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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012/02/27 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Ifl St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST.LOUIS PARK,MINNESOTA FEBRUARY 27,2012 The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Steve Hallfin, Anne Mavity (arrived at 6:34 p.m.), Susan Sanger, Sue Santa, and Jake Spano. Councilmembers absent: Julia Ross. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Harmening), Deputy City Manager/Human Resources Director (Ms. Deno), Engineering Project Manager (Mr. Olson), Community Liaison (Ms. Olson), Director of Public Works (Mr. Rardin), City Engineer (Mr. Brink), Director of Community Development (Mr. Locke), Planning/Zoning Supervisor (Ms. McMonigal), Communications Coordinator (Mr. Zwilling), Chief Information Officer (Mr. Pires), IT Manager (Ms. Nelson), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes). Guests: Andrea Mykelbust (artist), Bob Kost (SEH), Rachel Baudler, and George Hagemann (Friends of the Arts Board Member) 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—March 5 and March 12, 2012 Mr. Harmening presented the proposed special study session agenda for March 5, 2012, and the proposed study session agenda for March 12, 2012. He indicated the discussion regarding community involvement in environmental initiatives has already been placed on the agenda for March 26th and should be taken off next week's special study session agenda. Councilmember Sanger asked when the meeting with the Housing Authority would be scheduled. She felt this meeting should be held sooner rather than later based on Council's previous discussion regarding Sec. 8 housing vouchers at Wayside House. Mr. Harmening advised that the Chair of the Housing Authority is not available to meet with Council until April 9th. He added that the Housing Authority budgets have likely already been prepared in anticipation of the April 1st fiscal year and agreed to verify this. Councilmember Hallfin requested that Council have a study session discussion regarding the proposed changes to the City's recreational fire permitting process. Mr. Harmening agreed to place the recreational fire permits and fees discussion on the March 5th special study session agenda. 2. Project Update—Highway 7/Louisiana Avenue Interchange Project Mr. Olson presented the staff report and introduced Marney Olson, Andrea Myklebust, Bob Kost, Rachel Baudler, and George Hagemann. He advised that the City received an extension of the federal funding sunset date to March 15, 2013. He discussed the proposed schedule which provides an early start date pending funding outcomes and looks toward bidding in January or February with construction to start in spring 2013. He stated the current construction estimate is $18.1 million and total project costs are estimated to be $24.4 million, with funding secured in the amount of$18 million leaving a funding gap of$6.4 million at this time. He explained the City will be applying for grants under the Transportation Economic Development program, as Study Session Minutes -2- February 27, 2012 well as a recent grant request was made under the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) program. The TOD grant solicited funding for trail construction, right-of-way acquisition, and environmental costs. Councilmember Mavity requested further information regarding parcels included in the land acquisition and asked whether there are businesses on the properties which will impact jobs. Mr. Olson replied that no direct jobs will be affected by the land acquisition and the biggest take involves the billboard at the southwest corner of the project. Mr. Harmening noted that no businesses will be taken as part of any land acquisition and added that Park Nicollet no longer uses the property in the southwest corner of the Hwy 7/Louisiana intersection for its parking. Councilmember Sanger requested that Council be provided with sufficient detail on project funding in the event the City is not successful in obtaining funding on the various grant applications. Councilmember Santa also requested that Council be provided with detailed information regarding all funding for the project and where the monies have been budgeted. Public Art Discussion: Ms. Myklebust presented several conceptual designs for poured-in-place bridge artworks and discussed the use of the designs of the Bundt cake pans made by Nordic Ware. Mayor Jacobs requested that the design include adequate lighting underneath the bridge for pedestrians. Councilmember Sanger felt there was not enough contrast or visibility away from the bridge to see the design in the poured-in-place artwork and felt it would be better to have a design that is bigger and bolder so it can be easily seen from a distance. She suggested use of a graceful railing or lighting similar to the 35W bridge in order to make the bridge more dramatic and visible. She also expressed concern about the use of the Bundt pan design because the City would be providing free advertising for one business in the City and not others. Councilmember Mavity agreed that the bridge should be more visible either through color or enhanced design. She felt there was a blocky feel to the bridge and questioned whether enhancements could be added underneath the structure in the pedestrian areas, including lighting and other things that build interest in the sidewalk paths, sloped pavement, and overall landscaping. Mr. Kost, SEH consultant, explained this is a basic highway bridge and there is no railing on the bridge because there is no pedestrian traffic allowed on the bridge. He indicated that they hesitated to add other features to the bridge, e.g., decorative railings, because the addition of a decorative metal rail would add considerable expense. He agreed that LED lighting should be considered and use of shifting colors is a possibility that could be explored. He noted the preliminary artist drawings do not include all of the landscaping planned in the area. Ms. Myklebust stated there are opportunities for incorporating art into the roundabouts as well. She indicated she felt Council would be surprised at how dramatically visible the proposed Study Session Minutes -3- February 27, 2012 design would be and stated they can do some mock-ups to give a better sense of how the bridge would look to drivers. Councilmember Spano agreed that the use of lighting would be important and urged the artists not to overlook the non-physical presences that can create an artistic impression, e.g., light and shadow. He felt the bridge was boxy and encouraged the artists to think about the shapes being used and to think about what statement this bridge will make as people enter St. Louis Park because this is one of the first opportunities to engage people into the community. 