2022-06-21 City Council Work Session Agenda
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA
June 21, 2022 4:00pm
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights
1. Call to Order
2. Presentation—Roots in the Ground
3. Natural Resource Management Plan Review and Discussion
4. Retaining Wall—1912 South Lane
5. Adjourn
______________________________________________ City Council Work Session Memo
DATE: June 21, 2022
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Cheryl Jacobson, City Administrator
Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator
SUBJECT: Roots in the Ground Informational Presentation
INTRODUCTION
Nissa Tupper and Rosemary Husbands will provide an informational presentation on Roots in the
Ground, a local grass roots initiative with the goal of planting 5,000 canopy shade trees in five
years.
BACKGROUND
Website: www.rootsinground.com
Mendota Heights will lose thousands of ash trees in the coming years due to the quickly
spreading Emerald Ash Borer infestation. Once this insect’s larvae bore into an ash tree, the
tree has virtually no chance of survival without a perpetual chemical treatment.
With its one billion ash trees, Minnesota has one of the largest concentrations of ash in the
country. And Mendota Heights alone has over 15,000 of these trees. To help replace some of
this devastating tree loss, we at the Mendota Heights community canopy-tree project are
launching an initiative to plant at least 5,000 new canopy trees in our community.
Roots in the Ground is a private-public collaboration between residents, business owners,
schools, organizations and others to plant 5,000 canopy shade trees in 5 years.
ACTION REQUESTED
Informational item.
______________________________________________ City Council Work Session Memo
DATE: June 21, 2022
TO: Mayor, City Council and City Administrator
FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator
SUBJECT: Natural Resources Management Plan Update
BACKGROUND
The City Council heard a presentation of the Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP)
Update at the regular meeting of the City Council on May 17, 2022. The City Council requested
that the Plan be further discussed at a work session before final acceptance.
The current NRMP draft is the result of the guidance of the Steering Committee and the work
performed by RES, including historical and existing information and data gathering, as well as
implementation approaches and future steps towards natural resources management,
restoration, and preservation throughout the City. The NRMP Update is intended to provide
vision, principles, and goals; as well as a framework and road map for enhancing, expanding,
connecting, and protecting the City’s natural resources into the future.
ACTION REQUESTED
Informational Only. Doug Mensing and Kim Chapman from Resource Environmental Solutions,
LLC (RES) will be present to answer questions and receive comments from the Council.
______________________________________________ City Council Work Session Memo
DATE: June 21, 2022
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Ryan Ruzek, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: South Lane Retaining Wall Deterioration
INTRODUCTION
Mendota Heights constructed a modular block retaining wall when South Lane was extended in
1987. The wall blocks are showing signs of deterioration.
BACKGROUND
Staff has met with the home owner at 1912 South Lane to assess a deteriorating retaining wall
the city constructed in the right-of-way in 1987. The wall is currently stable but the blocks are
deteriorating. The likely cause of this deterioration is from water and salt. This wall location
receives daytime sun which may have allowed a brine type to melt during winter daytimes but
refreezing at night. There is a second city constructed wall across the street which does not
have this type of deterioration.
Attached to this memo are the construction plans for South Lane and a GIS map showing the
wall location, also attached are photos of the wall.
The Council is asked on how they desire staff to work on a wall replacement.
The home owner has been planning landscaping and curb appeal improvements and desires to
have this wall improved. The home owner has solicited quotes for a replacement of the wall
which came in at $1,475 to demo the existing wall and $16,345 to construct a new wall. The
quote does also include $1,975 for landscaping which staff feels is not a city cost.
ACTION REQUESTED
Staff is proposing the following options to be considered for this project:
1. Allow the homeowner to proceed with replacement of the wall at its current location in
the right-of-way which the city would reimburse the home owner for these costs. If this
option is selected, staff would ask the homeowner to then be the owner of the wall due
to project oversight and not being a city engineered project. The Council could consider
this option with the city retaining ownership.
2. Direct staff to issue a retaining wall project meeting all engineering standards and
bidding requirements, the city continue to own the wall. This is likely to greatly increase
costs but the city would have a confidence that it was constructed to a certain standard.
It is also possible that a new wall could be constructed in front of the existing wall
reducing some costs for removal.
3. Allow the existing wall to remain until such time that the wall is no longer serving its
purpose. This would result in negative aesthetics during that time.
4. Provide additional options
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This imagery is copyrighted and licensed by Nearmap US Inc, which retainsownership of the imagery. It is being provided by Dakota County under theterms of that license. Under that license, Dakota County is allowed toprovide access to the “Offline Copy Add-On for Government”, on which thisimage services is based, at 6-inch resolution, six months after the capturedate, provided the user acknowledges that the imagery will be used in theirnormal course of business and must not be resold or distributed for the
1912 South Lane
Date: 6/16/2022
City ofMendotaHeights050
SCALE IN FEET
GIS Map Disclaimer:This data is for informational purposes only and should not be substituted for a true title search, property appraisal, plat,survey, or for zoning verification. The City of Mendota Heights assumes no legal responsibility for the information containedin this data. The City of Mendota Heights, or any other entity from which data was obtained, assumes no liability for any errorsor omissions herein. If discrepancies are found, please contact the City of Mendota Heights.
Contact "Gopher State One Call" at 651-454-0002 for utility locations, 48 hours prior to any excavation.
Retaining Wall