Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-04-02 MINUTES (SPECIAL MEETING)SPECIAL JOINT MEETING COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION April 2, 2008 CALL TO ORDER The City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, held a special meeting on Wednesday, April 2, 2008, with the Public Works Commission at the Cottage Grove City Hall, 7516 80 Street South. Present: Mayor Sandy Shiely Council Member Myron Bailey Council Member Mark Grossklaus Council Member Fred Luden David Anderson, Chair, Public Works Commission Commissioner Ken Boyden Commissioner Robert Dornsbach Commissioner Gary Kjellberg Commissioner Christopher Lethgo Commissioner William Royce Also Present: Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator Howard Blin, Community Development Director Les Burshten, Public Works Director Jennifer Levitt, City Engineer Harry Taylor, Public Works Supervisor Not Present: Roger Finnegan, Secretary, Public Works Commission Council Member Pat Rice Mayor Shiely opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. and reported that the Council wants to meet annually with all City commissions for purposes of feedback and to review responsibilities and determine how they align with Council goals. Introductions were then made. Feedback to Council Chair Anderson reported that he and the Public Works Director had met previously to review any areas of concern and, from a commission standpoint, there were none to bring up for Council attention other than perhaps some department staffing concerns. He said staff may sometimes feel the stretch of a lean workforce when striving to meet demands and expectations of citizen needs, citing in particular arborist duties. Special Joint Meeting — April 2, 2008 Cottage Grove City Council and Public Works Commission Page 2 Commissioner Kjellberg agreed that Public Works is understaffed by three and agreed that the current work load may be causing stress to staff. Mayor Shiely responded by stating that a hiring freeze was not Council's intent and she suggested that Commissioners address their concerns to Council in writing. She added that Council decisions may not reflect Commission opinions but they are valued nevertheless. The Public Works Commission Responsibilities and 2007 Accomplishments were distributed and reviewed. 2007 Public Works Commission Accomplishments 1. Reviewed and recommended authorization for the City of Cottage Grove to apply for a Safe Routes to School Grant for the 79 Street Sidewalk (Hemingway to Hinton) and for the 65 Street Bituminous Trail (Hinton to Cottage Grove Elementary). 2. Reviewed and commented on the new Highway 61/Jamaica Avenue Roundabout Project Design and discussed potential traffic issues. 3. Appointed Commission Member Gary Kjellberg to serve on the Comprehensive Plan Update Committee. 4. Recommended to pursue keeping the compost site at the existing location in Cottage Grove for as long as possible. 5. Reviewed and commented on the East Ravine Parkway Design and Trunk Utilities. 6. Reviewed and commented on the Washington County Transportation Comprehensive Plan. 7. Recommended that a City traffic study be completed in the next pavement management project area in 2008 and thereafter in each seal coat area. 8. Recommended to not increase solid waste hauler license fees to cover the cost of trash pick-up on Highway 61. 9. Reviewed and recommended the approval of the Street Lighting Policy. 10. Reviewed and recommended to allow All Saints Lutheran Church to construct a replacement sign consistent with the current size and shape of the existing sign with location modification to be approved by Engineering. 11. Recommended the Stormwater Maintenance Fund rate be increased due to the fact that the City of Cottage Grove is required to be in compliance with state and federal mandates. Public Works Commission Responsibilities 1. Review and comment on plats as they relate to roadway and utility infrastructure. 2. Review Storm Water Business Plan, rate study recommendations and long-range budget planning for storm water and CIP project timing. 3. Review and monitor water, sanitary, and roadway reconstruction projects. 4. Review and provide recommendations on sign studies and signage requests. 5. Review of annual sidewalk/curb repair along with seal coating/crack filling projects. 6. Review and comment on proposed major intersection/bridge improvements (semaphore installation/replacement, Southwest Transportation Study, replacement of CR19 Bridge, Jamaica Roundabout, and similar. 7. Review of Public Works initiatives such as the remote reader program. 2 Special Joint Meeting — Apri12, 2008 Cottage Grove City Council and Public Works Commission Page 3 8. Planning of Public Works Open Houses and other media opportunities (National Night Out, Strawberry Fest, etc.) 9. Recommend updates to the WEB pages related to Public Works and ideas for improvement. 10. Participation in planning for the Arbor Day event and perhaps participation on the day of the event, from the communication of Public Works activity perspective. 