City Council

Blaine City Hall City of Blaine 10801 Town Sq Dr NE Blaine MN 55449 Anoka County, Minnesota Minutes City Council This meeting will be a hybrid of Zoom and in-person. The Mayor has signed a declaration allowing members of the council, staff, and the public to attend the meeting remotely via Zoom as has been done during the COVID-19 pandemic. The council chambers will have limited seating, with audience chairs being set up at least six feet apart. There will be an overflow area where the meeting can be watched in the Cloverleaf Farms Room, also with chairs set up at least six feet apart. Please note that all visitors to city hall are required to wear a face mask while inside the building. Public comments may be submitted prior to the meeting by sending an email to PublicComment@BlaineMN.gov or by calling 763-717-2782 no later than Noon on Monday February 1. Public comment will also be taken during the meeting remotely via Zoom. Members of the public can join the Zoom webinar at, https://blainemn.zoom.us/j/95650667201 Wednesday, January 20, 2021 7:30 PMto the COVID-19 pandemic, city meetings will be held as Due virtual meetings until further notice. 1. CALL TO ORDER BY THE MAYOR The meeting was called to order at 7:34PM by Mayor Sanders followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the Roll Call. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this meeting was held virtually. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ROLL CALL Quorum Present. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Michelle Wolfe; Community Development Director Erik Thorvig; City Planner Lori Johnson; Public Works Director Jon Haukaas; Police Chief/Safety Services Manager Brian Podany; Finance Director Joe Huss; Public Services Manager/Assistant City Manager Bob Therres; City Attorney Chris Nelson; City Engineer Dan Schluender; Communications Manager Ben Hayle; and City Clerk Catherine Sorensen. Present: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders City of Blaine Page 1 City Council Minutes January 20, 2021 4. AWARDS - PRESENTATIONS - ORGANIZATIONAL BUSINESS 4.-1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF ORGANIZATIONS CONDUCTING LAWFUL GAMBLING Finance Director Huss stated pursuant to Minnesota State Statute 349.213, the City is required to acknowledge the financial contributions of organizations conducting lawful gambling to the community. With regard to the statute, the City Council acknowledged the organizations of Blaine Youth Hockey, Blaine Festival, Centennial HS Football Boosters, Sgt. John Rice VFW, Spring Lake Park Lions, and Spring Lake Park Hockey Association for their contributions to the City’s Charitable Gambling program. Mr. Huss reported in total, the groups listed above contributed nearly $120,000 in charitable contributions to Blaine in 2020, helping to fund numerous charitable organizations including local food shelves, shelter services, and Blaine area high schools. Moved by Councilmember Robertson, seconded by Councilmember Jeppson, that Motion 21-14, “Acknowledgement of Financial Contributions of Organizations Conducting Lawful Gambling,” be approved. A roll call vote was taken. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 5. COMMUNICATIONS Councilmember Hovland shared that former Councilmember Bourke’s wife recently passed away and shared his condolences to the Bourke family. 4.-2 PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING BOB THERRES Attachments: Bob Therres (002).pdf Mayor Sanders read a proclamation in full for the record recognizing Public Services Manager/Assistant City Manager Bob Therres for his 20 years of dedicated service to the City of Blaine. City Manager Wolfe explained she had a Certificate of Outstanding Service that would be presented to Mr. Therres along with the proclamation then commented further on the numerous projects Mr. Therres coordinated while at the City. She wished Mr. Therres a long and healthy retirement. City of Blaine Page 2 City Council Minutes January 20, 2021 Mr. Therres stated it had been a privilege and an honor to work for the City of Blaine. 6. OPEN FORUM Mayor Sanders opened the Open Forum at 7:46PM. There being no input, Mayor Sanders closed the Open Forum at 7:47PM. 7. ADOPTION OF AGENDA The agenda was adopted as presented. 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA: Councilmember Hovland requested the removal of agenda item 8.3. Moved by Councilmember Jeppson, seconded by Councilmember Robertson, that the following be approved: A roll call vote was taken. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 8.-1 SCHEDULE OF BILLS PAID Attachments: December 2020 Payroll Checks and Wire Transfers 12/31/20 Bills Paid 12/31/20 Bills Paid - Subset 01/08/21 Bills Paid 01/08/21 Bills Paid - Subset City of Blaine Page 3 City Council Minutes January 20, 2021 Approved 8.-2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Attachments: 01-04-21 Workshop Minutes 01-04-21 Council Minutes Approved 8.