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MINUTES
COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL October 4, 2017
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 October 4, 2017, 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, 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 Wayne Johnson, and Council Member La Rae Mills. Council Member
Dave Thiede was not present.
Also present were: Charlene Stevens, City Administrator; Korine Land, City Attorney-
LeVander, Gillen & Miller, PA; Ryan Burfeind, Assistant City Engineer; Les Burshten,
Public Works Director; Zac Dockter, Parks and Recreation Director; Joe Fischbach/HR
Manager/City Clerk; Jennifer Levitt, Community Development Director/City Engineer;
Rick Redenius, Fire Chief; Robin Roland, Finance Director.
4. OPEN FORUM
Mayor Bailey opened the open forum and asked if anyone in the audience wished to
address the Council on any item that was not on the agenda.
Gary Davis, 7671 Hyde Avenue South, stated he and his wife have lived in Cottage
Grove for approximately 30 years and are both retired. He stated costs keep going up,
but he wanted to ask the Council if they could consider given senior citizens a break;
they're on a fixed income and he heard City taxes were going up, Washington County
taxes were going up, there was a school referendum, and they just want to know when
it's going to end because sooner or later they're not going to make it financially.
As no one else wished to address the Council, Mayor Bailey closed the open forum.
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
September 20, 2017
Page 2
5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Motion by Council Member Dennis to adopt the agenda; second by Council Member
Mills. Motion carried: 4-0.
6. PRESENTATIONS — None.
7. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve the September 20, 2017 City Council Special Meeting Minutes.
B. Approve the September 20, 2017 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes.
C. Authorize issuance of and waiving the fee for a single occasion gambling
permit to South Washington County Schools Community Education for a
raffle on 10/27/2017 at the District Program Center, 8400 East Point
Douglas Road.
D. Approve the request to name the future park and open space land within
the Upper East Ravine development area "Glacial Valley Park".
E. Request Council authorization to accept the donation from Afton Apple
fundraising activity, at the end of the fall season, which will be earmarked
for the Police Explorer Program and a new Sparky costume for the Fire
Department.
F. Authorize service agreement with Bituminous Roadways to remove and
replace Kingston Park tennis/basketball courts for the amount of$41,500.
G. Adopt Resolution 2017-136 authorizing the preparation of a feasibility
report for the Summers Landing 2nd Addition Street & Utility
Improvements.
H. Adopt Resolution 2017-135 requesting MnDOT to complete an
Engineering and Traffic Investigation along Municipal State Aid Street 124
(90th Street South), from Jewel Avenue South to CSAH 19 (Keats Avenue
South).
I. Adopt Resolution 2017-140 authorizing the preparation of a feasibility
report for the Hadley Avenue Reconstruction Project from 65th Street to
the Woodbury Border.
J. Accept the Certified Local Government Grant in the amount of$449 from
the Minnesota Historical Society to compensate the City for required
attendance at the Annual Statewide Historic Preservation Conference held
September 13-15, 2017.
K. Adopt Resolution 2017-141 approving the plans and specifications and
establishing a bid date of October 26, 2017 for the construction of Well 12
Pumping Facility.
L. Approve the 2018-2020 Police Officers Labor Contract.
M. Approve the 2018-2020 49ers Labor Contract.
N. Approve Change Order No. 1 in the value of an $8,000 addition to the
Belden Lift Station Expansion project.
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 3
O. Approve Change Order No. 1 for a reduction of$16,563 for a less
expensive fire pole design; Change Order No. 2 for an addition of
$8,656.69 required for relocation of the generator on site; and Change
Order No. 3 for an addition of$8,120.58 for relocation of the column in the
main lobby area. This amounts to a total of$214.27 to the total project
costs for the Central Fire Station Project.
Motion by Council Member Johnson to approve the Consent Agenda, second by
Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 4-0.
8. APPROVE DISBURSEMENTS
A. Approve payments for the period of 9/14/2017 through 10/05/2017 in the
amount of$3,710,652.60.
Motion to approve disbursements by Council Member Dennis, second by Council
Member Johnson. Motion carried: 4-0.
9. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. 2017 Pavement Management Project—Assessment Hearing
Staff Recommendation: 1) Conduct the public hearing for the 2017
Pavement Management Project. 2) Approve Resolution 2017-139
adopting the assessment roll for the 2017 Pavement Management
Project.
Assistant City Engineer Ryan Burfeind gave a presentation on the improvements that
were completed, including before and after photos, and then talked about the final
assessments.
The 2017 Pavement Management Projects included the Jamaica Ridge and the Rolling
Hills neighborhoods. He reviewed the work that had been done in each of those
neighborhoods. Spot utility repairs were also completed. He reviewed costs incurred
with the addition of some bituminous trails.
Engineer Burfeind reviewed the assessment terms; if not paid in advance, they're
payable over 15 years on property taxes with an interest rate of 1.5% above the bond
rate, which would be 3.3%. Partial payments are allowed, with a minimum of$500, and
deferral is available for disability, military, or those 65 years of age or older. Proof is
needed for deferrals and interest still occurs during the deferral period.
Mayor Bailey opened the public hearing and invited anyone who wished to address the
Council on this topic to do so; he requested they state their name and address for the
reco rd.
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 4
Bill Johnson, 7667 Hyde Avenue South, stated the pavement project was well done, but
he was concerned about how it was being assessed; he wanted to know if it was a
certain amount for everyone regardless of square footage. As he was retired and also
disabled, he wondered about the deferral. He stated property taxes were going up,
also. Mayor Bailey advised the assessment is by property, not by square footage, and
the assessment total is per year, not per month. Mr. Johnson stated with everything
combined, it's a lot of money. He was told there are options available for the deferred
assessment.
Randy Wuorenma, 7549 Homestead Avenue, and Steve Gebhard, 7554 Homestead
Avenue spoke. Mr. Wuorenma advised they'd previously been assured the quality of
their yards would be kept the same. He stated the photos shown looked nice, but it
wasn't really that nice. The new pavement doesn't look that pristine, and it's pretty poor
workmanship. There have been issues with the new curbs, with chips being broken off.
There's a neighbor that has a chunk out of her curb, right next to a storm drain; the
water will hit the exposed cement, it will wear out and break, and they'll have a problem.
It was brought to the contractor's attention, but nothing had been done as the contractor
said they don't fix that. The City was also advised. He wanted to know why he should
pay when the job hadn't been finished. He wanted to know who had hired the
contractors and who monitored the quality of their work. He stated the City should start
looking at different contractors because the work wasn't good. He'd seeded his own
yard and he's got nice grass; however, if you walked around the neighborhood, it looked
horrible. Mr. Gebhard stated there were multiple problems that they needed to look at
it. Mr. Wuorenma stated it was brought to the City's attention, but nothing had been
done and it needed to be addressed. Mr. Gebhard stated everybody currently has
patches of dirt in their yard from the poor seeding that was done.
Mr. Wuorenma stated the interest is 1.5% over prime; he asked if the interest the City
received from the residents went to the General Fund. Finance Director Robin Roland
stated the interest rate that would be charged on the assessment is 1.5% above what
the City bonded for, which is not the prime rate; it is the bond rate that was issued for
this project. They came in at 1.5% below 3.3%, which would be 1.8%, so the City
borrowed at that rate for the 2016 and the 2017 projects. The interest rate on both of
the Special Assessments for last year and for this year are all at 3.3%; that does not go
to the General Fund, that goes towards the repayment of the debt that the City issued to
pay for the project. So, the money goes into a separate Bond Fund; nothing can be
spent out of that fund other than principal and interest payments. Every Special
Assessment received goes into that Fund as a source of revenue to repay those bonds
over a 15-year period. Mr. Wuorenma asked why it had to be 1.5%; and if the City
could charge whatever they wanted. Director Roland stated the 1.5% was adopted as
part of the IMTF revision some years back; prior to that time, it was a set interest rate of
7%, no matter what the bonds were issued at. Consequently, the policy that Council
adopted at that time was the policy that we currently follow, 1.5 points above the bond
rate, rather than 7%, which always drew significant concerns from residents. Director
Roland stated it's still cheaper than most home equity lines, as well as other forms of
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 5
debt (credit cards). If you want to pay the Special Assessment with your credit card,
you can do so.
Mr. Wuorenma asked why they should pay for this project if it wasn't done; it was not
done to the residents' satisfaction, and they didn't want to pay for it until it was
completely done. Mayor Bailey stated Engineer Burfeind was making notes on their
comments. This project is called substantially complete; however, if there are issues
with hydroseeding and other punch-list items, there is a Project Manager in charge of
those areas. If the work hasn't been done, Engineer Burfeind can help rectify those
issues, and they'll be out to take a look at the areas.
Janelle Johnson, 7542 Homestead Avenue, lives in the same cul-de-sac as the others.
Her property's driveway has the water pipe that's been paved over; it was paved over
on July 31. It's now October 4, and it hasn't been fixed. Her concern was when that
work would be done; the work needed to be completed before the residents pay.
Sandra Hill, who lives on Hyde Avenue South, commented on the amount that Rolling
Hills was paying as an assessment as opposed to other areas. She stated she was still
unclear as to why they're paying so much more of an assessment than many of the
other areas. Ms. Hill stated they're paying $4,400 and everybody else is paying $2,100
or $2,400; they're wondering why it can't just be split up equally among all. Mayor
Bailey stated part of the reason is that particular area had the full curb replacement.
Ms. Hill stated they were being punished because their curb disintegrated; Ms. Hill said
on their cul-de-sac the curbing wasn't that bad. Ms. Hill stated if the curbing was
sinking they were being punished because the curbing sunk. Contractors don't do the
job correctly so then one day we have to pay twice as much as everybody else. She felt
it wasn't a very fair assessment. Ms. Hill stated her understanding was the assessment
that we're paying is only a portion of the fee that's being charged, and the City is paying
the other half. She stated that they pay taxes, too, so it's not only our assessment but
our taxes are paying for the other part of the assessment, so in essence we're paying a
lot more for this work than meets the eye. She just wanted to point that out.
Mr. Wuorenma stated a lot of the newer developments had to have their pavement
redone before theirs, and his was one of the older communities. He felt the City was
allowing too many heavy trucks on these roads, which caused the roads to break down.
With new developments, the City should be charging the developers a fee for using the
roads because the heavy trucks in a new development will break down those roads a lot
faster. Developers should pay a Special Assessment for roads because their trucks are
what were causing a lot of the road breakdowns, especially in the new developments.
Either the initial construction done was poor or the heavy dump trucks and trucks
hauling lumber up those roads were breaking down those roads quicker. Engineer
Burfeind clarified that the work done in the new developments was actually a final
streets project; that work occurred this year. When a new development is built, they just
put the base course of pavement down, but they do not put the wear course down
because of the construction traffic. They put down a wedge pavement to help protect
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 6
the curb; once the construction is complete, the developer comes back in and puts the
wear course down. That's why newer developments are having that work done, which
is part of the construction process. The homeowners pay for the final streets project
costs, as part of the lot price, so the City was not paying for that work.
Molly Glenn, 7543 Homestead Avenue, lives on the cul-de-sac, at the end. She stated
she was really dissatisfied with the way the project went. They were promised that
everything would be replaced, and when they took out their cement driveways, they
weren't replaced with the Rebar like they were supposed to. She stated she argued
with them when they were getting ready to replace the driveway with the cement; she
asked them if they were going to put Rebar in and they said, no, they'd use six-inch
cement instead. Engineer Burfeind wasn't available so Nate came out, and he had
them place Rebar. She felt herself and Randy Wuorenma were the only ones in the
neighborhood who had Rebar replaced instead of cement. If we all paid the money to
have Rebar put in our driveways, it should have been replaced with Rebar. She didn't
feel residents should have had to inspect the project to make sure that it was being
replaced properly. She had asked Nate why no one was out here, inspecting the
project, and he said that they'd have to start. People should have been overseeing the
project as it was being completed. Many items needed replacement on their street;
when they removed those, they had them move their vehicles from their driveways so
flying debris wouldn't hit them. However, it took chunks out of her cement driveway.
