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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL August 10, 2016 COUNCIL CHAMBER 12800 RAVINE PARKWAY SOUTH REGULAR MEETING – 7:00 P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER The City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, held a regular meeting on August 10, 2016 at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Parkway. Mayor Bailey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The audience, staff, and Mayor and City Council Members recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL The following were present: Mayor Myron Bailey, Council Member Steve Dennis, Council Member Justin Olsen, Council Member Jen Peterson. Council Member Dave Thiede was not present. Also present were: Charlene Stevens, City Administrator; Korine Land, City Attorney- LeVander, Gillen & Miller, PA; Les Burshten, Public Works Director; Christine Costello, Director of Economic Development; Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City Clerk; Jennifer Levitt, Community Development Director/City Engineer; Sharon Madsen, Communications Coordinator; John McCool, Senior City Planner; Rick Redenius, Fire Chief; Robin Roland, Finance Director; Craig Woolery, Public Safety Director. 4. OPEN FORUM Mayor Bailey asked if anyone in the audience wished to address the Council on any item that was not on the agenda. As no one wished to address the Council, Mayor Bailey closed the Open Forum. 5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion by Council Member Olsen, second by Council Member Dennis, to adopt the agenda. Motion carried: 4-0. CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE 12800 Ravine Parkway Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016  www.cottage-grove.org 651-458-2800 Fax 651-458-2897 Equal Opportunity Employer  City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 2 6. PRESENTATIONS A. Eagle Scout Award – Aaron W. Jenkins, Troop 286 Mayor Bailey presented a plaque to Aaron W. Jenkins for obtaining the Eagle Scout Award, and he and the Council Members thanked him for giving back to the community. Aaron then shared with everyone the project that he had completed; he had built portable snowshoe racks for the Carpenter Nature Center in Cottage Grove. In the winter, instead of storing the snowshoe racks in the gazebo, underneath one of the lookouts, Aaron built a snowshoe rack with hooks and wheels so the snowshoe racks could be placed inside the main offices at the Welcome Center. They could then be easily transported to the gazebo for storage in the summertime because the racks are now on wheels. Aaron also had his photo taken with the Mayor and Council Members. B. Green Garden Awards Communications Coordinator Sharon Madsen stated the Parks & Recreation Department’s horticulture interns, Brandon Berthiaume and Jared Gamm, were present. They reviewed the projects they’d worked on this summer and showed before and after photographs of their work. They replaced 83 plants at the Splash Pad at Hillside Park and added mulch. At Woodridge Park, they planted 269 plants in the island medians in the parking lot and around the building and used 40 yards of rock. The total cost was approximately $8,000. In addition, they planted annual flowers in most of the Cottage Grove parks, including Sunnyhill Park, Hearthside Park, Lamar Park, in addition to placing potted plants throughout the City. They worked on the roundabouts on Jamaica Avenue; they removed and replaced the dead plants and reorganized the plants that were still living. At the former City Hall, they removed 6’-7’ tall weeds, saved some plants that had been buried by the weeds, and added mulch. At the Ice Arena, they redesigned the sign and the plants and added rocks. They replaced some plants that hadn’t survived and added some boulders. In addition, about two weeks ago, over 800 plants were donated to the City by Gardenworld, who will be relocating to Cottage Grove in late 2016. They explained the Cottage Grove Green Garden Awards, which included residential, commercial, and two new awards this year were the container award and the entryway award. They spoke of four residential garden nominees, including Bonnie Teigen, Mary Gutterman, Mr. and Mrs. Sockness, and Joyce Sipe. Brandon and Jared showed photographs of each of the gardens and described what they liked about each of them. The container winner was Barbara Johnson; she lives in The Cottages and said she liked putting the pots together and knew the neighbors appreciated them. She was unable to be present to receive her award. The entryway winner was Joan Hoover; she had beautiful landscaping at the front of her residence, which is a corner lot, and it included a water feature. The commercial award winner was Koch Pipelines, as they had put in a new parking lot and they had created and maintained landscaping in front of their building. The residential winner was Michelle Roberts, who has a Monarch City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 3 station in her home’s front yard. Everything in her yard served a purpose; she had a specific reason why she had planted something, including bees and birds. Her back yard featured a pergola. She’s a year-round gardener and has a greenhouse. Each of the winners was congratulated by Mayor Bailey and the Council Members. The prizes were garden stones that read, “City of Cottage Grove Green Garden Award Winner, 2016”. Brandon