HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment Received at CC Meeting3-3-23
City of Rosemount Mayor, City Council and City Engineer
City Project #2023-04 - 2023 Neighborhood Infrastructure Project
Mr. Mayor, City Council and City Engineer:
My name is Tom McDonald, and I live at 2168 128th St. W. in Rosemount. I have
held residence at this address since 1976 and am the second oldest resident in
the neighborhood. Only one other resident has lived here longer.
I would first like to address my fellow neighbors to tell them that I hold no malice
toward them with the comments that I am presenting before this Council. I also
wish to tell the Council that some of the forthcoming comments are about things
the happened by previous Councils prior to some of you even being born.
I have seen a lot of changes in the Rosemount area in my 47 years of residency
and I would say that the majority of the changes that were made was to produce
a revenue of some sort for the City of Rosemount. So our street project begs the
question, who stands to benefit and why?
My first question is, when the streets of Biscayne Ave. and 126th St. W. were re-
done last year, did they receive City Sewer and Water? No? Why not?
In the "Feasibility Report," it is estimated that it will cost each lot owner (some
residence have 2 lots)/homeowner, approximately $20,000.00 per lot for sewer,
water and street. And then, maybe another $10,000.00 (we don't know for sure
because no-one has acquired a bid from anyone yet) to hook up to the sewer and
render our septic systems unusable and to hook up to city water and make our
wells unusable. So, for the sake of argument, let's just say it is going to cost
each homeowner $30,000.00 to have this project done.
Will this increase our home values by $30,000.00? The answer to that is no!
Even a realtor(s) says that, although that will increase the value some, it will
take several years to get that initial cost back in home value. We have already
paid for a well and septic system once. So what's the point? The majority of
residents want the streets to be done correctly, but also, the majority of
residents do not want the sewer and water!
Of the total number of residents, five have a double lot, three of the five are
unable to sell that lot or build on it because they either planted their home in
the middle of the two, or because they have another building on the lot or
because that is where their septic system is. Ten of the residents are totally
retired and are on a fixed income. - This poses a monetary hardship on these
residents, and for what? Will this increase the value of a vacant lot by
$20,000.00? I seriously doubt it.
With that being said, I would like to address some issues and questions I have
with the "Feasibility Report."
Item 1, page 2: In the "estimated costs," there was not any proposal to Dakota
Electric to have underground service done at the same time the road was dug
up. Why not? Or, was this a project to be done three years later so Dakota
Electric could dig up the new streets that have just been completed?
In the "estimated costs," how much of the expense of the project is for the work
to be done on Bacardi Ave? Is Bacardi Ave a City Road or a County Road?
Item 2.2, page 3: Going north the Stillwell pond, but, what about going south
to the start of the blacktop? Will the sewer and water connect with the last house
going south behind Mike and Sue Mortenson? And, explain what "an urban
section of paved roadway" is and where does it stop? And why are the residences
on the east side of Bacardi required to hook up to City Sewer and Water when
none of the residence on Biscayne Ave. and 126th St. W. were required to do so,
even though all four affected property owners on the east side of Bacardi Ave.
have more acreage than those residents who live on Biscayne and 126th St. W.?
Item 3.1, page 3: "These areas show signs of structural failure." Really?! Please
let me tell you why.
This area was a pasture for cattle prior to the development of the Jay Simon
Addition. 130th St. W. from the railroad tracks, all the way to Bengal Ave. was
little more than a horse and wagon grass/dirt road. Then the road -grader came
through and widened the road a bit and by 1976, when we moved out here, the
road was still a basic dirt road. Then, because of so many complaints, the City
sprinkled a little gravel over the dirt, which helped, but before long, it was back
to what it was. Then, in 1986, came the blacktop road that we now have. And
speaking of 130th St. W, why wasn't 130th St. W. from the railroad tracks, east
to Bengal Ave, included in at least, the paving part of the road construction
project? It' not like 130th St. is in very great shape and it too has very little of a
base to hold up a road!
