City Council - 09/16/2003 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP/FORUM
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16,2003 CITY CENTER
5:00- 6:25 PM,HERITAGE ROOM H
6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER
CITY COUNCIL:
Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher,Ron Case, and Jan Mosman, and
Philip Young
CITY STAFF:
City Manager Scott Neal,Police Chief Dan Carlson,Fire Chief George Esbensen,Public Works
Director Eugene Dietz, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
Heritage Room II
I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER
II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
III. DRAFT LOCAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Environmental Coordinator Leslie Stovring provided an overview of the Draft Local
Water Management Plan(DLWMP). She noted completion of the plan was delayed
because the City's consultant for this work,Montgomery Watson, left the Twin Cities
and another firm,Wenck, finished the project. The Community Planning Board held a
public hearing on the plan on September 8. This public hearing is followed by a 45-day
public comment period, which ends October 24. Public comments will be incorporated
into the DLWMP and the final plan will be presented to the City Council for approval in
November or December.
Stovring said the DLWMP was developed to fulfill requirements of Minnesota Statutes.
The plan is a summary of the City's water resource management goals and policies, and
includes a capital improvement program. Stovring said the Task Force's review of the
City's water resources led them to conclude that the primary goal should be to maintain
and improve the quality of our lakes. Resources were prioritized and allocated
accordingly. Prioritization was based on a number of factors, including recreational
usage. In conjunction with Nine Mile Creek and Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek
Watershed Districts,Use Attainability Analyses(UUAs)were conducted on the main
bodies of waters, including Round Lake,Riley Lake,Rice Marsh Lake, and Birch Island
Lake. Funding for projects is based on recommendations made in the UUAs.
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES
September 16,2003
Page 2
The inventory conducted as part of the plan identified a total of 661 water bodies in the
City, including 487 wetlands, 144 stormwater ponds, 15 filled wetlands, and 15 lakes.
Round,Rice Marsh,Bryant and Birch Island Lakes were identified as "high priority,"
based on recreational use and aquatic life. Capital improvement projects were identified
to maintain or improve the quality of these lakes, including a Round Lake water quality
improvement project, a Riley Lake water quality improvement project, and annual
stormwater pond maintenance,repair and upgrade projects. Many of these projects will
be funded at least partially by the respective Watershed Districts. Total expenditures for
the City's share of these projects ranges from$655,000 in 2003 to $834,500 in 2007.
Possible funding sources identified in the plan include the City's stormwater utility,
Watershed District grants, Cash Park fees, and project-specific grants.
Councilmember Case suggested that the plan indicate that although Round Lake was
identified as "high priority,"the City may decide it is not feasible to maintain it as a
swimming lake. Public Works Director Gene Dietz said he would ask staff to put caveats
into the plan stating that the City may not be able to attain some of the standards set forth
in the report. A recommendation for a goose population study will also be added.
Councilmember Mosman suggested having an article with an overview of the plan in the
local newspapers. She thinks residents would be interested in having this information.
IV. OTHER TOPICS
Council Chamber
VI. OPEN FORUM (Scheduled participants, 6:30-7:00 p.m.)
A. MR. STEVE WAGNER
Mr. Wagner appeared before Council regarding maintenance of a vacant lot near
his home on Wilderness Cove. He said he feels he ran into a bottleneck when he
approached the City about taking care of the problem. He said he feels that if an
owner refuses to maintain a property,the City ought to have processes and
procedures in place to see that the work gets done and charged back to the owner.
B. MR.MIKE BOLAND
Mr. Boland said he served as on the Outdoor Aquatic Center and Community
Center Task Forces,which passed on their recommendations to the Council last
spring. He said he has been bombarded with questions about what the City is
going to do with the Task Forces' recommendations. He said he was glad to read
in the newspaper that the City is planning to conduct a phone survey to determine
whether or not there is support for a referendum. He thanked the Council for their
work on this issue, and volunteered to help in any way he can to see the project
move forward.
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES
September 16,2003
Page 3
VII. OPEN PODIUM(Unscheduled participants, 6:50-7:00 p.m.)
VM. ADJOURNMENT