Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022.05.16 CC Minutes Call to Order Mayor Weidt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. COUNCIL PRESENT: Klein, Miron, Petryk, Strub (ZOOM), Weidt COUNCIL ABSENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, City Engineer Mark Ericson, Community Development Director Rachel Juba, City Clerk Michele Lindau Approval of Minutes for May 2 2022, City Council Meeting Klein made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve the minutes for the City Council meeting held on May 2, 2022, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Agenda Weidt made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the agenda as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried . Hugo Fire Department 2021 Annual Report Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. presented the Hugo Fire Department Annual Report for 2021. He thanked Finance Director Anna Wobse, Finance and Public Works Administrative Assistant Jennifer Compton, and Accounting Clerk Amber Lozier for their help in gathering the data. Compton reviewed the positions of the 26 staff members and provided call volume statistics. Call volume was up about 9% from the previous year with a total of 355 calls. He provided a breakdown of call types saying the majority of them were rescue assists with MHealth at 154 calls. There were only three structure fires they responded to in 2021 but none of them were in Hugo. He showed data on trends over the years and data on when the calls were coming in. August showed to be the busiest month, and the peak time was between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. This information helped them with staffing. He said they were likely to see a continued increase in call volume due to growth in the City. Operational improvements in 2021 included five new firefighters, improvements to equipment and additional gear. Many of this was done with gambling proceeds donated by the Hugo and Bayport American Legions and with State Fire Marshall Grants. The department was back to fully staffed training since COVID with 3,448 training hours in 2021. Compton talked about the success of the AED initiative which began in 2017. The department maintains 20 AEDs. Many were upgraded with donations received from the Hugo American legion. Donations totaled Minutes HUGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING HUGO CITY HALL MONDAY, MAY 16, 2022 – 7 P.M. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 2 of 10 $40,000 and continue to come in. Goals for 2022 were to continue talks about transitioning to a full-time fire chief and a new daytime staffing model. Weidt said a good piece of information for staffing purposes would be to figure out which days of weeks are busiest. Klein asked about the purchase of the used school bus. Compton responded they had not taken possession yet but will soon, and it will be used to do school bus rescue drills. It was going to cost $100 to tow it, but the department will get $500 back when they scrap it. Swearing in of Jason Palmquist as Training Captain on the Hugo Fire Department At their March 21, 2022 meeting, Council approved the promotion of Jason Palmquist to training captain when Ross Hoernemann was moved to safety captain. Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. performed the swearing in of Jason Palmquist as training captain. Swearing in of Ryan Nadeau as Training Lieutenant on the Hugo Fire Department At their May 5, 2022, meeting Council approved the promotion of Ryan Nadeau to training lieutenant when Jason Palmquist was promoted to training captain. Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. performed the swearing in of Ryan Nadeau as training lieutenant of the Hugo Fire Department. M Health Fairview EMS 2021 Annual Report M Health Operations Supervisor Kevin Kane and Deputy Chief Tom Dunn were in attendance to present the M Health Fairview EMS 2021 Annual Report. Tom presented regional statistics and a comparison with other Cities. He talked about response time saying that COVID had thrown off a lot of numbers. In June of 2020, their goal was an eight-minute response time, and they had surpassed that goal at seven minutes and 34 seconds. He had data on call types and said they received mutual aid 42 times last year and provided mutual aide as well. There were 849 scene responses in Hugo and only 23 emergency transports. An initiative they had been leading was a more responsible use of lights and sirens. He provided information on call types, which were initially categorized by dispatch, but they often change. Kevin said they were looking forward to getting more involved with the community and continuing monthly meetings with the Hugo Fire Department to get ahead of issues and address them quickly. M Health provided the Hugo Fire Department with medical training free of charge. EMS week was this week, and starting next week they would be introducing a facility dog to provide active/passive therapy for crews. Kevin would be its primary handler and attending some community events. Hugo Good Neighbor Days Special Event Permit The Hugo Good Neighbor Days Festival will be held Thursday, June 9th - Sunday, June 12th. Hugo Lions member Dan Balthazor explained the festival this year would be held