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CR 94-213 Snow Dump Sites 1 y o (, ^ October 27, 1994 Council Report 94-213 . 0 P K \ '" SNOW DUMP SITES Proposed Action. staff recommends adoption of the following motion: "Motion Authorizinq the City Manager to enter into a Rental Aqreement with Hennepin County for Dumpinq Snow at the South End of Their Public Works site at a Cost Not to Exceed $1.200.00" Overview. Snow dumping sites have been becoming increasingly scarce over the past few years for our snow removal operations. Last year the only two sites we had for this purpose was a city owned parcel at 11th Avenue and Smetana, and the old 5th Avenue South right of way, south of the Hennepin county Public Works facility. In response to the dump site shortage, staff approached Hennepin . County to inquire if we could use the grass area on the south side of their Public Works facility for this purpose. Hennepin County has agreed to allow us to dump snow in that location and indicated they would work with us on a rental agreement. primary Issues to Consider. o Why should the city consider renting the Hennepin County Public Works site? o What would be included in a rental agreement? o How would the rental cost be funded? supDortina Information. o Detailed Background o Analysis of Issues ;CZ~~ L' ,. . ~/J nl Lee Gus fsoh, Public Works Director . council Report 94-213 Page 2 . Detailed Backqround As most of us are aware, the city used our property on the south side of CR 3 for snow dumping purposes for many years. This property worked very well for this purpose because it provided a dump site we could use 24 hours a day, and it had ample capacity if we piled the snow. The benefits of using the site were unfortunately outweighed by the negative consequences that were apparent when the snow melted. When the snow began to melt in the spring the snow piles turned to black dirt piles, and unfortunately would not disappear until almost June. The eyesore of looking at these black piles combined with the mess that was left after the snow melted prompted the city to find a new snow dump site for the 1992-93 winter season. The city was fortunately able to rent the 13 acre R.L. Johnson property for our snow dumping needs during the 1992-93 winter season. This property had the same operational benefits that the CR3 site offered, and it also was able to hide the eyesores that came with the spring melt. The property was not however, available for rent during the 1993-94 winter season, requiring staff to look for alternate sites. staff reviewed a variety of sites within our city and neighboring cities for potential snow dump sites prior to last winter. The . only realistic sites that we could find were the two we ended up using. The 11th Avenue and Smetana site was mainly used for daytime hauling, and the 5th Avenue site south of the Hennepin County Public Works facility became our night time hauling site. Our crews tried not to use the 11th Avenue and Smetana site during the night due to the proximity of the residential neighborhoods. The two sites we used for dumping last year met our basic needs for the amount of snow we received. However, if we would have received significantly more snow, we would have had to use another site, possibly county Road 3, to meet our dumping needs. The 11th Avenue and Smetana site generated the most complaints last year. This was mainly due to the eyesores that developed when the snow piles melted, and the noise that was generated from occasional night time use. The complaints that were generated from using the 11th and Smetana site, and the fact that we did not have a lot of capacity last year prompted staff to look at other alternative sites for snow dumping purposes. . Council Report 94-213 Page 3 ~ Analysis of Issues. o Why should the city consider renting the Hennepin County Public Works site? If the city rented the County Public Works site, it would eliminate the complaints that we received from using the 11th Avenue and Smetana site last year. It is also a much larger site than the Smetana site giving us greater dumping capacity and eliminating any need to consider using the old CR3 site. o What would be included in a rental agreement? The main item that would be addressed in a rental agreement would be how the payment would be handled. other items in the agreement would include usage, spring clean up, complaint handling, and liability. Language may also be included referencing a possible use of this site for the 1995-96 winter season. o How would the rental cost be funded? Staff would recommend that the rent payment be funded from the Street division's 1995 snow plowing budget. This fund . was also used for the rent payment when the R. L. Johnson site was used during the 1992-93 winter season. .