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<br />Chair Elvig accepted a friendly amendment, seconded by Councilmember Olson, to also notify <br />the petitioners of the action the City is taking regarding their request for stop signs at Alpaca <br />Street and Riverdale Drive. <br /> <br />Amended motion carried. V oting Yes: Chairperson Elvig, Councilmembers Olson and Dehen. <br />Voting No: None. <br /> <br />Case #2: <br /> <br />Consider Request for Fence along CSAH 5 Trail <br /> <br />City Engineer Jankowski stated that at the September 18, 2007 Public Works Committee <br />meeting, Ron Whaley had expressed his concern about the completion of the trail near his home <br />and also requested the City put fencing in along the path. He stated that Mr. Whaley has now <br />reported that school children are cutting through his yard to access the path. He noted that since <br />the last Public Works Committee meeting, staff had graded the path, but a number of heavy rains <br />had resulted in a substantial amount of erosion and had knocked down a silt fence. He stated that <br />the area was restored on October 12, 2007. He stated that Mr. Whaley has suggested that the <br />City fence the portion of the trail behind his house and he would fence in the side yard area. City <br />Engineer Jankowski stated that in researching pricing for fencing, it would cost approximately <br />, $25 per lineal foot and would be about $3,200. He stated that if the City chose to do this, it <br />would have a substantial impact on how much of the trail system the City can construct. He <br />noted that staff recommends that the City reaffirm the current policy that fencing along trails is at <br />the discretion and cost of the property owner. <br /> <br />Councilmember Olson stated that she does not think it is a good idea for the City to place <br />themselves in the position to block private land from public access. She stated that she is not in <br />favor of installing this fencing. She suggested that Mr. Whaley could post No Trespassing signs <br />on his property. <br /> <br />City Engineer Jankowski stated that it is Mr. Whaley's intent to fence the yard. He stated that <br />the City has been looking at making a trail connection between 149th and 150th Lane to the north, <br />so school kids would have a chance to make this cut over, which may help this situation. <br /> <br />Chair Elvig stated that he is not in favor of installing this fencing because of the precedent it <br />would set. He stated that he would like the City to take a look at the possibility of purchasing <br />some right of way to put a sidewalk trail between Mr. Whaley's and the neighbor's property. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen noted that he was also not in favor of constructing a fence along the trail. <br />He stated that fencing would create potential security issues. He suggested that the City could <br />consider some type of landscaping that would help beautify the trails. <br /> <br />Chair Elvig stated that landscaping would also set a precedent and increase the costs of trail <br />construction. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he was not suggesting that the City install the landscaping on <br />private land, but to take a look at where plantings may be applicable and even consider some <br /> <br />Public Works Committee /October 16, 2007 <br />Page 4 of 12 <br />