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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007/09/10 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session 7 CITY OF ST. LOUIS OFFICIAL MINUTES PARK CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION SEPTEMBER 10, 2007 The meeting convened at 6:38 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, John Basill, C. Paul Carver, Phil Finkelstein, Paul Omodt, Loran Paprocki and Susan Sanger. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Communications Coordinator (Mr. Zwilling), ' Chief Information Officer (Mr. Pires), Broadband Coordinator (Mr. Landis), Fire Chief (Mr. Stemmer), Community Development Director (Mr. Locke), Planning/Zoning Supervisor (Ms. I McMonigal), Director of Inspections (Mr. Hoffman), Deputy Chief Manager/Human Resources Director(Ms. Gohman) and City Clerk (Ms. Stroth). I Guests: Paul Kraloec, Unplugged Cities; Tom Asp, Columbia Telecommunications Corporation; Ruth Hough and Mike Siok, ARINC, Inc; Mike McGarvey and Marione Pits, SRF Consultants II � 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning I I Mr. Harmening and Council discussed study session agenda planning. 2. Wireless Update Mr. Pires presented the staff report, explaining the timeline and delays in the project. He also stated November 30th is the goal for completion that ARINC is planning on. Ruth Hough, ARINC Inc. expressed their commitment, along with explanation of the unexpected I delays. She stated the issue is how to get the project done by the deadline provided. She further stated they have a good working team relationship with staff. She stated Mr Siok would be providing a detailed plan as to what will be done within the next two weeks to meet those objectives. Mike Siok, ARINC Inc. gave a summary of where the project currently is. He explained the impact of the radio location changes and further stated Phase 2 was designed differently than Phase 1 to balance the design with the needs of residents. I Councilmember Paprocki asked how many houses would be affected by the holes in coverage. Mr. Siok stated it would vary. Councilmember Paprocki asked what percentage of houses would be currently covered. Mr. Siok stated approximately 85 percent and went on to explain the plan to provide the rest of the coverage. Discussion took place regarding requests for redesigns. Councilmember Carver suggested I setting a uniform standard to adhere to. Mayor Jacobs stated the prime directive of the discussion was to make sure the system worked. Council and staff had discussion on what precedents to follow and quadrant design cnteria that would keep the amount of redesigns to a minimum. I Study Session Minutes -2- September 10, 2007 Mr. Siok explained the work plan for the coming two weeks. Ms. Hough recapped, saying they would be finishing up the design for Phase 2, with half of it being installed. She further stated that even though it would be installed, it did not mean it would be operational, as testing would still be occurring. The tentative plan for completion of Phases 2, 3 and 4 is the end of November 2007. Councilmember Carver asked when the entire project would be done. Mr. Siok stated the end of November 2007. Councilmember Carver asked how far behind the project was. Mr. Pires stated about three months, stating their onginal goal was September. Councilmember Carver asked if there were any time requirements or implications. Mr. Pires stated the original project done date was August 30, but because of the six week work stoppage relating to the poles, it was changed to October 14. At this point ARINC said it would be November 30, 2007. Councilmember Paprocki asked if AR1NC had any financial penalty because of the delay. Ms. Hough stated there was no penalty in the contract for late delivery. She further stated that all the delays were not directly related to ARINC, stating the design process could have been more efficient. She also stated their penalty is significant by the costs they've incurred as well as their reputation. Mr. Pires stated in fairness to all parties there is a time limit, the next two week's need to have items completed, stating he feels that deadline needs to be met in order to meet the November 30`h date. Council was in agreement upon the deadline of November 30, 2007. Mr. Siok stated there could not be anymore citizen redesigns. Mr. Pires stated he understood ARINC should adhere to the location cnteria, and do what it takes to make it meet the schedule with a minimum of location changes. He also stated that ARINC needs multiple teams to get the project done within the timeline. Councilmember Sanger advised ARINC that by Council stating no more redesigns, ARINC would be responsible for dealing with resident concerns. She also asked if volunteers were solicited. Mr. Pires stated they were solicited through the newspaper. Councilmember Sanger also asked if they had all the equipment to service the people. She also suggested some type of marketing to reach the people who have abandoned the service. Mr. Pires stated they would be reaching out to the community more directly once ARINC had completed the service to the point that the City could credibly market it. Councilmember Basill was concerned if the two teams would be enough and suggested a third team be added. Councilmember Finkelstein agreed with that, stating weather could also be an issue and ARINC needed to have enough resources to prepare for that contingency. Ms. Hough stated adding more people resources would take time and training, stating the critical issues are the design itself and providing design engineers who know St. Louis Park. Mr. Pires suggested that AR1NC include City staff in the design as early as possible to help alleviate possible issues down the road. Study Session Minutes -3- September 10, 2007 3. West 36th Street Streetscape Planning Mr. McMonigal presented the staff report. Mr. McGarvey explained the design of the streetscape planned for West 36th Street, with the remainder of streetscape being funded and finished next year. He stated some of the ideas being considered are. lighting, keeping green spaces closer to the street, art bollards, unique sidewalk and bike racks, people benches, conversation spaces, public art in crosswalks with a possible newspaper kiosk and banding in the sidewalk that would provide public art. Mr. Locke showed some models of what Marjorie Pitz has been designing. Ms. McMonigal stated the idea was to keep the streetscape elements subtle so that it would not be detraction