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051997 CC WS Min . . CITY OF SHOREWOOD CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MONDA Y, MAY 19, 1997 COUNCIL CHAMBERS 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD 6:45 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Mayor Dahlberg called the meeting to order at 6:50 p.m. A. Roll Call Present: Mayor Dahlberg; Councilmembers Stover, McCarty, O'Neill and Garfunkel; and Administrator Hurm attended the discussion portion of the meeting. Review Agenda B. 2. INTERVIEW APPLICANTS FOR VACANCY ON PARK COMMISSION . This portion of the work session was held in open session in the Conference Room at City Hall. Interviews of approximately 10 minutes in length were conducted with Roxanne Martin, Peter Hajjar, Ann Packard and Chuck Cochran for the purpose of filling the vacant position on the Park Commission for the remainder of 1997. Following the interviews, discussion was held by the City Council. All members of the City Council were very impressed with the quality of the four individuals interviewed. A majority of the members of the City Council indicated that Ann Packard's name should be placed on the appointment resolution for consideration at the next City Council meeting. The other candidates should be asked to resubmit their names for reconsideration at the end of the year when more openings will be available on the Commission. This portion of the work session was adjourned at 7:43 p.m. 3. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM REVIEW The work session was reconvened in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Paul Kachelmyer, MNDOT, made a presentation to the Council. Kachelmyer distributed a diagram of the improvement projects which are planned for State Highway 7 between Highway 41 and St. Bonifacius for the next three years. For the current year, the road will be repaved as exists. It is anticipated the safety improvements for the next 10 to 15 years will be completed in the year 2000. Kachelmyer stated the shoulders of the roadway will be paved, lO-foot wide black top, at some point in the future. It is also intended that all of the intersecting streets which pose a safety concern along that stretch will be closed. In some cases, turn lanes will be added. A signal light is planned as well for the intersection of County Road 19 and Smithtown Road due to the amount of traffic in that area. Mr. Kachelmyer explained in the situation of an existing road where all of the land surrounding it has been developed, the intent would be to make that road safer or able to handle larger volumes of traffic. The way this is accomplished is to reduce the number of access points and make the remaining access points function well. . . . . CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES MA Y 19, 1997 - Page 2 Mr. Kachelmyer explained MNDOT proposes closing half of the existing access points in order to improve the others. He further explained there is a potential for the State to offer a program whereby if the City is willing to proceed with the work of closing the access points and constructing frontage roads which would allow other access points to be closed, the State would generally be willing to provide the funds for this type of project. If the City were to choose not to propose that work to be completed, the State would then close the access points in the year 2000 and the opportunity to obtain State funding to improve Yellowstone Trail and create the frontage roads would be lost. Councilmember Stover commented MNDOT had striped Highway 7 to the west with the intent it would expand to five lanes at some future point. Mr. Kachelmyer did not feel this expansion would occur. Engineer Brown commented the City has the opportunity to obtain funding beyond the cost of a particular project when an effort is made to combine several different projects. Councilmember O'Neill inquired relative to community input. Mr. Kachelmyer noted the State will hold public meetings relative to the proposed work. Planning Director Nielsen explained it had been contemplated the City would hold neighborhood meetings. Mr. Kachelmyer stated if this was done at the City level, there would not be a need for MNDOT to hold further hearings. Brown inquired whether the funds are separate from state aid type funds in which participation would be a consideration, or since there are safety improvements, if there are some amenities which are included. Mr. Kachelmyer explained these particular funds can be allocated as MNDOT sees fit. MNDOT had recognized that projects can be accomplished easier and less expensively by the individual cities rather than by MNDOT. Administrator Hurm asked what the standards would be for the roadways. Mr. Kachelmyer stated because they are not considered state aid roadways, the standards and specifications would be determined by the City. Mr. Kachelmyer stated he will be making a proposal for the work to be completed over the next three years and explained he will need to know whether or not the City is willing to proceed with the closure of the access points. He noted he will be back before the Council at some point this summer seeking approval of the plan. Planning Director Nielsen explained the City has identified the intersection at Highway 41 as an area in need of improvement. As a part of that project, it is anticipated the Lake Linden access would be closed and that traffic would be brought to a signal light intersection on Highway 41. There have been a number of complaints relative to the traffic on Wood Drive. It was noted there is no right turn lane available in this location. During the corridor study, some of the residents of this neighborhood felt the neighborhood would be receptive to this idea. It is anticipated that Pleasant Lane, which is the connection between Yellowstone and Highway 7, will be straightened and a turn lane constructed to make this a better intersection. Seamans Drive is considered one of the worst intersections because of the intersection with Yellowstone Trail and the close proximity to the highway. The access at Seamans Drive would be closed and Yellowstone extended. An improved turn lane would be constructed in the Eureka area. Moving farther to the west, it was suggested two or three access points would be eliminated, brining them over to Eureka which is the collector street. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES MA Y 19, 1997 - Page 3 . Councilmember O'Neill questioned the need for a frontage road betweeij Eureka and Seamans Drive. Nielsen stated this would allow for residents to travel about Shorewood without having to enter the Highway. Councilmember O'Neill questioned whether this work would actually be necessary. He raised concerns relative to the costs of maintaining these areas. Nielsen stated there is a senior development anticipated for the area in question and this would allow for seniors to travel the frontage road to the Shorewood Shopping Center as well as Excelsior without having to utilize Highway 7. This would also apply to people utilizing Freeman Park. Councilmember Stover commented for some time it has been felt that an additional street would be necessary east/west to alleviate some of the traffic in the area. Councilmember O'Neill remarked that other than in consideration of the anticipated senior center, he did not feel there to be sufficient traffic to warrant the addition of a frontage road. Mayor Dahlberg noted it would be important to gather neighborhood input in this regard. He also questioned whether there would be substantial increases in traffic given the fact Shorewood is almost completely developed. Engineer Brown commented the Shorewood population will probably not increase, however, the traffic on Highway 7 will continue to increase dramatically. Nielsen noted his agreement. Councilmember Stover felt it important to close private driveway accesses onto Highway 7 and provide a safer access to and from those homes. . Councilmember O'Neill stated he was not opposed to any of the access closings, however he was not in favor of a frontage road. Mayor Dahlberg stated he would not promote a dramatic change. He expressed a desire to study all of the alternatives for developing the subject areas before making a decision. . Mayor Dahlberg felt it would be legitimate to frame what is going to happen in terms of one set of defined values relating to road safety, closing accesses and traffic flow, however, he felt there to be other values involved in this context which are equally important. He felt there may be a number of competing values which need to be considered. Mr. Kachelmyer stated he will need a response from the Council within two months, otherwise he will need to propose the plan from the perspective of MNDOT completing the work. Mayor Dahlberg did not feel this time frame would be feasible. Mr. Kachelmyer stated he would need a feeling of guidance from the City as to whether or not the City wishes to pursue these projects. Brown felt staff and Council could work together to develop a plan to be presented to MNDOT and then seek public input. The Council would have the option of telling MNDOT that the plan failed from the public standpoint and approval would be denied. Mayor Dahlberg was not in favor of this process. Councilmember McCarty explained the Council will only need to express a desire to consider this matter and then hold public hearings to obtain input from the residents. After that input is received, a final decision can be made by the Council. Councilmember McCarty felt the City would be better off doing this work on its own since the City and its residents will have more input into the project. . . . CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES MA Y 19, 1997 - Page 4 Mayor Dahlberg inquired as to the steps taken once a plan is submitted to MNDOT. Mr. Kachelmyer stated given the amount of access closure anticipated, the City could request sufficient funds to construct the continuation of Yellowstone Trail. The City would not be responsible for payment of the project. Mr. Kachelmyer explained it is the responsibility of MNDOT to consider the safety of people using Highway 7. He felt if the access points are not addressed, there will be a significant potential for injuries and/or deaths in these areas. Mayor Dahlberg wanted to ensure the Council makes a decision based on the desires of the citizens as opposed to agreeing to a plan simply to obtain State funds. Councilmembers Stover and McCarty did not feel the plan would be accepted for the purpose of obtaining State funds, but that the plan would be accepted for the improvement it brings to the City of Shorewood. Councilmember Stover noted the funds are simply a benefit to the plan. Mayor Dahlberg recessed the meeting at 8:47 p.m. and reconvened at 8:55 p.m. Strawberry Lane Engineer Brown reported the Watershed District will allow the reconstruction of Strawberry Lane without the requirement of a NURP pond as long as it remains in the existing footprint. Based on the Watershed District's directives, OSM has been instructed to complete plans and specifications for a reconstruction of the roadway at the current width of approximately 20 to 22 feet wide without curb and gutter. A number of minor improvements will be considered in an effort to alleviate some of the drainage problems in the area. A drain tile will be placed the length of Strawberry Lane and will be placed on both sides of the roadway with a rock shoulder. MNDOT has recommended this procedure over the years in an effort to allow for drainage of the sub soils. It is anticipated this work will lengthen the service life of the roadway. Concern were raised by the residents in the area relative to