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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014/03/10 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session (1/ St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA MARCH 10, 2014 The meeting convened at 6:38 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Gregg Lindberg, Anne Mavity, Susan Sanger, and Jake Spano. Councilmembers absent: None. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Chief of Police (Mr. Luse), Police Lieutenant (Mr. Harcey), Director of Engineering (Ms. Heiser), Director of Operations & Recreation (Ms. Walsh), Senior Engineering Project Manager (Mr. Sullivan), Operations Superintendent (Mr. Hanson), Community Liaison (Ms. Erickson), Communications & Marketing Coordinator (Mr. Zwilling), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes). Guests: Brian Johnson and Rashmi Seneviratne (Human Rights Commission), Nate Holm and Lorne Brunner(Police Advisory Commission), and John Basill and Doug McIntyre (Discover St. Louis Park). 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—March 17 and 24,2014 Mr. Harmening presented the proposed special study session agenda for March 17th and the proposed study session agenda for March 24th Councilmember Brausen requested that Council have a study session discussion sooner rather than later regarding affordable housing and to make a decision on whether to pursue some type of requirement for affordable housing in future developments. Mr. Harmening stated that staff could bring this topic to Council sometime in April. Councilmember Sanger requested that Council's discussion also include a discussion about Eliot if the current proposed development falls through. Councilmember Brausen stated he would also like Council to consider tasking the Environment and Sustainability Commission with a specific project and he is interested in having the Commission consider a polystyrene ban in the City. Councilmember Lindberg stated he would first like to obtain more information from the business community about a possible polystyrene ban. Councilmember Brausen stated that the Environment and Sustainability Commission is planning to have specific workgroups and felt that they could look at this and start vetting the idea in the business community and bring information to Council. Councilmember Mavity stated that the Environment and Sustainability Commission recently presented their work plan to Council and Council could have given them guidance at that time, adding she felt that residents should go to the Commission and ask for ways to participate and offer ideas to the Commission. Study Session Minutes -2- March 10, 2014 Mr. Harmening stated that the Environment and Sustainability Commission's work plan includes a goal of preparing a sustainability vision and the Commission has gone through two training sessions using the"Natural Step" approach that includes identifying initiatives to undertake. Councilmember Spano supported Councilmember Brausen's idea and would like to discuss it in greater detail, but was not comfortable giving the Commission a specific project at this time and felt it was important to make sure the Commission finishes their initial work plan first. Councilmember Hallfin agreed and stated he did not want the Environment and Sustainability Commission to be doing anything beyond their work plan right now. Councilmember Sanger felt that the Environment and Sustainability Commission should be able to develop their own working norms and she did not want to undermine that. 2. Human Rights Commission 2013 Annual Report and 2014 Work Plan Mr. Luse presented the staff report and introduced Breanna Erickson (Community Liaison), and Rashmi Seneviratne and Brian Johnson from the Human Rights Commission. Mr. Johnson stated that the Human Rights Commission (HRC) has focused on bullying for the last two years and formed a joint commission with the School District. He advised that the HRC presented a community viewing of the film Bully and held a panel discussion with a public forum with the goal to raise awareness about bullying and the HRC felt there was strong interest in the community to do more. He advised that in 2014, the HRC has transitioned its focus to senior citizen bullying. Ms. Seneviratne explained that the HRC plans to reach out to the senior living communities in the City to learn more about senior citizen bullying and the HRC will be preparing a survey to better understand senior citizen bullying and to determine what the HRC can do, with the idea of creating a DVD of senior citizens in the community talking about what bullying means. Councilmember Mavity congratulated the HRC on an amazing year and stated that the films and discussions facilitated by the HRC were meaningful and they did a great job. Councilmember Sanger stated there is a bill pending at the legislature intended to tighten up the definition of bullying and requested information about how that might change the HRC's work. Mr. Johnson stated the HRC's goal was to raise awareness about bullying and that groundswell is building across the State and the nation. He indicated if the bill is successful, it will be imperative to get that message out into the school system and he felt the bill would help the HRC continue its work. Councilmember Mavity asked if Council would like to adopt a resolution to show support for the legislation. Councilmember Sanger stated she wanted to have more information on the implications of the bill before considering a resolution. Councilmember Hallfin thanked the HRC for its good work and asked if there was anything the HRC needed from Council. Study Session Minutes -3- March 10, 2014 Mr. Johnson requested that Council find ways to continue raising awareness about bullying and to keep the topic in the forefront. Councilmember Mavity requested that staff prepare a summary of the current State law and a summary of the proposed bill for consideration by Council. Councilmember Spano stated he wanted to make sure the timing of any resolution was right, i.e., when momentum is growing, and urged Council to have a deliberate thought process about when it issues a resolution. Mr. Harmemng agreed to provide further information to Council at its March 24th study session. Mayor Jacobs expressed the City Council's thanks to the Human Rights Commission. 