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07-22-19 CC WS MinutesCITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS MONDAY, JULY 22, 2019 5:30 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING Mayor Zerby called the meeting to order at 5:30 P.M. A. Roll Call Present. Mayor Zerby; Councilmembers Johnson, Labadie, Siakel, and Sundberg (arrived at 5:35 PM); City Administrator Lerud; Planning Director Darling; Director of Public Works Brown. B. Review Agenda Labadie moved, Johnson seconded, approving the agenda as presented. Motion passed 4/0. 2. ENGINEERING FIRM PRESENTATIONS City Administrator Lerud explained there are three engineering firms that will be making presentations to the Council. A. WSB City Engineer Fauske introduced Lee Gustafson, Katie Koscielak, Earth Evans, and Justin Hansen. Lee Gustafson thanked the City for allowing WSB to serve them for many years. He apologized for the road bumps that they have hit with some staff members and projects. He stated that WSB fully commits to getting these issues resolved. He reviewed some of the proposal details and noted that the team they are proposing has a lot of municipal experience. He stated that he is proposing quarterly meetings with City staff, but noted that they are open to holding these meetings more often, if necessary. He stated that they are also proposing two semi - annual meetings with the Council as well as an annual meeting to bring some new technology ideas to the City. Councilmember Sundberg arrived at the meeting. City Engineer Fauske gave an overview of the projects that she has been involved in and communication efforts surrounding the projects. She gave an overview of some of the communications that has happened outside of the City boundaries so the community members can see what projects are happening in the area, even if they are not officially "our" project. She explained that she has worked with LMCC to put together a professional video for residents when there is an upcoming project. She stated that she has learned in her years at the City to utilize the expertise available at WSB and reviewed some of the team members that have worked with the City. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JULY 22, 2019 Page 2 of 5 Katie Koscielak gave a brief overview of how the team works and the ways they can collaborate and have face to face time with the City. She stated that their team approach ensures that there is always a City Engineer on site. Earth Evans gave a brief description of what she does in the water resources group. She explained that the water resources group is very large and has a number of ways they can assist the City and noted that they have pretty quick turnaround times and a good understanding of the requirements of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. Justin Hansen stated that he is the Director of GIS and gave an overview of the ways that they have worked with the City over the last five years. He gave an overview of their Datalink services for web mapping. He stated that he is excited about the opportunity to meet with the City annually to discuss the new technologies that become available. He stated that they try to empower the City and have them be the caretakers and enable them to keep the information up to date for GIS and do not hold it hostage from the City. Mr. Gustafson stated that he believes WSB is truly creative and innovative in their approach for problems and solutions. He stated that they are committed to the City and to the area. Councilmember Sundberg asked how long Mr. Gustafson had been working with the Shorewood team. Mr. Gustafson stated that he had known about some of the issues, but he was not directly involved. He stated that he got directly involved after there were some changes at WSB which has been for about the last four months. Councilmember Sundberg asked how involved Mr. Gustafson would be moving forward. Mr. Gustafson stated that he will be very involved moving forward and is open to brainstorm and work on long range planning with the City. He stated that he is also open to attending Council and work session meetings. B. Bolton & Menk Dave Martini introduced Andrew Budde who they are proposing becomes the City Engineer. He explained that Bolton & Menk are a full - service engineering firm that includes GIS services. He explained the reason that he felt they would be a good fit for the City and their understanding of being in close proximity to Lake Minnetonka. He stated that they specialize in municipal services and noted that they currently serve about one - hundred and sixty communities in the State as their city engineers. He stated that he thinks the team that they have put together will be a great fit for the City. Andrew Budde gave a brief overview of some of the services Bolton & Menk can offer to the City and gave examples of some of the visionary leadership they have been able to do in communities like Watertown. He reviewed some of the items in the City mission statement that he feels their company can help with. He stated that they approach every client and situation uniquely and with the understanding that their services are an investment in the City's future. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JULY 22, 2019 Page 3 of 5 Councilmember Johnson stated that something that he has struggled with is the bedside manner of an engineer and being able to make the transition from "engineering speak" to something that a layperson can understand. He asked what Mr. Budde's bedside manner would be in this situation. Mr. Budde stated that he is generally pretty straight forward in his approach. He stated that he tries to look at things from an engineering perspective but try to explain it in an easy to understand fashion. Councilmember Johnson asked how many of the references listed in the packet refer specifically to Mr. Budde. Mr. Budde stated that he had worked with Watertown and Mound. He noted that he is also the City Engineer in Independence and represents Louisville and Jackson Township. Councilmember Johnson stated that if any of the references are specific to Mr. Budde that those be passed along to City Administrator Lerud. Councilmember Siakel stated that there may be some projects coming up in the City that some of the residents may not fully support. She asked if he had any examples where he had to work with residents that were unhappy and were less than kind. Mr. Budde stated that he has been yelled at quite a bit by residents and in some cases if things have gotten too emotional, he has suggested that they meet again another time to discuss things further. He stated that sometimes you have to just take the feedback and hope for an opportunity to incorporate their concerns into the overall plan. Councilmember Siakel stated that she appreciated that Mr. Budde took the time to read the City's mission statement. She stated that he said he was forward thinking and asked if he had taken a drive around the City and had any thoughts about anything in the City. Mr. Budde stated that he has driven around the City, watched some Council meetings and read through some past minutes. He stated that what he noticed is that the City has the unique character of having rural roadways with large trees on either side and then a short distance away there is a completely urbanized section with curb and gutter. He stated that in looking at the utility map, it appears as though there is watermain to about half of the City and thinks that issue will probably arise. Mayor Zerby asked what is the biggest mistake he sees cities making with regard to their engineering planning. Mr. Budde stated that the biggest mistake he has seen in the communities he has been involved in, it would be lack of vision and foresight. Mayor Zerby stated that mistakes will happen and asked how Mr. Budde and Bolton & Menk deal with mistakes. Mr. Budde stated that they will own up to their mistakes and have paid for changes in projects when there has been an engineering mistake. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JULY 22, 2019 Page 4 of 5 Mr. Martini stated that regardless of whether the mistake is reality or perception, they come to the table and ask what the expectation is from the City. He stated that they are much more concerned with the long -term relationship than they are with short term financial gain. C. Stantec Dave Ahrens introduced himself and noted that he has ten years of experience working with Lino Lakes and Shoreview. Phil Gravel introduced himself and stated that they had put together a "stantastic" team for the City. He stated that they have arranged things for the City and this would be Mr. Ahrens top responsibility. Heidi Peper introduced herself and noted that she is a funding specialist and works in funding to try to help cities find the financing they need in order to advance their projects. Mr. Ahrens gave a brief overview of Stantec and their approach to projects. He stated that their four core values are: put people first; do what is right; better together; and driven to achieve. He shared some examples of projects that he believes show those core values in Red Lake Falls, MN and Johnson Creek, WI. He stated that personally he likes to explore new and innovative solutions and does not take a cookie cutter approach to issues. He stated that he knows the City is looking to hire a construction observer and noted that if the City finds someone, their services can be adjusted and not include those services, but noted that if the City does not find a suitable candidate that can also provide full - service construction services. Ms. Peper stated that they have a network of over one - hundred funding specialists across the Country. She stated that the City does not have to be a low- income community in order to get funding assistance. She noted that their funding specialists can be used as much or as little as needed and can be on a project by project basis. Mr. Gravel gave a brief overview of their fees and billing practices. He noted that they strive to be transparent so there are no surprise invoices or unnecessary projects. Councilmember Johnson asked if Stantec could provide references that would be specific to Mr. Ahrens. He stated that as he has interacted with engineers, once of his biggest issues has been their "bedside manner" and asked how Mr. Ahrens would communicate engineering concepts to a layman. Mr. Ahrens stated that things need to be explained without using engineering terms whenever possible. Mayor Zerby asked if Ms. Peper had been successful in getting funding from watershed districts. Ms. Peper stated that they have had some success with getting funding from BWSR what was channeled through the watershed district. Mayor Zerby stated that everybody makes mistakes and asked how their firm deals with mistakes. Mr. Ahrens stated that he has made mistakes and gave the example of working on the Mystic Lake Casino where he neglected to calculate a zero -point three degree rotation for the golf CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JULY 22, 2019 Page 5 of 5 clubhouse. He stated that they covered the expense for the change order that was necessary for that project because he had made a mistake. He stated that they do own up to their mistakes and do not try to shy away from them and noted that it is important for them to have a good plan and peer review so the mistakes can be minimized. He stated that good communication between the engineer and the people out in the field is very important. 3. ADJOURN The City Council Work Session Meeting of July 22, 2019 adjourned 7:02 P.M. ATTEST: Sco y, May Sandie Thone, City Clerk