HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 03/17/2009 APPROVED MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2009 7:00 PM, CITY CENTER
Council Chamber
8080 Mitchell Road
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Phil Young, Council Members Brad Aho, Ron Case, Jon Duckstad
and Kathy Nelson
CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Parks & Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Public
Works Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, City Attorney
Ric Rosow and Council Recorder Jan Curielli
I. ROLL CALL/CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER
Mayor Young called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. All Council Members were
present.
II. COLOR GUARD/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Young thanked Troop 347, sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church, for
presenting the colors tonight.
III. COUNCIL FORUM INVITATION
IV. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Case added two items under Item XIV.A. Young added one item under Item XIV.A.
Dietz added two items under Item XIV.E. Aho added one item under Item XIV.A.
Neal noted there are several items on goldenrod paper that are supplemental to items on
the published agenda.
MOTION: Duckstad moved, seconded by Aho, to approve the agenda as amended.
Motion carried 5-0.
V. PROCLAMATIONS/PRESENTATIONS
A. SOUTHWEST TRANSIT UPDATE
Neal said, as part of our regular series of updates from partner organizations,
Dave Jacobson is here to give an update on Southwest Transit.
Dave Jacobson, COO of Southwest Transit, said he will give the update tonight
because Len Simich could not attend the meeting. He reviewed their highlights
for 2008, noting they were named the Minnesota Transit Association of the Year
by the MPTA. He said they completed two park and ride locations and reduced
their overall per-passenger subsidy by 540. They achieved a customer service
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March 17, 2009
Page 2
satisfaction rating of over 98%. He noted they have a goal to balance their budget
for 2009 despite the challenges of the current economy. They are taking measures
to strengthen local services and are beginning to address the impact of LRT on
their future business. They will complete plans for a ramp and station in
downtown Chanhassen.
Mayor Young thanked Mr. Jacobson for his update.
B. MILLER PARK PLAY AREA DONATION
Lotthammer said he will present this item tonight because Mike Garvin could not
make the meeting tonight. He said we received another check from the Tom and
Kathy Miller Family Foundation in the amount of$8,000. He noted this makes a
total of over$219,000 contributed by the Garvin and Miller families. There will
be more construction at the Miller Park Play Area in the next few weeks leading
up to the grand opening on June 16, 2009. At that point we will have completed
about one-third of the overall project with the barrier-free play structure and the
surface that surrounds it.
Young asked Mr. Lotthammer to pass the Council's thanks to Mr. Garvin and his
wife and to the Millers. He noted it is a great thing they have done for the park.
MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Duckstad, to accept the donation from the
Tom and Kathy Miller Family Foundation in the amount of$8,000 to assist with
funding for future development of the Miller Park Barrier Free Play Area. Motion
carried 5-0.
VI. MINUTES
A. COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION HELD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2009
MOTION: Duckstad moved, seconded by Case, to approve the minutes of the
Council Planning Session held Friday, February 6, 2009, as published. Motion
carried 5-0.
B. COUNCIL WORKSHOP HELD TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2009
MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Nelson, to approve the minutes of the
Council Workshop held Tuesday, March 3, 2009, as published. Motion carried
5-0.
C. CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2009
MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Duckstad, to approve the minutes of the
City Council Meeting held Tuesday, March 3, 2009, as published. Motion
carried 5-0.
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Page 3
D. COMMISSION INTERVIEWS HELD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009
MOTION: Duckstad moved, seconded by Case, to approve the minutes of the
Commission Interviews held Tuesday, March 10, 2009, as published. Motion
carried 5-0.
