Agenda - Council - 03/24/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CC Regular Session 7. 2. Meeting Date: 03/24/2020 By: Mark Riverblood, Engineering/Public Works Information Title: Approve Center Street Area Capital Improvement Planning Purpose/Background: Note: This case is a verbatim iteration of the case the Public Works Committee recommended for City Council approval on March 16th, by unanimous vote. Context/grammatical corrections are noted in blue. The purpose of this case is to advance the planning activity for several interrelated projects around Center Street —some of which having timelines that require the work to commence soon. A summary of these projects (and a brief description of the interrelatedness) is as follows: Center Street sidewalk(s) in front of the Sapphire building: The city has collected money for the sidewalk/streetscape improvements for a city -lead construction project. The developer may have the Sapphire apartment building ready for these improvements as soon as late summer/early fall of 2020. The specific design work for matching the public realm (sidewalk and streetscape) to the adjoining and parallel private sidewalk and building has not been completed. Center Street streetscape/trail (west side) near the interface of the Affinity at Ramsey building and Municipal Plaza: East of the Affinity building is a narrow area of the park, south of a new segment of Ramsey Parkway. This is also the Central Anoka County Regional Trail which is a temporary section of bituminous, with the plan to convert it to concrete, (like the the finished 10' foot concrete trail to the south, parallel to Center Street). The 2020 Parks Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) includes a proposed project page for this, with some of the preliminary conceptual work done. Municipal Plaza at the interface with Affinity This area is largely unfinished with the sandy area restored with temporary seeding following the Affinity project's completion. The preliminary concept plans for the park, show a plaza -like extension of the streetscape/trail blending into the park for a usable, programmable space. The final design (to include public furniture, hearth, landscape, for the narrow north portion of the park) should be considered for completion in 2020 to match the Affinity project's edge. This would allow for the irrigation system to be designed for this park area as well. Additionally, the city has the obligation to 'take over' the irrigation for the median swale within the Ramsey Parkway, (this city property is presently being served by the Affinity building at their expense). Completing this specific park area would be of benefit to the future residents who will reside on either side of this space as well as other park patrons, including for Happy Days' programming. Municipal Plaza, south of the above (the larger, Happy Days site): The fill from the 2019 COR Infiltration Basin was intended to be placed in this low area of the park, which has not occurred yet. (City Engineer Westby will brief the Committee on the status of this work.) If this fill is hauled and placed early enough in the Spring of 2020, the area can be leveled (eliminating the muddy area at the entrance to the Happy Days entrance), and seeded with appropriate turf grass in time for the September 12th HD's event. The city