Berthiaume and Jared Gamp were thanked by Mayor Bailey and the Council Members for all of their efforts this summer in beautifying the City. 7. CONSENT AGENDA A. Authorize issuance of a single-occasion gambling permit to Cottage Grove Elementary PTO Inc. to hold a raffle on October 7, 2016. B. Approve the July 20, 2016 City Council Special Meeting Minutes. C. Approve the July 20, 2016 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. D. Adopt Resolution 2016-124 approving a settlement reducing the 2015 Pavement Management Project assessment for the property at 8750-90th Street South from $14,400 to $8,000 and authorize the Finance Director to notify the County. E. Authorize issuance of a single-occasion gambling permit to the East Ridge Diamond Club to conduct a raffle and bingo at River Oaks Golf Course on November 3, 2016. F. 1. Approve the plan for the Eagles Bar and Grill at River Oaks Golf Course. 2. Approve the transfer of $100,000 from the General Fund to cover additional part-time staffing and Capital Improvements. G. Preliminarily approve joining the statewide volunteer firefighter retirement plan administered by PERA. H. Accept the minutes from the Planning Commission on June 27, 2016. I. Adopt Resolution 2016-125 approving the variance to allow a driveway expansion at 7325 Joliet Circle South to be two feet from the side property line instead of the required six-foot side yard setback for driveways in the R-4, Low Density Residential District. J. Adopt Resolution 2016-126 to accept the donation of 42 St. Michael pendant necklaces at a total value of $1,900 from Selvig Jewelers on behalf of local businesses to Cottage Grove Police Officers. K. Adopt Resolution 2016-127 authorizing staff to submit an application for a Local Planning Assistance Grant for $32,000 to the Metropolitan Council. Council Member Olsen wished to pull Item J for a separate vote, and Council Member Dennis wished to pull Item F for further discussion and/or comments. Council Member Dennis stated they’re continuing to work hard on the Eagles Bar and Grill, the food and beverage operation at the River Oaks Golf Course. They’ve hired City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 4 two new individuals, Scott Merkel and James Warrington, and they both have solid experience. They’re recruiting more staff and will also be rolling out a new menu; they’re looking at having a Sunday brunch as well as daily specials. Council Member Dennis reviewed the history of the golf course and how they’d gotten to this point and felt this would be a viable opportunity going forward. Motion by Council Member Peterson to approve the Consent Agenda, second by Council Member Olsen. Motion carried: 4-0. Motion by Council Member Olsen to Adopt Resolution 2016-126 to accept the donation of 42 St. Michael pendant necklaces, at a total value of $1,900.00, from Selvig Jewelers on behalf of local businesses to Cottage Grove Police Officers, second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 4-0. Public Safety Director Craig Woolery introduced Christine Selvig of Selvig Jewelers. He stated he had been approached by Ms. Selvig regarding a donation they wanted to make to the men and women of the Cottage Grove Police Department for their service. Director Woolery thanked the local businesses who had supported this donation: Rocco’s Pizza; Oasis Chiropractic; Bonngard’s Family Meats; Dennis Brothers Liquors; the Historic John P. Furber Farm Wedding & Events Center; Edwards Plumbing; the Subway store on County Road 19 and 70th Street; Bieter Eye Clinic; RSI Insurance; Cottage Grove Lions; Cottage Grove Public Safety Board; Hope Glen Farm; KOK Funeral Home; Optimal Health and Performance; Old Tyme Fudge & Ice Cream; The Healing Place; Park Grove Animal Hospital; Selvig Jewelers and their supplier. The wholesaler Selvig Jewelers used, Stuller, Inc., had also provided a discount. Director Woolery stated they were humbled by the donation and were proud to serve this community. He stated they always try to improve, to do better, and to learn. He thanked Selvig Jewelers and all businesses for their donation to the officers. Ms. Selvig stated they couldn’t have done this without the support of all of the businesses mentioned. She stated they were here tonight to recognize the Cottage Grove police officers, as officers watch their stores and/or businesses. She thought a pendant of St. Michael, who is the patron saint to protect police officers, might be the way to show gratitude. She contacted Director Woolery to find out how many officers there were; she calculated the cost and knew Selvig Jewelers alone could not afford that amount. She called upon her fellow local business owners and asked them if they wanted to be a part of this; their response was, “Absolutely, count me in. I love the idea.” After watching the news of late, she prays that each of the Cottage Grove officers and all officers nationwide will go home safely every day to their families. She thanked the officers for their courage, bravery, and hard work. She wanted the officers to know every time they drive by their businesses, they thank them very much and support them. She and the other local businesses mentioned wanted to gift each officer, including K9 Gunnar, with a St. Michael pendant to protect them. City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 5 Mayor Bailey thanked the businesses for their gift to the officers, which is just another example of how the Cottage Grove community pulls together. Council Members commented that this gift was extremely special and very heartfelt and thanked everyone involved and thanked Ms. Selvig for her initiative in making this donation possible. 