HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.16.10 Council Minutes
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COUNCIL MINUTES
REGULAR
August 16, 2010
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Larson at 7:00 p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Larson led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3.
ROLL CALL
Members Present:
Members Absent:
Also Present:
Audience:
Larson, Donnelly, Fogarty, May, Wilson
None
Joel Jamnik, City Attorney; Peter Herlofsky, City Administrator;
Brian Lindquist, Police Chief; Kevin Schorzman, City Engineer;
Lisa Shadick, Administrative Services Director; Lee Smick, City
Planner; Jen Dullum, Natural Resources Specialist; Cynthia
Muller, Executive Assistant
Jerry Ristow, David Pritzlaff, Steve Thomas, Farmington V15
Girls Soccer Team
4. APPROVE AGENDA
Mayor Larson pulled item 14a) Performance Issues for discussion at the August 23,
workshop.
MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION
CARRIED.
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS
a) Storm Damage Recap
Mayor Larson thanked City staff for their quick response to the tornado and the
community for helping neighbors. Police Chief Lindquist stated the tornado hit at
3:36 a.m. on August 13,2010. The storm was very quick moving. It started at
200th and Flagstaff and moved northeast for 1.5 - 2 miles on the ground, and was
100 yards wide. Police contacted Public Works and work started immediately
after the storm to open the streets. Dakota County gave City staff some next steps
to help the residents. Staff also contacted the Red Cross to assist residents. There
were 124 homes affected by the storm; 98 homes had damage to siding, windows,
shingles, etc., 13 had minor to moderate structural damage, and another 13 had
moderate damage where the owners are no longer able to inhabit their properties
or have limited access. Clean-up is moving along well. Dumpsters have been
delivered to the areas and the City trucks will be picking up the brush from the
boulevards. There have been some questions regarding the activation of the
sirens. The National Weather Service rated the storm as an EF-l tornado with
winds oflOO-105 mph. In looking at the storm on radar, they did not see any
indication of a tornado. Therefore, the notification from the weather service to
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the DCC was after the storm by 10 minutes. The sirens were then activated. The
storm developed so quickly, the weather service could not get ahead of it. Mayor
Larson clarified the City and the DCC had nothing to do with when the sirens go
off. Police Chief Lindquist explained the weather service and DCC have fme
tuned the process as to when the sirens will sound. Activation of the sirens is by
the National Weather Service notification to the DCC, or ifa Police Officer sees
violent weather, he can call the DCC to activate the sirens. That night the Police
Officers were involved in another unfortunate event and were not able to watch
the weather. The only warning to the DCC came from the National Weather
Service.
City Administrator Herlofsky noted public safety included more than Police and
Fire. Our Municipal Services which includes streets, water and sewer, and
sanitation were all making an effort to clear the roadways. It was very impressive
how everyone worked together. As the day went along, you could see the
community take over and help each other. This community has a lot of strength
and character and it was really shown in this situation. The employees that
assisted in this process make a good impression with our citizens and the
assistance was very positive when it was needed. The Red Cross was there all
day on Friday and food was donated by Pilot Knob Pizzeria, Subway, and
Domino's. Municipal Services is making arrangements with a local chipper
service to handle the tree damage. The City will be picking up debris through this
week. City Administrator Herlofsky estimated the cost to be between $25,000-
$30,000. The cost will come from the Municipal Services division.
Councilmember Wilson asked if a list of licensed contractors for door-to-door
sales is available on the website. Administrative Services Director Shadick
replied we do not; anyone going door to door has to get a license and background
check before a license is issued. City Administrator Herlofsky added on Friday
morning we did waive the fee so contractors could get out as quickly as possible
to help the residents. Mayor Larson stated that was because of another pending
storm and to get the roofs covered as soon as possible.
Councilmember Fogarty thanked everyone who responded. We live in an
amazing community and everyone was very generous with their time and talent
and hours of work. Regarding the sirens not going off, the storm was so loud,
they would not have heard a siren.
