Minutes - Public Works Committee - 07/15/2008

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interest on this money. Councilmember Olson stated that she views this as an adjustment to the building. She asked how much money was left from the original bond. Building Maintenance Supervisor Bray stated that there is approximately $200,000 from the remaining original bond. Councilmember Look stated that he has been vocal about the City not spending money unnecessarily in light of the fragile economy. He stated that he understands that this meeting room can benefit the community, but would like to see what they used for meeting space before the current building was here. He stated that the old City Hall facility was not being used and asked whether that could be used for meeting space. He stated that he would like to think about creative ways to accommodate groups without spending money. City Administrator Ulrich stated that the old facility is not being rented out. Building Maintenance Supervisor Bray stated that Fire I is being used for meetings. Councilmember Olson stated that the old City Hall building is closed down and there would be costs to ramp up maintenance and heating in order to use the building. She stated that she also thinks there are mold issues in the building and the costs of using it may be more than it is worth. Vice-Chair Dehen stated that he is not necessarily opposed to this idea, but he would like to know whether it is a need or just a want. He suggested that a decision by put off for a while to see if the current resources the City has could be greater utilized, such as Fire 1. He asked if there was another medium sized room available when people call looking for space. Building Maintenance Supervisor Bray stated that the only medium sized room is the police roll call room. City Engineer Jankowski stated that the Alexander Ramsey Room can be difficult to hear in, for meetings and noted that he wouldn't mind having the meetings in a smaller room. Vice-Chair Dehen asked if it was absurd to think that the Police Department would allow people to use their roll call room. City Administrator Ulrich stated that it really wouldn't be a good idea to open that room up to the public because it is located in a secure area. Assistant City Engineer Himmer stated that scheduling the neighborhood meetings have become difficult because of the limited availability of the Alexander Ramsey room. Councilmember Olson stated that she would like to hold work sessions in a smaller room. Motion died for lack of a second. Motion by Vice-Chair Dehen, seconded by Councilmember Olson, to direct staff to acquire competitive bids to compare costs and to research the usage of meeting rooms, including Fire 1. Motion carried. V oting Yes: Vice-Chair Dehen and Councilmembers Olson and Look. Voting No: None. Absent: Chairperson Elvig. Case #4: Consider Establishing Topsoil Requirements in New Subdivisions Assistant City Engineer Himmer stated that Ramsey has been tagged as one of the largest in the metro area for non-consumptive water use. He stated that the City is looking at ways to conserve water and has been discussing possible topsoil requirements as a way to do this. He stated that this issue was last discussed in January of2008 and the Public Works Committee asked staff to bring back a cost breakdown of different soil types/additives; ways to enforce the program; and review a possible City compost site. He stated that he doesn't consider the topsoil in Ramsey actual topsoil, but, kind of, dirty sand. He stated that he spoke with contractors and suppliers and found that costs would be about $5 to $7 more for materials than what is out there today and PublicW orks Committee / July 15, 2008 Page 8 of 13