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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-05-08 MINUTES� • � ' • .' � � . � _ � ; . : f1. Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a meeting of the Public Works Commission of Cottage Grove was duly held at the Cottage Grove Public Works Facility, 8635 West Point Douglas Road South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota on Monday, May 8, 2006 at 7:00 pm. 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair David Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm. 2. ROLL CA�L David Anderson, Ken Boyden, Robert Dornsbach, Roger Finnegan, Gary Kjeliberg Mackenzie Kelly, Mallory Kelly, William Royce Staff Present: Les Burshten, Public Works Director Harry Taylor, Public Works Supervisor Also Present: Mayor Sandy Shiely Mark Grossklaus, City Counci! Member 3. APPROVE MINUTES Upon a motion by Robert Dornsbach, seconded by Gary Kjellberg, the April 10, 2006 minutes were unanimously approved. 4. ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS Light the Way Church — will be covered in the New Business Portion 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Technical Review 6.1 Ho Kinq Restaurant — Case CUP06-019 Alan Hui, Ho King Restaurant, has applied for a conditional use permit to allow a restaurant with liquor at 8711 East Point Douglas Road. Public Works Commission May 8, 2006 — Page 2 Public Works Supervisor Harry Taylor explained there was a shortage of parking spaces at the location, however, aii other conditions have been met. Community Development is further reviewing the request. 6.2 Health East - Case ZA06-023 and SP06-024 Health East has applied for a zoning amendment to amend the PUD for Summerhill Crossing, located on the northwest corner of 70�" Street and Hinton Avenue, to allow a medical office building use in place of the approved senior housing use and a site plan review of the project. Taylor explained this is a proposed medical building to be Iocated near the new Holiday Station on Hinton Avenue. Commission Member Gary Kjellberg inquired whether this facility will repiace the current office on 80 Street. It is unknown at this time whether the present office wiil remain. The proposed faciiity is 38,000 square feet and will be two stories high with 164 parking spots. Community Development is working with the developer and feels iYs a good fit for the area. 6.3 Temporarv Fireworks Sales at Menards — Case ICUP06-025 Randy Hermann, TNT Fireworks, has applied for an interim conditional use permit to allow temporary sales of fireworks in the Menards parking lot, 9000 East Point Douglas Road South. Taylor stated this is the first time Menards has made a request of this type. During the past two years a facility has been set up near Rainbow. It is intended for this new Menards location to be open from June 20 to July 5 and TNT Fireworks wishes the sales center to be located near the garden center in the parking lot. City staff has some concerns regarding truck traffic in that particular area. Staff will continue the review process. 6.4 Drivewav Setbacks — Case TA06-026 The City of Cottage Grove has applied for amendments to the City Code regarding driveway setbacks. Taylor explained the current driveway ordinance is being reviewed regarding location to property lines. Aerial photos have shown that residents are attempting to pave right up to the property line. it is also being debated whether Class 5 constitutes being classified as a hard surFace driveway. Public Works Commission May 8, 2006 — Page 3 ADDED AGENDA ITEM — �iqht the Wav Church City Clerk Caron Stransky indicated the youth group from Light the Way Church (located at 70 and Jamaica) have requested permission to conduct a fund raiser. The youth wish to conduct a door-to-door campaign of requesting permission from homeowners to paint residential addresses on the curb. Public Works Director Les Burshten asked for the Commission's opinion of this project. As a benefit of the project, Public Safety may locate addresses easier. On the downside, the painted addresses may not be maintained and will be unattractive if they fade and chip off. There are also a variety of curb styles throughout the City — some surmountable and some not. Commission Member Ken Boyden indicated addresses were painted on the curb at his former residence and noted the addresses may be visible in the summer, but are not during the winter months. He also stated since this is a voluntary service, not all residents will wish to have the painting done and added that maintenance will be an issue. Commission Member Robert Dornsbach stated he agreed with Ken noting that the paint will likely not hold up and sections of numbers may chip off. Kjellberg did not support the idea either, noting that the addresses should be on the home itself. He also stated if a vehicle is parked in front of the painted address, it won't be visible during the warmer months. Commission Member Roger Finnegan stated that it should be up to the homeowner whether they want the addresses painted on the curb or not. Burshten stated it was also suggested that perhaps the numbers could be painted on the mailboxes instead of the curb and the fundraiser could still be accomplished since there are many mailboxes without numbers. Taylor indicated Public Works staff completes many painting projects and iYs found that the most durable paint is two-part epoxy and this can be difficult to apply. Latex paint just won't last. This information wiil be forwarded to City Hall. 6. OLD BUSINESS None. 7. PUBLIC WORKS UPDATE Possible Compost Site Sale l.es Burshten reported the compost site located at 95� Street and Glendenning is currently for sale. He added he could not think of a more suitable location for such Public Works Commission May 8, 2006 — Page 4 a site since iYs not located too close to residences, however, other possible alternatives must be considered. The City Council will decide whether the City should continue this service that accepts leaves, brush, stumps and other items. It should be noted the site is not only used by the public, but City crews as well. Other counties, including Ramsey County, had a number of