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10-09-07 WSOctober 9, 2007 Page 1 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION -October 9, 2007 A work session of the Hopkins City Council was called to order by Mayor Gene Maxwell at 6:30 p.m. on October 9, 2007. Council members Kristi Halverson, Bruce Rowan, Rick Brausen and Cheryl Youakim were present. City personnel present were Assistant City Manager Jim Genellie, Public Works Director Steve Stadler, and City Engineer John Bradford. Also present were LuAnn Tolliver, Geoff Nash, Bob Obermeyer, Kevin Bigalke and Doug Datta. Nine Mile Creek John Bradford introduced representatives from the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District who explained the proposed streambank stabilization and habitat enhancement project. The creek is on the impaired water list for aquatic life. The project should help this. The Hopkins' project is divided into two sections. The section between Excelsior Boulevard and 9th Avenue is the City's project. This section will mostly consist of streambank stabilization, as there is not much room for channel realignment. Some easements will be necessary. The Watershed District will be responsible for the section between 9th Avenue and Highway 169. More extensive work will be done on this section including channel realignment to make the creek meander more as well as streambank stabilization. The creek south of Nine Mile Cove will be relocated to its former streambed. The pond east of Nine Mile Cove will be used to capture runoff from Highway 169. This pond will be dredged and an outlet will be made that will connect to Nine Mile Creek. Some of the work had been part of the City's Capital Improvement Plan. The Watershed District will now do it. The District will pay 100% of the water resources work. The City is responsible for 75% of the cost of acquiring the easements. The Watershed District plans to hold public information meetings and open houses prior to the project. They would like to hold one of the meetings at Nine Mile Cove. The schedule includes the public information meetings that will take place in October and November. An engineer's report will be produced, which will be forwarded to the DNR for review. By March of 2008 the Watershed District will be holding public hearings. After the District orders the project, contracts will be let with construction planned for the winter of ~- 2008-2009. General Consensus. The Council was very interested and supportive of the project. Council members offered to be present at any public information meetings or open houses. Light Rail Transit Station Study Mr. Stadler presented the Council with copies of the Hopkins Station Area Plan Final Report. This study looked at several issues related to locating three LRT stations at specific locations within Hopkins, including: development/redevelopment potential, access and circulation needs, downtown connectivity to the "downtown" station, parking demand, funding and implementation strategy. October 9, 2007 Page 2 The study provides an opportunity to show Hopkins residents what a future LRT line through the city could mean in broadest terms such as number of stations, station locations, potential adjacent area land use impacts, traffic routes, downtown connection, and expected parking demand. The study results and recommendations will be used as a basis for updates to the Comprehensive Plan. The next action regarding the Station Study is to hold the third, and final, open house probably in early November. The Council suggested that the Final Report be approved at a Council Meeting. The next step in the overall LRT process is the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The city interest in the DEIS is to identify any mitigation areas so that they can be addressed in the DEIS and then potentially qualify for future federal funding. Mitigation areas that city staff has identified for the DEIS scope have included: Blake Road/Highway 7 intersection, new signalized intersection at Excelsior Blvd/Tyler Ave far access to Blake Road station, continued need for trailhead facilities at current Depot site location, need to ensure an attractive and safe pedestrian connection into the CBD from the downtown station, and the need for pedestrian improvements along the Blake Road corridor. Mayor Maxwell had a question about what the citizen advisory board was discussing. It seemed to him that they were rehashing the decision about the route of LRT as it leaves Hopkins. General Consensus. The Final Report will be presented at a future City Council meeting to be approved the City Council. The Council also asked that the report be disseminated as widely as possible. A copy of the report will be placed on the City's website. Other Mr. Stadler handed out his Friday update. Councilmember Rowan asked when 3rd St. N between 16th and 17th was scheduled for curb and gutter. Mr. Stadler said that it currently is not in the City's CIP. Councilmember Youakim presented a letter from Representative Steve Simon to Jim Thunstrom regarding trucks "jake-braking" on Highway 169. Staff's opinion is that this section of 169 is a freeway and that the City cannot put signs on it. Staff will prepare a letter to Mr. Thunstrom regarding this issue. A copy will be sent to Representative Simon. All of the Councilmembers said that they would be able to attend the employee recognition luncheon on October 31. Mayor Maxwell said that he had been asked to introduce the first speaker at this year's Pen Pals lecture series at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Kaye Gibbons will be speaking on October 11 & 12. Either Councilmember Youakim or Halverson will introduce her on Thursday, October 11 and Councilmember Bruce Rowan will introduce her on Friday. October 9, 2007 Page 3 On motion by Councilmember Brausen and second by Councilmember Youakim, the meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. on a vote of 5-0.