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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 10.26.2010 MINUTES COUNCIL WORKSHOP OCTOBER 26, 2010 6:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS A Council Workshop was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Ken Olson at 6:30 p.m. on October 26, 2010. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: _x Emelie Eaton _x_ Doug Poehls (7:15 p.m.) _ Kate Hart _x_ Mark Mace _ Chuck Rodgers _x_ Chuck Dickerson • _x Tom Nelson _x Norm Stamper OTHERS PRESENT: Sam Painter James Caniglia Bill Sheridan Kurt Markegard James Caniglia Sergeant Mark Guy Jackie Kuhl, Great West Engineering Public Input (three - minute limit): Citizens may address the Council regarding any item of City business not on the agenda. The duration for an individual speaking under Public Input is limited to three minutes. While all comments are welcome, the Council will not take action on any item not on the agenda. There was none. General items: • Appointments: o Laurel Ambulance Service: LaVonne Mothershead The appointment will be on the November 2nd council agenda. Jan Faught and LaVonne Mothershead will attend the council meeting next Tuesday. o Big Sky EDA: Ken Olson, Ex Officio Member The appointment will be on the November 2" council agenda. The term ends on December 31, 2013. Davis Ditch — Rick Olson Rick Olson spoke regarding the Davis Ditch, which he stated has been flooding South Park (Riverside Park) for the last eight months. It also floods his pond when it raises the water table off the Steve Aaker property. He explained some pictures and information that he distributed to the council prior to the meeting, and then described the areas of concern using a large map. Rick stated that Steve Aaker left the pipe open and the Davis Ditch has flooded the park and his property. He has contacted the Davis Ditch Company but has not received any assistance. He asked the city to write the Davis Ditch a letter stating that the City of Laurel does not want Riverside Park to be flooded and is concerned about the mosquitoes in the park. Kurt Markegard and Matt Wheeler met with Rick earlier today to see firsthand where the ditches are and how the city park is affected. Since the ditches are shut off for the year, there was no water Council Workshop Minutes of October 26, 2010 moving, but Kurt could see some areas along the road where water had pooled up. Kurt stated that the Yellowstone River causes flooding in Riverside Park in the lower areas by the Rod and Gun Club. It is not unusual to have water in the park in May, June, and July. Without seeing the ditch and the flooding firsthand, it would be hard to associate that, but it is a concern for the future. Kurt informed Rick that the city would keep an eye on it next spring to see if the city, as a property owner, needs to do anything. There was further discussion regarding the evidence of seasonal flooding. Rick Olson stated that the issue started when Steve Aaker purchased the property from Curt Lord. Steve Aaker cut a hole 50- feet from the fence into the Davis Ditch. On the other side of the pipe culvert is where Mr. Aaker put the Danford Ditch into the Davis Ditch to go back to the river. Rick stated that Steve should not have done that and should have left it draining down to another culvert. Instead, the hole causes the water to pool and results in the flooding issue. There was discussion regarding whether Steve Aacker or the Davis Ditch is responsible. Rick stated that the ditch owners are responsible. Norm Stamper stated that Rick brought the issue to the Park Board. It was discussed and the Park Board was going to write a letter to the Davis Ditch Board. Norm brought the issue forward to a previous council workshop, where the council had the same discussion as tonight without the additional information. At that time, the city council decided to look into it further before writing a letter. Norm asked if this issue should be on the agenda for the joint meeting with the County Commissioners. Mayor Olson stated that the city does not yet have enough information to understand the whole issue. As the Public Works Director brought forward, the city was not aware of the actual incident when it happened and needs to review it further before action is taken. Kurt stated that Rick's point is that Steve cut the hole in the pipe and there is no way to stymie the flow. The area is currently used as an agricultural use for hayfields, and Kurt stated that the owner has a right to irrigate his land if he is using if for hayfields. Rick's point is that there is no way to stymie the flow, as there is no head gate, so it runs all summer instead of irrigating once or twice and shutting it off In May, June, and July, the river rises higher than the park. The levees, which are slowly eroding away, keep the water from the park, but the water does come up through the ground. Whenever the city digs, the groundwater flows through there the next year. Rick is in the same predicament but is not affected by the river as much as by the flood irrigation from the adjoining property. Mayor Olson asked if there is a way to disseminate between the water in question and groundwater coming up naturally. Kurt stated the need to visually see the water coming into the park. The field is actually about four to five feet higher than the park. New mapping has the park in the 100 -year floodplain, so there will be periodic flooding there through the groundwater table during spring runoff Kurt is not sure what the city can do about the ditch issue. The city owns the property and could state its concerns regarding the mosquitoes and the water in the park, which deprives the citizens and visitors from using the park. Kurt stated that there will be periodic flooding anyway. Mayor Olson asked if it would be the council's consideration to monitor this issue in the spring to see if the city needs to address it at that time. 2 Council Workshop Minutes of October 26, 2010 Police Department: • Resolution — Wireless Enhanced 911 Service Agreement with Qwest Sergeant Guy explained that the contract with Qwest will begin the second phase of the Enhanced 911 program, which is needed to provide cell phone information. When someone calls 911 from a cell phone, the