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Councilmember Riley stated that he welcomes all resident input and welcomes anyone to contact <br />him with comments or questions. <br />Councilmember Shryock stated that all members of the Council welcome contact from residents <br />and would love to receive more input. She stated that residents can access agendas and minutes <br />from Boards, Commissions and Council meetings on the City website. <br />Councilmember Kuzma stated that the City Council holds a worksession prior to the regular <br />meeting and stated that the agendas are published prior to the regular meeting. He noted that <br />most of the discussion of the Council occurs during that time and welcomed residents to attend if <br />there is a topic of interest to them. He agreed that resident input is very important. <br />Acting Mayor LeTourneau stated that if there are neighborhood concerns, those should be <br />brought forward to the staff or City Council to ensure that they can be addressed, as it was <br />tonight. He stated that in reference to the pedestrian bridge there were questions on why the <br />bridge was necessary and regarding the funding. He welcomed staff to provide a brief response <br />on the status of the project and funding source. He stated that this is one of 100's of projects that <br />the community is working on. It is in a proposal stage only where cost and feasibility are being <br />researched. He noted that the pedestrian bridge is not a certain project at this time. <br />Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated that the capital improvement <br />project list includes ten years of potential projects, and there are about 300 distinct projects <br />included. He stated that there is a grant request in to the Metropolitan Council for the pedestrian <br />bridge for federal funds in the amount of $3,400,000. He noted that those grant funds are only <br />available for use in regional trail connections and trails. He stated that there are other partners in <br />the potential project, noting a recent contribution of $490,000 from the National Park Service. <br />He stated that the project is regional in nature and the endeavor would attempt to connect <br />regional elements. He noted that this would be a safety improvement, using the example of <br />Anoka where pedestrian crossings have become a safety issue. He stated that as Ramsey <br />continues to grow, the community would like to get ahead of that issue and provide a connection <br />for people on the other side of the highway to have safe access. He stated that the railroad is a <br />barrier in the community and the bridge would provide a connection to the regional park. <br />Acting Mayor LeTourneau stated that as the City continues to investigate the project, the <br />information will continue to be shared with the community. He suggested that an update be <br />provided at a future Council meeting that will provide a forum to continue this discussion. He <br />encouraged residents in attendance that did not step forward, to fill out a comment card with <br />their input and their name and address. <br />Community Development Director Gladhill stated that the City is in the process of receiving <br />comments for the update of the Comprehensive Plan, which includes the transportation plan. He <br />stated that there are also two corridor studies occurring on Highway 47 and Highway 10 to <br />explore solutions. He stated that for immediate safety concerns, the public works and <br />engineering departments can work with residents to address concerns. <br />City Council / August 28, 2018 <br />Page 4 of 23 <br />