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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000/04/10 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session rII5T5 OFFICIAL MINUTES PARKCITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION April 10, 2000 The meeting convened at 6 00 p m Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Jim Brimeyer, Ron Latz, Chris Nelson, Susan Sanger, Sue Santa, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs Staff present City Manager (Mr Meyer), Deputy City Manager (Mr Pires), Director of Finance (Ms McGann), Director of Inspections (Mr Hoffman), Police Chief(Mr Luse), Director of Public Works (Mr Rardin), Director of Parks and Recreation (Ms Walsh), Fire Chief(Mr Gill), Utilities Superintendent (Mr Anderson), Community Outreach Coordinator(Ms McDonell), Planning and Zoning Supervisor (Ms Jeremiah), Housing Supervisor (Ms Schnitker), Housing Programs Coordinator(Ms Kathy Larsen), Economic Development Coordinator(Mr Kleve), and City Clerk (Ms Cindy Larsen) 1. Staff/Council Retreat Tom Allen met with the City Council and department directors to discuss the agenda for the retreat to be held on May 2 2. Sanitary Sewer Service Line Backwater Valves Mr Rardin gave a presentation on the history of sanitary sewer backups and the recent incidents where sewer backup occurred Mr Anderson presented a video regarding sewer valve systems Council discussed various options for city involvement with homeowners to install backwater valves Mr Latz inquired about liability issues that the City may have Mr Rardin replied that the City has a no negligence policy, but he would like to see the City provide a fixed level of service to keep the system operating well Mr Anderson described the problem with the lift station controls He stated that there had not been many backups recently except for when Lift Station No 19 failed. Councilmember Sanger felt that the homes most affected by sewer backups should have assistance in obtaining a prevention device for their sewer line She added that the City should monitor the situation and perhaps test the system Mr Anderson replied that he was not comfortable with that suggestion due to the fact that more damage could occur and homeowners would most likely not want to participate Mr. Meyer interjected that the option to let the system remain as it is would not be irresponsible Mr Nelson added that there could not be such a thing as a risk free system Mr Rardin stated that there have more problems with random backups than with lift station failures Councilmember Nelson inquired if it would be more cost effective to assist homeowners with the cost of the valves or to pay claims presented to the City as the sewer backups occurred Study Session Minutes -2- April 10, 2000 Mayor Jacobs suggested that the next step should be to develop a plan for cost sharing for priority one homes He said he would like staff to return with a plan for Council approval Councilmember Nelson inquired if coordination with the plumbing company was in progress as part of an insurance settlement Mr Anderson replied that it may be possible in a few of the homes that were damaged Councilmember Sanger stated her preference to assist all homeowners in the area that have had damage Several questions were raised on how such assistance would be funded and whether the issue is one of state or city code Mr Meyer stated the sewer fund would support assistance for the higher risk homes but would not cover other options Councilmember Sanger suggested that perhaps a program to educate the public on the maintenance of sewer lines should be initiated Councilmember Brimeyer stated that the money needs to be spent in the right place, they cannot repair only what was damaged but also need to prevent it Councilmember Sanger suggested that preventive maintenance be done on the lift stations and assistance provided to homeowners 3. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Present at the meeting were Commission members Merriwether Felt, Gretchen Peterson, and Layne Otteson Commissioner Felt stated that there had been a lot of turnover for the Commission in the last year She stated that some of the Commission's goals are working on the Oak Park Village Task Force, assist with a city-wide master park plan, ensure that recreational programs are placed where they are needed, marketing of the Rec Center, organize and sponsor the Black Tie Dinner, increase visibility and awareness of Commission, implement the new fee assistance policy, and find additional fundraising options to supplement the program for fee assistance Councilmember Latz inquired on the demand for fee assistance Ms Walsh replied that last year $15,000 had been given out in fee assistance Councilmember Sanger questioned how the public would be aware of new or different programming that was being offered Commissioner Felt replied that survey could be conducted and that it could also tie in with the marketing of the Rec Center Mayor Jacobs asked if there were ideas or plans regarding a skate park Councilmember Nelson inquired on the timeline for the Oak Park Village development Ms Walsh replied that the task force would begin in May and the process for planning soon afterward Councilmember Brimeyer suggested that Oak Park Village be renamed the Oak Park Area to reflect the larger interest in that open space Commissioner Felt stated that the master plan would help identify the needs in the community Commissioner Brimeyer asked the Commission what could be done to create a state-of-the-art city, school, and park system The Commission replied that they would consider that possibility Councilmember Sanger stated that such an effort would need to address the needs of all constituent groups in the city 4. 2000 Neighborhood Revitalization Program Grant Applications On behalf of the Grant Review Committee, Lynn Littlejohn was present at the meeting Ms McDonell distributed handouts to the Council Ms Littlejohn stated that limits are set on the amount of money given in each category, and that some neighborhood requests had exceeded that amount Ms McDonell stated that each neighborhood is eligible for $4,000 and within that Study Session Minutes -3- April 10, 2000 caps were placed on individual categories She added that if no capital improvements were requested that the caps could be raised Councilmember Sanger inquired why caps had been established Ms McDonell replied that the it was a historical decision made by the Neighborhood Revitalization Committee to help improve the program, also stating that Council may wish to remove the caps Councilmember Latz asked why capital improvements were not encouraged Ms McDonell stated that most neighborhoods are not equipped to handle the public process and smaller projects are easier She said that the Park and Recreation department would like to see capital improvements included in the master plan Ms McDonell suggested that an additional $500 be added to each neighborhood's grant money to allow more flexibility Council expressed their support for that idea Councilmember Nelson felt the neighborhoods should economize on their expenditures and continue fund raising efforts Ms McDonell replied that she could help train the neighborhoods on fundraising options Councilmember Sanger asked how it can be determined whether the program is helping to build cohesive neighborhoods Ms McDonell replied that the neighborhood grants tie in with the Vision St Louis Park outcomes Ms Littlejohn inquired if the city would be able to purchase items that were normally rented by the neighborhoods in the past with the extra funds Ms McDonell replied that she would do more research and come back to Council Council discussed the individual neighborhood requests They also discussed the carry over of funds from the previous year Council also discussed issues with neighborhood communication in the Browndale area Council then discussed the process that the neighborhoods use to disburse funds Councilmember Santa stated that each neighborhood has their own process for deciding how funds are used It was stated that the process could be included in each neighborhood's by-laws 5. Louisiana Court Redevelopment Project Mark Ruff of Ehlers & Associates, John Utley of Kennedy & Graven, and representatives Barb McCormick and Todd Rhodes of PPL were all present at the meeting. Ms Schnitker reported that the general obligation bonds would be coming to Council for approval very shortly She gave a brief overview of the progress of the project stating that the following have been accomplished purchase agreements for all properties have been negotiated, bonds have been secured from the state, bids have been let for construction activities, the relocation plan for the tenants has begun, and the planning and zoning process is underway Councilmember Nelson asked about specific details of the financing for the project Mr Ruff gave a summary of the bond structure. He stated that the bonds had a term slightly less than 30 years and have been allocated from the State of Minnesota as tax-exempt bonds for the benefit of private business The bonds are general obligation but no property tax levy is anticipated Council then expressed support of a long-term rather than short-term risk Mr Utley gave a summary of the loan, disbursement, and regulatory agreements that Council will be asked to approve Study Session Minutes -4- April 10, 2000 Ms McCormick gave a brief overview of the PPL's support services that will be available to the residents of Louisiana Court She stated that design changes will be made to the area such as landscaping, HVAC system, units that comply with ADA standards, and three bedroom units Mr Utley stated that the architect had shown drawings of the site with landscaping Ms McCormick added that the interior changes will bring the buildings up to code standards She said that flooring, carpeting, and appliances will be added as needed 6. Park Commons Update Allan Bloom and Matt Friday of Grubb & Ellis were present at the meeting along with Gregg Esterman of Avalon Bay Mr Esterman presented drawings that highlighted the following parking plans, mix of residential and commercial development, live/work units, traffic movement and signals, and the mix of rental and for-sale property He stated that the next steps would include civic involvement, architectural design and financing Mr Harmening stated that the financing feasibility must be determined then the public process can begin 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 11 05 p m I de„,-..... r V Ci Clerk Mayo- /