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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006/01/17 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular CITY OFFICIAL MINUTES firiSLOUO/FS RK CITY COUNCIL MEETING ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA January 17, 2006 1. Call to Order Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, John Basill, C. Paul Carver, Paul Omodt, Loran Paprocki and Susan Sanger Councilmember Phil Finkelstein was absent. Staff present: City Attorney (Mr. Scott), City Engineer(Mr. Bnnk), Community Development Director(Mr Locke), Community Outreach Coordinator(Ms. McDonell), Director of Technology and Support Services (Mr. Pires), Human Resources Director (Ms. Gohman), Public Works Director (Mr. Rardin), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Stegora-Peterson) 2. Presentations 2a. Annual Human Rights Award Mayor Jacobs presented the Human Rights Award to John Anderson, and Tom and Maureen Marolt Councilmember Omodt added his congratulations to Tom and Maureen Marolt and thanked them for their work in the community. 3. Approval of Minutes 3a. Study Session Minutes of December 12, 2005 The minutes were approved as presented. 3b. City Council Minutes of January 3, 2006 Councilmember Paprocki indicated in item 5a, first paragraph the words "for" and "the" were transposed The minutes were approved as corrected. 4. Approval of Agenda and Items on Consent Calendar NOTE The Consent Calendar lists those items of business which are considered to be routine and/or which need no discussion Consent items are acted upon by one motion If discussion is desired by either a Councilmember or a member of the audience,that item may be moved to an appropriate section of the regular agenda for discussion 4a. Approve Resolution No 06-011 recognizing the Contributions of and Expressing Appreciation to Officer Mark Muckelberg Council Meeting Minutes -2- January 17, 2006 4b. Approve Resolution No 06-012 approving the Fifth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Contract for Private Redevelopment by and between St. Louis Park Economic Development Authority and City of St. Louis Park and Meridian Properties Real Estate Development LLC dated July 23, 2001; and the Subordination Agreement between U.S. Bank National Association, the City of St. Louis Park, the St. Louis Park Economic Development Authority, and Excelsior& Grand III LLC relative to Phase NW of the Excelsior and Grand redevelopment project. 4c. Approve Resolution No 06-013 authorizing lawful gambling premises permit license for VFW Post 5632 operating at the Frank Lundberg American Legion Post 282, 5605 West 36th Street. 4d. Approve Resolution No's 06-014 and 06-015 to reconvey tax forfeit property at 2005 Louisiana Ave S and 2715 Monterey Ave S. to the City of St. Louis Park. 4e. Moved to Agenda Item 8a-Bid Tab Meshed Wireless Broadband Network 4f. Approve Resolution No. 06-016 Accepting Work from Frattalone Paving Inc. for Reconstruction of Cedar Knoll Park/Carlson Field Parking Lot City Project No. 20050050 Contract No. 120-05. 4g. Accept Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes of September 14, 2005 for filing. 4h. Accept Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes of October 26, 2005 for filing 4i. Accept Housing Authonty Minutes of October 9, 2005 for filing. 4j. Accept vendor claims for filing(supplement). It was moved by Councilmember Paprocki, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to approve the Agenda and items listed on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed 7-0. 5. Boards and Commissions—See Item 8c Mayor Jacobs moved item 5a to 8c. 6. Public Hearings 6a. Public Hearing to consider an intoxicating on-sale and Sunday sale liquor license for Steak and Ale of Minnesota. Inc, DBA Bennigans Mayor Jacobs opened the public hearing. No speakers present. The public hearing was closed. It was moved by Councilmember Basill, seconded by Councilmember Sanger to approve an intoxicating on-sale and Sunday sale liquor license for Steak and Ale of Minnesota, Inc., DBA Bennigans, 6475 Wayzata Blvd. The motion passed 6-0. 6b. Public Hearing to consider granting an off-sale liquor license to Woody Vines Enterprises LLC, DBA Vino 100, 5601 Wayzata Boulevard, St. Louis Park, MN Mayor Jacobs opened the public hearing No speakers present. The public hearing was closed Council Meeting Minutes -3- January 17, 2006 It was moved by Councalmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Carver to approve an off-sale intoxicating liquor license for Woody Vines Enterprises LLC, DBA Vino 100, at 5601 Wayzata Boulevard. The motion passed 6-0. 