The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCouncil Information Memorandum 12-30-2011CITY OF PLYMOUTH rp) COUNCIL INFO MEMO December 29, 2011 UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS Planning Commission Agenda 01/04/12.............................................................................................. Page 2 January, February, March, 2012 Official City Meeting Calendars...................................................... Page 3 Tentative List of Agenda Items for Future City Council Meetings ..................................................... Page 6 INFORMATION News Articles, Releases, Publications, Etc ... Cities raise rec fees to keep pace with costs, Article StarTribune....................................................... Page 8 Governments trying to click with social media, Article StarTribune................................................. Page 11 Wayzata congregation wins dispute with city, Article StarTribune.................................................. Page 15 MEETING MINUTES PRAC Minutes 10/13/11... CORRESPONDENCE Page 17 Letter from Hennepin County Sheriff, RE: new 911 Emergency Communications Facility ............ Page 22 Letters (3) regarding Denials of Massage Therapy Certificate renewals .......................................... Page 23 PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA WEDNESDAY, January 4, 2012 WHERE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS Plymouth City Hall 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 CONSENT AGENDA All items listed on the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the Planning Commission and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Commissioner, citizen or petitioner so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered in normal sequence on the agenda. 1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. PUBLIC FORUM 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 5. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve the December 7, 2011 Planning Commission meeting minutes. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Hanson Builders. Rezoning from RSF-1 to RSF-2 and preliminary plat for "Gleason Lake Heights Addition" located at 14509 Gleason Lake Drive. (2011085) 7. NEW BUSINESS 8. ADJOURNMENT Page 2 r�Plymouth Adding Quality to Life January 2012 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6:00 PM 7:00 PM NEW YEAR'S DAY SPECIAL COUNCIL PLANNING Observed MEETING NEW YEAR'S DAY Discuss Proposals for COMMISSION Peony Lane/Lawndale MEETING CITY OFFICES Lane Project Council Chambers CLOSED Medicine Lake Room 8 9 10 5:30 PM 11 12 13 14 7:00 PM 7:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL ENVIRONMENTAL PARK $ REC MEETING* QUALITY ADVISORY Medicine Lake Room COMMITTEE COMMISSION 7:00 PM (EQC) MEETING (PRAC) MEETING REGULAR COUNCIL Council Chambers Council Chambers MEETING Council Chambers 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL PLANNING SKATE WITH THE MARTIN LUTHER MEETING COMMISSION MAYOR KING JR. Discuss Council Goals MEETING Parkers Lake BIRTHDAY and Legislative Priorities for 2012 Council Chambers Observed Medicine Lake Room CITY OFFICES CLOSED 22 23 24 5:30 PM 25 26 27 28 7.00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL PLYMOUTH 7:00 PM MEETING ADVISORY HRA MEETING Discuss Private Utilities COMMITTEE ON Medicine Lake Room for Silverthorn Medicine Lake Room TRANSIT (PACT) STUDY SESSION 7:00 PM Medicine Lake Room REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 29 30 31 * Receive update from !the Citv's prosecutor Modified on 12130111 Page 3 r�Plymouth Adding Quality to Life February 2012 Modified on 12130111 Page 4 1 2 3 4 7:00 PM 6:00 PM PLANNING BOARD AND 2:00 PM COMMISSION COMMISSION FIRE 8 ICE MEETING RECOGNITION FESTIVAL Council Chambers EVENT Parkers Lake Plymouth City Hall 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM PRECINCT ENVIRONMENTAL PARK It REC CAUCUSES QUALITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMMISSION (EQC) MEETING (PRAC) MEETING Council Chambers Council Chambers 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL PLANNING HUMAN RIGHTS MEETING COMMISSION COMMITTEE Council Chambers MEETING MEETING Council Chambers Medicine Lake Room 19 20 21 2 2 23 7:00 PM 24 25 6:00 PM 7:00 PM POLICE DEPT. SPECIAL COUNCIL PLYMOUTH ANNUAL PRESIDENTS MEETING ADVISORY RECOGNITION DAY Discuss Fire Study COMMITTEE ON EVENT Medicine Lake Room TRANSIT (PACT) Plymouth Creek MEETING Center CITY OFFICES Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM CLOSED HRA MEETING Medicine Lake Room 26 27 28 29 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers Modified on 12130111 Page 4 City of Plymouth Adding Quality to Life March 2012 Modified on 01/01/12 Page 5 1 2 3 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CITY SAMPLER Plymouth City Hall 4 5 6 7 7:30 AM 9 10 STATE OF THE CITY MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 7:00 PM 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL ENVIRONMENTAL MEETING QUALITY Council Chambers COMMITTEE (EQC) MEETING Council Chambers Daylight Savings Time Begins 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 7:00 PM 5:30-8:00 PM PLANNING ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION QUALITY FAIR MEETING Kimberly Lane Council Chambers Elementary School 7:00 PM HRA MEETING Medicine Lake Room 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 7:00 PM 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL PLYMOUTH MEETING ADVISORY Council Chambers COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT (PACT) STUDY SESSION Medicine Lake Room Modified on 01/01/12 Page 5 Tentative Schedule for City Council Agenda Items January 3, Special, 6:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Review proposals for Peony Lane/Lawndale Lane extension project (10015) January 