City Council Worksession

Watertown City Council Work Session Mayor Steve Washburn Lindsay Guetzkow Adam Pawelk Michael Walters Dan Schuette 7/13/2021 - Minutes 1. Call To Order And Roll Call Mayor Steve Washburn called the Watertown City Council workshop to order at 5:31 p.m. on Tuesday July 13, 2021 in the council chambers of City Hall. Council Members Present: Washburn, Michael Walters, Dan Schuette, Lindsay Guetzkow and Adam Pawelk. Staff Present: Interim City Administrator Jeff O’Neill and Administrative Services Director Lynn Tschudi, City Engineer Andrew Budde, and Utilities Superintendent Doug Kammerer. 2. New Business 2.I. Water Tower And Force Main Discussion City Engineer Andrew Budde introduced the need for a future water tower in the year 2023 due to the increase in population. The entire process could take up to two years from start to finish. Budde showed on a map the three potential water tower site locations. Engineer Budde discussed the pros and cons for each site. Option A – located behind Hecksel Machine and Speedway off Cty Rd 20 Pros: elevation is at a good pressure zone, located near 12-inch water main, requires least amount of infrastructure Cons: need to purchase the easement/land, not on a city owned property Council Member Walters asked how much land is needed for futures wells and a water tower. Budde said approximately five acres. Interim City Administrator O’Neill asked if the City has done any water exploration in the area. Budde said there have not been any holes drilled in this area since he has been with the City. Council Member Schuette asked what the capacity is for the future water needs and why the City is planning for the second tower. Budde said there are different amounts required for water supply and water storage and for water storage the City has dipped below the required level in the Council Member Walters asked how much land is needed for futures wells and a water tower. Budde said approximately five acres. Interim City Administrator O’Neill asked if the City has done any water exploration in the area. Budde said there have not been any holes drilled in this area since he has been with the City. Council Member Schuette asked what the capacity is for the future water needs and why the City is planning for the second tower. Budde said there are different amounts required for water supply and water storage and for water storage the City has dipped below the required level in the past year. Option B – near the Wetlands of Watertown off of County Road 10 Budde said this land is currently owned by the City however it needs to be utilized as a public use. Pros: city owned, adequate space for future wells, can connect to a 12-inch water main Cons: lowest ground elevation of all three options, would require a phasing approach for construction Option C – land inside Oak Grove Community Park near dog park Pros: City owned parcel, adequate space for future wells, highest ground elevations of all options, can connect to a 12-inch water main Cons: inside the dog park/disc golf park Engineer Budde said these are just an overview of the locations and he is looking for direction from council as to which is the best one for planning purposes. Council Member Pawelk would like to see council decide on a location so that they can move forward with planning. Pawelk is leaning toward option A and does not want to invade the park areas with infrastructure as would be used in Option C. Council Member Guetzkow asked if the location of the water tower will determine where future development can occur. Budde said it will not determine the location of future growth. Guetzkow asked if there is any state funding for a project of this kind. Budde said no because water towers are growth driven. Guetzkow said she agrees this needs to be decided on now. She would like to see more information on water tables and soil borings at the locations to get a better understanding of the costs associated with each site. She agreed with Pawelk on not building a water tower in a park space. Council Member Walters is in favor of option A but said it will be determined by cost. He said option C is not an option because he does not believe the land that was given to the City as Community Park was intended to be used for infrastructure. Council Member Schuette said he agrees that moving ahead is needed, but picking a spot is difficult without knowing any costs. He asked Budde what moving ahead means. Budde said if the City decides on a location, Bolton & Menk would complete a site survey, get costs for preliminary drilling, and begin the design process. Budde said looking at other sites in Watertown have been discussed, but not owning the property is a huge factor. Council discussed options on various City parcels. Walters suggested approaching the landowner in option A to discuss purchasing land at a lower price. Mayor Washburn asked if the estimates include the cost of building a road to the water tower. Budde said they all include a driveway type road that would be a paved 16 food road. Mayor Washburn suggested holding an open house to invite commission members and public to gather additional  Mayor Washburn suggested holding an open house to invite commission members and public to gather additional 3. Adjournment Washburn adjourned meeting at 6:31 pm. 309 Lewis Avenue South; P.O. Box 279, Watertown, MN 55388 __________________________________________________________ Steve Washburn, Mayor ATTEST:__________________________________________ Lynn Tschudi, Admin. Services Director