Minutes - Public Works Committee - 04/16/2019

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5. COMMITTEE BUSINESS 5.01: Provide City Council Recommendation to Approve Plans and Specifications and Authorize Advertisements for Bids for COR Infiltration Basin Improvements, Improvement Project #18-09 Civil Engineer IV Linton stated that the City made the decision to place their municipal wells in the western part of the City where development was expected to happen in the mid 1990's. The area around the wells was selected as the site of Ramsey Town Center (RTC) in the early 2000's. The state required development of a wellhead protection plan for the wells in the mid 2000's. The City acquired the foreclosed RTC properties in 2009 and began marketing the properties as The COR. Civil Engineer IV Linton reported that the City is part of the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization (LRRWMO), which is tasked with maintaining water quality through regulating stormwater discharges. The LRRWMO Third Generation Plan was adopted in 2012 and must be updated every 10 years just like the City Comprehensive Plan. The Third Generation plan required infiltration of the first one (1) inch of runoff from all impervious surfaces (roofs and paving) on new projects. The infiltration guidelines discourage or prohibit infiltration in wellhead protection areas. The Third Generation Plan has a provision that projects can pay into an infiltration mitigation fund if they cannot infiltrate on site. Civil Engineer IV Linton stated that most of The COR area to be developed is in the area where infiltration is not permitted. All projects developed in the COR since 2015 have paid into the infiltration mitigation fund. LRRWMO permits were approved for these projects with the condition that the City develop an infiltration basin in an area where infiltration is permitted. The City was first required to have the infiltration basin in place by July 1, 2018. The LRRWMO Board later extended this requirement to September 30, 2019. Civil Engineer IV Linton noted that the City Council approved preparation of plans and specifications for the COR Infiltration Basin Improvements on April 9, 2018. Staff has since completed plans and specifications and wants to request City Council approval of plans and authorization to advertise for bids on May 14, 2019. This date falls before the next Public Works Committee meeting, so Staff is requesting the Committee to recommend that the City Council approve plans and specifications and authorize advertisements for bids to allow this project to move forward in a timely manner to meet the completion deadline of September 30, 2019. Civil Engineer IV Linton stated that construction of the infiltration basin is necessary to fulfill City obligations incurred with the LRRWMO approval of projects in The COR since 2015 and to provide capacity for future development to occur. He noted that the estimated cost for the improvement is $970,000 and advised that the City has collected infiltration mitigation funds from all developments that have occurred in The COR since 2015. These funds will pay approximately one-fourth of the cost of the project. The City will pay the remainder of the project now using stormwater utility funds. These costs will be reimbursed as future development occurs. Public Works Committee / April 16, 2019 Page 2 of 6