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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 03/19/2002 - Workshop APPROVED'1NHNUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCH, «'ORKSHON/FORU'M TUESDAY,MARCH 19,2002 CITY CENTER 5:30- 6:25 PM,HERITAGE ROOM 11 6:30—7:00 PM,COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher,Ron Case,David Luse,and Jan Mosman CITY STAFF: City Manager Carl Jullie,Public Safety Director Jim Clark,Public Works Services Director Eugene Dietz, Director of Parks and Recreation Services Bob Lambert, Community Development and Financial Services Director Don Uram, and Recorder Lorene McWaters Heritage Room II I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER Mayor Tyra-Lukens called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA III. SERVICE AREA DIRECTOR OVERVIEW OF 2001 ACCOMPLISHMENTS Community Development and Financial Services Director Don Uram reviewed accomplishments for 2001 and goals for 2002 for the following areas: Assessing, Community Development, Economic Development,Housing,Transportation and Social Services,Historic Preservation,Finance, Information Technology, and Liquor Operations. The goals and accomplishments were also covered in detail in a Memorandum distributed to the Council, so Uram highlighted items of particular interest to the Council: • Eden Prairie's assessing tax base for Pay 2003 is expected to exceed$6 billion • Staff will finalize the updated Guide Plan,with the assistance of the Council and legal staff • The City will attempt to secure funding from Hennepin County for the HOPE program • Work will go forward on renovation and conversion of the More House to a coffee and bakery shop • The City's bond rating was upgraded from Aa2 to Aal in 2001, and staff txrill continue to work toward further upgrade of the rating • The new City website will be in place by the end of the year CITY COLT TC1L V.TORFiSHOP iIHiRT[=S March 19, 2002 Page 2 • Staff will continue to partner with local restaurants to hold wine tasting events and will explore other means of increasing profits,particularly through sales of high margin wines. Uram noted that last year Mayor Harris' had explored the idea of a Sister City program that would pair Eden Prairie up with a city in China. Uram asked if the Council,%rishes to pursue the Sister City idea. Butcher wanted to know what would need to be done next. Uram said the City would need to join the International Sister City Program. He noted that for a Sister City Program to be successful, support of civic organizations,the school district, and the business community would be critical.Mayor Tyra-Lukens asked about the costs that would be associated with such a program. Uram said he would contact cities of similar size with Sister City programs and report back to the Council. Parks and Recreation Services Director Bob Lambert also referred to a memo to the Council detailing goals and accomplishments. Highlights included: • A Citizen Taskforce will be formed to address short-and long-term athletics needs in the City. • Development of the Purgatory Creek Recreation Area will continue with construction of a trail around the marsh. • Staff will work on securing a site for a neighborhood park to serve the Cedar Forest area. • Staff will consider requesting permission from MAC to expand the Flying Cloud Ballfields to Spring Road. • Development of Smetana Lake Park will be completed. • An enclosed archery range will be built in Staring Lake Park. and work on regarding of the sliding hill will begin. Lambert also reported that he had been contacted by a citizen interested in building a 9- golf course with an expanded teaching area to provide Eden Prairie youth and adults with an affordable means of learning the game. Lambert will explore the proposal and report back to the Council on any decisions. Lambert said the second phase of the skate park at Round Lake is scheduled for construction in 2003. Staff is also looking at placing smaller skate parks in some of the neighborhood parks throughout the City. Councilmembers agreed that, since only ten minutes remained for discussion of this topic,the workshop would be continued on April 9. The topic originally scheduled for the April 9 workshop, the new City,website,will be rescheduled. IV. COUNCILMEMBER DISCUSSION OF 2002 GOALS V. OTHER TOPICS i CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MIILTUTES March 19,2002 Page 2 Council Chamber VI. OPEN FORUM (Scheduled participants, 6:30-6:50 p.m.) A. LAURA BLUML—CONCERNS ABOUT MCES SEWER LINE Laura Bluml, 10540 West Riverview Road,her husband Kevin, and several neighbors appeared before the Council to present issues they have with MCES property located near theirs. Bluml said an odor control biofilter that was installed on a siphon headbox to control odors emanating from manholes has been emitting increasingly foul odors over the past year. She said that she had even summoned a police officer come to her residence to document the situation. Bluml said that when the headbox was installed in 1987,residents were told that it would not be visible from their houses,which is not the case. She said MCES also submitted a relandscaping plan to the City for approval at the time the structure was built,but that plan was never implemented. According to Bluml, the site has become a"de facto"park over the past year or so. According to Bluml,there is only one no trespassing sign posted on the property. Bluml said she has called the County numerous times regarding these issues. In November, she was told that the staff she had been contacting was no longer allowed to talk to her and she was given a hotline number to call if she had complaints. She said the County has not responded to her repeated complaints. Public Works Services Director Gene Dietz said he had sent a letter to MCES on March 11 regarding Bluml's complaints,but he had not yet received a reply. Councilmember Case asked if MCES could be asked to appear before the Council to address the concerns. Councilmember Luse said talking with the media about issues can be helpful when dealing with non-elected intergovernmental agencies that seem nonresponsive. B. KEN BRIGGS AND SEVER PETERSON Ken Briggs introduced himself as the renter of a home located on City parkland at 18700 Flying Cloud Drive. The home is slated for demolition to allow for further development of the park. Briggs introduced long-time resident Sever Peterson. Peterson said he is requesting permission to move the home,which was constructed about 80 years ago and is in good condition,to his Eden Prairie farmland property. Peterson said that he has held off on improvements to his land for years because he was informed in 1978 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that they planned to acquire his land for use as a wildlife refuge. Peterson said he is tired of waiting for action from the Wildlife Service, and would like to be able to help Briggs out by moving the house onto his property. Councilmember Case suggested addressing this request during the regular meeting, since there was little time left to discuss the issue during the forum portion of the meeting. Council agreed. i CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP;LIINUTES March 19,2002 Page 2 VII. OPEN PODIUM(Unscheduled participants, 6:50-7:00 p.m.) No one asked to speak during Open Podium. VI. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Tyra-Lukens adjourned the Workshop/Forum at 6:59 p.m.