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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990/03/05 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MEETING ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA March 5, 1990 1 . Call to order The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Mayor Lyle Hanks. 2. Presentations None. 3. Roll call The following Councilmembers were present at roll call : Bruce Battaglia, George Haun, Allen Friedman, Keith Meland, Jane Tschida and Lyle Hanks. Also present were the City Manager, City Attorney, Director of Community Development and Director of Public Works. 4. Approval of minutes It was moved by Councilmember Battaglia, seconded by Councilmember Tschida, IIIto approve the minutes of the Feb. 20, 1990 meeting with the following corrections: po. 23, mid-page, change "He believed" to "Mr. Michel" believed; on pg. 24, -- 2nd line about 8e, change "to" to "no." The motion passed 5-0-1 (Councilmember Haun abstained) . It was moved by Councilmember Meland, seconded by Councilmember Battaglia, to approve the minutes of the Feb. 26 study session. The motion passed 5-0-1 (Councilmember Haun abstained) . 5. Approval of agenda It wes moved from Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Tschida, to approve the consent agenda for Mar. 5, 1990 with the removal of items llb, llc and 13a to the regular agenda. The motion passed 6-0. It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Meland, to approve the agenda for Mar. 5, 1990 with the addition of lOb. MASAC and lld Ford Rd. improvements. The motion passed 6-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS 6a. Taxicab Company Application of Fereydoun Behnam (dba Travel Express Taxi ) for a license to operate a taxicab company in St. Louis Park. Mr. Behnam, applicant, was present to answer questions. -31- City Council meeting minutes Mar. 5, 1990 There being no one further wishing to speak, the Mayor closed the hearing with the right of Council to thereafter reopen and continue it at a future date. Councilmember Friedman noted a typo in the report wherein the applicant' s driver' s license is valid until 1993, not 1983. It was moved by Councilmember Tschida, seconded by Councilmember Meland, to approve the application. Councilmember Friedman asked staff to look at the status of applications for licenses but those which are then not utilized. 6b. Hwy. 7/Belt Line Blvd. Project 90-11 : Right turn lane on south frontage road of T.H. 7 west of Belt Line Blvd. d4 Dave Dahlquist, president of Nordicware, addressed Council to state he had been out of town; thus, the delay in getting a letter to Council . Councilmember Friedman said his —reading of the letter indicated everyone is back to square one where the initial proposal began. In Mayor Hanks asked if staff had a problem with working with Nordicware in trying to lay out what is needed. He realized Council did not want any more staff time used on this, but with the additional information received from Mr. Dahlquist, he was asking the question. Councilmember Friedman said if the firm were willing to pay fortheimprovements, - that's fine; if it works out with MnDOT's traffic patterns, that' s fine. He did not want to see the Engineering department out there surveying all over again, spending taxpayers money to come up with a plan. He felt the company and staff should be given ample time to work this out. He reiterated his suggestion that in the interim, off-duty police could be hired to direct traffic at the most congested times. There being no one further wishing to speak, the Mayor closed the hearing with the right of Council to thereafter reopen and continue it at a future date. It was moved by Councilmember Meland, seconded by Councilmember Friedman, to table. The motion passed 6-0. 6c. Hoigaard's Request to vacate the alley and easement located within Block 26, Rearrangement of St. Louis Park, except that portion previously vacated There being no one wishing to speak, the Mayor closed the hearing with the right of Council to thereafter reopen and continue it at a future date. 1111 It was moved by Councilmember Battaglia, seconded by Councilmember Meland, to approve first reading, set second for Mar. 19 and authorize summary publication. -32- City Council meeting minutes Mar. 5, 1990 The motion passed 6-0. RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES 8a. 1600 block of Quentin Disposition of land Resolution 90-25 It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Meland, to adopt Resolution 90-25 entitled "Resolution declaring City public need for County-owned property located at 1600 block of Quentin Ave." The motion passed 6-0. 8b. Emergency vehicle system It was moved by Councilmember Meland, seconded by Councilmember Friedman, to approve first reading, set second for Mar. 19, 1990 and authorize summary publication. Councilmember Friedman was distressed that the intersections of Wooddale/Hwy. 7 and Louisiana/Minnetonka were not included. In his research with MnDOT, the Opticom people, 3M and so on he had been assured it would be no problem to install the system at these two intersections. That day a spokesman from MnDOT said he had more important intersections to worry about. He was looking for IIIanswers as to why dropping those intersections was not brought to the Council as this matter was a Council-driven action. The motion passed 6-0. 