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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20151012 CCM WSROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS OCTOBER 12, 2015 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a work session of the Rosemount City Council was held on Monday, October 12, 2015, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room at City Hall, 2875 145th Street West, Rosemount. Mayor Droste called the meeting to order with council members Weisensel, DeBettignies, Demuth, and Nelson in attendance. Staff members in attendance included City Administrator Johnson, Director of Public Works Wrase, Finance Director May, Parks & Recreation Director Schultz, Community Development Director Lindquist, Chief of Police Scott and City Clerk Hadler. Also in attendance were Dakota County Commissioner Nancy Schouweiler; Brad Sorenson, Dakota County Transportation Department; Andy Brotzler, WSB; Craig Nelson, Rosemount Area Hockey Association; Kristi Sebastian, Dakota County Transportation Department; and Craig Vaughn, SRF Consulting Group. DISCUSSION 2.A. Arterial Connector Study – Pine Bend Area (Akron Avenue) Director of Public Works Patrick Wrase introduced Kristi Sebastian, of the Dakota County Transportation Department, and Craig Vaughn, of SRF Consulting Group, to give an update on the project. Ms. Sebastian reviewed the process, purpose & need, system scenarios, open house comments, and next steps. The study was begun in fall of 2014. There have been 3 public meetings to gain input from residents. The purpose of the study is to proactively plan for the future road needs in the area. The need for the study was identified as part of the 2030 Transportation Plan, to bridge the gap between areas that have already been studied. The study is a 20-30 year long term strategy for the transportation needs in that area, not a specific project plan. Mr. Vaughn reviewed a number of scenarios that are being examined as part of the study. Scenarios take into account future traffic needs due to growth, existing roadways, land uses, and road connections. Mr. Vaughn presented the projected costs of two of the alignment scenarios. Project costs range from $13 million to $30 million in the interim, and $36 million – $61 million total long term. Mr. Vaughn discussed themes heard at the open house, including; interim improvement of Akron Ave., long term right of way needs along Akron Avenue, cost estimating, cut-through traffic concerns, access and safety for residents along Akron Avenue, and the need for improvements on 117th Street. The project study team final assessment and recommendations include interim improvements along Akron Avenue and next steps include determining the feasibility of the preferred Scenario D. After the final recommendations, the study would be presented to the County Board for approval, and the Inver Grove Heights and Rosemount City Councils for approval / adoption. 2.B. Indoor Recreation Facilities Parks and Recreation Director Schultz gave an overview of the executive summary. Staff has met with RAHA and a contractor and has estimated the cost of a second sheet of ice at $5 - $7 million. Mr. Schultz presented a drawing of how the second sheet of ice would be laid out by adding to the existing community center facility. Mr. Schultz is concerned about the parking deficiency that would happen if the facility was built at the community center. Mr. Schultz recommends holding meetings with stakeholders to discuss some of the finer details such as practice and warmup areas, locker rooms, seating, and other amenities they would like to see. 6.b. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS OCTOBER 12, 2015 Staff has also met with a representative of Sprung Corp, which manufactures fabric buildings for rinks and learned a little more about how those were built. Very few of them would meet the building standards of the City. The buildings are energy-efficient and less expensive than some other pre-engineered building options. The cost of the Sprung building is approximately $2 – $2.5 million. Council members discussed building and parking options and various costs, and alternate location options. Council member DeBettignies suggested turning the soccer field next to the Irish Dome into parking as an option. Council members agreed with Mr. Schultz’s recommendation to have staff meet with stakeholders regarding amenities and to meet with the school district regarding the parking lot in the soccer field possibility. Mayor asked Mr. Craig Nelson (RAHA) if he would like to comment. Mr. Nelson asked the city to keep moving forward and let the organization know what they can do to keep the momentum and strategize their future fundraising efforts. Mr. Schultz gave an overview on the proposed artificial turf soccer facility. Dakota REV has provided a potential usage matrix showing usage times. They are proposing an investment of approximately $1 million. Mr. Schultz stated the next step is to do a formal feasibility study for the project to determine the actual costs of the overall project. City Administrator Johnson stated that staff had learned of a lease/purchase option with an effective interest rate of 3-4%. Mr. Johnson gave a summary of the “Dakota Field House” concept, the approximately 60,000 sq. ft. facility proposed by resident Dan Corley. Mr. Corley is examining the land in the northeast corner of 42 and Akron Ave, and the possibility of developing the whole area. Mr. Corley is interested in obtaining assistance from the City with site acquisition. Mr. Johnson stated that the use of tax increment financing (TIF) would not be legal in this instance. He stated another option would be tax abatement, which would capture the city taxes from that site to create a revenue stream. Staff has looked at similar projects in the area and estimated the city taxes for the proposed facility to be approximately $58,000. Other funding might come from park dedication credits. Staff is estimating a potential investment of up to $1 million in financing from various sources. Mr. Johnson has worked with Mr. Corley to develop a draft agreement outline that lays out the negotiated terms of the project. Mr. Johnson provided a list of additional items that still need to be negotiated. Council member Nelson inquired about a “guarantee” on revenues or debt mentioned in prior discussions. Mr. Johnson stated this was not a viable option and that is not recommended by staff. Mr. Johnson stated the proposed city investments would still be favorable to Mr. Corley’s potential investors. He asked for Council direction on the negotiations. Council members gave general support in the direction the project was moving. Council member DeBettignies inquired about how the added rink would impact The Pond, a privately owned ice rink. Council member Nelson stated Farmington and Rosemount clubs are two of the largest in the state and are traveling to numerous other cities for ice time, as far away as Owatonna. Council member DeBettignies inquired as to how Rosemount’s club is so successful as compared to other cities. Craig Nelson responded that the culture of the organization is one reason; success builds upon prior successes. Mayor Droste stated concerns regarding the use of a Rosemount facility by users from other communities and how those users don’t pay taxes. Council member Nelson expressed concern about offering a referendum for a single facility; that this might set them up for failure. 2.C. Tobacco Licensing Ordinance ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS OCTOBER 12, 2015 City Clerk Hadler gave an overview of the proposed Tobacco Licensing Ordinance. The County had asked the City to begin licensing tobacco products starting in 2016. Ms. Hadler asked for feedback on proposed fees and administrative penalties. Proposed fees are $655 for a biannual license, which is similar to the existing fee charged by the County. The proposed penalties are; $150 for the first offense, $300 for the second offense within a 24 month period plus up to 3 days suspension, and $500 for the third offense within a 24 month period plus up to 7 day suspension. Council member Nelson stated he didn’t feel the penalties were high enough. Ms. Hadler stated the other costs, including the lack of income during the suspension and training/firing employees. Council was generally supportive of the fees and penalties as recommended. Ms. Hadler discussed the option of regulating the use of nicotine and lobelia delivery devices (“e- cigarettes”) in the city, as these are not currently included in the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act as part of the ban on smoking in public places. Council members discussed the pros and cons. Ms. Hadler suggested a thorough survey of local businesses that would be impacted by a ban on e- cigarettes and to revisit the issue at later date. Council members were in support of this suggestion. Council member Nelson stated he is not in support of a ban and that individual businesses should regulate this. 2.D. Safe Routes to Schools Project Public Works Director Wrase gave an update of the Safe Routes to Schools grant. The project costs that were submitted with the application of $266,250 have been found to be inadequate and more money will be necessary to complete the project. Mr. Wrase presented the revised estimated costs, totaling $460,705. The increased costs are eligible for additional grant funds. WSB has provided a proposal for engineering and project management with a cost of approximately 37% of the construction costs. The costs are higher due to the federal requirements and the necessary additional management time. Mr. Wrase stated he didn’t feel this price was out of line. The project must be delivered in 2016 to obtain grant funds. Staff is seeking Council input to determine if pursuing the project is still desirable. Council members and staff discussed the details of the projects. Mayor Droste stated he would like a maximum of 5 foot wide sidewalks. Mr. Wrase stated that the next steps will be to have the WSB contract approved and then there would be a public meeting on the topic. The project plans and specs need to be approved by April 1st. Mayor Droste suggested staff move forward as suggested. 2.E. Ground Storage Reservoir Roof Design Public Works Director Wrase gave an update on the ground storage reservoir design. Staff is seeking input as to whether the tank should be fully buried or have an exposed roof. There is an estimated cost difference of approximately $379,000; with the fully buried tank being the most expensive. The exposed roof would need to be recoated at a cost of approximately $130,000 every 15 years. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS OCTOBER 12, 2015 Council members discussed the benefits and drawbacks of each style, as well as their preferences and the general preference was for the underground facility. UPDATES Parks and Recreation Director Schultz stated there was Community Development Block Grant money available to replace some concrete and pavers for the purpose of ADA improvements. Mayor suggested pavers to make it welcoming. City Administrator Johnson stated there is a need for a special work session after the Oct. 20 regular meeting. Chief Scott stated there was a burglary a few days ago. A suspect is in custody. The Rosemount PD is working with the US Attorney on a nationwide case; the investigation of which was led by a Rosemount officer. Council member DeBettignies stated there is an urgent need in the hotel study follow-up as he has an interested investor. He also attended the Fire Station Open House, which was very well attended. Council member Demuth inquired about touring the new Activity Center. Mr. Schultz stated he could meet her over there. Ms. Demuth inquired about what Parks and Recreation staff is doing to ramp up programming at the Activity Center. Mr. Schultz stated staff is working on a grant for activities for seniors. RAAC is also planning on a significant number of arts activities. Ms. Demuth stated she would like to see some after-school activities for kids, maybe with an arts theme. Council member Weisensel stated he attended the NLC University – Leadership Summit in Orlando and summarized some of the topics. Mr. Weisensel is applying for a position on the NLC Board and asked for a letter of support from the City Council. Mayor Droste gave an update on a number of meetings and events he has attended in the past month. He gave information about “The Link”, a resource for homeless youth. He discussed items for legislative consideration in 2016 that he would like to bring to legislators. He stated he heard from the President of Fairview Hospitals; they are merging with the University of Minnesota Doctors. He stated it would take a while to heal from the impact of the racial issues from the City Council meeting last week, which was highly publicized. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the City Council and upon a motion by Droste, second by Weisensel, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 11:01 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Clarissa Hadler, City Clerk