8. APPROVE DISBURSEMENTS A. Approve payment of check numbers 197175 to 197471 in the amount of $1,901,621.15 and EFT Payment of $177,280.80. Motion to approve disbursements by Council Member Olsen, second by Council Member Peterson. Motion carried: 4-0. 9. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Temporary Health Care Dwellings Ordinance Amendment 1) Hold a public hearing. 2) The Planning Commission recommends that the Council pass Ordinance 966 for the City of Cottage Grove opting out of the requirements of Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.3593, and prohibiting temporary health care family dwellings in any zoning district. Planner John McCool stated many of the cities in the metro area were selecting to opt out of the requirements of this Minnesota Statute. In May, 2016, the legislature had required small modular living units be placed on a residential lot; the statute does not provide for any development standards, setbacks, or where they could be placed on the residential properties. If a community was to consider this, they’d need to look at size limitations. There were many more issues in allowing for these family dwellings than just allowing a family member to live in the back yard in a modular unit. They’d need City sewer and water and electrical service, which would require additional permits and also inspections. It would be very expensive to do that. They also had concerns regarding if those were going to be located in the front yard of residential properties, the visual impacts on adjacent properties, and monitoring; e.g., a follow-up process once the family member had moved out. They felt existing homes in Cottage Grove would already allow space for a family member to live in the existing home. Planner McCool said the City staff supported the Planning Commission’s recommendations to opt out of the Minnesota Statutes and prohibit temporary health care family dwellings. Mayor Bailey opened the public hearing. As no one wished to speak on this item, Mayor Bailey closed the public hearing. Motion by Council Member Dennis to adopt Ordinance 966 for the City of Cottage Grove opting out of the requirements of Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.3593, prohibiting temporary health care family dwellings in any zoning district; second by Council Member Peterson. Motion carried: 4-0. B. Amendment to the EDA Bylaws and Enabling Resolution City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 6 Approve the proposed Economic Development Authority (EDA) Bylaws and adopt Resolution 2016-128 amending the EDA Enabling Resolution. Director of Economic Development Christine Costello stated this was an implementation step to the City of Cottage Grove’s Strategic Plan. The Bylaws and Enabling Resolution were reviewed to ensure they keep with current Minnesota State Statute requirements for the powers and statutory authority of the EDA. The City’s legal counsel drafted and reviewed the Bylaws and also the Enabling Resolution. This was also approved by the EDA at their July meeting. Some new changes were they would need to elect a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary; the Secretary is the only position that can be filled by a City staff member, usually the City Clerk or an Economic Development staff member. Also, in Article 2, Section 6, the Assistant Treasurer should be the City Finance Director, as a backup. Any EDA Board Member doing official business activities can be reimbursed, as long as they provide an itemized receipt; that’s basically the same policy as exists for the City Council. However, that was previously not in the Bylaws. The EDA must make a report to the City Council detailing its activities and a receipt of expenditures from the preceding calendar year. The EDA will also review its budget before submitting it to the City Council; that was done at the last EDA meeting and moved it forward to the City Council. Some outdated language was removed from the Enabling Resolution and some was moved into the Bylaws. Mayor Bailey opened the public hearing. As no one wished to speak, Mayor Bailey closed the public hearing. Council Member Olsen stated he liked the provision for a report to the City Council, which he stated this Council, and future Councils, would very much appreciate. Motion by Council Member Olsen to approve the proposed Economic Development Authority (EDA) Bylaws and adopt Resolution 2016-128 amending the EDA Enabling Resolution, second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 4-0. 