3. Pedestrian and Bicycle Implementation Plan and Policy Review Mr. Rardin presented the staff report and maps of the proposed sidewalk system detailing existing facilities and proposed improvements. Councilmember Sanger stated there needs to be equity among residents about how the City sidewalks are treated because the current system of Community and Neighborhood sidewalks provides an arbitrary distinction. She stated she cannot explain the current policy to residents and would like to abolish the distinction between Community and Neighborhood sidewalks. She advised that she reviewed the maintenance costs provided in the staff report and was surprised to see the City's cost for snowplowing all sidewalks would rise to $7,686 per mile because of the cost to hire six full-time workers and felt these figures misrepresented the actual cost of what it would take to have the City take over plowing of all City sidewalks. Mayor Jacobs asked if the City could hire temporary workers to do this work. Mr. Rardin advised that the City has a union contract that must be honored and cannot contract with temporary workers for this purpose. Councilmember Sanger asked that Council reconsider the question of cost and felt the City could use its existing staff for plowing all sidewalks even if it takes another 2-3 days to complete. She added the City needs to have an entirely new way to further its policy goal of a walkable city and to have equity among residents. Councilmember Mavity agreed it was imperative to have a walkable city and that having the sidewalks plowed was a big issue. She felt a key issue was enforcement and the City has mechanisms in place that should be used. She indicated she has not received any complaints about people not shoveling their own sidewalks and has not heard any demand that the City take over shoveling all sidewalks. She stated that not everyone is able to shovel their sidewalk and the City should either facilitate a means for connecting residents with people who can shovel or the City should look at solving the problem through enforcement. She did not agree with abolishing the current system and felt the City should have a clear definition of Community and Neighborhood sidewalks that can be easily explained to residents. She added if there are areas in the City where there are Community sidewalks that should be Neighborhood sidewalks, and vice versa, then Council should have that discussion as well. Mr. Harmening advised that several years ago the City allocated resources to inspect sidewalks after every snowfall and to enforce ordinance requirements regarding snow removal from sidewalks. He stated the snow removal compliance rate was above 90% so the Council discontinued this practice and decreased the budget by $15,000 because compliance rate was so high in the community. Study Session Minutes -4- February 27, 2012 Councilmember Hallfin felt the City needs to have a stronger definition of Community sidewalks versus Neighborhood sidewalks. He acknowledged Councilmember Sanger's concerns but did not agree that the City should plow all sidewalks, particularly given the relatively high compliance with shoveling. Councilmember Spano stated that this represents an opportunity for neighbors to help each other with shoveling. He understood Councilmember Sanger's frustration but felt that fixing the current definition of sidewalks was less expensive than a complete overhaul of the current system. He added this is an opportunity for neighborhood associations to encourage residents to help out their neighbors. Councilmember Santa stated that the maps clearly show the Community sidewalks and Neighborhood sidewalks, with the Community sidewalks represented as big arteries and connectors. She agreed that better definitions are needed so the City can provide a clear message to residents regarding the issue. Councilmember Mavity noted that the responses in the resident survey clearly indicate that residents want more sidewalks and trails. She referenced the high priority projects in the CIP and felt that the first priority for adding new sidewalks and trails should include adding paths leading to/from schools or parks because this is one of the City's biggest gaps. She stated that coordination with other CIP projects and adjacent communities was important as well as connecting whole blocks. Councilmember Sanger added that streets with heavier or fast-moving traffic should be a priority for sidewalks. Mr. Harmening advised there is a fair amount of new sidewalk construction being done in the more traditional grid of the community and the goal is to fill in gaps that currently exist. He acknowledged that additional work needs to be done and Council will have further discussions about priorities year by year and once that is established, the public process can begin. 