6c. Public Hearing on the Mn/DOT Trunk Highway 100 Temporary Lane Addition Project: State Project 2734-43 Mr. Rardin reviewed the project history. Tom O'Keefe, MnDOT Area Program Manager, and Wayne Noms, MnDOT Area Engineer, described the project. Mayor Jacobs stated the importance of Highway 100 to the City of St. Louis Park and clarified that this was a State project. Mayor Jacobs opened the public hearing. Harlan Nelson, Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, said there are in excess of 12,000 visits a day to the hospital and clinics and he supported this project. State Representative Steve Simon, 3000 Raleigh Av. S, stated there had been a lot of dissatisfaction with the pace of this project and changing dates. He credited MnDOT for stepping up, but urged the Council and citizens to ask MnDOT how the intenm project would affect the final project. He feared MnDOT would build the interim project and it would affect when the final project will be built. Mr. O'Keefe stated they had worked with the City to make the assurances as iron clad as they could be. The full build project is scheduled for a 2014 letting. Since MnDOT proposed the interim project, they had added the full build to the list of advanced design projects and were working to get it ready for possible early letting in 2009. The advanced design list made it a strong candidate to keep it on the current schedule, it could advance the project. They were not proposing to build noise walls with the intenm project. They were agreeable to the City's suggestion as a condition of their noise exemption for this project, and they would start noise wall construction no later than 2015 MnDOT needs to acquire the right-of-way necessary for the full build project A significant amount of grading and structures need to be built before MnDOT can construct the noise walls. The bndges and storm sewers are deteriorating and they estimated no more than 10-15 years of useful life, which would keep pressure on MnDOT to keep this project on schedule for no later than 2014. One commissioner couldn't bind another commissioner to a course of action. Pnonties and funding can change, so they were only able to go so far in offenng commitments. Mayor Jacobs stated a group of representatives from St. Louis Park and Edina met with Commissioner Molnau and expressed the same concerns. It depended on what the Legislature did. It was important for the public to recognize that, but they needed to keep up the pressure. If the early letting process occurred, could the project be done earlier than 2014? Mr O'Keefe replied yes, they were developing it for a potential letting as early as November 2009, with construction beginning in 2010. Council Meeting Minutes -4- January 17, 2006 Samara Eugene, 2738 Utica Av S, stated this was a commuter fix, not a community fix. Utica did not have sidewalks and was in disrepair and she was concerned with construction traffic on the road. They had been waiting to repair the road with the construction. How much construction traffic would be on their road? Mr. Noms replied there would be periods of increased traffic on Utica Avenue. Their intent was not to have construction equipment use Utica at all. Ms. Eugene asked where traffic would be detoured when the Minnetonka exit is closed? Mr. Norris replied the traffic that normally used the access point on 27th would likely filter through the neighborhood. They were directing all detours to trunk highways and the project would be signed as such. They could not prevent people from finding their own way, so there would be increases in local traffic. Ms. Eugene asked what the estimated reduction in congestion at Utica Avenue and 27th at the on-ramp? Mr. Norris replied currently about 600-800 vehicles per day use the ramp in the peak penods. By adding 500-1000 vehicle capacity per hour, they expected to draw some of the traffic (currently using the local roads)back to the highway. Ms. Eugene asked what safety measures would be taken on their street without the sidewalks? At the minimum the City could block off the road during construction. Mayor Jacobs responded that was something they would need to take into consideration Jack Moskowitz, 2764 Utica Av S, stated he was not in favor of noise walls being constructed. He also had concerns about the street disrepair. He referenced a letter to the state he believed was sent by Councilmember Sanger proposing a sound barrier and wondered if they had contacted residents on Utica. Mayor Jacobs responded there is a public process to determine if they build noise walls. Councilmember Sanger stated the issue of noise barriers could mean a wall or a berm. It was not her letter to the state. The city gave MnDOT a list with issues associated with construction of this project. One of the items raised was the issue of noise barriers, not a statement that they must be built. They wanted them included if that was what the neighbors wanted. Mr. Moskowitz hoped when the final project was done that the Utica residents would be contacted. Mr. O'Keefe replied when they do the full build project, they would propose a noise wall. A city may choose not to have it built. They have public involvement to show what it would look like and the city surveys the homeowners and makes a decision. Councilmember Sanger clarified it wouldn't be only the houses on Utica Avenue, they would involve the larger neighborhood because other streets were also impacted. Les Wanninger, 5521 Warden Av, Chair of the Edina Transportation Commission, is currently in the process of doing a study of traffic in NE Edina/SE St. Louis Park. There is a lot of traffic in the area and a lot of complaints about traffic problems. They created a study advisory committee to represent those impacted and St. Louis Park had representatives. They were collecting data, analyzing it, pnontizing it and considering solutions. Highway 100 is nearly a parking lot during rush hour. People get off and cut through the neighborhoods: 30% of the traffic driving