8c. 2902 Flag Ave. Disposition of property Resolution 90-26 It was moved by Councilmember Meland, seconded by Councilmember Tschida, to adopt Resolution 90-26 entitled "Resolution declaring no City public need for County-owned property at 2902 Flag Ave." The motion passed 6-0. REPORTS FROM OFFICERS, BOARDS, COMMITTEES 9a. Report from Housing Authority Recommendation for administrator for Homeless Lease Program Councilmember Friedman asked who had the authority to authorize these programs. The City Manager responded that the City's Housing Authority thought it had the authority to make a recommendation to the Council ; however, information has been received from HUD indicating rules for this program have changed so designation by the City is no longer required. -- ill/ It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Meland, to receive the report for filing. The motion passed 6-0. -33- • • City Council meeting minutes - - - Mar. 5, 1990 • 9b. Single family rehab revenue bonds Report from Housing Authority re recommendation of application submittal for Single Family Rehabilitation Revenue Bonds Itto cwscur mwby ocnig lmorritFyr'is emln,icaeon ndodr py grCamncilmember Tschida • Councilmember Battaglia wished to commend the Housing Authority in taking 4. - the initiative to come up with programs for residents, especially low-income • and housing rehabilitation programs. The motion passed 6-0. -s; 9c. Request of Klodt, Inc. Report from Planning Commission re Klodt's request for an amendment to Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Plan to change designation from General Industrial to High Density Residential in Belt = Line Business Park The City Manager said a representative of Klodt had requested a deferral to March 19, 1990. It was moved by Councilmember Tschida, seconded by Councilmember Meland, to defer the item to March 19, 1990. The motion passed 6-0. f' 9d. City bridges Prioritizing City bridges for future Resolution 90-27 funding eligibility purposes Councilmember Friedman asked why the City had to get involved with the railroad bridges as the Federal government participates in that funding. The City Manager responded that the key is the railroads do not get funding directly from the Federal government, they must go through the City. Councilmember Friedman could not understand why the City would want to get 3'• involved if the funding is strictly for safety factors. The City Manager said the esthetic appearance of bridges was more apparent that any structural problems. It was his feeling that even though 5-10 years might remain on a bridge from a safety standpoint, the community is readily sensitive to a bridge's physical appearance. Councilmember Meland recalled the history of the Burlington Northern bridge over Virginia Ave. He felt it important to look at it as it appears to be a dangerous bridge because of the narrow access for traffic passing -"under it. It was pointed out that each of the proposed projects would come back before Council for approval . It was moved by Councilmember Battaglia, seconded by Councilmember Haun, to -34- City Council meeting minutes - March 5, 1990 adopt resolution 90-27 entitled "Resolution establishing a priority list for bridge replacement/reconditioning to provide for future funding eligibility." The motion passed 6-0. - 9e. Planning Commission minutes Feb. 21 Ordered filed by consent. 9f. Traffic study 419 Petition to restrict parking Resolution 90-28 along W. 38th St. west of Princeton Ave. By consent, adopt Resolution 90-28 entitled "Resolution authorizing parking restrictions along W. 38th St. west of Princeton Ave. ; W. 39th St. west of Princeton Ave. ; and Princeton Ave. between W. 38th and W. 39th Streets." 9g. Consultant selection Design of water treatment facilities at municipal well No. 4, W. 41st St./Natchez Ave. Councilmember Friedman noted tha- Barr Engineering' s bid was $74,000 more than SEH for the design stage and the estimated construction costs is $740,000 higher. After reviewing the qualifications, why staff did not go back to SEH upon seeing the discrepancy in the figures and ask them to provide the same information that Barr had provided. The City Manager said there was a discrepancy of $47,000 in the design phase, albeit still a significant figure. The estimated construction differential was $210,000. He said the Director of Public Works received four proposals initially, narrowed it down to Barr and SEH and asked them both to come up with their best proposal . _ The City Manager said staff felt Barr had a better grasp of what this project was going to entail . Councilmember Battaglia asked if staff felt SEH could not do the project. The City Manager responded