VII. REPORTS OF ADVISORY BOARDS & COMMISSIONS
VIII. CONSENT CALENDAR
A. CLERK'S LICENSE LIST
B. AWARD CONTRACTS FOR 2009 STREET MAINTENANCE MATERIALS,
I.C. 09-5745
C. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2009-20 TO PURSUE ACQUISITION OF
EASEMENTS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLYING CLOUD DRIVE
TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS,
I.C. 09-5749
D. AUTHORIZE TWO-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH HENNEPIN COUNTY TO
CONTINUE PARTICIPATION IN THE WETLAND HEALTH
EVALUATION PROJECT, I.C. 03-5602
E. RECEIVE THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION 2008 ANNUAL REPORT
AND APPROVE 2009 WORK PLAN
F. AWARD CONTRACT FOR REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE
WATER TREATMENT PLANT ROOF TO JOHN A. DALSIN & SON,
INC., I.C. 08-5736
G. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2009-21 DECLARING PROPERTY AS
ABANDONED PROPERTY
H. DECLARE OBSOLETE COMPUTER EQUIPMENT AS SURPLUS
AUTHORIZE DISPOSAL OF THE PROPERTY
MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Case, to approve Items A-H on the Consent
Calendar. Motion carried 5-0.
IX. PUBLIC HEARINGS /MEETINGS
X. PAYMENT OF CLAIMS
MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Duckstad, to approve the Payment of Claims as
submitted. Motion was approved on a roll call vote, with Aho, Case, Duckstad,
Nelson and Young voting "aye."
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XI. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS
A. FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE AMENDING CITY CODE CHAPTER
9 RELATING TO HOURS OF OPERATION OF PUBLIC PARKS
Neal said the Eden Prairie Baseball Association requested the lighting time for the
baseball fields at Miller Park and Round Lake Park be changed from 10 p.m. to
10:30 p.m. For consistency and enforcement capabilities, staff believes that the
effect of this change would constitute a corresponding change in the park hours at
these two locations. These parks would be allowed to remain open until 10:30
P.M. between the dates of April 1 and October 31. He said the Parks, Recreation
and Natural Resources Commission reviewed this information at their March 2
meeting and unanimously recommend that the City Council approve this
modification. There was no input from the neighbors.
MOTION: Duckstad moved, seconded by Aho, to approve First Reading of an
Ordinance amending City Code Section 9.04 Subdivision 3, relating to hours of
operation of public parks. Motion carried 5-0.
B. FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE AMENDING CITY CODE SECTION
2.23 RELATING TO CITIZEN ADVISORY CONSERVATION
COMMISSION ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Neal said the Conservation Commission met with the City Council at the Council
Workshop on February 17, 2009 to present a draft revision of City Code Section
2.23 Subd. 2E. The revision was requested as the Commission goals have become
better understood after two years of service to the City and community. Since the
workshop the City Attorney has reviewed the draft and revisions were made to
change action items to providing advice and recommendations to the City Council.
Neal said this revision adds language to Section 2.04, Subdivision 2.E to clarify the
Commissions goals and objectives. The major revisions are as follows:
• Addition of a set of Roles and Responsibilities
• Removal of the task to encourage a community designed for walking, exercise
and recreation. It was determined that this was best served by the Parks,
Recreation and Natural Resources Commission.
■ Removal of the task to encourage the reduction of Inflow and Infiltration from
the City's sanitary sewer system. It was determined that Commission
oversight of this task was not required.
MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Duckstad, to approve First Reading of an
Ordinance amending City Code Section 2.23, Subdivision 2.E,relating to the roles
and responsibilities of the Conservation Commission. Motion carried 5-0.
C. FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE AMENDING CITY CODE SECTION
2.23, SUBD. 3, RELATING TO THE MEMBERSHIP RANGE FOR THE
PARKS, RECREATION,AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
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Neal said currently, the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission
membership is set at a static number of nine Commission members only. Adjusting
the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission membership to a range
of seven to nine members, instead of a set number of nine only, would better align
the membership for this Commission with most other Commissions and provide the
City Council with more flexibility with staffing this Commission each year. This
was discussed with the Parks Commission at their meeting on March 2 and they
agreed it would be a good change.
Neal noted the second reading of the ordinance is under Item XIV.B. Reports of
the City Manager.
MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Aho, to approve First Reading of an
Ordinance amending City Code Section 2.23, Subd. 3, relating to the membership
range for the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission. Motion
carried 5-0.
