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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-06-07 September 6, 2007 Page 1 of5 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Thursday, September 6, 2007 at 7:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall. Members Present: Mayor AI Rassier, Councilors Renee Symanietz, Dale Wick, Rick Schultz, Steve Frank, City Administrator Judy Weyrens City Representatives Present: City Engineer Randy Sabart Others Present: Wilbur Wilkens, Cheney Heinen, Gen Maiers, Anne Walters, Rick Ellis, Thomasette, Mike McDonald, Tim Borresch Approve Aaenda: Symanietz made a motion to approve the agenda with the following changes: Delete 8a Southwest Beltway Corridor Study - Agency Agreement Delete 11 c Water Meter Bids Add 11 c Water Treatment Plant - Open House The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. Consent Aaenda: Symanietz made a motion to approve the consent agenda with item 3b being moved for discussion under Administrator Reports. The motion was seconded by Frank. a. Bills Payable - Approve check numbers 039220-039288. b. Minutes - Removed c. Application for Payment - Approve Pay Application No. 1 for the 2007 Jade Road Improvement Project and authorize payment to R. L. Larson Excavating in the amount of $189,953.20. d. Application for Payment - Approve Pay Application No.2 for the 2007 East Side Improvement Project and authorize payment to Hardrives in the amount of $25,183.09. e. Application for Payment - Approve Pay Application No. 17 for the Water Treatment Plant Project and authorize payment to John T. Jones in the amount of $109,715.30. f. Application for Payment - Approve Pay Application No.6 (Final) for the 2007 Centennial Park Update and authorize payment to W. Gohman Construction in the amount of $5,972.00. g. Millstream Arts Festival - Authorize the Administrator to execute the Street Dance Road Closure Permit Application as presented to allow the Millstream Arts Festival to utilize Minnesota Street for the event. h. 2008 Preliminary Levy - Authorize the Mayor and Administrator to execute Resolution 2007- 036 adopting the proposed 2007 Tax Levy, Collectible in 2008 and set the Truth and Taxation Hearing for November 29, 2007 and the continuation hearing for December 6, 2007. i. Gambling Site Permit - Accept the Application for Lawful Gambling of the MN Deer Hunters Association to conduct off-site Gambling at the Trobec's Event Center on September 26, 2007. j. Gambling Site Permit - Accept the off-site Gambling Application of the CSB/SJU Ducks Unlimited to conduct lawful gambling at the EI Paso Bar and Grill for an event to be held on September 26,2007. k. Insurance Deductible - Accept the staff recommendation and increase the Workers Compensation deductible to $2,500 per occurrence for medical expenses only. I. Capital Equipment Request - Authorize the purchase of a John Deere G15 15HP CWBM 36" Deck from Rudolphs at a cost of $2,700 + tax. The funds will be expended from the current capital equipment funds. Discussion: Frank questioned whether Avenet is responsible for website design as well as web hosting. Weyrens advised Frank that it is only for web hosting. Schultz asked for clarification that this is a yearly fee for the City. There were several questions relating to the minutes. As a result, they have been removed and moved for discussion under Administrator Reports. The motion passed unanimously. September 6, 2007 Page 2 of5 PUBLIC COMMENTS TO THE AGENDA Tim Borresch, 11 - 3rd Avenue NW approached the Councilors to question the status of the transportation studies that are currently in progress. He first questioned the realignment of County Road 2 to County Road 75. He stated that he lives near County Road 2 and there are a large number of trucks and buses that use this route daily. He also questioned the status of the South East-West (Field Street) corridor that has been discussed. Rassier stated that the Field Street T AC Committee has met recently and should be bringing a recommendation forward to the City Council for review. Rassier stated that even if the Council approves the location of the South east/west corridor it will not be built until development requires such or the APO has funding available. The South Corridor Study was initiated to map the corridor, not construction. With regard to the ROW for County Road 2, Rassier stated it is his understanding that Stearns County will begin Row acquisition in 2008 and begin construction in 2009. Rassier then advised the public that St. Joseph must work with the other area cities to determine what projects are approved by the APO for funding and lobby to include roads in St. Joseph. Habitat for Humanitv. Request for relief of fees: Anne Walters approached the Council on behalf of the Habitat for Humanity for Central Minnesota. She stated that their mission is to eliminate poverty housing in Central Minnesota and to make a decent, affordable shelter for all people a matter of conscience. This organization has been around since 1989 and is made up of volunteers. They have created 45 homes for 45 families in Stearns, Benton, Sherburne and Wright counties. The homes have been built in the cities of St. Cloud, Elk River, Paynesville and now St. Joseph. They have future homes planned for Foley and Monticello. Of those 45 families, 44 remain in their Habitat Homes. To qualify for a Habitat Home, applicants must make a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 60% of the median income for the area. For a family of 4, this amount would be between $23,500 and $47,000. Gen Maiers spoke to the Council about the project. She stated that they have had a difficult time finding a lot within the City, but