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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 06.eCITY OF LAKEVILLE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES December 9, 2013 Mayor Little called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m. in the Marion Conference Room at City Hall. Members Present: Council Members Swecker, LaBeau, Oers* a` Davis, and Mayor Little Staff Present: Steve Mielke, City Administrator; C1 Johnson, City Engineer; Judi Hawkins, Deputy City 2. Citizen Comments There were no citizen comments. X. A 3. CSAH 50 /CSAH 60 Intersection Design Traffirfmp Brian Sorenson, Dakota County Assistant Enginee i /was pi Diverted Traffic Study in relation ''the closure County V construction of the roundabout. t )vroximatel X4,000 ve ks Director; Zach �io discuss the proposed 50 and 60 during the 2015 use the intersection on a daily basis. The purpose of tlNIffic study is tom anticipated impacts of the closure and find solutioa.ww minimize tlte.tnpacts. Drivers who currently use the intersection as well as thole: rho curreritly the p osed alternate routes are certain to experience inconvoknces. W.'Sorenson stated that the inrsection will be closed for about four months. Construction un' traffic would result in th project taking much longer and would be very difficult due to the tinges in grade. The ' signated alternate routes use county roadways and might not be the mt,�convenient ro . s for everyone. It is expected that people will find a route that works best fo them. C ncil members discussed several areas where traffic flow might be of concern. Mr. lkel, rated that the proposed study would help to determine what the potential impacts ill be and what might be done in 2014 to minimize the impacts in 2015. Some upgrades and road projects might be necessary in advance of the 50/60 closure. Swecker suggested one of those projects might be the extension of Kenrick Ave., which would alleviate some of the congestion on CR 50. Sorenson believes adequate advance signage will be critical. The study will focus on routes which are expected to be impacted and develop a plan for improvements to mitigate those impacts. This could include traffic control changes such as temporary signals, and geometric improvements such as added turn City Council Work Session December 9, 2013 Page -2- lanes. Drivers who are familiar with local streets will likely use those routes even though they might not be the designated detour. Sorenson discussed possible closure of Joplin Avenue at the 188th Street railroad crossing in order to prevent heavy traffic in the neighborhood. This would leave many people who live in the neighborhood with only one access, depending on what side of the railroad tracks they live on. The bank and clinic on the southwest side of 50/60 have requested a consistent access to avoid confusion for their customers. Mayor Little stated that e- Ijoplin is left open for local traffic only, it needs to be strictly enforced in orb ilo be� to the residents. Mr. Sorenson added that the neighbors will be adversely afk cted with,; additional traffic on their neighborhood streets, or the inconvenience of a d �our i embers were not , comfortable with complete closure of 188th Street at Jop " 4Ave. by the railioad tracks and cutting off those residents' access, and would like to dis s it krther with tl ie._pt results. Mr. Sorenson clarified that the purpose of the s6rdy is tai,- ndicate fl host likely routes that people will be using, how much traffic is ;Ocio d on tose'routes, and how the closure will specifically impact various intersections. e c o,ffhe stu s approximately $15,000 to $20,000 and will be shared alon wi the rest oft project 't Council Member LaBeau g . believes drivers will find their ow -44ay that best eets theiri�eeds. Mr. Johnson stated that it is difficult to anticipate whattes people WA h€t'the study will focus on how the traffic can best be facilitated. Council mrAers agreed t t,imp ov ents may be needed at other intersections in advancgZf the closure to helo t ' - 'c congestion during the project. It was suggested tht5�inions be solicited from`�the 188th Street /Joplin Ave. neighborhood on whether that i4j rsection should remain opeq to local traffic or if all traffic should use an alternate route. Mr ,telke stated that knowin ' hether this intersection is to be closed or remain open will be a mater factor in the studv/; Council meters also, concerns about additional traffic at the Ipava Ave. /175th Street intersectlah,a d suggested a temporary traffic signal might be needed during the 50/60 closure. Sorensonstated that the Ipava /175 intersection might already meet the criteria for a permanent traffic signal without added traffic from this project. Traffic counts from the entire day are studied to determine if a signal is needed, not just during the heaviest traffic. Mayor Little believes the study is justified and supports the expenditure. Council Member Swecker agrees that drivers will find a route that works best for them; however, she is would be supportive of a totally comprehensive study. Sorenson stated that there are many roads City Council Work Session December 9, 2013 Page -3- that are not highlighted that will be impacted by additional traffic, but the intent is to minimize those impacts. The completed study, along with recommendations, will be presented to Council in February for further discussion prior to adoption. Sorenson stated the County Board might consider partnering with the City on the cost of long -term traffic solutions in conjunction with this project. Council members suggested several intersections they would like to have included in the study. It was Council's consensus to participate in the CSAH 50/60 T directed Dakota County to initiate the study to be funded-as p, 4. Pan -O -frog Boulevard Ordinance Public Works Director Chris Petree stated that it has b who are saving spots for the Cruise Night and the Pan - some kind on the downtown boulevards and right of items have been causing significant issues for .: siness &sion Study and joint project. practice for v ovl to of past few years these overty owners and have become a general eyesore and safety hazarWAn ordin45a� , amending Chapter 7 of the City Code regarding boulevard use and maint ance, sp r frcally.it pertains to the Pan -O -Prog festivities, is proposed. The amend nt allows sp f- saving iteing such as chairs and blankets to be placed on the boulevard fro 9:00 a.m. to 'idnight ou'both days. Outside of those hours anything left out would icked up by crews,,i the items restrict their efforts ` A` to clean up the streets between ts, especially`�rjght. The ordinance amendment received su ppAqfrro_m-iththe D� 4� and the Pan -O -Prog Executive Board. Other options could be tot thally restrict limit placing items to two hours before the event. Thfdinance proposes that irm ounded items be brought to a central location for retrieval .-'their owners. LaBeauasked. there would be fee involved and about budget implications for ` Bible additional overti 'hours. Petree stated that the budget impact would be miniril � nce crews are atte ting to clean along the parade route anyway. Maintenance workers c* d place itemsoi a trailer to be claimed later; no fee is proposed during a public education p oft od. Staf[� ll focus on signage and public education in an effort to make people aware oTt%ew ordinance. Council members stated that downtown business owners had been frustrated with people trying to tape off spots on the sidewalk in front of their business during the sidewalk sales, making it difficult and hazardous for customers. Little believes the ordinance it is too broad and there will be difficulty in returning items to their rightful owners. As the amendment is written, it could possibly rule out sidewalk sales. Mielke suggested issuing one general common City Council Work Session December 9, 2013 Page -4- permit to the DLBA to allow a sidewalk sale in the downtown. Davis added that this is a critical time for the downtown businesses and they need to be safely accessible. Council members concurred that there is a need for this ordinance and that consistent enforcement is necessary to modify people's behavior and alleviate the problem. Signage and a Messages article will be used to educate the public. Homeowners along the parade route will also be notified. 5. 2014 City Council Work Session Meeting Dates Some holidays and special events conflict with regula sessions. It is important to determine alternate dates and the public. Council determined that for regular: the meeting would be moved to Tuesday. Alternate that Council is aware of at this time will be: January.. Council directed staff to prepare a re meeting agenda for consideration 6. Other: Council members received a & a 2014 calej typically participates. CounciN.0" Od like to Council Meriiber LaBeau "6d whaflattern r r' nrt etinRs and work J prp"de advareq notice to Council t f ts that fall on`!Ionday,.holiday, es @o 2014 work ses�io iwtonflicts May 11,1 I d December 8. Nti� ?4 4. 1 e dates and to add it to a regular activj and events in which Council calendar invites. whether an item is placed on consent agendr as a regular item f iscussio "°, he has heard comments that there could be moo. discussion on some items ind believes expanded minutes from the work dkk ussion would be helpful. Ike stated that it is his decision whether an item is consent or, fe glar, and he is open to Incil's direction. Little encouraged council members to use their 0*n of removing any j� em from the consent agenda if they wish to discuss it further. � 1 LaBeau requ tad an u date on Heritage Center fundraising progress. Mielke stated that 2014 should be`t al fundraising year, with approximately $85,000 remaining. The Parks and Recreation Director is working on a progress report. LaBeau asked if a joint meeting could be scheduled between the Council and the Finance Committee. Little suggested a discussion be held at a work session regarding topics for that meeting. City Council Work Session December 9, 2013 Page -5- LaBeau believes homebuyers are looking for detached townhomes on smaller lots, and stated this was also mentioned at the Envision Lakeville process. Mielke will discuss with the EDC. Mr. Mielke stated that Council committee appointments will be on the next work session agenda for discussion and asked council members to review their options before the meeting. Only the DCC is requesting an immediate appointment. 7. Adjourn Mayor Little adjourned the meeting at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted,