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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002/01/28 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session ST.CITY LOUISOF OFFICIAL MINUTES PARK CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION January 28, 2002 The meeting convened at 7:00 p.m. Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Jim Bnmeyer, Ron Latz, Chris Nelson, Sue Santa, Sally Velick, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Meyer), City Attorney (Mr. Scott), Director of Parks and Recreation (Ms. Walsh), Manager of Buildings and Structures (Mr. Panning), Director of Community Development (Mr. Harmening), Planning and Zoning Supervisor(Ms. Jeremiah), Director of Public Works (Mr. Rardin), Public Works Coordinator(Mr. Merkley), and City Clerk (Ms. Reichert). 1. Soil Corrections to Wolfe Park It was moved by Councilmember Bnmeyer, seconded by Councilmember Latz, to adjourn to executive session to discuss litigation regarding soil corrections to Wolfe Park at 7:04 p.m. It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Latz, to adjourn back to an open meeting at 7:18 p.m. Bob DeGroot from STS Consultants was present at the meeting. He showed several topographical maps of the area and discussed how STS proposes to make the corrections to the site. He stated that they would remove the top six to twelve inches of soil in the affected areas and cover with a geotextile fabric that would then be covered by one foot of topsoil. Council asked staff and STS Consultants to move forward with the corrections Ms. Walsh stated that this project would hopefully be done in the 2002 construction season. Mr DeGroot said that they plan to seed the soil in September of 2002. 2. Flood Improvement Project Funding Mr Meyer updated the Council that staff has initiated two requests for financial assistance from the State of Minnesota to complete the city's flood improvement projects. Staff has applied for $2,507,000, which is half of the final cost, from the Department of Natural Resources Flood Grant Program as well as the 2002 Capitol Budget. Staff hopes to use one or both grants if possible. 3. Public Art Mr. Meyer introduced Andrea Myklebust and brought Council up to date on conversations between staff and Ms. Myklebust He stated that some Councilmembers had expressed discomfort with the proposed artwork since the last meeting where they had directed staff to move forward with the sculpture. Mr. Meyer said that several questions had been raised since then, such as whether the concept (Allegory of Excelsior) was the most appropriate and if the proposed sculpture was up to community standards. Ms. Myklebust explained why the focus of the piece was the "allegory of excelsior" and the concept upon which she had designed the piece. Study Session Minutes -2- January 28, 2002 Council agreed that the scale and height of the sculpture are good as well as the concept of "Excelsior" relating to the development area. Councilmember Velick would like to see the sculpture embrace a message to kids. Councilmember Latz felt that the nudity within the sculpture conflicts with the family message they are trying to send out. He added that he could see it as appropnate for a private project, but not for a public project. Councilmember Nelson said he was agreeable to the sculpture and suggested that the figure be somewhat modified to avoid offending the sensibilities of some of the viewing public. Councilmember Velick wants a colorful and inclusive sculpture, citing the example of the spoon and red apple that is in place at the Walker Art Center. Councilmember Santa did not agree with having a committee decide the end result of the sculpture and would like an artist design. However, she felt that the concept should be toned down, but with the Allegory of Excelsior theme. Councilmember Bnmeyer inquired if Ms. Myklebust could redesign the sculpture and come back to Council. Ms. Myklebust stated that she was unsure of how to proceed with a different design Councilmember Nelson clanfied that Council just wants the sculpture "toned down". Ms. Myklebust informed Council that she felt she could move forward with design modifications and could provide Council with the results they were seeking. Mayor Jacobs felt that Ms. Myklebust should go ahead with a design and return to the Council with it. 4. Highway 100 Reconstruction Wayne Norris, Area Engineer, and Terry Johnson, Project Manager, from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDot) were present at the meeting. The representatives from MnDot stated that they will design a structure to accommodate the railroad if freight is to continue on the line. Councilmember Nelson cautioned the use of extreme care when designing the W 36th St exchange. He stated that he would like to see access between W 36th St and Highway 100 dunng the construction penod. He inquired about a noise wall. The representatives from MnDot replied that an analysis will be done and mitigation measures will be utilized. Councilmember Latz inquired when the overall decisions are to be made and what the level of public involvement will be. The MnDot representatives stated that based upon current timeline projections, final Council approval and decisions are needed by June of 2003. Councilmember Nelson felt that the traffic designers should be allowed to design the corridor as it is their expertise. He added that sometimes local government can be a hindrance to a good project design. Study Session Minutes -3- January 28, 2002 5. Solid Waste Contract Mr. Merkley updated the Council on the number and content of customer calls and stated that the level of satisfaction within the community was generally very high. Councilmember Latz inquired about the history of complaints with this contractor. Mr. Merkley and Mr. Rardin showed Council the statistics that reveal a very low number of complaints and a very high level of satisfaction. Councilmember Bnmeyer and Councilmember Latz were both concerned about very low bids coming in if the contract was rebid. Councilmember Bnmeyer felt that a lowball bid could come in and the city would be in a situation in which they could be dealing with performance issues. Mr. Rardin stated that the costs to fund the solid waste management program are not being recovered by the rates. Mr. Meyer informed Council that there has not been a rate increase in five years. He stated that they have been trying to spend down the fund balance and the fund is not capable of supporting the utility forever. He encouraged Council to consider raising the rates now to avoid a large increase in the future. Mr. Meyer stated that if it is assumed that we are under market, performance standards need to be built in and should have been done so from the start. Councilmember Bnmeyer felt that the city should let the contractor know the city's needs and expectations are and then see what the cost would be. Mr. Rardin stated that at the time of the last contract, Council had laid out their expectations and he explained how some of the expectations did not result in the desired outcomes. He did not feel that the recycling program had performed as successfully as council had hoped and also added that toters (big barrels) should be included as part of the contract negotiations Council agreed that they should come back with program improvements that will promote the city's service levels and recycling programs. Council also agreed that they did not want to rush out to re-bid the contract. 6. Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 10:23 p.m. . L. ;i C Clerk May•r FOP