Minutes - Public Works Committee - 06/18/2001

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intersection had to do with safety concerns with the bus stop. He did not think that a three-way stop sign would be necessary. Councilmember Kurak inquired if the City had any luck with changing the bus location. City Engineer Olson replied that nobody from the bus company had indicated a problem, but they are going to look into alternatives. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Mayor Gamec, Councilmembers Kurak, Anderson, Hendriksen, and Zimmerman. Voting No: None. Case//7: Consider Petition to Extend T.H.//47 Sound Wall City Engineer Jankowski stated that the City of Ramsey recently completed the construction of a screening wall along the east side of T.H. #47. On June 1, 2001, the City received a petition requesting that the screening wall be extended north of Sunwood Drive (formerly 149th Avenue). The screening wall currently extends from the south edge of the Amber Ridge subdivision and terminates at Sunwood Drive. It begins again a distance of 1,100 feet north of Sunwood Drive, at the northern edge of the wetland, and terminates just before the block retaining wall adjacent to the new Orchard Hills subdivision. The screening wall was funded through an 80 percent Federal grant similar to the highway project itself, because there was a loss of a substantial berm, which existed prior to the project. Other portions of the wall extension would need to be funded entirely by the City. The petition cites proximity to the highway as one criteria for extending the screening wall. Below are the distances between the closest point of each structure to the east curbline of the highway: · 5260-149t~'LaneNW 230 feet · 14940 Argon Street NW 95 feet · 14950 Argon Street NW 120 feet · 14960 Argon Street NW 210 feet · 14990 Argon Street NW 270 feet · 5251-149th LaneNW 300 feet · 5241-149th LaneNW 360 feet City Engineer Jankowski explained that.the 21. houses along Argon Street, south of Sunwood Drive, and six houses along Cobalt Street, are all between 95 and 105 feet from the highway curbline. The entire length of the highway was raised between three to five feet in the section south of Sunwood Drive. In the Willow Ridge subdivision, a six to seven foot berm near the Barium Street intersection was removed as a result of the project. These locations were selected for the screening wall because of this loss. The area included by the petition has not seen a change in the grade of the highway. The petition noted a loss of trees resulting from the project. Staff presented a 1997 aerial photograph, which illustrated the pre-construction conditions of the area. A count of the evergreen trees or tree clumps show approximately 40 evergreens, primarily red cedar, along this section of highway. A count shows that 20 of these cedars remain following the highway project. The landscaping done as part of the project planted eight trees along this area, including spruce and deciduous trees. A six-foot high screening wall would cost $370 per Public Works Committee/June 18, 2001 Page 6 of 13