HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.02.16 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES
REGULAR
May 2, 2016
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Larson at 7:00 p.m.
2. PLEDGE OFALLEGL4NCE
Mayor Larson led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL
Members Present: Larson,Bartholomay,Bonar, Pitcher
Members Absent: Donnelly
Also Present: Joel Jamnik, City Attorney; David McKnight, City Administrator;
Robin Hanson,Finance Director;Jim Larsen, Fire Chief;Adam
Kienberger, Community Development Director; Randy Distad,
Parks and Recreation Director;Kevin Schorzman, City Engineer;
Brenda Wendlandt,Human Resources Director;Nicole Gorman,
Recreation Supervisor; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant
Audience: Lacelle Cordes, Jake Cordes, LeeAnn Herrera, Lois Lotze,Rob
Carpentier, Linda Landwehr, Heidi Cunningham
4. APPROVE AGENDA
City Administrator McKnight moved item 10a)Recreational Facilities Task Force Final
Recommendation to follow the consent agenda.
MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Bonar to approve the Agenda. APIF,MOTION
CARRIED.
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS
a) Minnesota Association of Senior Services Award Recognition for Recreation
Supervisor Nicole Gorman
Recreation Supervisor Nicole Gorman was presented with the Outstanding Senior
Services Award from the MN Association of Senior Services(MASS)
organization. She received this award for her many contributions to MASS and to
the Rambling River Center.
b) Recognize a Donation from the Farmington Rotary Club to the Farmington
Fire Department
The Farmington Rotary Club donated$4,120 to be used to purchase eight
emergency alert pagers for the fire department. MOTION by Bartholomay,
second by Bonar to adopt RESOLUTION R39-16 accepting the donation from
Farmington Rotary Club. APIF,MOTION CARRIED.
c) Proclaim May Historic Preservation Month
Mayor Larson proclaimed May as Historic Preservation Month.
Council Minutes(Regular)
May 2,2016
Page 2
6. CITIZEN COMMENTS
7. CONSENT AGENDA
MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Bonar to approve the Consent Agenda as follows:
a) Approved Council Minutes (4/18/2016 Regular)(4/15/2016 Special)-
Administration
b) Adopted RESOLUTION R40-16 Accepting Donation to the Rambling River
Center-Parks
c) Approved Agreement to Construct Troy Hill Park Concrete Playground Border
and Bench Pads-Parks
d) Approved Bills-Finance
APIF,MOTION CARRIED.
10. PETITIONS,REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
a) Recreational Facilities Task Force Final Recommendation-Parks
Parks and Recreation Director Distad presented the Recreational Facilities Task
Force final recommendation as follows:
Jim Bell Park and Preserve—general site improvements including signage and
park lighting, landscaping,vehicular parking and circulation, connections to
existing trails,picnic areas with small and large shelters, benches, picnic tables,
etc., playground structures, courts for basketball,tennis,pickleball. Also five
fields for youth baseball/softball, soccer and lacrosse fields. An aquatic facility is
included with a new pool with lazy river,zero depth shallow area,waterslides, lap
swim/open swim area, geysers/fountains, deck space,bathhouse, security fencing,
furniture, etc.
Schmitz-Maki Arena—install a second sheet of outdoor ice including
refrigeration system and additional parking lot.
North Creek Park—Construct a multi-purpose building for shelter rental,warming
house and year round park and rec program use.
North Creek Greenway—install a new bridge and complete trail connections.
These improvements would require a$10 million general obligation bond over a
20-year period and would mean an estimated$75 per year property tax increase
on the average home. There would still be$2.4 million that would need to be
covered in other ways such as from sports organizations or donations.
Council had questions about the size and cost of the parking lot which is
$950,000. The parking lot is oversized for 600 cars for tournaments and the cost
also includes circulation from the parking lot out to 195th Street. It was sized
according to code requirements because of all the facilities in that area.
Council Minutes(Regular)
May 2,2016
Page 3
Council asked about staffing costs for these new facilities. The$170,000 includes
overall cost for the athletic fields. The pool will cost$440,000 to operate and
there will be an estimated $17,000 net loss. This would be an improvement over
the subsidy of$60,000 to $70,000 for the current pool. The$9.9 million would
not include extra features, but would be functional. It puts five fields in the
complex. Council commented this project would be phased with the first phase
having real dollars and the second phase with $2.4 million being an open
question. The task force did not discuss an ongoing maintenance fund for the
facilities. After soft costs and contingencies there will be$8 million for
construction, $2.4 million unpledged, $170,000 for staffing and daily maintenance
and an unknown reserve for future maintenance.
Regarding the second sheet of ice at Schmitz-Maki Arena,there is room next to
the arena for a second sheet and parking. Staff will approach the school district
about partnering with parking for a second sheet of ice. The cost of the outdoor
ice sheet is$700,000. With no lights it is basically a weekend rink and Council
wondered if we are utilizing the investment properly. Youth hockey made a
strong commitment to help with funding of the rink.