Administrative Services Director Shadick noted there are a number of documents
available on the City website on how to recover from storm damage.
b) Recognize Girls U15 Soccer Team - Council
Mayor Larson recognized the State Champions V15 Girls Soccer Team.
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6. CITIZEN COMMENTS
Mr. David Pritzlaff, 20255 Akin Road, clarified that item 14a) Performance Issues was
pulled. Mayor Larson confIrmed it will be discussed at the budget workshop. Mr.
Pritzlaff asked the four Councilmembers that voted for the $128,000 trail connection on
Pilot Knob to reconsider the vote. He stated the vote was taken prior to the Community
Survey being presented to Council. The results of the survey said to maintain what we
have, rather than build more. Mr. Pritzlaff stated in this case we are building something
new, and cannot afford to maintain what we have. It is taxpayer money being used. He
does not see a lot of people walking or biking on Pilot Knob. Some ofthe money for the
project comes from the State for the road and bridge fund. Mr. Pritzlaff noted it still
comes from the taxpayers. We could use the $128,000 to help the clean-up fund for the
tornado damage rather than a trail that is not needed at this time. He asked the four
Councilmembers to bring the project back to the next meeting and reconsider their vote.
Mr. Jerry Ristow, 516 Lower Heritage Way, asked for an explanation on the voting issue
in Precinct 2. Walnut Street, 5th Street, 6th Street and 7th Street have been tom up. He
was at the precinct at 8:30 a.m. and you could not get in; it was a disaster. He was trying
to prevent this from occurring for the November election. People were so frustrated they
were walking away. Work was being done in front of the east door which was the
entrance to the precinct. One ofthe election judges was also frustrated, so Mr. Ristow
called City Hall. Staff responded and arrangements were made for the voters to access
the precinct. The precinct only had 15 voters as of 8 :45 a.m. Mr. Ristow wanted to make
sure this did not happen in November and thanked staff for taking care of the situation.
Councilmember Fogarty also had received a message from a resident. She agreed it
cannot happen again and should not have happened, but it was addressed quickly. Mr.
Ristow asked ifwe know why they had to work in that area on that day. Councilmember
Fogarty stated we have not been given an answer, but we are going to get an answer. She
was also very upset about it. Councilmember Wilson confIrmed we have to fIle our
polling locations by a certain time period. He asked how much notice we have to give.
Administrative Services Director Shadick was not certain on the number of days.
Councilmember Wilson stated we have 70% - 80% turnout in November. He asked the
Administrative Services Director and City Engineer to keep Council updated. If the
project will not be completed, he suggested fmding a different location for that precinct.
City Administrator Herlofsky noted the street will be fmished before November.
Mr. Steve Thomas, 19331 Euclid Path, stated he is a new resident and they were in the
path of the tornado. Their neighbors have to be out of their home for three months until
the entire interior of their home is redone. He wanted to reiterate what the Council
mentioned earlier about the community and how helpful everyone was. They lost a huge
tree and asked his neighbor what they do now. He was told not to worry; we all take care
of each other, and he was right. He made arrangements to have the tree removed and is
continuing to do clean-up work. He had some questions about the City's response. He
called the City that morning asking what to do with the trees and the response was that
the City would bring in whatever equipment is necessary to take care of the fallen trees.
The residents very much appreciate that. There is a lot of other debris around. He was
told that is the owner's responsibility. He checked the website and it differentiated
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between trees and debris and it indicated there would be dumpsters brought out for other
items. Mayor Larson explained the dumpsters are for other debris that has blown into the
yards. They were placed in areas on Friday, were dumped, and placed out again today.
They are not on every street, but in every area. Mr. Thomas explained some of the items
are too large to carry to a dumpster and he did not see one in his area. City Administrator
Herlofsky stated we defmitely want to keep the tree limbs separate from the other debris.
