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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025/03/17 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study SessionOfficial minutes Special study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota March 17, 2025 The meeting convened at 7:39 p.m. Council members present: Mayor Nadia Mohamed, Paul Baudhuin, Tim Brausen, Yolanda Farris, Lynette Dumalag, Margaret Rog Council members absent: Sue Budd Staff present: City manager (Ms. Keller), engineering director (Ms. Heiser), engineering project manager (Mr. Sullivan), deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), parks and recreation director (Mr. West) Guests: SRF Consulting group (Mr. Scott) Discussion items 1. Municipal building planning process: educational session Ms. Walsh and Mr. West presented a high-level review of the building planning process. Council Member Rog stated she thinks about how municipal buildings serve staff and asked how planning can include serving residents within the city as well. Ms. Walsh stated that after a feasibility study is conducted, the conversation could return to the council and include a public process to look at resident needs as well. Ms. Keller stated public input needs also depend on the building, noting it might look different for the Municipal Service Center building or the Westwood Hills Nature Center versus city hall. Council Member Rog asked when the council could give input versus receiving solidified plans. Ms. Walsh stated all planning steps would provide opportunities for the council to give input, and all council members are always welcome to share their opinions. Council Member Rog noted during her years on the council, there were always folks who wanted a community center in St. Louis Park, but it did not move forward, recalling estimates for a $50 million design. Ms. Walsh also recalled this concept and noted there were other priorities at that time, including work with the light rail, so the community center idea did not move forward. Council Member Baudhuin asked the process for securing a consultant and whether there is a firm that would be all-inclusive. Ms. Keller stated there are professional networks and state lists that help staff find consultants based on their areas of expertise. Council Member Brausen noted that around 2010, city hall was remodeled. He stated the police facility is 35 years old, and the city configures space regularly, including city council chambers. He added this is a thoughtful process. Docusign Envelope ID: 3CFD916A-E6DA-42FD-9B21-E6E531577BF7 Special study session minutes -2- March 17, 2025 Council Member Dumalag noted all the steps leading to an actual project. Regarding Westwood Hills Nature Center, she asked at what point did public engagement take place, if groups informed the master planning; how the constituency group was developed. Council Member Dumalag asked staff if the city used an owners representative to manage the Westwood Hills Nature Center and if we would use one in the future. Staff confirmed that the city does not. Mr. West stated staff gave about 50 presentations to the community over the course of a year in the master plan and feasibility phases for Westwood Hills Nature Center. Council Member Dumalag noted the city council was one constituency group and asked what the other groups were. Mr. West stated a wide variety of community groups and partners, such as the school district, were involved over the course of 12 months. Ms. Walsh added the process was about two and a half years in duration and noted there would need to be community engagement for the police facility also. Council Member Rog asked if there is a timeline for when this project might come before the city council. Ms. Walsh stated staff will bring a high level consideration to the council in April. 2. Whistle quiet zone overview Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Scott (SRF Consulting group) presented the staff report. Ms. Heiser stated the policy question is whether the city should conduct a feasibility study on railroad safety. Council Member Dumalag noted many emails complaining about whistleblowing and asked if this is from the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) railway. Mr. Scott answered yes. Ms. Keller added that CPKC also runs overnight now, which it had not done in previous years. Mr. Scott stated that within a quiet zone, every public at-grade crossing must have gates, flashing lights, power-out indicators and constant-warning time detection. Every proposed quiet zone undergoes federal and state study to understand potential risks of road materials, crash history and potential weather impacts. Council Member Rog asked if evaluated risk increases when train horns are not allowed to sound in quiet zones and risk can be decreased using the flashing lights and gates. Mr. Sullivan confirmed that removing the safety precaution of a train horn does increase risk, and adding gates and flashing lights does mitigate the risk. Ms. Heiser added that the intention of the conversation is to show that risks exist at every train crossing, and mitigating risk as much as possible is the goal. Council Member Dumalag asked if this evaluation includes high train speeds and when gates are determined to be necessary. Mr. Scott clarified that potential crossing improvements will be determined as part of the study effort. He said medians are commonly recommended for cities to achieve quiet zones. Council Member Dumalag asked if there is an opportunity to do a study in partnership with other cities. Ms. Heiser stated staff can reach out to the cities of Edina and Golden Valley to Docusign Envelope ID: 3CFD916A-E6DA-42FD-9B21-E6E531577BF7 Special study session minutes -3- March 17, 2025 consider this. Ms. Keller added that compared to neighboring cities, St. Louis Park has the highest number of crossings. Council Member Baudhuin stated the city owes it to residents to conduct the feasibility study because potential costs for next steps can determined as well. Council Member Rog noted the concentration of crossings in the south side of the city and the whistles that blow. She stated it is bothersome and asked if there is any benefit to focusing on areas with the highest concentration of crossings as opposed to studying the whole line. Mr. Scott stated the noise does travel throughout crossing areas, especially in the summer months. Ms. Heiser added staff wants to study demographics and density and employ an equity lens. Most of the people they are hearing concerns from live in the south section of the city. It was the consensus of the city council to do the feasibility study. Mr. Scott stated there is no federal funding for these studies, and noted it usually comes from the local level. He added that the terminology used to define the study will be important when seeking funding options. Council Member Baudhuin asked why the rail corporations have all the authority. Ms. Keller stated historically, rail is a national consideration. Council Member Brausen added institutionally, the railroad has been part of a strong lobbying group as well. Council Member Rog asked if there have been crashes at the city’s rail sites. Mr. Sullivan stated in the last ten years, there are weekly updates and staff looks for trends regarding incidents. There have not been any notable trends. Council Member Baudhuin asked if there is anything that should be communicated to residents. Ms. Heiser stated yes, staff will work on this communication for residents and also for council to have talking points if they are asked about this issue. Written Reports 3. Recreational Outdoor Center (ROC) acoustics report Council Member Brausen noted there is no return on investment for only a 2% incremental increase in acoustics quality. Council Member Rog asked if a cost-saving decision was made to not put the acoustic materials up when the ROC was built. Council Member Brausen recalled that may have been the case, and that cables would be the structural addition needed. Ms. Keller stated the recommendations are to notify prospective facility users of the acoustic limitations. They could then decide if the ROC is an appropriate venue based on the limitations. Council Member Rog stated the recommendation is a good plan, and added it is difficult to hear when people make presentations in the ROC. Ms. Keller stated that a better audio system may help, but will not completely resolve the acoustic issue. Docusign Envelope ID: 3CFD916A-E6DA-42FD-9B21-E6E531577BF7 Special study session minutes -4- March 17, 2025 Mayor Mohamed stated the audio quality is a problem, and it was even hard to hear at the naturalized citizen ceremony. Ms. Keller stated this space accommodates a wide variety of uses, but it cannot accommodate all events. In some cases, another venue may be a better fit than the ROC. This information will need to be communicated in advance, so people are aware if they are interested in booking an event there. Ms. Keller summarized that the benefit to adding acoustic materials would only result in a one- decibel improvement. Communications/meeting check-in (verbal) The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Nadia Mohamed, mayor Docusign Envelope ID: 3CFD916A-E6DA-42FD-9B21-E6E531577BF7