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3.1. 05-03-10 DRAFT MINUTES REGULARDRAFT MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER CITY COUNCIL HELD AT THE ELK RIVER CITY HALL MONDAY, MAY 3, 2010 Members Present: Mayor Klinzing, Councilmembers Zerwas, Gumphrey, and Motin Members Absent: Councilmember Westgaard Staff Present: City Administrator Lori Johnson, Finance Director Tim Simon, Liquor Operations Manager Dave Potvin, Street Superintendent Phil Hals, and Recording Secretary Jennifer Johnson Also Present: Parks and Recreation Commissioners Dave Anderson, Mark Ahlness, Andrew Karlsen, Mike Niziolek, Eddie Peterson, Jerry Jaker, and James Nystrom Call Meeting To Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River City Council was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Klinzing. 2. Consider 05/03/2010 Agenda MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER ZERWAS AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER MOTIN TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 3. Consider Consent Agenda MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER MOTIN TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING CONSENT AGENDA: 3.1. COUNCIL MINUTES ^ 04/12/10 WORKSESSION ^ 04/13/10 CLOSED SESSION ^ 04/19/10 REGULAR 3.2. CHECK REGISTER 3.3. SOLICITOR LICENSES ^ RICHARD REHSCHUH, ELK RIVER FORD DODGE JEEP ^ NEIL NORRIE, TRUGREEN LAWN CARE MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 4. Open Mike Dave and Jan Fesenmaier, 13591 Island View Drive, requested the city provide funds to purchase and install a replacement flag pole at Lions Park, which was damaged during a City Council Minutes May 3, 2010 Page 2 storm two years ago. Jan has taken over the volunteer gardening from Jerry Palmer, who originally created and maintained the Raymond Schwartz Korean War memorial with donations from the Lion's Club of Elk River and other sources. Council agreed it would be important to help find the necessary funds for the flag pole, and an estimate from Dave showed a cost of approximately $2,116.13 with an estimate received from Twin Cities Flag Source. Councilmember Zerwas, who is a member of the Lion's Club, will request a donation from the Lion's at the next meeting. The Council concurred they would like to have the flag pole in place in time for the Independence Day celebration occurring at Lion's Park. 5.1. Proclamation: Mike Donais Day, Maw. 2010 Dave Potvin, Liquor Operations Manager, said a few words in honor of Mike Donais' 35 years of service to the City of Elk River, commending Mike for his dedication and hard work to make Northbound Liquor the success it is today. Mayor Klinzing presented Mike with a plaque and read a proclamation to him, proclaiming Saturday May 8, 2010 as Michael Donais Day. 5.2. Authorization to Solicit Bids for the 2010 Seal Coat Project Mr. Hals presented the staff report. MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER MOTIN AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY TO APPROVE AUTHORIZATION TO SOLICIT BIDS FOR THE 2010 SEAL COAT PROJECT AS OUTLINED IN THE STAFF REPORT. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 5.3. 193rd Avenue Median Restoration John Anderson, PE with BDM Consulting Engineers and Surveyors, PLC, presented the staff report. Discussion was held regarding the differences in the two quotes received from Minnesota Native Landscapes and Prairie Restoration Inc. John Anderson stated the planting density for the perennial end caps, which were to match the end caps on Orono Parkway, differed between the two quotes with one company using a plant spacing of 2' and the other using a plant spacing of 2.2'. Minnesota Native Landscapes came in with the low bid at $22,913.97. However, if the plant spacing was adjusted accordingly, the price of the bid for Prairie Restoration Inc. would actually decrease by $1697.44 and thereby making them the low bidder. Councilmember Gumphrey asked Dave Anderson, Parks and Recreation Chair, present in the audience, if he had anything to add to the staff report. Dave Anderson stated he would prefer to use Prairie Restoration Inc. He also stated you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two densities, and recommended going with the lower density and therefore saving money. John Anderson stated that Prairie Restoration would not object to planting at a lower density. City Council Minutes May 3, 2010 Page 3 MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER ZERWAS TO AWARD THE 193 AVENUE MEDIAN RESTORATION PLANTING PROJECT TO PRAIRIE RESTORATIONS INC. AS PRESENTED IN THE STAFF REPORT. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 5.4. Main Street Pavement Rehabilitation • Resolution Receiving Feasibility Report and Ordering Public Hearing • Resolution Approving Plans and Specifications and Ordering Advertisement for Bids Mr. Anderson presented the staff report. Counciltnember Zerwas was concerned with the timing of the public hearing scheduled for July 6, and that many residents may be out of town for the July 4 Independence Day holiday. After some discussion, it was decided to change the date of the special meeting of the City Council to Monday, June 28, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER ZERWAS AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 10-15 RECEIVING THE FEASIBILITY REPORT AND ORDERING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR JUNE 28, 2010. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER MOTIN AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 10-16 APPROVING PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS AND ORDERING ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS AS OUTLINED IN THE STAFF REPORT. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 5.5. Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education Reduest to Extend Lease Ms. Johnson presented the staff report. She stated the amount paid in rent could be increased if the council so chose. Councilmembers Gumphrey and Zerwas stated they would like to keep the lease revenue at $5,400 per year. MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER ZERWAS AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY TO APPROVE THE REQUEST TO EXTEND THE LEASE FOR THE MINNESOTA BOARD OF FIREFIGHTER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FOR ONE YEAR WITH THE OPTION OF A SECOND YEAR RENEWAL AS OUTLINED IN THE STAFF REPORT . MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 5.6. Discuss Council Worksession Agendas Ms. Johnson presented the staff report. Due to the large number of items on the May 10 worksession, and since the EDA was considering canceling their meeting that evening due to lack of items needing action, it was decided to call a special meeting on May 10, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. to discuss staff items, and then hold the regular worksession at 6:30 p.m. City Council Minutes May 3, 2010 One item added to the June 14 worksession was to tour the public works facility. 6. Other Business There was no other business. Council Updates There were no council updates. 8. Staff Updates Page 4 Ms. Johnson received a call from the Brainerd office of MnDOT notifying the city that crews would be installing median cables along Highway 169 from 197th Avenue north to the city limits and beyond for safety purposes. Work will commence in July and end in August. Ms. Johnson reminded council of the Sherburne County Development Tour to take place on Thursday and, if they were interested in attending the reception afterwards, to contact either herself or Cathy Mehelich. Mayor Klinzing recessed the meeting at 7:15 p.m. in order for the meeting to move to the Upper Town conference room for a joint meeting with the Parks and Recreation Commission. 9. Joint Meeting with Parks and Recreation Mayor Klinzing re-opened the meeting at 7:22 p.m. Chair Anderson opened the meeting of the Parks and Recreation commission at 7:22 p.m. He thanked the Mayor and Councilmembers for the joint meeting opportunity. Bill Maertz started the discussion by going over past and current endeavors of the Parks and Recreation department. He stated the "active, healthy lifestyle" branding gets people's attention and has really helped increase participation in programming. He talked about the positive synergy in sharing of services and tools between Parks and Recreation. Together they provide a great group of programs to residents. He discussed the many volunteer service hours that were of great assistance to the department, which helped them serve over 29,000 people last year. He complimented Rodney Schreifels and the parks staff for operating the ice rinks and park amenities so well. Pinewood Golf Course opened up their season early this year and they expect over 300 kids in their children's golf lessons alone, along with more corporate and youth events. Lastly, Mr. Maertz discussed the positive cross-jurisdictional partnerships with local businesses, schools, and the YMCA, which provides even broader programming opportunities to residents. Mr. Maertz discussed the future, noting the desire to complete trail connections extensions throughout the City to link the trail system together, improvements needed at Orono Park, and continuing to take advantage of any park opportunities that become available which fit the parks master plan and overall goals. City Council Minutes Page 5 May 3, 2010 ----------------------------- Commissioner Jaker commented to the council about his positive first year as a commissioner. He noted potential residents decide to move to this city because of the strong parks and recreation program. He stated his hopes to continue to see the council support these programs with proper staffing, planning, and budgeting in order to continue to build on this important program. Steve Benoit then discussed with the council the three areas they cover during their parks and recreation meetings. The opportunity to broadcast on ERtV 12 allows for more than just a general meeting, stating it gives them an opportunity to promote themselves to a broader audience and increase awareness of all the opportunities at parks and recreation. The three areas they cover are: - Program updates -allows them to plug upcoming programming opportunities - Facility updates -allows them to highlight specific parks and their Adopt-a-Park program - Volunteer program - recognize a park volunteer of the month on camera, giving recognition to our valuable volunteers and spark interest in others wanting to volunteer Rodney Schreifels also stated how important our volunteers are to the city parks, noting it would take 2 full time employees just to operate Woodland Trails Park and 1 full time employee to operate Hillside Park. Mayor Klinzing asked about other ways of recruiting volunteers to assist in park maintenance. Mr. Maertz stated he usually tries to encourage people that aren't happy about something to come to the next commission meeting to discuss their concerns and try to work together to find a solution. Those