10, Special, 5:30 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Receive update from City's prosecutor January 10, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers • Appoint 2012 Health Officer • Appoint 2012 City Council Secretary • Appoint 2012 Official Depositories • Designate 2012 Official Newspaper • Adopt amended Policy Regulating the Use of City Facilities • Planned Unit Development amendment for improvements to Plymouth Station Auto Center at 16825 County Road 24 (2011072) (Tabled from December 13, 2011) • Award Contract, MIP Water Tower Rehabilitation (1002 1) • Approve Encroachment Agreement for a Retaining Wall, 5400 Weston Lane • Authorize purchase of a replacement tandem dump truck • Approve Composting Grant Program • Approve Payment of 2012 Watershed Dues: Bassett Creek, Elm Creek and Shingle Creek Watersheds • Approve Environmental Quality Committee (EQC) 2011 Annual Report and 2012 Work Plan January 17, Special, 6:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Discuss Council goals and legislative priorities for 2012 January 24, Special, 5:30 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Discuss private utilities for Silverthorne January 24, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers • Approve 2012 Liquor License Renewals • Announce Fire and Ice Festival, February 4 at Parkers Lake Park February 2, Special, 6:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room and Council Chambers • Board and Commission Recognition Event February 14, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers February 21, 6:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Discuss Fire Study February 28, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers Note: Special Meeting topics have been set by Council; all other topics are tentative. Page 6 March 13, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers • Announce Environmental Quality Fair on March 22 at Kimberly Lane Elementary School March 27, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers Page 7 Cities raise rec fees to keep pace with costs • Article by: MARY JANE SMETANKA , Star Tribune • Updated: December 27, 2011 - 2:18 PM Most cities inch up their fees year by year to avoid steep hikes, and despite the economy, find residents keep their facilities hopping. For the first time since Andover opened its community center seven years ago, the city raised its fees for open gym use and open skating -- and posted signs this fall to warn everyone of the coming price increase. Charges went up by $1, to $3 per person for open gym use, and $4 and $5 for open skating for kids and adults. And for the first time ever, adults who don't live in Andover will have to pay $2 more than residents to use the open gym time. While the increases may sound paltry, city officials worry they might not be perceived that way in a tight economy. As city councils all over the metro area set their 2012 user fees this month, fees are generally creeping up for everything from renting a community center room to using a city -run ambulance service. In Bloomington, the charge for renting shelter No. 1 at Moir Park next summer will be $219 a day, about $6 more than this year. Playing in an adult volleyball league that's officiated in Edina will cost a team $15 more in 2012. In Brooklyn Park, the city is still reviewing most of its fees. "They're a small percentage of our overall revenue," said Cory Kampf, the city's finance director. "We haven't made changes yet for 2012 ... but that doesn't mean we won't." Richfield, too, is an exception to the upward creep in fees. Though hourly rental of the city's ice sheet jumped $5 in September -- as it did in Brooklyn Park and at many rinks through the metro area -- city Recreation Services Director Jim Topitzhofer said many other fees, including charges for youth programs and adult sports programs, generally are holding steady. "We've frozen wages," he said. "Because costs are not going up, we're not charging more for programs." While officials in other cities said they are trying to hold down user fees at a time when many residents are sensitive to spending more money, they said that they have to try to recoup the cost of doing business. Gradual fee increases over a series of years are easier for people to swallow than years of flat fees followed by a jump in charges, said Randy Quale, Bloomington's parks and recreation manager. Page 8 "If we have increases, we just do a little year by year rather than have a spike," he said. "Typically charges are to cover the same level of cost, though sometimes they are trying to generate more revenue in programs that are subsidized by the city." The setting of fees for things like city art centers or ice rinks isn't haphazard. City officials said departmental staff begin reviewing fees months before proposals go to city councils. They look at what sort of improvements or repairs facilities need and talk about the price impact on residents. No city wants to price itself out of the market. "It's like any business," said Topitzhofer. "You have to ... keep an eye on what the market will bear but also look at the bottom line. I think generally the public gets that." Pricing for city ice sheet use is carefully worked out not only by comparing rates to those in nearby cities but by consulting with heavy users of rinks about how big an increase they can tolerate. Erick Sutherland, Andover's recreation facility manager, said that every summer he surveys 10 to 12 surrounding communities to see what arenas are charging for ice use. "A $5 an hour increase seems to be standard," he said. "We try to stay in the middle of the group. A couple of years we didn't do an increase to try to help [youth hockey groups] out a bit." In many cities, ice rink rates change in September, when the hockey season begins. This year, the hourly rate to use