Loading...
City Council - 07/11/2017 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY,JULY 11, 2017 7:00 PM, CITY CENTER Council Chamber 8080 Mitchell Road CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher Wickstrom, Ron Case, and Kathy Nelson CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Council Recorder Jan Curielli I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER Mayor Tyra-Lukens called the meeting to order at 7:06 PM. All Council Members were present. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE III. OPEN PODIUM INVITATION IV. PROCLAMATIONS/PRESENTATIONS A. TELESCOPE DONATION TO OUTDOOR CENTER (Resolution No. 2017- 67) Lotthammer said Doug and Carolyn Kohrs helped with the development of the observatory at the Outdoor Center in 2009. There is a need to upgrade the programs at the observatory, and the Kohrs' have agreed to fund a new telescope which is lighter in weight, more efficient and more effective than the old one. Doug and Carolyn Kohrs said they are scientists who have a passion to support sciences. They thanked the Council for the opportunity to help with the observatory. Tyra-Lukens thanked them for the donation and noted what a great asset we have in the observatory. MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Butcher Wickstrom, to adopt Resolution No. 2017-67 accepting the donation from Doug and Carolyn Kohrs in the amount of$18,000 for the purchase of a new telescope at the Staring Lake Outdoor Center Observatory. Motion carried 5-0. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 2 B. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF OUTDOOR CENTER OWL Lotthammer said we have become a caregiver for a barred owl at the Outdoor Center. Stan Tekiela, Recreation Supervisor, brought Whisper, the barred owl, into the Council Chamber for display. Lotthammer said Whisper has helped to increase public participation in the Outdoor Center. Whisper has breaks in his wings and cannot survive in the wild, so we have become his caregiver at the Outdoor Center. C. SCULPTURE DONATION FOR COMMUNITY CENTER (Resolution No. 2017-68) Lotthammer said Richards Poey has selected the Community Center as a home for his sculpture. Mr. Poey and his wife live in Eden Prairie and visit the Community Center often. Richards Poey described his sculpture entitled "Like A Tree, Rooted in the Earth." The four-foot statue is made of bronze and is No. 4 of six editions. He thanked the City for the wonderful Community Center facility. MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Nelson, to adopt Resolution No. 2017-68 to accept the donation of the sculpture, "Like a Tree, Rooted in the Earth" by artist Richards Poey. Motion carried 5-0. D. DONATION FROM FOXJETS (Resolution No. 2017-69) Lotthammer said there is a group representing Team Foxjets here tonight to announce the gift of$30,000 from Team Foxjets to apply to their pledge for construction of the Community Center aquatics addition. Team FoxJets participated in planning the Community Center, and we appreciate all their work to help raise funds and to make the project possible. Brandon Thornton, Treasurer of Team Foxjets, said there has been 10% growth each year for the team since the aquatics expansion was completed, and the team has had great results in national competition. He thanked all the parents and team members for their help in raising funds. Tyra-Lukens thanked Team Foxjets for the donation and for their efforts to plan the pool expansion and to help raise funds. MOTION: Butcher Wickstrom moved, seconded by Case, to adopt Resolution No. 2017-69 accepting the Donation of$30,000 from Team Foxjets toward the Aquatic Center addition. Motion carried 5-0. E. NAMING RIGHTS AGREEMENT FOR RECREATION POOL (Resolution No. 2017-70) Lotthammer said Mark Davis is a long-time leader for Team Foxjets. Mr. Davis CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 3 and his wife Patricia have donated $100,000 for the recreation pool at the Community Center in exchange for naming rights. The name of the pool will now be the Mark & Patricia Davis Recreation Pool. Mark Davis, Board Chairperson for Team Foxjets, said he and his wife have been strong supporters of Eden Prairie and are excited about the benefit to the community of the pool expansion. This donation is part of the $500,000 pledged five years ago by Team Foxjets. Tyra-Lukens expressed her admiration for the work Mr. Davis has done with Team Foxjets and thanked him for the hard work to plan and promote the expansion project. MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Case, to adopt Resolution No. 2017-70 to accept the donation from Mark and Patricia Davis and to authorize entering into a naming rights agreement relating to the aquatics expansion project. Motion carried 5-0. V. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS Case added Item XIV.A.2. MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Butcher Wickstrom, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 5-0. VI. MINUTES A. COUNCIL WORKSHOP HELD TUESDAY,JUNE 13, 2017 MOTION: Butcher Wickstrom moved, seconded by Case, to approve the minutes of the City Council workshop held Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Motion carried 5-0. B. CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD TUESDAY,JUNE 13, 2017 MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Butcher Wickstrom, to approve the minutes of the City Council meeting held Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Motion carried 5-0. VII. REPORTS OF ADVISORY BOARDS & COMMISSIONS VIII. CONSENT CALENDAR A. CLERK'S LICENSE LIST B. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2017-71 FOR FINAL PLAT OF KOPESKY 2ND ADDITION CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 4 C. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2017-72 AUTHORIZING CONVEYANCE OF PROPERTY TO CULLEN AND STACY HARDER D. AWARD CONTRACT TO DISPLAY ARTS WORLDWIDE FOR THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE EXHIBIT E. APPROVE CHANGE TO REPLACEMENT LAWN MOWER PURCHASE F. APPROVE SUBORDINATE FUNDING AGREEMENT 09 FOR TOWN CENTER STATION DESIGN WITH METROPOLITAN COUNCIL FOR THE SOUTHWEST LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT PROJECT G. AWARD CONTRACT TO VISION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, LLC FOR REFRESH OF CITY'S WEBSITE, DESIGN OF INTRANET,AND SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Aho, to approve Items A-G on the Consent Calendar. Motion carried 5-0. IX. PUBLIC HEARINGS/MEETINGS A. CODE AMENDMENT RELATED TO DAYCARE FACILITES by City of Eden Prairie. First reading of an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 11, relating to daycare facilities. Getschow said we have been updating our code over the past several months. The purpose of this code amendment is to define day care facilities using language that simulates the State Statute definitions and to provide day care facility as a permitted use in zoning districts other than those permitted by State Statute. This code amendment will not impact in-home family day care as permitted by State Statute. There were no comments from the audience. MOTION: Butcher Wickstrom moved, seconded by Aho, to close the Public Hearing, and to approve the first reading of the ordinance to amend City Code Section 11.02, 11.20, 11.25, 11.26, 11.27, 11.28, 11.29 and 11.35 defining day care facility and allow as a permitted use in the Office, Commercial, Transit Oriented Development, Town Center, Airport Commercial, Airport Office, and Public zoning districts. Motion carried 5-0. X. PAYMENT OF CLAIMS MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Case, to approve the payment of claims as submitted. Motion was approved on a roll call vote, with Aho, Butcher Wickstrom, Case, Nelson and Tyra-Lukens voting "aye." CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 5 XI. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS A. APPROVE SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 11-2017 AMENDING CITY CODE CHAPTER 9, RELATING TO KEEPING CHICKENS IN THE CITY AND ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2017-73 APPROVING SUMMARY ORDINANCE FOR PUBLICATION Getschow said the City Council has discussed, researched and considered this over the past two years. First reading of the ordinance was passed on June 13, 2017,but there were a number of alterations and requests made by the Council at that time. Since the June meeting, staff has made the following changes requested by the Council: a registration program is included with a one-time fee of$75; the number of chickens has been reduced from five to four; minimum coop design standards were added; a revocation process is included; and re-registration is required if the chicken owner moves to another property. Rosow added that a gender-neutral clause was inserted at the end of the code that applies to the entire City code. MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Butcher Wickstrom, to approve second reading of Ordinance No. 11-2017 amending City Code Chapter 9 relating to the Keeping of Chickens in the City of Eden Prairie, including the removal of the restrictions on moving the coop on the property. Motion carried 5-0. Case asked when people can actually have backyard chickens. Getschow said staff will be ready next week when it is published in the Eden Prairie News on July 20. Residents interested in having chickens should contact Jim Schedin, the City's Zoning Administrator. B. RESOLUTION NO. 2017-74 SUPPORTING THE PARIS AGREEMENT Getschow said this item is a follow-up to Mayor Tyra-Lukens'joining with other Mayors in supporting the Paris Agreement. This would include a commitment for the City to continue much of what we are already doing and would not include anything that is necessarily new or unique in terms of action. Aho asked why we are bringing this forward at this time and asked if all Council Members had read the 32-page document. He noted the document is quite complicated and detailed, and he was not sure he understood how it works and how it will be implemented. He asked why we, as a city,have a role in adopting a resolution on an international agreement that is made between countries. He asked why the agreement was not addressed by the U.S. Senate and who will pay for all of the actions in the agreement. He read aloud excerpts of the agreement and commented he believed it is ahead of the game for us, as a city, to say we are supporting this agreement when the Congress and Senate have not ratified it. He did believe it is well and good that the City of Eden Prairie does everything we can to reduce emissions and lower energy use, and we need to continue to do that. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 6 Case said the proposed resolution states that we will support the goals of the Paris Agreement, and we will continue to explore the benefits of pursuing and realizing the benefits of such actions. There is a lot of noise out there about this,but 194 of 195 countries are still supporting the agreement. Our President chose a path that is not being supported by 82% of Americans. He thought this is a confirmation and validation of exactly the path that Eden Prairie has been on since most of the current Council Members were first elected. There is no extra cost to this,but we are making a statement to residents of Eden Prairie and to the nation. He said we have to do what is ethically right, and he believed we should give a resolution of support of what Mayor Tyra-Lukens has done by signing this. Aho believed we need to be good stewards of our earth,but the way the Paris Agreement was drafted and adopted means it is not a good agreement for the U.S. He was not against trying to achieve goals that help our natural