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5.a2 May 4, 2016 Work Session Minutes May 4, 2016 The City Council held a Work Session on the above date. The following were present: Mayor Randall Simonson, Council members Dan Lee, Bob Hegland, Chris Ness, and Jim Schneider. Staff present: City Administrator Neil Soltis, Public Works Director Dave Williams and Deputy Clerk Brenda Eklund. Mayor Simonson called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Ness, seconded by Lee, moved to approve the agenda as presented. The motion carried 5-0. DISCUSSION WITH CARNELIAN-MARINE-ST. CROIX WATERSHED DISTRICT BOARD REGARDING THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF THE LOG HOUSE LANDING BOAT RAMP In January 2016 the Council approved an agreement with the Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District to work cooperatively on the construction of the public access boat ramp at the Log House Landing. Members of the Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District were present to jointly review the preliminary concept plans for the project. Administrator Soltis explained that the concept plan being reviewed had been updated with greater detail on the construction of the concrete slab. Due to higher than anticipated engineering costs to formalize the plans, proposals will be sought using performance specifications at a significant cost savings over engineered plans. Gary Orlich, a retired MnDOT engineer, provided his assistance with the plans. The 12-foot wide concrete slab will be stabilized with anchors on its approach to the concrete planks, boulders sized 18”-36” will reinforce the banks, a 2% cross-slope will direct runoff onto a trap rock spillway which will also collect runoff through draintile placed along the perimeter of the ramp and between joints, the footpath to the river will be stabilized with a rough cut stone stairway, and the bank area will be seeded with a vegetative mix. City Engineer Goodman will provide a list of expert concrete contractors to send the plans to for bidding on the project. It was estimated that construction would begin in the fall and take approximately two weeks to complete. Orlich recommended the stairway be constructed first to protect the ramp from heavy equipment. Administrator Soltis noted that the National Parks Service funds could be utilized for the seeding, erosion control materials and the rough-cut stone stairway. Council member Schneider noted that the sharp angle of the ramp at the connection to the planks would be difficult for boat trailers to maneuver and vehicles would be off the ramp and tearing up the trap rock spillway. He also recommended the concrete ramp have a rough surface to prevent slipping when wet. It was explained that the planks from the DNR have a rough broom finish and a scarification technique will be used on the ramp finish. May 4, 2016 Scandia City Council Page 2 of 3 Following further discussion on the plans, Administrator Soltis summarized the recommendations:  Width of stairs to accommodate canoe and kayak users  Stabilize the banks  Construct the stairway first  Widening concrete at bottom to decrease the angle, increase the curvature, at the connection point to the planks  Engineering oversight during construction Car-Mar Watershed Administrator Jim Shaver stated that a joint motion should be made by both the Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed Board and the City Council. Tom Polasik, seconded by Kristin Tuenge (Watershed Board members), moved to direct the Administrators to proceed with preparing the specifications as discussed and to send out the plans to the selected list of contractors as provided by City Engineer Goodman. The Watershed Board approved the motion 4-0. The City Council approved the motion 5- 0. Mayor Simonson asked that the amended plans be presented back to the Council before being sent out for quotes. In response to comments from the audience on minimizing visual impacts to the character of the riverway, Mayor Simonson stated that this will be a solid and stable plan to protect the river from continued erosion and runoff that will last for years to come, and that the City’s intention is to proceed ahead. DISCUSSION ON FILLING THE VACANT POSITION ON THE ECONIMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BOARD Administrator Soltis reported that no applications were received for the vacant EDA position that had been advertised for the past month. The Council was in consensus to continue to advertise the position. It was suggested that members of the Planning Commission be asked to see if they have an interest in serving on the EDA Board. UPDATE ON FOREST LAKE AREA TELEVISION Mayor Simonson reported that he had informed the Cable Commission Board about the City’s intention to withdraw from the Forest Lake Cable Commission or take steps for its dissolution. Simonson explained that with the absence of an administrator at LATV and the station’s lease ending this fall, it seems an appropriate time to take this action. The Columbus and Forest Lake Cable Commission members recommended a joint meeting with representatives of the three cities to further discuss future plans of the Cable Commission and the Joint Powers Agreement. This meeting will be held on June 9th at 7:00 p.m. at Forest Lake City Hall, to be attended by Mayor Simonson and Council member Schneider. May 4, 2016 Scandia City Council Page 3 of 3 UPDATE ON 2017 BUDGET TIMELINE Administrator Soltis provided a timeline of dates and actions in preparation of the 2017 budget. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on the Capital Improvement Program at their July meeting. The Council will begin budget discussions at their August Work Session. Soltis also provided a spreadsheet of key dates in preparation of the Comprehensive Plan update, which is due to the Met Council by December 2018. Soltis stated that budget discussions will include funding to be set aside in 2017 for the Comp Plan update. A future work session discussion will focus on the extent of the update; if either a clean-up of the existing with minor updates or a more costly major revision approach are options to consider. ADJOURNMENT Ness, seconded by Schneider, moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Eklund Deputy Clerk