Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998/04/13 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CITY OF OFFICIAL MINUTES ST. LOUIS City Council Study Session PARK April 13, 1998 7:00 p.m. The meeting convened at 7.05 p.m. Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Chris Nelson, Ron Latz, Jeff Jacobs, Jim Brimeyer, Robert Young and Mayor Gail Dorfman. Staff present City Manager(Mr Meyer), Director of Community Development (Mr. Harmening); Director of Parks and Recreation (Mr. Gears); Planning Coordinator(Ms. Jeremiah); Economic Development Coordinator(Mr Anderson), and City Clerk(Ms. Larsen). Mayor Dorfman began the meeting by informing the audience that the issue of redevelopment of the Highway 7/Louisiana Ave area was not on the agenda for discussion and that a written report had been submitted to Council informing them of a joint meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission and the Planning Commission on Wednesday, April 15th. She also informed the audience members that if they were unable to hear the proceedings through the P.A. system they needed to indicate that so that microphones could be adjusted 1. City and School Athletic Facilities-Joint Study Council met with Bridget Gothberg ( Community Education Director), Jim Martin(member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission) and Cris Gears (Parks and Recreation Director) to discuss a proposal in which the City and the School District would jointly evaluate and develop a community-wide strategic plan for improving public athletic facilities Mr. Martin gave a brief overview of the activities of the Gym Space Task Force and said that a great deal of study and discussion has gone into the evaluation of current athletic facility usage and the projected needs of the many community groups who utilize the facilities. Needs have been evaluated and a determination has been reached that there is indeed a shortage in Gym space in the community. This shortage will seriously impact athletic programs and services utilized by a large segment of the St Louis Park community. Mr. Gears said that due to a shortage of dollars in the Park Improvement Fund, improvements to existing facilities or new construction would not be possible using Parks and Recreation dollars. He also indicated that there is no system currently in place for increasing the amount available to the Park Improvement fund. Ms Gothberg said that the School District is in the process of evaluating the district's needs in the areas of programs and facilities and has retained the services of a consultant to assist in that evaluation. Because the School District is on a tight time line and is preparing for the possibility of going to referendum in the fall of 1998, she felt it prudent to combine the efforts of City and School groups to develop a process to evaluate facility needs and how meeting those needs would financially impact the community. Mayor Dorfman felt that collaboration was a good thing, but felt that School District needs were much larger She wondered if the City's needs would seem trivial by comparison and therefore not be attended to. She did feel it was a good idea to look at the financial impacts to the residents and encouraged the participation in the study by other groups such as private schools Councilmember Brimeyer asked what the major school needs were. Ms Gothberg replied that there were needs in many areas such as technology, infrastructure, and other areas Mr. Gears pointed out the development of athletic fields at Oak Park Village and trail development are good ideas but unfunded at the present time. He felt that pursuing this study would allow staff to prioritize the City's needs and provide useful information to develop funding strategies for these and other projects. Mr. Meyer indicated that needs for gym space had already been determined, but that overall Parks and Recreation facility needs had yet to be identified. A great deal of research had already been done and that information would be utilized by this study group. Councilmember Latz asked how members of the study group would be determined Mr. Gears said that there would be representatives from many areas of the community Councilmember Brimeyer cautioned against using members of groups that would use this as a forum to act as lobbyists or advocates for special interests. Council agreed that staff should continue to work with school representatives to develop a process for the evaluation of facilities and financing 2. Neighborhood Revitalization Commission Mission Mr. Harmening introduced members of the NRC Members present were Shirley Bell, Julie Hart Dorothea Moga, Belinda Pinney and Tom Powers Mr. Harmening gave Council a brief overview of the accomplishments of the commission. Julie Hart informed Council of the outcome of a retreat NRC undertook in January during which the NRC re-evaluated their structure and mission. She read to the council the NRC's Statements of Values and Beliefs, Mission Statement and New Vision. Belinda Pinney indicated that a work plan was in progress and would be submitted to Council upon its completion That plan will include continuation of the Neighborhood Leader's Forum and the NRC Grant Program Dorothea Moga outlined revisions to the by-laws that will reduce the number of commission members from 11 to 7 and will designate the chair as a shared position. Mayor Dorfman asked how their work plan will address tougher issues of empowerment for neighborhoods Tom Powers said that they would continue to facilitate organization of neighborhoods by taking the interest of a neighborhood such as an issue or a gathering and channel that back into the neighborhood. He felt this was the way to increase connections between neighbors and that they would eventually see the value in becoming organized and active as a neighborhood. Shirley Bell felt that empowerment will occur as neighbors see the differences in their own neighborhoods that come from working together as a group. That responsibility toward the neighborhood will grow to become a responsibility to the entire St. Louis Park community Dorothea Moga stated that she felt communications between neighborhoods needed to be enhanced and that a city-wide neighborhood newsletter would be a good medium. She did not feel that there was currently the resources to produce that at the current time Mr. Harmening presented the idea of creating a part-time position designed to act as Neighborhood Coordinator. He felt that the current full time staff in his department did not have the time available to adequately serve the NH groups. This position could be funded through the Housing Rehab Fund. Councilmember Latz questioned whether an 8-hour per week person could provide the kinds of services or accessibility that is really needed by the community. Councilmember Brimeyer made suggestions regarding wording of the mission statement and encouraged the NRC to consider outcomes and best practices to reach those outcomes. 