Loading...
09.g City Administrator - Staff Report1 Staff Report Date of Meeting: March 19, 2024, City Council Meeting To: Mayor and City Council From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator Re: City Administrator Report ______________________________________________________________________________ Gateway Trail Project City Engineer Ryan Goodman and I met with Nathan Moe and Kent Skaar from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on Monday, July 10, 2023. We discussed the next steps in the work plan, including the environmental review, soil borings, and topographical survey. Ryan and the DNR are working to complete these items before the end of the year. This group plans to meet monthly to ensure the project stays on schedule. Kent explained that the LCCMR funding has a hard deadline of June 30, 2027. All spending must be completed before that date. The City plans for 2026 construction to complete the project before the grant funding disappears. Our DNR Grant Administrator has also contacted me. LCCMR administers the project, and the funding comes from the DNR. The Fiscal Agent Agreement has been approved and signed by all parties involved. The City has a grant for funding through the DNR for this project. There is approximately $25,000 left on the grant, which will cover the cost of upcoming soil borings. Our next update meeting is scheduled for March 19. Water Tower Barn Project The Scandia Heritage Alliance is working to construct part of the old water tower barn to apply for historic tax credits and a place on the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, they will need to create a for-profit entity to allow for qualification for historic tax credits. Council approved the construction of the east side of the barn and the formation of a “for-profit” entity at their Work Session on September 6. At our December meeting, the Alliance received Council approval to aid the City in applying for an LCCMR grant to help fund their project's parks and trails plan. The plan includes connecting trails from the Water Tower Barn parcel to the Community Center along Olinda Trail and through the City-owned wetland to connect to the Gateway Trail. 2 LMMCR grant application is due at the end of March. I will work with the SHA to have a draft of the grant application for the Council to review at their March 19 meeting. LCCMR grants are reimbursable, meaning the City has to spend the funds before it can seek reimbursement from the State. This is why the City needed the County to act as the Fiscal Agent for the Gateway Trail grant. I believe LCCMR will allow the City to issue short-term financing to complete the project before requesting reimbursement, but I will verify this before we submit our application. 192nd St Landing Below is an update from Tom Langer with the Carnelian Marine St. Croix Watershed regarding the 192nd St N. landing project. After an initial site inspection with Lori and Mike, we determined a need for an updated site survey of the area. We worked with EOR to extend their surveying effort for the Bliss addition project to include the 192nd road/ launch area. Once this is completed, Lori, Mike, and I will begin to outline a shoreline alteration site plan and share it with you when ready. I anticipate this work will be completed over the next few months. The Washington Conservation District is working on a plan for the area. This will incorporate drainage basins for stormwater runoff as part of the Bliss Stormwater Project. The Council should see the plan by Spring 2024. Scandia City Center Study The Consultant presented the Community Involvement Plan to the Council at their December Work Session. Staff updated contact information for the local businesses listed in the Plan. The County and the Consultant attended Vinterfest and had many positive interactions with the community. The comments left on the project website have also been very insightful. These comments will be gathered, analyzed, and used to determine areas that need further review in the coming months. Bliss Stormwater Project This is a Carnelian Marine St. Croix Watershed project to which the City partners. The project aims to improve stormwater collection within the Bliss neighborhood. The project will be bid out this winter for construction next summer. The City has pledged $160,000 towards this project. That money can be found in the 401 CIP fund. It was initially scheduled for 2023 construction but was delayed due to unlocated Xcel Energy lines in the project area. The project will be approved for bidding at their December 13 Board Meeting. The City Engineer has received, reviewed, and commented on the project’s 90% plans. This project is currently out for bid. 3 Washington County Long Range Transportation Plan Washington County is embarking on its first-ever Long-Range Transportation Planning. They are inviting other agencies to participate in an elected official work session to provide initial input to help set the framework for the plan moving forward. Council received staff’s report from the February 7 pubic meeting at our February Work Session. I have no further information to report at this time. Legislative Update The legislature is considering a bill that could affect Scandia and our ability to govern development within our municipal boundaries. SF 3964 /HF 4009, the “Missing Middle Housing Bill,” would require cities to authorize up to six types of middle housing to be built on residential lots in the city. The bill defines Middle Housing to include the following housing types: duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhomes, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, cottage housing, and single- family detached homes. Additionally, it would require Scandia to designate a Commercial District near residential property, allowing for at least four residential dwelling units on any residential lot within one-half mile or less from the Commercial District. This bill takes density determination out of the hands of the local government. I have sent the following objection to Senator Housley and Representative Hill: Requiring cities to designate a boundary of a commercial district next to residential property, where the surrounding area is subject to specific zoning requirements of the law and not the City's zoning requirements. This would impose far greater density requirements within and around the City Center than the past and present Councils have desired. We oppose any legislation that imposes density beyond that determined to be appropriate by the City Council.