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Home My WebLink About2008-06-09 MinutesCITY OF COTTAGE GROVE PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION June 9, 2008 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a meeting of the Public Works Commission of Cottage Grove was duly held at Cottage Grove Public Works, 8635 West Point Douglas Road, Cottage Grove, Minnesota on Monday, June 9, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Robert Dornsbach called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Members Present: Ken Boyden, Robert Dornsbach, Gary Kjellberg, Christopher Lethgo, William Royce Staff Present: Les Burshten, Public Works Director Jennifer Levitt, City Engineer Also Present: Fred Luden, City Council Member 3. APPROVE MINUTES Upon a motion by Ken Boyden, seconded by Chris Lethgo, the May 12, 2008 minutes were unanimously approved. 4. ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS None. 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Planning Commission Informational Packet City Engineer Jennifer Levitt explained there hasn’t been a regular Technical Review packet so thought it would be helpful to include a copy of the Planning Commission packet in this month’s information to make members aware of current activities taking place. th G-Will Liquor Parking Lot/80 Street Extension The G-Will Liquor parking lot will be getting a facelift with some different modifications for some additional green space and new monumentation, some of which required variances which were approved by Council at the last meeting. Public Works Commission June 9, 2008 – Page 2 th It was also reported that 80 Street will be extended to Fire Station 1 (formerly on Grange Avenue) which is thought to be critical for marketing purposes and identification of that area. th B. 70 Street/Hardwood Avenue Traffic Control Changes. th Levitt explained another accident occurred recently at 70 and Hardwood causing additional concern amongst residents in that area. Washington County representatives met with city staff and worked to develop a solution for this traffic situation. On an th immediate basis, 70 Street will be re-striped with a dedicated left turn lane for both directions. A sketch has been provided in the packet. By fall, it is hoped to have a signal system in place with crossing movements to direct traffic and pedestrians across. It was noted this project was in the County CIP scheduled for 2012. Placement of the signal is an acceleration of that project which will require a 50-50 match of funds from the City. The project is estimated to cost between $200,000 and $250,000 so our share could be $100,000 to $125,000 which will be funded by the Streetlight budget. The light system cabinet can be re-used when the permanent mast arms are installed in 2012. Levitt also noted there will be advance signals that will flash and warn motorists when the light is going to turn red, an important aspect due to the signal’s location at the bottom of the hill. Many residents are concerned about their children’s safety when traveling across the road so another option being explored for the area is a pedestrian crossing under the grade of road made possible by placement of a large culvert, much like those on county roads. 6. OLD BUSINESS rd A. 103 Street Bridge Work has not yet been completed by BNSF Railroad. Following construction there was a small segment of road that was damaged. The City has requested this section be milled and a 2 inch bituminous overlay be installed. Additionally, requests were made to remove the stop sign at the bridge. In reality, Engineering staff feels there continues to be an obstruction at that location and does not recommend removal. A motion is being sought from the Public Works Commission whether the stop signs should remain in place or be removed. After a brief discussion, the following motion was made: MOTIONMADEBYKENBOYDEN,SECONDEDBYCHRISLETHGO,FORTHESTOP RD SIGNTOREMAINPOSTEDATTHE103STREETBRIDGE.M OTION WAS . UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED Public Works Commission June 9, 2008 – Page 3 7. PUBLIC WORKS UPDATE Les Burshten reported: The Parks Division has been extremely busy mowing due to the recent wet weather we’ve experienced. City irrigation systems are up and running, ready for use when needed Forestry staff had a great number of boulevard trees to remove. Tree rd replacement is scheduled for the week of June 23. The Street Department completed patching work in preparation for sealcoating. Currently they are working on Hinton Avenue with the mini paver which was built by Street Department employee, Jay Johnson. Crackfilling has been completed by Northwest Asphalt. Sod repair is nearly 100% complete. AAA Striping is currently working on street striping. They will return and complete the work on the roads that receive sealcoating. Well repair will soon be complete. 8. ENGINEER’S REPORT Jennifer Levitt reported: rd Construction will start on the Hidden Valley Pond Trail June 23 st “Take A Kid Fishing Day” will take place on Saturday, June 21 Ice Arena construction is on schedule and going well. The existing front entrance will be torn down tomorrow and expansion of the area will begin. Now that school is out for summer, water main work will commence crossing th Ideal at 79 and then up the western curb line until Nina’s Park. rd Pavement Management is progressing well. Iden, Illies and 73 Streets had curbs poured last Friday. Hydram and Hyde curbs will hopefully be poured thth tomorrow or Wednesday. The first lift has been applied to 77, 76, Immanual thrd and Immanuel Court along with 74, Homestead and 73. Inskip has been reclaimed with Inwood. Innsdale is prepared to go next. Commission Member Gary Kjellberg inquired why the trail work has slowed down. Levitt responded that the streets need to be reclaimed in order to generate product to place on the trails. Most of the material will be used in the Highland Pond area. Sidewalks have been installed at Southpoint Ridge, the development just north of th 80 Street. A quiet zone is being worked on for the area to prevent trains from sounding their horns at the crossing. Restoration of Hamlet Park Pond, Phase 3, will be starting this week. Public Works Commission June 9, 2008 – Page 4 9. CITY COUNCIL UPDATE Ice Arena Project st Council Member Fred Luden reported that the Council met with the EDA on May 21. It was explained that the school district had owned the land where the Ice Arena is built. The lease has been transferred to the EDA. The meeting took place in order for the lease transfers to be made and to award the sale of the recreation revenue bonds for the Ice Arena. City Budget An interim financial report through the end of April was recently distributed to the Council. It was reported that on the revenue side including franchise fees, licenses and permits, water/sewer service and government revenue, the total is up $363,000 compared to the same time in 2007. On the expenditure side, which includes personal services, commodities, contractual services, capital outlay, depreciation and debt service, the figure is down $429,000 compared to the same time last year. Revenue by license and permits is up about $115,000 much of which is driven by the permits for institutional building such as the work being done by the school district. Costs on the expenditure side are decreased due to personnel costs down $118,000 versus last year due to the early retirements. 10. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE . Gary Kjellberg reported the group had an opportunity to meet with the Planning Commission in order for them to approve the plan before presentation to the Council. Also discussed was the prospective development of the Majestic Ballroom site for a Gold’s Gym. Kjellberg expressed his concern with the infrastructure issues that must be addressed for the area noting it will be up to the Council to determine how this should be handled. 11. COMMISSION COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Commission Member Ken Boyden wondered what the cost is for the painting of the stone walls at the roundabout and also inquired if this work was part of the original plan. Levitt responded the project was bid on a square foot basis. Boyden also inquired who had the final say pertaining to the trees and vegetation that were planted. He’s concerned that these items may have a distraction factor and/or obstruct views after time. Levitt responded a detailed analysis was done taking into consideration where vertical elements could be and noted nothing in the planting plans obstruct the functionality of the entities in any way. Public Works Commission June 9, 2008 – Page 5 12. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn was made by Ken Boyden, seconded by Gary Kjellberg. Motion was unanimously carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, íÜÉËÔÚÔÜêÉÎËÛÄ