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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 04/12/2005 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY,APRIL 12, 2005 7:00 PM, EDEN PRAIRIE LIBRARY 565 PRAIRIE CENTER DRIVE CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Councilmembers Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher, Ron Case, and Philip Young CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Parks & Recreation Director Bob Lambert, Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, City Planner Michael Franzen, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, City Attorney Roger Pauly and Council Recorder Deb Sweeney I. ROLL CALL/CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER Mayor Tyra-Lukens called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. All members were present. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE III. COUNCIL FORUM INVITATION IV. PROCLAMATIONS A. ARBOR DAY—MAY 7, 2005 Mayor Tyra-Lukens read the Arbor Day Proclamation. Case noted that due to Eden Prairie's past as a prairie/savanna, there are more trees in Eden Prairie now than at any time in its history. He commended tree planting efforts. B. NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK Councilmember Case read the National Public Safety Telecommunicators Proclamation. V. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS Butcher added an update on the Community Development Block Grants to Reports of Councilmembers. Case requested an update on the airport from Neal and added his own item to discuss conducting a follow-up to the Senior Task Force under Reports of Councilmembers. MOTION: Young moved, seconded by Butcher, to approve the Agenda as published and amended. Motion carried 5-0. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 2 VI. MINUTES A. JOINT CITY COUNCIL/SCHOOL BOARD MEETING HELD TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2005 B. JOINT CITY COUNCIL/PARKS RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING HELD TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2005 C. COUNCIL WORKSHOP HELD TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2005 D. CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2005 MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Butcher, to approve all four of the minutes listed above as published. Motion carried 5-0. VII. CONSENT CALENDAR A. CLERK'S LICENSE LIST B. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2005-51 APPROVING FINAL PLAT OF HERITAGE PINES C. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2005-52 APPROVING FINAL PLAT OF EAGLE RIDGE AT HENNEPIN VILLAGE FIVE D. APPROVE HTPO PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR FLYING CLOUD DRIVE OUTSIDE STORAGE PROJECT E. APPROVE TERMINATION OF TAX ABATEMENT AGREEMENT AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS FOR ADC F. APPROVE OLYMPIC HILLS SPECIAL ASSESSMENT AGREEMENT G. AUTHORIZE PREPARATION OF PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS AND BIDS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF FULL ACCESS TO THE PURGATORY CREEK RECREATION AREA H. APPROVE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SUBCONTRACTOR FOR GARDEN ROOM I. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2005-53 DECLARING PROPERTY AS "ABANDONED PROPERTY" MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Case, to approve items A-I of the Consent Calendar. Motion carried 5-0. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 3 VIII. PUBLIC HEARINGS/MEETINGS A. HENNEPIN VILLAGE GUIDE PLAN CHANGE OFFICE TO LOW AND MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL by Dan Herbst, Hennepin Village LP. Request for Comprehensive Guide Plan Change from office to low-medium density residential on 17 acres. Planned Unit Development Concept Amendment on 17 acres. Location: North of T.H. 212, east of Spring Road. (Resolution No. 2005-54 for Guide Plan Change, Resolution No. 2005-55 for PUD Concept Review, Ordinance for PUD District Review and Zoning District Amendment) City Manager Scott Neal stated the official notice of this City was published in the March 31, 2005, Eden Prairie Sun Current and sent to 49 property owners. Neal shared the following reasons to consider the guide plan change: • The housing is a transfer of 43 units displaced from the approved plan by either noise zones or wetlands. • The site is not in noise zone 60 or 65. • The homes would be designed to meet interior noise standards. • The housing site sits at an elevation lower than the airport, and views of the airport are limited. • Housing generates less traffic than office. • The PUD has 51 acres left for office and commercial uses which can provide employment/services in close proximity to housing. He noted the following reasons to not consider the guide plan change: • The project is inconsistent with the comprehensive plan. • The project is inconsistent with the approved PUD. • Additional housing located close to the existing airport. • Office provides a better transition between the airport and housing to the south. • The proposed housing does not meet a senior or affordable housing goal. • Loss of employment(approximately 1,000 jobs.) Neal reported the approved PUD identified an office use of the site but not a specific number. The traffic study for the PUD estimated a building square footage,based on City code requirements for this site to be 152,000 square feet. This number was used to estimate traffic generation in order to determine what road improvements would be needed. Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah added she is continuing to work with the developer and West Hennepin Affordable Housing Land Trust to try to resolve the affordable housing issue. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 4 Tyra-Lukens asked Jeremiah if she had approached West Hennepin Affordable Housing Land Trust about the sustainability of affordable housing after resale. Jeremiah said this depends on the agency. The WHAHLT Project only sells to people who meet affordability criteria. If we go with another agency this may be an issue. Aho asked if Jeremiah had considered the possibility of residents complaining about airport noise later. Jeremiah stated the City is required to disclose noise zones, both as the airport stands now and after expansion. Neal added, while he couldn't promise there would be no future complaints, other housing is already located in a higher noise zone, and the topography of the site should also mitigate noise. Butcher recalled other projects, east of T.H. 212, that also had disclaimers, and Jeremiah confirmed the City is required to provide such disclaimers whether the housing is technically in a noise zone or not. Butcher stated disclaimers must be effective since there have been fewer complaints. Tyra-Lukens noted the problem is with resale. Jeremiah confirmed the disclaimer does not follow the property and is given to the first owner only. Tyra-Lukens explained the City couldn't attach the disclaimer to future sales because of County filing requirements. Young sought clarification of the status of the affordable housing, and Jeremiah stated that further information would be brought before the Council at a future meeting. Young noted while the Plan Trust provides a mechanism for an affordable component, it is harder to sustain with owner-occupied housing. Young inquired if the City has a general policy regarding houses near the airport. Jeremiah stated the City mitigates the airport noise as much as possible through the Comprehensive Plan. Two other policies are to disclose noise zones to new property owners and to require insulation to reduce interior noise. Young asked if the City had ever turned down a development based on noise. Neal said he couldn't remember any,but noted Staff work behind the scenes to discourage questionable projects before they come to a vote. Butcher added the Metropolitan Airport Council(MAC)has sometimes not approved projects even when the City Council did. Case expressed frustration at this de facto zoning. He noted the MAC could just buy the land,but they don't. There were no comments from the public. MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Young, to close the Public Hearing; and adopt the Resolution for Guide Plan Change from Office to Low-Medium Density residential; and adopt the Resolution for Planned Unit Development Concept Amendment on 17 acres; and direct staff to prepare a development agreement incorporating staff and board recommendations and council conditions. Motion carried 5-0. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 5 B. COLUMBINE ROAD ADDITION by City of Eden Prairie. Request for Preliminary plat of 31.49 acres into one lot, three outlots and road right-of-way for Columbine Road. Location: Columbine Road and Prairie Center Drive. (Resolution No. 2005-56 for Preliminary Plat) Neal stated the official notice of this City was published in the March 31, 2005, Eden Prairie Sun Current and sent to 26 property owners. Neal noted the City acquired this land parcel from the State as a Conveyance of Forfeited Lands in February of 2002. Tyra-Lukens asked for clarification on whether this is wetland now, or a wetland restoration. Dietz explained the largest parcel, a 21-acre outlot on the southwest side of Columbine Road, is currently wetland and carved off for a conservation easement. Tyra-Lukens inquired about the projected completion date for the Columbine Road project. Dietz said the end of this construction season. There were no comments from the public. MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Butcher, to close the Public Hearing; and adopt the Resolution for a Preliminary Plat of 31.49 acres into one lot, three outlots and road right-of-way. Motion carried 5-0. C. THE RIDGE AT RILEY CREEK by EPIC Development. Request for Planned Unit Development Concept Review on 42.22 acres. Planned Unit Development District Review with waivers on 42.22 acres. Zoning District Change from Rural to R1-13.5 on 42.22 acres. Preliminary Plat of 42.22 acres into 39 lots, two outlots and road right-of-way. Location: North and west of the Sky Lane, south and east of Riley Creek. (Resolution No. 2005-57 for PUD Concept Review, Ordinance for PUD District Review and Zoning District Change, Resolution No. 2005-58 for Preliminary Plat) Official notice of this City was published in the March 31, 2005, Eden Prairie Sun Current and sent to 223 property owners. Neal explained this project is for 39 single-family lots on 42.22 acres consistent with the Comprehensive Guide Plan for low-density residential development. Neal noted the development is consistent with the existing and proposed expanded Flying Cloud Airport. A small portion of what would be safety zone B (limited development) overlays the most easterly side of the property based on an expanded airport. All homes are located outside the safety zone. Noise zones are based on noise contours determined from forecasted aircraft operations at the CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 6 airport are shown as DNL 60 and DNL 65 contours. Neither of these contours overlay the property based on the existing or an expanded airport. Because of the current and future projected number of aircraft over-flights to occur in this area, the developer will need to provide a disclosure statement to all first homeowners in the development advising of the proposed airport expansion and associated over-flights. In addition, each home will need to be designed and constructed to provide for an interior noise reduction to 45 dBA,based on the Metropolitan Council's Builder Guide. Neal described this as similar to the Hennepin Village development. Jeremiah added Scott Kipp from the planning division asked her to make a correction to his statements in the Planning Commission meeting. Kipp had stated that overflights over this project would be reduced if the airport were expanded. He wished to note that, due to projected re-routing to protect sensitive wildlife areas, overflights would in fact increase if the airport expands. Case asked where the City land is located that is slated for a trail along Riley Creek. Parks & Recreation Director Bob Lambert said he would have the precise location in two weeks, after walking the site with citizens and planners. With land dedicated 100 feet back from the creek, there will be sufficient