Agenda - Council - 08/12/2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE # CONSIDER UTILITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TO OAK TERRACE ESTATES IMPROVEMENT PROJECT #02-40 By: Steve Jankowski, City Engineer Background: On May 13, 2003 a public hearing was held on the extension city sanitary utilities to service the Oak Terrace Estates Mobile Home Park. A feasibility study was prepared which outlines the scope of the project. A copy of that feasibility study is attached to this case. At the conclusion of this public hearing, several issues were identified as needing to be clarified prior to this project being considered further. Council requested that'the Health Department be contacted to determine to what degree an existing health hazard exists, and whether the City would be required to extend sanitary sewer to eliminate such a hazard. Staff has spoken to Mr. Mike Gianotti, the area inspector for the Minnesota Department of Health. Mr. Gianotti indicated that he has observed conditions within the trailer park where sewage has flooded streets and yards. Currently, the existing system is being pumped at such a frequency that it is considered as operating similar to a holding tank. As to the issue regarding whether the Health Department can require the extension of the sanitary sewer system, State Code 4630.0800(1) states that trailer parks must Connect to sanitary sewer systems whenever such system is available. Given the circumstance, it is staff's opinion that a sanitary sewer system would be considered as being available. A second issue concerns the recommendation within the feasibility study that storm sewer be installed along with the sanitary improvements to alleviate rainwater ponding occurring along the railroad tracks. The owner of the trailer park has indicated support for this recommendation. If installed a storm sewer system may discharge into the Sunfish Commons detention pond since it is encumbered with an easement; however, the mobile home park must meet its own ponding requirements prior to discharge. The existing feasibility study addressed this element in only a cursory fashion. The volume of the ponding requirements needs to be determined as well as pond location prior to proceeding with preparation of plans and specifications. Finally, there was an issue regarding the cost of extending the sanitary sewer to the eastern property line of the mobile home park through the Sunfish Commons development. The cost of this extension is estimated to be $13,228.00. At the public hearing, a representative of Sunfish Commons contended that the agreement with the City required that the sewer extension would be required when a frontage road was constructed. There is no frontage road associated with this project and therefore Sunfish Commons should not be responsible for this cost. At the meeting, the City Attorney disagreed with this reasoning. 5 -261-