We are hoping people will only put items in the dumpster that are related to the storm and
not use them for other clean-up. Ifthere is something too large, he suggested moving it
to the boulevard and someone will be around to determine what to do. Mr. Thomas
stated there was a very good response from the Police that morning and was very
impressed with all the City staff.
Ms. Michelle Leonard, 727 Tamarack Trail, Farmington Independent Reporter, stated she
had originally written a letter for the meeting regarding the item that was pulled from the
agenda which was to close the meeting for performance issues. She understood it was
pulled and moved to the August 23, budget workshop. She asked if Council then
intended to close the workshop to have the discussion. Mayor Larson replied no, it will
be open. Ms. Leonard stated it was her understanding of the open meeting law, that the
topic was not sufficient to close the meeting and she appreciated the fact the workshop
will be open.
7. CONSENT AGENDA
Councilmember Wilson pulled item 7a) Council minutes for separate vote.
MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to approve the Consent Agenda as follows:
b) Accepted Results Community Survey - Parks and Recreation
c) Received Information School and Conference - Police
d) Received Information School and Conference - Police
e) Received Information School and Conference - Planning
t) July 2010 Financial Report - Finance
Councilmember Wilson does have some questions on the investment interest. He
would like to have an update from the Finance Director at the budget workshop.
g) Approved Bills
APIF, MOTION CARRIED.
a) Council Minutes (8/2/10 Regular) (8/9/10 Workshop)
MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to approve the August 2, 2010, Council
minutes. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by Fogarty, second by May
to approve the August 9, 2010, Workshop minutes. Voting for: Larson,
Donnelly, Fogarty, May. Abstain: Wilson. MOTION CARRIED.
8. PUBLIC HEARINGS
9. AWARD OF CONTRACT
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10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
a) Storm Water Program Update - Natural Resources
The 2011 MS4 permit is being written and will have additional requirements for
Cities including:
- Identifying impaired waters and have restoration measures to meet a total
maximum daily load (TMDL) pollutant that can go into a water body.
- Pond inventory.
- Construction stormwater erosion and sediment control and post construction and
pollution prevention - BMP operation and maintenance will require cities to
maintain pre-development runoff and will contain new performance standards for
ponds. This may go back to areas that were developed before there were best
management practices, such as the downtown area.
The MPCA is currently auditing cities that have MS4 permits. They will compare
what we do on the ground to what is on the permit to make sure MPCA rules are
followed. This will take up staff time and costs will come from the City budget.
The MPCA has requested that the Vermillion River Joint Powers Organization
give them a work plan to address all impairments in the Vermillion River
Watershed and work to reduce those impairments.
Antidegradation means the City has to get pollutant levels down to the 1988 level.
This includes volume ofwater, suspended solids in water, and temperature. Staff
has done an antidegradation report and we are over in volume meaning we are
letting more water ofIthe land because of development. The MPCA has said that
all cities that did a report are required to implement a process to evaluate the
treatment of their storm water and address the portions of the system that do not
have best management practices, such as the downtown area, and be required to
develop and implement a volume reduction strategy to keep more water on the
ground. Staff is waiting to receive a letter specific to Farmington as to what we
have to address.
The MPCA increased their permit fees for storm water management for
construction sites. The City was billed retroactively from a project last year for
$890. The MCPA increased the fees on March 15, 2010, but it is retroactive to
July 1,2009. City Engineer Schorzman stated we had to pay double what we paid
the first time for the permit.
Councilmember Wilson suggested the Mayor, a Councilmember, the Natural
Resources Specialist, the City Engineer, Representative Garofalo, and Mr.