She called Jackie and asked her to look at it; the workers argued with her about that,
stating it couldn't have caused the damage. Regarding the Rebar, they stated she
didn't have Rebar and she knew she did. They went and tracked the trash and then
conceded that she had, in fact, had Rebar. Molly asked Jackie to call her when they
were going to be laying the driveway to be sure Rebar was being installed; Molly called
Jackie after the fact and told her that the cement work had already been done. She
asked her how she knew Rebar had been installed, and she replied, "You have to take
my word for it." Molly reminded her of their previous conversation where Jackie had
said she would call her. She felt someone should have been watching as they removed
the driveways to know what needed to be replaced. The new water drain is not even
with the street; there's a big gap. She felt all of that should have been inspected as it
was being done. Nate wouldn't return phone calls and stated they were being
"annoying", and when another neighbor called, Nate asked if they were Molly's
neighbor; she felt that was very unprofessional.
As no one else wished to speak on this item, Mayor Bailey closed the public hearing.
Engineer Burfeind stated Public Works took over the seeding for this year's project due
to some past issues. The first seeding was in July and was not very successful; there
was also the water ban in place. Since then, reseeding has been done. He drove
through the areas today and saw some areas that will be reseeded. Additional
underground electrical work had been done so those areas are rough, and they'll have
the contractor level those out. Public Works will be reseeding those areas at the end of
this week or early next week. They'll also be out next year to reseed, if necessary.
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 7
Money is retained from the project and the contractor is not paid in full until all of the
items on the punch list are completed.
Engineer Burfeind stated he was aware of the curb box/curb stops that were mentioned
that had been paved over; he'll find out what the schedule is for those to be replaced.
Certainly if there are chips in driveways, they'll meet with the residents. On the
bituminous driveways, some are low, some are high, and they can remove and replace
those if that needed to be done; that's occurred in the past. New curbs get damaged or
chipped, and the contractor was responsible to replace portions of that, at their cost. If
there were areas that were missed by the inspector, they'll take that information and
look into that.
The assessments for the project are done after the project is substantially complete. Of
the costs assessed, 45% is assessed to the homeowners under the Special
Assessment Policy. They try to be equitable for improvements adjacent to the
properties. The General Levy pays the remaining 55%, so the citizens as a whole pay
for that project.
Mayor Bailey asked regarding Molly's driveway and the Rebar issue. Engineer Burfeind
stated that was replaced with Rebar; he was made aware of that issue. They do
replace in kind so in her case she had Rebar and it was put back in. He would have to
follow up on Molly's request to be present to actually see it being placed and why that
hadn't occurred. Mayor Bailey asked if photos were taken of the before and the after of
driveways during this project; Engineer Burfeind confirmed that photos were taken
during this project.
Council Member Dennis stated he'd love for the City to get the problems taken care of
for the residents. He asked if the City had worked with this contractor in the past.
Engineer Burfeind stated that yes, they'd previously worked with Northwest Asphalt, the
general contractor, although it had been a few years. Overall, he felt the project went
well, but every project has some final punch list issues. Council Member Dennis asked
that the City continue to look at these companies and chart the results. There is a
bidding process and the City tries to take the low bid to keep costs down, but if we've
got companies that are creating problems we should note that and perhaps make
different choices.
Mayor Bailey asked if we were confident with this process going forward with the seed
and soil issues; he knew the watering ban probably played a role. He asked Public
Works Director Les Burshten to comment, who stated last year they'd had problems
with the restoration portion, the seeding, and some material that was used. That's why
this year the City took the project on for the first time; they bought the best products,
and the seeding was some of the best quality. There were some problems this year, as
the seed didn't really take the first time because it was too hot, although it was watered
every day. They also slit seeded. Overall, it looks pretty good, better than previous
years, but if there's a problem, he assured the residents that they'll take care of it.
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 8
Mayor Bailey asked Engineer Burfeind about the water main issues; he stated that
normally does not occur and he will try to find out why that happened and get it fixed.
Council Member Johnson stated if you call Public Works or the Engineering Department
with your problems, they will come out, work with you, and make it right.
Motion by Council Member Dennis to Approve Resolution 2017-139 adopting the
assessment roll for the 2017 Pavement Management Project; second by Council
Member Mills. Motion carried: 4-0.
