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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-06-06 Draft April 6, 2006 Page 1 of 6 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Thursday, April 6, 2006 at 7:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall. Members Present: Mayor Richard Carlbom, Councilors AI Rassier, Dale Wick, Ross Rieke, Renee Symanietz, City Administrator Judy Weyrens City Representatives Present: City Engineer(s) Joe Bettendorf and Tracy Ekola, Public Works Director Dick Taufen, Mike Sworski Others Present: S. Paula Revier, Kevin Cox, Tom Stock, Richard Schwegel, John Thom, Tom Weslowski Approve Aaenda: Symanietz made a motion to approve the agenda; seconded by Rassier and passed unanimously. Consent Aaenda: Rassier made a motion to approve the consent agenda as follows: a. Minutes - Approve minutes of March 2, 2006. Delete Minutes of March 16, 2006. b. Bills Payable - Approve check numbers 037035-037110. c. Application for Payment - Authorize the Mayor to execute Pay Application #3 for the New Municipal Wells and authorize payment to Mark J Traut Wells in the amount of $11,611.94. d. Application for Payment - Authorize the Mayor to execute Final Pay Application #8 for the 2004 Northland Plat 8 Improvements and authorize payment to Molitor Excavating in the amount of $16,024.08. e. Application for Payment - Authorize the Mayor to execute Pay Application #1 for the Water Treatment Plant and authorize payment to John T Jones Construction in the amount of $64,410.00. f. Premise Permit - Approve the Premise Lawful Gambling Permit for the St. Joseph American Legion Post #328. g. Maintenance Bond - Authorize the Mayor and Administrator to execute the Maintenance Bond Agreement for the Morningside Acres Improvements. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Public Comments to the Aaenda: - No one present wished to speak. Chlorination of City Water: Previously, the Minnesota Department of Health has ordered the City to add Chlorine to the City water; however due to the number of old mains, they have given the City a grace period until the older mains are removed. The grace period ends this summer when the 2006 Street Improvements and associated water main replacements are completed. John Thom, SEH, approached the Councilors to discuss the process and give the Council a sample of what the water would taste like with the Chlorine added. He stated that some people will not be able to taste the Chlorine, whereas, others may. He stated that Cincinnati was the first City in the United States to chlorinate their water and the Europeans were chlorinating long before that. Many residents may believe that the need for chlorination is being driven by the addition of the new Water Treatment Facility; however, according to Thom, the need is being driven by construction. He also stated that chlorination is the cheapest way to disinfect the City's water supply. Jon Grothe, District Engineer for the State Health Department, approached the Council as well. He stated that currently Minnesota has 772 water systems and 557 of them chlorinate their water supply and the number of chlorinating systems is growing. The reason for the increase in chlorination is due to the rapid growth and increased liability due to the growth. According to Grothe, non-chlorinating systems do not go through a treatment process rather they have groundwater systems. They stated that St. Joseph's water system has high-quality finished water due to advanced controls. There is good turnover of City water as Draft April 6, 2006 Page 2 of 6 the time that the water is in the pipe network is generally short. In the areas of the City were there is new watermain, there will be lower demand for chlorine and better stability. They also stated that St. Joseph has a good maintenance program. Symanietz questioned Grothe as to the average population of Cities that are not chlorinating. According to Grothe, generally there are fewer than 1000 residents and generally those cities have a simple process with no filtration. According to Thom, the City is looking to begin the chlorination in early May and have the system flushed by fall in time for the new treatment plant to go online. To implement the disinfection process, he stated that the City would isolate the plant and pump water until chlorine levels are adjusted to the desired levels. Once that desired level has been found, then the City will begin a flushing program from the treatment plant on the west side of town to the tower and then work away from the tower to the east side of town thus pulling the chlorinated water throughout the system. Carlbom questioned what area of town would most likely have problems occur. Thom stated that it is hard to predict where such problems will occur. Rieke then questioned