at the Hanifl Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 3 of 10 Shelter and Fields due to the reconstruction of Lions Park. Parking may be an issue since parking can not be done on the county road. They were considering an area where they would have 140 spots striped, and there will be additional spots near the Rice Lake Centre. They were establishing park and ride locations for three buses. They were planning for a beer garden, bands on Friday and Saturday night, and they will be renting fencing. Security would be provided by an outside company, and they were still working on fireworks. They were currently talking to the White Bear Lake School District to park the carnival campers and equipment trailers to the west of the old Public Works Building on land now owned by the district. They were planning for food trucks, cornhole tournaments, pony rides, merchant booths, inflatables, and face painting. There would be no rib contest this year, and they may do a fall event for that. Weidt made motion, Miron seconded, to waive the Special Event Permit fee, provide Washington County Sheriff Deputies, approve Temporary Liquor License, approve the Off-site Gambling Permit for Bingo, and continue to work with staff on details of the event. All Ayes. Motion carried. Mayor called for a short recess. Approval of Consent Agenda Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the following Consent Agenda: 1. Approve Claims Roster 2. Approve Annual Performance Review for Public Works Worker Rick Kieffer 3. Approve Resignation of Planning Commissioner Maria Mulvihill 4. Approve Resignation of Planning Commissioner David Fry 5. Approve Scott Arcand as an Interim Planning Commissioner 6. Approve Advertisement for Commissioners 7. Approve Reimbursement of Costs for Expert Services Related to DNR Groundwater Model 8. Approve Auto-Aid Agreement Between the City of Hugo and Centennial Fire District 9. Approve Resolution Approving Site Plan for Oneka Elementary 10. Approve Encroachment Agreement for 13123 Fondant Trail North – Rogers 11. Approve Encroachment Agreement for 13397 Fondant Trail North – Venerzzo 12. Approve Encroachment Agreement for 13455 Fondant Trail North - Schneider 13. Approve Pay Request No. 9 for Schreiber Mullaney for Lions Park Building 14. Approve Donation of Land on Education Drive and Falcon Circle from Barbara N Hanson Trust All Ayes. Motion carried. Approve Claims Roster Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Claims Roster as presented. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 4 of 10 Approve Annual Performance Review for Public Works Worker Rick Kieffer Rick Kieffer was re-hired by the City of Hugo on May 31, 2005, returning after a short period of time in the private sector. Rick worked under the direction of Public Works Director Scott Anderson. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Annual Performance Review for Public Works Worker Rick Kieffer. Approve Resignation of Planning Commissioner Maria Mulvihill Planning Commissioner Maria Mulvihill had relocated to Hinkley, MN and had submitted her resignation from the Commission. Maria served since August, 2018, first on the Board of Appeals and Adjustments, then on the Planning Commission as an alternate, and then as a regular Planning Commissioner since January of this year. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the resignation of Planning Commissioner Maria Mulvihill effective immediately. Approve Resignation of Planning Commissioner David Fry Planning Commissioner David Fry had relocated to the Mahtomedi, MN and had submitted his resignation from the Commission. David had served on the Commission since being appointed in August, 2018. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the resignation of David Fry from the Planning Commission effective immediately. Approve Scott Arcand as an Interim Planning Commissioner Scott Arcand had served on the Planning Commission from July, 2009, to December, 2021, and currently served as an alternate on the Board of Zoning Adjustments since being appointed in January of this year. With the resignation of Kim Luchsinger in February and the recent resignation of Commissioners Mulvihill and Fry, Scott had agreed to serve in the interim until regular members were appointed. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the appointment of Scott Arcand to serve as an Interim Planning Commissioner. Approve Advertisement for Commissioners On the Planning Commission there were three vacancies in the regular member positions and one vacancy in the alternate position. In addition, there was a vacancy on the Parks Commission as an alternate and three vacancies on the Historical Commission. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the advertisement for commissioners to fill these vacancies. Approve Reimbursement of Costs for Expert Services Related to DNR Groundwater Model Following Judge Marrinan’s order concerning the White Bear Lake Level matter, the DNR revised the appropriation permits for a number of cities and other entities. The affected cities appealed the permit amendments. The appeals were being scheduled for hearings before an administrative law judge. Lawyers representing various cities had advised that an expert be retained to review and test the DNR’s groundwater model. Depending on how many cities participate, the total cost could Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 5 of 10 amount to several thousand dollars. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approve the City Attorney’s recommendation to authorize the expert services. Approve Auto-Aid Agreement Between the City of Hugo and Centennial Fire District Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr., had requested approval to enter into an Automatic Mutual Aid Agreement between the City of Hugo and the Centennial Fire District to make equipment, personnel and other resources available to their respective fire departments. Each party would authorize the other party to provide assistance. Also, if either party received notice of a reported structure or building fire within the coverage areas of the other party, that party would automatically dispatch assistance to the scene without waiting for a request for assistance from the other party. The automatic dispatch may include an engine, crew, and a chief officer if he or she is available. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Reciprocal Emergency Services Agreement between the City of Hugo and the Centennial Fire District. Approve Resolution Approving Site Plan for Oneka Elementary The White Bear Lake School District had requested site plan approval of an approximately 10,000 square foot addition to the existing Oneka Elementary School located at 4888 Heritage Parkway North. At its April 28, 2022, meeting the Planning Commission considered the request and unanimously recommended the City Council approve the resolution approving the site plan. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved RESOLUTION 2022-26 APPROVING A SITE PLAN REQUEST FROM WHITE BEAR LAKE AREA SCHOOLS TO ALLOW AN ADDITION ON THE EXISTING ONEKA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATED AT 4888 HERITAGE PARKWAY NORTH. Approve Encroachment Agreement for 13123 Fondant Trail North - Rogers Benjamin and Michelle Rogers had requested an encroachment agreement to allow construction of a fence within a drainage and utility easement on property located at 13123 Fondant Trail North. Senior Engineering Technician Liz Finnegan had reviewed the location of the fence and was comfortable with the request. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved RESOLUTION 2022-27 APPROVING AN ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENT FOR BENJAMIN AND MICHELLE ROGERS TO ALLOW CONSTRUCTION OF A FENCE WITHIN A DRAINAGE AND UTILITY EASEMENT ON THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 13123 FONDANT TRAIL NORTH. Approve Encroachment Agreement for 13397 Fondant Trail North - Venerzzo Kevin and Rachael Venerzzo had requested an encroachment agreement to allow construction of a fence within a drainage and utility easement on property located at 13397 Fondant Trail North. Senior Engineering Technician Liz Finnegan had reviewed the location of the fence and was comfortable with the request. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved RESOLUTION 2022- 28 APPROVING AN ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENT TO ALLOW CONSTRUCTION OF A FENCE WITHIN A DRAINAGE AND UTILITY EASEMENT ON THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 13397 FONDANT TRAIL NORTH. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 6 of 10 Approve Encroachment Agreement for 13455 Fondant Trail North - Schneider Justin and Shannon Schneider had requested an encroachment agreement to allow construction of a fence within a drainage and utility easement on property located at 13455 Fondant Trail North. Senior Engineering Technician Liz Finnegan had reviewed the location of the fence and was comfortable with the request. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved RESOLUTION 2022-29 APPROVING AN ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENT TO ALLOW CONSTRUCTION OF A FENCE WITHIN A DRAINAGE AND UTILITY EASEMENT ON THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 13455 FONDANT TRAIL NORTH. Approve Pay Request No. 9 for Schreiber Mullaney for Lions Park Building Schreiber Mullaney had submitted Pay Request No. 9 for the new Pavilion in Lions Park in the amount of $337,308.90. The quantities completed to date had been reviewed and agreed upon by the architect, contractor and City staff. The amount indicated above reflected the work certified through April 25, 2022 with a 5% retainage applied. The total retainage being held to date would be $148,505.08. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved payment in the amount of $337,308.90 to Schreiber Mullaney Construction for the construction of the City of Hugo Lions Park Pavilion. Approve Donation of Land on Education Drive and Falcon Circle from Barbara N Hanson Trust Barbara N Hanson had requested to donate a lot in the Waters Edge Subdivision to the City of Hugo. This property was owned by the Barbara N Hanson Trust. The lot is .17 acres in size and located on the southeast corner of Education Drive and Falcon Circle. Staff had no immediate plans for the property. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the donation of land located in Waters Edge from Barbara N Hanson. Approve Resolution Approving Plans and Specifications and Ordering Advertisement for Bids for the Oneka Parkway Project At its February 7, 2022, meeting, Council had authorized staff to prepare plans and specifications for the 2022 Oneka Parkway Improvement Project. City Engineer Mark Erichson explained the project consisted of road and sidewalk improvements, replacement of curb and gutter, and storm sewer repair. Improvements outside of the assessment area include construction of turn lanes and installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Oneka Parkway and CSAH 8. Plans were prepared and ready to be advertised for bidding. Bids would be opened and contract awarded in June, 2022. A neighborhood open house would take place after that, and construction would begin in July. Miron appreciated the signaled intersection and turn lane upgrades, and he noted that absent of this project, the signal would not be going in at this time. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 7 of 10 Klein made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve RESOLUTION 2022-30 APPROVING PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS AND AUTHORIZING ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS 2022 ONEKA PARKWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. All Ayes. Motion carried. Review Premier Bank Sketch Plan Premier Bank had requested informal comments on a sketch plan for commercial development on a 0.76-acre parcel for a 4,368 square foot bank with a drive-through. The property is currently occupied by a residential home on the northwest corner of 147th Street and Highway 61. The property was zoned Future Central Business (FCB) and located in the area of the City where development is guided by the Downtown Plan and Design Guidelines. The applicant was proposing to rezone the property to Central Business (C-1) to accommodate a commercial use. The applicant was also proposing a drive-through lane for the commercial business. Community Development Director Rachel Juba reviewed the plan which showed access off Flay Avenue, parking on the west side, and a drive-through lane that wrapped around the building counter clockwise to a canopy along Highway 61. The property was in an area identified as the Downtown Central Business District in the Downtown Plan that was adopted in 2007. She explained the guidelines for downtown development was a mixed use of buildings. Auto- dominated development was discouraged and a drive-through was auto oriented. The 2040 Comprehensive Plan guided the property as Mixed Use, which encouraged parcels to be consolidated for well planned development with transitions between uses. The zoning of the property was Future Central Business that allowed for residential uses until the landowner made an application for development. The applicant was proposing to rezone to Central Business for the commercial use and would also need a Conditional Use Permit for the drive-through and a variance for drive-through stacking. If the drive-through was approved, any future business with a drive-through could located on the property. Prior to 2003, all properties in the area were zoned commercial, which made the homes non- conforming so they were unable to add on to the homes, refinance, or sell. Residents petitioned to rezone to FCB district. Juba stated it was unclear from the minutes from that time whether it was intended to be master planned or parcels redeveloped individually. She recommended the Planning Commission hold a neighborhood meeting to provide the property owners background on the zoning and information on how the area might develop. Juba provided details of the sketch plan noting that a drive-through business could be loud and disruptive in a residential zoning district. The applicant said they would use landscaping but staff was unsure how well it would block the noise. She reviewed the design guidelines that stated buildings should be oriented toward the street. The sketch plans showed the building more central to the site, and the Hardwood Creek Trail limited how close they could be to the street. Access should also be off a collector road, so staff would want access off 147th Street. Since it abutted TH61, MnDOT would need to review the plan. She said staff had not evaluated the new renderings, and the design guidelines required specific architecture they would need to meet. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 8 of 10 The Planning Commission had reviewed the sketch plan at its April 28, 2022, meeting and agreed it needed to meet the Downtown Design Guidelines and agreed the bank was a good use for the property. Some commissioners were okay with the access off Flay, and they discussed transitions between land use. There were questions on rezoning to C1 and they made a recommendation to have a neighborhood meeting to be sure the property owners understood. They were okay with the drive-through but did not want to see a fast food or high traffic business there. Joel Houle, president of Premier Bank Hugo Branch, talked about his commitment to Hugo saying it was a family-owned bank and they had outgrown their current site. He talked about his time as an EDA Commissioner and how there was always talk about downtown redevelopment. Chad Haller, from 10K Architecture, showed a presentation with different variations in architecture of Premier Bank building saying they did not have a corporate brand and wanted to build something that was harmonious with the site. He said he hoped to maintain the trees on the north side of the site and possibly an amenity with a bike rack and bench seating on the south side of the building. He said he liked the prairie style architecture with a low profile and bigger overhangs that would feel more residential. The bank building would have brick at the base and stone at the entryways with lots of glass. The trash enclosure would be on the north side of the building. Kline said the drive-through wrapped around bank which seems typical and safe. He said the hours of operation would likely stay the same so not a lot of traffic flow. He asked about their ATM. Houle said the hours would be 8-5 and not weekends. Even prior to COVID they saw traffic in the lobby going down and about ten cars per day in the drive-through. He said there were a lot of problems with standalone ATMs, so if they had one, it would be inside the building. Miron asked about the tenant space. Joel replied they would look for a complimentary type of tenant, and they only wanted to build once in case of expansion. Weidt said he thought the entrance should come off 147th since the residential homes won’t be redeveloping soon. He had no problem with the use and looked forward to seeing them grow in the community. Klein said he didn’t see problems with access off Flay Avenue since there would not be high traffic. He said it would be helpful to see a neighborhood meeting. He asked about just rezoning this site to C-1, and not the whole area. He pointed out there were multiple variances granted for auto parts store to make that work, and he wanted to see this work since they had been in the community for 15 years, and it was a good location for them Petryk agreed with Klein. The Council made it work with Subway and O’Reilly. There were issues with zoning, and she remembered challenges when the neighborhood was rezoned to multi-use for the residents. She said a good start would be to have a neighborhood meeting. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 9 of 10 Miron agreed and thought they did a good job in putting the concept together. It was a sketch plan that would evolve, and there was still work to be done. He said he liked the general direction and agreed with the Mayor there were some access issues to look at. He said this zoning district had existed for a long time and agreed with Petryk on holding a neighborhood meeting. Strub said he thought a bank would be an excellent business for this corner but was concerned about what may come after it because of the drive-through. He said he would like to keep the business in town and thought it was a good start for the downtown area. He didn’t think a bank would be an issue on Flay Avenue but the next business may. He had attended the Planning Commission meeting and knew the applicant was working to make it a good design. Bear said there would be a formal notice that would go to the residents if there was a formal request to rezone. It would first go to the Planning Commission and then the City Council. Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to schedule a neighborhood meeting. All ayes. The Mayor allowed residents in the audience to comment. Former Council Member Frank Puleo wanted to clear up the discussion on when the property was rezoned to future business and what the Council thought at that time. He said three of five council members were there today (he, Becky Petryk, and Mike Granger) and he wasn’t speaking for them, but he did not recall any indication that it could not be individual businesses. He pointed out that variances had been given to other area businesses. Puleo said he went to the bank every day because he banks there, and there was no issue parking or in the drive-through. Only one other time was there a car in front of him. He mainly wanted to say, as a member of the council that approved the zoning, he did not recall any indication that one developer needed to do it all. Jeff Marier, 14792 Flay Avenue, said he was directly to the northwest of the property, and he did not see the traffic flow being an issue. With the development of the park and stuff going on at all hours, he could not see a better fit and did not see an issue with the access on Flay Avenue. Former Council Member Mike Granger, echoed what Puleo said about being on the Council during the zoning. He said he never thought it needed to be master planned. It was expected single business would go there. The drive-through was something that needed to be done and he would hate to see them leave the community. The drive-through would be very minimal considering the noise from the traffic there, and the prairie style fits with the location. The Mayor said he appreciated the comments. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for May 16, 2022 Page 10 of 10 City Administrator Performance Review on June 6, 2022 – Reminder Council was reminded they had scheduled the City Administrator’s performance review for June 6, 2022, at 6 p.m. The regular Council meeting would follow at 7 p.m. Adjournment Miron Made motion, Klein seconded, to adjourn at 8:55 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Michele Lindau, City Clerk