the speed of cars traveling northbound on Strawberry Lane. It was proposed that adjustments would be made to the curve at 62nd Street, making it a sharper turn, resulting in a slowing of the traffic. The neighbors present at the neighborhood meeting were in favor of this solution. Brown noted he will be attending a meeting which has been scheduled with the Watershed District. He farther noted at this point, he anticipates holding an informal neighborhood meeting to discuss this project. Hurm suggested the Council make a decision whether or not this work will be completed without a special assessment. If the work is not assessed, the construction would require approximately $503,000 annually. When assessment funds are used, assessed at one-third of a typical rural 24- foot cross section, approximately $285,000 would be required annually. Mayor Dahlberg inquired whether the Council would be inclined to consider an assessment policy, or if they would prefer to complete the Strawberry Lane project and then consider an assessment policy at some point in the future. . . . CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES MA Y 19, 1997 - Page 5 Hurm inquired whether a pavement reclamation would be a better plan than a reconstruction of the roadway. He questioned whether a reclamation could be completed at a third of the cost as well as a third of the time, allowing the Council time to decide on a policy. Brown did not feel a reclamation would address the subgrade problems which exist on Strawberry Lane. He stated a pavement reclamation would be adequate for approximately 10 to 12 years at approximately 60 percent of the cost. Councilmember Stover recalled Strawberry Lane was not previously addressed because of the lack of an assessment policy at that time. She recalled the first Assessment Policy Task Force was convened in the early '70s. To date, there has not been an assessment policy established. Councilmember Stover noted the Task Force had discussed that any lot which is dividable, the assessment would be deferred until it is subdivided. She farther recalled the Task Force had been established due to the requests which were made by area residents who expressed an interest in having their streets rebuilt. Councilmember Stover commented if the Council is going to establish an assessment policy, a financing policy will be needed to keep the assessments as fair as possible and keeping the work as cost effective as possible. Mayor Dahlberg felt residents would question why the assessment would not be included as a part of their property taxes. Councilmember Stover noted there are a number of public hearings which would be held and at that time the Council would be made aware of any neighborhood which would be opposed to this type of assessment. Councilmember Garfunkel expressed concern with requiring the residents of Strawberry Lane to pay for the reconstruction of Strawberry Lane when many residents in the city utilize this road to commute throughout the city. This would result in significant wear to this roadway. Councilmember Garfunkel inquired what action the Council would take if the residents expressed opposition to the reconstruction of Strawberry Lane. Hurm commented reclamation technology is a relatively new process and was not an option which was available at the time the issue of Strawberry Lane was discussed. Mayor Dahlberg felt there may be options other than an assessment available. He stated if it is going to be difficult to complete projects such as Strawberry Lane on an assessment basis, he asked why the Council would not be planning to communicate to the residents of Shorewood that a tax levy and/or an increase in the tax levy is being considered over a specified number of years in order to pay for the roadway reconstruction. Councilmember O'Neill expressed that a high tax bracket would pay a disproportionate share of the cost of rebuilding the roads. Councilmember Stover recalled the Task Force had considered how much property taxes would need to be increased if property taxes alone were going to pay for roads if that method were used, there may be more neighborhoods requesting their roads be rebuilt since the funds to pay for the work are a part of the General Fund. Concern had also been raised relative to not taxing the seniors out of their houses. The Task Force felt this method would eliminate the fixed income household. Mayor Dahlberg inquired how an assessment would affect those same households. Councilmember Stover noted residents over age 65 on a fixed incomes would be eligible for a deferment. Councilmember McCarty felt although this is a difficult decision to make, it is time for an assessment policy to be established for the benefit of the entire city. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES MA Y 19, 1997 - Page 6 . Brown felt an assessment policy would take considerable discussion and debate, yet there is a public process which needs to be considered. He expressed concern with setting a precedent if the work on Strawberry Lane were to be completed without the benefit of an assessment policy. Councilmember Stover felt the residents of Strawberry Lane are aware of the assessment policy which has been discussed over the past couple of years. She felt the infrastructure of the City to be the responsibility of the Council. This infrastructure needs to be maintained and that maintenance needs to be paid for. She felt the question to be who will be paying and for which project. Councilmember O'Neill felt it was unfortunate an assessment policy had not been adopted at an earlier time. He questioned whether a set fee could be imposed which would fund road improvements and maintenance throughout the city as opposed to a levy where a group of people pays more and another group pays less. Hurm did not think this was an option, however, he will research the matter. Brown