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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998/08/10 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CITY OF ST. LOUIS OFFICIAL MINUTES PARK CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 111 August 10, 1998 The meeting convened at 6.15 p.m Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Jeff Jacobs, Susan Sanger, Ron Latz, Robert Young, Jim Brimeyer and Mayor Gail Dorfinan Staff present City Manager(Mr. Meyer), Director of Community Development (Mr Harmening); Planning Manager(Ms. Jeremiah); Planning Coordinator(Ms Erickson), Recreation Coordinator (Ms. Buskey), Facility Coordinator(Mr Ailes); and City Clerk(Ms. Larsen) 1. Park Commons Discussion Community Development Staff updated the Council regarding activities related to the Park Commons redevelopment Ms Jeremiah commented on the status of the Park Commons West Study and informed council that the contract with Ellerbe-Beckett for design services had reached the end of its term The contract will not be renewed and staff is currently looking at other options for consultant services CB asked if the Task Force had been updated regarding changes in schedule Ms Jeremiah said that they had not, but a meeting will be scheduled to bring that group together in the very near future Ms Jeremiah presented to-Council options for a Park Commons logo One logo has been selected as the most desirable for its design and flexibility of use for reproduction, etc Ms Erickson stated that Comprehensive Plan amendments to allow for Livable Communities principles to be applied in the Park Commons area have been reviewed by the Planning commission and will be presented to Council for adoption very soon Ms Jeremiah spoke about the solicitation process for developers for Park Commons Staff have identified the strongest applicant and are currently working through design issues They agreed to keep council informed throughout the selection process Mr Meyer said that some developers are stronger in one area than another and that the combination of developers working together on projects may change from time to time. CS said that it is important for the first phase of development is done right to set the standard for subsequent development in the area Mr Harmening said that he had met with Mr Jennings and a commercial consultant and that that all parties are interested in proceeding with development plans He also indicated that negotiations for acquisition of the single family homes are proceeding and Wolfe Park work is going well 2. Knives and Weapons in Schools Chief John Luse gave a background for the development of the ordinance saying that it was necessary to put such an ordinance in place to give the Police Department options for dealing with weapons in the schools He indicated that the School Liaison officers are in place and working well with students and school staff Principals, the School Superintendent and other school personnel are comfortable with the proposed ordinance Much discussion took place about a proposed exemption for persons over 21 and discretion officers would be able to exhibit in enforcing the ordinance Chief Luse said that the ordinance is intended to provide officers with a tool to prosecute juvenile offenders which are currently slipping through the juvenile court system. He stated that it was not the intent to enforce in inappropriate situations, such as when a parent who happens to have a swiss army knife in their pocket or on a key ring enters a school Councilmember Jacobs said that though that was not currently the intent, there is no guarantee in the future that the ordinance may not be used inappropriately Mayor Dorfman asked that the exemption be removed, saying that she felt weapons should not be allowed in the school by anyone By leaving in the exemption, she felt it could be construed that Council endorsed adults carrying weapons Following discussion Council directed staff to bring back the ordinance to the next Council meeting with the exemption Council also indicated that further discussion could take place about the exemption at that time 3. Update on Recreation Center pool Season Ken Ailes, Recreation Facility Coordinator made a brief presentation to Council and showed a video tape recorded from a WCCO news investigation about area pools That news report indicated that St Louis Park's Rec Center pool was considered to be one of the best in the area Councilmembers asked several questions about usage, operations and finances They also discussed banquet facility marketing, senior usage, and availability of seating around the pool 4. Frauenshuh Development Proposal Community Development staff and developers met with Council to outline the current status of the Frauenshuh proposal for the Development of the southwest quadrant of Highway 7 and Louisiana Avenue and to address the economic issues confronting the proposal Mr Anderson explained that the financing approach has changed form TIF to tax abatement and gave a review of how the tax abatement option would work He also provides information regarding the use of public funds for land acquisition, site preparation, soils correction, infrastructure, site planning and engineering and environmental indemnity He also stated that the site is a strong candidate for targeted redevelopment and environmental grant programs run through the state and the Metropolitan Council Options for insurance against unforeseen environmental costs associated with the project were discussed Councilmember Sanger asked if there was existing policy for dealing with tax abatement Mr. Anderson responded that the criteria would be