HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-13-06 WSMinutes
City of Lakeville
Council Work Session
Tuesday, February 13, 2006 / 4:30 PM
In attendance: Mayor Robert Johnson, Council Members David Luick, Mark Bellows,
Laurie Rieb, and Wendy Wulff.
Also in attendance: City Administrator Steve Mielke, Planning Director Daryl Morey,
Police Captains Tom Vonhof and John Arvidson, Liquor Operations Manager Brenda
Visnovec, and Assistant to City Administrator Brian Anderson.
Item #1. Athletic Center Project
The City has received a second proposal from LifeTime Fitness for the construction of
an athletic facility on the former King property site owned by the City. LifeTime is
proposing to build a facility similar to their Chanhassen athletic center, with the
addition of at least 12 tennis courts. The Mayor and City Administrator visited their
• Chanhassen facility, which is rated nationally for size and quality. The company has
been looking at Lakeville for a possible facility for quite some time and when the
opportunity presented itself they contacted City staff to request a meeting. Staff has
had numerous discussions with them over the past several weeks. The Letter of
Intent which has been submitted would create a relationship between the City and
LifeTime wherein the City would. enter, into exclusive negotiations with them for the
purpose of preparing a purchase agreement. Whereas the KPAC agreement would
have required the developer to lease the property, this agreement would entail a
simple purchase of approximately 19.9 acres of property on which to build the facility.
In addition to the .$80,000 per acre negotiated price, an additional future payment of
$90,000 would offset platting and park dedication fees.
LifeTime currently has sizable facilities in Savage and Eagan, with a smaller facility in
Apple Valley. They anticipate some of those members moving to the Lakeville facility
when it opens. In the KPAC partnership agreement, they .proposed to build a
swimming pool at no cost to the City or school district, for the school district's
competitive swimming purposes. They were also proposing that the City be required
to build an ice sheet, adjacent to and connected to the KPAC facility. The LifeTime
arrangement requires neither of these contingencies.
Initially, with the KPAC agreement, the City would have received a free parking lot,
including maintenance. It was later determined that this would not have been
financially feasible. LifeTime will discuss with the school district the possibility of
City Council Work Session Minutes
February 13, 2006 Page -2-
• assisting in building a competitive pool. for them as a public entity. LifeTime is open to
the possibility of having an ice arena adjacent to it, but it is not a requirement. This
proposal for a quality facility with a tennis component would be the premier LifeTime
facility in the state. A 15% membership initiation discount will be offered to Lakeville
residents. Police and Fire personnel will also be able to become members with no
initiation fee. Unlimited daily rates will also be offered.
The Letter of Intent suggests the City plat the property and share with LifeTime on a
limited basis the cost of doing so, including delineation of wetlands on the entire piece
of properly, and creation of outlots and a new public access road, which will be
constructed by the City from Dodd to the western boundary of the property.
Easements will be created for sanitary sewer and watermain for adjacent parcels.
Council Member Luick pointed out .that the agreement would only pertain to City fees,
and not County or other agency fees. The City Administrator reviewed the site plan
and other various exhibits with those in attendance.
Mayor Johnson asked for a consensus of opinion on various aspects of the project,
including the selling price. Council Members stated they are comfortable with the
price. City Administrator Steve Mielke pointed out that with the KPAC proposal, there
was no revenue from the sale of the land.
• Under the KPAC proposal, the City had agreed to .construct an ice sheet at public cost
in this location as an incentive to build. Without that encumbrance, staff feels that
other sites. should be considered for an ice arena location. One site might be closer to
the existing Ames Arena. Mayor Johnson stated he had been very impressed with the
high quality of the Chanhassen LifeTime Fitness facility they had toured and feels it
would be a great addition to the community.
Counci/ directed staff to p/ace the Life~me Fitness Letter of Intent on the new- agenda
for consideration.
Item #2. Crystal Lake Golf Club Land Donation
Director of Planning Daryl Morey stated that the land. proposed to be donated is the
wooded piece south of 165t" Street, near the footbridge over 165t" Street. The
owners had proposed townhomes for the property at one time; however, there were
some issues with land use compatibility and tree removal, along with neighborhood
objections.. The developer/property owners are offering to donate the parcel to the
City for a tax write-off. The property would be identified as a conservation/natural
area and would become the responsibility of the City for maintenance, etc. There
have been .some ongoing issues with neighbors disposing of yard-waste debris on the
property. The. Parks, ..Recreation and Natural Resources Committee reviewed. this
proposal in 2004 and recommended that the Council accept the donation. The
neighborhood supports the donation and will be notified of the change of ownership.
City Council Work Session Minutes
February 13, 2006 Page -3-
Council directed staff to have the C/ Forester ins ect the trees on the roe f r
ty P P P ~Y o
possible disease, bring it before the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources
Committee again, then bring the item forward for Council consideration.
Item #3. Waste Hauler License Distribution Process
Daryl Morey stated that currently the city code limits waste hauler licenses to six Class
A and three Class B, or a total of nine licenses in the City. This has been in place for
several years and was intended to limit the number of trucks that would be running on
the streets for garbage and recycling collection. The ordinance has been revisited.
because of a significant zoning violation against one of the companies near the top of
the waiting list. It has been suggested that there should be some criteria be in place
for granting a license, rather than just having an informal waiting list, which might
include a business which has not been operating properly in the city. There is
currently one Class A license and one Class B license available as a result of some
sales and .mergers of companies.
Council. directed staff to ask the City Attorney to draft some additional criteria for
issuing waste hauler licenses in the City of Lakeville and to bring it forward for
consideration.
Item #4. juvenile Party Ordinance
Police Captain John Arvidson has looked at the ordinances of other cities and Dakota
County ordinances in effect. The City of Burnsville has a participation in parties
ordinance and they issue citations to homeowners for violations of noise, etc.
Agreements are made between the Police Dept. and owners. of multi-unit housing that
the owners will evict violators, which makes the violations more of a civil penalty than
a criminal one. The City of Eagan has a repeat nuisance call service fee of up to $250
which deals mostly with numerous contacts, not specific offenses. Captain Arvidson
noted that parents can be held responsible in a civil court for actions of their kids in
the home, and that might be the direction the Council would choose to look. Chief
Strachan added that he is on the Chemical Health Committee and some of these
issues come from there. There is a Town Meeting in April, which can be used as a
springboard to discuss civil liability and public education. Staff and the Council felt the
approach that Eagan has taken would work well in Lakeville at this time.
Item #5. Police Department Building Project
Sergeant Tim Knutson has been working on the project, but was not available for the
work session. Captain. Arvidson pointed out the difficulty in predicting needs for 30
• years in the future. An indoor firing range has. not been put in the plan, due to other
options that are or might become available. It was also determined that the cost of
City Council Work Session Minutes
February 13, 2006 Page -4-
• adding canine kennels to the plan was not justified, due to other available options.
The fitness room is a space only need and will be addressed at a later time. Currently
the fitness room at Fire Station #4 and the High Schools are being used. Training
rooms are also available at other facilities.
City Administrator Mielke stated that the construction manager approach .will be
requested for this project. A general contractor approach has also. been used in the
past, such as at the Central Maintenance Facility. The cost for each method is the
same, but with construction manager is more of an owner's advocate with significant
knowledge in construction and can do value engineering with the architect as he is
designing the facility.
Council directed Finance Director Dennis Fel%r and Sgt. Knutson to work with City
Attorney Roger Knutson on the framework for this project:
Item #6. Liquor Department Update
Liquor Operations Manager Brenda Visnovec was unavailable. This item was tabled
and will be discussed at a future meeting.
Item #7. Lakeville Grove Cemetery
Staff received a letter from Don Cross asking the City to assume ownership and
responsibility for the Lakeville Grove Cemetery. The cemetery consists of 3.7-acres
and has about 2,000 plots, with about 600 remaining to be sold.. The interest from
the cash escrow of approximately $50,000 pays for the maintenance costs, in addition
to the sale of plots. When all the plots are sold, the interest alone will need to pay for
the maintenance, Don Cross would like to retire from the cemetery association after
about 25 years. The cemetery is not affiliated with any church or organization.
Mr. Anderson then presented the options to the Council as outlined in the work
session packet.
Mayor Johnson stated that he has met with Mr. Cross and with City Attorney Roger
Knutson many times to discuss this issue. Mr. Knutson has advised the City not
become involved due to the liabilities of past plotting practices. It was hoped that a
church would take over the cemetery. Council Member Luick suggested that a group
interested. in historical preservation might wish to take it over. City Administrator
Mielke stated that the most difficult part is not finding people to sit on the board, but.
finding people who are willing to do the actual physical labor of plotting the land,
thawing sites in the winter if necessary, and preparing for excavation of graves. He
feels it would be helpful to try to generate interest in the facility by using. resources.
• such as the Messages page and by providing financial advice.
City Council Work Session Minutes
February 13, 2006 Page -5-
Council directed staff to provide available resources to assist Don Cross in forming a
successful and operational cemetery association for the Lakevil/e Grove Cemetery, as
outlined in Option E.
Item #8. Legislative Priorities
City Administrator Mielke stated that Council's top priorities for Legislative action were
expressed as part of the Strategic Plan. The document received by Council is a .draft
and may need some modification. The LMC has an extensive list of prioritized issues,
as does the AMM. The Municipal Legislative Commission also has a concentrated
legislative slate. Mr. Mielke has also discussed the issues with the Lakeville Chamber
of Commerce.
Mr. Mielke discussed five potential subjects which have been put on the master list
and asked for Council input. Mayor Johnson stated that he felt that was a comfortable.
number of issues to focus on. Council Member Wulff feels Market Value Homestead
Credit is currently the most important and has the greatest effect on the City.
Council directed staff to put this item on the next regu/ar Council agenda for
consideration
Item #9. Board and Commission Appointment
City Administrator Steve Mielke stated that the Council had interviewed applicants and
made recommendations on appointments. The Mayor has had an opportunity to
review the applicants, as he was not available to attend the interviews. Council did
not support an additional interview of a late applicant for the Arts Center Board.
Council directed staff to put Board and Commission appointments on the next Council
agenda for consideration.
The meeting adjourned at 6:25 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
~,~"~ i~
J ~ dit R. Hawkins, Deputy Clerk
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