in this area is drive through and 70% of the traffic is generated by people who live there. Once Highway 100 is fixed, some of the cut-though traffic will remain on the highway and not drive through the neighborhoods. Council Meeting Minutes -5- January 17, 2006 JC Beckstrand, 4386 Wooddale, member of the Edina Transportation Commission, stated the same thing was likely happening in other neighborhoods. He was grateful they were working with neighboring communities on this project. Anything they can do to reduce the traffic on residential streets would help. He was in favor of taking traffic off of residential streets and putting it onto the arterials and trunk highways and state highways. If that meant the interim project was a good project, then he was for it. Councilmember Basill thanked the residents for volunteering on this committee. State Rep. Ron Latz stated the importance of coming up with a long-term solution to the bottleneck at Highway 100. They had been encouraging MnDOT to commit to a permanent reconstruction, for the Legislature to find funding, and to make sure that the Highway 100 reconstruction remained a number one Metro priority. One of the results of the community pressure was the intenm project. He was speaking in favor of the interim project because it would take some of the cut-through traffic off residential streets and improve the traffic flow generally throughout the Metro system. It needed to be done with great caution. It was important to stress this is only an intenm and not permanent solution. They would continue to maintain the pressure and try to find State funding for the reconstruction. He encouraged residents to participate. Barb Overshaw, Twin West Chamber, stated they were speaking on behalf of the business community. In the fall of 2004, Twin West identified the Highway 100 bottleneck as their"pet project", meaning it was their local and regional issue of greatest importance. It was the number one issue identified because of time lost in traffic, and time equates to the thousands of businesses as money. They were concerned about getting employees to and from work and about moving goods and services. This was a regional issue as well as a local issue. In March 2005, Twin West was instrumental in forming the Highway 100 Alliance to capture some attention and keep the heat on Highway 100. Members include the Twin West Chamber, the Edina Chamber of Commerce, Cities of St. Louis Park and Edina, and many concerned citizens, residents and business leaders. After many meetings, the Board decided in October 2005 to adopt an official Twin West position on the bottleneck. Lee Engler, Chair, Twin West Chamber, said Twin West supports the proposed Minnesota Department of Transportation temporary lane addition project for Highway 100 as described in the MnDOT Metro Distnct Project summary from September 2005. Something needs to be done now. The temporary project will facilitate future completion of the major reconstruction plan. Many components of the temporary fix are also part of the 2014 project. MnDOT has designated this project as an advanced design project which means, in Lieutenant Governor Malnau's words, "makes Highway 100 among the very strongest candidates for advancement with new funding." Ms. Overshaw stated they remain very committed to the final fix and advocating for,long term and a permanent increase in transportation funding. A. Frances Thorne, 2910 Utica Av S, stated she was opposed to a noise wall being constructed. She couldn't continue to live there if a wall was constructed. Mayor Jacobs stated it was not proposed in the interim project. There will be a discussion with residents about a noise wall when they do the larger project. Council Meeting Minutes -6- January 17, 2006 Matt Berg, 2758 Utica Av, indicated Utica Avenue was one of the worst roads he had driven on. There is a problem with run-off and rain water accumulates in front of his home. The project keeps getting pushed back which was a detriment to property values. Traffic will be pushed onto these streets. Mr. Rardin indicated there were two issues, the street and the water main beneath it. The city needs to replace both of those. They were planning to do that in conjunction with the major reconstruction project that was originally scheduled for bid letting this fall. They were struggling with what to put in and if it would end up being torn up again. At this point, with the project being put into the advanced design phase, they should be able to answer those questions by the end of the year because they will know the geometric layout Part of the question was what Utica Avenue on the west side of Highway 100 would look like. The original proposal had it as a frontage road, which was significantly different than it currently was. Mr. Berg stated the water that builds up on the street adds to the wear and tear. Councilmember Sanger indicated this concern had been raised for years. This was an issue listed on the letter to MnDOT. Mr. Berg believed that noise already exceeded state standards and by adding a third lane, it would create more noise It was proven if they put up a noise barrier it would add to the value of the homes. Anthony Geier, 2901 Toledo Av S, expressed concern about the safety of the off-ramp and the sharp turn and also the merging of the northbound