Thompson from the MPCA meet because this is absurd, especially for the
downtown area. He was not aware any of the regulations that exist today were
even conceived ofwhen the downtown was developed. It seems this would be
impossible to deal with. Natural Resources Specialist Dullum stated the storm
water rules became effective in 2003. Councilmember Fogarty stated the majority
of the City was built by then. Councilmember Wilson wanted a discussion on
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August 16,2010
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retroactive fees and determine what the game plan is from the MPCA. We have a
tight budget and we are having mandates poured on us. Mayor Larson agreed this
would be an issue we could bring to Representative Garofalo. City Engineer
Schorzman stated before doing that, it may be good for staff to meet to discuss
this fIrst. City Administrator Herlofsky stated the implications are more than
having staff do the work. The implication is how competitive does this make us
with other communities as far as development. Councilmember Wilson agreed
that we have to assess developers in the Vermillion River Watershed a higher
amount because of the area. Mayor Larson suggested developing some questions
and especially how it will affect the City.
b) Adopt Ordinance - Amending Title 10, Chapter 6, Section 11 of the Zoning
Code Concerning Woodland and Tree Preservation - Planning
City Planner Smick stated this is a continuation of the natural resources inventory.
The inventory suggested staff review its environmental ordinances. Staff has
determined the most pressing need for an ordinance change is the need for tree
preservation. The existing ordinance was prepared in 2002 and was relatively
general. Staff wanted to get a better handle on the woodlands that exist and the
woodlands that will grow quickly.
Ms. Sherri Buss, TKDA consultant, explained the ordinance. She has worked
with staff, the Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission to
update the current ordinance. The ordinance not only affects individual trees, but
also looks at the loss of woodlands and how they could be replaced. The Planning
Commission also asked staff to think about incentives rather than just regulation.
The ordinance includes incentives to developers and land owners to protect or
restore trees. This ordinance will affect only new development. The ordinance
allows people who are developing to remove 30% of the existing significant trees
on their property to allow for some development without having to replace the
trees. A significant tree for oaks or maples would be trees over 6 inches in size at
5 ft. above ground level. For conifers it is 8 inches in diameter and for soft wood
trees, it is 12 inches or more in size. The developer would be required to do a tree
inventory as part of the submittal for the development. Based on the number of
significant trees, a developer could remove up to 30% of those and then after that
is when replacement starts. The ordinance provides a method for calculating tree
replacement. Developers will have two options for replacing trees. One is to
replace individual trees using boulevards or parks. They also have the option to
replace trees in a woodland form, meaning to replace trees in the same kind of
pattern in a woods that is being lost along with the ground cover and shrubs.
Calculating the woodland replacement is much easier than individual
replacement. The idea is to encourage people to replace in the woodland format
when removing a woodland. A woodland is anything over 15,000 sq. ft. or 1/3 of
an acre.
There are also incentives to encourage people to protect woodlands on the
property and to replace trees in places the City would want trees. There is a
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provision for tree banks. This identifies places in the City where developers could
create a tree bank. Those areas are in City parks and in greenways in the
community. If developers help to create those banks or within their own
development dedicate a woodland area for the long term, they can get an extra
unit in their development. Mayor Larson asked if the tree bank is 1:1 or 2:1. Ms.
Buss stated it depends on the type of tree. For oak trees it is based on inches of
trees loss. For a certain number of inches lost, they have to replace with a tree of
a certain size. You get more and larger trees in replacement. Along with the tree
bank, the City would set up a fund to help pay for the maintenance ofthe tree
bank areas, particularly when on public property.
Regarding replacement of trees on commercial property, if someone has had a
tree plan approved for their property and they later take down trees when doing
additional development, there is a provision that requires them to replace the trees
that were part of the original tree bank.
Councilmember May stated after the storm water discussion, aren't we doing the
same thing with putting all these ordinances, rules and fees out there. Ifthere is
new development, it goes before the Planning Commission and we encourage
preservation of trees. She asked what is the purpose of another layer of rules and
setting funds aside. She asked what happens if we do not have the ordinance.
Ms. Buss stated right now the tree replacement ordinance is very general. It does
not provide specifics and does not provide any incentives to protect the trees or to
replace them. The purpose is to standardize what you have and to give more
defmition than the current ordinance. These ordinances exist in almost every
community in the metro area.
