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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-24-06 Council PacketCITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2006 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA 7:00 P.M. 7:00 p.m. I. Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance/Approval of Agenda _ Estimated times 7:05 p.m. II. Department/Council Liaison Reports A. Planning Commission B. Parks Commission C. Cable Commission D. Water Management Organizations E. Other Liaison/Staff reports 7:10 p.m. III. Visitors/Public Comment Recycling Award (1) This is an opportunity for the public to address the Council with questions or concerns on issues not part of the regular agenda. (Please limit comments to 3 minutes in length.) 7:10 p.m. IV. Consent Agenda (Roll Call Vote) A. Approve Bills & Investments B. Approval of City Council Minutes — February 14, 2006 (2) C. Approve Deposit of Grant Funding into Police Department Forfeiture Account (3) 7:15 p.m. V. Public Hearings None 7:15 p.m. VI. New Business A. City of Lake Elmo's Reopening of 55t" Street and Improving Manning Avenue(4) B. Review Correspondence to MnDOT (5) 8:00 P.M. VII. Old Business None 8.00 p.m. VIII. Adjournment a NU IHE Oak Park Heights Request for Council Action Meeting Date: February 28 2006 Agenda Item Title: Recycling Award Time: 0 rnin. Agenda Placement Visitors/Public Comment Originating Department/Requestor —Administration/Julie Johnson Requester's Signature Action Requested Receive intormation Background/Justification (Please indicate if any previous action has been taken or if other public bodies have advised) 14168 Oak Park Boulevard No. • P.O. Box 2007 • Oak Park Heights,.MN 55082.2007 • Phone: 6511439-4439 • Fax: 6511439-0574 February 24, 2006 Theodora Graber 5730 Penrose Avenue North . Oak Park Heights, Minnesota 55082 Dear Ms. Graber: Thank you for participating in the City's recycling program. As an incentive to recycle and to increase fire prevention awareness, the City rewards two residents each month with their choice of an award of $25.00 or a fire extinguisher and/or smoke detector(s). Your residence was checked on Thursday, February 23, 2006 to determine if you had your recycling bin out with your regular garbage. Your recycling was out and ready for pick-up; therefore, you are one of this moixth's Winners. Please contact me at 439-4439 at your convenience to arrange for delivery of the reward of your choice. On behalf of the Oak Park Heights City Council, thank you for participating in the City's recycling. program. Sincerely, I ie R. 7ohnsa Administrative Secretary/Deputy Clerk Tree City U. S.A. Oak Park Heights Request for Council Action Meeting Date February 28 2006 Agenda Item Title: Approve City Council Meeting Minutes — February 14, 2006 Time: 0 min. Agenda Placement Consent Originating Department/Requestor Administration/Julie Johnson Requester's Signature Action Requested Approve Background/Justification (Please indicate if any previous action has been taken or if other public bodies have advised) 5 CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS 5:00 P.M. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2006 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES 1. Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance/Approval of Agenda: The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Mayor Beaudet. Present: Councilmembers Abrahamson, Doerr, McComber and Swenson. Staff present: Administrator Johnson, Police Chief Swanson, City Attorney Domagala and City Engineer Postler. Absent: None. Councilmember McComber, seconded by Councilmember Doerr, moved to approve the Agenda as presented. Carried 5 — 0. II. Department/CouncilLiaison Reports: A. Planning Commission: Councilmember Doerr reported that the Planning Commission has not forwarded any items for Council review but will have applications to consider at the next Planning Commission meeting. The Planning Commission has also scheduled a worksession to hold a discussion with businesses concerning the sign ordinance. B. Parks Commission: Councilmember Abrahamson reported that the Parks Commission will meet on February 27, 2006 at 6:30 p.m. and may hold a worksession before or after the meeting. C. Cable Commission: Councilmember Doerr reported that the Cable Commission will meet on February 15t" at 7:00 p.m. beginning with the annual meeting followed by a regular meeting. D. Water Management Organizations/Middle St, Croix: Mayor Beaudet reported that the Middle St. Croix will hold its next meeting on March 30, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. The April meeting will be cancelled and a