Minutes - Public Works Committee - 09/16/2014

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Councilmember Riley asked what the purpose is of the drainage easement. City Engineer Westby answered the drainage easement is there to allow drainage, no matter how the water gets there. The city has rights over it to maintain it and access it. He stated he was not sure how the easement was set when it was built. He said that may be discovered in the modeling. Mr. Full commented he would like to see an expansion of the ponding area within the park that would be sufficient to keep the water on city property. He suggested taking some dirt out of the park so it can hold more water. This would not affect the water storage in the area. The modeling will be helpful for this reason. Motion by Councilmember Kuzma, seconded by Chairperson Backous, to recommend that the City Council authorize staff to update the modeling, and to conduct a feasibility study for constructing a French drain, and to determine whether there are borings and remove dead trees safely, and to discuss a long term solution for the next few years. Further discussion: Councilmember Riley asked if all this could be handled within the Engineering and Public Works staff time. City Engineer Westby replied the engineering can be handled within staff time. Public Works Superintendent Riemer confirmed the initial tree removal around the park can be completed on staff time. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Backous, Councilmembers Kuzma and Riley. Voting No: None. 5. COMMITTEE BUSINESS — continued 5.02: Provide Recommendation on Elk River's Cost -Share Proposal for Reconstructing Jarvis Street in 2015. City Engineer Westby reviewed the staff report and pointed out this is an MSA route. He noted MSA routes need to connect to each other. The design is built to MSA standards. He said the City of Elk River is proposing to put in concrete curb and gutter. The city of Ramsey plans to have the trail running along the road. The City of Elk River is proposing to continue the trail through Elk River. The addition of storm sewer will add about $88,000 to the proposal on the City of Ramsey's behalf. It does prolong the life of the road, so it would be a good addition. He pointed out the timing of this project is good, since this would be done in time to be used as an alternate route during construction of adjacent areas in the 2015 and 2016 CIPs. He stated there are grants available; however, the application must be turned in several years in advance. This project was not on the schedule to complete, and having it moved up left no time to apply for grants. Chairperson Backous stated this is a large quiet zone to reconstruct, and he thought it was fair to split the costs in half. Public Works Committee / September 16, 2014 Page 5 of 9