very similar to the existing TIF policy and the same"but for" tests could be applied Councilmember Sanger questioned what public benefits would come from this development Mr Anderson stated that though the proposal looks messy on the surface, it will be structured so that the City will benefit in the future by developing the property, remediating the environmental problems, retaining existing business that will otherwise leave the City and job creation Cduncilmember Brimeyer stated that he felt if public dollars were not invested no development would occur on the site and the City would continue to hold onto undeveloped environmentally challenged property. Dr Saliterman spoke about the the interest of other firms to join in the project and stressed the importance of quick action to remain competitive Mr Harmening told Council that this is not an unusual financial arrangement for brownfield development proposals Mayor Dorfman asked what progress had been made so far regarding soil testing. Mr McKay stated that both Frauenshuh and the MPCA were beginning testing of the soils Mr Harmening informed Council that staff needed to know if they wished to pursue negotiations with the School and the County as both would be affected by the tax abatement Councilmember Young was opposed to going ahead with the proposal. Other Councilmembers were in favor of continuing 5. Sidewalk and Trail Study, Process Alternatives Staff met with Council to discuss various alternatives to include public participation in the trail and sidewalk study Ms Erickson said that the tow reasons for seeking public input were to achieve community consensus and community buy in She presented various alternatives for citizen participation, all of which would include a random telephone survey Council discussed the use of focus groups, a charrette, establishing a task force and the pros and cons of each alternative Following discussion it was agreed that the Task Force should be established and that neighborhood meetings and open houses should be held. Staff agreed to present council with options for task force members at the meeting of September 14th. 6. Radar Trailer Councilmember Nelson had asked that a discussion take place regarding funding for acquisition of a radar trailer for the police department Chief Luse and Mr Meyer stated that money was available in the 1999 budget. Council endorsed the purchase of the radar trailer 7. Golden Auto Site/Railroad Connection proposal and Project Manager Scope of Work Staff met with council to discuss the draft Scope of Work for a Project Manager to serve on behalf of the city in carrying out the roles and tasks outlined in the preliminary development agreement between the City of St Louis Park, St Louis Park EDA and Hennepin County _r- Mr Anderson said that they wanted to know if Council was comfortable with the scope of work and if the time frame and budget was acceptable Mayor Dorfman said that the reason this is needed is that Council needs to be able to understand the"big picture" of railroad development She felt this process would answer questions Councilmember Sanger questioned whether a consultant could get any more information out of the railroad companies than staff and Councilmembers had gotten Mr. Meyer said that we may not have been asking the right questions A consultant can do much s more than staff in the area of research Councilmember Sanger was concerned that issues like safety and environmental concerns were not addressed adequately in,the scope of work Mr Koppy responded that the need for an understanding of the regional picture is needed before environmental work could be done He and Mr. Anderson explained that this was phase I of the scope of work and that following a significant amount of research the City would be better equipped to deal with safety;and environmental concerns. Mr Koppy elaborated on certain points that may not be worded clearly and offered to flesh out - the scope of work to address council concerns Councilmember Sanger asked if the Railroad Task Force would be re-established Mr. Koppy responded that they will indeed be included along with other interested parties. Mr Meyer said that other real issues need to be examined such as the future of commuter rail in St Louis Park Councilmember Sanger said that she was concerned with the suitability of Mr Koppy to serve as Project Manager Her concerns were qualifications, potential conflict of interest and concerns about Mr Koppy's past actions as a City employee Mayor Dorfman pointed out that any person who had served as a public employee would have some opposition and that controversy would be inevitable no matter who was hired. Mr Koppy gave a history of his professional career and expressed his desire to work with the City Councilmember Sanger also expressed concern with a potential conflict of interest because Councilmember Brimeyer had at one time been a business partner of Mr. Koppy Councilmember Brimeyer stated for the record that he had terminated his connections to Mr Koppy's company prior to running for Council several years ago He stated that her concerns were unfounded. Mr Koppy commented on Councilmember Brimeyer character stating that he did not know anyone with higher standards in conducting government business. Following discussion it was agreed that staff should present to Council for formal action the scope of work and professional services agreement 6. Communications Mr Meyer informed Council of an upcoming meeting with finalists for the position of Parks and Recreation Director. The meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m clo------1.0--,_ io 4 . ,,y,..____. Ci Clerk ayor