3. Park Commons Discussion Community Development staff met with Council to provide an update on the status of the park Commons project and to discuss future activities and initiatives Ms Jeremiah began by distributing handouts showing the Phase one area and sections of that area where development is imminent She said that Design Team members have continued to participate in the Market Study and that much discussion had taken place on how to keep existing businesses in the area. As these discussions take place more and more detail on how development will occur becomes clear. She indicated that Bunny's had selected a site they desired to relocate to and that many such discussions were occurring at various levels with other businesses in the area Mr. Anderson told Council that he felt it was time for the private market to come to the table. Details need to come together in many areas of planning and development He felt that the RFP process should begin right away and that developers should be selected by mid-summer. Mayor Dorfman asked how, if 3-4 developers were selection, would we be assured that their design work would be consistent within the area Ms. Jeremiah responded that there would be a redevelopment plan put into place and ordinances are in the process of being revised to coincide with Livable Communities principles Mr. Harmening said that acquisition, relocation and infrastructure development required extensive City involvement. Mayor Dorfman asked if existing businesses are being given an opportunity to relocate to other areas in the City which may be more suitable for their operations. Ms. Jeremiah said that conversations of this nature had been taking place all along Though many businesses are eager to remain in the Park Commons area, some have expressed a desire to relocate to other areas of the City Councilmember Latz expressed his desire that the City encourage entrepreneurial businesses to locate in the area and did not want Park Commons to become another gathering of national chain stores. He felt that the area should remain unique and that that would be the key to its success Mr. Brimeyer agreed with this point. Mr. Anderson presented a visual of properties that had been acquired and said that it was time to step up efforts to acquire other properties where owners were reluctant to leave. His intent is to send out information to owners advising them of the city's intent to acquire by eminent domain. Councilmembers expressed concern that this would become a long process and were informed that"quick take" methods would be used which will be much more manageable than the process used to acquire the Hutchinson Spur property Councilmember Nelson questioned the City's ability to fund all the acquisitions at once. Mr. Anderson stated that apprisals had been conducted and market values had been established The actual acquisitions could be done piece by piece and would not need to happen all at once. Mr Harmening reassured Council that the methods used so far have been very respectful and have been done with a very soft approach He felt the need to set a schedule for acquisitions and also felt that this would not be unexpected by property owners He said that he felt the process was not the preferred method to make acquisitions, but that staff would continue to conduct business in the most respectful manner possible. d' Ms. Jeremiah said that the Met Council would be holding a pre-grant meeting for Livable Communities Funding at City Hall on Wednesday, April 15th Applications are due in July and the award wills be made in November. Soil borings are currently underway to determine soil conditions and that capitol obtained through Livable Communities Grant Funding would be used for capital expenditures related to the redevelopment district. Councilmember Brimeyer asked if the impacts on water and sewer and other City infrastructure had been studied. Ms. Jeremiah said that studies of this nature are on-going. Councilmember Brimeyer also asked if ISTEA funds for bridge construction had been obtained. Mr. Meyer responded that they have and that the deadline for construction is 2002. Mr. Harmening said that Council would need to become more involved as the process enters into a higher gear and suggested that Council consider either creating a sub-committee to handle details or agree to regular special meetings so that issues can be dealt with as they present themselves Councilmember Brimeyer said that he was philosophically opposed to the creation of Council Sub- committees and felt that regular special meetings should be conducted. Other Councilmembers agreed with this option Mr. Harmening said that in the immediate future Council would be asked to authorize the issuance of RFQ's for developers to begin the development of Phase I and that they would also be asked to authorize the submission of the Livable Communities Grant application. 8. Public Art Councilmember Young recently attended the National League of Cities conference in Boston where much discussion took place regarding public art. He felt Council develop funding options for public art in St Louis Park. He suggested two methods, 1) a percentage tax on all new projects built within the City. and 2) the use of a percentage of proceeds from pull-tab operations. Councilmember Jacobs cautioned against the second approach citing an attempt by a past Council to capture funds in a similar fashion several years ago He felt that the public opposition felt at that time would be felt again. Councilmember Latz said that many of the pull-tab operations that currently exist dedicate their proceeds to charitable and youth activities. Councilmember Brimeyer suggested that an intern be assigned to research possibilities for funding public art. Mayor Dorfman shared a flyer that she said was just one source of information available to assist cities in dealing with similar funding issues. 9. Communications 111 Mr. Brimeyer shared some historical observations on the Oak Park Village site Mr. Meyer shared a memo from Healthsystems Minnesota requesting a joint meeting of Council and their management staff to discuss future direction of the organization Mr Meyer also informed Council that demolition of fencing and berms along the Hutchinson Spur would be occurring very soon. The Meeting adjourned at 9:22 p m. f / c ) ( k 1' I --, .- ir - Mayor / ty Clerk