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10-09-18 CC WS MinutesCITY OF SHOREWOOD MANOR PARK CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION WARMING HOUSE MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2018 5:30 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Mayor Zerby called the meeting to order at 5:30 P.M. A. Roll Call Present. Mayor Zerby; Councilmembers Siakel, Labadie, and Johnson (arrived at 5:31); Park Commission Chair Justin Mangold; City Administrator Lerud; Planning Director Darling; Director of Public Works Brown; City Engineer Fauske, Park and Recreation Coordinator Twila Grout. Absent: Councilmember Sundberg B. Review Agenda Siakel moved, Labadie seconded, approving the agenda as presented. Motion passed 310. 2. MANOR PARK POND Planning Director Darling presented the council memo and gave background on what has been done to date. She said the water samples she took showed that the algae was not toxic. She said she spoke with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and they said the city has treatment options including applying algaecide, treating for the vegetation, depending on the type of vegetation, and dredging the pond. David Dillon, 5275 St. Albans Bqy Road, asked where the water enters and leaves the pond. Darling replied that it comes from the drainage area, including the park and surrounding streets, and also from the Parkview development outflow. Mr. Dillon said he has his own pond and struggled with many of the same issues and offered to share with city staff his experience in managing his own pond. Mike Sayre, 20525 Manor Road, asked if there was any information on the particular species of plant or algae growth. Brown replied that not specifically, only that it was not toxic. Brown said given the time of year, that any treatment would not be done until 2019. . Brown said that other considerations are the need to understand the nutrient loading on the pond, and to understand that the pond, at its deepest, is only four feet deep. Given the amount of silt over the years, Brown said it may be shallower in many places. Daniel Austin, 4860 Rustic Way asked if it was known if the water was non -toxic to animals. Darling replied the test was done to check toxicity and it was non- toxic. Mr. Austin asked if Parkview HOA has been told they cannot have a fountain in their pond. He said he recollects that they were told to discontinue that fountain several years ago because it did not allow the solids to settle out. Mr. Austin asked how long dredging was going to last. Brown replied that the program calls for a 20 -year life on dredging. Julie Westerlund, 20425 Manor Road, asked it the pond had ever been dredged. She said that the pond used to have good plant growth, but with the algae bloom is not allowing sunlight to reach the bottom, and the pond cannot support desirable plant growth. Brown replied that the pond has never been dredged. CITY OF SHOREWOOD COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES OCTOBER 9, 2418 Page 2 of 4 Linda Chryssomallis 5220 St. Albans Bay Road, asked if the DNR has been involved with this pond. She said the DNR has a great deal of information on their website about the prevalence of this type of issue. Brown said that even though the pond water ends up in Lake Minnetonka, the DNR does not get involved in bodies of water this small. Lynn Tolman, 4995 Suburban Drive, asked why the DNR wouldn't get involved because the water ends up in Lake Minnetonka. A member from the audience replied that all of the water in this area ends up in the Lake and they do not look at these small ponds. Mr. Dillon said that he did dredging as part of his pond project and it did help. He also suggested mechanical removal. Mr. Sayre said he heard Barley straw was also effective in lowering phosphorous. Brown replied he heard the same thing and that copper is also being used, as it presently used in an inlet on Silver Lake. Ms. Westerlund asked how the stormwater system is managed. Brown replied that there is an inventory of all ponds and there are approximately 43 city storm ponds. He said Manor park was the first pond considered for dredging seven or eight years ago. At the time he said there were not enough funds in the storm water enterprise fund to do this work, so it was never done. Lerud added that the storm water fund is entirely•supported by the user fees charged on utility bills, and no tax dollars go into any of the city's enterprise funds. Brown said the he would suspect that the phosphates found in this pond are also found in the other city ponds. Jeannie Gulstrand 20635 Manor Road, thanked the council and staff for being here tonight for this important issue. She said it is obvious that the neighborhood believes this is an important issue. She said that the pond used to host a great deal of wildlife, but it no longer has any wildlife, and she encouraged the council to consider dredging. Kim Beauchamp 5125 Suburban Drive, said that by not dredging, we are really putting off the inevitable and will eventually need to dredge and it will be more expensive to do this at a later day. Andy