City Planner Smick stated regarding the savannah oaks, staff would like to
replenish that inventory. As far as the maintenance issue, funding through the
developer will take care of costs in the future on the public tree banks. The
developers will plant quality trees rather than scrub trees. Councilmember May
asked about the fee portion. Ms. Buss explained if someone chooses to develop a
tree bank, the City may require that a fund be set up for maintenance of the tree
bank. Staff was concerned if it was in a park area and work was required to get
the trees established and keep weeds down, they would have a fund in place
without using City general funds. If a tree bank was done on a private
development, they would have to address those costs. The developers in turn get
an extra unit in their development. The developer receives credit for the tree bank
if they put an easement on it and create it for the long term. If the tree bank is
destroyed through a natural occurrence, such as a storm, it does not need to be
replaced, but the area would be permanently protected as an outlot.
Councilmember Wilson could see where a developer would like the woodland
option rather than placing a tree in each lot and have them manage their
development as they want, but was uncertain if there was enough incentive.
Councilmember Fogarty agreed. Ms. Buss stated you could increase the amount
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August 16,2010
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of the incentive through some flexibility in requirements, such as street sizes, or
more units. You could say two units for every acre of trees, etc.
Councilmember Fogarty was looking for the bottom line. There is flexibility and
incentives. She asked if this was a stricter requirement for developers than what
we have now or a different way of approaching it. City Planner Smick stated it
would be stricter as we are looking at woodlands rather than individual trees.
Mayor Larson stated it is a healthier requirement. Staff agreed because we will
get tree stands if the developer is interested in getting incentives, whereas right
now we do not have a replacement opportunity. Mayor Larson stated the tree
quality will go up. Ms. Buss stated it will be up to the developer ifhe wants to do
his tree replacement as individual lawn trees or a woodland. If it is done as a
woodland, the calculation is easier rather than figuring out individual trees. If a
developer is willing to set the woodland aside permanently, then he can get the
incentive of another unit for every acre of trees he is willing to create as a tree
bank. Currently we do not have the option for woodlands or the incentives.
Councilmember Donnelly was trying to decide if this makes Farmington more or
less attractive to developers. He was not a fan of more ordinances. It seems
similar to the PCA telling us what to do. Ms. Buss explained other similar
communities all have similar ordinances. Rosemount does not have the woodland
option or the incentives. The incentives are something the Planning Commission
really wanted to include. City Planner Smick noted prior to 2002 the City did
have a tree replacement program, but it was one to one and the developers felt that
was quite intrusive. Ms. Buss explained the older ordinances did not allow
developers to remove 30% of the trees and there was no distinction made for
significant trees.
Councilmember Wilson stated the bottom line is the developer can chose to take
this course or stay where they are. Ms. Buss stated they can chose the more
traditional path where they count the number of trees that will be lost and replace
in a single tree format as they do now, or they have the option to replace them as a
woodland. Councilmember Wilson was concerned with the tree banking and the
establishment of a fund and working out a deal with parkland dedication. City
Planner Smick stated the City will not bargain with developers to reduce park
dedication or submitting funding for storm water. Staff is only looking at density
and the unit bonuses. Councilmember Wilson asked about the amount of funding
for a tree bank. Ms. Buss stated it has not been calculated, but it would be based
on the size of area. The ordinance gives the City the option of whether we want
to do that or not. The maintenance for establishing a woodland may involve
having a Parks staff person mow the ground cover to reduce the weeds a couple
times a year. That might be the annual cost of maintenance or some pruning of
trees. It should not involve more than 10-20 hours of staff time per year.
Councilmember May felt there were too many rules. Other communities do not
have development fees like we do. At this time, she was not in favor of it. Mayor
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Larson asked what this will cost the developer. Ms. Buss stated at the beginning
of development they would need to do an inventory of trees, other costs would be
replacing anything above 30% of the significant trees they were removing.