land for a trail. The developer will do the trailhead. Case asked how the City could protect the 150-foot buffer to the creek, comparing the issue to Purgatory Creek. Lambert said there will be lot markers on the back of the lots,but also noted these tend to "disappear" after a while, as homeowners do not like them. Case asked if there would be any inexpensive way to fence off the area. Lambert said he wouldn't recommend fencing, as it would be preferable to have a natural corridor. He also suggested when the trail goes in,homeowners will want the markers to keep trail users off their property and hence be less likely to remove them. Case referenced issues with the Big Woods development, and asked if the back lot lines appeared straight for this development, or if they needed to be adjusted. Lambert said the westernmost lot had a jog that needed correction,but the rest were straight. MOTION: Butcher moved, seconded by Case, to close the Public Hearing; and adopt the Resolution for Planned Unit Development Concept Review on 42.22 acres; and approve 1 st Reading of the Ordinance for Planned Unit Development District Review with waivers, and Zoning District Change from Rural to R1-13.5 on 42.22 acres; and adopt the Resolution for Preliminary Plat on 42.22 acres into 39 lots, two outlots and road right-of-way; and Direct Staff to prepare a Development Agreement incorporating Staff and Commission recommendations and Council conditions. Motion carried 5-0. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 7 IX. PAYMENT OF CLAIMS MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Butcher, to approve Payment of Claims as submitted. The motion was approved on a roll call vote with Aho, Butcher, Case, Young, and Tyra-Lukens voting "aye." X. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS XI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS A. SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM FOR EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY THEATRE Sandy Werts, Recreation Coordinator, Arts and Special Events, addressed the Council to seek approval of a sponsorship initiative. The Community Theater, which is a program of the Parks and Recreation Department, is inviting community businesses to sponsor a night at the summer musical, which will be The Pajama Game this year. The performance dates are June 17, 18, 19, 24, 25 and 26. For givers of$1,000 or more, the Community Theater would like to offer a benefit package that would include free use of the Staring Lake Park building from 4 to 10 p.m. for a pre- and post-musical get-together,reserving two row of seating—for up to 40 people at the amphitheater and reserved parking for 20 cars. Werts noted since the performances and the parking are free, it's harder to think of sponsorship benefits. Since the performances and parking are typically packed to capacity, the Community Theater thought these benefits might be attractive. Butcher approved the idea and noted it would be easy for the City to do. Aho concurred. Lambert questioned the parking. He said is would be difficult to mark and enforce, especially since the performances are so popular and people come early. He recommended the reserved spots be near the building, not near the amphitheater. Lambert also informed the Council that sections of the amphitheater that are rotting will be removed and replaced this summer by summer youth work crews. So there might be more pressure on seating this year as well. Lambert noted he had asked the Community Theater to look at ways to lower its subsidy, so he appreciated the idea. He stated,however, it's important not to create bad feeling. Tyra-Lukens asked when the amphitheater work would begin. Lambert said it would start as soon as school lets out, maybe June 15"'. They could potentially wait,but then other performances would be affected. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 8 Tyra-Lukens stated the parking would be a headache to enforce, requiring vouchers or a list. If sponsors paid for parking and it was not available, that would create bad feeling. It might be less of a problem if they arrive at 4:00 p.m. to use the building anyway. Butcher commented that the parking really sweetens the deal. Werts confirmed the Community Theater would reserve the spots closest to the park building. There were no comments from the public. MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Aho, to approve the Sponsorship Benefits package established by the Eden Prairie Community Theater. Motion carried 5- 0. XII. REPORTS OF ADVISORY BOARDS & COMMISSIONS XIII. APPOINTMENTS XIV. REPORTS OF OFFICERS A. REPORTS OF COUNCILMEMBERS 1. Community Development Block Grant Federal Funding Restored— Councilmember Butcher Butcher shared a follow up on the success of advocacy during the National League of Cities meeting in Washington. She noted federal funding of Community Development Block Grants had been slated for cuts of 25 to 33 percent. These grants were instituted about 30 years ago to help cities develop in a number of positive ways, including job generation, affordable housing, and promoting economic investment. She reported, with the help of Senator Coleman, the bill was amended to keep funding at the same level and to keep the program under HUD, which was also desirable. The bill passed 66-31. This was a huge victory for Eden Prairie. The bill still has to go through conference committee and be signed by the president. Butcher stated advocates for the grant are fairly confident that will happen. Case praised the victory but also noted concerns that the victory of the Community Development Block Grants might mean unfavorable changes in Section 8 funding. He emphasized the work in Washington is not done. 2. Report on the Airport from the City Manager—Requested Update from Councilmember Case CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 9 Neal reported meeting with two citizens on March 11 to discuss questions of the implementation of the agreement between MAC and Eden Prairie. As a result of that meeting, Neal decided it would be beneficial to audit the entire agreement and evaluate compliance of all parties—MAC, the City,pilots, and owners. Neal said Scott Kipp would coordinate the audit with the assistance of City Attorney Ric Rosow and possibly consultant Dan Remer, whom the City has used before as a special counsel. MAC has been informed of the audit and agreed to cooperate. Case added there are three changes in the area of aviation that could affect the City. A new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ruling this year might weaken the City's agreement regarding pavement depth. In addition, Northwest Airlines is looking at land use at reliever airports, and Anoka is considering municipal airport ownership. 