Minutes - Council Work Session - 06/23/2015

Home

Councilmember Kuzma stated that this seems low risk and high reward in terms of employee morale. The consensus of the Council was to direct staff to review the discussed amendments with the Labor Management Committee. 2.03: Consideration of Scope of Timing for Sunwood Drive Roundabout Landscaping Improvements City Engineer Westby reviewed the staff report. Councilmember Shryock stated that she has been thinking about this for the past few weeks and had considered a veteran's memorial for this location because of the amount of space available. She stated that there could be an opportunity for the City to create an RFP, which would allow local artists to create a project that represents the City. Councilmember Kuzma stated that he would be fine with grass, as long as it is adequately mowed. He stated that his concern is regarding the area around that and the long-term development plan for that area. Councilmember Williams agreed that grass would be adequate for the time being and the decision could be made in the future when there is a lovely development in that area. City Administrator Ulrich stated that the City will be resurrecting the study to look at that site in order to determine what would be needed to bring the site to a development standard. Councilmember Riley questioned if the old city hall could be moved to that location. Mayor Strommen agreed that timing would need to be considered, specifically when the time would be appropriate to do something in that area. She agreed that the decision is not urgent at this time. Councilmember LeTourneau stated that he likes the idea of timing the roundabout landscaping with the development but noted that the current situation is not adequate. He stated that people looking at that site would see an unimproved element and believed that it would be appropriate to have a low cost alternative in the interim. He stated that the garden club could install flowers or staff could install interim landscaping in order to add aesthetic value at a low cost. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood provided input and stated that the City should be mindful not to spend $4,000 installing something that will be taken out in another four years. He also thought the City should be mindful to avoid bringing in additional pedestrian traffic, noting that an artistic element could draw pedestrians, which could be a safety element. The consensus of the Council was to direct staff to prepare a list of interim options while the Council continues to discuss long-term landscaping for the roundabout. City Council Work Session / June 23, 2015 Page 5 of 6