11. Public facility maintenance, repair and construction issues (such as Public Works facility reconstruction, reviewing capital planning for other City facilities, HVAC systems, etc.). 12. Participation with public communication efforts such as neighborhood meetings on City projects and discussion of other communication opportunities to raise awareness of upcoming projects or opportunities for public participation with upcoming projects. Council Request Council Member Grossklaus requested that Commissioners cite in meeting minutes the reasonings behind their votes whenever possible, as it would help Council. Mayor Shiely agreed, adding that it also helps Council to know what questions were asked and how they were answered, as well as what ideas were shared, whether approved or not. Comprehensive Plan It was reported that a draft of the Comprehensive Plan is expected next week, which Council will then review. Mayor Shiely stated that the community survey revealed that residents particularly appreciate the small-town feel of Cottage Grove and she hopes that the Comprehensive Plan will include specifics to help maintain that. Televisinq Meetinps Mayor Shiely said it would be helpful to the Community to have access to Public Works Commission meetings. She asked Commissioners if they would be willing to have a discussion about having their meetings televised, and they agreed. Commissioner Kjellberg stated that he is a proponent of getting all commission minutes on the internet. Roundabout Commissioner Kjellberg asked about the timeline for landscaping of the new roundabouts and expressed concern about redoing the work after a few years, citing previous projects that have undergone tearing out flowers and bushes and the added expense associated with that. The City Engineer projected by the end of May and said she hoped his stated concerns would be mitigated in that an investment was made to make the site nearly maintenance free, condensing strips and bed areas and utilizing native plants and irrigation. Commissioner Kjellberg asked if plant sizes had been taken into consideration so they don't obscure turns, creating public safety hazards. The City Engineer responded by stating that MnDOT governs the site lines and has taken care of that concern. 3 Special Joint Meeting — April 2, 2008 Cottage Grove City Council and Public Works Commission Page 4 Mayor Shiely inquired as to when signage would be installed, and the City Engineer said the letters are on order but the wall needs to be colored before installation. Commissioner Kjellberg commented that the roundabout works better than he thought it would. The Public Works Director stated that the Commission and Council had provided feedback during the roundabout construction and their comments had all been taken into consideration. Doa Park Mayor Shiely requested Commission comment regarding the proposed dog park on 2-3 acres of County-owned property near Ravine Park, which the County is expecting the City would maintain. She said Washington County is the only county in the seven-county metro area that doesn't maintain and finance a dog park, though it does maintain and finance horse trails. Commissioner Kjellberg expressed his disapproval and said it would be wrong to expect City employees to have to clean a dog park. Commissioner Boyden said he lives near a trail and many owners do not pick up after their dogs. He said, in addition, that people will only walk so far for a given reason and he doesn't anticipate there would be many owners that will drive to use the site. Chair Anderson agreed and said the majority of owners walk their dogs in nearby neighborhoods. He noted that the City budget is strapped, is in the midst of constructing an ice arena, and he couldn't see spending the money to create a dog park that would only be used by 10-15 residents and that there could be issues related to control of dogs, perhaps putting the City at risk. Mayor Shiely reported that there are other areas that have successful dog parks but she is not a proponent and stated emphatically that Public Works should have absolutely no involvement in clean-up if a park were to be built. Commissioner Boyden said maintaining a dog park would be just one more thing added to an already short staff and said a dog park would be another expense to taxpayers but be of no benefit to the City. Closinq Comments Council Member Luden said the Public Works Commission has the best attendance and participation of any commission that he has been on and should be commended, acknowledging that members have done a great job and provide valuable input. Commissioner Boyden commended the Public Works Director for his excellent supervision and said the department has done a tremendous job for City residents, citing on-time snow removal in particular. 4 Special Joint Meeting — Apri12, 2008 Cottage Grove City Council and Public Works Commission Page 5 Mayor Shiely thanked the commissioners for their service, and Chair Anderson complimented City staff and expressed his appreciation. There being no further business, Mayor Shiely adjourned the meeting at 7:11 p.m. RespectFully submitted, Mary Heintz TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.