XII. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
XIII. APPOINTMENTS
A. COMMISSIONS
Neal said the City Council hosted Commission interviews on Tuesday, March 10,
2009. Overall, there were 27 applicants (19 new applicants and eight re-
applicants), with 25 interviewing and two "no-shows" for the interview night.
Twenty candidates are being designated for Commission appointments on March
17, 2009 — 12 appointed for the first time and eight reappointments. All terms are
scheduled to begin on April 1, 2009. A required City Commission Orientation
session will be held on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, for all new and re-appointed
Commission members. He noted it would be okay to combine the appointments
into one motion.
MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Nelson, to appoint to the Arts & Culture
Commission Farida Kathawalla, Ann Rorem and Julia Ramos (terms to expire
March 31, 2012); and to appoint to the Conservation Commission Sue Brown,
Ravi Jaiswal, and Daniel Trebil(terms to expire March 31, 2012) and Greg Olson
(term to expire March 31, 2010); and to appoint to the Flying Cloud Airport
Advisory Commission Jeff Larsen, Mark Michelson, and Kurt Schendel (terms to
expire March 31, 2010); and to appoint to the Heritage Preservation Commission
Ann Higgins (term to expire March 31, 2012); and to appoint to the Human
Rights and Diversity Commission Linda Crawford and Peter Huck (terms to
expire March 31, 2012) and Lauren Juergensen (term to expire March 31, 2011);
and to appoint to the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Hutch
Coburn and Derek Gunderson (terms to expire March 31, 2012; and to appoint to
the Planning Commission Jerry Pitzrick, Jacob Lee and Travis Wuttke (terms to
expire March 31, 2012) and Alexander Martin (term to expire March 31, 2010).
Motion carried 5-0.
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Page 6
Case said he wanted to thank all the people that took the time to apply. He
encouraged them to continue to be involved in the City and to apply again if they
did not receive an appointment this year.
B. BOARD OF APPEAL AND EQUALIZATION
Neal said the Board of Appeal and Equalization is also a citizen advisory board;
however, there are statutory requirements for who can serve on this Board. The
proposed members of the Board of Appeal and Equalization for Council approval
are experienced real estate professionals with extensive knowledge of the
Southwest metro area. The following are the proposed members of the Board:
Brian Duoos of Edina Realty; Jim Johnson of The Realty House; Lyndon Moquist
of Edina Realty; Annette O'Connor of Coldwell Banker Burnet Realty; and
Patricia Pidcock of Edina Realty.
MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Nelson, to appoint to the Board of Appeal
and Equalization Brian Duoos, Jim Johnson, Lyndon Moquist, Annette O'Connor
and Patricia Pidcock for the period of March 18, 2009, through May 31, 2009, or
until the Board of Appeal and Equalization completes its work. Motion carried
5-0.
C. CHAIRS AND VICE CHAIRS OF COMMISSIONS
Neal said Chairs and Vice Chairs are appointed annually by the City Council
following the appointment of members to City Commissions. The City Council
hosted Commission interviews on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, and determined
Chair and Vice Chair assignments for the period of April 1, 2009, through March
31, 2010.
MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Nelson, to appoint Ann Rorem, Chair and
Farida Kathawalla, Vice Chair of the Arts & Culture Commission; to appoint
Laura Jester, Chair and Daniel Trebil, Vice Chair of the Conservation
Commission; to appoint Richard King, Chair and Jeffrey Larsen, Vice Chair of
the Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission; to appoint Ann Higgins, Chair
and Kathy Veurink, Vice Chair of the Heritage Preservation Commission; to
appoint Pam Spera, Chair and Marcy Harris, Vice Chair of the Human Rights and
Diversity Commission; to appoint Geri Napuck, Chair and Jeff Gerst, Vice Chair
of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission; and to appoint Jon
Stoltz, Chair and John Kirk, Vice Chair of the Planning Commission. Motion
carried 5-0.
D. CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF BOARD OF APPEAL & EQUALIZATION
MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Nelson, to appoint Patricia Pidcock, Chair
and Brian Duoos, Vice Chair of the Board of Appeal and Equalization. Motion
carried 5-0.
