Minutes - Council - 07/10/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6) Consider Renaming 167th Avenue to Here and There Avenue Public Works Director Olson stated l67th Avenue is probably one of the few roadways that will eventually traverse the City from east to west. The thought process was that once l6ih Avenue is extended to Armstrong Boulevard that it has a name that is continuous from one side of the City to the other. The route shown in the comprehensive plan shows that the final alignment of this roadway will traverse segments of City streets which currently include portions of Jaspar Street, l66th Avenue, Alpaca Street, and l63rd Lane, as well as l6ih Avenue. Staff sees some validity to changing the name to one common name. Similar to other collector streets this name will need to deviate from the official Anoka County street name grid. In that regard it would make a lot of sense to not do this until they have the roadway completed from east to west. The consensus of the Committee was to suggest the name of Here There Avenue and put it out for community support or input, and that the renaming of the street should be ready based on the schedule for building the road. Councilmember Elvig stated the discussion was not necessarily when the roadway is complete, but when they make the first addition to the roadway and start combining two different roadways. Councilmember Olson stated she was contacted by a person who lives along what will be part of this roadway when it is assembled, who expressed concern with the name Here There Avenue. She thought it should be something more in keeping with Ramsey's history or to talk about what Ramsey is. Councilmember Olson indicated she does not have any feelings on the name one way or another. If any of the citizens have ideas she would be happy to look at them as well. Councilmember Jeffrey commented he believes he received the same comment from the same individual. He suggested naming the road after a park or the destination the road takes. He indicated he would like to put it out for public comment and suggested a contest. Councilmember Elvig indicated the recommendation of the Committee is to receive public comment. Consensus of the Council was to include information in the next Ramsey Resident and on the City website about the renaming of the street and that suggestions for the name will be reviewed by the Council. Committee Input Councilmember Elvig stated Mr. John Peterson of Oakwood Land Development has talked to several of the neighbors in the Now and Then Estates area, and many of the residents are interested in potentially selling to Mr. Peterson. The roads in this area are probably the worst in the City. Work on the roads was held off for a period of time knowing that redevelopment will likely occur. City Engineer Jankowski spoke with Mr. Peterson and due to the slow down, any redevelopment will be at least three years out. The road is deteriorating swiftly, and it needs to be determined what should be done. Part of the issue now is for a fairly major patch repair. City Council / July 10,2007 Page 22 of 24