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<br />Councilmember Dehen~ stated that 'he is not in favor of the City contributing any amount of <br />money to this project. He stated that he would like the City to take a look at the program that the <br />City of Coon Rapids used because he understands that theirs was a very successful program and <br />they did not have to mandate it. <br /> <br />City' Engineer Jankowski stated that he had had a conversation with the Coon Rapids City <br />Engineer and for their program, Coon Rapids contacted a private contractor who gave a good <br />price to area residents who were interested in paving their driveways. He stated that the City of <br />Coon Rapids only did this program one time, but has considered doing it again. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he was in favor of this type of program as a way to encourage <br />people to pave their driveways. He stated that he feels the City should also explain to residents <br />why they want to have driveways paved. <br /> <br />Chair Elvig stated that he is also not a fan of this idea yet, but agrees that bringing gravel <br />remnants onto a paved road is not a good idea. He stated that he feels Ramsey and Coon Rapids <br />are very different cities. Ramsey has larger lots and longer driveways, so it would be quite a <br />large expense to pave the driveways. He suggested that perhaps the City could consider being <br />involved financially paving the apron of driveways. <br /> <br />Public Works Director Olson stated that is basically what is outlined in Scenario 1. <br /> <br />J ed Monely, 16531 Ulite Street, stated that he has a dirt driveway and although he is interested in <br />paving it, his wife has pointed out that the money could be used elsewhere. He stated that he is <br />also concerned that the government is telling people what they can and cannot do with their own <br />property. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he feels the City Council can do little things to make the City <br />look nicer and he supports that. He stated that he is cognizant that there is a cost and the City <br />does not want to force people to pay for paving all the way up to their homes, if they do not want <br />it. He stated that the City does not allow newly constructed homes to have a non-paved <br />driveway, so in essence, the City is already telling property owners what they can or cannot do <br />with their property. <br /> <br />Councilmember Olson stated that she also does not like the idea of the City contributing to <br />paving driveways. She suggested that the City put out an RFP to see if there would be any <br />paving companies interested in working with residents to offer them a good deal on paving their <br />driveways. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that he has seen cities that have done this type of program <br />before and have, for example, a preferred provider for tree trimming and stump removal. He <br />stated that the benefit for the contractor in offering a discount is that they achieve the preferred <br />provider status with the City and it is a great marketing opportunity for them. <br /> <br />Public Works Committee / September 18, 2007 <br />P,age 15 of 23 <br />