resources; however, the agreement contains an obligation for developed countries to contribute to efforts of developing countries at a rate of$100 billion every year. Tyra-Lukens asked Council Member Aho what was in the resolution that he objected to. Aho replied he would agree to a resolution to support Eden Prairie's goals to achieve a better environment, but he did not like saying we are agreeing with the Paris Agreement. Tyra-Lukens said this resolution is an intent to show those who have more power than we do that this is an item of concern, and we should continue to negotiate and work to make something that works, not just walk out on it. Aho said he believed President Trump was not walking away, rather he wanted to renegotiate it. Tyra-Lukens replied she thought we need a grass roots initiative to bring that about. Butcher Wickstrom said she appreciated the concerns Council Member Aho has put forward. She thought we are looking at the spirit of the Paris Agreement. She did not think the agreement is perfect in terms of financial commitment; however, we have to start somewhere. The spirit is very important, and it is the right thing to do. Our resolution is very specific about the good work Eden Prairie has done on this, and she was committed to endorsing it. Nelson said she planned to support the resolution. Eden Prairie has been doing a great job, and we would like to continue to encourage residents and businesses to cut their use of energy while saving money like we have done in the City. People need to stand up and say it is time to support energy goals. We can say, as a community, we have been doing this and will continue to do it. Tyra-Lukens said the goal for the resolution is to elevate the discussion and encourage state and federal governments to be active and assertive. Aho said he was very much in favor of what the City has done,but he thought we are doing this more as a political statement. He supports all the goals in Eden Prairie,but he does not support the Paris Agreement. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 7 Case said everything we do is political. We are not coming up with this because it is an international issue, rather the federal government has not taken a stand that we have been taking. This resolution endorses the climate goals of the Paris Agreement and sends a message that we, in Eden Prairie, support the same climate goals that 184 of 185 nations support. MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Butcher Wickstrom, to adopt Resolution No. 2017-74 supporting the Paris Agreement. Motion carried 4-1, with Aho opposed. XII. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS XIII. APPOINTMENTS A. STUDENTS ON COMMISSION Getschow said there were a record number of student commission applicants this year, and we cannot necessarily take everybody who applied. He encouraged juniors to reapply next year if they were not appointed this year. The terms will begin in the fall, and there will be an orientation meeting in August. MOTION: Nelson moved to appoint to the Conservation Commission Abhishek Aravalli, Sophia Truempi, Elizabeth Arnold, and Hayden Bunn; Case moved to appoint to the Heritage Preservation Commission Inika Shetty, Caleb Miller and Neha Bhupatriraju; Butcher Wickstrom moved to appoint to the Human Rights and Diversity Commission Ashwin Senthilkumar, Kholood Mo'allim, Carolyn Mason, Tharun Rao, Mason Stoltz and Meghana Chimata; Aho moved to appoint to the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission William Hemler, James Yoo, Janvi Shah, John Lindholm and Govind Makaram. All seconded by Case. Motion carried 5-0. XIV. REPORTS A. REPORTS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS 1. Grand Opening of the Minnesota State Capitol (Resolution No. 2017-75) Tyra-Lukens said we have been asked by the Capitol Celebration Committee to adopt a resolution encouraging the people of Eden Prairie to attend the grand opening of the Minnesota State Capitol on August 11-13. Mark Wickstrom, stone mason and Eden Prairie resident, said he worked on the capitol restoration project for four years and was involved in many aspects of the project including replacement and re-carving of ornamentation on the Cass Gilbert designs. He noted it was a proud moment in his career as a tradesman, and he thanked the City Council for making the declaration to honor the project. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 8 MOTION: Butcher Wickstrom moved, seconded by Aho, to adopt Resolution No. 2017-75 encouraging the people of the City of Eden Prairie to attend the Grand Opening of the Minnesota State Capitol. Motion carried 5-0. 2. Fourth of July Celebration—Council Member Case Case commended the staff and volunteers, and Lori Brink and Lindsey Danhauser in particular, for their efforts with the amazing celebration at Round Lake. He commented it was an amazing celebration. B. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER C. REPORT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR D. REPORT OF PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR 1. Pickleball & Cricket Update In response to a request from Council Member Case at the last meeting, Lotthammer gave a PowerPoint update on pickleball and cricket. A feasibility study for a multi-court pickleball facility was prepared in late 2016 at the request of the Parks Commission. The Southwest Pickleball Association asked if they could be involved in fund raising efforts for the facility. He reviewed the recent history of pickleball here in Eden Prairie, including plans for refurbishment of the courts at Pioneer Park, Riley Lake Park, Round Lake and Franlo Park. There are plans out to 2040 to take care of the courts we have, and we are spending a good share of our funds just to rehabilitate the courts. There are plans to redo the courts at Hidden Ponds in 2018, and there is potential to add another two