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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes i� ��tJV� �ri°t � y � ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ���� �ri e ar�d PC�� t MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL August 1 , 2018 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 1, 2018, 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, Council Member La Rae Mills, and Council Member Dave Thiede. Also present were: Charlene Stevens, City Administrator; Korine Land, City Attorney- LeVander, Gillen & Miller, PA; Les Burshten, Public Works Director; Joe Fischbach/HR Manager/City Clerk; Pete Koerner, Director of Public Safety; Jennifer Levitt, Community Development Director/City Engineer; John McCool, Senior Planner; 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. Ken Shearer, 7431 Hyde Avenue, stated on Hinton Avenue, south of 76th, there were some teenage kids picking up the caps on the lights, which cover the nuts and bolts, and were throwing them at cars. They threw one at him and didn't miss; he brought them with him to return them. He said his car didn't get hit, but he personally got hit. He also wanted to thank the City for taking the Ash tree out of his front yard. However, he wanted to get the name and address of the contractor who put the new tree in, as he did it incorrectly. 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 1, 2018 Page 2 Jason Eiden-Giel, 9425 Dunes Lane, in the Mississippi Dunes Estates development, stated he's been working with Community Development Director/City Engineer Jennifer Levitt and Senior Planner John Burbank on some issues related to the new fifth addition that's being developed. He supports the City Resolution as a condition of the development that they make sure that the new addition is a part of the HOA. He stated he's getting a lot of resistance from the fifth addition; he's retained an attorney to support him and the Board's action, based on 2/3 of the residents, to annex the fourth addition into the HOA. Once the fifth addition came on, they wanted to make sure there was coordination between the fourth and the fifth additions, but they've gotten nothing but resistance, misinterpretations, etc. The fifth addition wanted to get on today's agenda to talk about amending the Resolution to try to break away and become their own HOA or find alternate solutions; he just wanted to make sure the Council understood and heard from his HOA that they're very much in favor of having one HOA that covers that entire neighborhood as a cohesive HOA. There's reportedly a meeting that will take place between City Attorney Korine Land, his attorney, Dave, and the attorney for the fifth addition; he just wanted to make sure it's transparent that his attorney is only to annex the fourth addition so they're going to incur potential costs to negotiate with the fifth. He wanted to ensure it's clear that their objective is to have one cohesive HOA and are working in favor of that. As no one else wished to address the Council, Mayor Bailey closed the open forum. 5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion by Council Member Thiede to adopt the agenda; second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 5-0. 6. PRESENTATIONS A. Proclamation - Lemonade Day in Cottage Grove, August 25, 2018 Staff Recommendation: Proclaim August 25, 2018 as Lemonade Day in the City of Cottage Grove Chris Carey, 9461 Dunes Lane, stated he and his wife, Heather, are honored to be bringing Lemonade Day to Cottage Grove and to the State of Minnesota for the first time; it started in Texas and he heard about it from the Raising Cane's restaurant in West St. Paul, who's a national sponsor. It's an educational initiative that introduces youth entrepreneurship and teaches them how to start, own, and operate their own business, a lemonade stand. It will teach youth skills that will prepare them for both business and life, and it culminates in a real-life experience with youth setting up their own lemonade stand during the community-wide Lemonade Day on Saturday, August 25. It's free to those participating in a licensed City. He gave the history of Lemonade Day and how the initial entrepreneur learned about revenue, the cost of supplies, etc. This is the first time there will be a Lemonade Day in Minnesota, here in Cottage Grove. He explained the curriculum steps involved with the project, including instructions for City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 3 youth and their mentor. Right now, there are 33 children signed up; the goal is 100. Mr. Carey stated they'll be excited to see all of the lemonade stands in the City on August 25 and will try to visit all of them. Council Member Thiede stated he thought this was a great idea. It reminded him of Junior Achievement, and he wondered if they were involved with this; Mr. Carey stated that they'd attended training and found that there are organizations with which Cane's partnered and Junior Achievement was one of them. Council Member Dennis wanted to commend Mr. and Mrs. Carey for bringing this opportunity to Cottage Grove; he also stated he'd like to be involved in this in the future. He'd previously participated in Junior Achievement, which he found very helpful. Council Member Johnson stated this will build a more knowledgeable person, a consumer; as they move through life, once they realize what's involved in the cost of running a business, they will hopefully understand and make better choices throughout their lives. He felt this will help them all make better financial decisions moving forward, and