4. Appointments to the SWLRT Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) Mr. Locke presented the staff report and advised that the Met Council has requested that the City confirm or appoint new representation to the SWLRT CAC. He noted that a number of groups throughout the corridor, including Safety in the Park, have been invited to appoint representatives to the SWLRT CAC. Councilmember Santa stated that she would support the reappointment of Bob Tift and Bill James and the appointment of Mathew Flory to the CAC. Councilmember Sanger stated that Mr. Flory lives one block from Bill James so he would represent the same neighborhood. She indicated she would support the appointment of Kathryn Kottke to the CAC and added this would provide some gender balance in representation as well. Mayor Jacobs expressed support for Mr. Flory and suggested that Council appoint Mr. Flory to serve on the CAC with Ms. Kottke and Ms. Johnson-Madison as alternates. Councilmembers Spano, Mavity, and Hallfin expressed support for Mr. Flory. Study Session Minutes -5- February 27, 2012 Councilmember Sanger nominated Ms. Kottke. It was the consensus of the majority of the City Council to appoint Mathew Flory to serve on the SWLRT CAC and to appoint Kathryn Kottke and Claudia Johnson-Madison to serve as alternates on the SWLRT CAC. 5. Council Policy Discussion—Recognition of Marriage Constitutional Amendment Mayor Jacobs asked if Council wants to take a formal position on the recognition of marriage Constitutional Amendment. Councilmember Spano indicated that Duluth, St. Paul, and Minneapolis are the only cities that have taken a position on this issue and all three cities used the same language in their resolutions. He stated he was interested in knowing whether the City wanted to make an affirmative statement and pass a resolution in keeping with its previous action on domestic partnership. Councilmember Mavity stated it will be important to articulate how this is a St. Louis Park issue and to make clear that this law would limit the rights of St. Louis Park residents. Councilmember Sanger expressed support for a resolution and suggested that the resolution also state that this is a governmental attempt to take away basic human rights and to impose discrimination into the State Constitution and as the voice for residents, the St. Louis Park City Council supports basic human rights for its residents. Councilmember Spano stated he did not believe the State Constitution exists to take rights away and exists only to ensure that people have equal protection under the law. Councilmember Santa indicated if this Constitutional Amendment passes or fails, either way it will still be illegal for same sex couples to marry and coming from that assumption, she stated that this Constitutional Amendment is a hate act institutionalized in the State's Constitution and will have no other effect than to be divisive and spread that hateful message. Councilmember Mavity stated that any resolution passed by the City Council should state that the City abhors discrimination in every form and does not support something that takes away human rights and enshrines it in the State Constitution. Councilmember Spano stated the State Constitution does not exist to codify this exclusion and should not be used to discriminate. He indicated this type of resolution will make St. Louis Park the first suburban community in the State to take this position and is in keeping with the City's culture. He added it was important to remember this is about separation of church and state. Councilmember Hallfin supported Council's position on this issue but was struggling with whether the City Council should take a formal position on the issue. He asked if the issue should be presented to the Human Rights Commission first to allow the Human Rights Commission to consider the question and perhaps seek public input. Councilmember Spano respectfully disagreed and stated this is an issue of fundamental personal belief and Council should decide whether or not to take a formal position, not the Human Rights Commission. Study Session Minutes -6- February 27, 2012 It was the consensus of the City Council to take a formal position on the "Recognition of Marriage"Constitutional Amendment that will be on the ballot in November, 2012. 6. Electronic Agenda Ms. Deno presented the staff report. She advised that Council has expressed interest in using tablet devices for agendas and other city business and the tool is available for their use. The City Council may use the tablets for business and reasonable personal use. Equipment will be issued to each Councilmember as part of what is needed to conduct regular business for the city. Any additional charges for personal applications beyond what is needed for city business, agendas, documents etc. would be paid for by the individual Council member. She added that Council agendas will continue to be available on the City's website. Councilmember Mavity requested confirmation that Council would be under the same guidelines as City staff in terms of business and personal use of the tablet devices. Ms. Deno replied that Council and City staff fall are under the same guidelines related to use of the tablet devices. Mr. Pires noted the City has a reasonable use policy in place. He then distributed iPads to Council and a brief training session was provided. Councilmember Santa stated that electronic information is discoverable and asked if that includes any notes made on electronic communications. Ms. Deno replied that electronic notes are discoverable in a legal situation just like handwritten notes. She stated that staff will be available next Monday, March 5th, from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. to provide additional training. She added that individual help is also available from IR staff. She noted that during this timeframe, the purpose is to get Council familiar with how the tablets function and that Council will continue to receive paper agendas until a decision is made on the use of the iPads. 7. Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal) None. The meeting adjourned at 9:28 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 8. Business Park Zoning District 9. Community Recreation Facility Planning Update 10. Railroad Crossing Signal Replacements: West Lake Street/Library Lane — Project No. 2012-1304 and on Alabama Avenue—Project No. 2012-1305 11. January 2012 Monthly Financial Report 12. Recreational Fire Permits and Fees IC)/k Nancy Stroth, ity Clerk Jeff Jacobs, a ill-