Andover's city ice sheet increased to $185. Prime time on the rink is nearly fully reserved for use through the winter. While some area rinks rent for $160 an hour, others charge as much as $195. Andover is still paying debt service on its seven-year-old community center, which contains the ice sheet and a field house with three basketball courts. Court rental during this winter's basketball and volleyball season has increased $1 from last year, to $46 per hour. "We're not really making money, but we offset the majority of the costs," Sutherland said. Nonresidents pay more For the first time, Andover followed the lead of other cities and set a nonresident rate for adults for open gym time. "It's a way to raise a few extra dollars, but we're not making Andover residents who are already paying for this with their taxes pay more," Sutherland said. Bloomington, too, has targeted nonresidents for some fee increases, notably admission to the city's popular River Rendezvous program used by schools in September. The park program takes students back in history with reenactments of what life was like between 1830 and 1870. Quale said the city has been subsidizing that program, and the number of nonresident students attending has gone up. "We're operating at a loss, and we hope we get that to a level where it's self-supporting," he said. Eden Prairie's practice has been to generally raise fees about 3 percent a year, said Jay Lotthammer, parks and recreation director. In recent years, he said, complaints about fee increases Page 9 have been rare. But Lotthammer and officials in other cities said that preserving access is uppermost in their minds as they set fees. Kampf said Brooklyn Park purposely holds down youth program fees to preserve access for children whose families might not otherwise be able to afford to participate. Said Quale, "If the economy is not good, we shouldn't be in a position to increase fees just because we want to bring in more money. We want to make sure that the programs we're offering appeal to a high number of people." So far, price increases have not affected use of Andover athletic facilities, Sutherland said. "People here have had to cut other things out of their lives, but they seem pretty committed to continuing activity with their kids and everything that comes with being on a team," he said. Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380 Twitter: @smetan Page 10 Governments trying to click with social media • Article by: JIM ADAMS, LAURIE BLAKE, KATIE HUMPHEY and DAVID PETERSON, Star Tribune • Updated: December 28, 2011 - 10:32 AM Cities and counties report mixed satisfaction with the online venues. Conversations can easily become minefields. Gail Plewacki didn't think Dakota County's Facebook page was worth the trouble. The county's communications chief tried to make it work — a couple of times. But after six months, one of them had 75 fans, most of them with official connections to the Women, Infants, and Children public health program it promoted. "We maybe had six people who could've been the target audience," Plewacki said. And it took time to oversee. The lesson: "People go to social media to do social stuff, not to find out that breastfeeding is good for your baby." Joyce Lorenz, her counterpart in Eden Prairie, feels differently. She oversees an award-winning Facebook page that averages nearly 1,200 active users per day, and half a million views in the course of a year. Page 11 "The whole purpose of Facebook is to engage the community," she said. "This is the only platform we have to do that, because the website is all one-way." She's referring to the city's main website, where the city talks to readers, but readers can't talk back. A year or two into most attempts to shake up the often stultifying world of government communication by launching a new era of instant, real-time notes to citizens, cities and counties are finding that social media is a tricky arena, with tremendous rewards when it works but with a huge array of hiccups: • A Lakeville council member shoots out a snarky tweet attacking his colleagues, angering them and leading to moves to set new rules. • A Facebook entry from the Scott County Sheriff's Office reporting a drug bust yields derisive comments from citizens, right out in public. • Shakopee publicly chastises a citizen, claiming she's trying to use the city's social media to promote her own business. And the citizen turns out to be a chum of the man who's about to become the mayor. "This is an extremely important way for people to communicate with the city," said Shakopee's mayor -elect, Brad Tabke. "But the city is extremely restrictive right now as to what can be said and the site is little used. It needs to reflect that human beings work for the city and there needs to be human communication. The way it's set up now, it doesn't do that." But the city next door has found it slow going, even when it tries to lure folks in. "I've gone on and thrown questions out there on topics we think they feel strongly about," including roundabout construction that was causing detours, said Savage's communications specialist, Amy Barnett, "and I got nothing." The more free -swinging a Facebook page is, the more folks will use it; but equally, that's when cities get nervous and the page starts becoming a serious drain on time. "Has it taken off to [the] extent I thought it might?" said Barnett. "No. But in a way that's partly due to the fact that we cannot stay on top of it like people might expect us to. To be effective, we'd need be on it constantly and we don't have the resources to do that." Potential pitfalls In hopes of keeping things from getting downright ugly, cities often have policies against vituperation and blatant politicking. But to restrict what can be said invites criticism. "This site is paid for/managed by tax payers of Prior Lake," a citizen's post last fall on that city's Facebook page exclaimed. "Please leave our comments here on the site, or remove it entirely! Stop removing comments!" Mike Peterson, the city's communications person, says he's mystified. "There are only two other people with access to that site and all claim they didn't remove any remarks," he said. "I chalked it off to an error on the writer's part." (The writer didn't respond to a Facebook note from the Star Tribune). Page 12 Lakeville is struggling with a new policy on electronic communication that would cover e -mailing or tweeting during or after City Council meetings. 1 have no problem with the use of [social media] in getting information out that is useful to the city," said first -term Council Member Colleen LaBeau. "I do have a problem" when a colleague is tweeting his views to the world right in the middle of a meeting. That would mean Council Member Matt Little, 28, who said he has e-mailed or tweeted only once during an informal work session. He said that tweet (only 140 characters fit in a tweet) noted that findings of a city liquor store study supported his view that it was a valuable business for the city to continue operating. Little uses Facebook and Twitter regularly after council meetings to keep residents informed, especially about work sessions, which aren't videotaped, as are City Council meetings. He recently tweeted about a work session in which the council discussed increasing its own expense allowance by $250 each, about two weeks after they voted to lay off the city's last electrical inspector to save money. "Most of what I tweet is things I have said at the meetings," Little said. "If [council] people are uncomfortable with being held accountable, that's on them. These are disagreements on issues, not personal attacks ... It's not for some council members to limit the communication to the public of other council members. It's about discretion and using our best judgment." Little, who has announced that he's running against Mayor Mark Bellows in next fall's election, has also seized on Twitter as a campaign device, often criticizing the mayor. "Mayor votes himself an inc. in compensation, says he hasn't had a raise in 10 yrs Wrong that taxpayers should pay us more in these times," went one recent tweet. "Mayor not happy with being held accountable," went another, which linked to an article about the compensation issue. In short, it's a volatile new world whose rules are only beginning to be written and rewritten as new experience illustrates new possibilities and new dangers. The upside is that social media can turn a remote and distant city hall into something more like a chatty neighbor, both confiding and listening. Said Tabke: "We need to be more like Eden Prairie, where even the police chief has a blog. We need to let people with a question or concern address those to us from bed at 10:30 at night with a laptop and not have to wait till opening hours." As for tweeting during a meeting? "Not smart," Tabke said. "That defies decorum." Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire, an active user of social media, agrees. "It's potentially distracting from what I'm engaged in," he said. Finding what works It seems clear by now that social media efforts for government activities that directly affect lots of residents, such as plowing, are going to be the best -used, while those for programs more remote from the average person's experience are more of a challenge. That may mean that cities are best positioned, while counties — except for parks and libraries — will have a more difficult time. Page 13 Dakota County plans to try again on Facebook, launching pages for the library system and parks department next year. The library's conventional Web pages draw more than 1.5 million page views annually. The notion is for a page that might feature book discussions or reviews, or a parks page with real- time updates on trail conditions. There could be live online chats. "It's new and there's still more to learn," Plewacki said. "We're not going to just do it to do it." Each type of media has its own best function, said Eagan's Maguire. "While I use Facebook to communicate with constituents, I do not engage with constituents on controversial issues or use it to seek out input on deliberations that I or the council are working on. We have meetings, hearings, e-mail and the ability to schedule meetings for such discussions and I find it a difficult medium ... to truly engage a dialogue." That may be, said Eden Prairie's Lorenz, but a lot of cities just don't want their own communications channel to become a magnet for complaints, she said. "The main things that keep cities from doing this is the fear of how much time it will take and the fear of getting negative comments," Lorenz said. Eden Prairie finds that a quick answer to a negative comment stops the complaining. "We respond. We apologize if we did something wrong. If they bring up something that isn't actually true we correct it." Last President's Day, when city employees were off for the holiday, there was an 18- or 19 -inch snowfall. Residents began posting complaints that their streets weren't plowed yet. "Once people saw other people complaining, it kind of snowballed. They kept adding and adding on. "So I looked into it and figured out why" the plows were late, she said. The plowing staff had been up all night dealing with the storm. "Once we put something out there apologizing that it was taking so long," and assuring people that the plows were coming, the posts stopped and "nobody complained anymore." The two-way communication is what makes it most valuable to the city, Lorenz said. "It's about interaction and you have to take the bad with the good. And bad isn't necessarily bad because it could be an issue that we wouldn't have found out about otherwise." Page 14 Wayzata congregation wins dispute with city • Article by: TOM MEERSMAN , Star Tribune • Updated: December 28, 2011 - 10:24 PM The church said the case was about religious liberty. Wayzata said it was about protecting citizens from noise. In a church -state dispute with echoes across the country, a Wayzata congregation has won its battle to build a new church in a residential neighborhood. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka will be allowed to tear down a house and build a church and parking lot in its place, according to a federal court -mediated settlement reached last week between the church and the city of Wayzata. To underscore the church's victory, the settlement also requires the city and its insurer to pay the church $500,000 in damages and attorney's fees. The 2000 federal law under which the church sued Wayzata, which effectively allows religious projects to trump local zoning restrictions, is being tested in a growing number of communities around the country. Cases resulting in victories for congregations have cropped up in California, Maryland, Colorado and elsewhere. In its 2010 federal suit, the Unitarian church also charged Wayzata with violating its First Amendment rights to free speech and religious worship. Church member and spokeswoman Alison Albrecht said she is pleased that the dispute has been settled and that the congregation will be able to remain in Wayzata, where -- despite the Minnetonka in the church's name -- it has worshipped since 1965. "Importantly, we also hope the city will now change its regulations so that other religious groups are no longer prevented from locating here," she said. Wayzata Mayor Ken Willcox said it was not the city's intent to deny anyone's religious freedom. Wayzata is 100 percent developed, he said, and has always tried to protect its single-family home neighborhoods from encroachment. The property in question is located at 2030 Wayzata Blvd. E., overlooking Hwy. 12. "It's heavily wooded, and it provides an important buffer between all of the traffic activity and lights on the freeway, and the neighborhood to the south," Willcox said. In other similar cases, cities have resisted religious land uses because churches and synagogues don't pay taxes and generate few jobs. The Wayzata dispute began in 2008, when Unitarian congregants decided they had outgrown their small church and asked city officials to rezone the three -acre residential property of a member so they could build there. The city turned them down. Page 15 The city argued that it should have the right to control planning and zoning through its long- established comprehensive planning process. Wayzata has 22 zoning districts. Churches are allowed only in one that's designed for institutions, including schools and government buildings. Church officials argued that the plan was too restrictive and amounted to unlawful restriction of religious worship. They also said that building a new church on the highway's frontage road would not require churchgoers to drive through a neighborhood to reach it. The Unitarian church draws its attendance from several cities and has more than 200 members. Its current location is at 605 E. Rice St., just across the street from City Hall. 'Best interest of citizens' Under the terms of the settlement, the city must help the church acquire two small adjacent parcels of land along Hwy. 12 owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. In exchange, the church will drop its lawsuit and agree to work through the city's normal application and permitting process to build the new church, which it must do within the next six years. Willcox said the city had to settle or face the prospect of exceeding its insurance cap and exposing its taxpayers to additional open-ended legal costs. "It became clear that ending this expensive and detrimental proceeding was in the overall best interest of the citizens of Wayzata," he said. Attorneys made oral arguments in the case on Nov. 29. U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle ordered the parties to a settlement conference on Dec. 22. The agreement must still be ratified by the Wayzata City Council. Willcox expects that to happen at the council's Jan. 17 meeting. Tom Meersman • 612-673-7388 Page 16 MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING October 13, 2011 PRESENT: Commissioners: G. Anderson, N. Carroll, M. Riley, A. Vanderwall, J. Vecere Staff: D. Evans, D. Sankey, B. Abel Planning Commission Liaison: D. Kobusson City Council Liaison: Bob Stein ABSENT: K. Wyse, J. Zwack 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Carroll called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION was made by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Riley to approve the September minutes with corrections provided at the meeting. Vote: 4 Ayes. Motion approved. Note: Commissioner Vanderwall arrived after this vote. 3. OPEN FORUM 4. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS (NON -ACTION ITEMS): a. Staff Presentation: Bill Abel, Ice Arena Manager Bill Abel announced that he recently received an award for having 31 years of service in the ice arena industry. The Plymouth Ice Center has three ice sheets - one Olympic and two professional size. This is the home of Wayzata High School hockey, both boys and girls. They both play their games here and flip flop for practices. Armstrong High School boys and girls also have also played their games here and flip flopped with their practices. Providence Academy plays here as well. We more than doubled the size of tournaments with the addition of the third ice sheet. We hosted 22 tournaments last year. These bring in a little over $2 million annually to the surrounding community. We have 480,000 visitors each year. We have a 31/2 - person full time staff. The 70 part time staff includes: 