I was at every City Council meeting that pertained to the blacktopping of the
streets. The way the City and the proposed contractor talked, you would have
thought a "Super Highway" was coming in. Well, after it was approved and the
work started, little more than a road -grader attempted to level off what little
gravel that was there came through, the blacktop machine quickly followed and
laid down barely 2" of blacktop, and that was it!! When the roller stopped, it left
big divots in the road where is settled! When questioning the contractor, he said,
"...any changes have to come through the City." When we went to the City, they
said, "You need to take that problem up with the contractor!" -- And there you
have it! We have been living with super glue and pea gravel patches ever since!
The reason the roads "show signs of structural failure," is because there is no
base to the road and barely enough blacktop to hold up a garbage truck! Just
think how well the road would have held up had it been done properly! We may
not be having this conversation now!
Item 4.1, page 6: What is "...an urban minor collector," and exactly, where will
that collector be located?
The proposed "8-foot paved trail along the east side of the improved roadway," is
totally un-necessary and a complete waste of money. - People have been walking
on Bacardi Ave. since the day we moved out here and for 44 years before the
walking path was put in when Bella Vista was established! To ruin the frontal
areas of the 4 or 5 residence's front yards for the sake of a walking path is pure
lunacy! I think people can continue to walk on Bacardi Ave. until they get to the
walking path that's there. They have to anyway, so what's another 850 feet?
Item 4.2, page 6: Exactly, where will this pond be located?
Item 4.2.1, page 7: What City Ordinance requires us to hook up to the utilities
and disable our wells and septic systems? And what City Ordinance tells us how
long we have to re -pay the easement cost?
Who do we contact and how do we apply for monetary or grant assistance to help
us pay for this work? Who knows who these people are?
Item 4.5, page 7: Exactly, where is this pond?
In response to the City's newspaper article: The City says that there are
"several" residence who have complained about their septic's and that's the
City's reason for proposing this project. Ok, so how many residence make up
"several?" The City won't say. However, with that being said, 3 residences
should have never been given the approval to build in the first place because of
obvious reasons. These 3 homes were constructed prior to 1976 and the 4th
home was built in the 80's, none of which the current residents had anything to
do with! Our best guess for allowing these homes to be built in the first place
was "tax revenue!" Is that the rest of the neighborhoods problem? I don't think
so and I don't think the rest of the neighborhood should be penalized for the
gross mistakes of the City! - In the latest newspaper article, the City states,
"...that a majority (4?) of septic systems would fail a compliance check and the
poor condition of the roads makes the area a candidate for a neighborhood
infrastructure improvement project." - REALLY!!? Since 1996, the City of
Rosemount mandated that every resident out here have their septic system
inspected and required our tanks to be pumped and inspected every three
years! Now they are telling us our systems would fail! Nonsense! I believe the
engineers are just trying to justify their position!
My wife and I grew up on Dairy Farms in North Dakota. My farm has raised two
generations of farmers with the first farm raising a family of ten. The second
family having four. The septic system at that farm is over 70 years old and it is
still functioning well. And, the original well has watered thousands of animals
since the well was originally dug!! - My wife's farm house is over 90 years old
and their septic system is still functioning well. Our school that we attended is
63 years old and thousands of students have gone through that school and their
septic system is still functioning well. I know different soil type makes a
difference, but how is it that it's our septic systems that are failing and just how
many are failing?
So, I am certainly not oozing with any confidence what so ever on this project!
The City Engineer for the Water Treatment Plant in IGH was on the news the
other day after the reports of extremely high levels of Rhodium were found in
their water. His reply was, "My bad, I should have caught that." Yeah right,
how many thousands of citizens drank that water and for how long did they
drink it, and are now, potentially facing a lives of cancer, not to mention how
many generations forthcoming!?
Is this the kind of attitude we can expect? My fear is that our neighborhood is
going to fall into one of two scenarios, maybe even both. They area "Never let the
truth get in the way of a good story" and "Don't confuse us with the facts, our
minds are already made up!"
Thank you,
Tom McDonald 612-244-5751
2168 128th St. W.
