March 9, 2020 Council Minutes
CITY OF SPRING PARK
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
MARCH 9, 2020 – 7:00 PM
SPRING PARK CITY HALL
1. CALL TO ORDER - The meeting was called to order by Mayor Rockvam at 7:00 p.m.
Council Members Present: Jerome P. Rockvam, Mayor; Mark Chase; Jeff Hoffman; Pamela Horton; and Gary Hughes
Staff Present: Dan Tolsma, City Administrator; and Brian Hare, City Engineer
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Mayor Rockvam led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ADOPT MEETING AGENDA
M/Hughes, S/Hoffman to adopt the meeting agenda.
Motion carried 5-0.
4. ADOPT CONSENT AGENDA
a. City Council Special Meeting Minutes from January 21, 2020
b. City Council Work Session Minutes from January 21, 2020
c. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes from January 21, 2020
d. Garbage Hauler License Renewals
e. Resolution 20-10: MnDOT Partnership Contract
f. LMCIT Liability Waiver
M/Horton, S/Hughes to adopt the Consent Agenda.
Motion carried 5-0.
5. PUBLIC FORUM – None.
6. PRESENTATIONS & GUEST SPEAKERS – None.
7. PUBLIC HEARINGS – None.
8. PETITIONS, REQUESTS, & APPLICATIONS – None.
9. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS – None.
10. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
a. Mayor & Council
Mayor Rockvam stated he wants to receive the report on a frozen fire hydrant near a recent fire in Spring Park.
Council Member Hughes stated that there is a notice posted on the fire hydrant that said it is out of service but noted that the City of Mound bags their hydrants. He wants PeopleService to bag the hydrant and not just put a notice on it to alert firefighters responding to calls.
City Administrator Tolsma responded that the frozen hydrant information will be included in the next PeopleService monthly report. He added that the hydrant that is out of service had an internal valve that failed and needs to be replaced. He stated that a notice has been posted on the hydrant that it is out of service in order to alert the Mound Fire Department when they are responding to calls but he added that the hydrant could also be bagged.
Mayor Rockvam asked how quickly the hydrant could be repaired.
City Administrator Tolsma responded that it would be advantageous to wait to until the hydrant thaws to really be able to evaluate whether or not the entire hydrant should be replaced.
Mayor Rockvam would like to see more hydrants replaced in the City rather than repaired due to the age of the hydrants.
City Administrator Tolsma stated that it seems the age of the hydrants is causing issues and the City has been replacing approximately one or two hydrants each year. Many of the hydrants can be repaired rather than replaced but this is a good time to really look at the overall stock of hydrants and evaluate the City’s options.
Mayor Rockvam stated that the City has gotten their money out of these hydrants since they have lasted a long time but it is probably time to replace the oldest hydrants.
Mayor Rockvam thanked Utility Billing Office Assistant Sharon Farniok for her great job on the flooring project at City Hall. He added that an assessment of City Hall was done a couple of years ago and the building is in good shape. He stated that the flooring project is the start of a few smaller projects that will be happening at City Hall including sandblasting the pillars and possibly replacing the windows. He asked City Administrator Tolsma to look into a possible grant for the window replacement since there might be some money available to make the building more energy efficient.
Mayor Rockvam asked about progress on the historical plaques for the City’s two parks and City Hall. He also stated that he would like Pam Meyers at the Westonka Historical Society to find out the actual age of the building that is now City Hall.
City Administrator Tolsma stated the plaques project is moving along nicely and that the City is considering adding another plaque to the project. An idea has been talked about to include a plaque in the Spring Park Community Garden at Wilkes Park to memorialize and honor Council Member Member Pavot. Before her unfortunate passing, Council Member Pavot was instrumental in the creation of Spring Park’s community garden. He added that there will potentially be a Council resolution and an additional plaque proposal at an upcoming Council meeting.