12 staff in the skate school, 23 staff in the concession stand, 16 zamboni drivers, and 14 ticket takers, announcers, scoreboard workers, etc. Utilities cost is $245,000 for electricity, $145,000 for gas, and $126,000 for water and sewer. Removing one sheet of ice during summer months saves a lot of maintenance money, and that is the slower rental time of year. We recently added doors to the lower lobby. Coldness from the ice used to come into Page 17 PRAC Minutes/October 13, 2011 Page 2 the lower lobby and up the steps. Adding the doors cost $40,000, which was paid by $26,000 in stimulus money, $13,000 in rebates from utility companies, and $1,000 out of our pocket. The doors have made a huge difference and paid for our part of the price in energy savings in the first three months. The bathroom counters' laminate is bubbling and falling off. We were planning to fix two bathrooms this year and two next year. We decided to do all four this year because the contractor came in with a good bid to do them all at once. Director Evans asked about a new kind of hand dryer for the bathrooms. Abel said they are trying out different models. People do not seem to like the Dysen dryers. They like paper towels. We will try them again. The desiccant dehumidifiers are controlled manually. We just installed desktop software to control them, and we now have much better control. We had purchased an evaporative coolant tower a while back and put it in storage to have on hand. It takes ten weeks to have one built and shipped. If it broke down, we would be going a long time without ice. The current one is starting to give some indication that it will soon need replacing, so it will be switched out next summer. We will need to replace the roof on Rink A and the lobby and office area in 2013 since it has been leaking when it rains. The cost is $600,000. Rink B will need replacing in the next couple of years, too. The zambonis have a 15-18 year lifespan. The Rink A zamboni is at 320,000 miles. Some facilities are having many problems with air quality issues. Our zambonies have always been all electric, so air quality is not an issue. Replacement cost for a zamboni is $117,000. Refurbishing is $15,000, so we will look into this. The scoreboard is out of date and uses a DOS system. We will need new carpet in meeting rooms, new speakers, new compressors, and other equipment. Olympic rinks are 200 feet long and 100 feet wide. Professional rinks are 200 feet long and 85 feet wide. Youth teams prefer the professional size. We are considering changing the size of Rink A. Doing so could possibly add a dry land training space in the additional 15 feet of space that opens up. The project would cost approximately $1 million. Chair Carroll asked about operational savings from making the rink smaller. Abel said there would be 27% less operating cost for that rink. It would also save on wear and tear on the systems. The Coca Cola contract ends in January, 2012. They gave us the scoreboard at the start of the contract. Perhaps we could get a new scoreboard or something at the start of a new contract. We will be talking to Coke and Pepsi. Abel said that Armstrong Hockey wants to pull out of renting here next year. We would lose about $30,000 in rentals. We will be talking to them to see how this develops. Director Evans asked him to elaborate on the reasons. Abel explained that Armstrong feels like they play a secondary role to Wayzata here. In addition, the girls like the professional size rink better. We just signed a $10,000 advertising contract with Totino's, which is shared 40% with Wayzata Youth Hockey. Commissioner Anderson asked if would we sell the old Page 18 PRAC Minutes/October 13, 2011 Page 3 scoreboard if we get a new one. Abel said we would probably move it to Rink B. 5. NEW BUSINESS (ACTION ITEMS): a. Ice Center Fees Bill Abel said that we try to keep the cost of skating and playing hockey down. Every year, revenue has exceeded expenses. We have about $1 million set aside. The Finance Department would like us to put $50-60,000 away each year. We are still paying back construction costs on Rink C. Director Evans asked how much longer we have to pay on this loan. Abel said we have nine years left. Our prices are currently lower than most of the rinks in the area. If we go up to $190 per hour, we would still be in the middle. We also offer more services than other rinks. The $10 per hour increase would equate to about $60,000 per year. MOTION: Commissioner Anderson moved to approve a $10 per hour increase in the ice rental rates at the Plymouth Ice Center. Commissioner Vecere seconded. Vote: 5 Ayes. Motion approved. b. 2012-2016 CIP Director Evans presented the CIP. One item, the splash pad, was removed by Council in a draft review. We could re-examine this issue and bring it back before Council in the future. MOTION: Commissioner Riley moved to approve the 2012-2016 CIP. Commissioner Anderson seconded. 5 Ayes. Motion approved. c. Grant Applications Director Evans reported that we have submitted two grant applications. One was for the replacement of the turf at the Fieldhouse. The other was for Greenwood Playfield, where we would be adding improvements such as storage, a picnic pavilion and batting cages. The grant would be $70,000, and Wayzata Baseball would contribute $50-60,000. Council voted to support applying for this grant. We should hear by January. 