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4.8. SR 05-21-2001City Item # MEMORANDUM 4°8° TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Mayor and City Council Michele McPherso~r~irector of Planning May 21, 2001 May Park and Recreation Update Attachments · May 9, 2001 Memo to the Park and Recreation Commission Regarding the Road in Hillside City Park Introduction At its May 9th meeting, the Park and Recreation Commission considered a number of agenda items. They included: Consideration of a request for funding for the Handke Stadium renovation from the Rotary Club, Consideration of a request from Lincoln Elementary for funding assistance for a playground, · Review of the preliminary plat for Kliever Lake Fields (the Holzem property), · Consideration of a resident request for a driveway through Hillside City Park, and · Consideration of the Devine Barn Improvement Plan. The May meeting was the first meeting at which the Commission was televised live on Channel 12. The Commission meetings are replaying on Sundays at 2 p.m. Also in May, representatives of the Commission as well as staff walked the Grace Assembly of God Church land and negotiations are continuing with the church for acquisition of up to 10 acres of land. Rotary Request for Funding Representatives of the Rotary attended the Park and Recreation meeting to request assistance in funding the Handke Stadium renovation. A PowerPoint presentation was given to the Commission explaining the history and the proposed plan for renovation of the Memo to Mayor & City Council/P&R Update May 21, 2001 Page 2 stadium. The Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the City contribute $5,000 from the Park Equipment Reserve to assist in funding the Handke Stadium renovation project. Staff recommends that the City Council concur with the Commission's recommendation and provide $5,000 of assistance from the Park Equipment Reserve to fund the Handke Stadium renovation project. Lincoln Elementary Playground The Commission reviewed the request by the Lincoln Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization to assist in funding a new playground and Lincoln Elementary School. However, as there were no representatives from the Lincoln Elementary P.T.O., this item was postponed until the June meeting for further consideration. Kliever Lake Fields The preliminary plat of Kliever Lake Fields was reviewed the Park and Recreation Commission. After much discussion and negotiation, the Commission agreed to accept approximately 7.9 acres of land for park dedication for the entire 79.16 acres. The proposed preliminary plat will include approximately 101 single-family homes and Outlot C which is slated to be developed as townhomes, once the City's townhome ordinance has been amended and if the property is rezoned. The 7.9 acres of park will be bounded on two sides by public streets and on the third by a power line easement. Property to the south is available for development and it is hoped that the park can be further expanded when that property is subdivided. Driveway in Hillside City Park The residents living adjacent to Hillside City Park were in attendance to discuss a revised driveway through park property to serve their homes (see attached memo for background information). The Commission reviewed the proposed driveway alignment and slope proposed by the County. After much discussion with the residents, the Commission voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council that the original driveway designed by the County and exhibited on Sheet 19 of 58 in the Plan Book be adhered to and that no further encroachment into the park be allowed. Staff recommends that the City Council concur with the Park and Recreation Commission's recommendation regarding the driveway through Hillside City Park to serve the adjacent residents. Devine Barn Improvement Plan Since its acquisition in 2000, staff has been working on a refurbishment plan and budget for the Devine Barn located in Trott Brook Farms. The proposed plans include: construction of a silo to provide a second means of access to the upper level construction of an outside ramp for ADA access construction of a unisex bathroom in the lower level installation of heat and lighting S:\PLANNING\MICHMC\CCREPRTS\MayP&Rupdate.doc Memo to Mayor & City Council/P&R Update May 21, 2001 Page 3 ~ reroofing Until the access to the second floor is constructed, staff proposes to program only the lower level. Staff proposes to re-roof the barn in and refurbish the lower level