3. Proposal for Update to the Senior Task Force—Councilmember Case Case noted the findings of the Senior Task Force, conducted nine years ago,have greatly impacted the City's efforts to get senior housing. He proposed the City might want to spend two months on a quick update of the Task Force's work. Demographics and needs are continuing to change. According to demographic projections, seniors in Eden Prairie might exceed the K-12 population in the future. Case reported he has had community interest in serving on such a task force. He asked Councilmembers for their opinions. Tyra-Lukens recalled in 1995, there was very little senior housing in Eden Prairie. Today, the City has luxury senior housing that includes athletic and other amenities, reducing the need for City services somewhat. She supported taking another look at the needs of seniors. Case suggested focusing on walkability as a senior issue. He noted seniors living near the mall have complained about unfinished trails, and that pedestrian access to the mall is difficult for the young and robust, let alone seniors. Tyra-Lukens agreed since the City now has housing options for seniors, it might makes sense to focus on what the City can do to be more senior- friendly to the seniors already living here. Case explained he was thinking of updating the demographic data, asking whether seniors liked the available housing options, and asking about other needs such as the senior center. He thought doing this every ten years or so made sense. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 10 Butcher noted seniors' housing needs go across a continuum of care, from cooperatives to assisted living to acute care. She stated twenty years from now, 25 percent of Minnesota's residents would be age 65 or older. It behooves us to think about the impacts on services and facilities and stay ahead of the curve. Aho asked for clarification on the deliverables of the Senior Task Force update, and what outcomes the City could expect from it. Case emphasized he envisioned this as a quick update. He envisioned the Task Force delivering a demographic update, the result of fact-finding and focus groups on present and future needs, and ideas about the evolving Senior Center. Case noted the first Senior Task Force had really focused the council nine years ago on senior housing and transportation needs. He stated,however, the Council needs to charge the Task Force very specifically or they will spend two years. Neal offered to discuss the Senior Task Force Update with Jeremiah and to come back to the Council with a timeline and charter statement. Case also requested a list of outcomes for the council to review. B. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER 1. April 26 Closed Session for Annual Performance Review Neal reminded the Council the April 26 meeting would end in closed session for his annual performance review. 2. Request to Reference Past Resolution to Add Mayors to MAC Advisory Council Neal explained a new bill is in the Senate Transportation Committee to add mayors to the MAC Advisory Council. The City Council passed a a similar bill last year, as it would allow mayors a seat at the table to understand the issues. Neal stated he did not have time to draft a new resolution,but requested permission to reference the former one on the same topic. Tyra-Lukens assented. C. REPORT OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR 1. MCA Open House Jeremiah announced the MCA would hold its first Open House on Wednesday, April 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Eden Prairie Library. The purpose is to allow residents and business to learn about and give input on the long-distance vision (through 2030) for the area bounded CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 11 by the Prairie Center Drive/Valley View ring road. The goal is to balance residential and business interests. All property owners in the 1000-acre area will receive a postcard inviting them to the event. Attendees will be able talk to Staff about land use and transit issues. Jeremiah noted preliminary discussions with residents of Summit Place and The Colony have indicated way-finding and directional signage are an issue. She said there have been some blue-sky ideas and others that are implementable now. D. REPORT OF PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR 1. Referendum Considerations Parks and Recreation Director Bob Lambert presented options for a parks referendum, including recommendations from the Citizen Study Committee and Staff. He noted at the joint meeting of the Parks Recreation and Natural Resources Commission and the City Council, the City Council requested additional information prior to making any decisions on a referendum. The City Council specifically wanted a list of all of the proposed projects that are being considered for at least the next five years and the estimated construction costs, as well as the estimated additional operating costs for any of those improvements. These projects fall into three categories: Community Center Improvements (including possible swimming pool improvements), Park Acquisition and Improvement, and Trail Improvements. Lambert began with Community Center Improvements. He stated for this project, the plan is to do just what the Citizen Study Committee said to do—to bond out some of the costs to reduce costs to taxpayers. He presented three schemes for doing this, each with different costs. Lambert presented scheme A as the most basic option. He altered the proposal slightly to present it without a deeper pool, at a cost of$6.6 million, which would be funded by referendum. This