individuals could end up volunteering their time to make a positive change. Commissioner Karlsen introduced himself as one of the newer commissioners. He stated he would like to help the city retain and manage the parks they currently have as well as find opportunities for new park land to add to the parks system. Commissioner Ahless also introduced himself as one of the newer commissioners, although he had formerly done an internship with the parks and recreation department and is very familiar with the city. He also commented on the importance of having a business connection with the parks programming, citing the example of the upcoming Minnesota Twins clinic in partnership with General Minnesota Credit Union. Commissioner Nizolek stated he felt things were going really well and stated there are so many good things to say about the parks and recreation department. Councilmember Motin commended all the parks and recreation staff and commissioners, and found the presentation to be very informative. He stated he would like to find ways of obtaining more park dedication fees. Councilmember Gumphrey concurred with Councilmember Motin, and asked that they continue to improve recreation programming, adding new opportunities to residents every year. City Council Minutes Page 6 May 3, 2010 Mr. Maertz commented that new programming for this year include a fly fishing class, a trip to the Mall of America on the Northstar Commuter rail, and a Tuesday night local showcase of local talent at the River's Edge Commons Park. He stated he looks at what other cities are offering and try to use some of those ideas for new programming as well as suggestions from residents. Counciltnember Gumphrey asked how Pinewood is working on increasing membership numbers. Mr. Maertz stated they are trying to encourage golfers from surrounding communities to try out the course as well as offering free hot dogs on certain days. He was also considering offering a free round of golf on your birthday. Councilmember Zerwas echoed the comments of the other Counciltnembers and commended staff. As the council liaison to the parks commission, he feels their monthly meetings are informative and productive. He challenged staff to come up with ways of highlighting the park amenities of each park to visitors so they aren't overwhelmed with so many choices. Mayor Klinzing commended staff and commissioners for their dedication and hard work. She suggested offering a ladies garden club. She discussed the trail system and how hesitant residents are to having a trail in their backyard, noting they are concerned with safety. She discussed the 2,000 acres of gravel pit area and the importance of future planning of green space areas. She asked about recognition of volunteers and suggested a summer picnic, inviting commissioners and Councilmembers as well. Commissioner Anderson stated they have done picnics and pig roasts in the past, noting at times it's difficult to bring their dedicated volunteers together at the same time. He stated he will invite Councilmembers to future events. Councilmember Gumphrey asked how the city could promote the positive features of a trail in neighborhoods to residents. Commissioner Nizolek stated trails are very safe and provide families more outdoor opportunities. He suggested taking those who are hesitant to a trail to show them there's no risk. Mr. Maertz stated a trail in your neighborhood has positive effects from increasing property values to providing healthy outdoor activities and transportation opportunities. He asked the council to adopt that value as a vision of Elk River and stay with it. Commissioner Peterson commented that trails benefit everyone in the community, not just those living in the neighborhood. Councilmember Zerwas stated the trails should really lead somewhere and suggested the council remain purposeful of this plan. Mayor Klinzing discussed the 2014 trail plan from downtown Minneapolis to Babcock Park and then onto the Northstar Commuter Rail station. She asked the commissioners if they had considered future funding sources such as a park referendum. City Council Minutes May 3, 2010 Page 7 Commissioner Anderson talked about looking at the past plans and outlook and sticking with what was decided. He asked the council when the right time would be to ask for funding. Mr. Maertz outlined different areas which could use some updates, such as the ice arena, Youth Athletic Complex, Orono Park, as well as trail building and the possibility of a park at Ridges of Rice Lake. Ms. Johnson stated that long range funding is unknown at this time because there is no on- going source of funds with the exception of park dedication fees that are down due to the economy. Councilmember Gumphrey stated he supports a referendum by next year at this time. He stated the projects needing help are good projects that the community can support. Councilmember Moon felt that 2011 would not be a good year to request a referendum due to budget cuts. Mayor Klinzing suggested the commission come up with a list of priorities to provide to the council so future plans could be discussed. Mayor Klinzing closed the joint meeting of the City Council at 8:31 p.m. Chair Anderson closed the joint meeting of the Parks and Recreation commission at 8:31 p.m. 10. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor K]inzing adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 8:31 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jennifer Johnson. Tina Allard, City Clerk Stephanie Klinzing, Mayor