HomeMy WebLinkAbout060407 MinutesCity Council Meeting Minutes
June 4, 2007
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
Present were Mayor Haugen, Councilmembers Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar , City Manager
Boyles, City Attorney Pace , Public Works Dir ector/City Engineer Albrecht, Planning Director Kansier, Pla n-
ner Matzke, Parks and Fleet Supervisor Friedges, Assistant City Manager Meyer, Communications Coord i-
nator Peterson and Administrative As si s tant Green.
PUBLIC FORUM
The Public Forum is intended to afford the public an opportunity to address concerns to the City Council.
The Public Forum will be no longer than 30 minutes in length. Speakers receive a m aximum of ten minutes;
less if there are more than three speakers. Items to be considered as part of the Council’s regular agenda
may not be addressed at the P ublic Forum. Topics of discussion are also restricted to City governmental
topics rather than private or political agendas. The City Council will not take formal action on issues pr e-
sented during the Public Forum.
City Manager Boyles explained the concept of the public forum.
No person stepped forward to speak.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Mayor Haugen requested the addition of item 11B, a report from tonight’s City Council workshop, and 11C,
a report on the Capital Improvement Program discussion at tonight’s Cit y Council workshop. He also r e-
quested removal of agenda item 9B, Consider Approval of a Report Regarding the City’s Statutory Autho r-
ity to R e quire Mandatory Mediation and other Regulations Regarding Dock Issues.
MOTION BY MILLAR, SECONDED BY LEMAIR TO A PPROVE THE AGENDA AS MODIFIED .
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson , Hedberg, LeMair and Millar . The motion carried.
APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
MOTION BY MILLAR, SECONDED BY LEMAIR TO APPROVE THE MAY 21 , 2007 , MEETING MINUTES
AS PRESENTED .
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, Millar and LeMair . The motion carried.
CONSENT AGENDA
City Manager Boyles reviewed the items on the consent agenda.
A. Consider Approval of Invoices to be Paid.
B. Consider Approval of Resolution 07 - 105 to Approve Plans and Specifications and Authorize Adve r-
tisement for Bids for 2007 Park Improvements.
C. Consider Approval of Resolution 07 - 106 Amending the Industrial Park Project Professional Se r vices
Agre e ment for Easement and Wetland Services.
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D. Consider Approval of a Resolution Eliminating the White and Green Ash as Significant Trees and as
Recommended Replacement Trees.
Councilor Erickson requested that item 5D, Consider Approval of a Resolution Elimina t ing the White and
Green Ash as Significant Trees and as Recomm ended Replacement Trees, be removed from the consent
agenda.
MOTION BY HEDBERG, S E CONDED BY MILLAR TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS MOD I-
FIED .
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carried.
Erickson: Agrees that the City should not encourage use of Ash trees as replacement trees, but stated he
would like to amend the resolution so the Green and White Ash trees would continue to be considered si g-
nificant trees and developers could not just cut them down without having to r e place them.
Kansier: Stated that currently ordinance considers A sh as significant and it could remain that way for
some time .
Friedges: Confirmed that staff wants to diversify away from Ash until a resistant hybrid is develop ed .
LeMair : Beli eves that if at a future time Ash trees become diseased they would have to be taken down
and the City w ould not require replacement at that time. This proposal would affect current developers but
not future developers to require them to be replaced at this time. Stated that if they are a problem at this
point, then they are a prob lem and the City should r e classify them now.
Erickson: Stated that t he DNR is working hard to keep Ash tree disease out of this area and they may be
successful or something migh t be developed to resist the diseases. If the DNR is successful, it may be
many years b e fore it gets he re.
LeMair : Suggested taking the stand of rewarding developers if they take out Ash to prevent contin u ous
spreading or ask developers to take out As h and plant other things in its place.
Boyles: Stated the rationale of staff is that it would be best if a developer would remove the trees now b e-
fore they become the problem of individuals who cannot afford replacement .
LeMair : Suggested giving develope rs the incentive of replacing with fewer caliper inches.
Hedberg: Commented that Erickson is talking about something in the future or even being able to avert it.
Favors striking item #2 on the resolution which would remove Ash from the r eplacement tree list but leave it
as a si g nificant tree.
MOTION BY HEDBERG, SECONDED BY MILLAR TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 07 - 107 ELIMINATING
THE WHITE AND GREEN ASH AS RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT TREES.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg and Millar. LeMair opposed. The motion carried.
PRESENTATION
Recognition of Fritz Shimota.
City Manager Boyles and Parks and Fleet Supervisor Friedges related Shimota’s history of employment
and accomplishments with the City. Mayor Haugen presented a plaque and complimented Shimota’s e f-
forts in maintaining a quality park environment. Shimota s poke of changes and growth in the department
and City during his 19 years of service.
Status Report on County Road 42 / Trunk Highway 13 Intersection.
Public Works Director Albrecht reporte d the TH 13 / CR 42 intersection project is scheduled to begin in
2009 with most work to be done in 2011. Introduced Don Sterna an d Tony Winiecki of WSB Assoc i ates to
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provide some background information before the feasibility study which will be presented at the June 18
meeting. Sterna presented a PowerPoint depicting the project layout, access changes and proposed tim e-
line for completing the work. Stated they are r ecommending that transmission lines be moved to the north
side of CR 42 and that undergrou nd utilities be moved ahead of the construction. Mentioned d e sign issues
including Harbor Place access and fen c ing , MVEC Substation screening, Great River Energy transmi s sion
line relocation and staged utilities relocation, retaining wal l aesthetics, and a pedestrian trail along CR 42.
Informed the Council that estimated construction costs will be $12.3 million.
Comments:
Erickson : Asked how the determination was made to not have street lighting on Prior Lake side of CR 42 .
Sterna : Replied the de cision is a City issue. The City of Savage policy is to have the lights and they will
pay for the lighting.
Erickson: Clarified whether a trail is planned on the Prior Lake side without lighting.
Albrecht: Replied there are two sides of CR 42 to deal with , and Savage collects a utility fee which pr o-
vides funding for the lighting . Noted that Prior Lake usually lights a path side of the street or an intersec tion
and gave as an example that CR 21 has lighting on one side. Stated t here will be a lighted night - time co r-
ridor for pedestri ans to use through the C ity ; but w ith no funding in place, we cannot light both sides of co r-
ridors at this time.
Erickson: Expressed concern about the safety aspect of pedestrians crossing the road to get to the trail.
Al brecht: Stated there will be a signalized access to the trail. Reiterated that it is an economic issue and
the funds are not avai l able to light both sides of CR 42 at this time. Noted lights c an be added at a later
date.
Erickson: Commented that the County acquired parcels on CR 42 and asked how access to businesses
on the co r ner of CR 42 and TH 13 would be affected if the width of the parcels acquired continued to that
point.
Sterna : Replied that the County purchased five lots between Rutgers and C ommerce. Current plans show
the Commerce Avenue intersection re main ing and a retaining wall by the P rior L ake State Bank. Possible
plans and any concerns would be di s cussed at an open house.
Hedberg: Commented on places that will be affected by the pr oject such as wetlands by Boone Avenue
and asked what will happen to the r e taining wall near Harbor Place.
Sterna : Replied they are recommending a sheet pile type wall which requires limited excavation and still
has strength and would have a wood wall on the back side . Commented that it w ill be a finance issue
r ather than an engineering issue and Harbor Place residents have indicated they may be agreeable to an
a s sessment.
Hedberg: Asked if that type of wall would preserve most of th e landscaping on the south side.
Sterna : A greed it would be the least invasive.
Hedberg: Asked if a U - turn on Rutgers is going to be feasible when the access is changed.
Sterna : Recomm ended going to TH 13 to make a U - turn rather than Rutgers. Noted the planners consi d-
ere d a frontage road but that would cause a greater impact to residential homes and would be costly.
Millar: stated he would wait for the feasibility study presentation.
Sterna : Commented that a concrete screening wall at the MVEC is planned for screening. Will have to
come back to the City for a p proval of variances for that .
Public Works Director Albrecht stated that the Commerce Avenue study will come to the Council on June
18 and Winiecki would give a brief update. Winiecki s tated that four differen t alternatives are being co n-
sidered at this point and explained that each a l ternative would offer different things for traffic flow and right -
of - way acquisitions.
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Comments:
Hedberg: Clarified whether a U - turn at Rutgers w ould be possible at all if exit ing at Harbor Place.
Winiecki : Explained that there could possibly be five lanes of traffic to cross to accomplish that and it
would be unlikely. Stated that a draft feasibility study of the project would be presented on June 18 and the
actual study is a n ticipated for mid - July.
Hedberg: Stated he will be looking for safety a nd traffic flow considerations in the different alternatives.
Haugen: Believes that from a commercial stand point the alternatives will not be negative, but input from
the residenti al component may be more significant.
PUBLIC HEARING
Consider Approval of a Resolution Vacating a Drainage and Utility Easement Located on Lot 1,
Block 4, Sunset Hills Addition.
Planning Director Kansier presented the vacation request and stated that the Planning Commission and
staff recommend appr oval of it. Noted that v acation does not imply a p proval of any building plans on the
site.
MOTION BY LEMAIR, S ECONDED BY MILLAR TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair a nd M illar. The motion carried and the hearing
opened at 7:05 p.m.
Comments:
No person stepped forward to speak.
MOTION BY MILLAR, SECONDED BY HEDBERG TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair a nd Millar. The motion carrie d and the hearing closed
at 7:06 pm.
Comme n ts:
Hedberg: Stated this is a creative solution for both the residents and the City.
Millar: W ill approve.
Erickson: Agreed it is a win - win solution .
LeMair : Agree d that this solves problems on both sides.
Ha ugen: W ill approve.
MOTION BY MILLAR, SECONDED BY L EMAIR TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 07 - 108 PROVIDING FOR
THE VACATION OF THE EXISTING DRAINAGE AND UTILITY EASEMENTS ON LOT 1, BLOCK 4,
SUNSET HILLS ADDITION.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair an d Millar. The motion carried.
OLD BUSINESS
Consider Approval of a Report Establishing a Snowmobile Task Force.
City Manager Boyles noted that the local snowmobile club agreed the ordinance should be updated and
presented a proposed membership for the Ta sk Force as well as a timeline for bringing a recommendation
to the Council. Mayor Haugen invited members of snowmobile association to bring any comments fo r-
ward.
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Terry Hutchinson e x plained the participation of the snowmobile club 15 years ago when the c urrent ord i-
nance was developed and declared the club’s wil l ingness to work on it again. City Manager Boyles stated
that if a task force can complete its work by October 30, implementation can begin for the next snowmobile
season.
Comments:
Millar: Seems a wise thing to do and suggested that someone from the Lake Advisory Committee should
be on this task force due to the use of snowmobile s on the lakes.
Hedberg: Stated he will support the proposed task force and Millar’s suggestion for LAC participation .
Commented that he was not aware that the snowmobile club shaped current ordinance and expressed a p-
preciat ion for the club’s support.
LeMair : Stated this is an opportunity to make sure that snowmobilers and non - s nowmobilers are looking
out for each othe r’s interest. Will support.
Erickson: Believes the current ordinances should be revised and noted his property has been affected by
snowmobilers. Stated there are responsible snowmobile users in the area and he would like to see a trai n-
ing component a d ded noting that motorcyclists are required to attend training seminars. Believes the pro b-
lem is with people who do not know what the ordinance is or are inexperienced . Believes the ord i nance
should be co m municated.
Haugen: A ppreciate s the leadership of the snowmobile club and suggested that a Parks Advisory Commi t-
tee member also be a part of the task force.
MOTION BY HEDBERG, SECONDED BY MILLAR TO ADOPT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
REPORT TO ESTABLISH A SNOWMOBILE TASK FORCE AND ALSO INCLUDE A REPRESENTA TIVE
FROM BOTH THE LAKE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE PARKS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carried.
MOTION BY MILLAR , SECONDED BY LEMAIR TO APPOINT COUNCILOR ERICKSON AS THE
COUNCIL REPRESENT ATIVE TO THE SNOWMOBILE TASK FORCE.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS
Consider Approval of a Resolution Approving the Combined Preliminary and Final Plat for
Klongerbo Cros s ing.
Planner Matzke presented the request to s ubdivid e a residential lot into two lots to alleviate the nonco n-
formity of two principal structures on a single lot. Explained the necessary variances and that th is proposal
has b een approved by the Planning Commission.