would cover a multi- use gym, improved and expanded locker areas, a new lobby, better access control, expanded ice rink bleacher seating with team and storage rooms underneath, a concessions area, and a greatly expanded fitness center, five to six times the size of the current facility. In addition, Scheme A would include the addition of an indoor playspace, at a cost of$540,000, to be funded by revenue bonds. Lambert noted Edina was able to pay off its revenue bonds for their playspace in just seven months, and most communities have been able to cover their costs within two years. A general benchmark for a good investment is a five year payback. Lambert said he wanted to consult other cities that have indoor CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 12 play areas to see what elements they need to be successful, for example, the option for parents to have their children supervised in the play area while they work out. Scheme A would also include an outdoor fun pool, to be funded by $900,000 in revenue bonds. This would be a zero-depth entry pool for pre- swimmers,reaching a maximum depth of about three feet, with lots of play opportunities such as fountains and plenty of deck space. Lambert stated this type of pool is also a revenue generator. Since adding a play pool to their outdoor pool complex, Edina has realized $200,000 per year in profit. Lambert said more study is needed to determine if a play pool would be a revenue generator outside the setting of a larger outdoor pool like Edina's. He would only recommend the play pool if it could be done with revenue bonds for construction and operation. Lambert also discussed the possibility of a third sheet of ice at the Community Center, constructed outside under a metal shed roof to reduce costs, and funded by bonds and donations from the Hockey Association at a total cost of two million. It would not have walls constructed in this phase. The rink would need to be funded by a combination of revenue bonds and funding from the Hockey Association, which has $250,000 in cash and $250,000 additional committed to the project. Lambert said a balanced agreement would have to be worked out between upfront cash from the Hockey Association, and higher ice time fees to pay off the bonds. The rink might be used as a summer skate park or covered with Astroturf for indoor soccer and lacrosse. Young asked how it was decided what would be funded through bonds versus a referendum. Lambert explained amenities that have a track record of paying for their construction and operation are appropriate for bonding. The City must demonstrate to a bond salesman that these projects are a good investment. Young asked how the bonding process fits into the entire referendum package. Lambert stated the details of the bonding would all be worked out before the referendum. Neal described bond salesmen as investment bankers looking for an investment that can generate revenue. Young then asked whether the City would have to hire an architect or make other outlays before meeting with bond salesmen. Lambert said the project could be pitched on a conceptual level with the drawings they have,plus additional information requested. Neal added the bond salesman also contributes advice to the project, which is free. Young asked for clarification of how the revenue from the bonded amenities would be determined. Lambert responded the City would need CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 13 to figure out how to allocate revenues, through daily use fees for different amenities or different membership packages. Aho questioned the $2 million cost for the rink and wondered if it were really that high. Lambert confirmed this was a good number. Aho then asked about the deepening of the pool. Lambert used this question to transition into a discussion of expanded pool options at the Community Center, laid out in Schemes B and C. Lambert stated the original Scheme A for the Community Center had contained an additional $300,000 to deepen the existing pool. With highly competitive teams and about 250-300 swimmers, Eden Prairie has a strong competitive swimming community. As the plan progressed,however, it became apparent that deepening the pool was not without its drawbacks. While a deeper pool would be better for competitive swimming, it would be worse for recreational swimming, swimming lessons, and water aerobics. Lambert noted the Community Center receipts for swimming lessons are already down from$80,000 at its opening to $50,000 today, mainly due to private competition which offers a warm water pool, appealing to the lucrative preschool swimming market. A deeper pool would reduce those receipts still more. Lambert recommended the existing pool should only be deepened if the City has another recreational pool that is shallow and warm. Aho asked if a deepened pool might generate more revenues from competitive swimmers. Lambert said no, since the pool is already used to its full capacity. Case inquired whether Oak Point might be usable as the recreational, warm water pool option. With declining enrollments, he wondered if the school district might not need that building in the future. Lambert questioned whether it made sense to take a recreational pool out of the Community Center. Case asked if competitive swimming could take over Oak Point instead. Lambert noted Oak Point is not next to the high school. He stated the pool question is the most difficult aspect of the Community Center expansion,because citizens really are all over the map in terms of what they want and what they will pay for. Lambert said all sides agree, however, one pool cannot be great for both competition and recreation. That is the central fact that led to the development of Schemes B and C. Lambert described Scheme B as including all the amenities of Scheme A, plus a warm water, zero-depth-entry recreational pool with two waterslides, at an additional cost of 3.5 million to be funded by referendum (which Lambert said works out to $10 per year per voter). The pool would be enclosed with two stories of glass. Open swim and swimming lessons CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 14 could be held there. Lambert stated this