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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996/11/12 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CITY OF Minutes ST. LOUIS City Council Study Session PARK November 12, 1996 The Study Session commenced at 7:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Gail Dorfman and Councilmembers Jeff Jacobs, Sue Sanger, Jeff Appelquist, Ron Latz and Robert Young. Also present were the City Manager(Charlie Meyer), Deputy City Manager(Joanne Kutzler), Finance Director(Mac McBride), Assistant Finance Director(Mr. Felton), Director of Parks & Rec (Cris Gears), Planning Coordinator(Janet Jeremiah), Director of Community Development(Tom Harmening) and Admin Asst/City Clerk(Ms. Larsen). Joint Meeting with City Council and Housing Authority Council met with members of the St. Louis Park Housing Authority including Bill Gaysy, Bridget Gothberg and Walt Hartman. Following introductions and a brief history of the Housing Authority, Council discussed issues of concern such as scattered site housing and the proximity of locations to each other, whether they anticipated more scattered site housing in the future,what the status of waiting lists for section 8 housing look like and the expected impact of welfare reform on St. Louis Park housing programs. 1. Council Policy Issues Council briefly discussed a theoretical Metro Fire Department and the 360 degree performance review concepts. Mr. Meyer informed the Council that options could be reviewed regarding joint use of Fire Department equipment and personnel by cities in the metro area. This could result in a significant cost savings, but logistically is considered to be somewhat difficult. There is no doubt that more and more cities will be considering this kind of an approach in years to come. The concept of a 360 degree performance evaluation is a process whereby managers are reviewed not only by their superiors, but by those they manage as well. This is a format which Mr. Meyer expressed an interest in using for the upcoming City Manager review process. 2. 1997 Excelsior Boulevard Streetscape Project Steve Gatlin of MSA Consultants presented to Council details of the proposed Excelsior Boulevard Streetscape to be completed in 1997. He indicated that he had met(or attempted to meet) with all property owners who would be affected by the project to solicit their input and listen to their concerns. 111 Issues raised by the property owners were parking, cost to the owners, time line for completion of the project and pedestrian crossing. He indicated that right-of-way acquisition needed to be addressed. He also indicated that discussions with the County were in progress and that the County was actively involved in review of the proposed project. Council discussed issues relating to the right-of-way acquisition and the possibility of offering incentives to owners to facilitate that acquisition. Also discussed were financing issues, the need for bike and pedestrian access and landscaping. Council will be revisiting this issue as project plans develop. 3. Charrette Update Janet Jeremiah and Tom Harmening brought Council up to speed on progress made since the Charrette took place in October. Council reviewed drawings depicting artists' conceptions of several ideas that came directly from the Charrette process. Ms. Jeremiah pointed out that these were merely conceptual drawings and that changes would take place as the planning process continued. Community input will continue to be sought and Council will be kept informed of progress. Mr. Gears addressed the Council regarding development of Wolfe Park as it relates to the Town Center project. A number of technical and political problems need to be addressed including tree removal, dirt piles, etc. In regard to soil problems encountered on the site, Council asked if there was the possibility of new legislation which could possibly ease restrictions. Mr. Gears stated that this was unlikely and that soil problems would most likely need to be addressed simply through the landscape design and the use of contaminated soils under the blacktop areas. Discussion ensued as to best methods of keeping the public informed of the progress this project is making. Methods identified were Cable T.V. presentations, the Park Perspective newsletter, neighborhood association meetings, etc. Council indicated a strong desire to be aggressive in helping the public understand the nature of this process and be involved and aware of directions the design plans are taking. 4. 1997 Truth in Taxation Kathleen McBride, Mark Felton and Bruce Stepnick shared with Council their 1997 Truth in Taxation presentation which will be made to the St. Louis Park residents in December. Mr. Stepnick also presented to Council a report detailing tax valuation trends in St. Louis Park and surrounding communities. He indicated that the commercial market was"up". 5. Community Celebrations Task Force One of the direct results of the "Visioning"process was a directive to examine community celebrations in St. Louis Park. Cris Gears sought Council direction on best methods to pursue this directive. After discussion staff was directed to prepare an item to be placed on City Council agenda authorizing the creation of a"Community Celebrations Task Force"which will include representatives from City, School District, Party in the Park and other constituent groups from our community. A major focus of this group will be to plan a community celebration focusing on the opening of the newly renovated Recreation Center. 6. MRPA Use of Dorothea Nelson Building Mr. Gears informed Council of discussions taking place with Minnesota Recreation and Park Association regarding their proposed lease for space in the Dorothea Nelson Building. He indicated that though this would require significant renovations of the space, MRPA is actively pursuing the lease. Discussions on this issue will continue and Council will be kept informed of developments. 7. Gym Space Task Force Report Earlier in 1996, Council authorized the creation of the Gym Space Task Force to explore issues related to the use of gym space in St. Louis Park. Mr. Gears presented results of a survey that had been conducted and confirmed that the survey did indeed reflect a significant shortage of gym space for all user groups including, school,recreation department programs and other community users of gyms. They briefly discussed options for alleviating this problem including the use of other buildings such as churches and other privately owned space. Benilde has approached the City about the possibility of constructing a dome at the Bass Lake site which would be constructed by Benilde/St. Margaret's on City-owned property. Discussions will continue with all concerned groups and Council will be kept informed of progress made regarding this issue. The meeting adjourned. I i/VaTA- D / Gail Dorfman, Mayor v Ci dy Larsen, Recording Secretary