that was not the case. The Director went into a lengthy discussion of a breakdown of what each firm proposed to do. The crux of the comparison was that Barr would do a more thorough job. Councilmember Tschida felt this was a very complex subject of which she had little knowledge. She felt staff should be relied upon for recommendation. It was moved by Councilmember Tschida, seconded by Councilmember Meland, to accept the Barr proposal . Don Lund, president of SEH, addressed Council . In essence, they were proposing a design that has proven to be successful in other communities. Although relatively new to Minnesota, the design has had 20 years of use in other parts of the country. Currently five projects using the SEH technology are under construction around the country. HDR Engineering would be the subcontractor on the GAC plant. He did not want the Council to believe SEH was not qualified to do this project because they definitely were qualified. -35- City Council meeting minutes_ _ March 5, 1990 Councilmember Battaglia said if the discrepancy were 5-10%, he would see going with the higher bidder. But with a differential of some 40%, he would not support her motion. Councilmember Friedman concurred. In answer to a question from Councilmember Haun as to why staff had chosen to go with Barr, the Director said the Barr proposal provided him with assurances. The Barr proposal provided him a discussion of the issues that he has come to appreciate in his dealings with many of the Reilly issues. In his remarks, Mr. Lund had said Barr had refused to work with SEH on a mutual basis. Councilmember Haun asked the Director to elaborate. The Director responded the firms felt they could work together if each took the lead. In answer to a question from Mayor Hanks, the Director went through the bid proposal process. Mayor Hanks said he would like to see staff visit individually with the two firms to get more information and input. The motion failed 2-4 (Councilmembers Battaglia, Haun, Friedman, Mayor Hanks opposed) . It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Haun, to defer to March 19, 1990 to allow the City Engineeer re-evaluate and bring back a recommendation. _; The motion passed 6-0. 9h. Park and Recreation Commission minutes Feb. 14 9i . Building Construction Codes Advisory Commission minutes Feb. 13 By consent, minutes ordered filed. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 10a. Boards and commissions Mayor Hanks nominated Tom Duffy to replace Jim Dahl on the Police Civil Service Commission. It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Haun to confirm the Mayor's nomination. The motion passed 6-0. lOb. MASAC Councilmember Friedman said apparently Senator Boschwitz did not understand any better than Senator Durenberger the Council 's concerns re the Stage II aircraft that Northwest Airlines is purchasing. He asked that a letter of further -'- clarification be sent to Senator Boschwitz. NEW BUSINESS lla. Gambling license Jewish Community Center It was moved by Councilmember Tschida, seconded by Councilmember Meland, - to approve the application and waive the 60-day waiting period. The motion passed 6-0. lib. Bid tabulation Snowblower attachment for frontend IIIloader Councilmember Friedman wondered why there was only one bidder. The Director of Public Works said two firms received proposals would have had to do some deviation from the proposal and chose not to bid. A third firm knew the equipment to be 50% than the City' s budget and choose not to bid. Councilmember Friedman just wanted it known that the City was not arbitrary in its bid process. It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Haun, to accept the bid of McQueen Equipment in an amount not to exceed $49,750. The motion passed 6-0. llc. Bid tabulation Pneumatic roller Having had his question answered, it was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Meland, to accept the bid of Sweeney Brothers Tractor in an amount not to exceed $31 ,358. The motion passed 6-0. III lid. Ford Road Councilmember Battaglia noted Minnetonka was planning some construction on Ford Rd. He felt the St. Louis Park residents living on Ford Rd. should be notified of the meeting to be held in Minnetonka so they know what is being contemplated. MISCELLANEOUS 12. Damage claims Eddie Golden By consent, claim referred to City Clerk and City Manager. 12b. Communications from Mayor Mayor Hanks quickly went through the list of legislative priorities as presented at the National League of Cities conference in Washington. 12c. Communications from City Manager None. CLAIMS, APPROPRIATIONS, CONTRACT PAYMENTS 13a. Verified claims By consent, approve the list of verified claims prepared by the Director of Finance dated March 5, 1990 in the $846,516.72 for vendor claims and $20,438. 12 for payroll claims and that 111 the City Treasurer and City Manager be authorized to execute checks in the appropriate amounts. 14. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. i 'Pajl' avvu -h i, bi )4-,,L., arratar -37- Mayr