ramp from Toledo. Mr. Norris replied the northbound ramp from Minnetonka Blvd currently merges into a thru-lane. With this project, there would be three eleven-foot lanes, plus they would build an auxiliary lane between the entrance ramp and the exit ramp at 25 %z to provide some distance that cars could weave in and out of the third thru-lane. Mr. Geier asked how people that lived there would access their garages? Mr. Norris replied they would not impact the existing alley. This would make it safer by building a portable barner between Highway 100 and the existing alley. Mr. Geier stated a concern about the bridges being wide enough to handle three lanes, with fast moving traffic. Mr. Norris responded in their study on twelve-foot lanes versus eleven-foot lanes, there was little difference between the safety of operation. They compromised capacity by about 3% on the narrower lanes. The bridge will be painted underneath a whiter color so when people approach them they don't look so impending. The additional lane would reduce the incidence of stop and go traffic, which seemed to be the major issue on rear-end crashes along this segment of 100. By providing the auxiliary lane between the on-ramp from Minnetonka and the off-ramp at 25 %z, they were not forcing traffic to have to get into a thru-lane. They were giving some time to make that decision, which was safer. Mr. Geir was skeptical of this intenm fix and didn't believe it would solve their problems. Mayor Jacobs noted many people were concerned about three eleven-foot lanes underneath the bridges. Maybe they could have signs indicating that there were narrow bridges ahead. Council Meeting Minutes -7- January 17, 2006 Dean Montray, 2644 Toledo Av S, asked if emission testing had been done? He was concerned about the emissions and wondered if it would become worse in his yard with the road moving closer? Mr. Noms responded in the Environmental Assessment Worksheet, they looked at the carbon monoxide levels existing and expected after the project is completed. Analysis indicated they would only see minor increases in carbon monoxide concentration. They were below the standards set by the Pollution Control Agency(PCA). The PCA reviewed their analysis and have given approval for the temporary project. He would provide the air quality standards to Mr. Montray. Mr. Montray also stated concern about the interim fix becoming the permanent solution. Mayor Jacobs replied many people had the same concern. MnDOT staff indicated the bridges had a limited lifespan and would need to be replaced, which may drive the final project They will need to hold the Governor's office, etc, to this and continue to make sure your comments are heard. Mr Montray indicated he was stuck with a house that nobody wanted and he didn't want to put money into it because they would take it anyway. Mayor Jacobs responded the date of the project been a"moving target" and difficult to predict. Steven Schachtman, 5402 Parkdale Dr, Minnetonka Terrace Apts, stated it is very difficult to get to their building during rush hour. During the time when Grove School was constructing their addition, there was a traffic problem. The other issue was entrance and exit They didn't want a sound bamer installed. He believed they should do the temporary project. There was deterioration and a tremendously large traffic problem He suggested a stoplight be installed on Minnetonka Blvd at the bus stop, so people could cross safely. Another issue was the traffic exiting to Highway 100 when school gets out Lee Cheerch, 2910 Utica Av S, asked if Utica would be opened as a thru-street? Mr. Rardin replied no, that wouldn't be changed as part of this project. Ms. Cheerch stated MnDOT put in their driveway years ago and when it rains, the water accumulates in their dnveway from Utica Avenue. It is especially difficult in the winter with ice. Utica really needed help with the water problems. Mayor Jacobs responded when they reconstruct the road that would be addressed. Mr. Rardin added assuming MnDOT went ahead with the geometric layout and they could work through those issues, they would know where they were at for Utica. Then it was a matter of if they could reconstruct it sooner than later. At the least, they may be able to do part of it next year. Zack Rethlake, 3148 Salem, was concerned this was a"band-aid" approach and with the changes on the exit ramps to Highway 7. It would bring the road closer to the neighborhoods and the addition of stop lights would cause traffic issues on Highway 7, when there wasn't one presently. Idling traffic on the ramp would increase pollution. He was also concerned about construction continuing for years. He had seen different plans and wondered which was the correct one9 Mayor Jacobs asked if the work that was done in 2006 would need to be re-done? Mr. Norris replied this would be stage one of the major reconstruction project. They needed to have the cloverleaf removed so they could facilitate speeding up the major reconstruction project. The bridge on Highway 7 needed to go higher. On the east side they were proposing a diamond interchange. On the west side they were proposing a standard diamond. The future project called for signals at Council Meeting Minutes -8- January 17, 2006 both of those locations. They were looking at feasibility of using