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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 02-22-2008CITY OF PLYMOUTH FP) COUNCIL INFO MEMO February 22, 2008 UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS February, March & April 2008 Official City Meeting Calendars .......................................... Page 1 Tentative List of Agenda Items for Future City Council Meetings ........................................ Page 7 INFORMATION News Articles, Releases, Publications, Etc ... Highway 55 Corridor Coalition Publication.......................................................................... Page 9 Low -Cost Rain Garden Workshops Offered, Utility Bill Insert February & March ............ Page 13 Transit Talk Opinion Piece, Article Star & Trib..................................................:................ Page 14 Looking for a Place to Call Home in Plymouth, Article Star. & Trib Front Page ................ Page 15, . Plymouth Fire Dept. Identifies Origin of February 9 Apartment Fire, News Release:......... Page 19 A Threat Builds Deep Beneath the Twin Cities, Article Star & Trib.................................... Page 20 Expanded Center Comes with Expanded Fees (Eden Prairie), Article Star & Trib ............. Page 23 Report `Not Petty'; Highways in Decline, Article Star & Trib............................................. Page 25 Heaven Help Drivers Through Brooklyn Park Devil's Triangle, Article Star & Trib .......... Page 27 High -Tech Sweat, Article Star & Trib...........:...................................................................... Page 30 Plymouth State of the City Set for February 28, News Release ........................................... Page 33 MEETING MINUTES PRAC Meeting Minutes, 02114/08 ........................... ........................................................... Page 34 EQC Meeting Minutes, 01/09/08.......................................................................................... Page 39 CORRESPONDENCE New Park & Ride Comment from Passenger...................................................................... Page 43 Letter to Property Owners, RE: Rezoning Plan for W.B. Gyms, LLC (2008007) ............... Page 44 League of Minnesota Cities Friday Fax, 02115108 ............................................................... Page 45 OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS February 2008 Sunday Monday Tuesday I Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Mar 2008 S M T W T F S 1 2 2:00 CE FESTIVALIRE Parkers Lake Jan 2008 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 27 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, Council Chambers 7:00 PM HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, Parkers Lake Room , 7:00 PM PRECINCT CAUCUSES 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 8:30 P.M. YOUTH ADVISORVCOUNCIL, Caunci Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE (EQC), Medicine Lake Rooms A & B 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION(PRAC), Council Chambers 7:30 AM MUNICIPAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE MEETING (MLC), Radisson Hotel, Plymouth - 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 PRESIDENTS DAY- City Offices Closed 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, Council Chambers 6:00 PM BOARD OF COMMISSION RECOGNITION EVENT, Plymouth Creek Center 24 25 26 27 28 29 5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING - Rental Licensing,COMMITTEE Plymouth/New Hope Little League & Excessive Nuisances - Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM PLYMOUTH ADVISORY ON TRANSIT (PACT) , Medicine Lake Room A 7:00 PM HRA MEETING Medicine Lake Room 7:30 AM STATE OF THE CITY MEETING Plymouth Creek Center 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers modified on 2/22/2008 Page 1 Page 2 OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS March 2008 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Feb 2008 Apr 2008 1 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 24 25 26 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7:00 PMPLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, Council Chambers 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 6:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCILMEETING, Meeting With Auditors, Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE (EQC), Medicine Lake Rooms A & B 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION (PRAC), Council Chambers - 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Coun d Chambers - 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, Council Chambers Environmental Fair 6:00 - 6:00 Pm Sunset Hill Elem. School GOOD FRIDAY .23 24 25 26 27 28 29 EASTER SUNDAY I e:00 P.M. YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL- Review contest Envies Council chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers 7:00 PM PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSfi (PAC's , Medicine Lake Room A 7:00 PM HRA MEETING Medicine Lake Room 30 31 modified on 2/22/2008 Page 3 Page 4 OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS April 2008 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, Council Chambers YARD AND GARDEN EXPO, Plymouth Creek Center 6:00-8:00 Pm Fieldhouse YARD AND GARDEN EXPO Pymoulh Creek Center 9:00 am -1:00 pm Fieldhouse 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DAYLIGHT SAVINGS COMMENCES - set Clocks ahead 1 6:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, Discuss Lake Setback Ordinance, Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE (EQC), Medicine Lake Rooms A & B 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION (PRAC), Council Chambers hour 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers 13 14 IS 16 17 18 19 6:30 P.M. HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD CEREMONY City Hall Lobby and Council chambers 8:00 PM UPDATE WITH CITY MANAGER 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, Council Chambers PRIMAVERA PLYMOUTH ARTS COUNCIL SHOW, Plymouth Creek Center PRIMAVERA PLYMOUTH ARTS COUNCIL SHOW, Plymouth Creek Center 7:00 PM BOARD OF EQUALIZATION 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 LLPRIMAVERJA YMOUTH A SH Creek PRIMAVERA PLYMOUTH ARTS COUNCIL SHOW, Plymouth Creek Center 5:30 PM SPECIAL coUNCIL MEETING, Ciao...sohmidt LakCOMMITTEE Sediment Delta, Medicineouth Lake Room 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers 7:00 PM PLYMOUTH ADVISORY ON TRANSIT (PACT), Medicine Lake Room A 7:00 PM HRA MEETING Medicine Lake Room 9:00 AM -12:00 PM CITY OPEN HOUSEOUNCIL TOWN MEETING Plymouth City Hall PRIMAVERA PLYMOUTH ARTS COUNCILSHOW, Plymouth Creek Center 27 28 29 30 6:30 P.M. YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE, Plyumouth creek Center BOARD OF EQUALIZATION 7:00 PM Mar 2008 S M T W T F S May 2008 S M T W T F S 1 1 2 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 30 31 modified on 2/22/2008 Page 5 i Page 6 Tentative Schedule for City Council Agenda Items March 11, Special, 6:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Meeting with auditors March 11, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers • Approve Renewal of Garbage Hauler Licenses • Hearing for On Sale Wine and 3.2 Liquor Malt Liquor Licenses from CSM Lodging Services, Inc. d/b/a Residence Inn by Marriott -Plymouth, 2750 Annapolis Circle • Action regarding possible closing of Pilgrim Lane Elementary School March 25, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers April 8, Special, 6:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Discuss lake setback ordinance April 8, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers • Report on condition of Park and Ride lot located at the southwest corner of Nathan Lane and 45th Avenue North April 15, 6:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Quarterly Update with City Manager April 22, Special, 5:30 p.m., Medicine Lake Room • Discuss Schmidt Lake Sediment Delta April 22, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers April 26, Open House/Town Meeting, 9:00 a.m.-Noon, City Hall Note: Special Meeting topics have been set by Council; all other topics are tentative. Page 7 Page 8 Future The Highway 55 Corridor Coalition was formed in 2001 to advocate for increased safety and capacity improvements in the State Highway 55 Corridor from 1-494 in Plymouth to the western city limits of Annandale. Recognizing thottliefuture expansion of Highway 55, including construction of additional lanes, was threatened by encroaching development, Hennepin and Wright counties took the lead in organizing the coalition project. The goal is to protect the land necessary to expand the highway now, while right-of-way purchase costs are relatively low, in order to hold down the cost of upgrading the corridor in the future. This is an innovative approach to help plan for growth along the increasingly congested highway 55 Corridor. The coalition is composed of • Counties, cities and townships along the corridor • Businesses and neighborhood organizations • Concerned citizens . All working in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Council. Affiliate memberships were established to provide an opportunity for those directly impacted by the corridor upgrades to participate in the coalition. The coalition is self-sustaining through membership donations. Highway 55 Corridor Average Daily Traffic Volumes: Annandale to 1-494 Traffic Capacities* 2 -lane 12,500 4 -lane 40,000 "based on level of service D end 4111M Funded Partially Funded Under Construction/Completed TH 55 Environmental Assessment Study Page 10 "I WANT TO EXPRESS HOW IMPORTANT THIS HIGHWAY 55 PROJECT IS BOTH TO MORRIES BUFFALO FORD MERCURY AND ME PERSONALLY. MANY OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND MY OWN CHILDREN FREQUENTLY TRAVEL THIS HIGHWAY. SEVERAL YEARS AGO WE LOST A VALUED EMPLOYEE AND DEAR FAMILY FRIEND WHO DIED AS A RESULT OF A HEAD ON COLLISION ON HIGHWAY 55 JUST EAST OF ROCKFORD, MN. THIS WAS JUST ONE OF THE MANY LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN LOST ON HIGHWAY 55 THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED IF HIGHWAY 55 WAS MADE INTO A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY. FOR THIS REASON I FULLY SUPPORT THE HIGHWAY 55 PROJECT." Marls Johannecic, Dealer Principal, Monies Buffalo Ford Mercury • • I'1 C0O,1111,13TL' Type of Number of 2005 TOTAL - Crashes Crashes Loss/Crash LOSS Fatal 8 $1,150,000 $9,200,000 Incapacitating Injury 33 $60,000 $1,980,000 Non -Incapacitating Injury 35 $19,600 $686,000 Possible Injury 298 511,100 $3,307,800 Property Damage 997 $1,500 $7,477,500 TOTALS 1,471 3,815 $22,651,300 City Gr®wth The economic loss in crash costs on Hwy 55 between 1-494 in Plymouth and the City of Annandale over the past 5 years (2002 - 2006) was almost $23,000,000. This is based on the National Safety Council's 2005 economic cost figures. °County Gr®th 1990 2005 Change Hennepin 1,032,431 1,150,912 +11% Wright 68,710 110,836 +61% Hennepin County is the 32nd largest county in the United States Wright County ranks 63rd of 100 fastest growing counties in the United States 1990 2005 Change Plymouth 50,889 70,455 +38% Medina 3,096 4,770 +54% Loretto 404 637 +58% Independence 2,822 3,714 +32% Corcoran 5,199 5,884 +13% Greenfield 1.450 2,847 +96% Rockford 2,665 3,815 +43% Buffalo 6,856 13,251 +93% Annandale 2,114 2,895 +37% Maple Lake 1,394 1,879 +35% The economic loss in crash costs on Hwy 55 between 1-494 in Plymouth and the City of Annandale over the past 5 years (2002 - 2006) was almost $23,000,000. This is based on the National Safety Council's 2005 economic cost figures. °County Gr®th 1990 2005 Change Hennepin 1,032,431 1,150,912 +11% Wright 68,710 110,836 +61% Hennepin County is the 32nd largest county in the United States Wright County ranks 63rd of 100 fastest growing counties in the United States Low-cost rain garden workshops offered Yd� c�oo{,,;�, city of Plymouth Plymouth, Hennepin County and local watershed organizations pool resources to offer workshops and grants. Learn how to plant a rain garden. Create a beautiful garden to attract birds and butterflies and help keep our lakes clean at the same time. Metro Blooms Education Workshop will teach you how to install a rain garden. You will leave with easy -to -follow techniques to get started on your own rain garden. You may also sign up for a later Coaching Seminar where you will receive personal assistance from land- scape design assistants who will answer your questions and offer advice on your own rain garden plans. Reimbursement grants of $65 for materials to install a rain garden will be available to participants on a first-come basis. Your rain garden .project may also be eligible for Plymouth's Landscaping for Water Quality and Conservation grants. Check the City's website (www.ci.plymouth.mn.us) for an application and more information. Or call Derek at 763-509-5526. Questions? Call Noelle Hechtman at 612-554-9261, or visit www.MetroB]ooms.org. Register in advance for the $10 rain garden workshop of your choice. See the list on the reverse side. Space is limited. Sponsored by Alletro Blooms, the Bassett, Elm and Shingle Creek