Minutes - Public Works Committee - 07/18/2017

Home

Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Riley, Councilmembers Johns and Kuzma. Voting No: None. 5. COMMITTEE BUSINESS 5.01: Review Anoka County Street Name Grid Community Development Director Manager Gladhill stated requests have been received from several northern border developments to deviate from the Anoka County street naming grid. He added all streets were laid out in a grid fashion, using an orderly naming convention in general, for ease of use within community, which determines house numbers and street numbers. He noted these requests are based on the perceived quality of the street names. Mr. Gladhill stated several representatives of the Police Department were present to talk about how they use the grid, and how important it is to them to be able to use it wherever possible. He added the City has the authority to deviate from the street naming grid, but there is a benefit to keeping it. He noted Capstone has indicated they would prefer to deviate from street names like Rabbit, Sloth and Tiger, as well as Zeolite and Quagga. Mr. Gladhill stated street name deviations were used in the COR on a few projects. He added, for instance, Center Street would have been Variolite Street, and Ramsey Parkway would have th been 148 Avenue. Mr. Gladhill stated changing the street names would impact safety team response, as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) systems technology is not always reliable. He added it is easier for mutual aid partners from other cities to use the grid and follow the street names. He asked the Chief Katers and Captain Frankfurth who were present if they had any comments or feedback on this issue. He noted more details on this issue will be available in the coming weeks, and this is a preliminary review for the Public Works Committee. Chief of Police Jeff Katers thanked Mr. Gladhill for his accurate summary. He added the Police Department relies heavily on GIS systems, but they can potentially fail, and in times of disaster, they do fail. He noted outside agencies are often relied on for assistance, and if street names are changed, they would have to rely on a map, unless it is a place they know and have been to before. Chief Katers stated he understands the names are not the best choice. He added maybe other animal names could be used, or a category within a specific zone, so first responders can find the streets. He noted a large wall map is used to train new officers as well as mapping systems, to ensure that they know major thoroughfares, and can respond without a map. Councilmember Kuzma stated it would be difficult to look at a map at night in the dark. Public Works Committee /July 18, 2017 Page 2 of 9