Rosemount, MN 55068
2-21-23
Mr. John Huot
State Representative for the City of Rosemount
Subject: 2023 Street Improvement Project, City Project #2023-04; City sewer,
City water and new asphalt for Bengal Ave., 130th Way, 128th St. W. and Bacardi
Ave. Rosemount, MN
Representative Huot,.
We are Tom and Helen McDonald and we live at 2168 128th St. W. in Rosemount.
We have held residence at this address since 1976 and are the second oldest
residents in the neighborhood. Only one other resident has lived here longer.
We have seen a lot of changes in the Rosemount area in our 47 years of residency
and I would say that the majority of the changes that were made was to produce
a revenue of some sort for the City of Rosemount. So our street project begs the
question, who stands to benefit and why?
In the "Feasibility Report," it is estimated that it will cost each lot owner (some
residence have 2 lots)/homeowner, approximately $20,000.00 per lot for sewer,
water and street. And then, maybe another $10,000.00 (we don't know for sure
because no-one has acquired a bid from anyone yet) to hook up to the sewer and
render our septic systems unusable and to hook up to city water and make our
wells unusable. So, for the sake of argument, let's just say it is going to cost
each homeowner $30,000.00 to have this project done.
Will this increase our home values by $30,000.00? I doubt it! Even a realtor
says it will take years to get that initial cost back in home value. So what's the
point? Everybody wants the streets to be done correctly, but, the only ones who
want the sewer and water are the ones who are having trouble with their septic's.
The City says that there are "several' residence who have complained about
their septic's and that's their reason for proposing this project. Ok, so how many
residence make up "several?" The City won't say. However, with that being said,
3 residences should have never been given the approval to build in the first place
because of obvious reasons. These 3 homes were constructed prior to 1976 and
the 4th home was built in the 80's. Our best guess for allowing these homes to
be built in the first place was "tax revenue!" Is that the rest of the
neighborhoods problem? I don't think so and I don't think the rest of the
neighborhood should be penalized for the gross mistakes of the City! - In the
latest newspaper article, the City states, "...that a majority (4?) of septic systems
would fail a compliance check and the poor condition of the roads (I will explain
the road later) makes the area a candidate for a neighborhood infrastructure
improvement project." REALLY!!? Since 1996, the City of Rosemount mandated
that every resident out here have their septic system inspected and required our
tanks to be pumped every three years! And now they are telling us our systems
would fail! Nonsense! They are just trying to prove their position!
I have a neighbor that just bought a house and moved in four years ago. The
City of Rosemount forced them to install a complete new septic system, at a cost
in excess of $20,000.00 when there was nothing wrong with the old system.
That house had a system capable for a family of four and only two people lived
there the entire time before the new owners, and there are still only two people
living there! Why? Code?l I don't believe that for a minute! How about, MONEY!?
In the "City of Rosemount" paper, they state, "In 2023, the City will be
preforming full reconstruction and extension of municipal utilities on the
following streets..." In the above quoted newspaper article last week and the
Feasibility Report, the City talks like this project is a done deal and we get the
very uneasy feeling that it is a done deal, and we get to pay for id! It a classic
case of, "Don't confuse us with the facts, our minds are already made up!"
Had it not been for a few astute neighbors, the City would be laying pipe before
any neighbors even knew what was going on! They found out about the
"neighborhood meeting in January," only HOURS before the meeting was held.
The City said that there would be a "Feasibility Report" on the City's web page
that we could read. The only problem was, our project was under a project
number (and the City never told us what that was!) and if you didn't know what
that number was, you were out of luck!! You would have had to read at least 2
or 3 pages of every project that the City was working on until you would read
anything that resembled our neighborhood. That's what I call transparency all
right! Yeah, they fulfilled their obligation by putting it on the web page but they
don't want you to know what is going onl Because, we are the mushrooms!!
