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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Services Minutes 3 21 16_Revised RTB Minutes City of Cottage Grove Public Services Commission Meeting March 21, 2016 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a Cottage Grove Public Services Commission Meeting was held on March 21, 2016. CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Members Present: Campbell, Robert Dornbach, Robert Griffith, Kent Ingram, Steve Jurgens, Tony Lewis, Jodi Podoll, Jeff Rediske, Lise Serpico, William Smith, Brandon Fleming, Ryan Klug, Shauna Members Absent: Davick, Evan Forsythe, Pat Johnston, Joseph Isker, Rita Staff Present: Burshten, Les, Public Works Director Woolery Craig, Public Safety Director Levitt, Jennifer, Community Development Director/City Engineer Burfeind, Ryan, Project Engineer Koerner, Pete, Captain Redenius, Rick, Fire Chief Taylor, Harry – Public Works Supervisor Orloff, Gary, Streets Foreman Others Present: Justin Olsen, Councilman Approval of Agenda Agenda - Approved Approval of Minutes February 23, 2016 - Approved Open Forum Commission Chair Jurgens invited citizens present to address the Commission regarding any matters that were not on the agenda. Warren Lund – 8834 90th Street South Lund addressed the commission regarding a sign application submitted to Engineering for review. He expressed his gratitude to the City of Cottage Grove Police Department for the increased patrol in the area of his concern. Burfeind stated the application has been received and if approved the sign would be installed the spring of 2016. Bill Weber - Sunrise Development Weber introduced his company, Sunrise Development to the Commission. Sunrise Development has submitted an application with the planning commission to build a community solar garden at 11576 Point Douglas Rd. The 35 acre parcel is currently used for farming. If approved this site would be used for a five megawatt community solar garden. Weber feels the existing vegetation and trees along State Highway 61 will effectively screen the public view of the proposed solar panels. Weber stated Sunrise Development held a meeting with homeowners to discuss concerns. Weber is looking for an endorsement from the Commission to bring the proposal before the City Council. Ingram asked for clarification on the location of the solar garden. There were no objections from the Commissioners. Presentations Well Head Protection – Mark Janovec, Stantec Consulting gave an overview of the Wellhead Protection Plan originally presented to Commissioners last summer. The overview included a description of the program, its components and a future plan. Ingram asked how many of 3M’s wells are currently being monitored close to the contamination site. Levitt responded there are approximately 23 barrier wells that essentially fully capture the contamination. Levitt added she would like to see additional wells added downstream and monitored to confirm the capture is successful. 3M is aggressively trying to reduce their pumping on this site. There is a large divide through the site and when 3M tried to reduce its pumping a few years ago they discovered they did not have full capture in a reduction scenario and this caused 3M to increase pumping again until they could figure out how the site was behaving. The actual pipe that runs down HWY 19 is taking all the discharged water being pumped from the site to the Cottage Grove 3M plant which is then run through a granulated activated carbon filtration system and finally discharged into the Mississippi. At the 3M site there are additional barrier wells adjacent to the bluff line which are also treated. Currently 3M does not believe they have full capture along the bluff line and are looking into adding additional barrier wells. Levitt and 3M are working with the PCA to determine how many additional wells will be needed along the Mississippi bluff line. Most of the water taken from the Woodbury and Cottage Grove site are used at the 3M plant to cool the hazardous waste incinerator. Levitt explained the City is working with the PCA to make sure the system is perfected before they allow a reduction in pumping from these areas. Annual Recycling Report/Update – Jennifer McLoughlin, Environmental Consultant presented the municipal recycling grant program annual report. The presentation included programs the City is using to encourage recycling. McLoughlin stated in 2015 recycling has increased to 21%. Jurgens questioned the figure 21% and asked for clarification. Stewart, Tennis Sanitation responded stating the 21% would be from total tonnage. Ingram questioned whether 21% was a low rate of recycling compared to other communities. Stewart responded that it is the first year gathering data so there are no comparisons yet. Jurgens asked if there are single sort options in local parks. Levitt responded that the difficulty with offering single sort options in parks is the lack of control with cross contamination. She suggested it may become an option in the future as recycling education becomes more prevalent. Ingram inquired about a $30,000 expense for recycling containers. McLoughlin stated the reason for the high cost was the containers are placed in a location that requires a very durable material and the ability to be bolted down. New Business Solid Waste Ordinance – Susan Young, Froth Infrastructure and Environment presented the mixed solid waste and recycling ordinance recommendations. Young stated the ordinance was created in 1971 and she outlined the changes to the ordinance needed to meet MN State Statutes and provide clearer information to the public. Highlights from Young’s presentation included the recommendation to divide the solid waste ordinance into two sections, licensing and solid waste. The licensing would set rules for haulers and solid waste would set rules for residents and business owners. Young also recommends implementing a garbage service that would provide service every other week. This would benefit seniors and residents who do not generate as much waste as an average family. A recommendation to bring the information from the mixed solid waste and recycling ordinance to the Council was made by Ingram. Seconded by Smith. Sustainable City Award Nominations – Ryan Burfeind, Project Engineer gave an overview of the Sustainable City Award nominations. The award began in 2013 and was created to recognize a business, individual, or organization for their work or project reflecting sustainability, green, and environmentally friendly practices. Burfeind presented the nominations for this year and asked for the Commission’s recommendation to award the Residential 2016 Sustainability Award to Ms. Sherry Holtmeyer and the Large Organization 2016 Sustainability Award to South Washington County Schools; Cottage Grove Elementary, Cottage Grove Middle School, Armstrong Elementary, Crestview/Nuevas Fronteras Elementary, Hillside Elementary, Grey Cloud Elementary, and Pine Hill Elementary. The recommendation was made by Smith and seconded by Klug. Old Business None Response to Previously Raised Commission Requests None Staff Reports and Educational Material Public Works – Burshten gave an overview of current Public Works projects. Police – Koerner explained there is a lot of attention in the media regarding off duty personnel and social media. Koerner added the City is reviewing the current social media policy. Koerner stated any behavior that is unbecoming of a police officer or behavior that discredits themselves or the organization will not be tolerated. Koerner added Patrick Nickle was promoted to Sergeant and the PD has received two grants to purchase preliminary breath tests. Koerner stated PD will be hiring four new field training officers. They have 40 candidates to interview. Fire - Redenius reported there were 207 EMS responses and 16 Fire responses in February. Redenius added the new fire station is moving forward and the location will be at the 80th street site. Environmental – Thiede gave an overview of the solar gardens and explained to the Environmental Commission they can make recommendations to the Council to approve or disapprove a solar garden. Council Comments Olsen stated the City has underspent its budget in 2015 by 1 million dollars and those funds will be allocated back to the general fund. Olsen added CG has been awarded the Most Fiscally Sustainable City in Minnesota by Stanford. Olsen gave an overview of some new developments which included Summers Landing, Merchants Bank, Kwik Trip and the possibility of a new restaurant coming to CG. Commission Comments A request was made for a fence to be placed on the Goodwill property. The argument is the parking lot sits on top of a steep incline and if someone drove over the embankment it could be very dangerous. Adjournment – Motion to adjourn, Meeting adjourned at 8:42pm