HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019/08/26 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes
City council study session
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
August 26, 2019
The meeting convened at 6:22 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Rachel Harris, Anne Mavity, Thom
Miller, and Margaret Rog.
Councilmembers absent: Steve Hallfin
Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Sr. Engineering
Project Manager (Mr. Sullivan), Chief Financial Officer (Mr. Simon), Sr. Management Analyst
(Ms. Carrillo Perez), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Pappas).
Guests: Sharon Rodning Bash, consultant; Jamie Marshall, Exec Director Friends of the Arts
1. Arts and culture strategic framework development process
The St. Louis Park Friends of the Arts (FOTA) was recently awarded a grant by the Metropolitan
Regional Arts Council to complete a strategic framework outlining the future development of arts
and culture in the community. The city is working with FOTA on this initiative and FOTA has hired
Ms. Rodning Bash to facilitate this process. Ms. Rodning Bash introduced herself, stating she has
worked in arts and culture for over 25 years. She noted she has worked in smaller communities and
suburban areas, helping to build culture and perspective .
Jamie Marshall, Executive Director of FOTA, explained the initiative will seek to provide a cohesive
roadmap for arts and culture to continue to grow and thrive in the community . The project will also
identify key assets and opportunities within St. Louis Park that benefit the quality of life an d seek
realization of the city’s five strategic priorities, using the arts. Mr. Marshall added the project also
seeks to create opportunities for leaders in the community to work together to establish a common
set of goals and vision for the future.
Councilmember Harris asked how FOTA is connecting with the community. Ms. Rodning Bash
stated they welcome suggestions from the council on that, and if there are specific groups to reach
out to, or concerns, to please send them their way.
Councilmember Harris stated she has contacts with groups of people with rich heritage and
backgrounds, adding it would be valuable to hear from them.
Councilmember Miller thanked FOTA for their work and asked if the Metropolitan Regional Arts
Council reached out to them. Mr. Marshall stated FOTA identified their grant program as an
opportunity for organizational development. He added with St. Louis Park’s focus on arts as part of
community life and well-being, FOTA viewed this as a way to work with the city on a unified
message.
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Councilmember Rog stated she is curious if this project will be about gathering information from
the community to provide back to the city, or if this will operate as more of a department within
the city. Ms. Carrillo-Perez stated it might be both – either is a possibility.
Councilmember Brausen stated he is excited about this work and noted he is on the PLACES
committee, which is working to integrating artwork into the Southwest LRT. He asked that FOTA
please engage this group, as they are looking for ways to fund art that was defunded by the federal
government.
Councilmember Mavity asked that they speak with the business community, who ha s some very
creative folks in it. She stated it will be helpful to add artwork into work on the climate action plan,
and other city infrastructure plans, in order to get more traction, and explore doing this with more
creativity.
Mayor Spano added as an undergraduate who majored in art and sculpture, and also worked in this
field for a while, he would like to embed creativity in various areas throughout the city, and not
only incorporate murals on walls, but to go deeper. He is interested in seeing how this evolves and
how FOTA will be able to learn and elevate the question of what creativity means to people, and
what forms it takes.
A follow-up meeting with the city council and FOTA is scheduled for October 2019 .
2. Connect the Park status update
Mr. Sullivan gave an overview of the Connect the Park program and a status update . He noted
the original 10-year plan was approved in 2013 and 2019 marks the halfway point of this
initiative.
Mr. Sullivan pointed out the original estimated cost for implementing the entire 10 -year plan
was $26,672,915. To date, $15,275,164 has been spent on Connect the Park projects, including
the segments approved for construction . He explained the funding source for these
improvements is primarily general obligation bonds. Future projects are projected to cost
$36,000,000, with the potential future total of the program at $51,581,491.
Mr. Sullivan also noted the following points:
Extended anticipated completion timeline moves from 2023 to 2027
Continued evolution of best practices and policy direction have led to better projects
but have come at considerable higher costs
Majority of cost escalation is related to bikeway construction
Mr. Harmening stated staff is asking council where they want to go with this project, in light of
the future projected costs.
Councilmember Mavity stated she wants to continue with the policy, and noted originally, the
proposal was much more extensive and has been narrowed down significantly. She asked about
the cost escalation year over year, and what the differences are. Ms. Heiser stated costs have
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increased based on inflation, and projects. She added the majority of the increased costs come
from creating bike trails and widening roads to include parking.
Councilmember Mavity asked about bollards for protection of bikers, and if these can be
included in city bike trails that are along a road. Ms. Heiser stated 30% of bollards would need
to be replaced after every winter, and they also prevent drivers from getting to parking spaces .
She stated plows are not able to clean streets with them, and they are better in areas with no
driveways.
Councilmember Mavity stated she feels what has been completed to date is helping the
community become more attractive, but costs do have to be managed. She added St. Louis Park
is attractive to folks because of this and because of the light rail, and she hopes this will
continue as more is to be done on this plan.