worksession will be held to discuss rules under the new plan. All participating communities have signed off on the new joint plan and it is anticipated that BWSR will consider approval of the plan at its March meeting. E. Other Liaison/Staff Reports: None. III. Visitors/Public Comment: Recycling Award. Administrative Secretary Johnson reported that Robert Wolff of 14581 Upper 56`" Street North was chosen to receive the recycling award. City Council Meeting Minutes February 14, 2006 Page 2 of 4 IV, Consent Agenda: A. Approve Bills & Investments B. Approve City Council Minutes — January 24, 2006 C. Approve 2006 Clean-up Dates D. Adopt Resolution Granting the Application of the American Cancer Society to Conduct a One Day Raffle at the Stillwater Area High School on August 5, 2006 E. Adopt Resolution Granting the Application of Ducks Unlimited to Conduct a One -Day Raffle at the VFW Club on May 4, 2006 F. Approve Resolution for Abatement of Special Assessment G. Authorize Squad Car Purchase H. Set Date and Time for Board of Appeal and Equalization Councilmember McComber, seconded by Councilmember Abrahamson, moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Roll call vote taken. Carried 5 — 0. V. Public Hearings: Proposed Acquisition of Real Estate Interest Owned by the City of Oak Park Heights as Requested by CSM, Inc. Mayor Beaudet opened the Public Hearing to consider a request from CSM to acquire two easements owned by the city to allow for development of the property previously approved for a Lowes store. City Administrator Johnson reviewed the appraisals secured by the City and CSM, noting that staff recommended the City use the appraisal prepared by Mr. Kirchner on behalf of the City to determine the value of the easements. Shawn Butts (SP?), a financial analyst for CSM, explained CSM's position that Mr. Kirchner's value was based on unencumbered land. Scott Tubman of CSM stated that $7 per square foot is a fair value of the land if it was unencumbered. By paying $7 per square foot to acquire the land and an additional $7 per square foot to acquire the easement it doubles the cost to $14 per square foot which is much more than the land is worth. Councilmember Swenson, seconded by Councilmember McComber, moved to close the public hearing. Carried 5 — 0. VI. New Business: A. Disposal of City.Owned..Property. Requested by CSM Inc. I City Council Meeting Minutes February 14, 2006 Page 3 of 4 City Attomey Domagala advised the Council that the City hired an appraiser to value the easement and the City should use that value if the Council feels the appraisal was done properly. Councilmember Swenson, seconded by Councilmember McComber, moved to accept the Kirchner appraisal of December 1, 2005 with a value of $248,000. Carried 5 — 0. Councilmember Swenson, seconded by Councilmember McComber, moved to approve a Resolution authorizing a transfer for the property described in the Kirchner appraisal, subject to a Developer's Agreement, final review and approval of the City Attorney and final approval of the patties. Carried 5 — 0. B. Copier Replacement City Administrator Johnson explained that staff has explored options for upgrading the copy machine to a machine that could scan, store and email documents. Administrator Johnson noted staff time that could be saved by emailing documents to the Council rather than delivering them every week. Lease and purchase terms were also discussed. Councilmember McComber, seconded by Councilmember Swenson, moved to approve up to $16,000 for a new copy machine from the Budgeted Projects Fund as recommended by the Finance Director. Carried 5 0. VII. Old Business. A. St. Croix River Crossing — Section 106 Amended MOA Councilmember McComber reported that she has forwarded MOA additions to the Council and asked for comments on the document. City Attorney Domagala stated that her office would collect comments and draft a letter including all comments and concerns to be forwarded to MnDOT. Attorney Domagala asked that comments be submitted to her office by noon on Thursday. Councilmember Doerr, seconded by Mayor Beaudet, moved to direct the City Administrator to send a letter to MnDOT asking if the alignment for the bridge has changed and noting that MnDOT refers to the bridge as being located in Stillwater. Carried 5 — 0. City Council Meeting Minutes February 14, 2006 Page 4 of 4 Mayor Beaudet, seconded by Councilmember MCComber, moved to direct staff to draft responses to the various MOU documents as needed. Carried 5-0. B. Novak Avenue N. & Norwich Avenue N. Plans & Specifications City Engineer Postler reviewed the plans for street and utility improvements for Novak Avenue and Norwich