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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 05/06/2014 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher Wickstrom, Kathy Nelson, and Ron Case CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George Esbensen, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Ric Rosow, Recorder Lorene McWaters and Environmental Coordinator Leslie Stovring GUESTS: Joe Bischoff, Aquatic Ecologist, Wenck Associates; Claire Bleser, Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District Administrator; Perry Forster, Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District Board Member Workshop - Heritage Room H Council Member Case was absent. I. LAKE MANAGEMENT Joe Bischoff gave a presentation on shallow lake management. He noted that both Mitchell and Red Rock Lakes in in the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District in Eden Prairie are shallow lakes. Bischoff explained that shallow lakes exist in one of two conditions: turbid or clearwater, with clearwater being the desirable state. A lake can shift between states due to changing conditions. Characteristics of a turbid lake include high algal productivity, low aquatic plant productivity, and low grazer productivity. Multiple stressors contribute to degradation of lake water quality including nutrient enrichment, exotic plants and fish, and rough fish. A clearwater lake features a large aquatic plant community, low algal productivity and a large grazer population. Strategies for restoring shallow lakes to the clearwater state include external and internal nutrient control,biomanipulation,plant establishment, and continuing management of the restored system. Bischoff reviewed lake restoration projects Wenck has completed, including several that included carp removal and vegetation harvesting. Bischoff said Wenck is currently developing vegetation management plans for Red Rock Lake, Mitchell Lake and Lake Lucy (Chanhassen). Recommendations for remediation will follow; however, Bischoff noted that there are competing management goals held by various stakeholders, including residents, the watershed district, and governing agencies such as the DNR and MPCA. Council Member Aho said he has been contacted by residents on Red Rock Lake with concerns about the abundance of coontail, which impedes recreational uses such as boating. He said there needs to be a balance that includes enough vegetation to maintain a clearwater state, while allowing the lake to be usable for recreation purposes. Bischoff noted that City Council Workshop Minutes May 6, 2014 Page 2 coontail is a native species, which means the DNR does not allow removal of it for aesthetic purposes. Forster noted that coontail is tricky to manage because it typically becomes floating mats during the month of August. When the mats are removed, remaining mats quickly move into the areas that have been cleared. Ellis said getting neighborhood input will be important. They might be able to convince the DNR that the coontail issue is solvable. Mayor Tyra-Lukens asked who is responsible for lake quality. Bleser said she has seen different models. Some communities form lake management associations, and in other instances cities,residents or watershed districts take on the work and expense. She said the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District has taken on sole responsibility for remediation of Lake Riley. A couple of years ago the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District conducted a successful drawdown of Anderson Lake to eradicate curlyleaf pondweed. Bleser said grant money is available for lake water quality initiatives, but competition for those dollars is stiff. Stovring said granting agencies prefer to see partnerships between cities and watershed districts. Forster noted that the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District covers seven communities and they levy across that entire area. He said Eden Prairie has benefitted from that funding. Aho said he is concerned that the watershed district can set up development standards that will affect Eden Prairie. Forster said the district received 170 comments on their proposed rules. The watershed district will hold a meeting tomorrow night to address those comments and discuss possible revision of the proposed rules. Aho said the city and the watershed district need to work together toward mutual understanding, especially on projects already approved by the city. Forster said the proposed rules will not affect projects that have already been approved. Getschow pointed out that the watershed district and the city have different constituencies, and regulations adopted by the watershed district could affect the cost of future projects. Bleser said Red Rock Lake is moving toward being delisted. Stovring reviewed the ongoing Mitchell Lake and Red Rock Lake harvesting programs. She said staff was in the process of negotiating the 2014 contract with Midwest Weed when they learned the owner has sold the company. Open Podium - Council Chamber II. OPEN PODIUM Gary Svoboda, Windward Circle, addressed the City Council about the number of garbage trucks from different companies doing business in residential areas of the city. He said so many heavy trucks using residential roads causes undue wear and tear. He was also concerned with City trucks and plows driving on sidewalks and trails. Public Works Director Robert Ellis said the practice does not cause problems from a structural standpoint. III. ADJOURNMENT