Agenda - Council - 02/10/2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY City of Ramsey Improvement Project 15-20 proposes to reconstruct the pavement section on approximately 3,800 linear feet of Jarvis Street between Trunk Highway 10 and 165th Avenue NW that is mutually owned and maintained by the City of Elk River and the City of Ramsey, to improve the Jarvis Street crossing of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad tracks to allow future establishment of a quiet zone, and other necessary appurtenant improvements. The City of Elk River previously prepared a Feasibility Report for their overall 2015 Street and Utility Improvements project to determine the necessity, feasibility and cost-effectiveness of all proposed improvements, including the improvements identified herein to be paid for by the City or Ramsey. The City of Elk River's Feasibility Report is attached this Report as Appendix A. A map showing the location of the proposed improvements the City of Ramsey has been requested to share in the costs of is included as Figure 3 in Appendix A of Elk River's Feasibility Report. Staff from the City of Ramsey typically rate the pavement sections of all city streets annually using the Pavement and Surface Evaluation Rating (PASER) system. The pavement section of the shared segment of Jarvis Street was rated in 2014 at a PASER rating of 2, ranking it among the worst paved street segments within the City and warranting a complete reconstruction. In June of 2014, staff was informed that the City of Elk River intended to reconstruct Jarvis Street between Trunk Highway 10 and 165th Avenue as part of their 2015 Street and Utility Improvements project. This section of Jarvis Street includes a segment approximately 3,800 feet long that is bisected by the political boundaries of the cities of Elk River and Ramsey and is therefore mutually shared and maintained between the two cities. It also includes a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad crossing that is currently not designated as a whistle -free quiet zone. A map showing the location of these improvements is included on the third page of the attached proposal letter from the City of Elk River. Elk River's staff explained that a joint meeting of the City Councils was held on May 9th, 2011, and that at the time the Ramsey City Council provided verbal support for sharing in the costs of reconstructing the shared section of Jarvis Street, as well as the railroad crossing quiet zone improvements. Based on the results of the joint meeting the City of Elk River developed the Jarvis Street reconstruction and quiet zone improvements project for inclusion with their 2015 Street and Utility Improvements project. City of Ramsey staff agreed that the condition of Jarvis Street is such that it should be reconstructed in the near future, and that the Jarvis Street railroad crossing quiet zone improvements would benefit City of Ramsey residents and businesses. However, these improvements were not included in Ramsey's 5 -year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) so funds were not available to pay for the improvements in 2015. It was therefore discussed that the reconstruction of the shared segment of Jarvis Street should be delayed until the City of Ramsey was in a better position to fund our share of the improvements. On August 15th, 2014, staff from both cities met again to further discuss the benefits and viability of the project, including potential financing options. Elk River's staff noted their strong preference to reconstruct Jarvis Street in 2015 and that they may be able to pay the City of Feasibility Report Jarvis Street Reconstruction and Railroad Crossing Quiet Zone Improvements City of Ramsey Project No. 15-20 Page 1