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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-07-21 MINUTES (SPECIAL MEETING) COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL City of Cottage Grove, Minnesota Special Meeting July 21, 2010 CALL TO ORDER The Cottage Grove City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, th held a Special Meeting on July 21, 2010, at the Cottage Grove City Hall, 7516-80 Street South. Mayor Bailey called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Myron Bailey, Council Member Jen Peterson, and Council Member Mark Grossklaus. Absent: Council Member Pat Rice and Council Member Justin Olsen. Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Members Present: Maureen Ventura, Chelsea Butler, Douglas Butler, Paul Poncin, and Derrick Lehrke. Also present were: Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator; Caron Stransky, City Clerk; Howard Blin, Community Development Director; John Burbank, Senior Planner; and Jennifer Levitt, City Engineer. Mayor Bailey presided over the special meeting. Mayor Bailey stated the purpose of this special meeting was to meet with members of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission to review the City Council goals for 2010, noting that the Council held a special session in January 2010 where the Council amended the City’s goals for the year. Governance Mayor Bailey stated that the Council completed a community survey in 2007 and the goal each year since to ensure that resident satisfaction levels remain at or above those identified in the survey. Mayor Bailey stated the Council will continue or increase communication and employee recognition through the Third Thursday events, internal newsletters, and through other programs and events and will continue to participate in community events, such as the Fourth of July fireworks display, the Night-to-Unite event, the Strawberry Fest, and Holiday train. Cottage Grove City Council 2 July 21, 2010 Special Meeting Mayor Bailey stated the Council recently upgraded the Environmental Task Force to Commission status and increased membership from seven (7) to nine (9). Mayor Bailey stated the Council added a new goal to implement accountability measures for each department tied to the Council visioning goals, including monthly department reports to Council. Another goal of the Council is to provide processes from which the organization can set direction and to revisit current systems and processes to ensure the validity and need remains. Commercial/Industrial Development Mayor Bailey reviewed the goals and stated that in May 2010, he, Community Development Director Blin and City Administrator Schroeder attended the International Shopping Center Convention (ISCC) held in Las Vegas and had numerous meetings with people and businesses who have been in the community within the last few weeks looking at sites. Mayor Bailey stated a survey was completed to find out, not what citizens want, but what the industry thinks the City of Cottage Grove could handle. The survey provided us information on what we do not need in the community based on what is already here, and what would be successful. He stated that this information has been used market the City at the various conventions, but also to try to attract certain businesses to come to Cottage Grove based on the demographics and the survey information that we received. Mayor Bailey stated that the group is about to attend another convention similar to the convention in Las Vegas to attract biomedical-type companies to locate in the City’s industrial park. Mayor Bailey stated that they have been very proactive with talking to developers to get an idea where the industry is going and what housing will look like five (5) to 10 years from now. He stated there have been meetings with a variety of people, some that are already developing in the City, and some that are not. Mayor Bailey stated the next goal is to update the business attraction and retention marketing plan and strategy. He stated this is the first year that we will actually have Holiday decorations throughout the business areas, some lit and some unlit. Mayor Bailey stated that the last goal in this category is to provide for enhanced Chamber of Commerce, EDA, and Council business outreach coordination. A member of the Commission stated that when the City surveyed other businesses in the area to find out what kind of businesses they think we could support, did you compare that information to what the citizens want. Mayor Bailey stated that through the survey we found out that there is need for a hardware store, restaurants, and that we definitely do not need another grocery store, especially if a Wal-Mart or the Target store adds groceries. Cottage Grove City Council 3 July 21, 2010 Special Meeting Housing Development Mayor Bailey stated that the Council’s goal is to ensure that all rental housing units are identified and monitored for code compliance. He stated that we have specific ordinances in place that people who own rental units in Cottage Grove need to follow and that we need to monitor housing to ensure that we know what property is and is not homestead. Mayor Bailey stated that staff has been aggressively monitoring foreclosed properties and the Council did implement a Federally-funded Neighborhood Stabilization Program using local contractors where possible. Administrator Schroeder stated that the City of Cottage Grove had one of the highest per capita foreclosure rates in the State and because of that we qualified for Federal funding, which was given to us to utilize through the Washington County HRA. Mayor Bailey stated another goal is to provide for additional empty-nester housing