how residents will be made aware of this process and what they need to watch for during the process. Bettendorf responded that the residents will receive a letter prior to the implementation of the chlorination process. Thom stated that if residents see colored water, it would be best not to wash white clothes. Carlbom added that there is a chemical that residents can add to their laundry during the process. Thom advised the Council that he was recently involved in a project with a similar system in Hamberg last summer. St. Joseph Parish - Outdoor Liquor Permit: St. Joseph Parish is celebrating their 150-year anniversary and they are requesting to expand their annual 4th of July Celebration and receive authorization to close College Avenue between the Church properties from 5:00 PM July 3rd to 7:00 PM July 4th as well as allow outdoor music and alcohol until midnight on July 3rd. Rick Schwegel and Tom Stock were present at the meeting representin~ the committee for the Parish event. Carlbom stated that this is a big event for the City as it is their 150 year as a parish and the 1 OOth year of the 4th of July Celebration. According to Stock and Schwegel, there will be a free concert at the church parking lot on the 3rd. On the 2nd, there will be a Polka mass with the Bishop. They stated that they met with Carlbom during the planning process and he told them to dream big. Weyrens stated that there are two outstanding issues. 1. Insurance Certificate 2. Noise Mitigation Plan Weyrens questioned Stock and Schwegel as to the number of beer tents. They stated that in the past there was only one, but this year they plan to add two more. They also stated that they plan to have food tents with pizza and tacos, etc. Carlbom questioned when the beer sales would begin. They replied that they plan to begin setup around 5:00 PM and then begin sales around the same time as the Firefigher's Water ball Fight. They would end beer sales at midnight. Knowing that safety and crowd control are other big areas of concern, Stock and Schwegel stated that they plan to use off duty officers as well as some of the St. Joseph Police Officers. Rassier advised the Council that outdoor noise is to end at 10:00 PM. As a result, he questioned whether or not a special variance could be granted to allow for this. Carlbom questioned whether or not the Ordinance allows for special consideration of this by the City Council. According to Weyrens, this is not a land use issue and thus the City Council can make special circumstances. According to Rassier, the Parish previously held their events on the Church property; however this year they are looking to expand the event and use the parking lot across the street as well. He also stated that this might not be the right place for an event like this. Carlbom expressed his concern as to whether or not we should amend the ordinance to allow for these types of events, as this type of request will come up again. Rieke questioned whether or not the City has received any response from Stearns County. Weyrens stated that she spoke with Mitch Anderson and he stated that the streets have always been closed; however this year there will be fences on the street as well. Carlbom questioned Public Safety to which Draft April 6, 2006 Page 3 of 6 he was advised that the Fire Department and Gold Cross would be notified of the closure. According to Weyrens, the problem is not the street closure, rather the consumption of alcohol on the streets. The following is the schedule for the street closures durin~ the 4th of July Celebration: Closed: 5:00 PM (July 3rd) - 1 :00 AM (July 4t ) Open: 1 :00 AM - 9:45 AM (July 4th) Closed: 9:45 AM - 5:00 PM (July 4th) Carlbom questioned how the City will handle future requests and whether a resolution can be passed to allow for this event. Weyrens stated that a resolution would be drafted and presented to the Council for approval. According to Carlbom, approval of the request should include the following findings: · Event is geared toward community · Noise Mitigation Plan has been submitted · Proper Insurance Certificates have been provided. Stock and Schwegel stated that the St. Joseph 4th of July Celebration is the premier summer event in this area besides the Wheels, Wings, and Water Festival in St. Cloud. They also mentioned that roughly 8-9 out of 10 businesses have given financial support to the church for this event. Wick made a motion to table the Outdoor Liquor License for the Church of St. Joseph until the following items are available: · Resolution approving the outdoor event. · Written noise mitigation plan The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Public Hearina - Sianal Liaht at CR75 & Northland Drive: Weyrens stated that the purpose of the hearing was to consider the making of an improvement at the