6. COMMISSIONER/STAFF UPDATES Director Evans spoke on the following topics: o Plymouth Dog Park Update The Dog Park parking lot is open again, and the landscaping is done. People are happy with it. They will be drilling a well for the water. We are planting 30 trees and installing toys and play items for the dogs. o Skate Park Update Page 19 PRAC Minutes/October 13, 2011 Page 4 The Skate Park is 70% done. A specialized company poured the ramps. It is really exciting and looking very good. There is a buzz in the community. By the end of next week, it should be complete. Commissioner Riley asked if there would be a ceremony for the opening. Evans replied that we will have a "soft opening" in November and a larger grand opening in the spring. o Playfield Lighting Project Update The lighting project is almost done. Evans has spent several nights walking the facilities and checking light levels. Muska needs to come back and do a few adjustments. It should be ready to go to Council with the final close out very soon. We had about $80,000 in change orders. We had a contingency of $150,000, so it went very well. We have had many positive comments from users and park neighbors. o Upcoming Community/Special Events Plymouth on Parade had 3,100 in attendance. It was a very nice event. A new feature was an acrobatic group that performed for the kids. The Fire Department 5K had 400 runners. Halloween at the Creek will be on October 31. The dome goes up tomorrow, weather permitting. We can't put it up if it is windy. Old Fashioned Christmas is December 4. Commissioner Riley asked how the Farmers Market season went. Evans said it went very well. Yesterday was to be the final day but there was too much wind and rain, so it was cancelled. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION Commissioner Riley said the refurbished dog park looks lovely. She suggested that the small dog area be made available to old and frail dogs. She goes frequently to the Crystal Dog Park because it is fenced. It is a non -used hockey rink, and it gets a lot of use as a dog park. Brooklyn Park used a sledding area, with a fence provided by Home Depot to make their dog park. These are "city dog parks" She would like to explore adding a second dog park in Plymouth that is less wild than our current one. Commissioner Anderson commented that the current park location is less accessible to many people, so this would be worth exploring. Director Evans said using hockey rinks might be a possibility. Riley said that the percentage of homes with pets is rising faster than homes with children. Evans said staff would do research and get back to PRAC. Commissioner Riley talked about an article in the StarTribune about "little free libraries". This is a neighborhood program where people put books in little buildings built for this purpose, and other people can borrow books from them. Page 20 PRAC Minutes/October 13, 2011 Page 5 7. ADJOURNMENT Chair Carroll entertained the motion to adjourn. MOTION was made by Commissioner Riley and seconded by Commissioner Anderson. Vote: 5 Ayes. Motion approved. The meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m. The next meeting will be on December 8 at Plymouth City Hall. Donna Sankey - PRAC recorder Page 21 c.- / r�j RICHARD W. STANEK HENNEPIN COUNTY SHERIFF December 19, 2011 Mayor Kelli Slavik 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mayor Slavik, As one of the 36 communities that receive police/Fire dispatch service from the Sheriff s Office, I am pleased to inform you of an important development that occurred last week. On Tuesday, December 13, the Sheriffs Office received final approval of the schematic design for our new 911 Emergency Communications Facility. The replacement of this 64 year old facility is critical to ensure ongoing reliability for public safety communications in Hennepin County. We will be breaking ground on this project in the latter half of 2012 with occupancy expected in 2014. This $33.75 million facility will be built on existing county property adjacent to the Adult Correctional Facility in Plymouth. The funding was approved as part of the Hennepin County 2012 Capital Improvement plan, and includes $4.7 million of state funding received this year. Thank you for the partnership the city of Plymouth provided on this project by adopting a resolution of support earlier this year. That resolution, adopted by 3S Hennepin County cities, demonstrated to our representatives at the State Capitol and to our county board that this is a critical regional project. We will continue to provide you updates on the new 911 Emergency Communications Facility as appropriate. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sandra Westerman on my staff at 612.543.0694 or call me directly anytime. Thank you. Sincerely, Richard W. Stanek Hennepin County Sheriff cc: Laurie Ahrens, Fire Chief Richard Kline, Police Chief Mike Goldstein Room 6, COURTHOUSE 350 SOUTH 5Ta STREET MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55415 www HENN$PINSHERIFF.ORG 612-348-3740 City of Plymouth Adding Quality to Life December 22, 2011 Steven Ekland Practicing Address: 1373 Hoyt Ave. W. Massage Retreat and Spa Falcon Heights, MN 55108 4445 Nathan Lane N., Suite B Plymouth, MN 55442 RE: 2012 RENEWAL APPLICATION FOR MASSAGE THERAPY CERTIFICATE This letter will serve as your notification that your 2012 renewal application for a Massage Therapy Certificate has been denied. This denial is based on the background checks completed by the Police Department. According to Section 1135.17, Subd. 2, you have the right to appeal this decision to the City Council: The Certificate holder may appeal a denial, suspension, revocation or non -renewal to the City Council. The City Council shall consider the appeal at the next regularly or specially scheduled City Council meeting 10 days after service of the notice of appeal upon the City Clerk by the Certificate holder Hearing on the appeal shall be open to the public and the Certificate holder shall have the right to appear and be represented by legal counsel and to offer evidence in behalf of certification. At the conclusion of the hearing, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the City Council naay order.