3. Police Advisory Commission (PAC) 2013 Annual Report and 2014 Work Plan Mr. Luse presented the staff report and introduced Police Lieutenant Mike Harcey and Nate Holm and Lorne Brunner from the Police Advisory Commission. Mr. Holm presented the 2013 PAC annual report and advised that the seventh annual Crime Prevention Fund golf tournament raised $3,500 for the Crime Prevention Fund. He stated that the PAC produced several public service announcements including "A Day in the Life of a St. Louis Park Patrol Officer" and felt the video was a great win for the City. He stated that the PAC has also participated in police officer interviews and serving as a community voice on the interview panels. He advised that the PAC will hold the golf tournament again in 2014 and will continue to produce public service announcements; in addition, the PAC is exploring opportunities to use social media. Councilmember Sanger questioned whether the PAC could play a role in the proposed new CERT program. Mr. Luse stated that further discussions will need to take place but he felt that the PAC could play a role in the CERT program. Council expressed its thanks to the Police Advisory Commission. 4. Annual Update—Discover St. Louis Park Mr. Basill introduced Discover St. Louis Park's Chair-elect Doug McIntyre. He presented Discover St. Louis Park's mission and roster of Board members and stated that Discover St. Louis Park has focused on four major groups, including group tours, SMERF (social, military, education, religious, and sports), meetings and events, and leisure. He advised that Discover St. Louis Park's website traffic increased 63% year over year with 25,885 unique visits during 2013, with restaurant searches comprising°the majority of those visits. He stated that Discover St. Louis Park experienced a 700% increase in in its Facebook fans and last year, 367 groups contacted Discover St. Louis Park representing a 23.98% increase. Study Session Minutes -4- March 10, 2014 Mr. Harmening distributed a breakdown of the lodging tax revenue collected during 2011, 2012, and 2013 and indicated that total 2013 revenues were approximately $746,000 and the City retains 5% or approximately$103,000 since inception. Mr. Basill discussed lost business due to capacity issues and stated the City is maxing out on capacity, adding there has been a lot of hotel growth in neighboring communities and the City is going to face some challenges with the upcoming Highway 100 construction. He discussed 2014 activities, including You Tube testimonials, an illustrator map and coupon book, enhanced hotel partnerships, and kiosk expansion, including an Explore Minnesota travel center kiosk in the lower level of the Icon Theater. He presented several You Tube video clips containing testimonials and discussed potential future business, including the NCAA Final Four, Visonex, Showcase Hockey, and GOC Basketball Tournament. He added they are hoping for four festival events during 2014 including the Twin Cities Film Festival, You Betcha MN Made Festival, Color Dash, and a craft brew festival. Mr. Harmening stated there was interest expressed at the Health in the Park meetings for more events that involve physical activity. Mr. Basill stated there are multiple 5Ks coming to the City and they are also working on getting the City's course certified. He added they are fortunate to have a great relationship with the City's parks and recreation staff. Mr. McIntyre thanked Council for its support of Discover St. Louis Park. He stated that Mr. Basill has done a great job and is a true ambassador for the City. Mayor Jacobs expressed the City Council's thanks to Mr. Basill. 5. Update on 2014 Connect the Park! Projects Mr. Sullivan presented the staff report. He stated when Connect the Park! was envisioned, it was determined that the highest quality pedestrian experience would be a boulevard style sidewalk consisting of a five or seven foot grass boulevard where trees can be planted and snow can be easily stored, adding that this provides a better experience for residents and breaks up the look and feel of the street and also has some watershed implications, adding that the City has worked to implement as many boulevard style sidewalks as possible. Councilmember Mavity stated that corner homes sometimes do not have a sidewalk and it was her understanding that the City would put in the entire sidewalk for those lots impacted by this project. She asked if the City intends to fill in gaps in the sidewalk system as part of this project, referencing several gaps in the Minikanda Vista neighborhood, and felt that in order to make an entire block useful, the City needs to fill in those gaps and she would like to revisit the City's policy regarding filling in gaps. Mr. Sullivan explained the Connect the Park! plan was not specifically designed for filling in gaps, adding that when the City comes upon gaps near a project such as 39th Street, staff is asking for resident input, adding that the City has an assessment process in its sidewalk petition process. Study Session Minutes -5- March 10, 2014 Councilmember Mavity stated that a resident suggested doing some type of block-wide special assessment if the residents are interested in having a sidewalk, similar to what has been done on other capital improvement projects. Councilmember Lindberg felt it made sense for Council to consider that part of the project cost as opposed to imposing special assessments. Councilmember Sanger requested further information about the Cedar Lake Road sidewalk and asked why the proposed project only includes construction of one block of sidewalk at this time. Mr. Sullivan explained that the goal of this segment is to create a safer connection for pedestrians. He stated there is a larger project planned along Cedar Lake Road in 2016 and acknowledged this segment could be postponed until the larger segment is completed. Councilmember Sanger expressed concern about the City's criteria for determining whether a sidewalk is a community sidewalk or a residential sidewalk and felt that all sidewalks serve the community and the City should maintain all of them. Councilmember Brausen requested that the sidewalk on the south side of Cedar Lake Road be removed from the 2014 proposed project list as well as the sidewalk on Virginia