B. Hazardous Property Assessments
Staff Recommendation: Adopt Resolution 2017-138 for assessments for
abating hazardous property conditions.
Director Roland stated Minnesota State Statute allowed cities to assess costs
associated with the removal or elimination of health or safety hazards on private
property. There were two properties in 2017 that the City was required to clean up due
to public health and safety concerns; the Council approved the costs to be assessed on
September 20. The assessments were prepared and were published in the newspaper
on September 27. The assessments for the two properties total $2,133.56, to be
assessed against the individual properties for the recovery of the costs of the hazardous
removal. Those have not yet been paid, but it's a typical assessment. If Council adopts
the assessment, the homeowners would have 30 days to pay without interest or it would
be assessed to their property taxes at a rate of 7%, per the Ordinance, for a period of
one year.
Mayor Bailey opened the public hearing and asked if anyone wished to speak on this
item; as no one wished to speak on this item, Mayor Bailey closed the public hearing.
Motion by Council Member Johnson to Adopt Resolution 2017-138 for assessments for
abating hazardous property conditions; second by Council Member Mills.
Motion carried: 4-0.
C. Tall Weeds Assessments
Staff Recommendation: Adopt Resolution 2017-137 for assessments for
abating tall weeds on private properties.
Director Roland stated City Ordinance 4-3-1 is regarding noxious weeds and plants; it's
the height restriction that says you can't let your grass grow and not mow it. During
2017, the Code Enforcement Officer issued 47 letters to property owners giving them
ten days to mow; when property owners did not mow their property, the City mowed it
for them and billed them for that cost. In three instances, the property owners did not
abate the conditions, and there were a large number of vacant properties that were
involved. The properties that did not pay the bill are on the assessment list; if the
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 9
assessment is adopted, they have 30 days to pay that amount. Otherwise, it's
assessed to the property taxes for 2018 at a rate of 7% and it is a one-year
assessment.
Mayor Bailey opened the public hearing and asked if anyone would like to speak on this
item; as no one wished to speak on this item, Mayor Bailey closed the public hearing.
Motion by Council Member Mills to Adopt Resolution 2017-137 for assessments for
abating tall weeds on private properties; second by Council Member Dennis.
Motion carried: 4-0.
Director Roland noted that the bills for the assessment invoices for the Property
Management Project, the Hazardous Property Assessments, and the Tall Weeds
Assessments would be mailed tomorrow, October 5; details are in the letter, but there
are 30 days to pay, and there is a deferral form that goes out with that invoice. You can
now use your credit card to pay the Special Assessments at the front desk at City Hall,
Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
D. Park Dedication Fee Ordinance Amendment
Staff Recommendation: Pass Ordinance 987 amending City Code Title
10-4-3 to provide specific dollar values for minimum park dedication cash
fees in lieu of park land for residential, commercial, and industrial uses.
Community Development Director Jennifer Levitt stated as part of State Statute the City
is allowed to collect 10% of land as part of the development or collect a financial fee
equivalent to the recreational facilities in our community. One thing that's driving this
Ordinance Amendment is different types of housing that are entering the marketplace;
we want to ensure that these types of products are covered within the Ordinance. The
Comprehensive Plan guides our park development; money that's collected goes toward
new park creation, not related to maintenance. A big issue is trying to segregate
residential, commercial, and industrial. They want to ensure that when they collect fees,
they're providing credit for those amenities that are benefiting the community. The
commercial subdivision will define what the buildable area is, and it excludes public
waters, State and County right of ways, wetlands, etc. to make sure we're not providing
credit for that but that it's only usable land and open space that the public can enjoy.
Per State Statute, the commercial valuation requires the City to include the fair market
value component; therefore a $6,000 per-acre value has been added. The industrial
subdivision, in the Business Park, doesn't actually provide land because they're not in
the Comprehensive Plan for land designation, so it's 4% fair market value or$6,000 per
acre. Single-family residences are unchanged. The big change is how the City
classifies the multifamily apartments and condominiums; it's on a per unit basis, using
the same IMTF policy, which is 40% of a single family residence. The residential
classification change was related to the assisted living/skilled care/memory care; that's
equivalent with the commercial and industrial development rate.