MOTION by Larson to approve the ordinance. Motion died for lack of a second.
Councilmember Fogarty needed a better understanding of how this will affect the
developers. Staffwill bring back an example of a development that has been
done and how this ordinance would have affected that development. MOTION
by Fogarty, second by Donnelly to table until staff is ready to bring the item back
to Council. APIF, MOTION CARRIED.
c) Adopt Resolution - Approve Final Plat Riverbend 3rd Addition - Planning
Mattamy Homes has submitted a fmal plat for Riverbend 3rd Addition. It is
located east of Dakota County Estates and north of Meadow Creek development
in the northeast corner of the City. The fmal plat includes the northern 17 acres of
Riverbend. The plat consists of23 residential lots. There would be an extension
of Dun bury Avenue and Dunbury Court. The trail would be extended to the
limits of the 3rd Addition. All lots and widths meet the R-2 zoning standards. The
landscaping requirements were approved as part of the Riverbend 2nd Addition.
Contingencies include:
1. An executed deed shall be recorded with the fmal plat mylars that transfers
ownership of Outlots A,C,F Riverbend 3rd Addition to the City.
2. The preparation and execution of the Development Contract.
3. The satisfaction of all engineering comments as well as approval of the
construction plans for grading, storm water and utilities by the
Engineering Division.
Construction will start this fall. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to
adopt RESOLUTION R47-10 approving the Riverbend 3rd Additional Final Plat
subject to contingencies. APIF, MOTION CARRIED.
d) Adopt Resolution - Approving Requesting School District Assistance Arena
Improvement Project - Parks and Recreation
Mayor Larson noted the City has already been informed the School District is not
interested in assisting the City with the arena improvement project. They
compare it to if they need help with a gym, will the City help out with repairs.
Mayor Larson asked Council to discuss whether they really want to send a formal
request to the School Board. The City Administrator does have a meeting this
week with the Superintendent and it can be brought up at that time, but the answer
from the school is no.
Councilmember Wilson stated this action will bring the request from a public
body to another public body. Ifthey vote no, then they vote no. Councilmember
May stated the arena is key to the high school hockey program. Councilmember
Donnelly stated this forces them to say no and puts it on the record. We have
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already increased the fees. Councilmember May noted that is to cover the cost for
the games and does not have anything to do with the arena itself. Councilmember
Fogarty did not understand how asking them could cause a problem. Until we
send this resolution, we have not formally asked them. Councilmember May
stated we had one meeting with the School Board and felt it was going to be a
joint effort. Mayor Larson stated it was and then things changed.
Councilmember May noted that did not occur with discussions between the
Council and School board. Mayor Larson stated the decision occurred with their
School Board. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to adopt
RESOLUTION R48-10 authorizing staff to make a formal request to the School
Board for a contribution to the Schmitz-Maki Arena improvement project. Voting
for: Larson, Fogarty, May, Wilson. Voting against: Donnelly. MOTION
CARRIED.
11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a) Former Rambling River Center Building Update - Planning
There is a pending contract for purchase of this property that is being reviewed by
Mr. Paul Otten. Mr. Otten received a Contract for Private Development in mid-
March 2010. In July, Mr. Otten stated he is awaiting the sale of his building at
311 Oak Street in order to purchase the former Rambling River Center building.
At the closing of 311 Oak Street, it was discovered there are pending
environmental issues and those will not be resolved for approximately 30 days
with the MPCA. Mr. Otten proposes he either sell the 311 Oak Street building
and use the money to purchase the Rambling River Center building or he would
use his own funding to purchase the building. There has been a recent issue of
mold on the carpet in the building because of no air circulation. Mr. Otten has
requested he be allowed to bring in an environmental consultant to assess the
mold situation and determine what would be required to remove it. He would
also like to look at the duct work.
Councilmember Fogarty felt if he is willing to pay an environmental consultant he
is very serious about the purchase. When Council entered into the agreement they
were not aware of the contingency to sell another building, but we cannot sell the
building for another 30 days until we know about the mold. She was comfortable
with waiting 30 days.