Councilmember Harris thanked staff for this overview. She asked how the living streets policy
impacted construction costs. Ms. Heiser stated parking was the issue, so parking bays were
created. She noted that everything must meet state guidelines as well as the standards of the
comprehensive plan.
Councilmember Harris asked about protected bikeways and how these can be created to
empower kids to ride bikes to school, and for the comfort of families. She also noted that much
time and effort has been spent on best practices for cars, and now it’s time to focus on bikes,
cargo bikes, and scooters, and how they are accommodated on city roads, and for all ages.
Councilmember Rog asked if staff feels like they are in a challenging position, in operating off
priorities from council that have not been committed to. Ms. Heiser stated from staff’s
perspective, direction is provided from the council and they base their recommendations on
policy, while looking at standards and best practices. She added staff wants to bring forward
the best project, and always will want to check in with council on all projects. Ms. Heiser added
at the end of the day, the council is the policy maker, and staff follows their direction.
Councilmember Rog stated she would like to see more alternative and flexible plans from staff
before making decisions, as council is discussing projects.
Councilmember Miller stated he liked the policy questions, pointing out this must fit within the
city’s strategic priorities. He stated the city needs to continue with Connect the Park, and
should also consider costs, trees, and mobility impacts each time a project comes up. He added
the policy should move forward.
Councilmember Brausen stated he agrees with the plan, adding it is community driven, and
how can it be done most effectively. He stated staff has done a good job laying out alternatives
for the council, adding they need to balance resident’s concerns with cost impacts. While he
doesn’t want to see costs expand, he does want to see the program continue to make steady
progress and is supportive of the direction it is going.
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Councilmember Mavity added the council has to give clear direction to staff, and make sure to
be committed to the policies and principals we’ve adopted. She stated she worries about
making too many decisions, without enough feedback from neighbors.
Mayor Spano noted Councilmember Hallfin’s comments, stating he would like to continue wit h
Connect the Park, be as transparent as possible, and work more on the public process. He
stated projects can be adjusted as needed, but it would be a mistake to put Connect the Park
on hold.
Mayor Spano stated he is impressed with this community, which has maintained its momentum
during this process, and noted he would like to see more transit and pedestrian projects. He did,
however, have concerns with the goals, money, and processes in place with Connect the Park, and
advocates pausing to revisit the goals and how they have changed since the project began. He
added the council needs to check in with residents and look at the budget and costs again.
Mayor Spano added he would like to have Springboard help with this and bring some creativity into
the process in order to look at things differently. He stated using a different paradigm for discussing
this with the community would be helpful and a different approach, allowing for more discussion
with the community on costs.
Ms. Heiser stated there are no new projects in the queue for 2020, and there will be more time to
revisit Connect the Park.
It was the consensus of the council to continue this discussion with staff and discuss more policy
questions, while re-visiting the plan again at a future date.
3. Future study session agenda planning
Ms. Carrillo Perez presented the results of the survey conducted with council on priority topics
for future study session agendas. The following projects will be discussed in this order as per
council recommendation:
1. Discuss public process expectations and outcomes
2. Prioritize walking/biking/mass transit/motor vehicles
3. Easy access to nature
4. Westwood Hills Nature Center Access Fund
5. Election holiday
6. SEEDS
7. Community and Neighborhood sidewalk designation
8. Revisit housing setback, FRA
9. Quarterly public forums at city council meetings
Ms. Carrillo Perez asked the council when they would like to discuss the topic of crisis
communication. The council stated whenever staff is prepared to discuss it, but befo re the end
of 2019.
Mr. Harmening stated at this time, there are no topics for the September 9, 2019 Study Session
agenda, so the meeting is cancelled, unless anything changes.
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Councilmember Brausen noted a concept idea for the area around a marsh, of which
councilmembers are aware. Mr. Harmening stated staff will update the council on this project
with a written report.
Councilmember Rog asked about the written report from the ESC and how to call attention to
various aspects of the report. Mayor Spano stated bringing this up at the end of the study
session is an appropriate time to discuss items.
Councilmember Rog stated there are some logical points to point out from the ESC report,
including reorganizing and hiring additional staff. She asked if additional staff was necessarily
the best way to approach work on the Climate Action Plan. She also pointed out the ESC’s call
to elevate a climate emergency declaration, and wanted to be sure this was also noted . She
asked that this discussion be elevated to a study session.
The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only:
4. July 2019 monthly financial report
5. Connect the Park – 28th Street pedestrian improvements update
6. Food security and access study update
7. Overhead utility undergrounding discussion
8. Needs assessment for cable television franchise renewal
9. Update – PLACE Via Sol and Via Luna projects
10. Telecommunication advisory commission transition update
11. Environment and Sustainability Commission (ESC) Quarterly Report
______________________________________ ______________________________________
Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor
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