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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996/09/24 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CITY OF Study Session Minutes September 24, 1996 - 7:00 p.m. JJbST. LOLIIS ARK City Council Chambers The Study Session commenced at 7:00 p.m. Present were Council members, Mayor Gail Dorfman, 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), Director of Inspections (Ernie Petersen); Director of Parks & Rec (Cris Gears), Economic Development Coordinator(Janet Jeremiah), Director of Community Development(Tom Harmening), Admin Asst/City Clerk (Ms. Larsen), Housing Coordinator (Ms. Mullen), Economic Development Coordinator(Mr. Anderson), Director of Public Works (Mr. Rardin), Street Superintendent(Mr. Knutson) Because of the large number of citizens present and conflicts with other meetings, all items were taken in a different order than presented in the agenda. 1. Children First Update- Administration Karen Atkinson, Children First Coordinator for the St. Louis Park Public School District showed a video to the Council which outlined the concepts of"Children First"Also distributed was an informational packet for their later review. She reported on some positive developments of St. Louis Park's program including the success of the newly formed Central Free Clinic and a meeting with Hillary Clinton. Cooperation between Children First and City departments is good with projects being sponsored jointly with the Neighborhood Revitalization Commission, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Police Department. Mr. Meyer also reported on the progress of the Children First Vision Team, of which he is a member. He outlined the future plans of the Executive committee and informed Council that he expects to be Chair of that body following the next election. 2. Rhode Island Chateau Rental/Housing District- Community Development City Planning Department Staff joined Gary Winter, Roger Tadsen, Kevin Dahl and Jim Swanson of Garwell Chateau Associates, Ltd. in soliciting Council's comments regarding a proposal for financing assistance for the rehabilitation and conversion of Rhode Island Chateau Apartments into an owner-occupied equity cooperative. Following a description of the property and an outline of the proposal, Council members questioned how approval of this proposal would affect the City, the residents and owners of this property. If the City were to extend a$500,000 loan to the owners, renovations required by HUD could be completed. Without the assistance 1 from the City the current owners would be forced to sell the property. If the assistance were approved residents would be offered the option of buying into the equity program and the property could become a profitable endeavor for the owners. Mr. Anderson stated that talks between staff and the owners had been going on for some time and the possibility of establishing a Housing Improvement District is feasible and would be the preferred method of financing this or similar projects. Under this proposal, owners petition the City to create a small taxing district. If the district is formed the bank would determine terms for repayment. If the owners were to default, the debt would be serviced through property taxes. Councilmembers asked whether this type of proposal could apply to other properties experiencing decline in St:Louis Park. Mr. Harmening responded that proposals of this nature would be coming up in the future from other owners and that this project could provide staff with the experience they will need for dealing with future projects that may not be as straightforward as the project currently under review. Following much discussion, Council agreed that staff should pursue research concerning this proposal and refer back to Council at a future study session. 3. Council Policy Issues - Optional City Services- Councilmember Sanger Council reviewed the practice of providing "special" services which essentially diverts City staff resources from other activities. A list of the kinds of services being performed was provided. After discussion and staff input, it was determined that most of these services are performed because they are not being done by property owners. One example is weed mowing on railroad property, which is not covered under municipal jurisdiction. Another is mowing of grass on State property which is considered by the State to be an opportunity to create a"wild"area, but which is regarded by our residents as unsightly. Staff opinion was that these kind of services are performed by other municipalities, as well. A consensus was reached among Council that while these services may be small when considered individually, together they reflect a sizable portion of staff resources. Staff was directed to identify costs, do additional staf work and return to Council. Wherever possible, responsible parties should be billed for these services. 4. Eliot View Neighborhood Proposal A proposal was brought to Council by members of the Eliot View Neighborhood(represented by Lynn and Mike Lent) regarding the issuance of a variance to Shotwell Manufacturing. Mr. and Mrs. Lent presented to Council letters from residents and results of studies conducted to determine the extent of vibrations experienced by residents around the Shotwell property. The contention of these residents is that despite the results of tests conducted by Shotwell, blind tests conducted by the City show Shotwell to be in excess of tolerable vibration levels outlined in the Ordinance Code. 2 Mike Shotwell responded with a list of improvements which have been made including: Air Conditioning units with sound absorbing walls surrounding them (so that doors can be left closed); equipment moved to other areas of the building further away from residences; vibration absorbing pads installed under equipment; new equipment which operates with lower vibration levels; additional pads under other machines; and the purchase and upcoming installation of just developed rubber pads which will arrive in the near future. The request for building variance is so that a laser cutter can be added to their operation which will reduce the need for a punch for the heaviest of metals processed at Shotwell. Mayor Dorfman pointed out that the underlying issue is the compatibility of Industry and Residences in close proximity. She asked if measures recommended by a previous mediator had been completed. Consensus was that some measure had been taken and others (recommended to corporations other than Shotwell) had not. Mr. Meyer stated that the process of zoning is inadequate to address all the problems raised in this issue and pointed out that despite tolerance of neighbors and good faith effort made by Shotwell manufacturing, that problems of this nature will continue to persist as long as industry is located in close proximity to residential districts. Mr. Meyer outlined efforts made by the City to relocate Shotwell which have at this point been unfeasible. Mr. Shotwell also pointed out that relocation costs would be a monetary burden that his company simply cannot bear. 5. Snow and Ice Removal - Public Works Mike Rardin and Greg Knutsen presented to Council maps of the City which indicate routes for snow and ice removal from streets and sidewalks. They indicated that there were three issues involved: (1) cost of snow and ice removal, (2)pedestrian problems on sidewalks, and (3) plowing over of driveways and curb cuts several times following initial snow removal. Council overwhelmingly agreed that our Street Maintenance Department provides excellent service to the public at a very low cost and should be commended for the work they do. Discussion ensued as to the effectiveness of our ordinances regarding parking and snow removal requirements after a snow fall. Also discussed was the possibility of enforcement of the sidewalk snow removal ordinance by CSO's similar to weed inspector citations in summer. Mr. Rardin asked Council to review maps and add or delete areas for sidewalk shoveling as they see fit. Staff will explore several options for changes in policy and bring back to Council for discussion and review at a future meeting. 6. Park and Open Space Study- Parks & Rec Cris Gears reported to Council that our need for the Development Moratorium has passed. Final results of the Park and Open Space Study are being prepared and an ordinance to terminate the moratorium will be presented to Council in December-January. 3 Following return of results to Council, Mr. Gears proposed that a public process begin whereby a series of informational meetings and news articles outlining disposition of properties be initiated. This will allow for acquisition of properties by neighbors if desired. 7. Party in the Park Response to Sun Sailor-Parks & Rec Council discussed concerns raised regarding the administration of the Party in the Park Festival. Though this festival is operated by a private organization, the public perception is that the City operates the event. Mr. Gears outlined the history of the event from its inception as "Robin Hood Days"through the bi-centennial to the present. All agreed that there is a need to expand the leadership base for City festivals and the possibility of the creation of a new event in conjunction with opening the renovated Recreation Center next summer. It was suggested that this prospect be included in the design charrette taking place this month. Staff agreed and will bring this forward to Council at a future study session. Respectfully Submitted, cc/ „Je5k j Mayor Gail Dorfman Cindy Larsen, Recording Secretary • 4