pickleball courts there and still be within the budgeted amount. He noted permanent courts are very expensive to build. Lotthammer said in 2019 the Staring Lake courts are scheduled to be redone. He showed a schematic with an extra 12 pickleball courts in the area by the basketball and tennis courts. Aho asked if the cost to add the extra courts as shown in the diagram would be $60,000 per court. Lotthammer believed we could get closer to $40,000 per court at that location. There will be quite a bit of earth work and infiltration needed on the site because of the additional amount of hard surface needed for the courts. Aho asked if the total would be close to $500,000, minimum. Lotthammer replied that was correct, although there may be some economies to do the whole project at once. Nelson noted she rarely sees anyone playing on the tennis courts when she drives around the City. Lotthammer replied the Parks Commission toured the CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 9 parks recently, and tennis was being played on the courts at Staring Lake, Riley Lake, Rice Marsh Lake, and Round Lake. He thought we are at a good place with tennis and basketball. He noted there are still people from other communities playing pickleball here. There are a lot of different dynamics involved, but we need to provide opportunities for youth and families to play pickleball at their neighborhood parks. Tyra-Lukens asked about the funds available from Hennepin County. Lotthammer said there is a facility grant available from the County,but we would need to show high use by youth players. Lotthammer said Council Member Case said he has seen more use of fields for cricket playing. Cricket playing is wide spread across the U.S. Cricket is not as highly scheduled as are other games. We work with a contact in the cricket groups in town to let them know what fields are available, and we have facilitated groups that are out there with clinics and camps. The cricket players can easily overlay baseball fields to use for cricket. Case said we are seeing changes in our demographics that have also changed the use of our facilities. He said the question is whether we are keeping up with what is happening. Money is always a consideration, but he would like to see a plan to get 10-12 pickleball courts at Staring Lake by some means, possibly by bonding or fund raising. He thought it is time to change our strategy to build up the facilities quickly. He would like to see staff come back with some options and find a way to shift funds so we can build 10-12 pickleball courts sooner rather than later. Nelson agreed with Council Member Case. She has been hearing about pickleball for several years, and she thought it will keep growing. We need to look at a new, large facility. We have done that for other groups, and we need to start planning for some of the over-50 groups because that demographic needs to have physical activity. Aho said the Council had a discussion about building community at tonight's workshop. This seems like a good match for building community because pickleball is not only for the senior community, but also for the younger people who will get involved. He thought having a larger court facility at one area makes a lot of sense, and we ought to look at how we can accommodate this. We could act as a catalyst for raising funds and make this a public/private partnership. Butcher Wickstrom said this has been out there for a long time, and we need to be responsive to changes in the community. Getschow said he and Mr. Lotthammer can sit down with the Finance Manager to review funding possibilities and our project plan and will bring something back to the Council. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES July 11, 2017 Page 10 E. REPORT OF PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR 1. Ground Storage Reservoir Project Ellis said gave a PowerPoint presentation about water facilities in the City, noting we have an immediate need to expand our storage capacity due to the increased demand of summer irrigation. He noted there are pressure issues at the Hidden Ponds water tower during heavy use in the summer. A 3- 5,000,000-gallon storage reservoir and pumping station would be the final addition to our water storage facilities. Because we have had a decrease in water consumption through our water conservation efforts, the size of the reservoir can probably be 2.5-3,000,000 gallons. There is $9,100,000 in the CIP for the storage facility. Ellis said staff looked at available locations in the central western part of Eden Prairie and determined the MnDOT parcel north of Hwy 212, east of Eden Prairie Road, and south of the Regional Trail met most of the criteria. The cost of the parcel is $260,000. That location is adjacent to a large diameter water main, which is a requirement for such a facility. There are also opportunities to have reminders of our historical usage of that site for water storage. We would propose to purchase the property and begin design work this year and next. Construction would take place in 2019-2020. Aho asked about the size of the facility. Ellis replied it would depend on the size of the design but would be about 20-25 feet high. He said berming, landscaping and burying the tank can be done, but would add more expense. Nelson said we need to have a public water fountain there if it is close to the trail. Ellis said staff did reach out to Three Rivers Park District to see if they would be interested in having a shelter or other amenities there. This would be an additional candidate for State legacy funding. F. REPORT OF POLICE CHIEF G. REPORT OF FIRE CHIEF H. REPORT OF CITY ATTORNEY XV. OTHER BUSINESS XVI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Butcher Wickstrom moved, seconded by Case, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Mayor Tyra-Lukens adjourned the meeting at 9:11 p.m.