addition would probably increase the success of the outdoor fun pool. He added, however, such a pool is guaranteed to lose money. Other communities have found indoor pools do not make enough money during the busy summer season to make up for lighter use during the school year. Year-round operating costs without sufficient year-round revenues make it unlikely that an indoor recreational pool could pay its own way. Case asked if Scheme B would require re-rerouting Valley View Road, as in the original referendum. Lambert said no, the expansion goes east not south toward the road, although when Valley View is expanded he would still recommend realignment to the south. Lambert then described the final pool option, Scheme C, which would require an additional $5 million referendum. Lambert described this option as building the Scheme B recreational pool, plus expanding the existing six-lane pool to 50 meters of very deep water with a bulkhead to accommodate 25-yard events and to provide a potential fourteen lanes to rent. An expanded diving well would also be included to make the pool suitable for high school swim meets. Lambert noted facilities for competitive swimmers are substandard compared to Eden Prairie's other athletic facilities, and so perhaps deserving of improvement, but said it's a question of affordability. Lambert noted expansions of parking around the community center could be funded out of park dedication fees. Only softball field#5 would be changed to provide additional parking. The rest of the fields would not move. Aho commented $5 million for the pool area seemed expensive. Lambert then presented the plan for Park Acquisition and Improvements. He discussed suggested improvements at Forest Hills, Prairie View, and Birch Island. Lambert said the Forest Hills park shelter burned down, so it needs to be replaced. He noted,however, the old shelter was in an isolated and awkward location and had attracted vandalism from day one. Lambert also stated Forest Hills school staff had approached him to see what might be done about the playground. Because of a large berm near the school building, the playground is on two levels, which makes it harder to supervise the children. Lambert said school staff are also concerned about the road in the rear of the school where cars cut through. Forest Hills Park also has two softball fields and a hockey rink. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 15 Lambert shared the plans for a revised layout of Forest Hills Park, with the building and rink moved to a new location near the circle drop-off area. This location would be more visible and more convenient for the summer playground program, since it is nearer to the playground. Lambert said the troublesome road would be dead-ended to avoid vehicles cutting through. He said he was meeting with school staff tomorrow and would then meet with the neighborhood and the athletic associations regarding field use. Next, Lambert discussed possible improvements to Prairie View Park. He noted this park building burned years ago and was replaced with a temporary structure. Lambert said he needed to talk to school staff and neighbors of the park to see if they still wanted the hockey rink. Their answer will affect the decision on whether to erect a permanent building that could also serve as a warming house. Lambert also proposed looking into acquiring an additional 4.3 acres for Prairie View Park. He noted the school was originally planned to be half the size, and the original site plan included additional fields. The only way to expand is to acquire more land. Lambert noted the Rogers family owns an adjacent parcel,but said he didn't know if they were ready to sell. Lambert recommended meeting with the property owners and requesting an option to expand the park in the future. He said with the City's shortage of soccer fields, the opportunity to expand a school park is too good to pass up. Case asked whether the school district would partner with us. Lambert said he hadn't talked to them about it,but noted their financial situation. He also noted we provide park space to the other schools for free—for example, Forest Hills School owns land 30 feet out from the building and the City owns the rest. Young asked how many soccer fields the City has. Lambert said 42 or 44. Lambert described improvements to Edenvale Park. He described this park as somewhat unfinished. It also has a temporary building, and the parking lot is gravel. Lambert stated, with the addition of a well house in 1985, the playground has become the focal point of the park and the shelter less used. Lambert noted Edenvale used to have an active summer parks program, which dwindled as the demographic changed in the nearby public housing. Now there are lots of kids living nearby again. Lambert suggested if the City invested in a permanent building, the park could serve again as a summer program site. He said he wanted to talk to park neighbors about a hockey and free skate rink, and to the athletic associations about fields. Lambert mentioned a dedicated lacrosse field or half or full court basketball as possibilities. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 16 Lastly, Lambert discussed Birch Island Woods, two acres of which could be purchased for$860,000. Lambert speculated that the City did not have much of a chance of getting a grant when other grant applicants would be able to purchase much more land for the money. However, he stated Birch Island Woods has community support. Lambert stated if people were given a chance to vote on buying all four acres of Birch Island Woods as a referendum question, it would pass. Lambert then moved to the issue of putting some additional money in the referendum to replace old playground structures. He explained the City currently replaces playgrounds at a rate of one or two a year. With additional funding, the City could accelerate that process and make many neighborhoods very happy. Lambert also recommended holding a town meeting with seniors to discuss their recreational needs. 2. Tentative Referendum Planning Schedule Lambert referred the Council to the schedule included in the packet. He acknowledged the Council had been presented with a great deal of information,but also noted that action could not be put off if the schedule were to be followed. The schedule allowed just six weeks to meet with all groups, meet with bondsmen and architects, and work out hard costs for construction and operation. Lambert said the next step would be a joint City Council and Parks Commission meeting and a public meeting to invite input on the proposed amenities and the structure of the referendum questions. Only then would the City decide whether to run a referendum this November or not. Lambert said by September 1, all details should be known. The final eight weeks would be devoted to the final push for voter education and a successful outcome. 3. Recommendation for 2005 Trails Projects Lambert noted the City currently has over$5.5 million of trail construction or repair projects on the proposed schedule. With the current budget of$125,000 per year for trails, it will be many years before the transportation trails can be completed. Lambert suggested by adding $2 million for trails to the referendum, the process could be strongly accelerated. He characterized the cost as 50 cents per month for the average homeowner. At this point, Councilmember Case suggested a general discussion on parks referendum issues and the motions. He stated while he was not ready to "open the checkbook,"he felt comfortable with the idea of breaking up the questions. He noted the process could be stopped at any CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 17 point along the way and said he felt comfortable with all four parks motions. Lambert clarified the Community Center improvements would have to pass for any of the pool improvements to pass, even though they would be listed as separate questions. Young asked what was different in this referendum vs. last year's, besides the water park. Lambert said 1.3 million in renovations had been removed as well as 7 million for the outdoor water park. He said everyone said the water park was the reason the last referendum failed. Aho asked if anything had been added. Lambert said the potential Prairie View land acquisition and additional costs at Forest Hills (the re-grading and change in layout, instead of the building only) were also new. Young said he thought developing the trail system was important. He also said he was not troubled by the park acquisition and improvement. Young stated the Community Center,however, was a lot to consider in one night. He said he was worried about how a new parks referendum would be seen, even if the questions were broken up. Young noted even in a special election situation with low turnout, the last referendum still lost. He believed people would still look at the referendum and see a price tag of over ten million. He acknowledged the Community Center was in bad shape,but still felt concerned. Case pointed out if the City did not run a referendum, it would never get the funds. He asked Young what he was suggesting. Young said citizens would have the perception the City is running a referendum again, even with a split question. He said there is a lot of support for parks and open space, but perhaps not for a $10 million Community Center. He noted the City has other health facilities such as Flagship. Young reiterated two hours was too short a time to digest the concept. Tyra-Lukens said she understood Young's concerns. She acknowledged it is uncertain whether the community center referendum would pass. She asked Young if he had suggestions of items to take out to make the proposal more palatable. Aho suggested removing the fitness center since good private facilities are available. Lambert said the fitness center rated pretty high in the survey. He noted tat 80 percent of the Community Center members said they joined for the fitness center. The fitness area is above the expanded locker rooms, which CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 18 are definitely needed. Flagship, Northwest, and the Chaska Community Center are all in the process of expanding fitness centers because of their popularity. As to why the City should provide a fitness center, Lambert said the main point is to provide access for those citizens who cannot afford a private club membership. Neal responded to Young's concerns by stating tonight's motions are to authorize Staff to gather more precise cost estimates and gather community input. He said these are two important streams of information to decide whether to go forward with a referendum or not. He assured the Council this was not a "slippery slope." He said there are too many questions about school and neighborhood issues, and that Staff and the Council need more information. Neal also stated the ideas presented tonight are consistent with what was learned from the last referendum. Voters,both yea and nay, said they would like to see the City put up another referendum in one or two years, during a general election when there was no school referendum on the ballot. Neal also said voters said no outdoor pool, so that has been removed. Young stated "getting more information" is different from"approving the concept." He said the motion sounded too final. Aho suggested rewording the motion to say gathering information instead of approving the concept. Neal noted Staff needs a concept to research prices and to gather public input. Aho inquired about the cost of this information gathering stage. Lambert said it would be about$10,000 in additional landscape planning and architect's fees for the six-week information-gathering period. He noted most of the costs had been incurred already. Tyra-Lukens asked how the motion could be reworded to get a unanimous vote. Lambert suggested rewording the motion to read, "Direct Staff to further develop the concept for Community Center improvements" instead of"approve the concept for Community Center improvements." MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Young, to direct Staff to further develop the concept for Community Center improvements that would be funded by a referendum and to further evaluate the feasibility of funding several components with revenue bonds or a combination of revenue bonds and donations, including the third rink addition, an outdoor fun pool and an indoor play area. Motion carried 5-0 as amended. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 19 The Council moved to a final discussion on the pool motion. Aho asked if the motion meant that Scheme C was off the table. Lambert said the motion would take Scheme C off the table. Aho said he was not ready to take the pool deepening option off the table yet. He suggested rewording the motion to read "Authorize Staff to obtain detailed operational costs for both Options B and C" instead of"Approve consideration of Option B as the preferred option." MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Young, to authorize Staff to obtain detailed operational costs for both Options B and C for providing for swimming pool improvements, and furthermore that this option be considered as a separate question if included on the referendum. Motion carried 5-0 as amended. MOTION: Butcher moved, seconded by Case, to authorize Staff to contact representatives of the School District to review options to be considered at Forest Hills Park and Prairie View Park and to send notices to residents within the service areas of Forest Hills Park, Edenvale Park and Prairie View Park to obtain input from neighborhoods regarding proposed changes to those neighborhood parks prior to making any decisions on park acquisition and improvements for a referendum. And furthermore to contact the property owners for the proposed expansion of Prairie View Park and Birch Island Woods to discuss the feasibility of obtain options on those parcels in order to confirm acquisition costs prior to a referendum. Motion carried 5-0. MOTION: Young moved, seconded by Aho, to accept the recommendation of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission to consider as either a separate question or part of the park acquisition and development question $2,000,000 toward the completion of the City trail system. Motion carried 5-0. 4. Updated Parks Capital Improvements Plan Neal requested Lambert to defer this topic until the next meeting. E. REPORT OF PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR 1. Plans and Specifications for Intersection and Roadway Improvements on Technology Drive and Mitchell Road, I.C. 00-5508 (Resolution No. 2005-59) Public Works Director Eugene Dietz explained this item would normally be on the consent calendar,but he decided to present it for discussion since Technology Drive had not been revisited for a while. This project would convert Technology Drive from a two-lane to a four-lane road. The CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 20 road would be widened equally in both directions and the trail on the south side would be untouched. The north side trail would be reconstructed with a new bridge over Purgatory Creek. The intersection at Mitchell Road would be redone to include right and left turn lanes. Dietz said the Technology Road improvements are all as originally conceived with ADC,but with the downturn in their industry, ADC would prefer not to do the improvements at all. The City made an agreement with ADC to assume responsibility for the project in exchange for a special assessment agreement requiring payments over ten years. Dietz noted there had been past discussion of walkable communities related to this project. He said there would be an eight-foot median at the St. Andrews Church intersection, a convenient crossing for pedestrians to pick up the trails. There would be another crossing at Bilimbi Bay. The project would also include $82,000 for plantings along the south side. The north side does not allow landscaping because of existing wetlands and ponds close to the road. Tyra-Lukens echoed concerns about walkability. She commented there is a long stretch of road between lights, and the south side trail is often flooded. It might be nice to have a crossing on the western stretch of the street. Dietz said he would look into it. Tyra-Lukens also requested a flat pass-through for bicycle traffic crossing the median and Dietz assented. Jeremiah noted the south side trail had been put in with the expectation of these road improvements. She said the road improvements would help eliminate the ponding. MOTION: Butcher moved, seconded by Case, to adopt the Resolution approving plans and specifications and ordering advertisement for bids for I.C. 00-5508, Intersection and Roadway Improvements on Technology Drive and Mitchell Road. Motion carried 5-0. 2. Professional Service Agreement with Landform EnOneerins! Company for Technology Drive and Mitchell Road Improvements, I.C. 00-5508 Dietz explained there would be more action needed on this project before voting on it. The City Attorney advised a Public Hearing is needed on this project, so one would be held the same night the contract is approved. Dietz noted Landform Engineering had designed the project to 90% while working for ADC. The City would hire them to finish the project. F. REPORT OF POLICE CHIEF CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 12, 2005 Page 21 G. REPORT OF FIRE CHIEF 1. Neighborhood Meeting for New Fire Station Fire Chief George Esbensen reported the City has closed on the Delagard property site. 260 notices have been sent out for a neighborhood informational meeting next Tuesday, April 19 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Station 3 (Round Lake) was chosen for the meeting because it has a similar footprint to the new building. Fire staff and the architectural design firm will be on hand to answer questions. The developer will also bring concept drawings for the residual piece to get neighborhood input on amenities. Esbensen said the project would come before the Planning Commission on April 29, with a projected groundbreaking of September 26. Tyra-Lukens asked if Esbensen was already receiving calls from the neighbors. He said people are always concerned about siren noise, but once the station is operational they realize there is usually no need for fire trucks to use their sirens in the middle of the night. H. REPORT OF CITY ATTORNEY XV. OTHER BUSINESS XVI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Young, to adjourn the meeting. Mayor Tyra- Lukens adjourned the meeting at 9:40 p.m.