Watershed Management Organit-ations, tiennepit7 County Environmental Services, the Allinnehaha Creek Tatershed District, the City of Plymouth, other cities in irhich workshops are held, and the generous parks and churches that have donated space. Space is limited so register today with a credit card online at www.MetroBiooms.org. Or send a S10 check payable to Metro Blooms, attn: Noelle Hechtman, 3629 Quebec Avenue S., St. Louis Park, MN 55426. Be sure to include with your check the workshop number you prefer (4A2 —#A 15 below), your name, address, zip code, phone number with area code and e-mail address. For a complete listing of workshops and seminars go to www.metroblooms.org. Education Workshops (Part A) ' Locations 9A2 Wed., March 26 6:30-8:30 p.m. St. Louis Park Rec. Center 3700 Monterey Dr. St. Louis Park #A4 Tues., April 15 7:00 — 9:00 p.m. Creekside Community Center 9801 Penn Ave. S. Bloomington #A5 Sat., Aprii 19 10 a. n. to Noon Maple Grove City Hall 112800 Arbor Lakes Pkwy. N. Maple Grove #A10 Thurs., May 15 6:30 — 8:30 p.m. St. Barnabas Lutheran Church 15600 Old Rockford Rd. Plymouth #A13 Thurs., May 22 6:30 — 8:30 p.m. Hopkins Activity Center 33 10' Avenue N. Hopkins #A14 Tues., June 3 6:30 — 8:30 p.m. Crystal Community Center 4800 Douglas Dr.. Crystal #A 15 1 Thins., .lune 5. 6:30 — 8:30 p.m. Minnetonka Community Center 14600 Minnetonka Blvd. Minnetonka Page 13 Jeff Noddle and Jon Campbell: Let's shift transit talk into high gear Page 1 of 1 tiff Ibunse;.0 M E MINNEAPOLIS, - ST. PAUL, MINNE OT. Jeff Noddle and Jon Campbell: Let's shift transit talk into high gear By JEFF NODDLE and JON CAMPBELL February 20, 2008 The 2008 legislative session began with the expected debate over Minnesota's transportation infrastructure, and it has quickly heated up. The good news is there is little disagreement over the need to invest in and maintain our state's vital transportation infrastructure. The challenge remains how to get something passed at our politically divided State Capitol. As active members of the Minnesota business community and large employers, we see firsthand how growing congestion makes it increasingly difficult to move products. And employees are spending more time stuck in traffic, taking away from time spent at home. Minnesota's metro commuters and products are spending an average of 43 hours per year stuck in traffic. In addition, there are significant safety concerns on the roads in greater Minnesota. In 2006, Minnesota voters passed the first major infusion of continuing transportation dollars since 1988 when they approved a constitutional amendment to dedicate the motor vehicle sales tax to transportation. Our state legislators must take the next step and enact a transportation funding bill. This should be done while keeping in mind our current economic conditions and the impact a funding bill will have on Minnesota businesses and families. No one disputes that our state is significantly behind in funding transportation; the list of needs and associated costs grows larger each year. It also seems clear the price tag is too great to solve all of our transportation needs in one legislative session or transportation bill. But another year of not making incremental progress is unacceptable. Leaders at the Capitol should move forward with a balanced and reasonable approach that is tuned to Minnesota's long-term economic outlook. This step should support investment in roads, bridges and transit improvements. We encourage our policymakers to compromise and get something done. The plan put forward by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce may be the vehicle to bring Democrats and Republicans together. It includes a moderate increase in the gas tax and license tab fees on luxury vehicles (those fees are constitutionally dedicated to roads and bridges); bonding to accelerate major projects throughout the state, and additional dollars for investment in transit. These much-needed investments will help Minnesota maintain and increase vital infrastructure while keeping a firm grasp on the economic hurdles our state faces. Jeff Noddle is the chairman and CEO of Supervalu Inc. Jon Campbell is a member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and CEO of Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota Region. © 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. Page 14 http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print This_Story?sid=15822012 2/21/2008 Looking for a place to call home in Plymouth tarTribune.com 1 MINNEAPOLIS, - ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA. Looking for a place to call home in Plymouth By JENNA ROSS, Star Tribune February 20, 2008 Plymouth City Hall rarely sees such a crowd. Page 1 of 3 But this week thousands of people parked their cars up, down and around Plymouth Boulevard and formed a line through the lobby and out the door. Somali immigrants, elderly women, families six people deep -- they were all there for one reason: a chance to nab a coveted, federally subsidized housing voucher. Best known as Section 8, the vouchers give people with low incomes federal money to help pay their rent. To Robert Hadley, 44, a voucher could mean an end to wasted nights at Minneapolis shelters. To Filsan Abdi, 27, it could mean stability for her mother and younger sister. To Tywana White, 43, it could mean less pressure on her husband -- badly injured in a car accident -- to find work. In a steady stream over two days, about 3,700 people took applications, all hoping theirs will be one of the 300 drawn in, a waiting list lottery for housing in Plymouth. The turnout was a sign of a growing metro -area problem: a shortage of affordable housing. In fact, experts had predicted it. Each time a housing authority opens its Section 8 wait list, applicants overwhelm it. "Everyone has a different situation," White said. "People are just trying to have somewhere to be comfortable." When St. Paul invited applications for its Section 8 voucher list last year, nearly 11,000 people called, faxed or e-mailed their requests. Soon after, the Metropolitan Council received 25,000 requests for just 5,000 spots. "A voucher is as rare and as valuable as gold," said Eric Hauge, an organizer for HOME Line, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit advocate for tenants. Experts and housing advocates say the long lines point to a larger crisis in affordable housing: Paychecks have not kept pace with housing costs, and the supply of affordable housing pales in the face of growing demand. In 2006, one in eight Minnesota households was paying half of its