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Home My WebLink About1978/01/16 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular l . ' •'FA'Ha-th.. .-r•.•w• w��•rY Y•I�1�� 1 * . i 1eVi. •1v a . l4 .. . . . . 4.k . l : . 1 . . .. . 4 . i . . . . • :,t .A.ti-. .r.- .•.-. . . . ' ^w+vw •.vv '. "% •♦ . N t • . . vim. .. . . . . h . . . . . . : �"y :. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . )a. r • e . •J rw - e Y MINUTES NN SPECIAL CITY COUNCMI IES(T)TNA ST . LG OUIS PARK , January 16 , 1978 wlTbhe meing was called to order at 7 : 03 p . m . 1 . Call to Order y Mayetor Stern . 2 . Roll Call The following Councilmen were present at roll call : Ronald Backes Martha Elstrom Lyle Hanks Jerrold Martin Irving Stern Councilman Griak arrived at 7 : 05 p . m . Also present were the City Manager and the Planning Director . t 4G. PUBLIC HEARING 3 . Community Development The Mayor opened the first public hearing for the Block Grant Program Community Development Block Grant Program for St . Louis Park . He complimented the Citizens Advisory Task Force for the substantial work and input it had donated to the formation of the City ' s new Community Development plan . The City Manager explained that the Community Development Block Grant Program was enacted replace a number of the Department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD ) categorical grant programs . The purpose is to provide the communities assistance to better provide housing , improve living conditions and encourage economic opportunities , primarily for persons of low and moderate incomes . He explained the two methods of allocating funds , formula and entitlement , and indicated the City has been eligible for a total of $ 2 . 68 million over the first five years of the program ; the City ' s 1978 allocation is $ 440 , 000 . The City Manager enumerated the specific objectives of the Act ; discussed the eligible and ineligible activities , and reviewed the application and certification requirements . The City Manager also explained the importance of citizen participation in formulation of the program . - 20- r 3 City Council minutes , January 16 , 1978 The Planning Director explained the citizen participation process that has been occurring ; the Community Development Task Force has met four times and has recommended goals and objectives for the ensuing three -year Community Development Program ; the Task Force has also recommended specific work programs for the fourth and fifth yeas of the Program . The Planning Director added that formal amendments to the first and third - year programs are also being considered . The Planning Director reviewed the Task Force recommendations for the five neighborhood areas considered to be most eligible for Community Development funding . He preceded each neighborhood description by stating that the Task Force has recommended that decorative and energy- efficient street lighting programs not be scheduled for any of the neighborhoods due to the high cost of providing such a system and that housing rehabiltation for each individual neighborhood has been provided in a general pool of rehabilitation funds which will be used to support rehabilitation efforts in all of these specific neighborhoods . The Planning Director explained that in the Elmwood neighborhood , the Task Force is recommending projects of park development ( $ 15 , 000 ) and alley paving ( $ 38 , 000 ) with a total allocation for this neighborhood of $ 53 , 000 . He added that housing rehabilitation efforts will be strongly emphasized in this neighborhood due to the age of the housing stock . The recommendations for the Park Hill neighborhood were presented by the Planning Director and included park development ( $ 57 , 000 ) , provision of an open space link and passive recreation node ( $ 28 , 000 ) , partial subsidization - o f street paving special assessments ( $ 55 , 000 ) , repair of sanitary sewer lines ( $ 25 , 000 ) , street landscaping $ 20 , 000 ) , provision of bus plaza at Minnetonka Boulevard and Ottawa Avenue ( $ 5 , 000 ) , and partial subsidization o f alley paving ( $ 7 , 000 ) , for a total of $ 197 , 000 . He stated that this area will also receive a heavy emphasis on housing rehabilitation . The Planning Director proceeded with the Task Force recommendations for projects in the South Oak Hill neighborhood including park improvement of Edgebrook Park and link to adjacent ponding area ( $ 20 , 000 ) , and park development to provide a passive open space area ( $ 10 , 000 ) , in addition to housing rehabilitation . The neighborhood cost for this area is ✓ ecommended at $ 30 , 000 . Oak Park Village , the former Neighborhood Development Project site , received recommendations for park development of the dedicated park land within Oak Park Village ( $ 12 , 000 ) , provision of a pedestrian / bicycle link from the pedestrian bridge to the library ( $ 8 , 000 ) , and landscaping of the pedestrian bridge area and other appropriate areas ( $ 10 , 000 ) , for a total allocation of $ 30 , 000 . The final neighborhood , as presented by the Planning Director , was Alabama / Blackstone , and the Task Force recommended park improvements to provide an adequate " tot lot " to the neighborhood ( $ 15 , 000 ) , street landscaping and landscape berming to screen adjacent industrial areas ( $ 15 , 000 ) , a pede- strian / bicycle link across the railroad tracks to the west to provide the neighborhood access to park and recreation facilities ( $ 15 , 000 ) , and efforts in housing rehabilitation . The total allocation for Alabama / Blackstone was $ 45 , 000 . - 21 - City' Council ncil minuteS , January 16 , 1978 Community Development funds were The final project for which Center project for renovation of recommended was the Lenox lC o Coa mmunity and senior center in the a former elementary school amount of $ 150 , 000 . the amendments to the first - and third -year The City Manager explained from special education to bus programs to include transfer of $ 3 , 000 and transfer of $ 40 , 000 from the unallocated plazas ( first year ) � reserve to park improvements ( third year ) . Councilman Griak stated that she is opposed to funding street paving at ial projects with Community Development funds and feels lthatipartialod would subsidization of special assessments lnPark City already pays be setting a bad precedent . She added that the approximately 40 percent of street paving costs and should not increase this amount . In response to a question from Councilman Hanks , the City Manager stated that no more than $ 40 , 000 , or 10 percent of the total allocation , could be allocated to the unallocated reserve . After considerable discussion , the Council agreed that the $ 55 , 000 allocated to street paving in the Park Hill neighborhood should be reallocated to the Lenox Community Center project and directed that this change be made for the second public hearing . The Mayor announced that the second public hearing on the proposed Community Development Program is scheduled for January 30 , 1978 , at 7 p . m . There being no one further wishing to speak and no further questions or comments from the Council , the Mayor adjourned the public hearing at 7 : 30 p . m . Irv ,, g M . Stern Mayor Attest : niA,41 Wendy Bor Recording Secretary - 22 -