Knutson, 20615 Manor Road, asked how deep the pond would be after dredging. Brown said that is unknown. He said a survey would have to be done to determine the answer to that question. Councilmember Siakel said she thought this issue needed to be researched in greater detail before proceeding. She asked if the pond was constructed as a storm water pond, or it was a pond and then used as a storm water pond. She said that is important to know, as well as how the pond is affected, if it is, by the Parkview development. Several meeting attendees stated that it was a natural pond long before it was used as a storm pond. Mike Kaveney, 5200 St. Albans Bay Road said he is new to the area, but if this issue was discussed eight or nine years ago, the thought it was time to take some remedial action. Brown said that when this was talked about eight or nine years ago, he said the council at that time considered it, but due to limited finance, and considering other competing storm water needs, the council decided to not dredge the pond. Mayor Zerby said that staff typically brings an issue to the council with background and a recommendation for action, and the Council then discusses and decides on what projects the city will spend money. Mr. Dillon asked what the attendees of this meeting, as residents, can do to understand how the process works. Mayor Zerby said that this is a different council and a different staff. He said that the council is CITY OF SHOREWOOD COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES OCTOBER 9, 2018 Page 3 of 4 here tonight and that demonstrates the council has interest in this issue. He said the neighbors are helping by being here now. Jack Ke eg 1, 5085 St. Albans Bgy Road, said he is grateful that the council is listening and was listening at the last meeting, and is appreciative of that. He said that what he senses tonight is an impatience in addressing the issue. He said that the problem is not necessarily the pond alone, but also the pond in the Parkview development. He said the pond appears to be decorative and not functioning as it should. Could another pond be constructed on the park property, near that pond, that could function as a storm water pond to provide additional treatment. He said the other thing to remember is once a project is done to clean up the pond, that it be proactively maintained. Darling said at the time the Parkview project was done, the storm water standards were not what they are now, but that is something that could be looked at as part of a solution. Council member Labadie said the city has been engaged in this issue. She thanked the neighborhood for being respectful and providing information to the council and staff. She said that no properties are assessed for these improvements, and the council represents the entire city and needs to weigh project options and recommendations when evaluating what work is to be done. Council member Siakel said that she believes a study is needed to better understand this issue. She said that timing might be an issue for 2019, and if the study took longer and pushed a project off, that perhaps the city could treat the algae next summer while the dredging plan is developed. Council member Johnson said that he is in a development with their own stormwater pond, so he is familiar with this issue. He said when their development pond went in, surrounding neighbors were at meetings asking questions and expressing concern. He asked if anyone has spoke with the Parkview HOA. The second question he had was in the flyer prepared by the neighborhood, the playground and walking trails were listed as additional issues. He asked what the issues were regarding those two items. The audience said that those were brought up for discussion, but the real interest was in getting the pond improved. A member of the audience asked if there were grant funds to pay for this work. Darling said the city has looked into grants to fund this work, but federal and state funds are focused on cleaning up ponds to encourage redevelopment. There was discussion about contacting the MCWD to see if they have grants to study the matter. A member of the audience asked if there was mention of this in the comprehensive plan. Darling replied that the Manor Park pond is listed on the project list contained in the comprehensive plan update. Mr. Dillon again offered any staff or council member interested to come by his property and look at his Pond, Sam Prehall, 4828 Rustic Way, appreciated the work done so far, and he realizes the pond is a challenge. He said he grew up and worked in this park and when the city gets done the park will be an even greater amenity to the neighborhood. Lerud said that staff will discuss what was said tonight and make a recommendation to the council for some action before the end of the year. Mayor Zerby thanked everyone for coming tonight and for their opinions CITY OF SHOREWOOD COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES OCTOBER 9, 2018 Page 4 of 4 3. ADJOURN Siakel moved, Labadie seconded, Adjourning the City Council Work Session of October 9, 2018, at 6:30 P.M. Motion passed 4/0.