in 2001. The access and refurbishment of the upper level will be scheduled in the Park CIP for future years Budget Staff has identified the following cost estimates for the 2001 improvements to the barn: Roof: $11,000 Windows: $ 3,600 Doors: $ 1,200 Restroom: $ 2,000 Floor: $ 3,500 Interior: $ 7,500 Insulation: $ 1,350 Trim: $ 1,000 Electrical: $ 2,000 Total: $31,150 There is still approximately $79,000 from the original $165,000 Trott Brook Farms budget. The uncompleted items remaining include the baseball field backstop and the hockey boards. We have an additional set of hockey boards that were originally built for the Gary Street rink site that can be transferred to and used at the Trott Brook Farms park site. The Park and Recreation Commission voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council that up to $32,000 be spent in 2001 on the proposed improvements to the Devine Barn from the Park Dedication Fund. Staff recommends that the City Council concur with the Commission's recommendation. S:\PLANNING\MICHMC\CCREPRTS\MayP&Rupdate.doc Howard R, Green Company May 16, 2001 File: 801635J-0325 Honorable Mayor and City Council City of Elk River 13065 Orono Parkway P.O. Box 490 Elk River, MN 55330-0490 RE: HILLSIDE PARK DRIVEWAY ISSUE Dear Council Members: On Wednesday, May 16, 2001, at 10:00 a.m., I attended a meeting held with the property owners at the ddveway location. In attendance at this meeting were Chuck Atkins, the resident in the home lowest on the hill, and Karel Schaap, the resident at the top of the hill. Mr. Tom Forsythe, the resident in the middle, was on vacation and unable to attend the meeting. Also in attendance were County Commissioner Arnie Engstrom, County Engineer Dave Schwarting, and Assistant County Engineer Rhonda Lewis. After approximately an hour of discussion about alternatives and alignment issues, Karel and Chuck both stated that they supported the alignment of the ddveway shown in the current CSAH 12 reconstruction plans as prepared by Sherbume County. Karel is still concerned, based on what Mr. Forsythe has told him regarding having an easement across City-owned parkland. I tried to explain to Karel that I believe the situation is no different than his current situation where he has an easement across Mr. Atkins' land who abuts CSAH 12. Apparently Karel and Tom's concern regarding ownership is that they believe the City has more ability than an individual landowner to change or eliminate the ddveway easement in the future. I explained to them that the same dghts they enjoy with a driveway easement across Mr. Atkins' land they would enjoy with a ddveway easement across City parkland. We concluded the meeting by agreeing that the County would get the centerline of the driveway as shown on their plans staked in the field. We will attempt to meet prior to Monday night's meeting with the residents to look at the alignment and possibly talk about minor changes that could be made in an effort to save mature trees or affect the way lights will shine in the vicinity of Mr. Atkins' home. I will attempt to contact Chuck and Karel on Monday afternoon after the driveway alignment is staked to see if they have any further concerns that could be addressed before Monday evening's City Council meeting. If you have any questions regarding this issue, please call. Sincerely, Howard R. Green Company T~urer, P.E. TJM:tw O:~PROJ~801635j~)325~Ltr 05-16-01 Council.doc 1326 Energy Park Drive · St. Paul, MN 55108 · 651/644-4389 fax 651/644-9446 toll free 888/368-4389 Howard R, Green Qompany May 7, 2001 File: 801635J-0325 Ms. Michele McPherson Director of Planning. City of Elk River 13065 Orono Parkway P.O. Box 490 Elk River, MN 55330-0490 RE: HILLSIDE PARK DRIVEWAY ISSUES Dear Ms. McPherson: A couple of weeks ago, Mayor Klinzing asked me to investigate the likelihood of building a public street into Hillside Park. The street would access CSAH 12 immediately south of the entrance to Trott Brook Farms. Based on an aedal photo of the area, Mayor Klinzing thought the street would be approximately 450 feet long. This would be in lieu of the proposed relocated private driveway in the corner of the park area. The thought with the street versus the private driveway is that the street would potentially provide a flatter, safer access point for the three residential properties that would use it. Mayor Klinzing had discussed this issue with County Commissioner Engstrom and believes that the County may pay for the construction of the street, with the City ultimately taking over maintenance and operations responsibility. I met with County Engineer Dave Schwarting last Tuesday, May 1, 2001, to discuss the funding of this potential City street. Mr. Schwarting indicated that, without County Board direction, the maximum that he could participate for construction of the street, would be the odginal bid amount for the ddveway realignment through Hillside Park. Based on the bid for the CSAH 12 work, we have estimated the construction cost of the original driveway realignment at approximately $11,000. It is difficult to accurately estimate the construction cost of the potential public street alignment due to the fact that no topography was taken to determine the amount of clearing/grubbing and grading, so these items have been estimated. Based on our estimate of the area, the construction cost to construct a 450-foot public street would be approximately $85,000. However, since the County has already paid to design the original driveway layout, I believe the City would incur some overhead cost for the preliminary survey, design, and possibly field services. I have estimated those costs at 15%, for a total cost of $97,750. In addition, approximately 350 feet of ddveway construction out of the cul-de-sac would still be needed. The original realigned ddveway that was bid with the CSAH 12 project is a total length of 500 feet. Using simple proportions, of the estimated $11,000 construction cost for driveway realignment, about $3,500 would be saved with the shorter 350-foot driveway. This cost could be assumed O:V~ROJ~801635j~0325~tr 05-07-01 McPherson.doc 1326 Energy Park Drive · St. Paul, MN 55108 · 651/644-4389 fax 651/644-9446 toll free 888/368-4389 Ms. Michele McPherson May 7, 2001 Page Two to be placed toward the street construction cost. At this point in time, without County Board direction for the County Engineer to pay more, the remaining $69,500 would be a City cost. If you have any questions or would like further analysis on this issue, please call. Sincerely, Howard R. Green Company Terry J. Maurer, P.E. TJM:tw cc: Mayor and City Council Pat Klaers, City Administrator ' Green Company CONSULTING ENGINEERS River MEMORANDUM Item # 9.B.2. TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Park & Recreation Commission Michele McPherso ~irector of Planning May 9, 200 I Road in Hillside City Park REQUEST At the joint meeting with the City Council on April 30, 2001 the Mayor added a third item to the topics to be discussed with the Park and Recreation Commission: a road in Hillside City Park to provide access to the residents located east of the park. The Commission is asked evaluate this proposed access solution and provide a recommendation to the City Council. Attachments Location Map Proposed Driveway Driveway/Street Alignment Proposed Road/Street Analysis The Mayor is facilitating the request for an alternate access on behalf of the residents located east of Hillside City Park. Due to the lowering of County Road 12 during ks reconstruction, the existing driveway access will become unsafe due to an increase in slope and a lack of a perpendicular intersection with County Road 12. In 1995, the City Council agreed to sell land to the County to provide a new driveway through Hillside City Park. At the April 16~h City Council meeting, the Council agreed that only an easement would be granted to the County for the reconstructed driveway and that the right of access would be granted to the adjacent residents. The residents feel that the current slope of the driveway is unsafe, and feel that the proposed driveway would also be unsafe. The proposed driveway to be built by the County will not Memo to Park & Recreation Commission May 8, 2001 Page 2 substantially lessen the slope of the driveway, however, it will not be any worse than the existing driveway. If the County were not reconstructing the road, there would be no driveway change to discuss. In the residents' opinion, the proposed road/street would provide an opportunity for a straighter, flatter access to their homes and to County Road 12. If the City were to pursue the road option, there are two impacts to consider: Aesthetic and user impacts to the recently constructed mountain bike trails. The proposed road (400-500 feet into the park) and the private driveways to the residents would sever the trails in at least five locations (see attached map). The trails were designed specifically to avoid the pit area as staff knew that a driveway would be constructed in that area. Cost impacts to the City. In