10. BID AWARDS – None. 11. REGULAR AGENDA A. 2017 Pavement Management Project Adopt Resolution 2016-129 approving the feasibility report and establishing a September 7, 2016, public improvement hearing date for the 2017 Pavement Management Project. Community Development Director/City Engineer Jennifer Levitt stated there were two neighborhoods slated for pavement management, Rolling Hills, which is adjacent to Hinton Avenue, just north of 80th Street, and Jamaica Ridge, which is adjacent to Jamaica Avenue, just south of 80th Street. City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 7 Engineer Levitt stated there are several types of pavement rehabilitation, including full reconstruction and pavement replacement with spot curb replacement. They met with the residents in those two areas to explain the process and anticipated assessments. They’re looking at these assessments: $5,000 for full curb replacement. Rolling Hills’ assessments would be approximately $3,200, and Jamaica Ridge assessments are proposed at approximately $3,500. The total cost for those projects is less than $2,000,000, as directed by the City Council through the CIP process. Motion by Council Member Olsen to adopt Resolution 2016-129 approving the feasibility report and establishing a September 7, 2016 public improvement hearing date for the 2017 Pavement Management Project, second by Council Member Peterson. Motion carried: 4-0. B. CSAH 19/East Point Douglas Road Improvement Project Adopt Resolution Nos. 2016-130 and 2016-131 approving the feasibility report and establishing a September 21, 2016, public improvement hearing date for the CSAH 19/East Point Douglas Road Improvement Project. Engineer Levitt stated there will be a roundabout constructed at County Road 19 and East Point Douglas Road and there will be another section of East Point Douglas Road that will connect the roundabout to the area previously constructed with the Walmart development. The 6-legged roundabout will connect to the frontage roads and will provide new on ramps; there will also be improvements to the Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park, which will help showcase the park with better visibility. There are financial recovery mechanisms in place. As there are not properties immediately adjacent to the improvement, they use a tiered system. The project cost is just over $3,100,000; Washington County’s cost is approximately $1,400,000 and the City’s cost is approximately $912,000. There are various utility funds that will provide for the cost recovery, as well as area businesses and property owners who will be responsible for the tiered system. They are also seeing third-party funding through a cooperative agreement program with the Department of Transportation. The second element of the project is the East Point Douglas Road improvement, which starts where the roundabout project ends and at Walmart where the reconstruction ended. This will provide for the extension of sanitary sewer, water, and trunk storm sewer to facilitate growth and development in that area. That project has a total cost of $1,300,000. The standard method to assess commercial benefit is typically front footage that is abutting the street versus the area. They’ve tried to look at the actual trip generation being anticipated with the commercial growth in the area and assign a benefit based on the percentage of traffic to those areas. The Council had previously indicated that staff should proceed with a benefit appraisal to determine the best method to ensure the properties are receiving the appropriate benefit, since there is a City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 8 large difference amongst the properties. Walmart has already paid $214,500 to the City for these enhancements; that money has been allocated to this project. Mayor Bailey stated there’s a homeowner involved and he felt they should do what they could to work with the adjacent property owners. Mayor Bailey also felt they should work with Xcel to have power lines underground in that area. Engineer Levitt stated the report they had before them did not contemplate the cost implications of installing those lines underground. She requested that they be allowed until September 21, 2016, to provide some opportunity to review some options and the associated costs, which would allow them to determine how they would like to proceed with that. Mayor Bailey stated this area was probably their last big commercial node to be developed. He felt in the plans there were areas where there appeared to be water, and he didn’t want to see another pond like there had been in front of Rainbow Foods. He stated if they were going to have water features, he felt there should be a beautiful gateway into the new commercial development area. Council Member Olsen wanted to ensure that the schematics had been shared with the adjacent property owners so there’d be a clear understanding moving forward. Engineer Levitt stated they had met with the property owners, and there was another meeting next week with some of the homeowners to discuss the details. Motion by Council Member Dennis to adopt Resolution 2016-130 approving the feasibility report, establishing a September 21, 2016, public improvement hearing date for the CSAH 19 Improvement Project, second by Council Member Peterson. Motion carried: 4-0. Motion by Council Member Peterson to adopt Resolution 2016-131 approving the feasibility report, establishing a September 21, 2016, public improvement hearing date for the East Point Douglas Road Improvement Project, second by Council Member Olsen. Motion carried: 4-0. C. New Oltman Middle School Pass Ordinance 967 rezoning certain properties on an approximately 57- acre parcel from AG-2, Agriculture, to R-2.5, Residential; and Adopt Resolution 2016-132, approving the preliminary plat named New Oltman Middle School, and the conditional use permit and site plan review applications for the proposed new Oltman Middle School. Planner John McCool stated School District 833 had made applications for the construction of a new middle school, the new Oltman Middle School; the property is located at the