Council asked if we receive an affirmative vote on the referendum,what are the
plans to repurpose the existing pool. Staff recommended keeping the bathhouse
for restrooms for the park shelter and installing a basketball court in the parking
lot.
Council noted the aquatic facility has minimal amenities and not near what
neighboring cities have. The task force determined needs for the size of
Farmington. The proposed facility will still attract people to come because it has
a different feel than a larger pool. The pool cost is $4.8 million. This year the
current pool was subsidized for$70,000. In other communities costs in the first
three to five years were covered by the fees. After that the city would need to
subsidize the pool for$20,000. Staff can definitely keep the cost below the
current subsidy.
The five baseball/softball fields will cover our needs. Currently teams are using
neighborhood ball parks which creates traffic problems. Those are really for
neighborhoods to use,not for organized play.
Council asked if there was room to expand this park in the future. There is room
for expansion. It is a 15-year pool and water features can be added to re-energize
the facility.
The financial plan that Council has been reviewing is separate from this bond
referendum. If Council decides to put this forward to a vote,we will have a
facility that is useable,but not complete. Staff asked if Council wants to discuss
completion before making a recommendation. This is a pay as you go project, so
to expand organizations will have to come up with funds for specific items.
Council Minutes(Regular)
May 2,2016
Page 4
Ms. Lacelle Cordes,task force member, stated the task force looked at this like a
once in a lifetime shot to get something. They needed$22 million to get
everything. As far as the aquatic facility,they felt we should build a facility for
Farmington and residents will stay here. The task force did discuss whether they
were trying to cover too many areas, but agreed on this recommendation.
Council will need to make a decision on a ballot question for the November 8,
2016, general election by August 1, 2016. The wording of the question will be
approved by Council. Council decided to discuss changing the dollar amount at
the May 9, 2016, Council work session. MOTION by Bonar, second by
Bartholomay to accept the task force recreational facility report as presented.
APIF,MOTION CARRIED.
8. PUBLIC HEARINGS
a) Notice of Intent to Consider Issuance of Cable Franchise—Human Resources
The city has received a request from Frontier Communications for a cable
franchise. Representatives from Frontier Communications and Charter
Communications,the city's current cable provider, each presented their offerings
and an overview of their organizations.
Mr.Bob Vose,Attorney representing the Apple Valley, Farmington,Rosemount
Cable Commission,noted Charter has submitted two letters for legal counsel with
legal argument. The legal arguments were not unexpected. Farmington is the
first community in Minnesota that Frontier is approaching. Century Link is
seeking and obtaining franchises all over Minnesota. Frontier's application is
similar to Century Link's application submitted to other cities and was found to
be sufficient. With Charter there are a number of legal issues, one of whether
Charter holds an existing franchise. The cable commission was working on
renewal of the Charter franchise for three years. The renewal extension expired at
the end of 2015. Mr. Vose recommended Council direct staff to negotiate the
legal issues and extend the period of written comment to 30 days.
MOTION by Bonar, second by Pitcher to close the public hearing for tonight,but
leave it open for public comment. APIF,MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by
Bartholomay, second by Bonar to extend the public comment period for 30 days.
APIF,MOTION CARRIED.
9. AWARD OF CONTRACT
a) Approve Agreement Tamarack Park Basketball Court Improvement Project
-Parks
The basketball court at Tamarack Park is starting to deteriorate and is in need of
repair and resurfacing. The low quote was submitted by Lee Sports LLC in the
amount of$4,850. MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Pitcher to approve the
agreement with Lee Sports Surfacing, LLC for the repair and resurfacing of the
Tamarack Park basketball court. APIF,MOTION CARRIED.
Council Minutes(Regular)
May 2,2016
Page 5
b) 2016 Trail Crack Sealing-Engineering
This year 17,000 linear feet of crack sealing will be done on trails. The low quote
was received from All Things Asphalt in the amount of$6,460. MOTION by
Bartholomay, second by Bonar to accept the quote of All Things Asphalt in the
amount of$6,460 and authorize execution of a contract for the work. APIF,
MOTION CARRIED.
11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
12. NEW BUSINESS
_ 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE
Councilmember Bartholomay: Wednesday's garbage curbside cleanup is this
Saturday.
Councilmember Pitcher: Reminded residents May is Poppy Month.
City Engineer Schorzman: Road construction on CSAH50 starts this week. The TH3
project has not been awarded yet and staff will know more at the next meeting.
Mayor Larson: Encouraged residents to buy a poppy and shop local.
14. ADJOURN
MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Pitcher to adjourn at 8:43 p.m. APIF,MOTION
CARRIED.
Respectfully submitted,
Cynthia Muller
Executive Assistant