income on housing, according to a census analysis by Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. That's up from one in 15 in 2000. Federal government left gaps Renters in Minnesota are worse off. In 2006, nearly one in four renters was paying half her income on housing. Meanwhile, the federal government, instead of increasing housing subsidies, has been backing away. "It's incredibly frustrating," said state Housing Finance Commissioner Tim Marx. "No matter how much we ramp up the investment [in affordable housing] at the state and local levels -- and we have -- we can't possibly fill in the gaps the federal government has left us." Page 15 http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print This_Story?sid=15824827 2/21/2008 Looking for a place to call home in Plymouth Page 2 of 3 Local housing authorities, which handle and distribute federal funding for Section 8 and public housing, now open their waiting lists less often. It had been almost four years since Plymouth last opened its list, five years for St. Paul and the Met Council. And getting on a waiting list is just the start. Take St. Louis Park, which has a fairly small housing authority, as an example. More than 3,000 people requested an application for its waiting list in 2005. But the housing authority handles only 300 to 350 vouchers. And last year, it issued just 30, granted as their former users went off the list. So people often spend years on waiting lists. According to a 2007 survey by HOME Line, the average time on a waiting list ranges from a year in Plymouth to three years in Richfield to five to seven years for the Metropolitan Council. What do people do while waiting? "They struggle like you can't believe," said LaDonna Hoy, founder and executive director of Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners, a Wayzata -based nonprofit that helps people get and keep housing. Each month, 180 to 190 people request rent or mortgage assistance from the organization. And although the nonprofit spends $100,000 a month on those requests, it still turns away between 30 to 40 legitimate requests a month, Hoy said. No place to go "The waiting lists are way, way long," she said. "And even if you're one of the lucky ones and you get a voucher, the housing just isn't there." The same 2007 HOME Line report -- which surveyed 65,752 units in three counties — found that people could use the vouchers for only 27.3 percent of apartments in the metro area. This is despite the fact that 63.2 percent of those units' rents qualified for the Section 8 program. Most landlords choose not to participate. That, coupled with tightening vacancy rates -- 3.9 percent at the time of the survey — means the rental market for voucher holders is diminishing, said HOME Line's Hauge. "We're seeing thousands of people line up to get a voucher on one hand," he said. "Meanwhile, there is a steady mark of long- term affordable housing being lost." In response, Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners began building affordable housing itself. "We were seeing the vulnerability of the people walking in our doors," said Hoy. "They're at the whim of a very unstable market." In October, Interfaith and its partners celebrated the opening of Vicksburg Commons, a 50 -unit affordable townhouse development in Plymouth — a project more than five years in the making. Its ownership guarantees that it will remain affordable housing forever. With most Section 8 housing, there's no such promise. Escape? Not so fast Five years ago, Section 8 was Annette Wilson's escape. Her family's roof over their heads was little more than a roof. The house stood on a tilt, field mice scurried by, and because there was no tub, her children bathed at family members' homes. After a year on a waiting list, they got an apartment with a Section 8 voucher in Minneapolis, then in Maple Grove. The joy was short-lived, though, Wilson said. Both landlords tried to up her rent more than Section 8 would allow. The Minneapolis landlord eventually discontinued accepting Section 8. And for months, Wilson paid the Maple Grove landlord an additional $100 a month under the table. Page 16 http://www. startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=15 824827 2/21/2008 Looking for a place to call home in Plymouth Page 3 of 3 "Pretty soon, I got tired of this whole Section 8 thing," she said. She discovered an Otsego home she could rent for less — with the option to buy — and moved there with her six children and 2 -month-old grandson. But the home turned out to be part of an alleged mortgage fraud scheme. Now she faces an eviction notice. Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168 © 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. Page 17 I http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print This_Story?sid=15824827 2/21/2008 Page 1 of 1 Page 18 http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/765*439/lHousingO221.jpg 2/21/2008 City of Plymouth News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 20, 2008 CONTACT: Richard C. Kline, Fire Chief 763-509-5121 Plymouth Fire Department Identifies Origin of February 9 Plymouth Oaks Apartment Fire The Plymouth Fire Department has determined the cause of a Feb. 9 apartment fire that displaced residents of a 212 -trait building at Plymouth Oaks Apartments. "The fire appears to be accidental in nature and was caused by the use of smoking materials," according to Plymouth Fire Chief Richard Kline. The fire started in a second floor apartment located at the 3301 block of Highway 169 and caused more than $600,000 in damage. M in Page 19 A threat builds deep beneath the Twin Cities Page 1 of 3 tarTribune.com ! I ll,TNEAPOLIS -ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA A threat builds deep beneath the Twin Cities By DAVID SHAFFER, Star Tribune February 17, 2008 Deep beneath the Twin Cities, aging storm water tunnels are splitting apart under the pressure of heavy rains, posing a risk of collapse that could flood streets and buildings above. Minneapolis' 15 miles of tunnels -- some more than 100 years old -- need $75 million in repairs to prevent such failures, according to engineers studying the problem. The tunnels, mostly built with unreinforced concrete or masonry, collect storm water from streets and rooftops and take it to the Mississippi River. Increased urban runoff and heavy rains frequently fill some tunnels to capacity, creating pressures they weren't designed to handle. "We force more and more water into these tunnels, and the pressure starts to blow them apart," said Leonard Krumm, an engineer