Commen ts:
LeMair : Stated this should solve the problems with lot identification and asked what lot size is required for
single family hous ing .
Matzke: Replied that such a lot is required to be at least 6,000 sq uare feet and 60 feet wide.
LeMair : Asked what the lot size would be for the multi - unit .
Matzke: Replied the tri - plex is on 8,900 sq uare f ee t.
LeMair : Noted that seems like a lot of density, but it is existing so can’t turn the clock back. Will approve
in an effort to get things straightened out tha t were not done to our standards in the past.
Erickson: Agreed this is good housekeeping.
Millar: W ill approve .
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Hedberg: Agreed this action will make it more usable and marketable.
Haugen: W ill support.
MOTION BY MILLAR, SECONDED BY HEDBERG TO APPRO VE RESOLUTION 07 - 109 APPROVING
THE COMBINED PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PLAT OF KLONGERBO CROSSING AND SETTING
FORTH CONDITIONS TO BE MET PRIOR TO RELEASE OF THE FINAL PLAT.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carried.
Cons ider Approval of a Resolution Approving the Combined Preliminary and Final Plat for Zi m-
merman’s A d dition .
Planning Director Kansier informed the Council that this proposed action is the second part of the public
hearing just conducted. Stated this is a f o llow - up on a topic presented at a previous council meeting r e-
garding e n croachment on park property due to mistaken boundaries and a fence built by the City. The
resolution proposes a land swap where park property will be deeded to the Zimme r man’s and thei r property
will be deeded to the City. Their e xisting lot size will remain the same at 11,184 sq uare feet. No trees will
be impacted and no street or public property i m provements will be needed.
Comments:
Hedberg: Stated this is c onsistent with zonin g and land use purposes and a good example of creative
partnership with the residents to find a solution. Will support.
Millar: Will support.
Erickson: Will support.
LeMair: Will support.
Haugen: Will support.
MOTION BY HEDBERG, SECONDED BY MILLAR T O APPROVE RESOLUTION 07 - 110 APPROVING
THE COMBINED PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PLAT OF ZIMMERMAN ’ S ADDITION AND SETTING
FORTH CONDITIONS TO BE MET PRIOR TO RELEASE OF THE FINAL PLAT.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carrie d.
Consider Approval of an Amendment to the City Council Bylaws Regarding the City Council Forum.
City Manager Boyles suggested a bylaws amendment allowing the public an opportunity to address a
scheduled agenda item at the public forum of the same meeti ng. Believes it may increas e public input .
Comments:
Erickson: Recommended the amendment read as, “207.4 Items to be considered on the agenda may be
addressed on the Public Forum unless they are the subject of a public hearing or public informatio n hea r-
ing.”
Millar: N oted that this amendment is suggested to allow citizens the opportunity to address something on
the agenda on the same evening. Will support.
Hedberg: Stated the Council strive s for a transparent and open government. The provision of the public
forum rules left the impression with some that we were operating in a closed way. This amendment would
still allow time to deliberate and gives the Council an opportunity to hear from people.
LeMair : W ill support.
Haugen: Stated the Publi c Forum has served a wonderful purpose. Believes we may be creating pro b-
lems if both sides of an issue are not present by creating an unbalanced and unfair playing field for issues.
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Cu r rently, the agenda is posted and people know when they can speak on a topic. B elieves it will create a
flawed system to move forward with this.
Millar: Stated it is worth a try and the action can change back if it does not work.
LeMair : Asked if there would still be a time limit for the forum.
Haugen: A ffirmed.
Hedber g: Acknowledged Haugen’s point of view and commented that the h ope of this design is that if
someone presents during the forum, the Council would have sufficient time to deliberate on the issues
separate from the viewpoint presented.
MOTION BY MILLAR, SECONDED BY HEDBERG TO APPROVE THE AMENDMENT TO THE CITY
COUNCIL BYLAWS R EGARDING THE CITY COUNCIL FORUM AND THAT THIS PRACTICE BE
REVIEWED WITHIN A YEAR.
Erickson: Queried whether adding a timeline for review is limiting.
Hedberg: Af firmed the review could be any time within a year.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carried.
Consider Approval of a Resolution Awarding Bid for Operation of Laker Lines Bus Service, and A u-
thorizing the Mayor and City Manager to Ente r into a Modified Version of the Standard Contract.
Assistant City Manager Meyer described the bid process and stated that three bids were received. E x-
plained the bids received and stated that Schmitty & Sons appears to be the low bid.
Comments:
LeMair : Likes that it is a local company, we will keep our local identity and we will save money from prev i-
ous service. Will approve.
Erickson: W ill approve. Noted the fuel cap from Metro Transit and asked if we know what they are pa y ing
now.
Meyer: Replied t hat t hey did not reveal that, but suggested their rates are less because of the volume of
pu r chase.
Erickson: Co mplimented staff for going out for bids as this will save the City about $96,000 per year.
Hedberg: Stated he read in newspapers that P rior L ake actions of going out for bid s were causing a delay
in opening services.
Meyer: Replied that actions caused no delay and t he Southbridge Crossing site is not ready for service
yet. Explained that s ome marketing materials went out advertising a June 4 opening date but that was i n-
correct. Stated that they h ope to roll out se r vices at Southbridge Crossing by July 16.
Hedberg: Commented this contract will be ready by then and that even if P rior Lake actions caused delay
of a couple of weeks, it generat ed many thousands of dollars of savings.
Millar: Will support.
Haugen: Commented that during this joint effort with Scott County, Shakopee and P rior Lake, we made it
clear that we are committed to transportation, partnerships in services and marketing ef forts as well as r e-
taining our own identity. St ated that st aff has followed that direction well.
Meyer: Introduced Schmitty & Sons representatives Dave Mohr and Connie Massengill.
Hedberg: A sked if they will be able to continue to offer great service a t a fair profit with this bid.
Massengill : Replied that when they bid five years ago they had no idea what the costs would be . Now,
with history, they have learned they can provide the same great service for this price.
Mohr : Noted that we started with only two buses and we have now added routes.
Hedberg: Noted the City wants vendors to make a fair profit.
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Haugen: Commented that having a bus service has worked out and the s ervice is superb.
Erickson: Spoke regarding the comments of Shakopee’s service being delayed because of Prior Lake
actions and explained that the S hakopee City Council is waiting to act until Prior Lake approves this co n-
tract because they are going to tie into our contract. Prior Lake action isn’t causing a delay in service b e-
cause the Southbridge Crossing isn’t ready, but it may have caused delay for Shakopee because they
couldn’t approve until we did.
Meyer: Noted that Brian Lamb from Metropolitan Transit was also in attendance at this meeting .
MOTION BY LEMAIR , SECONDED BY ERICK SON TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 07 - 111 AWARDING
BID FOR OPERATION OF LAKER LINES BUS SERVICE TO SCHMITTY & SONS TRANSIT, INC., AND
AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A MODIFIED VERSION OF THE
CITY’S STANDARDIZED CONTRACT.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carried.
Consider Approval of a Report Regarding the Establishment of a Senior Center Task Force.
City Manager Boyles reminded the Council that Premiere Dance is opening a new building this fall. They
w ill be vacating their current space at the L i brary Resource Center and discussion has been held re garding
how to use that space. Using it as a senior center has been proposed. Suggested establishing a task
force to determine feasibility of same , and made recommendations for task force membership and a tim e-
line for bringing a recommendation to the Council .
Comments:
Millar: Stated he has been concerned with this issue for some time. Encouraged seniors to get involved
with discussions of needs and wa nts. Believes a t ask force could be a first step to establish programming
and a f u ture senior center.
Hedberg: C oncur red with Millar ’s comments stating this has been an important objective for a number of
years. Believes t his approach is attractive bec aus e a facility is becoming vacant and we have an opport u-
nity for using city - owned space to meet a major objective. Noted that a t some point, we may construct a
community center which would include a senior center, but until then this could be an opport unity to try it
out and have people d e termine what they really want. Believes we should commit to using this space for
several years if the task force determines that is what should be done. and N oted that c o m munity input
might change our view of the urg encies and needs.
LeMair : Support s going forward with a task force and agree d with comments about using space in the L i-
brary Resource Center. Commented that it is n ice space, downtown, and paid for with referendum monies.
Noted that s eniors have suppo rted space and programming for youth and this can be a chance to give
something back to them . Stated he would v olu n teer to be on the task force.
