Minutes - Council Work Session - 12/08/2009

Home

Kurt Kiehl, Vice President of Operations, Dolphin ;Fast Food, Inc., stated when the median was installed, Burger King lost 20 percent of their business and now they were at a breakeven point. He noted this was not consistent with the other restaurants. He stated he understood the median was installed for' development, but. the development did not. happen. He stated it was safer to have a turn lane than have U turns done at the railroad track or up the road, which is what people are doing now. He noted the traffic was not there to justify having this median and people could not get to their business. Councilmember Dehen asked if Burger King would be amendable to paying for the upgrades if allowed by the County. Mr. Kiel responded it would depend upon the cost, but they might be. Councilmember Look asked how this proposed cut differed from the cut on Bunker Lake Boulevard accessing the Anoka County Library. Mr. Witter responded the difference was the proximity of the intersections. He indicated there was also no railroad track there. Councilmember Elvig stated he had spoken with Mr. Kiehl and had discussed with him the possible temporary cut until traffic volumes increased. Mr. Witter responded the railroad would not be happy about a median cut. He noted from the County's perspective, the County believed this was a good location, had good access, and could be seen well, but acknowledged there was a challenge going north on Ramsey Boulevard. Councilmember Wise stated this business had a horrible access, but he did not know how the City could do a temporary, affordable fix. Mr. Kiehl noted they were considering additional signage, but temporary signage along Ramsey Boulevard would be helpful. He indicated he would discuss this with staff. The consensus was that the City could not do anything about this situation at this time, except possibly allowing signage along Ramsey Boulevard. 2) 2010 Street Reconstruction Assessment Discussion Assistant City Engineer Jankowski reviewed the staff report. He noted staff was looking for direction regarding street reconstruction assessment work. Councilmember Look noted he saw a problem from 142nd to a little south of the 141st entrance. He indicated this area collected water and had' a lot of potholes. He asked if the City could do spot repair, or did all of Dsyprosium need to be reconstructed. Public Works Director Olson believed the decision was to move ahead for the entire reconstruction of Dysprosium. City Council Work Session / Decemb~r 8, 2009 Page 2 of 6