Minutes - Council - 06/12/2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Case #10: Improvement Project #01-15 Bituminous Overlay of Riverwood Hills City Engineer Jankowski stated that on May 10, 2001, a petition was received opposing Improvement Project #01-15, a bituminous overlay of the Riverwood subdivision. The Council received, but did not accept, the petition on May 22, 2001, directing that residents within the subdivision be informed of the City's policy with regard to street maintenance projects. There are 45 properties in Improvement Project #01-15. The petition opposing the project was signed by 35 property owners. A total of 17 signatures have since been withdrawn from the petition and, therefore, the majority of the benefited property owners are no longer opposed to the project and the project was able to be authorized. Delores Benson, 17735 Erkium Street NW, Ramsey, stated that she had met with staff about the project and thought about the project for some time before going out to her neighbors with the petition. She stated that she noted that there was an $11,000 consulting fee included in the cost of the project and inquired if that $11,000 went to City Engineer Jankowski. City Engineer Jankowski reviewed the costs of the project. Ms. Benson stated that she felt that the letter the City sent out to the residents was a scare tactic. She does not think that her road needs an overlay because there is only one area on the road that is cracked. She inquired as to why the City does not do minor maintenance of the roads. Mayor Gamec replied that the City does do minor maintenance on the roads throughout the City. City Engineer Jankowski noted that the last time Ms. Benson's road was sealed was in 1994, which included a crack sealing project. He reviewed the sealcoat and crack fill process. Ms. Benson stated that she has heard that the project should be done in the spring rather than fall. City Engineer Jankowski replied that that is true of sealcoating, but a bituminous overlay is a new layer of bituminous and does not need to be done in the early summer, Mayor Gamec explained to Ms. Benson that the Council requested that the letter be sent out to the property owners explaining the consequences of petitioning against a project. Ms. Benson stated that the costs of road maintenance should be included in their taxes. With the City's current program, residents will never stop being assessed for a road. City Engineer Jankowski reviewed the street maintenance process. Councilmember Hendriksen requested that staff verify what the policy states in regards to the City's participation in projects that have been petitioned against and make sure that the letter reflects that policy. City Council/June 12, 2001 Page 16 of 19