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 10
Deductions were not being memorialized in the Ordinance, so they've proposed to add
a table of credits for developers. When developers construct a trail and provide a trail
corridor, the developer is responsible for the construction and paving of the trail, so
they'd receive 100% credit for those areas. No credit is given for storm basins or where
the high water elevation is; some developers provide additional green space adjacent to
the ponds that aren't necessary for the pond's function, so they'd get 50% credit for
those areas. Steep-sloped areas and preservation of natural areas can be in
combination with tree preservation, but they wouldn't receive two credits, although
there's a value to the community.
Mayor Bailey opened the public hearing and asked if anyone wanted to speak on this
item; as no one wished to speak on this item, Mayor Bailey closed the public hearing.
Council Member Dennis asked that they take this item to a Workshop so Council could
have a little bit more time to really understand the proposed amendments to the
Ordinance and the subsequent implications. Mayor Bailey asked City Attorney Korine
Land for help with that process; Attorney Land stated the public hearing had been held.
If the Ordinance changes substantially, an additional public hearing may need to be
held although it was not required in this case. Mayor Bailey asked Attorney Land if they
needed a motion to table the item, but it didn't need to be continued to a certain date;
staff could just be directed to put it on a work session agenda.
Motion by Council Member Dennis to continue this item to a work session within the
staff's timeline to work through it; second by Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 4-0.
10. BID AWARDS — None.
11. REGULAR AGENDA
A. Authorize Distribution of the Draft Business Park AUAR
Staff Recommendation:Authorize the distribution of the draft Business
Park AUAR for publication in the EQB Monitor and to begin the 30-day
comment period.
Beth Elliott with Stantec stated this was an opportunity for Cottage Grove to plan for its
growth. An AUAR is an Alternative Urban Area-wide Review; the purpose is to study
the cumulative impacts of development scenarios within a given geographic area. This
is a different type of environmental review that isn't just about a specific project; rather,
it takes the anticipated projects or potential growth in an area and looks at all of the
impacts together. It analyzes issues and needs in a larger area. Because individual
project environmental reviews don't need to be done, the AUAR expedites the process.
It goes hand in hand with the Comprehensive Plan vision. It gives detailed guidance to
the Council as local decision makers about how the City wants to grow. It includes a
mitigation plan, and every five years the City needs to update its AUAR and needs to
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 11
ensure that the mitigation strategies have been implemented over the course of the five
years. The steps to complete an AUAR include:
1) Meetings with neighboring jurisdictions, State agencies, and anyone who might
have a significant role in reviewing the AUAR. MnDOT had comments regarding
the transportation and traffic analysis.
2) Stantec and staff did a technical analysis related to a number of topics. The draft
AUAR is sent to a distribution list; the action tonight is to send the distribution list.
3) The draft AUAR will then be published in the EQB Monitor, which is a newspaper
just related to doing this process. There is a 30-day comment period, and
anyone can comment. The comments will be responded to, and the responses
are again published in the EQB Monitor. There is a 10-day objection period
where another agency can object.
4) Once that objection period is done, the Council can vote to approve the final
AUAR. The topics include environmental topics, land use, historic properties,
etc. as it's related to the community.
5) Cumulative impact section takes a look at all of the topics and pulls them all
together.
Development scenarios and growth were based on 2040 projections, with a full build-out
of the entire area, which was probably very unrealistic. The AUAR can be updated in
five years, so the scenarios can be adjusted very five years. She reviewed the two
proposed development scenarios.
Agriculture preserve property, 58 acres, is within a program called the Metropolitan
Urban Area Preserve Program, a State program created in 1980 to preserve forest and
agricultural property within the metro area. It bisects a large site for a potential user and
it's a very stringent process to remove that land from this program. The mitigation
strategy they're proposing is that the City or the property owner initiate a process called
the Notice of Expiration; it's a process to pull a trigger on an eight-year time clock to
remove the property from the program.
Transportation strategies was the largest analysis and most extensive of the AUAR.
Feedback from MnDOT was received regarding additional intersections. A 2020
analysis was done for any large distribution or technology center to see what the
impacts would be, and then a 2040 full development scenario analysis was done. The
2040 mitigation was at Jamaica Avenue and 100th Street; they're proposing that a
south leg would need to be added to Jamaica to access any development south of
100th Street. It would likely require a new signal light intersection. At Jamaica and 95th
Street, a signal would likely be required, along with restriping the eastbound approach
for left turns, making it just left turns. At Highway 61 the traffic analysis indicated that at
least one lane in each direction would need to be added from Jamaica Avenue to 494.
At the Jamaica Avenue intersection with Highway 61, the intersection would need to be
completely re-imagined to accommodate the increased volume. That was the same
situation at 100th Street and Keats Avenue where a new road segment would need to
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 12
be added, but there isn't a lot of right of way so creativity would be needed to
accommodate the volume of traffic proposed.
Stantec will be attending the Economic Development Authority meeting next week; a
couple days later, barring significant responses from the Economic Development
Authority, they'll distribute the AUAR to the distribution list. On Monday, October 23, the
draft AUAR will be published in the EQB Monitor, as they publish every Monday.
In November, right before Thanksgiving, the draft AUAR comments will be due after the
30-day comment period. On December 11, the responses to the final AUAR will be
published in the EQB Monitor. On December 20, the objection period will be complete,
and the Council will approve the AUAR at the first meeting in 2018.
Mayor Bailey asked regarding the traffic recommendations if those were driven by
Stantec or if those were offered by MnDOT, specifically, adding one lane to Highway 61.
Ms. Elliott stated MnDOT required them to analyze more intersections than they had
proposed with staff, which really meant they had to do the counts. They then put all of
the intersections into the model. Stantec staff experts proposed those mitigation
strategies. MnDOT might have different ideas, as well as the Met Council; those might
come up in the 30-day comment period. It might be a bit messy. Ms. Elliott reminded
him that this was for the 2040 projections so they can prepare as they go.
Motion by Council Member Johnson to authorize the distribution of the draft Business
Park AUAR for publication in the EQB Monitor and to begin the 30-day comment period;
second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 4-0.
12. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS
Council Member Mills stated the next Fare For All will be on October 12 at All Saints
Church; produce and meat packs are for sale at a discounted rate and it's open to the
public.
Films in 5 Festival has their film showing on Saturday, October 7, at Park High School.
It's a family event; popcorn and water will be sold. There will be a chance to vote for
your favorite film.
Regarding My Future Cottage Grove, there will be a Task Force formed regarding a
community center; staff is working on that and she encouraged residents to become
involved.
Council Member Johnson stated there will be a Fire Department Sensory Open House
at Woodridge Park on October 7 and another Fire Department Open House at Kingston
Park on October 14; he encouraged everyone to attend.
Mayor Bailey stated The Eagles Bar & Grill at River Oaks Golf Course will be trying
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2017
Page 13
something new, a Friday night Fish Fry, every Friday, starting on October 6. On
Saturday nights, beginning October 7, there will be a prime rib dinner every Saturday
night until the end of the year.
Mayor Bailey stated on Sunday, October 15, in the afternoon, there will be an
Oktoberfest Fund Raiser for the Friends in Need Food Shelf; that will be at the historic
Hope Glen Farms. There will be great food, silent auction, music, and animals, etc. He
encouraged everyone to attend as all proceeds go to the Friends in Need Food Shelf.
Mayor Bailey stated they've received the results from the My Cottage Grove surveys;
there were over 3,700 comments and interactions with the public. They will be sharing
that information with the public at an event on October 25, in the evening, at the historic
John P. Furber Farm, in old Cottage Grove. Rebecca Ryan, the facilitator of My
Cottage Grove, will be there and will share the report and recommendations. At some
point, probably on that date or shortly thereafter, there will be an application process for
a Community Center Task Force. If you're interested in that or another Task Force,
there are additional opportunities to get involved in the future of the community. He
encouraged everyone to attend that event and sign up
13. WORKSHOPS — OPEN TO PUBLIC — None.
14. WORKSHOPS — CLOSED TO PUBLIC — None.
15. ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Council Member Dennis, second by Council Member Mills, to adjourn the
meeting at 8:38 p.m. Motion carried: 4-0.
Minutes prepared by Judy Graf and reviewed by Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City
Clerk.