non-signalized intersections (round-about designs). They could construct a standard diamond if the railroad bridge was not a barrier. This project reduced the bigger project construction time frame by approximately a half a year. Mr. Rethlake asked why they would clog up Highway 7 with more lights? Mr. Norris replied they were introducing the signals during the temporary lane project to facilitate safe movements. Mr. Rethlake asked if they were temporary lights? Mr. Norris replied yes, they were on wood poles. They would be replaced with permanent fixtures, with either signals or a roundabout. Councilmember Basill asked when the lights would be in and how long they would be there? Mr. Norris replied they were calling them temporary signals because they were mounted on wood poles in lieu of standard light poles. They did not want to invest money in signals for a short-term period. They expected the temporary signals to be in place and operating for no more than ten years. Mr. O'Keefe added if they went with the design that had been on the table to this point, there would be signals there after the full build project. They were looking at rounds about as an alternate, which would not require signals on Highway 7. Councilmember Basil wanted to be sure they looked at the ramp carefully to make sure they put as much distance between the road and the neighborhood as they could while still making a safe entry onto the highway. Has that been looked at and was there a way to configure it to put more distance? Mr. Norris responded with the future proposed reconstruction project, the intersection moved closer to Highway 100. Signals were in this location to provide a long enough left-turn lane to meet the demands for making the Eastbound 7 to Northbound 100 move. Mr. O'Keefe added they were still working on the plan and MnDOT would finalize it with the city by the end of the year so they could move ahead with nght-of-way acquisition. Their goal was to have the full plan out in the fall of 2006. They had been working on the full plan for four or five years, now it was more tweaking. The plans displayed in City Hall were what they would move ahead with. Keith Robinson, 2575 Vernon Av, stated his concern was this was a temporary fix that would become the permanent fix. He did not have a lot of space in his back yard. With the changes to Highway 100 there will be increased noise, traffic and pollution and they will not be able to use their back yard. He believed they needed to push the state hard that this not be a temporary fix Mayor Jacobs indicated they met with the Lieutenant Governor and pushed as hard as they could to let them know this wasn't a permanent fix. The fix needed to include the bndges in the final plan. It came down to a question of money from the Legislature. Janet Weivode, 2750 Yosemite, stated a concern about the eleven-foot lanes under the bridges Mr. Norns replied by narrowing the lanes, they provide some, even though minimal, lateral reaction to the bridge abutments in the median bndge piers. Council Meeting Minutes -9- January 17, 2006 Ms. Weivode believed that twelve-foot was already tight and had concerns about the merging traffic. She wondered how the traffic merging on to Highway 100 would change and she was concerned about safety. Councilmember Sanger stated they had talked about how eleven-foot lanes would decrease rear end crashes, but hadn't said anything about sideswiping crashes. What does the research show and is there a place in the Metro area with eleven-foot lanes on a freeway? Mr. O'Keefe replied there are regularly eleven-foot lanes through construction zones and those are often places where the barrier is flush with the lane He didn't know of anyplace with permanent eleven-foot lanes. They are fairly common on the East coast. The research they had seen suggested there was no real difference in safety between eleven-foot and twelve-foot lanes. The safety benefit was not gained from narrowing the lanes, it was from adding capacity. Tracy Joyce, 2855 Toledo Av S, asked if they went ahead with the temporary fix and make due, why would they ever spend their money here? Mayor Jacobs hoped they would'do it because it was not a satisfactory fix for traffic or safety MnDOT's interest is to move traffic efficiently and safely and this wouldn't cut it. They had spent a considerable amount of time and money on engineering and designing the final project and that is not done lightly. It needed to be done at some point because the bridges needed to be replaced with a more modern bridge. Mr. O'Keefe added they should see progress this year. They hoped to begin right of way acquisition in 2007. The intent was to get on the "fast track" schedule. Carol Becker, 27th & Utica, asked the cost of the temporary fix? Mr. O'Keefe replied about $5.5 million. Ms. Becker asked the permanent cost? Mr. O'Keefe replied $96 million. Ms. Becker how much of the money spent on the temporary project would have to be re-spent on the final project? Mr. Norris replied the temporary lane project is like phase one of the larger reconstruction projects. The $5 million they would spend on this project would reduce the overall cost of the major reconstruction, which would place it better on the list for advanced design projects. Gaylord Fries, 2742 Utica, asked if MnDOT had a studied traffic patterns