they have now secured a lot at 706 - 2nd Avenue SW. The owner will be a single mother with two young children. The value of the home will be approximately $155,000 and they have raised approximately $100,000 thus far. As they are still in need of some additional funds, they are looking for community support with money, time or in-kind donations. They plan to begin construction in October with the house being completed by spring '08. Wilbur Wilkens approached the Councilors as well on behalf of the Habitat for Humanity. He stated that Lifecycle Housing is fading away and Habitat for Humanity is another form of low income housing. Once the owner takes possession of the home, they become taxpayers of the City. Building a Habitat Home is a good way for schools, churches and the City to work together. Wilkens stated that Habitat is requesting the Council consider waiving part or all of the fees associated with a Building Permit. Rassier raised some questions as to how much the homeowner pays as it is built with donations from private sources. Walters advised the Council that Habitat for Humanity sets the price for the house and the homeowner takes out two separate mortgages. The first mortgage is for the value set by Habitat and the second is for the difference between that value and the appraised value. If the homeowner sells the home, they would be responsible for paying off both mortgages upon the sale of the home. Wick questioned what kinds of concessions are offered by other cities. According to Walters, it varies from City to City. Frank stated that although $6,700 does not seem like a lot when looking at the overall budget, it adds up after time. It was questioned whether other area cities give a complete forgiveness of fees. Weyrens stated that she spoke to St. Cloud and, rather than waiving Building Permit fees, they waive development fees. Rassier mentioned his concern that if they begin waiving fees for these types of projects, then more people will begin to ask for a reduction in fees. There were some questions amongst the Councilors as to what else could be done rather than waiving the Building Permit fees. Weyrens stated that previously the City waived the Park Dedication fee for the Morningside Townhome project. September 6, 2007 Page 3 of5 Wick made a motion to table the Request for relief of Building Permit fees for the Habitat for Humanity. The motion was seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. Noise Violation. 116 1st Avenue NE - Michael Deutz: Weyrens presented the Council with an alleged noise violation that occurred on August 27, 2007 at 116 - 1 st Avenue NE. The property is owned by Michael Deutz. Deutz has been contacted and he is not requesting an evidentiary hearing. Symanietz made a motion stating that a noise violation did occur on August 27,2007 at 1161st Avenue NE. The motion was seconded by Frank and passed unanimously. Justin Honer approached the Council on behalf of the property owner. When questioned as to when they were notified of the violation, Honer replied that they were notified the following day. Frank clarified that this was the first violation at this address. Tim Thompson and Jason Finley approached the Council as well stating that they are the tenants at 116 1st Avenue SE. Rassier questioned how many people were at the party to which he was told 40-50 were present. Thompson stated that it was a birthday party for a friend and it got out of hand. He did admit that the police were called to the address twice in the same evening and they were told that there were no minors present when indeed there were minors present. Wick made a motion to fine the property owner $250 as this was the first offense at this property. The motion was seconded by Symanietz. Frank questioned the cooperation of the property owner as he was not present at the meeting. He stated that both the tenants and the manager seemed to be very cooperative. Weyrens stated that the property owner was very responsive when she called him and was unable to attend the meeting, but sent a representative in his place. The motion passed unanimously. Rassier advised Honer that there were six citations issued to the property; however the property is only licensed as a five person rental. He asked that they clarify the number of renters with City Staff to ensure that there are no more renters in the house than allowed by Ordinance. St. Joseph Baseball. Reauest to relieve Buildina Permit fees: Weyrens stated that the St. Joseph Baseball Team is looking to replace the dugouts at the Schneider Field with an estimated cost of $14,000. They are requesting that the City waive the Building Permit fees associated with this project. Schultz that the Baseball Team would like to begin work immediately and they cannot begin until they have a building permit. Weyrens stated that the project is being funded through donations with about one-half of the proceeds secured. The Park Board has advised the Team representative that they do not have funds for this project and if they move forward without full funding they should not expect to come back to the Park Board. Rassier questioned whether or not the project will move forward if they cannot raise the required funds. Schultz replied that they may take out a loan and pay it back as they raise the funds. They would like to complete the project prior to the start of next season. Frank made a motion to approve the relief of City portion of the Building Permit fee for the dugout replacement not to exceed $100. The motion was seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. CITY ENGINEER REPORTS Water Treatment Plant - Chanae Order #1 0: City Engineer, Randy Sabart, presented the Council with a change