conversations with County Engineer Dave Schwarting, he indicated that the County would not pay any more for a road and the private driveway connections into the park. Their contribution to such a project would be approximately $12,000, the estimated cost of constructing the reconfigured driveway. The City would be responsible for all other costs, including the costs of the private driveway connections. Recommendation The Commission is asked to review the facts of this request, evaluate the impact on the park and make a recommendation regarding the road to the City Council. S :MSLANNING\MICIffMCM~ARKNREC\HillsideRo ad. do c 960 48*00 J 3' 233! TYPE 4t BITUMINOUS 'I~AR COURSE t 6' ktnDOT CLASS 5 AGGREGATE BASE TYPICAL DRIVEWAY SECTION DCSI(~NED BY: DRAWN BY: APPROVED ~y: dO~ NUMI~£R 801650J CAD OAT[: July 1.3. 2000 1:08:.52 CAn FILE: 801650;\CSAH 12DRIVEWAY,I..DWG 2. 1/I .I/00 2+50 2+00 1+50 1+00 O+ 50 J ~ ~.~26 ENERGY PN~K ST. PAUL, MINN£~0TA (6T2) 644-4~89 Howard R. Green Company 0 50 4.+-00 5+00 5+,,.~.00 5+00 COUNTY OF SHERBURNE COUNTY ROAD IMPROVEMENTS DRIVEWAY IMPROVEMENTS sP 7~-~2-0s STATION 6+10 ' Si= 2O4--O2O-O2 GL 906.26 C.$.A.H. NO. 12 FENCE CB 20 GL 907,93 ~0' SE ST MH 22 GL 907.93 CB 21 (~ 91~.18 ~ST MN 23 GL 91.3.18 50' ROW +75 25' O//W APRON CB 22 GL 917.4,6 MATCH CURB AND GUTTER INSTALL PED RAMPS CB 23 GL 920.87 ~\ST MH 25 GL 920.87 40' SE J +48 20' O/W APRON PROPOSED DRIVEWAY SEE SHEET 19 ~RAPHI¢ SCALE ~0 VERT. DRAWN BY: JOEl DATE:: APPROVE;D: ,, JO~ NUMBER , 801630J C~O FILE:: B01B30~CSAH12-i=~.,DWG t 1.326 ENERGY PA~( ST, PAUL, tdlNNE:SOTA StOa (812) 644-43~cJ CONSULTING [NGINEERS COUNTY OF SHERBURNE COUNTY ROAD IMPROVEMENTS STREET AND STORM SEWER CONSTRUCTION SI= 71-612-06 C.S.A.H. NO. 12 SI= 204-020-02 3I~FO0 TO 5H-00 FAEGRE & BENSON LLP 2200 WELLS FARGO CENTER, 90 SOUTH SEVENTH STREET }VIINNEAPOLIS, IVIINNESOTA 55402-3901 TELEPHONE 612-336-3000 FACSIMILF 612-336-3026 May l5,2001 THOMAS M. CROSBY, JR. TCrosby@faegre.com 612/336-3127 Mayor Stephanie Clemsing City of Elk River 13065 Orono Parkway Elk River, MN 55330 Board of Commissioners Sherbume County 13880 Highway 10 Elk River, MN 55330 Ladies and Gentlemen: We have been contacted by Thomas Forsythe, the owner of property at 10578 - 181st Avenue Northwest, Elk River, Minnesota 55330. Mr. Forsythe has given us the background information on the proposed upgrade of County Road 12 by Sherbume County. County Road 12 is the road to which Mr. Forsythe's house has access by reason of a shared driveway with three other residences. It is my understanding that the County has taken land over which the easement runs in order to widen the highway and that the County proposes to lower the elevation of the highway as a part of the construction project thereby increasing the grade of Mr. F orsythe's easement. Further, we understand that County Road 12 will be increased from a two-lane road to a four-lane road in anticipation of increased activity resulting from, among other things, increased commercial activity to the east of the site. Mr. Forsythe is concerned that the combination of lowering the elevation of the county road and the potential for substantially increased traffic will result in an unacceptable risk to him. Several factors are relevant: Mr. Forsythe has a recorded interest in the real estate by being the beneficiary of an easement for road purposes set forth in his deed to the property and described in some detail in a Driveway Easement and Maintenance Agreement filed September 25, 1989, and recorded as Document 232893. Minneapolis Denver Des Moines London Frankfurt City of Elk River Sherbume County May 15,2001 Page 2 I understand that the current City standard for a maximum grade in these circumstances grade is 10 percent. Giving effect to proposed County work, the grade will be 15 percent. Some discussion has taken place concerning new access through City park property but such discussions are apparently on hold resulting from reluctance of the City to involve park property in the matter. One such plan proposes a 15 percent grade in part of the driveway. Mr. Forsythe indicates to me that the County is unwilling to talk to him and does not believe that he has an interest in the property or in the matter. The purpose of this letter is to notify you that Mr. Forsythe believes that the City and the County are creating a very dangerous situation for him and his neighbors by reason of the county road upgrade. I have attached to this letter a memorandum dated June 12, 1996, from the Building and Zoning