issues with location of their sites and some have had to be ciosed due to their close proximity with homes. The current compost site land may be impractical to purchase because of its commercial industriai zoning making the price expensive. Burshten indicated there are currently two sites at that location (first and second sites). The second site is used by the City for storage of wood chips utilized on trails including Woodridge and Hamlet Parks. In addition, boulevard trees that are damaged during storms are brought to this location. �osing this site is a problem for the City since we don't have another site. The volume is quite astonishing as thousands of yards of chips are brought to the site, probably between 700 and 1200 trees. Burshten aiso commented there is a concern for Ioss of trees with oak wilt and much disposai will be needed. The compost site has been a money saver for the City. Loss of the site will be at a considerable cost. It was noted that Washington County no longer participates in funding of compost sites. Ramsey County takes charge of their own sites. NRG operates the site and attempts to keep prices reasonable. It should be noted that prices have not changed considerably in the past 2-3 years and additionally, the City works with them to make the prices manageable. The City also receives free material and 1,000 to 1,200 yards of compost is given to residents at no charge. Ken Boyden inquired whether the City has every considered owning the land for the compost site and renting it out with the stipulation that the City will still have usage. He suggested the City consider purchasing the current Iocation as he doesn't believe a more ideal location is now available. Kjellberg asked how many acres are being used currently and Burshten responded that 20 acres are being used for both sites, however, aIl 20 acres are not needed. Burshten aiso commented there is an option on the property right now and stated he could bring back some numbers as to what the cost of the property could be, how much acreage would be needed, etc. Kjellberg commented that the compost site is something thaYs very needed and hopes that the site can be maintained at some location in the City. Boyden added that the current location is very convenient via Jamaica Avenue. Chair David Anderson also agreed that the location is near ideal and few other Iocations would be conducive to the site. Boyden also added that since the compost site is available for dumping brush and other items, there are fewer items disposed of in ditches and other areas. Public Works Commission May 8, 2006 — Page 5 Buckthorn Burshten indicated the �'arks Commission is meeting tonight and the subject of buckthorn will be discussed. The City may implement a buckthorn removal program. The City has purchased a buckthorn puller that residents are allowed to borrow. Arbor Dav The Arbor Day Event took place on April 29� Unfortunately it was a rainy day and not nearly as successful as hoped. Next year the event will be publicized at the schools, especially aimed at kids in K- Grade 6. Dispatch Center The City's Police Dispatch Center will close this summer. Calls (including 911) will be dispatched by Washington County. Most of the employees from the department will be moving to Washington County. This move will affect Public Works in a number of ways, including booster alarms, sewer backups, and alarms at the Ice Arena. A water main break can affect a number of homes and the probiem must be addressed quickly. For snow calls, we have heavily relied on our dispatch center for years and our working relationship has always been great. We should have more information for the next meeting as to what direction our department will take. We will be meeting with Public Safety tomorrow. Additionally, other cities that are dispatched from the County will be contacted to see how they are dealing with callout issues. Boyden added that having our own dispatch center has been a luxury for a Iong time. Years ago equipment was purchased that is now incompatible with the newer systems. Taylor indicated that Public Works has its own radio system which has been very reliable. When the power goes out, the generators are fired up and our radios still work. Kjellberg inquired whether Public Works will need to go to 800 MHz like everyone else. It's believed this will eventually be the case, however, some updates to our system will have to made. Sprinq Clean Up Les reported approximately 1,123 cars were counted through the course of the day and approximately 300 appliances were dropped off. All in all, the event was a great success and iYs a wonderful service for the residents. Two semi trailers were filled with household hazardous waste. At one point traffic was backed up to Jamaica Avenue. Stri in Striping is being completed. Since the dew point has been so high, the paint has been taking a while to dry. Crackfillinq Bergman Companies has completed the crackfilling and did a wonderful job. Public Works Commission May 8, 2006 — Page 6 Sealcoatinq Seaicoating wili begin in June. Some contract issues are still being resolved regarding insurance. 8. EAST RAVINE UPDATE No report this month. 9. CITY COUNCI� UPDATE Councii Member Grossklaus reported traffic signal painting was approved, along with the purchase of a used garbage truck. Burshten added that the new truck will alleviate some of the back injuries experienced by Public Works crews over the past few years now that they won't have to pick up the barrels manualiy. 10. ENGINEER'S REPORT • The 97�" Street Project is going on in the Industrial Park. . East Ravine Parkway has b2en started • The County's new facility wili begin construction on County Road 19 • 90 Street will be closing down temporarily 11. COMMISSION COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Kjeliberg asked if there's any word about demolition at Cottage Square. Taylor reported he heard the building would be taken down this summer. 12. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn was made by Robert Dornsbach, seconded by Roger Finnegan. Motion was unanimously carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m. Respectfully submitted, �a.tv'i.c+.cv Storlry