order to include 8 items. He added that there will be one more change order to be presented at a later date. The following items were discussed: · Item 1: Additional handrail around Plat Settler per OSHA requirements. This was a concern of the building official. September 6, 2007 Page 4 of 5 · Item2: Upgrade floor coating from sealer to epoxy in the Office, Lab and Control Room. The original plan called for the concrete to be sealed and it has been upgraded to epoxy. · Item 3: Install a chain-operated gate rather than a hydraulic gate. Sabart advised the Council that this item presented a reduction in price. · Item 4 & 9: Upgrade floor in entrance from paint to porcelain tile. This was changed to tile for aesthetic reasons and it was changed from ceramic to porcelain as porcelain was thinner than ceramic. There were some concerns raised by the Council as to the need for tile floor as this is a working building. · Item 5: Installation of "City of Sf. Joseph" sign age on the building. This was previously discussed by the Council and needed for building recognition. Although there have been several change orders for this project, Sabart stated that they have only used a small percentage of the contingency funds set aside for the project. When questioned how many of the change order items have been completed, Sabart responded that all eight items have been finished. The Council requested that, in the future, all change orders must be approved by the Council prior to completion. Symanietz made a motion to approve Change Order #10 for the Water Treatment Plant. The motion was seconded by Frank and passed unanimously. Proiect Updates: · Northland Drive - Signal Light: Sabart advised the Council that the preconstruction meeting for this project will be held on September 7 and construction is scheduled to begin in September. · Jade Road: According to Sa bart, they are working on extending Sanitary Sewer and Water Main to the Jade Road alignment. They will be working on the CR 121 turn lanes. He stated that the shifting of Jade Road is anticipated to happen yet this year. He added that the contractor will maintain access to Jade Road during construction. · 2006 Street Improvement Project and 8th Avenue Improvements: The contractor has been working on striping these areas. There were some concerns raised by the Council as the markings are not clear. Sabart stated that he will check into the marking and report back to the Council. · Liberty Pointe: The Developer began correcting the problems in the area beginning with a retaining wall between the Williams' property and the adjacent lot. · Dale Street - Culvert: Sabart stated that they plan to start this project on September 7, 2007. They have attempted to notify the affected property owners including Signature Homes. · Sod Issues: There were several concerns as to the sod that was laid last summer. Based on the original date that the sod was laid and the growing period, they are beyond the warranty period for the contractor. Sabart stated that the warm summer contributed to the poor sod conditions. MAYOR REPORTS TAC - Southern East-West (Field Street) Connector Road: Rassier stated that the Field Street TAC met and had a very productive meeting. They are in the final stages and they plan to present their recommendations to the Council soon. Representative Hosch: Rassier announced that Representative Larry Hosch and his wife had their first baby and wished them Congratulations. COUNCIL REPORTS SYMANIETZ - No Report WICK - No Report FRANK - No Report SCHULTZ - No Report September 6, 2007 Page 5 of5 ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS Roof Assessment: Weyrens reported that City Staff met with McDowall Company to discuss a roof maintenance agreement. McDowall Company is offering to conduct an annual review of all of the City roofs to identify repairs and fix minor problems. They would provide recommendations and estimated costs for repairs. There have been some leakage of some of the roofs in the past and knowing what kind of problems there are would help in budgeting for these repairs. Wick made a motion to authorize the Administrator to execute a one year agreement with McDowall Company to perform an annual roof inspection at a fee of $750. The motion was seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. Easement Release: Weyrens stated that the Council previously approved a plat entitled Indian Hills. The original plat included an easement separating Lot 1 and 2 Block 1 and another in the southeast corner. They have been working with the City Engineer to get this site graded and they are now requesting that those easements be released and replaced with one drainage easement on the southern edge of the property. Wick made a motion to authorize the Mayor and Administrator to execute the Permanent Utility Easement for the Indian Hill Park Plat, Block 2 and releasing the existing easement as recommended by the City Engineer. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Water Filtration Plant - Open House: Weyrens stated that the City will be hosting the Chamber meeting at the Water Plant on September 18. She suggested that the City hold its open house from 2-6 PM on the same day. Weyrens also suggested the Council tour the facility on September 1ih at 4PM. Minutes: The Council reviewed the minutes from July and August, making minor corrections. Wick made a motion to approve the minutes of July 5,16, and 19 and August 9,13 and 16, 2007 with minor changes as addressed. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Adiourn: Wick made a motion to adjourn at 8:20 PM; seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. 4./t{~:,! Llt' l/c 1.,( t:~j ~. / ( pud Weyrens ministrator