with CNA Consulting Engineers, a Minneapolis firm wrapping up a six-year analysis of tunnel conditions in the city. In many places, excessive water pressure has cracked or burst tunnel walls, undermining them, Krumm and other engineers said. If such a tunnel collapsed, the falling debris could block it, backing up storm water and flooding the neighborhood that the tunnel is supposed to protect, engineers said. The city of St. Paul and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which own 28 miles of storm water tunnels, face similar problems. Pressure is so high in a tunnel beneath Interstate 35W in south Minneapolis that a geyser erupts from a manhole in the median during some storms. In other places, manhole covers are blown into the sky during heavy storms. St. Paul is spending $10 million to fix cracks and breaches in concrete tunnels beneath Frogtown, Interstate 94 and downtown. At one fracture, water blasted through the wall into the adjoining soft sandstone, gouging out a cavern 90 feet long and up to 20 feet high. Workers filled the cavern with concrete grout so the tunnel wouldn't collapse. Working in the tunnels also carries risk. Two laborers filling cracks in the St. Paul tunnel drowned in July after being stranded underground during a deluge. Minnesota's Occupational Health and Safety Division is investigating the accident. A view from below In a storm tunnel 85 feet below downtown Minneapolis, the air is musty but surprisingly warm on a subzero winter day. The 1930s -era tunnel is just tall enough for city sewer construction engineer Bob Ervin to stand. Sloshing through ankle-deep water, he passed construction floodlights illuminating gaping holes in the concrete walls. For weeks, workers have been shoveling out the eroded sandstone behind jt. "We have a crack in the top and a crack in the side, and the concrete blows out into the sand, allowing water to get in there," Ervin said as he walked along the tunnel. Over time, heavy storms have sent pressurized water through seams and fractures in the concrete. Once it breached the wall, water further eroded the sandstone with each new storm. Caverns or voids were scoured out of the adjacent sandstone, putting the tunnel at risk. Just a few yards from where Ervin stands, the tunnel collapsed a few years ago. The accident didn't back up water in the tunnel, Page 20 1-ittp://www.startribune.com/teiiiplates/Print—This—Story?sid=l 5702517 2/20/2008 A threat builds deep beneath the Twin Cities Page 2 of 3 which might have flooded part of downtown. Instead, the streaming water burst into an adjacent sanitary tunnel, which carried it away. Now, new cracks, fractures and voids are undermining the tunnel. "What we are trying to do is to is stop that process by pulling out all the loose material — the rock and stone -- and filling the area behind the tunnel with concrete," Ervin said. Beneath Minneapolis, CNA engineers documented numerous tunnel blowouts that have washed away adjacent. sandstone. Two large tunnel systems south and east of downtown are in poor condition, with many structural failures and advanced deterioration, the study found. Engineers say it will take 10 years to fix everything, a pace dictated not only by money, but by weather and safety: January and February are the preferred work months because they pose less chance of washouts. In summer storms, laborers must scramble to the surface before tunnels fill; tools and equipment left below can get washed away. More money, no more water The metropolitan area has more than 50 miles of storm water tunnels large enough to walk through. In some, you could drive a car. The oldest, built in the late 19th century, carried sewage until the systems were separated. They are 30 to 150 feet deep, dug beneath the most developed and paved -over parts of the urban area. All angle through soft sandstone toward the Mississippi River. Even the tunnels built in the 1960s beneath interstate highways are deteriorating. A 5 -mile tunnel under parts of 1-94 and 1-35W in south Minneapolis is cracking, has developed sandstone voids and needs about $10 million in repairs or its condition will worsen, said Beth Neuendorf, an engineer for MnDOT. Neuendorf said the city is supposed to maintain the tunnel, but it hasn't. kept up with the work. Most of the water comes from city streets, filling the tunnel to capacity and creating enormous pressure. A MnDOT highway camera has repeatedly recorded a geyser blasting from a manhole and flooding 1-35W at 35th Street, In 1999, the manhole cover blew off and a pickup truck slammed into it during a heavy storm. Workers modified the manhole so its cover won't fly off, but water still gushes out during deluges. Other pressure -reducing fixes are planned. Minneapolis officials concede that tunnel maintenance has been a low priority but insist that's changing. "I think the way folks managed in the past was. in the reactive mode," said Rhonda Rae, who was appointed director of the city's storm water programs last year. "The checkbook's getting smaller, and as things get older they need more maintenance. So where do we put our priorities?" Now, Rae and other city officials are trying to answer that question, and it won't be easy. The current repair budget is $2 million a year. Replacing three South Side tunnels would cost an estimated $19 million; rebuilding and replacing 10th Avenue SE tunnels would be another $13 million, according to draft findings from the study. And that would fix only the worst tunnels. In St. Paul's St. Peter -Rondo tunnels, workers have been patching holes and cracks and reinforcing walls with steel bands to keep them from splitting apart under pressure. The city's next rehab is the 4.7 -mile St. Anthony Park tunnel system, where work will begin in 2010, said sewer utility manager Bruce Elder. What's at stake? If a tunnel collapses in an urban area, it can mean immediate flooding. In 1992, an abandoned coal tunnel collapsed in Chicago, flooding downtown office building basements with river water while crews worked frantically to close the breach. Page 21 http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print—This—Story?sid=l 5 702517 2/20/2008 A threat builds deep beneath the Twin Cities Page 3 of 3 A 2006 deluge collapsed a 100 -year-old storm water tunnel in Pittston, Pa., undermining the foundations of two commercial buildings and flooding basements in the commercial district, including the city library's. Melissa Szafran Jones, the library director, was driving home in her sport -utility vehicle when the storm hit, and "I suddenly had water up to my lap," she