Motion Carried. Puleo made motion, Haas seconded, to accept the Rice Lake Park Concept Plan as presented. All aye. Motion Carried. Haas made motion, Miron seconded, directing staff to negotiate a contract with ESG Architects and work with the Public Works Building Committee to finalize Concept Plans. All aye. Motion Carried. Miron made motion, Petryk seconded, directing staff to work with the Parks Commission to locate a suitable site for a "pin -wheel" softball facility. All aye. Motion Carried. DISCUSSION ON PHASE III ON WEST ONEKA LAKE DRAINAGE PROJECT At its September 15, 2003 meeting, Water Resource Engineer Pete Willenbring from WSB Engineers provided a recap of the West Oneka Lake Drainage Project. Pete provided an overview of the project, including pictures of the work completed by the contractor, Fyles Excavating. Pete explained that the storm water improvement project will provide much needed relief to homeowners in the area, who have been plagued by flooding for many years. Council was pleased with the project and directed Pete to proceed with Phase III portion of the project. Pete met with neighbors regarding the Phase III por- tion of the work, which included improvements north of 165" Street. Pete provided an overview of the meetings held to date, as well as construction options available to the City, along with estimated costs for each option. Mayor Miron addressed funding sources to pay for improvements such as the storm water utility fees, and suggested that this was, in part, a City drainage issue. Puleo made motion, Miron seconded, directing staff to look at Project 1 and schedule a meeting with affected residents to discuss the improvement project. All aye. Motion Carried. Miron made motion, Puleo seconded, directing staff to facilitate discussion on Projects 2 and 3 with the various regulatory agencies, including any permit applications, and report to Council with a rec- ommendation. All aye. Motion Carried. City Council meeting of November 17, 2003 Page 5 INSTALLATION OF NO PARKING SIGNS ON 130M STREET AT FENWAY AVENUE At its November 3, 2003 meeting, Council authorized staff to proceed with the installation of no park- ing signs (4) on the south side of 130' Street, between Fenway Blvd and Europa Trail, west of Wilson Tool. Council accepted staff's recommendation for installation of the signs citing the narrow street width, pedestrian traffic, and a strong concern for traffic safety. Staff received calls from two resi- dents, who live on 130" Street, who are opposed to the signs and have requested that this matter be placed on this agenda for discussion purposes. Kim Madigan and Joan Laine addressed Council re- questing that Council reconsider their previous decision due to lack of needed parking space and in- creased speed. They also expressed displeasure in not being notified of Council consideration of the request for the signs. Both Mayor Miron and City Administrator Ericson apologized to the residents for not notifying them of the agenda item. Council discussed parking availability at the City's water tower site, and Public Works Director Chris Petree stated that daytime parking is not a problem, but the site is not to be used for storage or overnight parking privileges. Miron made motion, Puleo seconded, to table this matter to allow staff time to research the matter for possible alleviation of the parking problem. All aye. Motion Carried. APPROVE CUP, VARIANCE, PRELIMINARY PLAT, AND PURCHASE AGREEMENT FOR COMFORTS OF HOME At its November 13, 2003 meeting, the Hugo Planning Commission considered the application from Comforts of Home for the construction of assisted senior housing, which will be located on City - owned property, located immediately south of the Post Office. Brian Wingus, from Comforts of Home, presented a concept plan at the Council's October 6, 2003 meeting. Council members were impressed by the housing product and design and encouraged the applicant to proceed with the project. The Purchase Agreement conveys 1.14 acres at a price of $79,800. Staff recommended Council ap- prove the preliminary plat, conditional use permit, variance, and purchase agreement for Comforts of Home. Miron made motion, Puleo seconded, to adopt RESOLUTION 2003-63 APPROVING A PRELIMINARY PLAT, CUP AND VARIANCE FOR COMFORTS OF HOME. VOTING AYE: Haas, Petryk, Puleo, Miron Motion Carried. MNDOT RAILROAD CROSSING ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING ON 12!9/03 City staff received official notification from the MnDOT that a public hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 9, 2003 before the administrative law judge regarding the City's application for a railroad crossing at 142nd Street and TH61. City Attorney Dave Snyder and City staff, including rail- road attorney Larry Starns, will be in attendance along with officials from Washington County. Staff has been preparing the City's findings of fact, which will be made to a judge, who will oversee the administrative hearing. City Attorney Dave Snyder provided additional information regarding this ap City Council meeting of November 17, 2003 Page 6 plication. No formal Council action was taken. WASHINGTON COUNTY LIBRARY PUBLIC MEETING ON NOVEMBER 22, 2003 City staff placed this issue on the agenda for public informational purposes regarding the Washington County Library system's desire to obtain input regarding its public library usage. The public meeting will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2003 at the Washington County Library in Forest Lake. Be- cause of construction of the new elementary school, Mayor Miron suggested City staff be in attendance at this meeting. No formal Council action was taken. APPROVE CITY ENGINEER INTERVIEWS FOR DECEMBER 8, 2003 AT 6:30 PM At its October 20, 2003 meeting, Council accepted staffs recommendation to proceed with Requests for Proposals (RFP) for City engineering services. To date, staff has solicited and received a number of proposals for services, and Council accepted staff's recommendation to allow for the selection of four to five firms to be interviewed by the full City Council. Miron made motion, Haas seconded, to schedule city engineer interviews for Monday, December 8, 2003 at 6:30 pm before the full City Council and City staff. All aye. Motion Carried. RESIGNATION OF TEDDY PELTIER FROM PLANNING COMMISSION The City received a letter of resignation from the very involved resident, Teddy Peltier, from the Hugo Planning Commission. Miron made motion, Haas seconded, to accept the resignation of Teddy Peltier from the Hugo Plan- ning Commission effective immediately and work with PC Chairman Dave Schumann to schedule a recognition ceremony for her years of service to the City. All aye. Motion Carried. SCHEDULE TRI -CITIES MEETING Petryk made motion, Haas seconded, to schedule the next Tri -Cities meeting for Thursday, December 11, 2003, at 7:00 pm, at the Hugo City Hall. All aye. Motion Carried. JD2 CULVERT REPLACEMENT PROJECT UPDATE City Attorney Dave Snyder informed Council that the RCWD was considering terminating the con- struction contract with Jay Bros. The RCWD requested the City's opinion about the termination and Dave recommended that he would like to continue working with staff to provide Council with more in- formation. City Council meeting of November 17, 2003 Page 7 Petryk made motion, Puleo seconded, to table this issue and not provide any formal recommendation to the RCWD. All aye. Motion Carried. PELOOUIN INDUSTRIAL PARK P.I. PROJECT City Engineer Dave Mitchell informed Council that Lametti & Sons had successfully tunneled under TH61 and would be concluding the project within the next few weeks. TABLE AGENDA ITEMS Because of the late hour: Miron made motion, Haas seconded, to table the following agenda items: discussion on economic de- velopment authority; schedule meeting with Hardwood Creek Residents regarding LMCR grant; dis- cussion of proposed improvements to Elmcrest Avenue, south of CR8; and discussion of Minnesota Union Builders. All aye. ADJOURNMENT Miron made motion, Haas seconded, to adjourn at 10:00 pm. All aye. Motion Carried. Mary A reager Cir