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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWK - March 24, 2015ANLb Y O F 6 ® 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W. • ANDOVER, MINNESUTA 55304 • (763) 755 -5100 FAX (763) 755 -8923 • WWW.ANDOVERMN.GOV City Council Workshop Tuesday, March 24, 2015 Conference Rooms A & B 1. Call to Order — 6:00 p.m. 2. Discuss Wayside Horn at Crosstown Boulevard NW - Engineering 3. Discuss RFP /15 -22 /City Campus Expansion Master Plan — Engineering 4. Review Joint Powers Agreement & Discuss Possible Street Lights /11- 25/Bunker Lake Blvd. NW from Crane St. NW to Jefferson St. - Engineering 5. Review Mayor /Council Emergency Management Roles - Fire © 6. Review Past Council Goals and Discuss 2015 -2016 Council Goals 7. Discuss 2016 Budget Development Guidelines 8. 2015 General Fund Budget Progress Report 9. February 2015 City Investment Review 10. Other Business 11. Adjournment X ^ IN __ __ k - ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING —MARCH 24, 2015 MINUTES The Workshop Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Julie Trude, March 24, 2015, 6:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Mike Knight, Sheri Bukkila (arrived at 6:05 p.m.), Valerie Holthus and James Goodrich Councilmember absent: None Also present: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson Public Works Director /City Engineer, David Berkowitz Fire Chief, Jerry Streich Others DISCUSS WAYSIDE HORN AT CROSSTO WN BOULE VARD NW Mr. Berkowitz explained it has been requested by a resident (Janine Palaia) to discuss with the City Council the number of times the wayside horn blows at the Crosstown Boulevard crossing when a train is transitioning onto the siding track. Mr. Berkowitz reviewed the staff report with the Council. Mr. Berkowitz stated the concern is what the residents consider excessive blowing of the wayside horn, 20 -30 times. Councilmember Bukkila arrived at 6:05 p.m. Mr. Dave Johnson from BNSF Railroad was at the meeting. Councilmember Knight asked if the oil trains specifically affect this. Mr. Berkowitz stated they do not specifically affect the horn, a train traveling through the intersection without stopping or slowing will have a 7 horn blow before and through the intersection. Councilmember Goodrich asked why the wayside horn is blowing so much. Mr. Berkowitz indicated the horn is triggered by the train. When a train is traveling south and approaches Crosstown Boulevard and is in the process to transition onto the siding track the train Engineer brings the train to a stop and has to get off the train and manually switch the track over to the siding. As the train begins to slow the horn blows until the train stops. Once the train begins to move again the horn sounds again until the train engine is through the intersection. This is why the train horn blows 20 -30 times where in a normal crossing with no transition onto the siding track the horn blows 7 -9 times. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 24, 2015 Page 2 Mr. Berkowitz reviewed three potential options with the Council, one leaving the wayside horn as is, two remove the wayside horn and go back to train whistle and three construct a quiet zone. Mr. Johnson stated the railroad does not plan on changing the track configuration because of the siding that is there, the cost of the signals alone are $250,000. Mr. Johnson did indicate that BNSF was looking at some centralized traffic control improvements, best case would be in 2018. Mayor Trude asked if the arms can be reused if the roadway and tracks were to be widened to allow a crossing without a horn. Mr. Johnson stated they cannot reuse them. Ms. Palaia, 1020 1591h Lane NW, asked because this is a County Road, would the County pay for the road improvements. Mr. Berkowitz stated because this would be considered a quality of life improvement, the County will not cover anything at Crosstown Boulevard as this is a city street. Mayor Trude wondered if they could get an electric switch for the tracks so the engineer does not need to manually switch the tracks. Mr. Johnson stated the switch is electric but the engineer needs to make sure the main track is clear of the train before the switch gets turned back. He stated the wayside horns are in place and working as intended. ® Ms. Palaia wondered why there is such an increase in the horn sound. Mr. Johnson stated there has been an increase in train traffic and increase in activity in the Northtown rail yard. Mayor Trude wondered if they could do the train switching north of this intersection by Ward Lake Drive. Mr. Berkowitz indicated there is no siding track there. Mr. Johnson thought East Bethel's siding track is also being used to stage trains. Councilmember Holthus asked if there are any plans to add more siding tracks. Mr. Johnson stated there are not any plans at this time. Mr. Berkowitz wondered if the Northtown rail yard could be expanded. Mr. Johnson stated they expanded a couple of years ago and are running out of land to expand the operation. Mr. Dickinson asked if the Superior Wisconsin rail yard is as busy as the Northtown rail yard is. Mr. Johnson stated it is not. Mr. Dickinson wondered if they could be stopped there. Mr. Johnson stated the Northtown yard is very busy with trains going all over the US. It was discussed that once a train leaves a rail yard that if down the tracks there is a delay for some reason the siding tracks will be used. Mr. Johnson stated there is a decibel range for the train horns, they go from 92 to 105. They do a yearly test to make sure the locomotives are in compliance. Mr. Berkowitz asked what the actual count for trains per day is. Mr. Johnson stated he is not ® sure off the top of his head and would get back to him on this but he thought it is on average 14 to 20 trains per day. Mr. Johnson reviewed some of the freight that the trains carry on the tracks. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 24, 2015 Page 3 Mr. Brent Sabet, 1038 1591h Lane NW, stated he has noticed the number of trains, the loads they are carrying and the type of engines may be impacting shaking of their home and walls. The walls are starting to crack and hanging items are falling off the walls. Mr. Berkowitz asked if there was any data on that. Mr. Johnson stated he did not know what would have changed in the last three years to make that big of a difference. He indicated the weight of the trains has not changed. Ms. Jennifer Sabet, 1038 159th Lane NW, thought it could be the trains using the siding because when the trains slow down they can feel and hear the bumping of the cars. Mr. Johnson stated that could occur with the couplings connecting the train cars together. There is a small amount of play in those couplings. Mr. Berkowitz asked if what is carried on the trains is public information. Mr. Johnson was not specifically sure. He stated they do not publish what is carried but the contents will be disclosed if requested by the local agencies. Mr. Dickinson summarized they need to work with BNSF on the acceleration of the switch ® changing by BNSF because he did not think quiet zone crossing improvements would be feasible at this time. Mr. Berkowitz asked what a crossing life expectancy is. Mr. Johnson stated he would have to take a look at it but they have signals that are forty to fifty years old because they keep repairing them. Ms. Palaia asked if there are any improvements slated for Crosstown Boulevard. Mr. Berkowitz stated this is a city street and will likely only have an overlay done in the next ten years but no reconstruction. DISCUSS RFPII S -22 /CITY CAMPUS EXPANSION MASTER PLAN Mr. Berkowitz explained the City Council is requested to review the attached request for proposal (RFP) for the City Campus Expansion Master Plan, City Project 15 -22. Mr. Berkowitz reviewed the staff report with the Council. Mayor Trude stated when this was toured last year the Council thought there might be a need for separate buildings for maintenance and for staff because of the vehicle emissions. Mr. Berkowitz reviewed potential efficiencies of the building facility. Mr. Dickinson stated the weather in Minnesota is not ideal to work on vehicles outside so they would like to have a maintenance building tall enough to be able to work on all the City vehicles inside and still be attached to the other buildings. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 24, 2015 Page 4 Councilmember Holthus asked what the architect would look at and plan for. Mr. Berkowitz stated we would be looking for multiple layouts to see what would work best. Councilmember Bukkila stated one of the things she would like to reexamine is if they should not flip flop the timing of the Community Center and Public Works expansions and do the Public Works expansion first because to her that is a basic service and more important. Councilmember Goodrich asked when the architects propose the plans will the City be locked into doing those items because he wanted to make sure they are not locked into something so they are able to do improvements in phases. Mr. Dickinson stated structure phases for building is expected, if they have a plan, and if certain segments /phases are eligible for grant funding, that is something the city can pursue. Staff reviewed the draft RFP with the Council. Mayor Trude stated she wanted the parkway to Nightingale Street to have a trail on it. Staff is to bring the RFP to the next council meeting for consideration of approval. © REVIEW JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT & DISCUSS POSSIBLE STREET LIGHTS111- 25 1BUNKER LAKE BOULEVARD NW FROM CRANE STREET NW TO JEFFERSON STREET Mr. Berkowitz explained the City Council is requested to review and discuss the attached Joint Power Agreement (JPA) with Anoka County and review and discuss possible street lights along Bunker Lake Boulevard. Mr. Berkowitz reviewed the information with the Council. Mayor Trude stated on the landscaping plan she would like to see more trees planted along the roadway. Mr. Berkowitz stated Andy Winter did not feel comfortable putting that into the joint powers agreement but they have a verbal agreement that trees will be put in. Mayor Trude wondered if the neighborhood that did not qualify for a sound wall, could the City help them to get plans made for fencing that will match all along the roadway and also allow for taller fencing. She would like to have a neighborhood meeting and possibly discuss some sort of an assessment by the City for new fencing. Mr. Berkowitz stated he would not recommend going that way because the City would have to bid it and hire a contractor which could end up costing more than the residents purchasing and installing their own fencing. © Councilmember Bukkila thought the residents needed to go in together with one contractor to get the fences done and they should come forward as joint applicants for a variance to the fence height. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 24, 2015 Page 5 Mr. Berkowitz reviewed the street light proposal and the color options with the Council. Council consensus was to go with option 2, the standard bronze color lights. REVIEW MAYOR /COUNCIL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ROLES Fire Chief Streich made a presentation to the Council and discussed Emergency Management Roles. Councilmember Knight thought tornadoes would be the first thing they want to make sure they can deal with. Mr. Dickinson stated we have an emergency management plan, but in addition to planning and training we need to expand the current plan to address more issues and in more detail. Councilmember Holthus asked if they have worked at all with the Anoka Hennepin School District because they have a good system in place. Fire Chief Streich stated he has not yet, but will be talking to them. Chief Streich went through a possible emergency scenario along the railway with the Council. © The Council recessed at 8:10 p.m. The Council reconvened at 8:15 p.m. REVIEW PAST COUNCIL GOALS AND DISCUSS 2015 -2016 COUNCIL GOALS Mr. Dickinson explained each year since 2011 the Council has updated the Goals and Values document to assure that the goals and values are fairly inclusive and continue to meet with the vision of the Council. Mr. Dickinson reviewed the general goal categories and the progress report with the Council. The Council discussed efficient garbage collection process for the community. Mr. Dickinson stated he would like to see the Council review and identify new short term organizational goals. On the existing goals, are they still feasible and are they still the vision of the current Council or should they be changed. Mr. Dickinson asked how the Council would like to set the future goals. He asked if the Council would like to do the goal setting through an in -house facilitate process or through a professional facilitator via a strategic planning session. Mr. Dickinson stated the last professional facilitator © session was done in 2009 that was a half day session held at Connexus. Councilmember Holthus asked what the cost of an outside facilitator would be. Mr. Dickinson indicated the cost would vary, but a process similar to the 2009 would be between $1,500 and $2,000. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 24, 2015 Page 6 Mayor Trude thought they were back to dealing with growth as they had been in the early 2000's, while in 2009 they were dealing with the recession and layoffs, so she thought they should review their vision of the community and decide if what was discussed previously still applied to the City today. Councilmember Bukkila thought they should finish what they started before they start something new. Councilmember Knight stated they are getting more senior developments and what the Community Center wants to do is provide services for teens and also for seniors. Councilmember Knight stressed the need for demographic information. Mayor Trude stated they need an overall value statement they can all embrace and then work through the goals, she would support having an outside facilitator and a strategic planning session. Councilmember Knight thought they needed to look at the demographics to start with in order to put together value statements. Councilmember Bukkila thought reviewing goals at a workshop was sufficient. Councilmember Goodrich thought city staff could facilitate. Councilmember Holthus preferred an in -house goals session. Mr. Dickinson summarized that he was to have a focused in -house goals and values brainstorming session at a future workshop. DISCUSS 2016 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES Mr. Dickinson explained that city administration is starting to focus on the 2016 Annual Operating Budget Development process and is looking to the City Council to establish the Council's guidelines for the preparation of the 2016 Annual Operating Budget. Mr. Dickinson reviewed the 2016 Budget Development Guidelines with the Council and indicated he would bring them forward at the April 7th council meeting for consideration for approval. 2015 GENERAL FUND BUDGET PROGRESS REPORT Mr. Dickinson explained the City of Andover 2015 General Fund Budget contains total revenues of $9,876,575 and total expenditures of $10,364,730 (includes $26,000 of 2014 budget carry forward); a decrease in fund balance is planned. Mr. Dickinson reviewed the report with the Council, noting there were a few payment timing issues skewing department percentages. © FEBURARY2015CITYINVESTMENTREVIEW Mr. Dickinson reviewed the February 2015 City Investments with the Council, briefly reviewed Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 24, 2015 Page 7 broker analysis that is provided to help with decision making. OTHER TOPICS Councilmember Goodrich stated he received a call a few weeks ago from Tony Zeece at Beef O'Brady's and his interest in paddle wheel gambling. He would like staff to research this and come back to the Council with any information on new regulations. He indicated he would like to see them change the ordinance where they could have it again. Mayor Trude stated she helped write the current ordinance prohibiting the paddlewheel because of the previous problem they had with the Lions Club at Pov's and she talked with gambling control and was told this was the one gaming activity that defies audit. She stated they have cameras located over the wheel but because the wheel deals directly with money being placed on it and removed, paid out, there is no record of where the money has gone. She would not recommend changing the ordinance unless significant changes have been put into place. Councilmember Knight stated he was concerned about anything that presents situations that tempt people to steal but thought staff could research it. Councilmember Holthus stated she had © no interest in changing the code. Councilmember Bukkila would be interested in having staff look at this to see what regulations have been put into place. Mr. Dickinson indicated he would survey neighboring communities relative to the paddlewheel and report back to the Council at a future workshop. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Knight, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sue Osbeck, Recording Secretary S