-3 UPDATE TO APPOINTMENTS TO 2021 BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS LIAISONS Attachments: 2021 Council Liaison Appointments Councilmember Hovland requested staff read aloud for the record the updated list of Council appointments for the 2021 Boards and Commission liaisons. City Clerk Sorensen read the list of appointments aloud for the record. Councilmember Hovland indicated there were some people serving on Boards who had not served on in the past and requested staff provide the Council with a list of meeting dates and times for the various Boards and Commissions. Moved by Councilmember Hovland, seconded by Councilmember Paul, that Motion 21-17, “Update to Appointments to 2021 Boards and Commissions Liaisons,” be approved. A roll call vote was taken. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 9. 7:30 P.M. - PUBLIC HEARING AND ITEMS PUBLISHED FOR A CERTAIN TIME 9.-1 GRANTING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT City of Blaine Page 4 City Council Minutes January 20, 2021 AMENDMENT TO ALLOW PATIO DOORS (ENTRANCES) ON THE SIDE OF THE HOMES ON LOT 1 (BLOCK 1), LOT 4 (BLOCK 2), LOT 13 (BLOCK 1) AND LOT 15 (BLOCK 1) IN THE ARROYO VILLAS DEVELOPMENT LOCATED AT 116TH AVENUE NE & ULYSSES STREET. RANGER DEVELOPMENT LLC (CASE FILE NO. 20-0046/LSJ) Attachments: Attachments City Planner Johnson stated in June, 2019 the development known as Arroyo Villas was approved through a conditional use permit issued by the City Council. The development is 5.28 acres in size with 22 single family, detached units. The resolution of approval for this development indicates that no side patio or entrance doors are permitted on these homes. These homes are being built on relatively small lots, which is typical of other villa home developments in the City. The resolutions for this type of development in the City have similar requirements. The reason the doors and entrances have been eliminated from the side yards is because there is not much room for a patio on the side of the homes and it creates an opportunity for noise and activity in the very small space between the homes. Most of these homes have patios on the rear of the building where there is much more space. Ms. Johnson explained the developer, Ranger Development, has provided a narrative that indicates his reasoning for allowing side patio doors on four lots within the Arroyo Villas development. He is requesting that side/patio entrances be allowed on Lot 1 (Block 1), Lot 4 (Block 2), Lot 13 (Block 1), Lot 15 (Block 1). These lots are either pie shaped or corner lots with more room to accommodate a side patio than the other lots within the development. Staff is supportive of an amendment to the conditional use permit resolution for this development that allows side/patio entrances on Lot 1 (Block 1), Lot 4 (Block 2), Lot 13 (Block 1), Lot 15 (Block 1). Mayor Sanders opened the public hearing at 7:56PM. John Lemon, developer for Arroyo Villas, discussed the lot size for this development and thanked the Council for their time and consideration. There being no additional public input, Mayor Sanders closed the public hearing at 7:58PM. Moved by Councilmember Robertson, seconded by Councilmember Hovland, that Resolution No. 21-006, “Granting a Conditional Use Permit Amendment to Allow Patio Doors (Entrances) on the Side of the Homes on Lot 1 (Block 1), Lot 4 (Block 2), Lot 13 (Block 1) and Lot 15 (Block 1) in the Arroyo Villas Development located at 116th Avenue NE and Ulysses Street,” be approved. City of Blaine Page 5 City Council Minutes January 20, 2021 A roll call vote was taken. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 10. DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS None. 11. ADMINISTRATION 11.-1 AAA TRAFFIC SAFETY MINI GRANT AWARD Safety Services Manager/Police Chief Podany stated every year AAA-The Auto Club Group MN-IA (Minnesota-Iowa), provides mini grants for traffic safety initiatives. Activities that would qualify include those addressing teen drivers; older/senior drivers; distracted driving; substance-impaired driving; school-zone safety; and priorities identified under state traffic safety plans. Monies cannot be used to fund staff or speaker fees. The Blaine Police Department applied for and was awarded the AAA Traffic Safety Mini Grant for 2020-2021 in the amount of $1,600. This grant will be used to purchase new software for the JAMAR Tech RADAR system. This software enables the police department to monitor traffic volumes, speeds, direction, and time of day. The new software can analyze the data collected from the RADAR systems and determine where the police department assets can be effectively deployed. This will ensure a more efficient use of police resources to make our roadways safer for the citizens of Blaine. Moved by Councilmember Robertson, seconded by Councilmember Hovland, that Resolution No. 21-007, “AAA Traffic Safety Mini Grant Award,” be approved. A roll call vote was taken. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 11.-2 APPROVE PURCHASE OF FILTER MEDIA AND UNDERDRAIN LATERAL COMPONENTS FROM WATER SURPLUS Attachments: Quote Public Works Director Haukaas stated in July 2020, Water Treatment Plant No. 3 experienced a failure of the underdrain lateral system that allowed filter media to escape from the plant into the distribution system. The result of this failure was discoloration of the water affecting areas on the east side of the City for several weeks. In September, a similar failure occurred in two of the filters at Water City of Blaine Page 6 City Council Minutes January 20, 2021 Treatment Plant No. 2. Investigations have determined that these failure were a result of joints in the underdrain system that broke from fatigue cracking after years of flexing in the backwash cycles. A change in media type and operation in 2016-2017 also contributed to the failures. Mr. Haukaas reported with help from consultants specializing in water filter operations, staff designed an appropriate repair to the issues. This repair requires the replacement of the underdrain laterals with a stronger material and additional support. The filter media will also need to be replaced in order to complete this work. Water Treatment Plant No. 2 is currently our largest facility and only operating on two of its four filters due to the underdrain lateral failures. Staff is recommending we address repairs to this facility immediately. We will monitor WTP 1 and 3 for operation and may need to perform the replacement later this spring instead of waiting to include it in the 2022 budget. Water Surplus has provided reasonable pricing for the components per the submitted quote at a cost of $189,828.20. They are also able to provide the rental of a media installation machine and technical assistance with the project at a cost of $7,950.00. The total estimated cost for this work is $197,778.20. Councilmember Robertson explained she supported the City spending money when it came to providing residents with high quality, clean water. Moved by Councilmember Hovland, seconded by Councilmember Smith, that Motion 21-18, “Approve Purchase of Filter Media and Underdrain Lateral Components from Water Surplus,” be approved. A roll call vote was taken. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 11.-3 APPROVE CONTRACT WITH BARR ENGINEERING FOR DETAIL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT OF WELL 16 AND BOOSTER STATION IMPROVEMENTS Attachments: Proposal Letter Mr. Haukaas stated Barr Engineering has been awarded the contract to design improvements for city wellhouses and associated water system components as part of an RFP solicitation process in 2018. The work is being completed through a series of phases in order to conduct the improvements and investigations while maintaining service to Blaine customers. The City awarded through MO 19-73 a contract to Barr Engineering on March 21, 2019 to evaluate the Booster Station City of Blaine Page 7 City Council Minutes January 20, 2021 and determine the current and future need for the booster station as well as options for rehabilitation. The work included considering the need for the pumps under current conditions, conditions after the WTP4 is online, and 2040 projected conditions. Additionally, the piping, motors, pumps, and all controls were evaluated for condition, size, and rehabilitation needs. The deliverables included alternatives with cost estimates to best decide how to bring the station back to providing the service necessary for the Blaine water system. This contract is a result of that earlier work. Moved by Councilmember Hovland, seconded by Councilmember Jeppson, that Resolution No. 21-008, “Approve Contract with Barr Engineering for Detail Design and Construction Support of Well 16 and Booster Station Improvements,” be approved. A roll call vote was taken. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 12. OTHER BUSINESS Councilmember Hovland asked for an update on the SCADA system updates. Mr. Haukaas provided the Council with an update on the improvements that have been made to the City’s SCADA system. Councilmember Jeppson thanked the members of the Blaine Police Department for their service during the inauguration in Washington DC. Safety Services Manager/Police Chief Podany discussed the WCCO/ Channel 4 feature that highlighted the Blaine Police staff members who served at the inauguration in Washington DC. Ms. Wolfe discussed the upcoming Council retreat that would be held January 22 and 23, 2021. Mr. Haukaas commented on the progress being made on Water Treatment Plant No. 4. 13. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Councilmember Jeppson, seconded by Councilmember Robertson, to adjourn the meeting at 8:17PM. A roll call vote was taken. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders City of Blaine Page 8