- (a) rder: (a) That the denial, revocation, suspension or non -renewal by the City Manager- be of rmed. (b) That the denial, revocation, suspension or non -renewal by the City Manager be lifted and that the Certificate be issued or returned to the Certificate holder. (c) The City Council may base its order regarding the Certificate uponany additional terms, conditions and stipulations which it inn); in its discretion, impose. The City CounciI's neat regularly scheduled meeting is on January 10, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at which time you may appeal this decision. Please contact me by January 4, 2012 at (763) 509-5080 if this is your intent. If you have any questions regarding the background investigation conducted by the Police Department, please contact Dan Plekkenpol, Deputy Police Chief, at (763) 509-5187. In order to allow you the opportunity to appeal the denial, we are extending your license until the close of business on January 10, 2012. Sin crely, _ ZyAdl a ra E, rgdah City Clerk cc: Laurie Ahrens, City Manager Dan Plekkenpol, Deputy Police Chief Massage Retreat and Spa 3400 Plymouth Blvd - Plymouth, Minnesota 55447-1482 F. Tel: 763.509-5000 o wwKd,plymouth.mn.us ti 1k Page 23 y` City of Plymouth Adding Quality to Life December 22, 2011 Yu Chang 4 U foot Spa 3505 Vicksburg Ln. N. #1100 Plymouth, MN 55447 RE: 2012 RENEWAL APPLICATIONS FOR MASSAGE THERAPY CENTER AND MASSAGE THERAPY CERTIFICATE This letter will serve as your notification that your 2012 renewal applications for 4 U Foot Spa Massage Therapy Center and your personal Massage Therapy Certificate have been denied. This denial is based on the background checks completed by the Police Department. According to Section 1135.17, Subd. 2, you have the right to appeal this decision to the City Council: The Certificate holder may appeal a denial, suspension, revocation or non -renewal to the City Council. The City Council shall consider the appeal at the next regularly or specially scheduled Cit)) Council nneeting 10 days after service of the notice of appeal upon the City Clerk by the Certificate holder: Hearing on the appeal shall he open to the public and the Certificate holder shall have the right to appear and be represented by legal counsel and to offer evidence in behalf Of certification. At the conclusion of the hearing, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the Cite Council »nay order -- (a) That the denial., revocation, suspension or non -renewal by the City Manager be affirmed (b) That the denial, revocation, suspension or non -renewal by the City Manager° be lifted and that the Certificate be issued or returned to the Certificate holder. (c) The City Council may base its order regarding the Certificate upon any additional ferias, conditions and stipulations tivhich it pray, in its discretion, impose. The City Council's next regularly scheduled meeting is on January 10, 2012 at 7:00 pan. at which tine you may appeal this decision. Please contact me by January 4, 2012 at (763) 509-5080 if this is your intent. if you have any questions regarding the background investigation conducted by the Police Department, please contact Dan Plekkenpol, Deputy Police Chief, at (763) 509-5187. In order to allow you the opportunity to appeal the denial, we are extending your licenses until the close of business on January 10, 2011 S itEer•ely, � �l."' 1 C Sana Enadahl City Clerk , cc: Laurie Ahrens, City Manager Dan Plekkenpol, Deputy Police Chief 3400 Plymouth Blvd e Plymouth, Minnesota 55447-1482 a Tel: 763-509-5000 , www.d.plymouth,mn.us Page 24 1'City of .Up Plymouth Adding Quality to Life December 22, 2011 Choua Vang Practicing Address: 312 Cimarron 4 U Foot Spa Lake Elmo, MN 55402 3505 Vicksburg Ln. N. #11100 Plymouth, MN 55447 RE: 2012 RENEWAL APPLICATION FOR MASSAGE THERAPY CERTIFICATE This letter will serve as your notification that your 2012 renewal application for a Massage Therapy Certificate has been denied. This denial is based on the background checks completed by the Police Department. According to Section l 135.17, Subd. 2, you have the right to appeal this decision to the City Council: The Certificate holder may appeal a decrial, suspension, revocation or iron -renewal to the City Council. The City Council shall consider the appeal at the netit regularly or specially scheduled City Council meeting 10 days after service of the notice of appeal upon. the City Clerk by the Certificate holder. Hearing on the appeal shall be open to the public and the Certificate holder shall have the right to appear and be represented by legal counsel and to offer evidence inbehalf of certification. At the conclusion of the hearing, or cis soonthereafter as practicable, the City Council may order: (a) Thal the denial, revocation, suspension or non-ren.e-�>>al by the City Manager be affirmed. (b) That the denial, revocation, suspension or non -renewal by the City Manager be lifted and that the Certificate be issued or returned to the Certificate holder: (c) The City Council may base its order regarding the Certificate iron any additional terms, conditions and stipulations which it rimy, in its discretion, impose. The City Council's next regularly scheduled meeting is on January 10, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at which time you may appeal this decision. Please contact me by January 4, 2012 at (763) 509--5080 if this is your intent. if you have any questions regarding the background investigation conducted by the Police Department, please contact Dan Plekkenpol, Deputy Police Chief, at (763) 509-5187. In order to allow you the opportunity to appeal the denial, we are extending your license until the close of business on January 10, 2012. Sill rely, idra Engdahl 1 City Clerk cc: Laurie Ahrens, City Manager Dan Plekkenpol, Deputy Police Chief 4 U Foot Spa 3400 Plymouth Blvd o Plymouth; Minnesota 55447-1482 e Tel: 763-509-5000 - www.ci.plymouth.mn.us Page 251