03-05-14 Council Work Session
March 5, 2014
A Work Session meeting of the City Council was held on the above date. Mayor Simonson
called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. The following were present: Mayor Randall Simonson,
Council members Jim Schneider and Sally Swanson. Council member Chris Ness arrived at
6:32. Council member Dan Lee was absent. Staff present: City Administrator Kristina Handt,
City Engineer Ryan Goodman, Director of Public Works Tim Kieffer and Deputy Clerk Brenda
Eklund.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Schneider, seconded by Swanson, moved to approve the agenda as presented. The motion
was carried unanimously by all present.
TH
HELMS LAND PURCHASE REQUEST (196 STREET)
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Ron and Vicki Helms, 12160 196 Street, have requested that the City consider selling Lot 1,
Block 1 of Beckstrom Addition to add to their property, Lots 2-6. Administrator Handt
explained that this is a 0.13-acre parcel which appears to have been acquired by New Scandia
Township in 1998 but it is unclear for what purpose.
Ron Helms explained that they would like to square off their property and would be agreeable to
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granting an easement for the roadway. 196 Street crosses the corner of the parcel and Public
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Works Director Kieffer recommended further road easements along 196 Street be acquired for
road maintenance.
It was the consensus of the Council to delay action until a site visit could be scheduled to view
the property and get a better understanding of the request. The visit will be scheduled prior to
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the Council Work Session on June 4.
DISCUSSION OF LOFTON AVENUE/TH 97 IMPROVEMENTS
Washington County Public Works Engineers Wayne Sandberg and Joe Gustafson were present
to discuss the planned road improvement project at the Lofton Avenue/TH 97 intersection.
County Commissioner Fran Miron also participated in the discussion.
MnDOT has awarded grant funds to the County to design and schedule construction of dedicated
turn lanes on TH 97 to improve traffic safety at this site. Sandberg explained the problems of the
present roadway and the improvements of added turn lanes, overhead street lighting, vegetation
removal and enhanced signage that are being proposed. Extensive review of the design by
MnDOT will occur and the project will be scheduled for completion by November 2014. It is
estimated that County staff will present the final design to the City by June or July.
Administrator Handt asked what solutions are being evaluated to reduce the occurrences of
drivers running the stop sign when traveling south on Lofton. A flashing stop sign was proposed
at one time. Gustafson explained that adding a second stop sign on the left, installing a “stop
ahead” sign, overhead lighting and larger signs are considered as low maintenance options first.
These will be part of the design proposal with MnDOT. Sandberg noted that the installation of
yellow hazard markers in 2009 on the south side of the intersection reduced the number of
crashes reported to the state.
March 5, 2014
Scandia City Council
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Sandberg explained that the County is also coordinating the Lofton Avenue overlay project for
this year. A cold in-place recycle method will improve the roadway surface from the intersection
to the county line. Truck traffic from Tiller’s gravel mines will need to be redirected for two
weeks while the material is curing. Normal traffic will be allowed, but heavy equipment use
would cause rutting. Handt recommended that construction in July and August would be
preferred as Tiller plans to limit hauling during these months.
MINNESOTA GREENSTEP CITIES
Council member Swanson led a discussion on her recommendation that the City participate in
the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program, a voluntary program supported by the League of MN
Cities that encourages cities to adopt environmental best practices. Swanson explained that the
City can earn the distinction of a “GreenStep City” by documenting some of the components that
are already in place, such as the trails plan and stormwater management policy. Swanson noted
that Forest Lake and the City of Marine are interested in collaborating on joint tasks such as
sharing a compost site.
Schneider and Ness stated that they would like to see more information and would not want to
put a commitment on the City that may cost money in the long run.
Swanson offered to bring back more detailed information on the efforts needed to implement the
program.
AUTHORIZE ADVERTISING FOR 2014 SEAL COAT PROJECT
City Engineer Ryan Goodman presented the details of this year’s proposed seal coat project. He
estimated the cost to be $215,000 using average bid prices. Goodman explained there is
potential for the costs to come in lower and that the project will have a base bid for the seal coat
and then alternates for crack filling the Tii Gavo streets and striping. Bidding the alternates can
allow for changes in order to meet the total contractual road maintenance budget of $200,000.
Goodman explained that bidding the work in conjunction with road projects in Forest Lake and
Franconia should help lower the project costs.
Upon discussion, it was recommended to remove crack filling of the Tii Gavo streets and
Community Center parking lot from the specifications and get quotes for this work from smaller
contractors. Sealcoating the parking lot will be bid as Alternate #1 and striping will be bid as
Alternate #2.
Simonson, seconded by Ness, moved to authorize advertisements for bids for the 2014 Seal
Coat Project as defined (base bid of seal coat work and two alternates). The motion
carried 4-0.
ADJOURNMENT
Ness, seconded by Swanson, moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 4-0.
The meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk