Minutes - Council - 11/13/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Motion by Councilmember Elvig, seconded by Councilmember Strommen, to approve the proposed site plan for Diamond Graphics contingent upon compliance with City staff review letter dated October 26, 2007. Motion carried. V oting Yes: Mayor Gamec, Councilmembers Elvig, Strommen, Dehen, Look, and Olson. Voting No: None. Absent: Councilmember Jeffrey Case #4: Consider Approval of 60 Percent Construction Plan for Improvement Project 08-20, Sunfish Lake Boulevard Mayor Gamec stated that this item was discussed earlier tonight in the Work Session. Councilmember Elvig left the Council Chambers at 7:57 p.m. Public Works Director Olson stated that the City held an open house on April 19, 2007 where a design plan was presented for Sunfish Lake Boulevard. He stated that after the open house, the plan was redesigned to allow for full access at McKinley Street. He stated that the County's primary concern with the intersection is safety and liability if they do not comply with access spacing guidelines. He stated that to be able to utilize some of the funding sources, a decision needs to be made by the City Council soon. He stated that there are 3 possible options for the City Council to consider. He stated that Option 1 is to approve the plan, as proposed, which will provide a safer design including a safer V-turn movement at a signalized intersection. He stated that this option would utilize $292,000 in federal money and $200,000 from MnDOT. He stated that the disadvantages to this option would be the potential adverse impact to business owners during construction. Councilmember Elvig returned to the Council Chambers at 8:03 p.m. Public Works Director Olson stated that Option 2 would allow for the turnback of Sunfish Lake Boulevard from the County and be constructed without the median. He stated that this option would utilize the $292,000 in federal money and lessen the potential for business impacts on area businesses. He stated that the County would allow us to move forward with this option if the City took over jurisdiction of Sunfish Lake Boulevard from Highway 10 to CR 5. He stated that with this option there are some significant disadvantages, the first being that he has been informed by MnDOT that they will not approve a layout that includes a median opening at Sunfish Commons, so they will not contribute $200,000. He stated that this option would also increase the City's design liability and costs. He stated that Option 3 is to deny the municipal consent and stop the project. He stated that this would alleviate concerns expressed by the business owners, but would open the City to potential lawsuits by both the County and MnDOT. He stated that any future reconstruction of this intersection would need to be funded by the City because the City would lose all the federal and. MnDOT money that has been allocated for the project. He stated that staff has talked about this issue in detail and although not an easy decision, staff is recommending approval of the plan, as proposed. Councilmember Olson asked whether there would be V-turns allowed at the McKipley Street intersection. City Council! November 13,2007 Page 9 of 19