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1992-05-18 Council Workshop Realign Dodd RdCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA Minutes of the Workshop Meeting City Council Held Monday, May 18, 1992 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the Workshop Meeting of the City Council was held at 7:10 o'clock p.m. at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, Minnesota. The following Council members were present: Mayor Mertensotto, Councilmembers Cummins, Blesener, Smith and Koch. Also present were City Administrator Tom Lawell, Public Works Director James Danielson, Civil Engineer Klayton Eckles, Finance Director Larry Shaughnessy, Administrative Assistant Kevin Batchelder and City Planner John Uban. Mayor Mertensotto introduced John Uban, City Planner consultant, to present the findings of a report completed by Dahlgren, Shardlow and Uban entitled Proposal by Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnD0T) to Realign Dodd Road through the Central Commercial Area dated May 15, 1992. Mr. Uban reviewed the history of the 1985 Task Force Report on the Central Commercial Area and its findings. Mr. Uban discussed the goals of the 1985 report and highlighted the six alternatives that the 1985 report had proposed. Mr. Uban stated that north-south access and pedestrian access are important community goals. Mr. Uban presented three alternatives contained in the report that were in response to the MnDOT proposal for Dodd Road. The City Council discussed current city goals for transportation access in the area, central commercial access, visibility, future highway traffic patterns and pedestrian access. The City Council discussed the use of the Highway 149 Right-of-Way and the need for future transportation uses in this area to determine if a public interest is served, in retaining this Right-of-Way. Council Member Blesener stated that the City's priorities are to provide the community with adequate north/south traffic flow, to provide resident access to the highway system and to provide safe pedestrian crossing. The City Council considered the various design options. The Council discussed future traffic projections for Highway 110 at Dodd Road. The Council discussed MSA Page 2 May 18, 1992 funding for highway and street improvements. The City Council was of a consensus that the Dodd Road intersection with Highway 110 remain open, that a bridge should be provided to cross Highway 110 and provide access to the commercial center and that it allow for future highway access. The City Council directed staff to contact MnDOT about this design option and to discuss the design with the owner of the Mendota Plaza and other interested land owners in the area. STREET REHABILITATION POLICY At the Council workshop Klayton Eckles gave a presentation for a possible Street Rehabilitation/Reconstruction Plan. Council reaffirmed that the objectives for the City are: 1. Encourage upgrade of rural streets to urban streets 2. Provide a plan for maintaining the City's infrastructure for a long time period. Mr. Eckles presentation discussed a number of scenarios which discussed different methods for trying to encourage the upgrade of rural streets by using City subsidy on the cost of street upgrade. The scenarios discussed included -City 1-subsidy levels between 50-850 of the total cost to convert a street. These levels of City subsidy would yield different levels of acceptance by rural street property owners. The estimated participation of the rural property owners in a street conversion program ranged from approximately two miles for a 50o subsidy to 17 miles for a 85-0. subsidy. There are approximately 20 miles of streets in the City that are not urban design. The City subsidy levels would create minor to very serious increases in annual tax levy to implement these scenarios. The City currently levies $50,000 per year for infrastructure replacement. In addition to discussing methods to encourage upgrading to urban design, Mr. Eckles also discussed methods to insure that the existing urban streets are upgraded and maintained on a regular basis. After the presentation Council discussed the information presented and had a number comments on possible improvements to the policy. Council suggested that given the effect on the City tax levy, the maximum acount the City could possibly subsidize would be 500 of the upgrade cost. Another way to increase participation would be to adjust the life of the assessment roll. Council suggested that for a rural street that is just rehabilitated (rebuilt as a rural street) only a 10 year assessment period be used. A rural street that is upgraded to an urban design would have an assessment period of 20 years. Council also commented that rather than have residents petition for an upgrade to urban design, residents in a rural area should be presented the project as an urban upgrade and if they are against an urban upgrade they can protest through a petition. The City will assume the upgrade is the desired solution and will proceed in that manner unless a petition is received. Council also directed that urban areas should receive some assistance in the rehabilitation of urban streets. Urban streets that are rehabilitated should be financed 500-. by the City infrastructure funds and 500-o assessments. When a street reaches its expected life and rehabilitation, in the form of an overlay or some other method, is not appropriate or feasible then a reconstruction project would be in order and be 1000 funded by assessments, with the following exception: 500 of the cost of the overlay would still be covered by City infrastructure funds. Council also raised a concern that low income properties should receive some type of assistance on upgrade projects. The option of HRA -money was discussed as a possible solution. Possible deferments to elderly was discussed. Council directed staff to incorporate these additional points and write a formal Street Rehabilitation/Reconstruction Policy and present to Council at the next meeting. ADJOURN There being no further business, the City Council adjourned at approximately 10:00 p.m.