northwest quadrant of the community located at 65th Street and Geneva Avenue. The application filed is a rezoning application to rezone property currently zoned as AG-2, Agriculture, to Residential, which is consistent with the existing zoning to the north and east of the proposed school site. The preliminary plat application subdivides the 57 acres of land into 3 lots and 2 outlots. There is also the conditional City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 9 use permit and site plan review for the proposed middle school itself. He reviewed a map of the 57 acres, as well as the official zoning map. Planner McCool stated the proposed zoning is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. He stated the parcel would be subdivided into 2 lots, one for the school and the other for future development of a park facility with outdoor fields. The school currently has the capacity for approximately 1,100 students, with future expansion to 1,467 students. He reviewed the site plan, future development of the property, and proposed building materials with the Council. Planner McCool stated the Planning Commission held a public hearing at their July 25 meeting; there were concerns for a lack of parking in the vicinity of the outdoor football and track area, in addition to the athletic field that would be in the northeast corner of the property itself. The School District held a neighborhood informational meeting; concerns were expressed regarding the improvements for Geneva Avenue and 65th Street and the proposed roundabouts at those intersections. Planner McCool and Engineer Levitt answered questions from the Mayor and Council Members regarding athletic fields, parking, roundabouts, and walking trails. Engineer Levitt stated the School District hoped to get construction started in October, 2016. Mike Vogel, the Interim Director of Facilities and Construction for South Washington County Schools, 7362 East Point Douglas Road, Cottage Grove, wanted to thank the City staff members, Mayor, and Council Members for their efforts in development of this site. He stated they would open the bids for the site grading and utility package on September 8, 2016, and hope to award that at the September 17 School Board meeting. They expect the new Oltman Middle School will be completed in August, 2018. Motion by Council Member Olsen to pass Ordinance 967 rezoning certain properties on an approximately 57-acre parcel from AG-2, Agriculture, to R-2.5, Residential, second by Council Member Peterson. Motion carried 4-0. Motion by Council Member Olsen to adopt Resolution 2016-132 approving the preliminary plat named New Oltman Middle School, and the conditional use permit and site plan review applications for the proposed new Oltman Middle School, second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 4-0. D. Central Fire Station – Contract for Construction Management Services Approve the contract for Construction Manager as Constructor with a Guaranteed Maximum Price between Kraus-Anderson Construction Company and the City of Cottage Grove for the Central Station located at 8641-80th Street. Engineer Levitt stated the City had selected Wold Architects in May to design the new Central Fire Station, and they’re working on the schematic design. They’re anticipating the schematic design will be brought before the Council at the August 24 meeting, as well as the cost estimate. The next decision is how the project delivery through City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 10 construction will take place. 1) Design-Build: The method used for the current City Hall-Public Safety building. Some of the risk of the construction is applied to the contractor, although the owner still retains risk for delays, deficiencies, etc. Once that contract is signed, the owner is somewhat set aside because the contractor is moving forward to execute with the guarantee that they’ve provided on the contract. They hope to be more collaborative and engaged in the construction. 2) Design-Bid-Build: The architect and the owner work hand in hand. It’s generally a low-bid process, but one of the risks with that is a lot of change orders. They want to minimize change orders with this project and have the contractor bear some of the risks with those items. 3) Construction Management Agency is another method, which was used on the Ice Arena expansion. The team that delivered that project was very successful from a project delivery standpoint and with a very tight budget. Kraus-Anderson was hired at that time to manage that project. Cost control involvement is available with that method. The paperwork with that method, however, is extremely intense, both from a staff level and Council workload. The question is how we can get the best of both worlds in contract management; one is construction management at risk. With that are all of the benefits the City had with the Ice Arena project with Kraus-Anderson as the Construction Manager; the City can control the budget, with hands on in construction, but there would not be 20+ contracts throughout the architectural package that would come before the Council. Kraus- Anderson would bid out all of those different divisions, and they would hold the contract and there would be a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract. As part of that, Kraus- Anderson is proposing their services at 2.3% of the building construction; at the current time the building construction is