INFORMATION #2 07-18-2005
INFORMATION
Rivers Edge Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, July 132005
(Q)~~[Fl
The meeting was called to order at 8:05 AM. Present were Mark Wold (Bumper to Bumper), Ty
Sunderman, Rober Hebeisen, Laurie Bie1, Pat Klaers, Jeff Gongoll, Heidi Steinmetz, Mark
Urista, Deb Urista, Tony Mikols, Cliff Lundberg, Fred Mccoy, Wendy Simenson, Bruce West
Treasurer's Report: $3253.11 with no outstanding bills
Secretary's Report: Minutes from the May meeting were accepted as written
Old Business:
City Update: Guardian Angels and Meadowvale School had indicated an interest in moving the
Gazebo to their property. Unfortunately the cost of moving it is more that it would cost either to
build a new one so both groups decided they didn't want it. The City will now be offering the
Gazebo for sale at its auction this weekend. Jeff said that he would like the Elk Weather Vane off
the top for the Chamber building if possible.
The Big Flag from the Jackson Square Parking Lot will be moved to the School District
Building somewhere near the new King Ave Parking Lot.
King Ave Parking Lot should be completed in the next couple of weeks. The paper work had to
be completed on the First National Lot that was included in the big lot which caused some delay.
New Business:
The "Historic Downtown Elk River" sign that currently resides at the corner of HwylO and
Jackson Ave needs to be relocated. One side of the sign is peeling off, the other side appears OK.
Some possible locations that were suggested to move it to were next to Kemper Drug and St
Maximillians or by the Mural by the River. Wendy suggested that we consult with Lance
Lindberg from the Historic Preservation Commission and see if he has any ideas. The sign must
be moved prior to August when construction will begin on the Square.
Downtown Parking Ordinance Changes: We reviewed the downtown parking ordinance
proposed change. The group felt that we would be best served to have the ordinance amended
further to specify resident parking to more specifically state "residents of the Brick Block will be
issued resident parking permits and they shall be limited to (2?) spots per apartment. Wendy will
forward that sentiment on to Michele McPherson and the City Council prior to the July 18th City
Council Meeting.
Chief Beahen had indicated that he would prefer not to enforce parking in the lot until
construction is finished or a problem with unauthorized parking occurred. The group felt that it
would be beneficial to businesses like McCoys if street parking limits would be enforced during
construction.
Traffic Flow Changes and Safety during Construction: Fire Chief Bruce West came and
showed us a map that he and the City Planners and the construction people had worked on to
manage traffic flow in downtown during construction. He said that construction would take place
INFORMATION
[))~ffi\lfl
between 7AM and 3:30PM. Of concern was the proposal to make Jackson Ave be one way north
to south, south of Hwy 10, and the removal of parking spots on the north side of Main Street
between Hwy 10 and Jackson Ave to accommodate the construction downtown. He also
suggested that there be no left turn off of Parrish onto Main Street between 3PM and 6PM. Chief
West said that he has preferred that the portion of Jackson Ave be one way in the past. The other
option he said was to remove the parking next to the brick block and have the driving go both
ways. Wendy was not happy with either option and questioned why we have to give up the
street to the construction. Fred asked that the City take a "wait and see" attitude before posting
no left turn from Parrish. He felt that if the construction traffic would be gone by 3:30 it might
not be a problem. We were also concerned that by not allowing traffic to turn on Jackson Ave in
downtown, more traffic will be traveling West on Main Street and make the single exit out of the
King Ave lot very difficult to get out of. One solution would be to put a Four Way Stop Sign at
King Ave and Main Street. Chief West also told us that the number of trains traveling through
Elk River is expected to increase from 2 an hour to 72 per day. The traffic flow/construction plan
will be presented to the City Council at their July 18th Meeting.
MetroPlains Refined Design: Heidi showed us the picture of the "improved design" of the
Bluffs. We asked if similar changes were being made to the Jackson Square Project and she said
that MetroPlains was being allowed to build it as it was originally presented.
Communications During Construction: The City has a "Construction Communications Plan"
in place to keep target audiences informed of what is going on during construction and to provide
a platform for feedback as problems arise to ensure those problems can be addressed.
Arts Alliance: Laurie Biel came and thanked us for our support and donation of the Horse
Drawn Wagon rides to Downtown during Art Soup. She also mentioned that the Arts Alliance is
having a Raffle Fund Raiser to help defray costs of Art Soup. Tickets are $5.00 each and you can
win 2 airline tickets in the Continental USA, A Children's Playhouse/Garden Shed from Plants
and Things or a Champagne Chocolate Getaway in a whirlpool fireplace suite at the Riverwood
Inn. Tickets are available at the Arts Alliance Office, The Bead Bag or Kemper Drug.
The Meeting was adjourned at 9: 15AM
Elk River City Council Meeting July 18, 2005 6:30PM
There will be an open mike session at the beginning of
the meeting for you to express your feelings on these
or any matters to the City Council.
INFORMATION
To: Elk River City Council
From: Wendy Simenson President, Downtown Rivers Edge Business Association
7/14/05
Subject: Downtown Parking Ordinance and Proposed Traffic Flow Changes
The Rivers Edge Downtown Business Association would like to see the language in the
ordinance 74-97 (b) changed to "Residents of the Brick Block will be issued resident
parking permits and they shall be limited to (2) parking spots per apartment. No vehicle
shall be parked overnight in the King A venue parking lot unless it is displaying a
Resident of Brick Block parking permit......"
Background: Residential Parking Permits will be valid 24/7 for parking in the King
Avenue lot. The King Avenue Lot will need to provide parking for the existing
businesses and employees downtown along with the new employee and customers who
will come from the Jackson Square and Bluffs businesses. Our current experience with
resident parking in the King A venue Lot is that cars and trucks of residents often sit
without moving for days at a time. With space at a premium we can't afford to offer
parking permits to any Elk River resident who needs additional parking.
7/14/05
INFORMATIONI
To: Elk River City Council
From: Wendy Simenson, Co-owner Kemper Drug in Beautiful Downtown Elk River
Subject: Proposed Traffic Flow Changes in Downtown
We were aware that the construction would cause disruption at times in traffic and
parking downtown. We were not aware that developers would be able to encroach on our
street traffic and street parking in the process. Why wasn't this planned for? Why do
downtown businesses have to be penalized further by the developers being given a lane
on J ackson Ave and on Main Street. Chief West told us with the lane closure the options
on Jackson were two- way traffic and no parking on Jackson Ave or one way traffic and
we get to keep our parking. All the parking spots on Jackson Ave in Downtown are
usually taken during the day - it isn't an option for these spots to be removed. One way
traffic is going to disrupt the traffic flow in the rest of downtown. Weare trying to be
good neighbors but at what cost to our businesses?
Small businesses like ours are very vulnerable to downturns in business. Making it
difficult to get into and out of Downtown Elk River will hurt our businesses. We need
your help in making sure that at least as much importance is given to the needs of
existing downtown businesses as is being given to the needs of MetroPlains.
Sincerely,
Wendy Simenson