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8.g July Administrator Public Works report Staff Report Date of Meeting: August 16, 2016 To: City Council From: Neil Soltis, Administrator Re: Administrator’s report Forest Lake Holdco – The grading permit has been approve and work has begun on removing trees and preparing the site for the installation. Sunrise Energy Ventures solar garden (STH 97) – A draft of the development agreement for the Sunrise Ventures solar garden is under review with no progress in the past few weeks Development code issues and enforcement – There continue to be complaint regarding exterior storage. The Planning Commission had a brief discussion on the issue at the August meeting and will continue the discussion at the September meeting. The key issue are defining at what point parking becomes a nuisance and what constitutes a front / rear yard for lots that abut lakes. I continue to get a substantial number of calls regarding lot splits which in most cases cannot be done with the development code restriction of 4 houses per quarter / quarter section (4 per 40 acres) in the Ag and rural zoning districts. A substantial portion of Sherri & my time has been devoted to the analysis of and providing information on the application for a special event facility interim conditional use permit application proposed for the N.E. corner of Scandia Trail and Meadowbrook. The Planning Commission public hearing was very well attended and the Commission deferred any action on the application pending additional information on traffic and noise impacts Log House Landing Boat ramp – I am still seeking information from contractors regarding the lack of interest in bidding the project. I will be meeting with Jim Shaver and Jill Medland of the National Park Service to discuss funding options. Washington County Community Development Authority – The CDA was created an economic development work group comprised of city administrators to evaluate how the CDA can serve the varying interests of the communities. The CDA is evaluating participation in an Open to Business program that is used by other counties to help provide assistance and funds for business growth. Chris Eng has also begun sending out information on businesses that are seeking locations. I will send these to the EDA members to see if there locations can be identified in Scandia. Oakhill Cottages storm shelter – Construction of the shelters is well underway with the building cores in place. Fire / Public Works Building solar installation – The City received the first electric bill that reflects the meter that was installed after the solar panels went on-line. The billing, which was for a partial month, indicates that the panels generated 2,880 kW while the building used 1,560 kW Bike trail signage - A location off of the drop-off area by the warming house has been identified as the best place for the bike trail signage proposed by the Friends of the Parks and Trails. This location will provide visibility to riders on Olinda and the parking area on the north side of 209th that is frequently used by cyclists. Potential future improvement is this location could include paving the drop-off area and the additional of a bike maintenance station. Log House Landing amenities – At the September Council meeting there will be a request to approve the signage for Log House Landing that has been recommended for approval by the Parks & Recreation Committee. Additionally the St. Croix River Association will be bringing forward a proposal to provide a bike rack at the landing that can be used to lock bikes for paddlers or to secure canoes until a pickup vehicle can arrive. Frontier Communications - I met with Frontier’s new general manager for this area. They are currently working on the upgrades to increase their core bandwidth and network protection. Their Wyoming site level projects are the furthest along with site construction work underway. Lindstrom projects will follow next. They are now actively field reviewing the Scandia sites. They hope to have a better understanding over the next 30 days or so on where we are at with respect to the Scandia area. Right-of-way mowing – I received complaint regarding the timing of and the extent to which road rights-of- way are being mowed. I would like to defer the discussion on that topic and the establishment of a policy until the new Public Works Director is on board. Crystal Springs SNA – The DNR is evaluating whether or not the public can use the easements that they have in place, or if they are for management purposes only. They hope to make a presentation on access and parking options at the 9/7/16 work session. Noise / discharge of firearms – Based on the complaints that have been received regarding the discharge of firearms in proximity to residences, this will be added as a discussion item for the September work session. Comprehensive Planning – Another agenda item for the September work session will be a discussion on the process for engaging a consultant to work on the comprehensive plan beginning in 2017. In checking other cities many have begun the process and others have requests out for proposals. A decision will need to be made regarding whether the City should go through a consultant selection process and, if so, the timing of the process. Additionally Suzanne Lindgren and Tom Stangl of The Country Messenger are participating in a rural communities leadership program for newspapers that is funded by the Blandin Foundation. As a part of the program they have proposed to hold a community input session on September 29th to look at the challenges and opportunities facing the City as it relates to the comprehensive planning process. This will be a good opportunity to begin the conversations regarding the City’s 2040 comprehensive plan. PUBLIC WORKS ACTIVITIES Equipment maintenance - The 2 Mack plow trucks were taken to Nuss Truck & Equipment for a safety recall related to the replacement of a nut that retain the interaxle driveshaft yolk Public works Garage - A rain day was used to clean the floors at the garage. Roads and rights-of-way:  Patching in advance of the sealcoating project was completed on 220th St.  Additional patching work was completed on 228th, 230th, Nolan, Melanie, and Kirk  197th, 205th (Log House Landing) Oakhill court, Penfield, and Pilar were regraded  205th (Log House Landing), Mayberry, 220th, Parish, Pomroy, 215th, Penfield, and Meadowbrook south of 97 have been trimmed for sign visibility  Trees have been trimmed along Oakhill Court  Trees blocking the road have been removed at Langley, Layton, Kirk, 238th, Novak, and Maxwill  Helke Tree removed a hollow dead trees from the right of way on Old Marine and trimmed an tree on Layton that blocked Fire Department access  The stop sign at Oakhill and Oland was replaced. Parks  A tree at Goose Lake Landing that fell on a neighboring property was removed.  The south ballfield was mowed 3 times and dragged 1 time  The lighted ballfield was mowed and dragged 4 times  The t-ball field was mowed 2 times and dragged 1 time  The Settlers monument and Hay Lake were mowed once.  The area between the pavilion and parking lot at Hay Lake was cleared of the understory vegetation  The rain garden at Lilleskogen Park has been weeded  After the clearing work performed by the Lakes Free Church youth group, the trail around the wetland area has been mowed. Community Building:  A large pine tree that was uprooted in a storm was removed from in front of the community building  The oven in the Community building was cleaned Sewers:  The Bliss drain field was mowed  The June and July DMR reports for the Bliss drain field were submitted and corrections were made to previous reports as noted by the MPCA  Most of the septic tanks at the Bliss subdivision have been inspected and pumps tested. Other tanks need to be located.  The inspections of the septic tanks at the Anderson Erickson subdivision is in process.  Once these inspections are completed the tanks with levels of sludge or scum in excess of the maintenance plan will be pumped.