intersection of 4th Avenue NE/Northland Drive and County Road 75. The estimated cost of the improvement is $200,000. No one wished to speak and the hearing was closed. There was some discussion amongst the Council as to the continuation of the traffic light study to the intersection of CR2 and CR3. Carlbom stated that the intersection could be moved. Ekola stated that she spoke to Mitch Anderson and the cost to do the timing study is approximately $50,000. Bettendorf added that he would get the information from the County regarding the possible 3rd light. Rassier made a motion to order the improvement and possibly add the additional timing study. The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. Wick questioned when the installation of the traffic light would begin. According to Weyrens, the parts have been order and according to Bettendorf, it will most likely be done in late fall. CITY ENGINEER REPORTS 2006 Street Improvement Proiect: Bettendorf advised the Council the bids were received for the 2006 Street Improvement Project and there were 9 bidders. The bid summary is as follows: C & L Excavating $ R. L Larson Kuechle Underground Northdale Construction Randy Kremer Excavating Arcon Construction S. J. Louis Construction Barbarossa F. R. Ferche 1,576,008.81 1,579,473.21 1,689,011.74 1,743,506.94 1,807,518.59 1,820,545.45 1,905,514.15 1,928,315.44 2,232,002.60 Draft April 6, 2006 Page 4 of 6 C & L Excavating of St. Joseph submitted the low bid. He stated that he has worked with them on smaller projects and they have done work in Avon and St. Cloud. According to Bettendorf, C & L received good references. He also stated that although this is a $1.6 million project, this is simply a larger version of what they had already done. He recommends awarding the contract to C & L Excavating. Kevin Cox, C & L Excavating, was present at the meeting. Bettendorf reassured the Council that the project area would be cleaned for the 4th of July festivities and there will be parking available on the gravel streets. Symanietz made a motion to accept the low bid of C & L Excavating and award the contract to the same for the 2006 Street Improvement Project. The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. Rassier had some questions for Ekola regarding the street improvement project. · Widening of 1 st Avenue: Ekola explained that they would taper 1 st Avenue SE to gradually get wider near Kennedy School. The road will remain 36' at the intersection of Minnesota Street. She stated that there would need to be some utility poles moved. · Staking of 1st Avenue NE: Ekola stated that 1st Avenue NE would not be widened; however the stakes may be from the gas company as they plan to install new gas mains on both sides of the street. During this process, there may be a short interruption of service and customers will be notified of the outage. · Bid Outcome: Bettendorf stated that the bid came in below the Feasibility Report. Rieke stated he was amazed at how close they were. There was only a $3,000 difference between the high and low bidder. Southwest Corridor: Previously, Ekola and Carlbom attended the first committee meeting for the North/South Corridor Study. At that time, the APO was looking into the possibility of completing the Scoping and Environmental Impact Statement under separate contracts due to the unknown nature of the scope of the corridor and because the jurisdictions involved may change after the scoping is completed. Different cost share scenarios were presented and will be discussed at a future meeting. The costs will be split between St. Joseph, Waite Park and Stearns County. There was a lack of representation from the Townships and the Townships set their budgets annually, so it is unsure as to whether or not they will be able to pay for any of the costs. Rassier stated that if the corridor runs through the Townships as a County Road, he feels that the County should take on more of the costs. St. Joseph will need to pay more attention to annexation requests in the project area. Carlbom stated that it is a possibility that it could stay within Waite Park City limits. Ekola explained that the unknown nature of the scope is the reason why they plan to split the Scoping and Environmental Impact Statement portions of the study. MAYOR REPORTS Police Interviews: Carlbom stated that they held the second round of interviews for the Police Officer Position on the 17th. There were five candidates invited back for the second interview and it was narrowed down to three. Tom Doom is currently conducting background investigations on those three candidates and the committee hopes to have an answer by the middle of next month. St. Cloud Chamber: Carlbom also mentioned that he, along with Weyrens, had lunch with Teresa Bohen of the St. Cloud Chamber and the