he thought this was a great opportunity for all of them; he hoped to see it grow year after year. He thanked Mr. and Mrs. Carey for doing this. Council Member Mills asked if the Careys' children were going to have a lemonade stand; Mr. Carey stated that yes, they are. Council Member Mills asked if it would be at their business, and Mr. Carey stated he was going to let them choose their site, as that was part of the process, but they don't get a lot of traffic there so there might be some better locations available for a lemonade stand. Mrs. Carey stated that there are also prizes available; Mr. Carey stated there's an Entrepreneur of the Year award, Best Tasting Lemonade award, and Best Lemonade Stand award; a bicycle will also be given away. Council Member Mills stated that was excellent and she'll help promote it. Mayor Bailey asked if the intent was to announce the addresses of the stands; Mr. Carey stated there's a map feature available so people will be able to patronize the lemonade stands. Mayor Bailey stated Communications Coordinator Sharon Madsen would also be putting that information on the City's Facebook page. Mayor Bailey read aloud the proclamation for Lemonade Day in Cottage Grove on August 25, 2018. Motion by Council Member Dennis to proclaim August 25, 2018, as Lemonade Day in the City of Cottage Grove; second by Council Member Thiede. Motion carried: 5-0. 7. CONSENT AGENDA A. Accept and place on file the approved minutes from the Planning Commission meeting on June 25, 2018. City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 4 B. Adopt Resolution 2018-095 approving a variance to reduce the rear setback requirement from 35 feet to 20 feet at 9658 Hillside Trail South in order to allow the updating of the existing porch (accessory structure) into an enclosed three-season porch (primary structure addition). C. Approve the following deferred assessment waiver agreements for the Ravine Parkway Project: Axel E. Bloomquist and Jean E. Bloomquist; Gerald A. Bloomquist and Julie A. Bloomquist; Jerome D. Knutson and Lisa A. Knutson. D. Approve the issuance of rental licenses to the properties listed in the attached table. E. Adopt Resolution 2018-097 authorizing the release and distribution of the Draft 2040 Comprehensive Plan to neighboring jurisdictions and affected governmental units for review as required in MN Statute 473.858, Subdivision 2. F. Approve service agreement with Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH) to complete a space needs study for the Public Works and Parks Department for the amount of$21,000. G. Review the River Oaks 2nd Quarter Report. H. Adopt Resolution 2018-099 committing the City's budget resources to funding the HERO Center expenses until City debt for the project is issued. I. Adopt Resolution 2018-100 approving the plans & specifications and establishing a September 6, 2018, bid date for the HERO Center Project. J. Adopt Resolution 2018-098 decommissioning the Old City Hall at 7516 80th Street South and terminating the lease with Verizon. K. Adopt Resolution 2018-101 restricting parking along the south and east side of Pine Arbor Drive, from Pine Arbor Lane to Pine Arbor Boulevard. L. Authorize sending to Washington County the response letter regarding naming the unnamed lake in Section 4. M. Adopt Resolution 2018-102 stating that 0.90 acres of land is necessary for construction of the Ravine Parkway and request that it be removed from the Conservation Easement. Council Member Dennis wished to pull Item L, and Council Member Thiede wished to pull Item E and Item J for further comment and/or discussion. Council Member Thiede stated on Item E, Draft 2040 Comprehensive Plan - Authorize Distribution, there's been a lot of work done on the Comprehensive Plan for 2040. He wanted to voice some disappointment in that the Historic Preservation Group, for which he's the liaison, had some discussions about trying to preserve some of the nature of Old Cottage Grove. While we do a lot for individual structures, we don't do much for historic areas. He felt we should actually create a historic district in that Old Cottage Grove area so that anything newly built would look like it's from the period of the latter 1800s or early 1900s. Council Member Thiede stated it was disappointing that there wasn't something in the 2040 Plan to preserve a lot of that heritage. City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 5 Council Member Thiede stated on Item J, Decommissioning the Old City Hall and Terminating the Lease with Verizon, he asked a lot of questions about terminating the lease with Verizon and how much revenue we were getting from that tower and what it would cost to tear down the building. Washington County is looking to have a new library so Washington County might be interested in the previous City Hall site, and we're possibly looking at a new Community Center. Others are also interested in that land, but he wants to try to optimize the return for the City in terms of associated costs. He wanted to make it known that when he looked at the lease for Verizon and the way it's written, we have to use the terminology of a year advance notice to terminate the contract; they plan to work with Verizon and keep them in town and might be just relocating the tower, etc. Regarding the building, they're doing some environmental studies and making sure the land is okay. There will also be a cost analysis done before we give up the former City Hall. Council Member Dennis stated regarding Item L, Section 4 Lake Naming Response Letter, he wanted to ask that we pull this from the Consent Agenda