City Council Workshop

Blaine City Hall City of Blaine 10801 Town Sq Dr NE Blaine MN 55449 Anoka County, Minnesota Minutes City Council Workshop Thursday, November 1, 2018 7:20 PM Cloverleaf Farm Room A NOTICE OF WORKSHOP MEETING 1 Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Mayor Ryan at 7:10 p.m. 2 Roll Call Quorum Present. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Clark Arneson; 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 Patrick Sweeney; City Engineer Dan Schluender; Senior Engineering Technician Al Thorp; Communications Technician Roark Haver; and City Clerk Catherine Sorensen. Present: 7 - Councilmember Hovland, Councilmember Clark, Councilmember King, Councilmember Garvais, Councilmember Jeppson, Mayor Ryan, and Councilmember Swanson 3 New Business 3-2 2019 PROPOSED CAPITAL FUND BUDGET Attachments: 2019 Cap Fund Bud Recommendation 11-08 Finance Director Huss stated a first draft of the Proposed 2019 Capital Budget was distributed to the Council for review and consideration. Capital requests have been submitted and Finance is compiling these requests and integrating them into the five-year Capital Budget Plan. Staff reviewed the Capital Budget and requests with the Council in detail noting several funding alternatives. It was noted the final Capital Budget would come before the Council on December 6th for final approval. Councilmember Jeppson asked why the fire garage shower was not a joint expense for the SBM Fire Department. Mr. Huss explained the fire garage in Blaine was owned solely by the City of Blaine and was used by local daytime fire responders. Council consensus was to direct staff to bring the final budget back for consideration on December 6th. City of Blaine Page 1 City Council Workshop Minutes November 1, 2018 3-1 DISCUSSION ON CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE FOR SENIOR CENTER Attachments: 292 Memo Public Services Manager/Assistant City Manager Therres stated at a previous workshop meeting, the City Council approved of the site location for the new Senior Center. At the same meeting the Blaine Festival asked the Council to not start construction until after the Blaine Festival (it is their 50th Anniversary), which would make the start date after the July 4th holiday. The Council asked our architect, 292 Design, to see what cost and construction issues the City would encounter based on starting in July vs. March/April of 2019. Staff reviewed a letter from Pam Anderson, 292 Design that recommends an April construction start for several reasons including a 3%-5% increase in bid prices. The letter also indicates that closing up the project for the week of the Blaine Festival will not be an issue. The City is using the Capital Improvement Fund (CIF) to finance this improvement and has set a maximum budget of $5.4 million. The early construction cost estimates, which does not include soft costs or any parking lot and site improvements is approximately $3.8 million. Mayor Ryan asked when the project would be bid. Mr. Therres explained the project would be bid sometime this winter. Councilmember Garvais stated he was in favor of starting the project in April, so long as equipment can be moved off site during the Blaine Festival. Councilmember Swanson supported the contractor beginning the work in April as well. Councilmember Jeppson commented she did not support the project beginning in April as she feared how construction would impact the Blaine Festival. She believed these actions would reflect poorly on the City considering all of the time and effort volunteers have already put in to planning the City’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. She recommended the bid cycle still be held in January/February to ensure a high-quality contractor was secured, but supported the construction work beginning after the Blaine Festival. Mayor Ryan explained that a July start date would have the senior center moving out of their current space in the middle of winter. He indicated he supported the April start date. Councilmember Garvais stated it was very important to him to find the right contractor with high quality workers for this project. He anticipated the contractor City of Blaine Page 2 City Council Workshop Minutes November 1, 2018 could move equipment off-site and have the new building secured for the Blaine Festival weekend in order to minimize the impact. Councilmember Jeppson explained there were many unknowns as to when construction could begin, given the fact the weather may impact the start date. However, she knew understood the Blaine Festival Committee had already spent $150,000 on next year’s event and encouraged the Council to reconsider the start date. Councilmember Hovland agreed with Councilmember Jeppson and believed it was only fair to take into consideration the time and effort the Blaine Festival Committee has put into planning next year’s event. He stated he did not believe it would hurt the project by delaying construction by three months. Councilmember Swanson asked how the City would cover overages on this project. Mr. Huss explained the maximum draw the City could have on this project was $5.4 million and if the project exceeded this amount the Council would have to reduce the scope or find an additional funding source. Councilmember King stated he supported the March/April timeline. He indicated this was a small enough construction site that could be fenced in order to keep people out of the area. He encouraged the City to work closely with the contractor and Blaine Festival Committee to ensure things go smoothly. Councilmember Clark reported he agreed with Councilmember Jeppson and Councilmember Hovland. He did not want to see this project overrunning the City’s 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Blaine Festival. He recommended the contract include a stop-work or fencing clause if the project were to begin in April. Councilmember Garvais stated he supported the contractor fencing the site and removing equipment during the Blaine Festival in order to minimize impact on the event. Mayor Ryan anticipated that if construction were to begin in April, the building would be enclosed by the time the Blaine Festival was held. Mr. Therres anticipated if the City were to make the contractor aware of the timeline, the area could be secured in order to minimize the impact on the Blaine Festival. Councilmember Jeppson asked if staff had spoken to the Blaine Festival Committee regarding the proposed construction. She explained she has heard from this group that they may pursue another site if construction begins in March/April. Mr. Therres stated he was not aware of this but would be in communication with the Blaine Festival Committee. City of Blaine Page 3 City Council Workshop Minutes November 1, 2018 Councilmember Jeppson recommended the Council hold a conversation with the Blaine Festival Committee and the senior center before moving this forward. Councilmember Garvais stated he supported the Council speaking with the Festival Committee in order to ease their concerns regarding this project. Councilmember Hovland asked when staff needed direction on this item. Mr. Therres reported he would like direction from the Council this evening in order to move forward with project design plans. Tim Duevel, Blaine Festival Committee member, commented on the numerous events that were being planned for the 50th Anniversary Celebration. He discussed how the reduced space and parking would impact the event. He noted that the start date would be weather permitting and feared where the project would be when the Blaine Festival was held. He stated it would help him to better understand the size of the project area. Mayor Ryan stated the City could get this information to the Blaine Festival Committee. Councilmember Jeppson requested City staff further communicate with the Festival Committee in order to work through all areas of concern. Mr. Therres reported staff would meet with the Blaine Festival Committee to further discuss the City’s construction plans and address the site layout concerns. Council consensus was to begin construction on the Senior Center in April of 2019. ADJOURN The Workshop was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. City of Blaine Page 4