stated there can be unit assessments which would be assessed on a street by street basis. Mayor Dahlberg felt the residents of Shorewood agree that their street is part of the universal infrastructure of the city. Because of that, he felt the assumptions tends to be that there would be a universal or unit assessment for that. Councilmembers O'Neill and McCarty felt this to be a common procedure for most municipalities. Hurm noted there had been a debate relative to whether or not residents living along MSA and/or collector streets would be subject to an assessment for street repairs. . Councilmember Garfunkel remarked it would be difficult to complete the work on Strawberry Lane this year even if the City were to establish an assessment policy given the pubic hearing process. Brown felt it may be possible, however reconstruction would probably not be able to begin until October. Councilmember O'Neill inquired whether patching could carry the road over for another year. Brown felt the road would be in difficult shape, however, it would be possible to continue patching. Brown noted the streets have been inventoried and a priority list developed for completion of street repair work. Mayor Dahlberg suggested this may be an issue to be discussed at an open forum meeting. Councilmember O'Neill noted the roads need repair and that work needs to be paid for, therefore, he felt an assessment to be the fairest way to handle the situation. Brown suggested possibly utilizing Strawberry Lane as an example and performing an informal survey to obtain resident input. He commented he did not feet a reclamation would achieve the best cost per dollar. Mayor Dahlberg asked to see a spreadsheet relative to road reconstruction as well as the revenue sources and fund totals for those years. Hurm noted it would be difficult to estimate the year in which a particular road would need reconstruction. Brown stated an engineer can only make a best estimate when the roadway is going to need to be reconstructed. He pointed out there are some indicators which assist in this estimate. . Councilmember O'Neill did not feel it would be necessary to have spreadsheets relative to this situation. Councilmember Garfunkel stated Strawberry Lane needs to be addressed and other projects will flow from that decision. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES MA Y 19, 1997 - Page 7 . Councilmember McCarty pointed out four of the Councilmembers are expressing a desire to review an assessment policy. She felt the way in which the Council performs due diligence for the City is to establish a policy prior to the reconstruction of Strawberry Lane. Mayor Dahlberg stated he could not vote on a policy without a plan for road reconstruction which can be compared to the annual budget relative to that plan. He commented that information may suggest there is cash flow adequate for the project and then a determination would need to be made relative to distributing it to various projects. Councilmember Stover felt the Council could budget a certain distance of roadway to be addressed every year. Brown stated a reconstruct is not always the answer. There are other options such as sealcoats and overlays on newer roadways which will strengthen and prolong the life of the roadway. The dollar spent on preventative maintenance is worth twice the dollar of reconstructing. Councilmember O'Neill suggested getting an written response from the Watershed District relative to the time frame in which Strawberry Lane can be addressed. Brown noted a plan could be submitted and approved prior to the Council making a decision relative to payment of the project. Senior Housing Councilmember Stover inquired whether or not there is an existing proposal for senior housing. Nielsen noted he has a meeting scheduled on Friday relative to such a proposal. . Councilmember Stover noted there to be a number of reasons seniors want to move out of their homes into another home of a certaiq style in the area. Councilmember O'Neill inquired relative to fees which are imposed on this type of project. Nielsen noted local sanitary sewer access charges and park dedications fees are reduced for development of senior housing. He further commented the has been some consideration given to a reduction in the water assessment fees. Councilmember O'Neill felt density would be an issue he would like to address relative to senior housing. He inquired as to the proposal which will be submitted later in the week. Nielsen stated he has viewed a sketch of the proposed development, however, the developer is working on the number of units which will be necessary to proceed with this plan. . Councilmember O'Neill questioned whether senior housing could happen in Shorewood given the costs of land. Councilmember Stover felt it could be possible. With respect to density, she felt the size of affordable housing would be one story and small in size such as cottage style homes. Councilmember O'Neill and Mayor Dahlberg felt density to be the main concern to the residents. Councilmember Stover felt it necessary to have background information relative to the developer regarding such things as other projects they have completed, financial background and where the funds will be obtained for their project to ensure their follow through on the project. Hurm suggested offering assistance to the developer in obtaining TIP with the provision the City would retain title to a portion of the development and once specific requirements are met, the developer would receive the title. . . . .I... <... fII. .... CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES MA Y 19, 1997 - Page 8 7. ADJOURNMENT Dahlberg moved, Garfunkel seconded to adjourn the City Council Work Session Meeting at 10:58 P.M. RESPECTFULL Y SUBMITTED, Cheryl WalIat, Recording Secretary TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial ATTEST: