City Council

REGULAR ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING – OCTOBER 21, 2014 MINUTES The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Mike Gamache, October 21, 2014, 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Mike Knight, Sheri Bukkila, Julie Trude and Tony Howard Councilmember absent: None Also present: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson Director of Public Works/City Engineer, David Berkowitz City Attorney, Scott Baumgartner Others PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE RESIDENT FORUM No one wished to address the Council. AGENDA APPROVAL No changes Motion by Trude, Seconded by Knight, to approve the Agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES October 7, 2014, Regular Meeting: Correct as written. Motion by Trude, Seconded by Bukkila, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. October 7, 2014, Closed Session Meeting: Correct as written. Motion by Howard, Seconded by Knight, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2014 Page 2 CONSENT ITEMS Item 2 Approve Payment of Claims Item 3 Approve Tournament (Multi-Day & Jamboree) Application Form for Hockey & Broomball Item 4 Approve Health Insurance Renewal and Employer Contribution Item 5 Approve Resolutions/Declare Hazardous Buildings/2310 139th Avenue NW/16220 Tulip Street NW/14329 Vintage Street NW (See Resolutions R081- 14, R082-14, & R082-14) Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Howard, approval of the Consent Agenda as read. Motion carried unanimously. ANOKA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT Sergeant Andrew Lindberg presented the September 2014 Anoka County Sheriff’s Office Monthly Report. Councilmember Bukkila stated she received an email regarding hunting regulations and the concern was the resident heard gunshots in the neighborhood and that they did not have the ability to hunt within that area. She wondered what kind of information the Sheriff’s Department would want from people who call 911. Sergeant Lindberg stated what helps them out the best is to have people direct the deputies to where they heard the shots from otherwise it is hard for them to find the offender. HOLD PUBLIC HEARING/ADOPT ASSESSMENT ROLL/14-2/2014 STREET RECONSTRUCTION Mr. Berkowitz explained the City Council is requested to hold a public hearing and approve the resolution adopting the assessment roll for Project 14-2 (Makah Street NW) 2014 Street Reconstruction. Mr. Berkowitz reviewed the staff report with the Council. Motion by Knight, Seconded by Bukkila, to open the public hearing at 7:18 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. There were no comments. Motion by Trude, Seconded by Howard, to close the public hearing at 7:19 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2014 Page 3 Motion by Trude, Seconded by Knight, to approve Resolution R084-14, adopting the assessment roll for project 14-2 (Makah Street NW)/2014 Street Reconstruction. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gamache thought the road looked great. Councilmember Howard wondered how much land they owned on 159th Avenue. Mr. Berkowitz indicated the City owned a large parcel at the 159th Avenue and 7th Avenue intersection and they used the parcel to stockpile their material. Councilmember Howard wondered if this was park dedication land. Mr. Dickinson indicated the parcel is likely an outlot. Councilmember Howard wondered how the property was acquired. Mr. Dickinson stated he was not sure and has not researched the history of the parcel. A resident indicated it was a tax forfeit parcel. Councilmember Trude stated they should sell it back to the neighbors. Mr. Dickinson stated if this is truly a tax forfeit parcel, staff would have to go back and check if this was accepted as public purpose property. If it was, they would have to go through a process to release it. Mayor Gamache thought they should look into this. Mr. Dickinson noted they would have to get a release, but he would do some research on it. HOLD PUBLIC HEARING/ADOPT 2015-2019 CITY OF ANDOVER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Mr. Dickinson stated the City Council is requested to hold a Public Hearing to give the public the opportunity to comment on the proposed 2015-219 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Mr. Dickinson reviewed the staff report with the Council. Mayor Gamache asked what the storm water increase percent will be. Mr. Dickinson indicated it would be five percent. Councilmember Bukkila asked what the full reconstruct price will be for street overlays. Mr. Berkowitz indicated page 87 covers the overlay in 2015. Every three to five years they are going to start looking at doing overlay projects to try to prolong the life of their infrastructure in order to try to keep up with maintenance of roads. Councilmember Bukkila wondered if these street overlays could be outlined like they do with the road reconstructions. Mr. Berkowitz stated the challenge with that is they do not know at this point which roads will have an overlay. They typically know a year in advance, but the roads can change significantly. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2014 Page 4 Councilmember Bukkila asked if they could get the five year road reconstruction plans in the next newsletter for the residents so they can see if their road will be done. Mr. Berkowitz stated the way the policy is written is the City is committed to the next two years in the plan for road reconstruction and anything outside of the next two years could move further out so there is not an exact road reconstruct plan. Councilmember Howard stated on page 11, Park and Recreation Projects, there was some discussion on Kelsey Round Lake and putting some dollars into the Pine Hills North project and he is not sure where that ended up. Mr. Dickinson stated there was discussion at the workshop and that still remains as a recommendation from the Park and Recreation Commission but the Council can change that. Councilmember Bukkila reviewed the discussion from the Council Workshop. Councilmember Trude stated the Council asked the Park Commission to possibly delay the Kelsey Round Lake study to have more funds to focus on this project. Mr. Dickinson stated it was still a priority of the Commission. Councilmember Trude thought they needed to get some information from the DNR, Watershed and Board of Soil and Water about the lake because she was not sure what the purpose of the Master Plan was. She also thought the Council needed to meet with the Park Commission to discuss this further before she would feel comfortable spending the money. Mayor Gamache stated he was also not sure where the Park Commission was going in regard to Kelsey Round Lake as a park and what they actually want to look at and spend $50,000 on. He stated he has a big concern with a trail by the lake because in many cases there are homes that would prohibit it and there are already plenty of trails that go along and through the wetlands. He would not want the trails to impede on private property. Mr. Dickinson stated staff would request the scope of the study be approved by the City Council. Mayor Gamache stated when they do trails along a creek or lake and there is a new development going in they ask the developer to create some type of trail along there but with established developments the City has not taken land from the homeowner to provide access or a trail for the public and he hoped in the future this would not change. Councilmember Trude agreed and was ok with leaving this in as a discussion point. Councilmember Trude wondered if the Pine Hills North plans were meshing between the Park Commission and Council. She wondered if they were going to get some split rail fence to protect the fields. Mr. Dickinson stated priority one was to get some fencing to protect the fields. Councilmember Trude stated there was previous discussion on some expensive trails that were in the CIP and she asked to discuss some of the trails further before adopting the CIP. Mr. Dickinson reviewed trail segments in the CIP with the Council. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2014 Page 5 Councilmember Trude stated she would like to move the Coon Creek to South Coon Creek Drive trail project ahead of the Andover Boulevard trail because the school walk zones have changed since they reviewed the ordering. She thought this was a walk zone for the high school and maybe even the middle school. She would like to see that moved up to 2016 then reevaluate the other projects. Councilmember Bukkila recommended staff work with the School District to find out what the walk zone is and what has changed. Councilmember Trude indicated she would like to move the Crosstown Boulevard trail for $118,000 to the top of the list because this was discussed at a workshop that staff sees as benefiting a lot of the youth. Mr. Dickinson stated this is identified as being done in 2017 and they are not looking at any projects being done in 2015 so it could be moved to 2016 or discussed and reviewed next year. Councilmember Bukkila thought this should go to a workshop and evaluate it further. Councilmember Howard agreed. Councilmember Trude stated she would like to have this reordered before the Council members change in 2015. Mr. Dickinson recommended the Council adopt the plan as is and then amend the plan later because this positions them to go into the next cycle. Mayor Gamache stated in looking at the trail on Crosstown Boulevard and South Coon Creek Drive he would not have a problem discussing it further. Motion by Trude, Seconded by Howard, to move the 2017 $118,000 Crosstown Boulevard trail up to 2016 and move the Andover Boulevard trail down to 2017. Mayor Gamache stated he was voting against this because he would leave this up to the 2015 Council to decide where they want items to be placed. Motion carried 4-1 (Gamache). Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Knight, to open the public hearing at 8:10 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Ms. Deb Isaacson, 15823 Norway Street NW, stated she was at a previous Council meeting sharing the Millers Woods development’s desire for paths and trails from their neighborhood to connect to other trails. She stated one concern of hers was that there was no funding for new trails and she wondered with lot sales decreasing what happens with the potential for new trails. She stated her development paid trail fees but it was her understanding that her development will potentially never see trails in their area. She understood the need for trails elsewhere in the City and that others have come before the Council with their requests before their development but the determination on where trails go should not be first come first served. She stated there needs to be an analysis done on where the need and safety concerns are at along with costs versus reward. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2014 Page 6 Ms. Isaacson agreed that the Crosstown Boulevard trail next to Coon Creek should be a priority. The plan for Crosstown Boulevard trail to Bunker Lake Boulevard is an issue for her. If looking at need, some of the trails in Andover have a trail on one side and some have one on both sides, some have sidewalks and others have standard width shoulders on both sides and paths and they have no safe means for their children to travel. She thought they had to represent all of the Andover residents as a whole. She stated most development has alternatives to get around the City but their development does not. She asked the City to look at the trails for safety, cost versus reward. Ms. Isaacson stated she wanted to make sure the Council is doing their due diligence and to make it fair for all residents in the City. Ms. Isaacson wondered what happens in the future if there is no funding. Mr. Dickinson stated Council is challenging staff and themselves to see if additional funding can be secured such as when a road is reconstructed they can use other funding sources, especially if it is a State Aid funded road. As funds become available they may be able to allocate funds to this area. Mayor Gamache stated if they see more growth the amounts will go up. Mr. Dickinson stated they are seeing increased housing and have conservative estimates on the amount of per unit fees that will be added to the trail fund. Ms. Isaacson stated her frustration lies in being a resident for five years and having the trail fee deposited with the City and having the potential of no budget for a trail and having to wait five to fifteen years out. They will not need the trail in fifteen years and trails are for young families and services young children and families. If there is no money, she wants to know where it is going to come from and if there is money to be diligent in their analysis of where the money goes. Mr. Berkowitz stated one thing that is important to understand when it comes to trails is the jurisdiction of the road such as Hanson Boulevard and he hoped the County receives some federal funds to expand that road up to City Hall to a four lane roadway and if they do receive the funding, part of their application is to put trails on both sides of the road. Mr. Berkowitz reviewed some of the roads that were reconstructed in the City and paid for with federal funding. Mayor Gamache stated in the past the City has attempted to connect areas in the City that have gaps for pedestrian travel. Now when the County gets federal funds and a new trails is constructed along the new road, trails will be on each side of the road. They are trying to fix some of the gaps that have occurred over the years. They are trying to get trails to parks and also to try to fill the gaps in, which has been a priority for them. He understood the desire and need for a trail on Crosstown Boulevard, but the concern he has is with the road going up to the railroad tracks because that is treacherous. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2014 Page 7 Ms. Isaacson indicated their development would like to at least get a trail connection to Prairie Road so they could get to other places besides their circle. Motion by Trude, Seconded by Bukkila, to close the public hearing at 8:35 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Councilmember Trude thought Ms. Isaacson has brought up some good points for the Council and staff to think about. She thought there may be other ways to get residents from one point to another in the City such as curbing the edge of the road with a sidewalk or trail that is closer to the road. She stated they need to prioritize the residents of this development above some of the ones they have because they were not thinking about their isolation or contribution. She would support that but did not know if she had support from three other people to shuffle anymore but she thought it merits further investigation on how to get this neighborhood somewhere safer. Even if they could pave some shoulder. Ms. Isaacson wondered if the City could make a bike path along the road. Mr. Berkowitz reviewed the requirements of making a bike path along a road. Motion by Howard, Seconded by Bukkila, to approve resolution R085-14, adopting the 2015 – 2019 CIP. Motion carried unanimously. ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT City Staff updated the Council on the administration and city department activities, legislative updates, updates on development/CIP projects, and meeting reminders/community events. MAYOR/COUNCIL INPUT (Family Promise Fundraiser) Mayor Gamache stated he attended the Family Promise fundraiser event. This fundraiser was formed in 2010 in Anoka County. It brings together the churches in Anoka County to house homeless people and provides a program to help people find jobs and get back on their feet. He noted people can remain in the program for ninety days. He stated this is a good program and would like to consider making a contribution to the program. Councilmember Trude asked how they work out transportation for families. Mayor Gamache indicated they use the traveler and some churches use their own equipment. (Coon Rapids Rotary Club Event) Mayor Gamache stated he attended the Coon Rapids Rotary Club meeting and they are having a wine tasting and auction at the Harvest Grill, Thursday October 23, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2014 Page 8 (Quinn Street Sidewalk) Councilmember Trude thought the sidewalk on Quinn Street was working very well. She thought as new development occurs staff should look at having the developer put in a segment of sidewalk at the entrance of the development. (First Youth Event) Councilmember Trude indicated Youth First had a successful Taste of Community event. Mr. Dickinson stated the event was successful and the funds raised were thirty to forty percent more than they had in the past. (Comcast Changes) Councilmember Trude stated Comcast is going through a merger with Time Warner and it will impact everyone who has Comcast. It will impact emails and other things. There is a new company being formed called Greatland Communications and within two years if approved everyone will have to navigate to different emails and the equipment will be different along with pricing. The QCTV Board will be having a workshop meeting with the people who will be placeholders for Comcast as they get their merger approved. (Halloween Reminder) Councilmember Bukkila reminded people of the upcoming Halloween event and to be careful and watch for pedestrians. RECESS Mayor Gamache recessed the regular City Council meeting at 9:00 p.m. to a closed session of the City Council to discuss Property Negotiations PID 11-32-24-0001 & 11-32-24-31-0001. RECONVENE The City Council reconvened at 9:20 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Howard, Seconded by Bukkila, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sue Osbeck, Recording Secretary REGULAR ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES – OCTOBER 21, 2014 Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2014 Page 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE..........................................................................................................1 RESIDENT FORUM.......................................................................................................................1 AGENDA APPROVAL.................................................................................................................. 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES........................................................................................................... 1 CONSENT ITEMS..........................................................................................................................2 Approve Payment of Claims........................................................................................................2 Approve Tournament (Multi-Day & Jamboree) Application Form for Hockey & Broomball... 2 Approve Health Insurance Renewal and Employer Contribution............................................... 2 Approve Resolutions/Declare Hazardous Buildings/2310 139th Avenue NW/16220 Tulip Street NW/14329 Vintage Street NW (See Resolutions R081-14, R082-14, & R083-14). 2 ANOKA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT................................... 2 HOLD PUBLIC HEARING/ADOPT ASSESSMENT ROLL/14-2/2014 STREET RECONSTRUCTION (See Resolution R084-14)...................................................................... 2 HOLD PUBLIC HEARING/ADOPT 2015-2019 CITY OF ANDOVER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (See Resolution R085-14)................................................................. 3 ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT.................................................................................................... 7 MAYOR/COUNCIL INPUT...........................................................................................................7 Family Promise Fundraiser..........................................................................................................7 Coon Rapids Rotary Club Event..................................................................................................7 Quinn Street Sidewalk................................................................................................................. 8 First Youth Event.........................................................................................................................8 Comcast Changes.........................................................................................................................8 Halloween Reminder................................................................................................................... 8 RECESS Closed Session Property Negotiations PID 11-32-24-24-0001 & 11-32-24-31-0001.....8 RECONVENE................................................................................................................................. 8 ADJOURNMENT........................................................................................................................... 8