Avenue necessitated by development in the area, noting that all costs will be paid by the developers. Discussion was held concerning street light, trail and sidewalk locations. Engineer Postler noted that the plans include conduit along the entire street to allow for future expansion of street lighting. The current plans call .for one light at each end of the street to light the intersections. Mayor Beaudet suggested including an addendum in the bid package for the installation of a streetlight where Norwich meets the frontage road if the developer and Applebee's would agree to split the cost. Mayor Beaudet also suggested another addendum for a streetlight at the intersection of 58`x' Street and Norwich Avenue so the cost would be identified and VSSA could determine whether or not they would be interested in paying for the installation of that light. Mayor Beaudet, seconded by Councilmember Doerr, moved to approve the plans and specifications with the addition of two addenda for optional street lights as discussed. Carried 5 — 0. VIII. Adiournmeut. Councilmember McComber, seconded by Mayor Beaudet, moved to adjourn at 5:53 p.m. Carried 5 — 0. Respectfully submitted, Julie Johnson Administrative Secretary Approved as to Content and Form, David Beaudet Mayor 10 Oak Park Heights Request for Council Action Meeting Date February 28 2006 Agenda Item Title City of Lake Elmo's Reopening of 55`x' Street and h proving Manning Avenue Time Required 10 Agenda Placement New Business Originating Depar ment/Requestor Mayor David Beaud Requester's SignatureC�r.�ic�a� Action Requested Direct Staff to prgpare a letter for the City Council to Arove and send to the City of Lake Elmo with City of Oak Park Heights' concerns on the reopening of this street Background/Justification (Please indicate any previous action, financial implications including budget information and recommendations). m« w - � rF : : .. .2 _ y' a � February 24, 2006 Mr. Adam Josephson, P.E. Minnesota DOT - Waters Edge Bldg. 1500 West County Road B-2 Roseville, MN 55113 RE: DRAFT Visual Quality Manual Dear Mr. Josephson, l.enleft #1 Thank you for providing the City an opportunity to review the DRAFT Visual Quality Manual. Below you will find our preliminary commentary. The City does reserve its rights for further review and commentary on these and other documents. 1) Generally, the City does not find the current aesthetic design of the proposed Beach Road Bridge to be acceptable. Please revise the design to a more natural and organic appearance. However, please note that the City has not approved a final layout for a new Beach Road crossing. 2) The City was unable to locate any language in the document that discusses maintenance responsibility for any of the proposed improvements such as planters, gardens, sidewalks, trails, etc. To date the City has not agreed to maintain these or any other facility. 3) 1t is the City's understanding that there shall be a "pumphouse" located in this project to provide the new bridge deck with a de-icing system. The City has not been provided any information regarding this item and will require full planning and engineering review at MnDOT expense. flow will utilities be provided to this facility? 4) On page 2-1, second paragraph, right-hand column, please remove the last sentence in that paragraph that begins, "The name Oak Park Heights implies..." 5) Page 3-1 discusses the proposed STH 36195 area in terms of its relationship to Stillwater and Bayport, but fails to mention that this interchange is in fact in the City of Oak Park Heights. Please revise this page to properly frame the location of the new facilities to be in the City of Oak Park Heights. 6) Page 3-6 discusses that STH 95 will serve as a "gateway" to the cities of Bayport and Stillwater. Please also add that STH 95 also is a gateway to the City of Oak Park Heights. Overall the VQM that the City has received as a draft document is incomplete with several sections, maps or drawings missing. Accordingly it is premature for the City to comment on the viability of the entire document until opportunity has been provided to review the material in its entirety. Please let me know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Eric Johnson City Administrator February 22, 2006 d Adam Josephson, P.E. Minnesota DOT - Waters Edge Bldg. 1500 West County Road B-2 Roseville, MN 55113 RE: Staff Approved layout — Level I Geometric — Dated Jan 9'h, 2006 As attached. Dear Mr. Josephson, On February 150', 2006 you had delivered to the City a set of plans defined as a "Staff Approved layout" for the St. Croix River Crossing Project and contained the cover memo as attached hereto. You