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Page 7
XIV. REPORTS
A. REPORTS OF COUNCILMEMBERS
1. Mayor Young—Boys Hockey Team
Young congratulated the Eden Prairie Boys Hockey Team for winning the
State Championship this weekend. He said it was a great accomplishment
and we are very proud of them. He noted many of the team members
provide volunteer service to the community. Case noted Lee Smith was
named Hockey Coach of the Year and Nick Leddy was named Mr.
Hockey.
2. Council Member Case—Fire Department Anniversary
Case said he attended the annual meeting of the Eden Prairie Fire
Department on Thursday and wanted to take this opportunity to commend
them. He said we are really fortunate to have the amazing fire and police
departments we have in Eden Prairie, and he was deeply indebted to both
departments. He said Jeff Dezenski was named Fireman of the Year.
3. Council Member Case—Email Received
Case said he received an email from a resident who raised a question
about the rights of residents who live in neighborhoods next to 24-hour
commercial establishments.
Neal said, generally, if we have a noise situation we have a noise
ordinance in place, and we have ways to measure noise levels. Staff goes
out and responds to these concerns to take noise readings throughout the
year. The situation often comes to our attention through a City Council
Member and ultimately it gets routed to the Police Department. A
Community Services officer will then go out and take a look at the
situation.
4. Council Member Aho—Art Center Fund Raiser
Aho said we are making progress on the Art Center, and the Friends of the
Art Center have a fund raiser scheduled for April 16 at 6:30 PM in the
Garden Room at City Center. They will be selling glass tiles that will be
part of a permanent display at the Art Center. He said it will be a really
nice event, and he encouraged people to go out and support it. The
proceeds from the event will help finance some of the equipment and
supplies needed for the opening of the Center.
B. REPORTS OF CITY MANAGER
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1. Second Reading Of Ordinance No. 2-2009 Amending City Code Section
2.23, Subd. 3, Relating to the Membership Range for the Parks,
Recreation, & Natural Resources Commission
Neal said this is second reading of the ordinance relating to hours of
operation of public parks. He noted we will need to have a unanimous vote
of the Council Members in order to adopt the ordinance tonight because
we are having both First and Second Reading on the same night.
MOTION: Duckstad moved, seconded by Case, to approve Second
Reading of Ordinance No. 2-2009 amending City Code Section 2.23, Subd.
3, relating to the membership range for the Parks, Recreation, & Natural
Resources Commission. Motion carried 5-0.
2. 494/169 Update
Neal said there have been a couple of important meetings on the Hwy
494/169 Interchange that Mayor Young, Council Member Aho and he
attended. He asked Mr. Dietz to give a summary of the meeting yesterday
regarding the financing.
Dietz said we are in the hunt for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
funding for the project. He thought we were getting together yesterday to
advance an agenda on the finance package,but we discovered that the local
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is not supportive of the design
plans we are trying to promote. There is a difference of about $40,000,000
between what the FHWA would like to see done and the plan we seek to
advance. Discussion went for an hour, and in the end it was decided that
there was no way we could come up with a package to finance $175 million.
We could do $145 million and are planning to advance a plan to promote
that concept to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB). We are
supportive of a two-major project plan that would fund Hwy 610 as a first
phase project and Hwy 494/169 as a second phase.
Dietz said in order to make it work the City portion of the project costs
would be $8 million of a $34 million loan to the State which would turn into
interest payments until MnDOT could pay it back beginning in 2013 and
2014. We plan to propose this to the TAB tomorrow afternoon and will ask
that they give us until April 15 to bring pressure against the FHWA to get
them to cooperate.
Young thought it sounded like a good plan. He got a call from Congressman
Paulsen who had drafted a letter to the Commissioner of Transportation to
encourage this.
Aho said Mr. Dietz gave a good synopsis. He said the FHWA would look at
allowing us to phase the project. The key to the project is the timing of
adding the two projects and being able to put it into a longer term plan.
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Dietz said MnDOT has been willing to consider that option,but they want to
have some criteria that would be a catalyst to do the second phase. The
FHWA wants to do it their way because it is a rule; however, at this point
with the dollars available there isn't enough money to go around.
3. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Update
Neal said he had intended to provide an update on what we might be eligible
for under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It is taking a little
longer to assess that legislation than he originally hoped,but we are looking
at it and will bring back anything we find.
4. Resolution No. 2009-22 Rmardins! Flying Cloud Airport Classification
Neal said the Metropolitan Council has been asked to consider a change in
the way airports are classified in the Twin Cities Regional Airport System
plan. Council Members expressed their concern at the last meeting and
asked the Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission to investigate the
issue and provide a recommendation. The Commission reviewed the
proposal last Thursday, and their recommendation is summarized on the
goldenrod item. The memo includes a motion to adopt a resolution opposing
the proposal and to direct staff to prepare a cover letter to the Metropolitan
Council that explains our strong opposition to the proposal.
Young said he appreciated the fact that staff and the Airport Commission
gave this an immediate response. His view is that the resolution
accomplishes what we talked about a couple of weeks ago, and the idea
behind it is that the definition should not be changed at all.
Nelson said she would hope that in our strong opposition to the proposal we
very specifically state that we do not want any implication that under any
circumstances should our airport ever have runways over 5000 feet.
Case noted the memo regarding the resolution mentions that Minnesota law
prohibits the Metropolitan airports Commission (MAC) from expanding or
upgrading the use of an existing metropolitan airport from minor use to
intermediate use status without approval in a law. He said our own 2002
agreement with MAC prohibits MAC from proposing or advocating an
expansion as well.
MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Nelson, to adopt Resolution No.
2009-22 opposing the Metropolitan Council's proposal to amend airport
classifications of the Twin Cities Regional Airport System plan and to direct
staff to prepare a cover letter to the Metropolitan Council strongly opposing
the proposal. Motion carried 5-0.
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C. REPORT OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
1. CDBG Reallocations
Neal said Ms Jeremiah was on vacation last week and we put this item on
the agenda as a place holder. He said it should have been removed from
tonight's agenda as we are not bringing this to the Council tonight. Jeremiah
said it will be on the April 21 agenda.
D. REPORT OF PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR
1. Fees for Outside Caterers at the Community Center
Lotthammer said we have agreements with five caterers at the Community
Center to provide services to people renting the rooms, and there is a
process for them to reimburse us for some of the costs. We have a provision
that if a group has a special catering need or a religious preference, we allow
them to use an outside caterer. We have a need to have an upfront fee to take
care of those situations that are not part of the regular process. While we
don't have a lot of data points for this particular situation, we believe we
will have better information when we come back with the annual budget
process in December. In the meantime staff is proposing an upfront fee of
$75 be established for groups of 30-50 people and $150 for groups of 50-
100 people for these special situations. He did not think there would be a lot
of these events over time,but he thought it would be fair and appropriate to
charge the up front fee.
MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Case, to authorize staff to charge a
catering fee to outside caterers providing catering services at the Eden
Prairie Community Center. Motion carried 5-0.
E. REPORT OF PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
1. Grace Church Grading Permit
Dietz said Grace Church has an opportunity to complete their site and are
requesting a grading permit for the southern part of the site to a plan we do
not have in our hands at this time. They have a tentative arrangement with
the contractor for Pioneer Trail to excavate and trade good material for bad
material. Pioneer Trail needs 20,000 yards of good material and Grace
Church is able to use bad material for their ball field site. Staff is expecting
to receive a plan to show how this would be done and is asking for a permit
for this when a plan does come in. He said it would cover 20,000-100,000
yards of material to be trucked to and from the site and would include the
standard slope and erosion controls. Staff is asking Grace Church for a
commitment that they will proceed with implementation of their part of the
plan for Mitchell Road, which includes the curb and a trail along the west
side of the road.
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Nelson asked if we could also put in that they actually complete the ball
fields within a year. Dietz replied we could ask for that and for sure the site
would be seeded, but he was not sure it would be a finished ball field.
Young said he was in favor of the early grading, but he was not inclined to
make the ball fields a condition of the request. Dietz said staff will ask about
it.