and have a separate discussion and vote on it. Motion by Council Member Dennis to approve the Consent Agenda, except Item L, which will be a separate discussion and vote; second by Council Member Thiede. Motion carried: 5-0. Council Member Dennis stated regarding Item L, he felt that everything we do should be a people business first. He pulled this for a separate vote because the Wolterstorff family has, through good faith, applied through the proper channels to name the water feature on their property and in doing so they want to honor a late patriarch and former landowner. The recommendation from staff and the Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation is to use the name Shepard Lake, based on its geographical location. However, that's resulted in an adverse outcome to the family's intent and has rotated this finding a full 180 degrees from the clear request to name it Lake Robert. He pointed out that this lake has remained unnamed for many decades and would have continued that way had it not been through the efforts of the property owner. He felt just because the lake had been referred to by another name, he personally didn't feel that provided justification for going against the good faith intentions of the property owner. This property and farmland is not associated with the Shepard Farm parcel; so, there is no connection other than that inferred of sharing what was once a common property line. He cannot agree with the findings or the recommendation to call the lake Shepard Lake; therefore, he would not vote for this recommendation. He is in no way inferring that either our staff or the Committee acted in a manner that was outside of good faith. He felt the property owner's request had been turned aside in such a way that virtually everyone, if they found themselves in this situation, would be unhappy with the outcome. He felt because he's in the people business and he doesn't want to let down Grandma Emily, age 94, who's the center of their family, he simply cannot do that in good faith so he's against this. City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 6 Mayor Bailey asked Engineer Levitt if it was accurate to say that this has been known as Shepard's Lake; Engineer Levitt stated it's locally known as Shepard's Pond, but based on the size of the body of water, it constitutes a lake. When the Historic Preservation Committee looked at it, they recognized the community's knowledge of Shepard. The Dodge Nature Center called their farm Shepard's Farm, staying with the lineage of the property; as noted by Council Member Dennis, the lake feature is not on what was previously the Shepard property. There is kind of that historical significance, so the Committee felt it would be important to keep the tie to that feature and the prominent resident he was in our community. Mayor Bailey asked if the owner lived in Cottage Grove; he was informed that he lived in both Cottage Grove and Woodbury, near Military and Jamaica. Council Member Thiede stated Michael's Pointe was Wolterstorff property; he wanted to know if The Preserve was also. He was advised it was not. Council Member Thiede stated he's on the Historic Preservation Committee and he had no issue with the name. Motion by Council Member Dennis to authorize staff to send to Washington County a response letter regarding the renaming of the unnamed lake in Section 4 to be called Robert Lake; second by Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 5-0. 8. APPROVE DISBURSEMENTS A. Approve payments for the period of 7/18/2018 - 7/26/2018 for $1,362,628.30. Motion by Council Member Thiede to approve disbursements; second by Council Member Johnson. Motion carried: 5-0. 9. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Ocean LLC Massage Business License Staff Recommendation: Continue the public hearing to consider Ocean LLC's application to operate a massage business at 7155 80th Street South to the August 15, 2018 Regular Meeting. City Clerk Joe Fischbach stated tonight they'd be asking the Council to continue the public hearing to the August 15, 2018 Regular Meeting to consider Ocean LLC's application to operate a massage business at 7155 80th Street South. The background investigation by the Police Department has not yet been completed, so they've asked that this item be continued until the next Council Meeting. Mayor Bailey opened the public hearing; as no one wished to speak on this item, Mayor Bailey closed the public hearing. City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 7 Motion by Council Member Thiede to continue Ocean LLC's application to operate a massage business at 7155 80th Street to the August 15, 2018, Regular Meeting; second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 5-0. 10. BID AWARDS A. Ice Arena Locker Room Expansion Project Staff Recommendation:Authorize Ice Arena locker room expansion project bid packages as presented by Construction Manager RVK Architects for the total construction amount of$416,830.42. Recreation Facilities Manager Jordan Hirman stated at the June 20, 2018, City Council Meeting, the Council authorized a locker room expansion at the Cottage Grove Ice Arena; the amount at that time was $366,100, with 75% of it coming from the East Ridge Faceoff Club and the remainder coming from the Ice Arena. Since that time, the bidding has occurred; with the difficult bidding process, the price has increased to $416,830.42, and that's an increase of$17,500 from the Ice Arena and $52,000 from the East Ridge Faceoff Club. He and Dick Krumm from RVK Architects would be happy to answer any questions. Mayor Bailey asked if the East Ridge Faceoff Club representative was present; he was. Mayor Bailey asked him if they were comfortable with the price increase and if they'd be able to cover that expense; he replied that they were okay with the price increase. Motion by Council Member Mills to authorize Ice Arena locker room expansion project bid packages as presented by Construction Manager RVK Architects for the total construction amount of$416,830.42; second by Council Member Johnson. Motion carried: 5-0. 11. REGULAR AGENDA A. Planet Fitness - Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan Review Staff Recommendation:Adopt Resolution 2018-096 approving the conditional use permit for the proposed Planet Fitness to occupy approximately 18,025 square feet of space at 7240 East Point Douglas Road South and the amendment to the site plan to add landscape islands and 68 passenger vehicle parking spaces. Senior Planner John McCool stated there was an application filed for this project by RSP Architects, and the application is a site plan amendment to what used to be the Grove Plaza shopping center. There's a conditional use permit for the proposed Planet Fitness, to occupy approximately 18,000 square feet in the existing structure. As part of the project, there is the elimination of the garden center that exists on the east side of the building, formerly known as the Home Depot garden center; that will be replaced by City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 8 68 parking spaces. The project will also include two future retail storefronts on the property itself. The property location is on the south side of 80th Street, along East Point Douglas Road. He reviewed the site plan for the property; the improvements would be the four landscaped islands along the front of the building. Currently being remodeled are the TJ Maxx and Home Goods stores, and they're at the westerly end of the existing structure; to the east of that would be the two tenant spaces that will be available. The existing wooden privacy fence is on the north side, closest to the commercial property, and there's an existing arbor vitae hedge along that side of the property. He displayed the building elevation of the proposed improvements on the existing structure; Planet Fitness will be next to the two tenant spaces. Planner McCool stated the exterior wall will be finished with an exterior finish insulation system (EFIS), which will be painted. To the east, closest to the residential area east of the site, there will be two window areas, which will provide natural light into the main fitness room for Planet Fitness. There are no proposed changes to the back side of the building. Planner McCool reviewed the floor plan and also noted the privacy fence will continue to exist on the property. Landscaping improvements will be done within each of the curbed islands within the parking lot. Representatives for the project were present to answer any questions; Howard Levy, 200 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Kent Doble, RSP Architects, Minneapolis, introduced themselves. Council Member Thiede stated he noted three dock spaces that were on the north side of the building; obviously, two of them are within the Planet Fitness area and end up being in the utility space. He wondered if the third one was giving dock access to the other two tenant spaces, as there's not really a lot of space back there for trucks to unload if they're right along the building. He was advised that it would be the intention for the tenant closest to Planet Fitness to use the one remaining dock. Council Member Thiede asked what they'd be doing for the other tenant space; he was advised they'd have to create another dock to service that retailer. Mayor Bailey asked if the two docks shown at the Planet Fitness location would no longer be used as docks; he was informed they would still remain as docks. Mayor Bailey stated there was concern about the lights being there; his understanding was if that becomes an issue later on, there would be a privacy fence put up. Because the dock is staying, there's a wall there already, and the likelihood of cars' headlights flashing down into the residential area actually would be very minimal, if at all, and the wall would also help mitigate any noise. Mayor Bailey asked if the intent was to build out the facades of the two future tenants or if they're going to leave those as is until another business comes in; he was advised those are going to be left alone because they don't who the tenants will be and each tenant has their own particular design and facade. It would be wasteful to build a facade only to have it taken down later. City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 9 Council Member Dennis stated he wanted to thank them for all of their hard work in helping to get this issue solved, as it's been a long time since they've had a tenant there and it's nice to see this finally settled. Motion by Council Member Thiede to Adopt Resolution 2018-096 approving the conditional use permit for the proposed Planet Fitness to occupy approximately 18,025 square feet of space at 7240 East Point Douglas Road South and the amendment to the site plan to add landscape islands and 68 passenger vehicle parking spaces; second by Council Member Johnson. Motion carried: 5-0. 12. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Council Member Dennis stated he wanted to talk about something important, called "Swipe Out Hunger," an initiative that was started by one of our local business investors, Merchants Bank. They're working in conjunction with a number of food shelves in areas where their banks provide service. He read a post from the Facebook page of our local food shelf, the Friends in Need Food Shelf, regarding the Merchants Bank "Swipe Out Hunger," which takes place from August 1 to August 8. Friends in Need Food Shelf will get a donation from Merchants Bank based on the number of votes we receive on their Facebook page; simply click on the link. You can vote once every 24 hours. You need to have a Facebook page; if you don't have one, you can ask friends or relatives to vote for you. Last year we were in second place; Hastings is winning, but they have 40% less population than Cottage Grove. If we can rally the troops in Cottage Grove to vote for this, we can win this. The top prize is $2,500; by virtue of their buying power they can take $1 and turn it 10 fold, so the $2,500 would mean the world to a lot of folks who might need their services. He thanked Merchants Bank for doing this again, as it's a fantastic program. He urged everybody to take a moment, go on Facebook, look this up, and vote, as it can make a big difference. Council Member Thiede stated on Friday, at River Oaks, there is a beer day with $1.50 off beers; for anyone who sees this in time, get over to River Oaks and spend some time there on Friday. Council Member Thiede stated the canoe the backwaters event at Hazen P. Mooer's Park on August 18 is already full; they're getting kayaks and canoes, and it's sponsored by Parks and Recreation. He imagined you could still come if you had your own canoe or kayak; because this filled up so quickly, we'll probably have some more activities there in the future. Mayor Bailey stated he's heard from citizens who wanted to be part of the canoe/kayak event, so if it's as successful as he thinks it will be, he'd encourage talking with Director Zac Dockter and Recreation Supervisor Molly Pietruszewski from Parks and Recreation about doing another one. It's pretty tight from a space standpoint, so they might have to choose another day. Administrator Charlene Stevens stated it's our first year of trying some new things with river access; we'll see how it goes. If it is successful and well received, they'll look at other options to either do another event this fall or plan some additional events for 2019. City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 10 Council Member Johnson asked if the Highlands Park paddleboat was put there by the City; Administrator Stevens stated the Parks and Recreation Commission started the program of having a paddleboat out there. Some vandalism occurred, so it was removed for a period of time, but it should be back in service soon. Council Member Johnson stated there seemed to be an ongoing issue at Kingston Park with vandalized portable toilets; he wondered if there was a plan to address this going forward. Administrator Stevens stated we've had some vandalism there, which occurs annually in our parks, and yes, the staff is working on ways to address that. Council Member Thiede asked if we had cameras out there, which we do. Council Member Johnson asked if we had the cameras in the right spot; Director of Public Safety Pete Koerner stated they're going to readjust them for certain areas, but we've arrested a couple juveniles for curfew violations, not for vandalism, but they're patrolling. Council Member Johnson stated there's a primary election on August 14; it's a very important election coming up. Don't assume your voting location is the same as it was for the general election, as his personally had changed; make sure to check your voting location. Mayor Bailey wanted to acknowledge Senator Karla Bigham as the League of Minnesota Cities actually selected her as the Legislator of Distinction for 2018. There were 25 legislators recognized, 14 House members and 11 Senate members, for their actions and leadership on a wide variety of legislative issues of importance to cities across the state. They wanted to acknowledge those legislators who are very city friendly and help continue strengthening the partnership between state and local government officials within Minnesota. Mayor Bailey wanted to congratulate and thank Senator Bigham for her leadership. Mayor Bailey stated that next week, August 7, is Night to Unite in Cottage Grove. There are multiple neighborhood events happening, upwards of 40 parties, and a number of us will be out there visiting and talking to them. There are also two events for seniors, a Noon Out at Norris Square and another version of a Noon Out at White Pine; he'll be attending both of those events. The Crossroads Church at Jamaica and 80th will be doing a special event that night; they're working with Thrivent and are doing a Family Fun event, coinciding with Night to Unite. They will have food and rides and gaming trucks; there is a cost for some of these items, not all, but 100% of the proceeds will go to support our local Youth Service Bureau. Thrivent is putting together all of the food along with Crossroads Church. Mayor Bailey will be there from 5:00 to 5:30, in the dunk tank, so he hopes many people will attend this event also. He encouraged residents to get outside for Night to Unite and get to know your neighbors. 13. WORKSHOPS — OPEN TO PUBLIC — None. 14. WORKSHOPS — CLOSED TO PUBLIC — None. City Council Meeting Minutes August 1, 2018 Page 11 15. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Council Member Dennis, second by Council Member Mills, to adjourn the meeting at 8:02 p.m. Motion carried: 5-0. Minutes prepared by Judy Graf and reviewed by Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City Clerk.