from the art. Councilmember Basill stated it would be worthwhile to show the benches that have been provided by the consultant to the residents, stating they have had positive feedback from the neighborhood on the building set back. He also suggested taking the extra steps make sure it's good long-term. Councilmember Finkelstein thanked staff and SRF for creating its own separate area having its own energy. Councilmember Paprocki suggested looking at how to build art to blend the WiFi box into the streetscape. He also suggested the matenals used for the benches be temperature tolerant. Councilmember Sanger wanted to make sure it was graffiti proof. She also asked if there would be public streetscape elements elsewhere on 36th Street around the new condos. Ms. McMonigal stated possibly, but the grant money is only from Wooddale to Hwy 100. Councilmember Basill reminded Council of the limitations in the Wooddale/36th Street area, stating there was still opportunity for improvement. 4. Facilities Update Mr. Hoffman presented the staff report, stating the City Hall elevator would be out of operation for about six weeks. He stated they would be setting up a service counter on the first floor. He stated they would be providing signage and notices on the website that the Council meetings would be accessible through the Minnetonka Boulevard entrance. Councilmember Sanger reminded staff to make sure the door is unlocked. Councilmember Paprocki suggested the upcoming Planning Commission meeting be held in the Community Room. Mr. Hoffman explained that the building exterior concrete would need some maintenance, as well as appearance improvements. He stated sections of the sidewalks and steps would need replacement. He further stated they would be replacing the landscape; staff would be consulting with a landscaper designer to create a plan for a unified appearance. Councilmember Omodt asked what the cost would be. Mr. Hoffman stated approximately $30,000 for the concrete work, $40,000 to $50,000 for the landscaping and about $300,000 - $350,000 in exterior maintenance expenses. He further stated that there was money planned for this in the CIP fund, so staff would be reviewing the budget. Study Session Minutes -4- September 10, 2007 Councilmember Sanger asked if any consideration was taken into the architectural appearance. Mr. Hoffman stated they could create some accents and perhaps create some type of an entrance. Councilmember Sanger asked about the Minnetonka Boulevard side and if there were any elements that could be added to soften appearance and give it style at a reasonable cost. Mr. Hoffman asked to what extent Council wanted staff to go, stating possible roof top screening around equipment. Mr. Hoffman explained the wind powered generator and the educational opportunities at the nature center, stating it would cost approximately $35,000 and would generate enough energy to provide coverage for the educational building. Councilmember Omodt stated Benilde-St. Margarets was interested in being involved in a partnership. Councilmember Carver stated its cost versus benefit was too high and that solar could give similar results. Mayor Jacobs stated he felt it's justified by it being an excellent educational opportunity, educating people on the reality and benefits of this type of energy. Councilmember Sanger stated that it's an indirect cost saving and it would encourage others to install energy saving devices. Councilmember Paprocki stated concern that the cost is too high. Mayor Jacobs stating they need to start thinking globally and what it would be worth to future generations. Councilmember Carver suggested applying for grants. Mayor Jacobs stated staff had been applying. Mr. Harmening suggested looking for other financial partners or donations, stating the Community Foundation had shown a financial interest. Councilmember Sanger reminded Council of the Vision Project and taking that into account. Councilmember Omodt stated the cost justification should be how it would affect the kids and it could be beneficial to "spark ideas." Councilmember Finkelstein stated he has concern with the$35,000 cost, but does consider it an investment for the future. Mr. Hoffman explained the fire station location cnteria, which consisted of road access, availability and cost to acquire, the response time, proximity to the intersection, development issues, 1 to 3 acre sites, evaluating the three potential sites in great detail. He stated the Elliott Building site had the most potential. Mayor Jacobs stated he felt the Elliot Building was worth further research. Mr. Harmening agreed, suggesting public process and meeting with the school district on all three sites. Councilmember Finkelstein asked about the status of the future Walgreens/Louisiana site. Mr. Locke stated they expect to receive plans in the fall. Councilmember Finkelstein asked if there would be two stations. Mr. Harmening stated yes. Councilmember Sanger stated concern with traffic implications on Cedar Lake Road. Mr. Stemmer stated the problem with that site was it's close proximity to the intersection and suggested an Opti-com light that would provide traffic time to get clear the road. Mr. Harmening reminded Council that 80 percent of the calls were medical, thus requiring a smaller type vehicle. Mr. Harmemng stated the police department stated interest in having some type of training space and staff suggested looking for a location that could also accommodate other uses. There was Council consensus to continue exploring all three sites. Study Session Minutes -5- September 10, 2007 5. Council and EDA Salaries Councilmember Basill stated concern with the amount of work the Mayor does versus the amount of work done by the EDA. He suggested taking the EDA salary and applying it to the Mayor's salary. Councilmember Sanger and Councilmember Omodt agreed and suggested phasing it out. Councilmember Carver asked why there were separate meeting salaries and asked for clarification on the setting the salary terms. Mr. Harmening stated the Council sets the EDA salaries and could be set any time and stated that the Council salaries would need to be set pnor to the election. Councilmember Basill stated his proposal was that they shift the EDA President to the Mayor and that it was revenue neutral. Councilmember Sanger agreed. It was the consensus of Council to include part of the EDA presidency to the Mayor's salary. The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 6. Update Agenda Template � 1� Nancy Stroth, ty Clerk J7cbs, 2or