further indicated that it was not the intent of MNDOT to initiate any municipal consent process with the delivery of this document nor was there any particular action necessary on the part of the City to respond or comment on the document. Accordingly, the City thanks you for the information and acknowledges the receipt of such materials, but per your comments, shall not undertake any particular review at this time. As you know we have been working toward the following approvals, but to date the City has not approved a project layout or alternative, provided its municipal consent nor has there been a Memorandum of Understanding executed between the City and MNDOT. We also notice that the "Scheduled Letting Date" is for 2024. Considering this timeline, it remains imperative that MNDOT address the critical needs of the frontage roads and their continued deterioration, as the current conditions are deplorable. Please advise us as to MnDOT's plan to address, maintain or improve these frontage roads in the immediate future. Lastly, the letter indicates four key purposes for the Project; three of the four directly relate to Downtown Stillwater and/or the lift bridge, while the last item discusses the Project's importance as an "interregional corridor". It is therefore valid that the City questions MNDOT policy on requiring that the City fund various elements,(utilities) as the purposes for the Project, as stated by MNDOT, are not in Oak Park Heights nor are these directly serving the Oak Park Heights residents any more so than other regional end- users. Accordingly, the City anticipates and hopes that MNDOT will reflect on these stated positions and correctly agree to appropriate terms as would be contained in an MOU. Please let me know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Eric Johnson City Administrator �yryNLSp { o y b o A 3 r 46 "'VV' Minnesota Department of Transportation Memo Metropolitan District - Design Mail Stop 050, Waters Edge Building 1500 West County Road B2 Roseville, MN 55113 January 9, 2006 To: Addressees From: Alana Getty, Preliminary Design Project Manager Monty Hamri, Final Design Project Manager Todd Clarkowski, East Area Engineer Ken Holte, SRF Consulting Office Tel: 651-582-1606 Fax: 651-582-1308 Subject: Mn/DOT Staff Approved Distribution of Level 1 Geometric Layout for S.P. 8214-114 and S.P. 8217-12 T.H. 36, St. Croix River Crossing Project - Preferred Alternative Layout No. 2A Part A and Layout No. 3 Parts B and C Cities of Stillwater and Oak Park Heights, Washington County, Minnesota and the Town of St. Joseph, St Croix County, Wisconsin Scheduled Letting Date: 2024 (currently unfunded) Attached is a file copy of Mn/DOT Staff approved Level 1 Geometric Layout for the St. Croix River Crossing Preferred Alternative. Part A = TH 36 west of Osgood Ave in Minnesota Part B W TH 36/95 east of Osgood Ave in Minnesota Part C = STH 35/64 in Wisconsin) The project area extends along TH 36 from the TH 36/TH 5 interchange in Stillwater and Oak Park Heights, Minnesota to 150th Avenue on STH 36/64 in the Town of St. Joseph, Wisconsin. The preferred alternative package includes: (1) river crossing location alternative B-1, (2) extradosed new bridge type, (3) future use of the Lift Bridge as a ped1bike facility and (4) appropriate mitigation items. With continued input from multiple stakeholders, representing various social, economic, cultural and natural environment interests, this project proposes to provide the following: • Improved traffic operations to relieve existing and future congestion in downtown Stillwater and on approach roadways to the Lift Bridge by increasing roadway capacity; • Address concerns related to interrupted service provided by the Lift Bridge due to daily operations, seasonal flooding, and repairs as well as maintenance, operations, and repair costs; 1q 0 • Improved safety of the approach roadways and pedestrian safety in downtown Stillwater; and • Improved operations on a corridor that has been identified as an interregional corridor connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin. A new four -lane bridge will cross the river at a point in Minnesota 7,480 feet south of the Lift Bridge. The B-1 alignment uses a south ravine alignment meeting the Wisconsin bluff 5,465 feet south of the Lift Bridge (the B-1 alignment is 1,000 feet south of the 1995 project, B alignment). Additional information is available on the project website: htt www.dot.state.mn.us metroprojects/ stcroix index.html This layout is being used to complete the Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (S F E I S). The anticipated release date of the (S F E I S) is March 2006. a N