location will show up on the computer screen. The testing will begin on November 9 and it is unknown when the program will be completed. Public Works Department: • Resolution — Request from CHS for abandonment and replacement of sewer line Kurt Markegard stated that the resolution is for abandonment and replacement of the sewer line south of the interstate that goes across CHS property. He has worked with Greg Brown and Brandon Gauthier to bring the document for the council's review. Kurt stated that it is an appropriate abandonment and relocation of the sewer and it helps the city to get rid of an old clay line that could be susceptible to groundwater and infiltration. The sewer camera will not go through the line to actually monitor this line, due to a sway in the line. The line is full of sediment and is hard to clean. With the expansion of the CHS Refinery, they propose to relocate the sewer line toward Highway 212, just south of the interstate, and then reconnect back into the city's sewer line. Exhibit A in the document outlines the location of the new sewer line. The old easement was located in the vault today and legal staff is reviewing the document. After construction of the new sewer line, the old sewer line would be abandoned, and that will be discussed in the future. There was discussion regarding having adequate manholes to clean the line and that the 12 -inch line will replace the 8 -inch line. The resolution will be on the November 2 council agenda. • Resolution — $1,000 Urban Forestry Excellence Award Grant Kurt stated that the resolution is for the grant application for the $1,000 award that the city received at the Montana League of Cities and Towns Conference. Council Member Eaton applied for the grant on behalf of the city. How to use the $1,000 grant was discussed at the Tree Board meeting last week. Since there was not a quorum present, no recommendation was made. The two members present agreed that it would be a great idea to add some greenery and shrubbery in the area of the new Laurel caboose. Kurt stated that Linda Frickel, with Laurel Alive, attended tonight's meeting to speak about this. Linda Frickel congratulated the city on the award. She stated that Sam Robertus did all the landscaping by the caboose and wants to add some greenery there. Linda stated that Laurel Alive is requesting to use the grant money to buy some trees and shrubbery to enhance that area. Last week, Bright n' Beautiful awarded Laurel Alive with a plaque for the project with the caboose and another plaque for the mural project in the Town Square. There was discussion regarding the watering system, which is battery powered and is adequate for the project. Dean Rankin is reviewing the possibility of solar lighting to light the caboose, which is required by MDT. Kurt will prepare and submit the grant documents for the project, and the city will purchase the trees for the project. There was further discussion regarding promoting Laurel in a positive way, the possibility of donations for more trees for the area, the installation of a lighted flagpole by the Boy Scouts, and the suggestion for Laurel Alive to have the elevators as the next project. • Resolution — SRF funding for the water main replacement on 3` Avenue and 7 Street Kurt stated that the resolution is for Dorsey & Whitney to prepare the bond resolution for the SRF funding for the water main replacement project on Third Avenue and Seventh Street. 3 Council Workshop Minutes of October 26, 2010 Jackie Kuhl, Great West Engineering, stated that the bond resolution is for two bonds where 50 percent will be forgiven. The project was started last week and things are going well. The project will use about $7,000 of the loan money, which would be at the discounted rate, and then 100 percent of the forgiveness money will be used, followed by the rest of the loan money. Once everything is completed, SRF will write off the first $188,000 and the second $188,000 will be at the discounted 1.75% interest rate. Council Member Poehls arrived at 7:15 p.m. Mayor Olson stated that there was just one item on the agenda but there are actually two resolutions. The first resolution is for the Engagement Letter with Dorsey & Whitney and the second resolution is for the revenue bonds. Kurt explained that SRF will use the first $188,000, the forgiveness funds, and then the city will start using the loan. There could be more than 50 percent forgiveness, depending on how construction goes. The project came in under the engineer's estimate. Jackie informed the council that SRF approved use of the loan funds for the replacement of the pavement that was ruined from the water breaks, so additional pavement can be replaced on Third Avenue in front of the church and the care center. The figure is reflected in the engineer's estimate of the cost of the project. There was discussion regarding use of the funds for water line replacement projects, the requirement for an additional site title opinion if the funds are used in a different location, the effects of multiple water line breaks on the asphalt and the plants, and the need to rebuild the streets after the water lines have been replaced. • Ordinance — Curb cut lengths Kurt explained that the building department has received requests for variances from the 24 -foot curb cut. Newer subdivisions have wider frontage and builders often request wider driveways to accommodate larger vehicles. Gary Colley contacted other cities regarding curb cut lengths. The Public Works Committee reviewed the issue and recommended changing the curb cut length from 24 feet to 30 feet. The first reading of the ordinance will be on the November 2n council agenda. • Discussion — Water line over bridge Kurt stated that the waterline across the bridge froze a few years ago because of defective heat tape and a controller that did not send an alarm to the water treatment plant operators. A 3 -inch HDP pipe was placed inside the line, but there is an air gap between there. Redoing the heat tape in the line would not overcome the gap between the outside diameter of the 3 -inch and the inside diameter of the 4 -inch pipe. The waterline has to be replaced or turned off for the winter to keep it from freezing. The original funding from the water plant improvements project is about $180,000 shy of fulfilling the total loan request. The city asked SRF if the additional loan capacity could be applied for a change order with COP Construction to replace the waterline. The city asked Great West Engineering to prepare cost estimates and to fill out the necessary paperwork with the Department of Transportation to replace the line. 4 Council Workshop Minutes of October 26, 2010 Jackie Kuhl stated that she spoke with MDT today. Because COP Construction could use the walkway and not have to impede the traffic on the bridge, MDT said they would probably issue the encroachment permit today for replacement of that waterline. Gary Weins has not yet reviewed the plans with SRF, but it is on his agenda for tomorrow. Once the city receives SRF approval and the encroachment permit, Great West can request a cost estimate for the change order from COP Construction. The change order will then be presented to the council for approval. Kurt stated that it is imperative to replace this transmission line. For an extra $5,000, another tracer line could be installed so there would be a second line for backup. If one line failed, the wires could be switched and the other line started. Taking the line down to take every joint apart, pull the line out and redo it again would cost well over $5,000. Having the second line would be a simple electrical switch, and hopefully the issue will not need to be dealt with for twenty or thirty years. At that point, it may be necessary to bore under the river to make a permanent supply line to the south for Riverside Park if the city grew in that direction. Kurt stated that annual maintenance will require the water treatment plant operators to check to make sure the line is working correctly. He plans to have the public works department visually monitor it so they will be aware if heat tape fails. When the water is on during the summer, the line experienced the expansion and contraction of the bridge. The original design did not have any slip joints in it, so the 90's were constantly breaking where the line came off the bridge and went back into the ground. Great West Engineering was asked to investigate slip joints so that, as the bridge expands and contracts, the pipeline expands and contracts and gives a little instead of breaking the PVC. The PVC will be replaced with HTP, which will tolerate extreme pressures before it would rupture. Kurt stated that the city is trying to go forward with a long -term solution that does not require a lot of future maintenance. • Discussion — Fall cleanup Kurt stated that fall cleanup is scheduled for next week and the following week. The event was printed on the water bills and advertised in the Laurel Outlook. City Planner: • Resolution — Contract with Stevens Brothers Mechanical for energy updates James Caniglia stated that the resolution is for the contract for the energy retrofit for city hall. One of the issues has been the windows in some of the building and the possibility of damaging the stucco. The first bid came in over the grant amount, so the city met with the contractors and got them to come down to the grant amount. James stated that the contractors plan to complete most of the work in the next month or so, at least the south - facing windows, the trench for the boiler loop, and the temperature controls. The contract must be done by August 31, 2011. The grant amount was $130,000 and the city will contribute $6,000 for the match, which was included in the budget. The contractor will remove the windows on the old portion of the building without damaging the stucco or the framing. They will then install a new frame into the interior of the building and then install the windows. Another meeting is scheduled with the contractor prior to beginning the project. Executive Review: • Laurel Senior Celebration 2011 Mayor Olson stated that the city does not contribute to requests, but council members could personally donate to the cause. 5 Council Workshop Minutes of October 26, 2010 • Discussion regarding Council Retreat with the Local Government Center Mayor Olson stated that representatives from the Local Government Center in Bozeman would be available for a council retreat on January 29` or February 12` The half -day rate is $450 plus travel expenses, and the full -day rate is $750 plus travel expenses. There will be further discussion at the council workshop on November 9' Other items There were none. Review of draft council agenda for November 2, 2010 There were no changes to the council agenda. Attendance at the November 2, 2010 council meeting All council members present will attend. Mayor Olson asked the council members to call if they cannot make it to a council meeting. Announcements Chuck Dickerson requested that the traffic survey on Buffalo Trail be added to the agenda for the joint meeting with the County Commissioners. Norm Stamper asked regarding the traffic counters near the underpass recently. Kurt did not know anything about that, but he stated that someone from the DOT was parked by the grain elevator recently. He is not sure what the Department of Transportation is doing. Kurt stated that the city has a list of agenda items to discuss with Stefan Streeter, the District Administrator, in the near future. The underpass is one of the issues. Norm asked if Pennsylvania Avenue would be patched where it was torn up for the waterline replacement or if it would require major construction. Kurt stated that he met with Matt Wheeler, the Maintenance Superintendent, yesterday to discuss how to address Pennsylvania Avenue. On the other streets, the current contractor will do some patching. On Pennsylvania, he would like to do some leveling and filling and then see what is available at the end of the contract to decide if they can do a thin overlay. Kurt has asked the Maintenance Superintendent to pulverize all the alligator cracked asphalt and the mud and remove it and bring in some millings to try to make some improvements for the winter. That was done by the old middle school and it helped a lot. Kurt stated that they are trying to address those areas with the city staff and the contractors. The council workshop adjourned at 7:54 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Cindy Allen Council Secretary 6