said. Two men pulled her out before the SUV submerged, she said. No catastrophic collapses have occurred in Twin Cities storm tunnels, but engineers say the risk exists. Another risk is that a tunnel failure could scour such a vast cavern in the sandstone that a sinkhole would develop at ground level, caving in streets or undermining buildings. Charles Nelson, a founder of CNA Consulting Engineers and a tunnel expert, said this is a theoretical possibility but has never happened here. Rae, the Minneapolis official, said she has pondered the risk of a tunnel collapse. "Do I lose sleep over it? No," she said. "But am I concerned? Yes." David Shaffer • 612-673-7090 © 20013 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. Page 22 http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print—This—Story?sid=l 5 702517 2/20/2008 Expanded center comes with expanded fees iCa Tribunie. Com 1 MI 14NEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Expanded center comes with expanded fees 'By LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune February 19, 2008 Gilbert Anderson voted yes to expanding the Eden Prairie Community Center. He finds the center vastly improved. But he hadn't counted on the higher fees. Page 1 of 2 Anderson, 84, paid $110 a year to exercise at the old community center. But at the expanded center -- which is twice as big, with a new gym, skating rink and fitness center -- fees have more than doubled for seniors and other individuals and more than tripled for families to help cover increased operating costs. Using his old membership for a few months more, Anderson is deciding if he can justify paying $288 a year to use a treadmill for 15 minutes several times a week. He agrees users should help pay the center's higher costs. "But then again, I may not pay them." Higher community center rates were approved by City Council members in December after they learned the center expansion - funded mostly through $6.65 million in bonds approved by voters in 2005 -- would add $1 million a year to the center's operating expenses. The center is located next to Eden Prairie High School at 16700 Valley View Road. As the remodeled center approaches its May grand opening., the city's goal is to have ice time and membership fees cover operating costs by 2010 or 2011. For some, the higher fees have come as a shock. "The community center was built specifically for a large population of Eden Prairie residents who aren't being served by the private sector," said Mike Bolland, who was vice chairman of the community center improvement committee. It's for senior citizens, young families on a tight budget who want to skate and swim -- the part of the community with "tennis shoes that don't match their workout clothes," Bolland said. "I go back to the three committees that helped design and build it, and we were all taken aback by the city saying we are no longer going to subsidize it-- it has to stand on its own," Bolland said. Concerned that the change in fees would "prompt a haves and have-nots stratification regarding this public amenity," the city's Human Rights Commission in November sent a "memo of concern" to the Parks and Recreation Department. In response, the city extended special low-income rates for community recreation programs to include the cost of community center memberships. For now, the commission is letting the matter simmer while the final stages of the center expansion are finished and new patterns of use unfold, said Jeff Strate, a commission member. Is it worth the cost? Tonja Arpin and Cheryl Gaebel, Eden Prairie mothers who visited the center recently, said they have opened individual memberships after deciding they could no longer afford the fees for a household. "We had a family [membership] and I dropped the family," Gaebel said. If her children, ages 10 and 14, want to go, she will pay - i Page 23 llttp://www.startribune.com/templates/Print This_Story?sid=15736112 2/20/2008 Expanded center comes with expanded fees Page 2 of 2 the daily fee, which is $7.50, she said. Arpin and Gaebel said they find the individual price reasonable because their favorite classes are included and their health insurance helps pay the cost. Jan Engel, another individual member, agreed that "the rates are very reasonable for what they have to offer. I think they now have a lot to offer." But one young mother at the center on a day pass said her family was disappointed to find the household membership beyond their reach.. "We voted for this because we think it's important for the community, but now they've priced it so high families can't afford to be here." Still, she agrees with the idea that the facility should be self-supporting. "In general it makes sense that you pay for what you use." The center's new fitness center opened in January. On March 1 the new main entrance, racquetball courts, gymnasium, lobby area and meeting rooms are scheduled to be ready for use. Sometime in the spring, a family lounge area, child care center and children's indoor play area will be finished. The new facilities are attracting new members. Community Center manager Wendy Sevenich, who was hired in December, said ..we have seen a large increase of new patrons to the facility — new to memberships and new to lessons." During January, the center signed up about 300 new members and 220 renewals under the new price schedule. Prices at the Eden Prairie center are competitive with centers with similar offerings in Inver Grove Heights, Eagan and Chaska, Sevenich said Every city hopes its community center will be self-supporting, said City Manager Scott Neal. Starting in 2010, the goal will be to have property taxes pay for costs associated with the building and have fees fund the center's operations, Neal said. When it's finished, the community center will be more than doubled in size, Neal said. So, although fees have doubled, "we think the quality and array of services has more than doubled," he said. "We still believe, and I think the numbers will bear out, that what we are offering is, for a competitive price, a better deal compared to what that citizens could get at Life Time Fitness." Council Member Brad Aho said: "It would be nice if we could keep the fees at the original level, but that seems not realistic given the cost structure of running the community center." The council would like the community center to be self sustaining, and city employees think it's a possibility beginning in 2010, Aho said. But before the council can decide if that is a realistic expectation, operations will have to be refined, costs made clear and staffing levels set, he said. Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711 © 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. hilp://www.startribune.com/templates/Print—This—Story?sid=l 5736112 Page 24 2/20/2008 Report 'not pretty'; highways in decline Page 1 of 2 to Tr ibunexo r MINNEAPOLIS -ST. PAUL. -MINNESOTA Report'not pretty'; highways in decline By MIKE KASZUBA and PAT DOYLE, Star Tribune February 19, 2008 Minnesota's high-pitched debate over transportation funding got a push Tuesday from a new report that says the condition of the state's highways is declining and has been hurt by pressures to build new roads instead of fixing existing ones. Legislative Auditor James Nobles released a 105 -page critique of the state's transportation system -that says that without new money, Minnesota will be able to do little more than maintain current roadways. "The picture going forward is clear, and it's not pretty," said Nobles, who said that simply borrowing money for transportation is not enough. MnDOT's bridge program received relatively high marks in the report. It has been a focus of concern since the August collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge that killed 13, injured more than a hundred and left the agency reeling as critics faulted MnDOT for the tragedy. The report came two days before a DFL -sponsored transportation bill is scheduled for votes on the House and Senate floor. The bill would raise $7.8 billion over the next decade through a series of tax and fee increases. DFL leaders immediately pounced on the report as evidence that the bill is needed. Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has threatened to veto the legislation, has defended his policy of using the state's bonding authority to borrow money to pay for transportation projects. On Tuesday, Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung termed the DFL proposal "massive and overreaching." Construction vs. preservation The report, meanwhile, painted a sobering picture of Minnesota.'s roads. The state had more miles of trunk highway in poor condition in 2007 than five years before, a period when the number of Minnesota Department of Transportation employees dropped 19 percent, the report said. And though the agency had a policy of "preservation first" -- making repairs to existing roads the top priority -- the report showed that more than half of MnDOT's spending on trunk highways was spent on expansion projects in the past five years. When adjusted for inflation, Nobles said, tax revenues for the trunk highway fund have decreased since 2003. One result, he said, was that MnDOT is increasingly committing more money for road construction and less on operations, research and support. "There are a few bright spots," Nobles said of the report. "Parts are downright grim." State Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau, responding to the report Tuesday, welcomed the findings and said her agency has been "stemming the downward decline in the condition of pavements that began in 2000." "We must do an even better job of aligning our investments, project -by -project, with our stated priorities -- and we will," said Page 25 http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print-This-Story?sid=l 5768117 2/20/2008 Report 'not pretty'; highways in decline Page 2 of 2 Molnau, speaking at a briefing with the state Legislative Audit Commission. Molnau, however, dismissed the push to increase the state's gas tax for the first time since the 1980s -- a centerpiece of the DFL's legislation — and said new revenue sources must be found. With gas tax receipts declining, said Molnau, "you start to wonder if we're going to be able to do things the way we've always done them." Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL -St. Cloud, an assistant majority leader, said there was little else to turn to except a gas tax increase. "We need revenue right now," she said. "We can't wait." Some Republicans cautioned that the report may not automatically translate into support for the DFL's transportation initiative. "The debate isn't so much, does MnDOT need more money?" said Rep. Chris DeLaForest, R -Fridley. "The battle line here, rather, is drawn between where do you get the money? Are you going to go back to taxpayers and extract more, or are you going to seek to find more within government?" he said. Better rapport urged Nobles, whose office is non-partisan, urged both Republicans and DFLers to reach a funding compromise, and also said that legislators and the agency needed to show "some improvement in the rapport." Not all of the report's findings were positive regarding MnDOT's bridge work and maintenance. While the report said MnDOT was completing "high-priority" bridge repairs, it added that the agency was falling behind on routine maintenance. Nobles stressed that his report was not focused on the causes of the bridge collapse, but on larger transportation funding problems. Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673 © 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. Page 26 http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=15768117 2/20/2008 Heaven help drivers through Brooklyn Park devil's triangle http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print This_Story?sid=15530107 Heaven help drivers through Brooklyn Park devil's triangle By JIM FOTI, Star Tribune February 11, 2008 Every day, the drivers come by the tens of thousands, from six directions, to a place they don't really want to be: the triple intersection known as the devil's triangle. If you're sitting in gridlock on Hwy. 169 near the Fleet Farm just outside Osseo, you'll find there's plenty of time to fluff your hair, rearrange whatever's on the seat of your car, or stare ahead as the traffic signal mocks you. Green doesn't mean go if the car in front of you can't move. Alleviating your suffering is one of the state's top transportation priorities, but it might not seem like it. That's because even though transportation will be job one when the Legislature reconvenes today, the congested, crash -prone triangle is going to stay just the way it is this year. Work that would lift Hwy. 169 above two county roads was supposed to begin last year, but the money got switched to pay for the Crosstown project. The Legislature and governor didn't come up with replacement funds for the 169 project during the 2007 session. Now the work is.set to start in the second half of 2009, with completion late in 2011. The delay has riled up not only commuters but also mayors and legislators who wonder when they'll see more