Councilmember May stated Council was not aware the sale was contingent so she
felt the original agreement was not valid. She felt the building should be back on
the market and was starting to doubt whether this is a serious endeavor. In the
meantime, we have wasted six months. The 30 days is from when? Let's pick a
date, not a number of days. There is nothing in the original agreement about a
contingency that he needed to sell another building, so that is a completely
different offer. He could still be the buyer, but it should be on the market in case
other people are interested. City Planner Smick stated there are a lot of issues
with the mold on the carpet. Councilmember May stated ifwe are truly
concerned about the mold, then we should look into it.
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Councilmember Wilson agreed. Ifwe did not know there was a contingency,
does that change the terms of the contract to void it? City Attorney Jamnik stated
we do not have a contract; there is not a signed agreement. We would allow
access for someone to inspect to do their due diligence. The structure is not at
risk for the inspector to analyze it. If you have a signed Purchase Agreement, you
would allow that anyway. Councilmember Wilson asked ifwe can put it back on
the market without issue. City Attorney Jamnik did not see any legal impediment
to do that. We do not have a signed agreement.
Mayor Larson agreed as this is going on and on and nothing is happening. If they
want to test, let them test, but felt we should put it back on the market. City
Administrator Herlofsky stated we will inform Mr. Otten that it is okay to do the
testing. We can put the sign up as long as we are waiting and when we have a
deal we can take it down.
12. NEW BUSINESS
13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE
Councilmember Donnelly: Thanked City staff for the clean-up after the storm.
Councilmember Fogarty: Thanked all those who worked, served, and attended the
Dakota County Fair. Attendance was very good. She was invited to judge the salsa
contest.
City Administrator Herlo/sky: Earlier in the meeting Council asked about
replacing trees. We normally do not replace trees in boulevards. Mayor Larson stated
we have boulevard tree routes. City Planner Smick stated the City is responsible for
removing existing boulevard trees that have died or sustained severe damage. The City
will replace trees on designated boulevard tree routes. Some areas are along Akin Road,
Flagstaff, CSAH 50. Staff will determine if the routes are included in the areas affected
by the storm. Councilmember Fogarty stated if we are not replacing trees, she asked
about the City nursery by the Ice Arena and whether we could offer residents discounted
prices on trees through that nursery. Natural Resources Specialist Dullum stated the City
does have two nurseries, however they are not allowable boulevard tree species. They
would need to be tree spaded out and tree spaded in. With the utilities, the City does not
have the right equipment to use without hitting utilities. Mayor Larson asked that the
ordinance be placed on the website. City Administrator Herlofsky stated he was very
proud of how City staff handled the clean-up. Some employees came back to work after
already working their 40-hour week. Everyone worked all day and did a good job. The
community receives a big salute and took care of things themselves. It was a very
positive experience based on a bad occurrence.
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Councilmember May stated during the discussions on the Walnut Street project, was it
discussed that ifthere was a reconstruct there would be consideration for replacement?
Mayor Larson stated that was ifwe removed the trees. Natural Resources Specialist
Dullum stated that is in addition to the ordinance we just past. If there are reconstruction
projects, the City will evaluate to determine if trees can be replaced. Councilmember
May wanted residents to understand that distinction. Whenever there is a storm, we
cannot possibly replace the trees. We also do not want to compete with business for local
nurseries.
Mayor Larson: The Farmer's Market is held every Thursday. He urged
residents to sign up for Twitter and Nixie for community updates. He thanked City staff
that helped with the storm and the neighbors that helped. He received e-mails and was
stopped by residents saying how wonderful the City's response was to the situation. He
urged residents to buy locally.
14. ADJOURN
MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to adjourn at 8:59 p.m. APIF, MOTION
CARRIED.
Respectfully submitted,
Cynthia Muller
Executive Assistant
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