Now, about the roads. I was at every City Council meeting that pertained to the
blacktopping of the streets. The way the City and the proposed contractor talked,
you would have thought a "Super Highway" was coming in. Well, after it was
approved and the work started, little more than a road grader attempted to level
off what little gravel that was there came through, the blacktop machine quickly
followed and laid down barely 2" of blacktop, and that was itl! When the roller
stopped, it left big divots in the road where is settled! When questioning the
contractor he said, "...any changes have to come through the City." When we
went to the City, they said, "You need to take that problem up with the
contractor!" -- And there you have it! We have been living with super glue and
pea gravel patches ever since! So I am not very big on City government!!
It would be nice to know where we can acquire some monetary assistance for the
residence because, I have no idea where we can come up with $30,000.00!
Thank you.
HANSEN LAW, P.A.
A PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION
ATTORNEY AT LAW
DAKOTA CENTRAL OFFICES
14450 SOUTH ROBERT TRAIL, SUITE 102
ROSEMOUNT, MINNESOTA 55068
REID J. HANSEN
EMAIL: reid@hansenlaw.net
March 7, 2023
Rosemount City Council
City of Rosemount
2875 145"' Street West
Rosemount, MN 55068
TELEPHONE NUMBER: (651) 423-1155
FAX: (651) 423-1157
Re: 2023 Street Improvement Project — City Project 2023-04
Dear Mayor, Councilmembers and City Staff:
I write as attorney for Ted McMenomy and with respect to City Project 2023-04. Ted resides at
12780 Bacardi Avenue, with his wife, Adrianne, and their four children, ranging in age from
eight months to five years.
Ted's property consists of eighteen plus acres, approximately two-thirds of which is devoted to
farming. Ted purchased his home four years ago for its rural character. It is zoned agricultural
as is most all of the property lying to his north in Rosemount. In Rosemount's 2040
Comprehensive Guide Plan, most of the land lying north of Ted's home is designated for rural
residential use. Private wells and septic systems are required in rural residential uses, not city
sewer and water.
The Project has been discussed for several years. It is principally designed to address well and
septic systems perceived by city staff to be marginal in the Jay Simon's Addition to the west of
Bacardi Avenue. To provide city sewer, water, storm sewer and new streets for this
neighborhood, Bacardi Avenue needs to be improved through its intersection with 128"' Street.
Improvement of Bacardi Avenue to the north of 128`" Street to the north line of Ted's property is
optional and unnecessary. Most importantly, it is expensive as shown on the Feasibility Report
exhibit attached to this letter.
At the first neighborhood meeting for the Project on November 4, 2021, city staff and
engineering argued the case for extending Bacardi Avenue improvements to provide storm water
management for Stillwell Pond. (Query whether road surfacing, water, and sanitary sewer are
needed to address Stillwell Pond drainage issues.) The first iteration of the Project is shown an
exhibit attached to this letter. It shows Bacardi Avenue improvements barely extending into
Ted's property. Apparently, that was sufficient. The road and utility improvements need go no
further given the significant expense.
Extending Bacardi Avenue northward with full utilities, a paved surface, and a trail is premature
and antithetical to Rosemount's Comprehensive Guide Plan, which seeks to protect agricultural
uses and rural residential uses.
Please exercise restraint and prudence in evaluating this Project and limit its scope on Bacardi
Avenue.
Thank you for your consideration of the matters discussed herein.
Very truly yours,
FO
Re
RJH:rd
Enclosure
Feasibility Report Costs/Calculations
The Bacardi Avenue related costs for City Project No. 2023-04 are as follows:
Bacardi Avenue Surface Improvements $1,017,783
Bacardi Avenue Watermain 301,448
Bacardi Avenue Sanitary Sewer 172,154
Bacardi Avenue Storm Sewer 318,924
Total Costs $1,810,309
The length of Bacardi Avenue to be improved is as follows:
From end of existing paved road to 128t" Street 320 feet
From 128"' Street to north line of McMenomy Property 500 feet
Total
820 feet
Assuming project costs are driven principally by lineal footage, 500/820, or approximately sixty-
one percent (61 %) of the Bacardi Avenue related costs relate to improvements to extend Bacardi
Avenue with full utilities to the north line of the McMenomy Property.
61% of $1,810,309 is $1,104,288
2022 Stfeet Reconstruction Project
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