City Administrator Tolsma stated that Spring Park has been named/designated a “Heart Safe Community.” He added that the designation is due to the wonderful work that the Mound Fire Department and Orono Police Department have been doing to educate the community on what to do in the event of a heart-related emergency. He stated that Fire Chief Pederson will be making a presentation at an upcoming meeting.
Mayor Rockvam stated that the City Council needs to have a conversation about what the options are if another city decides to remove themselves from the multi-city contract for fire services. If another city withdraws from the contract it could have a major impact on Spring Park taxpayers.
Council Member Hughes also discussed the current mutual aid agreement and how it impacts the MFD budget and also the Spring Park taxpayers. He stated that MFD spends a lot of time outside of the coverage area and Spring Park helps foot the bill for other communities.
City Administrator Tolsma discussed mutual aid agreements and how neighboring communities assist in an emergency. He added that the assistance is free of charge since the original intent of the agreement was that there would be give and take which would end up balancing out for each community. However, there are now several departments like the Mound Fire Department that are contributing much more than their coverage area will ever receive in services. Spring Park is paying the bill for communities that choose to reduce their own costs by contracting with departments that are continually understaffed. The discussions are ongoing at the Fire Commission Meetings.
Council Member Chase stated he went to the Lake Minnetonka Cable Commission’s new commissioner training in February. He stated that the LMCC is doing great work for the community. He reminded residents that the LMCC welcomes suggestions for show ideas and community involvement projects that we want to have televised.
b. City Staff – None.
c. Contract Staff
i. West Arm Road West Water & Sewer Engineering Proposal
City Engineer Hare presented the West Arm Road West water and sewer engineering proposal. He stated that, per the City’s request, the proposal was prepared for water and sewer improvements only. He discussed the project and how it was designated as a priority in the asset management plan.
Mayor Rockvam asked why the project hasn’t been sent out for bids.
City Engineer Hare responded that prior to sending out for bids, the Council needs to approve the proposal to get the plans together for contractors to bid on. He added that this water and sewer improvement project does not need a public hearing or assessment so if Council approves the proposal tonight, the project can move straight to the bid process.
City Administrator Tolsma added that the work sessions regarding West Arm Road West last year discussed water, sewer, street, and bridge improvements as a total project. After those discussions the Council consensus was to move forward with water and sewer only. He stated that the proposal tonight authorizes the engineer to move forward on the bid process for the water and sewer project.
The Council discussed the feasibility study, timeline of the project, restoration of project area, and communication with residents that will be impacted.
City Administrator Tolsma added that the project uses trenchless technology but the contractor will still have to dig down at every service line at every property. Restoration will come into play and be a big focus on this project especially in regards to communication with homeowners.
City Engineer Hare stated that there are many ways the City is considering communicating with impacted homeowners including weekly newsletters/emails, an informational webpage, and/or hosting an open house or kickoff meeting with the residents. Staff will narrow down the best methods of communication for this project as the date draws nearer.
M/Hoffman, S/Horton to approve the West Arm Road West Water & Sewer Engineering Proposal in order to proceed with the plans and specifications.
Motion Carried 5-0.
11. NEW BUSINESS & COMMUNICATIONS – None.
12. CLAIMS FOR PAYMENT
a. March 9, 2020 Claims
M/Hughes, S/Chase to approve all claims for payment.
Motion carried 5-0.
13. UPCOMING MEETINGS & TRAINING
a. March 10 – Administration Committee – 12:00 PM
b. March 16 – City Council Work Session – 6:00 PM
c. March 16 – City Council Regular Meeting – 7:00 PM
d. March 18 – Police Commission – 8:00 AM
14. MISCELLANEOUS (INFORMATION ONLY)
a. WeCAB Newsletter
b. December Fire Department Report
c. January Fire Department Report
d. January People Service Report
15. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent at 7:41 p.m.
Date Approved: April 6, 2020
_________________________
Dan Tolsma, City Administrator
_________________________
Theresa Schyma, City Clerk