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Motion by Councilmember Riley, seconded by Councilmember Specht, to recommend City <br />Council order Request for Proposals for engineering and design services for the 2026 <br />Neighborhood Overlay Improvements, Improvement Project #26-08. <br />Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Olson, Councilmembers Riley and Specht. Voting No: <br />None. <br />5.05: Discuss Repairing Irrigation Damage Associated with Improvement Projects <br />Assistant City Engineer Feriancek reviewed the staff report and recommendation to include <br />irrigation repairs by lump sum on public improvement projects moving forward. By nature of a <br />lump sum, the contractor is incentivized to minimize the amount of irrigation damage during the <br />project. This will, in turn, provide better project outcomes in speeding up restoration, promoting <br />continued grass maintenance following construction, avoiding additional touch-up work, and <br />meeting the expectations of property owners. Based on recent years, the staff time for inspecting <br />irrigation repairs is anticipated to be offset by the time required to discuss damage with both <br />residents and the contractor. <br />Councilmember Riley commented that this change was made to minimize staff time and costs, and <br />had concerns with the proposed change to go back. He stated that if things are replaced to a <br />standard, some people will still not be happy. He was unsure as to how the response could be <br />standardized. <br />City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby confirmed that irrigation system repairs were <br />removed from city improvement projects after Andrie Street and 164th Lane were reconstructed as <br />homeowners did not like the replacement materials being used. He stated that they could go back <br />and develop a potential game plan to determine the repairs that could be standardized and bring <br />that staff recommendation back to the committee. <br />Councilmember Riley stated that he generally supports this, but wants to see the guardrails that <br />would be in place to provide efficiency and standardization. <br />Assistant City Engineer Feriancek stated that they could spec out the two or three most popular <br />brands and make it clear that if residents do not want that, they could make the repairs themselves. <br />Councilmember Riley stated that he would agree with that approach to use an industry standard, <br />and the homeowner could opt out if they would like to use something else. <br />Chairperson Olson recognized the work that is required relating to irrigation repairs and/or <br />movement of those systems. He provided another suggestion where a payment could be made to <br />residents, and they would complete the work. <br />Assistant City Engineer Feriancek stated that in reviewing policies of other cities, Coon Rapids <br />has a policy that allows a financial payment to be made to a resident who would like higher -quality <br />equipment. He explained that the payment is made in the standard amount, and then the resident <br />would pay the difference. <br />Public Works Committee / December 16, 2025 <br />Page 4 of 7 <br />