Erickson: Commented this use could be compatib le with the Library. Agree d it would be good to learn
what sen iors are looking for and noted that the current flooring in that space would be co m patible with
dancing. Believes a senior center is not necessarily a situation for sedentary activities only.
Haugen: Stated that having a senior center is tied to the 2 030 vision, this could take advantage of a faci l-
ity that is available and incurs no capital expense. Supports the proposed membership for the task force as
well as the timeline for making recommendations .
MOTION BY MILLAR, SECONDED BY HEDBERG TO APPROV E ESTABLISHMENT OF A SENIOR
CENTER TASK FORCE AS PROPOSED.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carried.
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Haugen: Asked for volunteers from the Council to serve on the task force and acknowledged that LeMair
and Milla r volunteered.
MOTION BY HEDBERG, SECONDED BY ERICKSON TO APPOINT MILLAR AND LEMAIR TO THE
SENIOR CITIZENS TASK FORCE.
VOTE: Ayes by Haugen, Erickson, Hedberg, LeMair and Millar. The motion carried.
OTHER
Community Events
Erickson: Stated the Safe H aven For Youth at Shepherd’s Path would be opening in the upcoming week.
LeMair : C ongratulated Premiere Dance Academy on the success of its weekend shows.
Hedberg: Reminded everyone that the second annual Dive the Lake would be held June 9 launched fr om
Captain Jack’s.
Millar: Stated that Minnesota’s WWII memorial dedication will be June 9 at the State Capitol lawn at 2 p.m.
Laker Lines will be transporting veterans from the VFW at 11 p.m .
Haugen: Complimented the VFW for its M emorial D ay parade and celebration at M emorial P ark. Also
complimented the SMSC for its mem o rial dedication and celebration. Stated that August 18 will be P rior
Lake Day at the Dome which is a promotion put together by the City and Chamber of Commerce.
Capital Impro vement Program
City Manager Boyles reported that the Council held a workshop to discuss the CIP , which d etermines i m-
portant infrastructure projects that will be undertaken over the next five years. Stated that the Council
asked staff to come to an upcomin g C ouncil meeting to : 1) talk about the matrix and what we do to get the
most out of our equipment ; and 2) to determine if the matrix can be refined. Noted that a park equipment
matrix will also be developed . The Council d irected staff to look at park equipment that is being installed
and its useful life , and prepare a report that shows optimum plans and how to fund them. The m a trices will
be used to fashion recommend a tions for the CIP.
Jeffers Pond Interpretive Center
City Manager Boyles reported that the Council discussed the natural areas and a c tivities that the City has
been involved in to retain natural areas such as White Tail Island, Crystal Lake, etc. Commented that r e-
cently 30 acres were preserved at the Spring Lake Regional Park and nearly te n years ago, eight acres
was preserved near Five Hawks Elementary School that the school uses for outdoor lear n ing experiences.
Most recently, the City established trails at the Jeffers Pond Nature Center and approved placement of
floating boardwalks the re . Boyles d iscussed the pr o posal of the Jeffers Foundation to build an interpretive
center in the Ponds area and that a combination of money be used to build the facility. Described the mo n-
ies already don ated and the possibility of a further don ation wi th the placement of a co n servation covenant
over the eight - acre sight near Five Hawks Elementary School. Explained that with add i tional City monies of
$2 80,000 , the Jeffers Foundation would contribute $ 420,000 to provide funding for the interpretive cente r.
Stated the School District would provide furnishings and fixtures , maintain the facility and provide pr o-
gramming for all ages. Stated the City Council is inclined to take advantage of the o f fer.
Comments:
Hedberg: Added the clarification that the pr eserved natural areas around several lakes includes land
around the lakes and not just the shorelines. Stated he is i n clined to support the City’s expenditure on the
Jeffers Pond interpretive center b e cause it can leverage over $ 1.1 million of donations from the Jeffers
Foundation in various ways.
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Haugen: Noted that in the last 90 days, the City committed a half - million do l lars to Pike Lake and reite r-
ated that the City has don e much to pr o mo t e nat u ral environments.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further comments from Council members, a motion to adjourn was made by LeMair and s e c onded
by Hedberg . With all in favor, the meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m.
____ _______________________________ ___________________________________
Frank Boyles, City Manager Charlotte Green, Admini s trative Asst.
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