estimated to be $5,800,000, so Kraus-Anderson would be paid approximately $134,000. As they had negotiated the Wold contract, they had anticipated going with a Construction Manager so the City had negotiated down their contract. The current recommendation is for the contract with Kraus-Anderson with a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract. Council Member Olsen expressed his concerns about possibly not using union labor and instead using “cheap labor,” which he felt would cost the City in the long run. He stated that they had mostly used union labor for the City Hall-Public Safety project and had still remained under budget. Engineer Levitt stated there are not state or federal dollars associated with this project so they don’t need to use prevailing wage, which is something they could look at if Council made that directive. She stated she knew that on the Ice Arena project there was one contractor who was non-union and there were some challenges there, but those were able to be overcome. She said they’d look to Kraus-Anderson to address those concerns in the established bidding documents. Council Member Olsen stated that Kraus-Anderson is a very well accomplished contractor and regarded very well; they also work for a number of municipalities. Council Member Olsen stated they had never gone through this process before, and he hoped they wouldn’t work toward a cheaper end result through the use of substandard labor. He wanted to make sure that the Central Station would be constructed as well as the current City Hall-Public Safety building. City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 11 Motion by Council Member Olsen to approve the contract for Construction Manager as Constructor with a Guaranteed Maximum Price between Kraus-Anderson Construction Company and the City of Cottage Grove for the Central Station located at 8641 80th Street, second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 4-0. 12. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Council Member Dennis wanted to comment on “cheap labor.” He stated there was currently a pavement management project taking place on the west side of Highway 61, adjacent to the 95th Street area. It’s a contractor not before used by the City and challenges have arisen that were affecting the residents, as work hadn’t been performed properly or only halfway. Some citizens have reached out and asked for assistance. He felt when the City went through the bid process, and generally they went with the low-price bid, but they want to do the project correctly the first time because quality has no fear of time. He felt if the City considers going with a new contractor in the future, it would be prudent for the City to consider doing a background check on them, contact previous customers, etc. and thereby set ourselves up for success. Engineer Levitt stated they try to set a project up for success. It’s difficult when they have one player who’s not holding up their end of the bargain, in this case, the subcontractor who’s delivering the restoration services. When the first lift of asphalt gets placed, the contractor has 14 days to do restoration. The current contractor is not performing; in Phase 1, in D2, June 2 was when they were supposed to have restoration done and then again on July 8. The contractor did not place the topsoil until July 1, so they were approximately one month behind delivery; they were only about 8 days behind delivering on Phase 2 of that area. In the month of June staff worked with the contractor and the subcontractor to deliver a better product and to move them forward in a more positive trajectory so they are on schedule in the area of F3 and F5 in doing the restoration there, as well as on 80th Street. Unfortunately, there are still some issues with the D2 area, which is where most of the residents are frustrated, rightfully so. They hydroseeded on July 11 but had an equipment malfunction and weren’t able to finish the rest of the area. Then they hydroseeded and mulched on August 3. They are one day ahead of schedule for the F3 and F5 area, contractually, so they’re working on a better trajectory than what they did in D2. Because of the delay in the topsoil, weeds have erupted so the contractor needed to kill the weeds; however, the first application of weed killer did not work and you have to wait one week before you can plant seed. The second weed killer application also did not work. The residents are frustrated because they’re not seeing positive trajectory toward getting the green and lush grass back, adjacent to the curb. They’ve indicated to the subcontractor that they’d be in to roto till and redo all of the streets on Monday. There is a back-up plan in place to ensure that restoration happens next week, and most likely they might have to use internal forces for the hydroseeding if that doesn’t work. Any work done internally will be compensated for and they’re using all mechanisms within the contract to enforce City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 12 their work. Residents have been frustrated as they haven’t seen a watering truck out there, but they’re working to resolve that issue. Areas that were previously hydroseeded have been rejected, as they’re not acceptable, and those will be redone. They will evaluate the Phase 2 area on August 17 to see if it’s successful. They recognize the residents’ frustration in the D area, specifically in Phase 1, and they’re working to