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07-09-2007 CC MIN . MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER CITY COUNCIL HELD AT THE CITY OF ELK RIVER (UPPER TOWN CONFERENCE ROOM) MONDAY, JULY 9, 2007 Members Present: Mayor Klinzing, Counci1members Zerwas, Gumphrey, and Motin Members Absent: Counci1member Farber Staff Present: City Administrator Lori J ohoson, Finance Director Tim Simon, Community Development Director Scott Clark, City Engineer Terry Maurer, Park and Recreation Director Bill Maertz, ERMU General Manager Bryan Adams, and Recording Secretary Jennifer Johnson 1. Call Meeting To Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River City Council was called to order at 6:31 p.m. by Mayor Klinzing. 2. Consider Council Agenda MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER MOTIN AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS AMENDED. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. . 3. Consider Consent Agenda MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER ZERWAS TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING CONSENT AGENDA: 3.1. JUNE 18, 2007 MINUTES ANDJULY 2, 2007 MINUTES 3.2. UTILITY EASEMENT FOR BIRCHWOOD APARTMENTS MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 4. Open Mike Paul Zabee, 523 Irving Avenue, received a letter in mail from P S Dance Studio regarding their attempt to find a new location for their studio. He stated his daughter attends the studio and he expressed his support of the studio in their attempt to expand their current building or in getting the permit that they need. Dick Sitts, Pam Sitts' father, spoke in reference to the P S Dance Studio. He stated the issue isn't about profit but rather about keeping the rates down and feels the dance studio would have to double their dance rates if she moved her studio to a retail location. . Pam Sitts, owner of P S Dance Studio, 604 Railroad Drive, expressed the type of facility that they're looking at is a warehouse type of facility. She states that the height of the ceilings, along with the poles, is a safety concern. She is interested in finding a location like a warehouse or light industrial facility. She doesn't want to raise her rates and desires to stay in Elk River. City Council Minutes July 9, 2007 Page 2 5.1. YMCA Concept by BWBR Bill Maertz introduced Greg Fenton and Craig Peterson from BWBR. Mr. Fenton began by stating that the project remains on schedule. They will break ground in early fall of 2007 with completion around Labor Day, 2008. Mr. Fenton expressed appreciation to the city staff that has participated in this project; this has made everything go very smoothly. . Mr. Fenton walked the mayor and councilmembers through the YMCA site plan with a series of slides, explaining the concept of the project. He highlighted how this location allows for great storm water management as they will use a rain garden to offset the need for a storm water retention swale on the site. Mr. Peterson explained the three-part theme to this project. The desire was to have a campus feel to the facility, similar to the municipal buildings and library. The color and texture of the building blends with the current buildings on the campus and allows for a transparent feel to the building. Mayor Klinzing complimented the design. Councilmember Zerwas complimented the three concepts in the YMCA's theme for the building, and especially liked the idea of a walking path, allowing for a connection to the lake and municipal buildings. He also appreciated the amount of trees and landscaping, and stated he wished to avoid a stark building in a middle of a field without trees. Mr. Fenton stated they tried to focus on gaining the right value of landscaping to the area. . Mayor Klinzing thanked them for their presentation. 5.2. Discussion on Recommended Alternatives for TH169 Terry Maurer, City Engineer, introduced Dave Montebello and John Hagen from SRF Consulting Group, and Craig Robinson, Mn/DOT Project Manager District 3, who were present to discuss the preliminary estimate of construction impacts to adjacent property at Highway 169 and Main Street. Dave Montebello of the SRFConsulting Group stated they were there to answer questions but would like to give a short presentation which included handouts. Mr. Montebello reviewed the Main Street concepts, explained the two alternatives, and stated he would answer questions about the operations and the differences between the two alternatives. The first alternative is called the folded diamond (BC2). The handout indicated the areas that would be affected by this concept, which shows the full access intersections and the ramp terminals which will connect back to a frontage road and would preserve the Great River Energy site. This concept also provides full access to Line Avenue and serves this northeast quadrant better than the other alternative. It does impact existing developments, which the map indicates as either a full acquisition or a potential full acquisition. The businesses in the areas of potential/ full acquisition will have their parking lots taken and therefore, you have to consider that this would affect the whole business. The question was what side of the road to impact; Mn/DOT chose the south side. With either option, the volume on Main Street to the west appears to show a need for a four lane section on Main Street, at least up to the first intersection where it can then transition to a narrower width. . City Councill'vfinutes July 9, 2007 Page 3 . That issue has basically caused Mn/DOT to look at which side of the road to impact; they chose the south side due to the access and difficulty of replacing the clinic. Councilmember Morin commented that the recommendation from last time contained a lot less impact and he felt there was more impact with this design then the last design, and wondered why this design was chosen. Mr. Montebello replied that this alternative may appear to have more impact, but that operationally, the BC2 option works better. Mr. Montebello explained that Mn/DOT felt the BC2 alternative gives more reserve capacity while a single point appears to work only marginally. Their biggest concern is the short distance between Line Avenue and Highway 169, and there would be a queue of cars. They also looked at the long term forecast of the growth of the city, the growth of the school district, and potential employment opportunities in this area. Mr. Montebello discussed the primary impacts of this plan, which are the bowed ramps, which would require some ponding due to a low point. He discussed the acquisition of the Super America area, necessary to keep a right in, right out. Tires Plus and Abra Auto Body sites would be affected. Mayor Klinzing asked why it would be better to have a ramp when it affects property owners. Mr. Montebello clarified the movements from Wal-mart back to Highway 169. . Mr. Robinson felt this plan would be operationally better but it's too soon to tell what impact it will have on the businesses. From Mn/DOT's standpoint, either alternative works. The difference comes in with access to the adjacent quadrants. The BC2 provides better access into the adjacent quadrants then the single point. Mr. Maurer requested to have some non-binding direction from the Council to do a deeper analysis on which option would work better. Mr. Maurer would discuss these plans with Councilmember Farber. Mr. Robinson indicated that the green and blue shaded areas may be totally taken but could be redeveloped in the future if the areas aren't affected by ramps. Mr. Montebello discussed how the right-in and right-out turns effect the ramp movements. Mr. Robinson said that with either alternative, if you can't get out at Main and Zane, you'd have to drive down further to the Twin Lakes Road area. The area by Maxsun Furniture would also be impacted. This area would someday need to be widened. Councilmember Morin commented about the single point and wondered if you could shift the intersection further east to get a full intersection further north. Mr. Montebello said it is a possibility to consider. Mr. Montebello stated the main objective is to decide on one option and move ahead with the final design. He noted it would cost more money to analyze two alternatives then one. . Mayor Klinzing thanked everyone for their participation and information. City Council :Minutes July 9, 2007 Page 4 5.3. Agt:eement for Public Works Director Services Between the City of Elk River and BDM Consulting Engineers . Ms. Johnson presented the Mayor and Council with her staff report. Mayor Klinzing appreciated Mr. Maurer's willingness to take on the position of the first Public Works Director for the City. MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUMPHREY AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER ZERWAS TO AUTHORIZE THE AGREEMENT FOR PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR SERVICES BETWEEN THE CITY OF ELK RIVER AND BDM CONSULTING ENGINEERS. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 5.4. Street Light Payment Policy Ms. Johnson presented her staff report to the Council and requested their input. Mayor Klinzing questioned why this cost isn't being included in the cost of the street rehabilitation program. Ms. Johnson explained that it does need to be factored into the cost of the program. Mr. Maurer explained that in the past, he wasn't sure how it would be accepted by the public to be included as part of their assessment. The streets have an older style of lights that the homeowner already paid for once and they shouldn't have to pay for another. He stated if you need to add more lights to an area, the cost could be factored into the program and assessed to the homeowner. Councilmember Motin requested clarification on when this policy will go into effect. . Ms. Johnson stated these changes will only affect future projects. It was the consensus of both the Mayor and the Council to add the finalized policy on a future consent agenda. The council took a break at 7:35 p.m. and reconvened at 7:40 p.m. 5.5. Financial Land Use Study Mr. Clark and Mr. Simon presented the ''Land Use Financial Model" which has been under development over the past year. This Model will track future development growth and ascertain the affect on the City's overall tax rate projections. The presentation showed the model projecting growth over the next 20 years, and how the model can be quickly changed to ascertain key variables that affect the City's budget position, such as inflation, market rate increases, and new programs. 5.6. Bu~t Discussions A. Community Development Mr. Clark was present to discuss the community development budget items. He stated he would like to hire one part-time code enforcement officer who would assist in implementing a formal code enforcement system. This would allow for code enforcement on a systematic basis and would dedicate up to 1000 staff hours. He also stated the Energy City . City Council Minutes July 9, 2007 Page 5 . Commission would like to hire a part-time energy city coordinator, who would be responsible for putting together the Energy Expo in 2008. Discussion took place regarding software and scanning equipment and to contract with a company to scan the building division and planning files. He wants his staff to start the gravel mining area study and would request funds to hire a pIanning consultant to assist in the work. B. General Government Departments The administrative department budgets were delayed until the August Worksession. 5.7. Council Open Forum The Council wished to discuss the :Mississippi Connections Redevelopment Framework Task Force Study. Mayor Klinzing expressed concerns with the pIan and how it was presented to the Council. She also expressed her concerns with the decision to have Hwy. 10 at grade in the pIan, even though MnDOT stated that Hwy. 10 will not be at grade. She wishes that they would have presented the pIan to the Council first before it went to the public so these concerns might have been addressed before being released. She has already received phone calls and comments from the public and wasn't sure how to address them. . Councilmember Morin expressed concerns with how he received the plan. Mr. Clark explained that a copy of the draft plan, maps, and details were e-mailed to the Council on June 29. Mayor Klinzing stated she did not remember getting this e-mail. Councilmember Gumphrey stated he did receive the e-mail. Councilmember Morin expressed that he didn't receive the e-mail and was concerned that this wasn't enough time to review the plan, given that July 4 was a holiday. He stated concerns that the Council wasn't able to give input. Another concern was the Highway 10 proposal not being at grade. Mr. Clark stated staff didn't know of the Highway 10 decision was a firm consensus of the council. He stated this is a draft only and it isn't the Taskforce's recommendation to the Council but merely a starting point, knowing there is at least 5 months more work which needs to be done. They wanted input from the stakeholders in the community that will be affected by this long-term plan in order to return to the Council in the future with a more finalized version of the pIan. Mayor Klinzing stated the Highway 10 issues need to be determined before the plan can be finalized. She also stated it's a 20 year vision which needs to remain flexible. Ms. Johnson explained the taskforce is aware this may change and the need to do the geometric study in order to determine how it fits into the pIan. Ms. Johnson said the Taskforce knows they will have to adjust this plan accordingly and be flexible to MnDOT and the Highway 10 needs. . Councilmember Zerwas asked how this improves the connection between upper and lower downtown with traffic. He felt this will isolate downtown instead of joining both areas. City Council :Minutes July 9, 2007 Page 6 Ms. Johnson stated this will certainly be something that should be discussed and ideas such as this are needed. She fdt the time and effort the taskforce put into this project shouldn't go to waste. . Councilmember Gumphrey stated the Taskforce should have come to the Council and that in the future the Council should be informed before the public. Councilmember Zerwas suggested they move ahead with the stakeholders meeting but wondered if there was time for a few more versions of this draft. Councilmember Motin concurred with Councilmember Zerwas to move forward with the plan. Mayor Klinzing has already received calls from the public and will not support cutting off Main Street. She wants to support the Taskforce decision and most of it is great but feds the Highway 10 issue will draw negative attention Mr. Clark stated decisions can be made after the geometric study is completed. Councilmember Motin questioned what was behind the reasoning for the taskforce's decision to stay at grade with Highway 10. He further questioned the benefit of closing Main Street. Mr. Clark stated the cut and cover plan would hide the downtown and go against the taskforce vision of trying to keep it more visible from the highway due to its uniqueness to visitors in the area. . Mayor Klinzing stated that she doesn't accept that argument and this plan will not meet the IRC study's goals or Mn/DOT's plan. She stated this doesn't meet Council's goals. After receiving this plan, she spoke with Stewart Wilson, a member of the taskforce, and asked him about the highway issues. Mr. Wilson stated this is the better alternative than what is currently in place. Councilmember Motin stated perhaps going up 20 feet in the air may be the best thing for downtown. Mr. Clark suggested cancding the stakeholders meeting so the Taskforce could meet to present another plan to the Council. Ms. Johnson stated there are very good aspects about the plan if you can get past the Highway 10 issue, and reiterated the Taskforce worked hard to develop this plan. The council concurred to go ahead with the stakeholders meeting on July 24 but to make it clear to the public that the Council is not in approval with the plan but recognize there are many good things about this draft. Mr. Clark suggested, and was agreed by the Council, that the Taskforce will review the Highway 10 issue at an August meeting and will be sent back to the Council for a review of the same at the August 20, 2007 council meeting. Ms. Johnson will have the City Clerk put together a notice of a possible quorum in case the Council is in attendance at the stakeholders meeting. . . . . City Council Minutes July 9, 2007 Page 7 6. Other Business There was no other business. 7. Council Updates There were no council updates. 8. Staff Updates There were no staff updates. 9. Adjournment --.,,//- There being no further business, Mayor Klinzing adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 9:40 p.m. ."u'e, 77Y Jennifer Juhmon. t~ Tina Allard City Clerk