Mayor and Administrator of Waite Park. They plan to do this on a monthly basis. Downtown Committee: According to Carlbom, the Downtown Committee met at the end of the month to finalize a strategic plan to present to the Council on May 4th. He also stated that the Downtown Committee has split into 4 sub-committees. · Urban/Environmental · Resource Development (fundraising and grants) Draft April 6, 2006 Page 5 of 6 · Promotions · Organizational Mayors Lunch: Carlbom stated the he attended a Mayors Lunch with Jason Laker, Jodi Terhar, Judy Weyrens and Pete Jansky to discuss the upcoming events for the Colleges. He also stated that they plan to meet again before Senior Farewell. He also reminded the Council that the next two weekends (April 22 and April 29) would be busy weekends for the students. Minnesota Archers Association: Mayor Carlbom reported that he has been invited to an event at St. Benedict for the Minnesota Archers Association. He stated that this event would bring about 3000 people to St. Joseph. Metro Bus: Carlbom advised the Council that he met with Molly Renslow from the College of St. Benedict and representatives from Metro Bus as the College is interested in getting regular bus service to the City. Discussion also included researching alternatives such as dial-a-ride service to St. Joseph. He stated that if the City is interested in bringing the Metro Bus service to St. Joseph, we should begin the financial process. Rieke stated that he has seen how far the Metro Bus currently goes and he thinks it would be a good idea to bring it to St. Joseph and that the old Tom Thumb may be a potential bus location. Carlbom stated that Rieke should attend future meetings. School Update: According to Carlbom, he attended a meeting with District 742 with Weyrens. They met with Bruce Watkins and Kevin Januszewski to get an idea where things are at in the process. They stated that there are still some meetings needed within the district itself. They did, however, find out that the district is warming up to a K-8 facility in St. Joseph. Public Hearings will be held on Monday and Tuesday. · Monday: South Side Boys and Girls Club · Tuesday: Whitney Senior Center COUNCIL REPORTS SYMAN I ETZ CAC Meetina: Symanietz reported that she attended the CAC for the North east/west corridor study at which they reviewed the comment cards from the Public Meeting. Based on those comments, it appeared that the information was well received. WICK School Update: Wick added that the School Board meetings would be held at 6:00 PM both nights. RASSIER St. Joseph Action Group: Rassier stated that he was invited to the St. Joseph Action Group meeting and Wick was also present. They discussed what had previously been presented. According to Rassier, the group has some good concerns. Police Officer Ride-a-Iona: Rassier also mentioned that he rode along with one of the Police Officers. He stated that it would be good for the rest of the Councilors to ride along with them to see what they do. RIEKE - No Report ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS Sales Tax Update: Weyrens presented the Council with a preliminary breakdown of the sales tax revenue resulting from the % cent sales tax increase. This information is based on 2003 population data and they are working on new reports based on more current data. Draft April 6, 2006 Page 6 of 6 Gana Task Force - Joint Powers Aareement: Previously, in 2005, the City was approached to be a part of the regional gang strike task force. A grant was submitted on behalf of the area. Grant funding was not received by the City of St. Cloud; however, it was received by the MCIU (Central Minnesota Major Crime Investigation Unit). The area cities will provide one officer to the MCIU to focus on gang activity. The areas Police Chiefs have been very involved in the process and support the Joint Powers Agreement. One of the officers from Sartell expressed interest in the position and, as a result, he has been appointed to that position. The Police Chief from Sartell will be a member of the MCIU Board. If the program goes away, the City with the greatest need at that time will accommodate that officer. Weyrens stated that the City could find money in the budget to fund this program, as it is a nominal amount. According to Weyrens, Jansky has already seen this program work for the City of St. Joseph. Rieke made a motion to authorize execution of the Joint Powers Agreement to provide Gang Task Force Officer Staffing and Support. Wick added that local hiring practices must be followed if the program fails and the officer receives employment at a different agency. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Adiourn: Rassier made a motion to adjourn at 9:15 PM; seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Judy Weyrens Administrator