Administrator of the City of Elk River, in which Mr. Rohlf makes the following statement: "If the county road is lowered as proposed, the driveway will be at an intolerable 15% grade." The City apparently agrees that a dangerous situation exists. Several peripheral issues result from Mr. Forsythe's position as a party in interest to the taking and road modifications contemplated by the County and the City. I would appreciate hearing from individuals in the City and the County who could address the main safety issue discussed above as well as some of the peripheral matters. Sincerely, Thomas M. Crosby, Jr. TMC:julnl Enclosures cc: Thomas Forsythe M1:751425.01 City of lver MEMORANDUM TO: 'FROM: Park & Recreation COmmission Stephen Rohlf, Building & Zoning Administrator .DA~Eh. June 12, 199~ SUBJECT: Acquisition of a Portion of Hillside Park by Sherburne County Highway Department ""'Sherbu~ne County is proposing to upgrade County Road # 12 to County State Aid (CSA) standards in 1997. To meet these standards the hill adjacent to Hi]!side Park will need to be lowered. Just to the east of the park there is an existing driveway that is already very steep. This driveway serves three residences. If the county road is lowered, as proposed, the driveway will be at an intolerable 15% grade. The County is proposing to relocate the driveway to the east and bring its grade down to less than 10%. To do this they would need to cut through the southeast corner of Hillside Park (see attached drawing). The County is requesting to acquire the property necessary to accomplish this. For safety reasons staff and the Park and Recreation Commission are recommending approval of the County's request with the following conditions: That the City does not retain ownership of the property the driveway crosses. The County is proposing to include this property as County right-of way in a plat. That a fair price for this property and additional land the County will need to acquire to increase their R-O-W from 33 feet from centerhne to 50 feet is negotiated. Harvey Ritchner of the County Engineering Department wLll be at Wednesday night's meeting to address this issue further. Your recommendation will be passed on to the Planning Commission. s:\b&zXsteverXcord 12.doc 130650_rono,. Parkway · P.O. Box 490 - Elk River. MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425 MAY. 18. 2001 9:SBAM MN-DOT, 3A/GREAT ROOM N0.640 P.2 Minnesota Department of Transportation District 3 '[ 991 Industrial Park Road E~axter, MN 56425 May l7,2001 Tel: 218/828-2460 Fax: 218/828-2210 Toll Free: 1/800/657.3971 Plaisted Compavjes % Todd Pla:isted P.O. Box 322 Elk River, MN 55330-0322 Dear Mr. Plalsted: S.P. 7106-66 (TH 169) ~. New Interchange at County Rod 33 This letter is a follow-up to our meeting last we. ok where we preseuted a number of alignment options to extend a frontage/backage road from County Road (CR) 33 north to the Lernmon property. After meeting with all other affected property owners, it was very apparent that any of the potential alternatives would have proposed severe impacts to one or more property owners. After reviewing all the alternatives available and the potential costs to the State, it was determined that the apparent low cost alternative was to drop consideration of frontage or backage roads and eliminate access to the Art Barn parcel. We propose to move the shared entrance to the Lemmon property to the north limits of the property, providing improved sight distance, and maintain access to Plaisted Companies and AME from existing CR 33, albeit the entrance to AME will be slightly modified. Loss of access to the Art Barn parcel will be compensated for through the state's right-of-way (K/W) acquisition process. While this is a big departure from the previous discussion, it does appear to be the lowest cost alternative to the State under this project, and provide the least interference to current development, intzrnal circulation, and mining plans. We felt it was important to get this information to you as soon as possible as this will be our recommendation to the City of Elk River for municipal approval on May 21. If you have any questions, or wish to discuss this decision, please feel free to call me at (218) 828- 2482. Sincerely, Project Manager cc: Curt Eastlund - Mn/DOT Baxter Terry Maurer - City of Elk River Engineer, Howard K. G-zeen, 1326 Energy Drive, St. Paul 55108 Kevin Schmidt - Mn/DOT Baxter Dave Schwarting - Sherbume County Engineer, 13gg0 Hwy. 10, Elk River 55330 An equal opportunity employer