on Highway 100 in six years? Mr Norris replied they didn't look at how much the traffic would go up in five to six years after this project is completed, but had looked at the demand for the roadway with the larger project. MnDOT estimates that to be in the range of 128- 130,000/day vehicles in the year 2031. It would probably be 5,000-6,000 vehicles/day The temporary lane will function adequately for eight to ten years. Mr. Fries stated the Minnetonka bridge was hit last year and the concrete had hairline cracks in the sidewalk. He asked if they watched that? Mr. Norris replied they do bndge inspections every one to two years If they warrant repairs, they do maintenance. These structures cause their maintenance staff a lot of time and effort and they would like to see them replaced as well. Mayor Jacobs closed the public hearing. Councilmember Sanger suggested adding in contact information for MnDOT officials on the city web site Council Meeting Minutes -10- January 17, 2006 Councilmember Carver asked what an advanced design project was and how many there were? Mr. O'Keefe replied they have tended to get money from the Legislature in fits and starts. When they get the funding allocation, the Legislature wants to see the projects under construction and if they don't have projects ready to go, they were at a disadvantage. They decided to take projects to 30% of completion, which makes them ready for a design/build letting. It is an attempt to anticipate and be ready if they get funding increases. In the Metro area the current list has six projects. Councilmember Carver indicated in November there would be a proposed constitutional amendment to dedicate motor vehicle sales tax to transportation, which would include this project. Is this project more likely to happen if that amendment is passed? Mr. O'Keefe replied it was more likely to happen either on the 2014 schedule or earlier. That money by itself would not be enough to advance it to 2009 because it is phased in and because MnDOT gets a portion of that amount. Councilmember Carver asked if Highway 100 would be a detour when work is done on 62 and 35W? Mr. O'Keefe responded there would be times, including several weekends, when they will close 35W and/or 62 and Highway 100 would be the likely official detour. Councilmember Carver asked when the 62/35W work was scheduled? Mr. O'Keefe replied July 2006 and be completed in 2009. Councilmember Carver asked if the intenm project went forward, at what intervals does MnDOT plan to come back and monitor levels of congestion, noise and air quality? Mr. O'Keefe responded they had continual data collection for traffic issues. They could report annually or on intervals the Council would like. For air quality and noise analysis, they will be doing an Environmental Assessment for the full build project and because they are advancing that design, they will be working on that over the next year or two and should see analysis in that time period. Councilmember Carver reviewed the options and asked about the appeal board process? Mr. Scott replied there is an appeal board process and even if the appeal decided one way or the other, the Commissioner of Transportation could ignore the appeal panel and do what they chose. Going to an appeal panel would be an unusual step. The City needed to act within 90 days one way or the other. Mayor Jacobs asked if that would have the impact of delaying the project? Mr. Scott replied correct. If the City did not consent to the project, it could not go forward until the other processes were completed. Mayor Jacobs asked if the city did not approve this project, would there be an appeal process How long would that take? Mr. Scott was unsure. Mr O'Keefe believed they would lose a construction season if they went through that process. Councilmember Sanger asked how MnDOT could help neighborhoods manage cut- through traffic? Does MnDOT have an ability to pay for law enforcement to help direct traffic in neighborhoods or other steps to help mitigate the side effects of cut through traffic? Mr. O'Keefe replied they are working with the city on a traffic study to Council Meeting Minutes -11- January 17, 2006 understand the impacts. They are very difficult to forecast. They have weekly meetings dunng construction with the city to identify problems and possible mitigations for those problems He was not aware of a situation where they have paid for additional local law enforcement to deal with changes in local traffic patterns Councilmember Sanger asked if there is cut-through traffic, what steps could they take? Mr. O'Keefe replied most cities accept that the goal of the project is to reduce cut- through traffic in the long term. While there is some pain during the construction, in this case it is one construction season. To get that greater good of the reduction of cut- through traffic on a more long term basis, the city will need to accept some short term problems. They will work with city to identify signing and sometimes make changes in signal operations to help with traffic during construction. Councilmember Basill felt it was good for the community to know what they could and couldn't do in this process. The only way they could have more control is if financially they were to try to support this project. They couldn't do it without significant bonding, nor