and that Washington County is working on the Langdon neighborhood to include high density and apartment-style housing as part of the transit plan, noting that there is a possibility that a commuter rail station will be a part of their plan for the area. Mayor Bailey stated the Council would like to target high-end development in the East Ravine and West Draw portions of the community, and to provide opportunities for high-density townhomes, apartments, and condominium projects along with a non-senior assisted-living project. Fiscal Stability Mayor Bailey stated the Council will begin the process of reviewing the recommended Budget for 2011 and 2012 and it will include renewable, quality of life, and environmental factors as an outcome of the Sustainability Task Force report and the City purchased a hybrid vehicle for the Building Official. Mayor Bailey stated the next few items address the current fund balance policy and other current fiscal policies and practices in place including future facilities, pavement management, debt retirement, and fund reserve levies. Transportation and Transit Mayor Bailey stated the City has been aggressively pursuing third-party funding for community infrastructure to ensure that we receive our share of County and Federal stimulus funding. The City has received stimulus funds for the work on TH 61 and is trying to obtain Federal funding to upgrade the County Road 19 Bridge over TH 61, with roads to connect to the Langdon area for a commuter-rail station. He stated that the Council does support the future home of a Red Rock station in Cottage Grove, as well as high speed rail which will increase our opportunity for get the Red Rock Corridor to come in sooner because the infrastructure will be into place to Cottage Grove City Council 4 July 21, 2010 Special Meeting handle the high-speed rail going to Chicago. Mayor Bailey stated that a couple other projects include: th  Mill and overlay of 65 Street South from Cottage Grove Elementary School west to the Newport border, and in five (5) to seven (7) years to reconstruct the road.  The intersection off of Highway 95 near Erickson Marine and some the accesses into the Pine Coulee neighborhood will be redirected to the stop light at Highway 95.  Another project is to prepare specifications for the Ravine Parkway near the Washington County South Service Area, which is where we are planning on constructing the new Public Safety/City Hall complex. Public Facilities Mayor Bailey reviewed the goals stating that four (4) architectural firms were interviewed and has been narrowed down to two (2) finalists for the Public Safety/City Hall complex. Mayor Bailey stated that the Community Center Task Force is working on whether we should build a community center in the future, what it should include, and whether we should partner with a private partner and their recommendation will be presented to Council in April 2011. Mayor Bailey stated that the City is currently in the process of adding two (2) new high school locker rooms for East Ridge High School and a new mezzanine at the Cottage Grove Ice Arena. The City is also upgrading the Pine Tree Valley Park building; to provide shoreline access to the Mississippi River, and to aggressively monitor public and private water quality issues. Dog Park Senior Planner Burbank stated that staff is working with a group known as the WAG Farms Dog Park Association on the development of a dog park on a 14-acre parcel located at 9475 Glendenning Road, or behind the Fire Station on Jamaica Avenue. He stated the dog park would be operated by the Association and funded by the users. The Association would be responsible for policing the dog park and clearing the area of feces and other waste. The Association is starting to fund raise to cover the cost of fencing, benches, etc. The City’s only obligations would be to pay the property taxes, collect garbage/debris at the fence line, and to periodically mow the trails. Leash Law Senior Planner Burbank stated that staff is interested in implementing a new off- leash law for dogs in the dog park that will be considered at an upcoming Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting. Cottage Grove City Council 5 July 21, 2010 Special Meeting Community Center Senior Planner Burbank stated the Community Center Task Force has been meeting for about a year now and this is an opportunity for the Commission members to direct questions to Council. Mayor Bailey stated the project could include outdoor water recreation opportunities noting that the Task Force has been evaluating what we need and what amenities would best benefit the City of Cottage Grove. It was suggested that the facility be multi-functional and include a small theater, food/beverages, and a daycare facility, all located in one building, such as the vacant Home Depot building. Mayor Bailey stated there have been discussions with a few private organizations on entering into a public/private arrangement. Outdoor Municipal Pool Mayor Bailey stated that the YMCA is currently operating the municipal pool and there will be a time when that arrangement will not be feasible and would be cost prohibitive to continue to maintain it into the future. Mayor Bailey stated if any of the Commission members hear of a business that is looking to relocate, please refer them to the City Administrator, himself or any member of the Council. The City and the EDA are much more aggressive than ever about getting the message out that the City of Cottage Grove is a great place to open a business. At the conference in Las Vegas, there was a lot of interest in Cottage Grove. . The Special Meeting adjourned to the regular meeting at 7:58 p.m. Prepared by, Caron Stransky City Clerk