Nelson said she was concerned there will be a lot of traffic in and out of the
site through the neighborhoods. She asked if there was a monetary
advantage to them for trading good dirt. Dietz said the primary advantage is
that, when it is all done, their site will have finished grading and restoration.
Nelson said she would like to encourage those ball fields. One of the things
the Planning Commission and the City Council considered in approving the
site plan for Grace Church was that the ball fields would be completed in a
timely manner. Dietz said one of the things they are trying to do is facilitate
the ball fields.
Case said he didn't have a concern that the actual ball fields be built. He did
have a concern if it is left so that it could erode. He thought we might want
some guarantee that it would be seeded,but he didn't think we can expect
any church or corporation that buys a parcel and has plans to expand to do
that expansion at a certain time. This proposal seems to be a savings because
the trucks are there for Pioneer Trail, and that seems to be a benefit to our
residents. He understood Council Member Nelson's concerns and would
concur that it should be seeded so it won't erode.
Aho said he concurred that this is a good opportunity to get good fill close to
the site and makes sense from an economic and ecological standpoint.
Dietz said, to be fair, there are other areas in that general neighborhood that
have extra materials,but we are recommending this because it is part of a
plan to finish a long standing project.
Duckstad said he concurred with the plan.
MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Aho, to authorize an early grading
permit for Grace Church. Motion carried 5-0.
2. Infiltration and Inflow
Dietz said there is a public meeting on this subject tomorrow night for the
1500 people who were sent notices. He said there was a comment at last
week's meeting about getting some guidance on what to do about possible
high costs for a system. The primary issue is sump pumps being piped to
floor drains,but there may be more extensive issues if it is necessary to
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Page 12
repair a service line. Repairs to a service line could cost$5000 or more, and
no property owner is going to be expecting that. He recommended that the
Council entertain a cap of$1500 per property to correct issues from
infiltration and inflow. The balance above the $1500 would be borne by the
fee structure. We have a surcharge in place of$560,000 per year that could
be used for this. He said the amounts were determined by the Metropolitan
Council's estimate of how much it would take to get the water out of the
system. Because this is for the broader good,he thought this is one of those
times when we ought not to have individuals suffer this particular issue.
Young said he thought it was a good idea. Duckstad also thought it was a
good idea and asked how they arrived at the $1500 figure. Dietz said it was
just a number they arrived at,but he thought a resident could solve a sump
pump issue for under$1500. They will have to work out some details and
would probably assess the $1500 over a five-year period. While they do not
have the details worked out,he would like to give the people who come to
the meeting tomorrow some comfort that this is not an open ended issue.
Case asked if Mr. Dietz was talking about the pipes from the house to the
road. Dietz said there are four issues that we will find in a home: the sump
pump, some downspouts connected to the sewer system, a footing drain that
wraps the outside of the foundation and connects to the service line outside
of the building, and a crushed pipe. The last two conditions would be the
most expensive to repair.
Case said he assumed we are talking about older homes because he would
expect an owner of a newer home to be upset if these conditions existed
with their home. Dietz said when we went from clay to plastic pipe it helped
to correct the conditions,but there still can be problems if the plastic pipe
was not properly bedded.
Case asked if water softeners would contribute to this. Dietz replied that is a
relatively small problem. Our normal flow into the sewer system is probably
about 7 million gallons,but when it rains it is 14-15 million gallons. We
have been spending a lot of money in the past two years to figure where it
was coming from. Staff metered connection points to determine where it
was coming from, and picked the four highest metered areas for this as a
beta test.
Neal said staff talked about the fact that all of our customers have an interest
in addressing this problem. He said we will be paying a hefty fee to the
Metropolitan Council, and everyone will have a share of that so we all have
an incentive to get this addressed even if it is pinpointed to a couple of
neighborhoods.
F. REPORT OF POLICE CHIEF
G. REPORT OF FIRE CHIEF
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Page 13
H. REPORT OF CITY ATTORNEY
XV. OTHER BUSINESS
XVI. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Case, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried
5-0. Mayor Young adjourned the meeting at 8:12 PM.