Avenue. Council discussed the public hearing and timing of Council action on the 2014 sidewalk projects. Councilmember Hallfin stated that St. Louis Park is a fully built suburb with houses that were built on streets without sidewalks and felt that trying to retrofit sidewalks onto these streets was a difficult task creating an undue burden for residents. He felt that the 39th Street sidewalk should be designated a community sidewalk with the City taking care of maintenance and snow removal. He also requested the City change the design of the sidewalk on 41 S` Street and on Morningside Road to avoid loss of trees and take the burden off the homeowners. Mr. Sullivan presented several maps of 39`h Street and described the proposed sidewalks in this area. He also discussed impacts to vegetation in the right of way and removal of trees. Councilmember Mavity stated one of her priorities is to save as many trees as possible, especially the mature trees that provide a canopy for the corridor and urged the City to consider what it can do to preserve as many trees as possible. Councilmember Spam stated the cost of maintaining all the City's sidewalks would be extensive and would not serve to change the discussion about safety, adding he felt that no solution was going to be perfect. Councilmember Mavity agreed and stated the City has gone through this discussion in great detail and acknowledged that some residents would not be happy, adding she felt the process has been thorough, fair, and transparent. She suggested that Council direct staff to prepare the recommendation contained in the staff report and move forward to the public hearing. She stated it was also her preference to fill in gaps if the neighborhood wants a sidewalk and asked if Council was willing to include those segments as part of this project if the sidewalk is part of the adjacent Connect the Park! proposal. Study Session Minutes -6- March 10, 2014 Mr. Harmening suggested that staff review all the projects that will be presented to Council on April 7th and identify potential gaps to fill in adjacent areas of a particular sidewalk segment related to the Connect the Park! project. Mr. Sullivan agreed to provide Council with further information regarding design changes to 39th Street, including impacts to vegetation and trees, by the end of the week. He added he would also like to hear from residents about any design changes prior to Council's discussion. Councilmember Spano suggested putting this item on the special study session agenda for March 17th so that Council can move forward to the public hearing on April 7th. Councilmember Sanger requested that the information include the cost of the two design options. Councilmember Mavity also requested that the information include ongoing maintenance costs if the sidewalk is going to be designated a community sidewalk. Ms. Heiser agreed to provide this information on April 7th. 6. Update on Southwest LRT (Verbal) Mr. Harmening advised that the CMC will be meeting on Wednesday, March 12th, and presented the agenda for the meeting. He noted that the railroad and shippers in western Minnesota would be provided an opportunity to comment at this meeting. He stated that the next meeting with the Governor is scheduled for March 24th and Councilmember Spano will be attending. Councilmember Sanger indicated that the City's press release was largely ignored and suggested that the City submit a letter to the editor. It was the consensus of the City Council to submit a commentary to the Star Tribune. Councilmember Mavity questioned the timing of a commentary and urged Council to submit its commentary at the most opportune time so it has the most impact and based on upcoming milestones with the project. Council discussed the recent Minneapolis City Council meeting. Councilmember Spano advised that Rep. Keith Ellison recently asked him to meet with Minneapolis Councilmember Lisa Bender and discuss the Southwest LRT project. He stated they had a good conversation and the meeting provided an opportunity to talk to each other rather than at each other. He agreed that the City should produce a commentary or op-ed and agreed that the timing of submission of the commentary needed to be considered. Councilmember Sanger felt that any commentary submitted by the City needs to point out the factual errors that Minneapolis used as a basis for their decision. She urged Council to disseminate factual information that helps the City's residents as well as Minneapolis residents understand these factual errors. She advised that she was asked by a retired Minneapolis Park and Rec Board member to mention that when the bike trail and pedestrian trail in Kenilworth was constructed by Minneapolis, the lease agreement with HCRRA states that the bike trail and pedestrian trail are temporary and can be removed on 90 days notice upon request of HCRRA. Study Session Minutes -7- March 10, 2014 She added that she has a copy of this document and the former Minneapolis Park and Rec Board member indicated he is willing to speak publicly about this. Mr. Harmening advised that the City has included the lease agreement in its comments. Councilmember Mavity suggested that the City post this information on its website. Mr. Harmening stated that Brad Meier at the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce advised him that the Chamber would be submitting a commentary or letter to the editor. He advised that staff is also working with Vic Moore to contact legislators in western Minnesota, and staff has drafted a letter for these legislators to sign and send to the Governor expressing concern about the impact of a reroute on the agricultural economy in western Minnesota and the impact on shippers. Councilmember Sanger requested that staff provide further information in response to Minneapolis Councilmember Lisa Goodman's comment that if Minneapolis approved the shallow tunnel, the legislature would step in. Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal) Mr. Harmening stated that the Real Estate Forum is on Wednesday, March 12th, at the Excelsior and Grand Community Room. The meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 7. Telecommunications Advisory Commission 2013 Annual Report/2014 Work Plan 8. Open to Business Program Contract Renew. Nancy Stroth, City Clerk Jeff J. o As a r