resolve that, but they appreciate the patience of the residents. Engineer Levitt stated she thought the contractor understood the message relayed by the City. Mayor Bailey asked if there was a way to communicate all of this information to the citizens who live in those areas. Engineer Levitt stated the citizens had been provided with a schedule, which they had planned to keep, but they recommended a mailing to the residents to explain the situation and bring them up to speed and assure them the City is not going to leave it in the present condition and will continue to work toward restoration. Mayor Bailey thought that was a great idea. Council Member Peterson asked if they would remember this in the future and not rehire this particular company in the future. Engineer Levitt said they’d pay close attention to the selection of the company’s subcontractors to perform the work. Council Member Olsen stated that the Council Members have been working with the City staff each evening for the past two weeks on budgets for 2017 and 2018. City Administrator Charlene Stevens brought a new process to the City this year for budget planning in that this year the Council got to see and hear from each of the Departments about all of their suggested budget additions. In the past, that was not the case, as there was a filter and essentially the staff members for each Department would create their wish list and the wish list would go to the City Administrator and or Finance Director. Certain things were given the green light to go ahead to Council and other things were not. The Council didn’t care for that method and wanted to see everything. The difference is the Council has actually had an opportunity to see all of those things and consider them. He asked the public to hold their questions until the actual budget process was finished, as some items requested had already been planned for in the Capital Improvement Project and other funding. Also, even though some items were requested, that did not mean they’d all be purchased. Council Member Olsen wanted to thank the residents who hosted a Night to Unite party this year; there were approximately 56 parties in the City. He stated it was a beautiful evening and the Council Members and members of the Public Safety Department were kept busy in trying to attend as many parties as they could. Council Member Olsen stated in the Green Garden Awards earlier tonight, one new category was the entryway garden. He said that was Diane Fredrickson’s idea; she is a Master Gardener and she came to Council Member Olsen and the Mayor and thought people who live in apartments or townhomes should have an opportunity to win a Green Garden Award for what they do with their entryway. He wanted to credit Diane for her idea and also gave credit to the staff for putting it together. City Council Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 Page 13 Council Member Peterson stated the next Fare For All discount grocery-buying opportunity will take place on August 11 at All Saints Lutheran Church. It’s an opportunity to buy frozen meat and fresh produce at big discounts; in turn that helps out an organization that supplies food to local food shelves. Council Member Peterson thanked the community as the Stone Soup Thrift Shop recently held a fall fashion show at the historic John P. Furber farm. There was a great crowd; they estimated at least 150 people, as the entire lower level was pretty full. There were great fashions, a pop-up store included fashions worn on the runway that were subsequently sold, as well as other items. She wasn’t certain how much money was raised at this point, as numbers were still coming in. She thanked all of the sponsors, including Thrivent Financial and the Historic John P. Furber farm, who donated the venue, as well as the models. They’re looking forward to doing this again next year, as the John P. Furber farm has again offered to provide the venue. Mayor Bailey stated August 12 was the deadline to apply for the Citizens’ Academy within Cottage Grove; this runs from September 13 through November 1. Director Woolery sent an e-mail that there was an unfortunate accident during a Citizens’ Academy class in Florida where a course member was accidentally shot and killed; Director Woolery assured the Council and the citizens that they don’t use real guns or do that particular event that took place in Florida. You will be able to go to a shooting range with all of the safety and security, but they do not use real guns or live ammunition in the Cottage Grove Citizens’ Academy. Mayor Bailey felt it was an amazing opportunity to get to know more about what it’s like in the life of a police officer, and he encouraged people to sign up. Mayor Bailey stated there would be a future fundraiser, a community walk, for the Inclusive Playground at Woodridge Park. The City is committing dollars to the playground and they’re looking for support from businesses as well as from the Cottage Grove citizens. More information will be coming on that within the next week; the fundraiser will be located in and around Woodridge Park. 13. WORKSHOPS – OPEN TO PUBLIC – None. 14. WORKSHOPS – CLOSED TO PUBLIC – None. 15. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Council Member Olsen, second by Council Member Dennis, to adjourn the meeting at 9:06 p.m. Motion carried: 4-0. Minutes prepared by Judy Graf and reviewed by Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City Clerk.