should they do it. Highway 100 serves much more than St. Louis Park and that meant that the burden should not come out of their residents, but should come out of the State. They needed the Representatives to keep pressure on that and that was the way they would get the permanent fix, which would take care of the things they were concerned about. Councilmember Paprocki asked if they acted within 90 days, would it give them a better chance at getting the project done this summer? Mr. O'Keefe replied their intention was to advertise for bids in mid March. It becomes difficult to advertise if they don't have a response from the City. 7. Requests, Petitions, and Communications from the Public—None 8. Resolutions, Ordinances, Motions 8a. Bid Tabulation: Pilot Meshed Wireless Broadband Network. Mr. Pires presented the staff report. It was moved by Councilmember Carver, seconded by Councilmember Omodt, to authorize staff to negotiate and execute an agreement with Unplugged Cities for the provision of services related to a pilot partnership agreement to deliver broadband access and public safety and service applications over a meshed wireless broadband network, and to pursue negotiations with another organization that submitted an attractive response to the RFP in the event that a mutually agreeable contract cannot be reached with Unplugged Cities Councilmember Carver indicated he had already received calls from residents waiting to sign up for the service. Mayor Jacobs indicated he had also received similar comments. Council Meeting Minutes -12- January 17, 2006 Councilmember Paprocki stated he had not seen an evaluation of the pilot project on the activities needed to be done. He was skeptical and wanted to be sure they did a good evaluation and made a good decision. Specifically he was interested in knowing 1) if they made high-speed internet more accessible to people who weren't being reached before, and 2) if they signed up, and 3) if they were subsidizing current DSL and broadband users, and 4) to have a clear picture of who they were serving and at what cost. Mr. Pires replied the evaluation criteria was put together as part of the original study and they would add those items. The pilot neighborhoods were not randomly selected. They were in areas of town that met the critena set by the Council. When they come back with the evaluation results, they will need to put it in that context to show how representative the neighborhoods were. Councilmember Paprocki requested the survey and the matrix in place early so when they do marketing and advertising they have the ends in mind. If they want to make this available to people who don't have access, that they have a concerted effort to reach those people and not just take those who would sign up regardless. The motion passed 4-1, with Councilmember Basil!opposed (Councilmember Omodt was out of the room) 8b. Partnership to Deliver Broadband Access and Public Safety and Service Applications Over a Meshed Wireless Network Mr. Pires presented the staff report. Councilmember Basill asked if the city would help market this, help make it successful and service it. Mr. Pires replied correct. Councilmember Carver asked if City Hall was within one of the areas? Mr. Pires replied the boundaries were interesting and they would need to look from an engineering point of view where the coverage would be. Coverage depended on building densities, winding streets and a range of factors. They were hopeful City Hall would be covered by the pilot project as they were right on the edge of the boundary. It was moved by Councilmember Carver, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to authorize staff to negotiate and execute an agreement with Unplugged Cities for the provision of services related to a pilot partnership agreement to deliver broadband access and public safety and service applications over a meshed wireless broadband network, and to pursue negotiations with another organization that submitted an attractive response to the RFP in the event that a mutually agreeable contract cannot be reached with Unplugged Cities Councilmember Omodt indicated he had a client involved and would be abstaining. The motion passed 5-0-1, with Councilmember Omodt abstaining. 8c. Appointment of Citizen Representatives to Boards and Commissions Council Meeting Minutes -13- January 17, 2006 It was moved by Councilmember Basill, seconded by Councilmember Omodt, to defer this item to a study session and bring it back to the next City Council meeting The motion passed 6-0. 9. Communications Councilmember Paprocki reported Life Track Resources is holding an event on January 30th, 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM. He can be contacted for more information or see lifetrackresources.org Mayor Jacobs displayed an award from America's Promise Organization for being one of the seven best communities for kids in the State of Minnesota. Ms. Gohman noted there was a committee of community members planning a celebration of this award and there would be more to follow. Mayor Jacobs indicated that the Visioning Process was underway and events will be held on February 2, 5-9 PM at City Hall and February 12, 1-4 PM at the St. Louis Park High School Field House. 10. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:13 p.m. 719L )(y City Clerk V Ma/-or