cement trucks and smell fresh asphalt. "The only way we're going to get any of these projects moved up is to get more money into the system, said Rep. Michael Nelson, a DFLer who is assistant majority leader and whose district includes most of the triangle. Nelson said even the 2009 start date could be at risk if, say, bridge repairs are deemed more important. So the waiting. continues. The triangle was created in the 1980s in, of all things, an effort .to reduce congestion. Before the bypass, Hwy. 169 used to go right through Osseo, a compact town of 2,500 people. Since then, Anoka County, just up the road, has added about 100,000 residents, and the - half -finished Hwy. 610 freeway ends at 169, dumping all of its westbound traffic. In 1986, about 26,000 cars a day were using 169 through the triangle; by 2006, the number had risen to 53,000, and people were calling it by its satanic nickname. Traffic glut in Osseo Nelson said that Osseo is overwhelmed by drivers cutting through, with a recently redone ' page 27 1 of 3 2/12/2008 7:21 AM Heaven help drivers through Brooklyn Park devil's triangle street wearing out from all the cars. http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print—This—Storv?sid=l 5530107 But not everyone is cutting through on purpose. "Sometimes I have to go straight into Osseo because I can't get over," said Amy Peterson, who would prefer to turn toward her home in Champlin. Drivers in the lane she'd like to be in understand her predicament. "We know we're going to have to keep to the right lane, so we're glued to the car in front of us," said Kate Gorecki, who regularly drives through on her way to visit her parents in central Minnesota. "Mornings I don't even come to work this way," Peterson said. Her son takes the same route, and "every day we drive it, we complain." While it might feel like purgatory, the triangle does not judge. The UPS truck, the BMW and the Taurus with the bumper sticker containing the word "hemorrhoid" all suffer equally. It might not be a coincidence that there are collision -repair shops at two corners of the triangle. On its list of the 200 intersections with the highest crash -related costs, the Minnesota Department of Transportation puts two of the triangle's three intersections in the top 10. That's because there's "lots of confusion," said Jennifer McAtee, who commutes from Mound to Brooklyn Park and stopped last week at Fleet Farm to buy new floor mats for her car. She's seen plenty of accidents, and the jam-ups grow exponentially whenever one of the signals goes out. "The people that know that area tend to go faster and don't allow for the ones that don't have a clue what they're doing," Gorecki said. One problem, Gorecki says, is that drivers heading toward the triangle on southbound 169 see an overhead sign indicating that the right lane is for continuing on 169, when in fact both the left and right lanes handle through traffic. New drivers "all squish into one lane," only to find out they don't have to, she said. And then there's the trains Just off the triangle, on 85th Avenue N., there's a separate signal that lets people get to and from the road in front of Fleet Farm. "Do not block intersection" signs encourage drivers to keep that open, but no such instructions exist at the triangle's three corners. As if there isn't enough going on, traffic on 85th and 169 has to stop about twice each day to let freight trains go through. The revamp of the triangle will carry Hwy. 169 over the track. Chris Roy, MnDOT's engineer for the north metro, says that the removal of stoplights will nearly double the highway's capacity. The overall project was estimated to cost $50 million in 2007, and that number is Page 28 2 of 3 2/12/2008 7:21 AM Heaven help drivers through Brooklyn Park devil's triangle expected to rise because of inflation. http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print—This—Story?sid=l 5530107 Roy says MnDOT hopes to keep two lanes open in both directions on 169 nearly all the time, but the specter of orange barrels worries the triangle's already scarred drivers. "Oh my," said Gorecki when told about the construction plan. "That'll be interesting." Jim Foti • 612-673-4491 © 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. Page 29 3 of 3 2/12/2008 7:21 AM High-tech sweat http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print This_Story?sid=15468221 High-tech sweat By JEAN HOPFENSPERGER, Star Tribune February 10, 2008 Thirteen -year-old Travis Mauer is addicted to the new exercise equipment that's hooked up to video games at the North St. Paul Community Center -- the unlikely home to Minnesota's first "exergaming" facility. With strobe lights flashing and music blaring, Mauer climbed on a stationary bike that powered a virtual all -terrain vehicle on the video screen in front of him. The faster he pedaled, the quicker the vehicle blazed trails through the desert. "When you play these [games], you forget about being tired," said Mauer, his face flushed. "You don't get bored." This modest community center, it seems, is on the cutting edge of.a fitness trend sweeping suburbs and cities across the nation. Last month, North St. Paul opened its "XRKade," introducing what appears to be the first virtual fitness center to Minnesota. Like many suburbs, the city wanted to create a teen hangout to offer them something positive to do -- as well as keep them from driving into the big cities or hanging out at the malls. After a city official read about the new gaming trend, and the XRKade package of games in particular, the city decided to chuck the traditional teen center with puffy couches and pool tables. "The idea of combining video and fitness was a natural," said city administrator Wally Wysopal. "About 98 percent of teens play video games, plus there's a growing concern over childhood obesity." "It's a concept in its infancy and has room to develop here," said Wysopal, noting that the center has been contacted by about a half-dozen other communities about the concept. Several representatives from Gold's Gym, a national fitness -club chain with more than 600 centers worldwide, were checking out the equipment the night Mauer was playing. Some Minnesota fitness centers and video arcades have a couple pieces of the "exergaming" equipment, they said, but not 20 such games in a designated arcade setting. "A lot of gyms are doing this nationwide, but not in this area," said Jamie Nelson, a Gold's partner who said his company was considering setting up an XRKade in Woodbury. "There's smaller versions of this in some video arcades, with DDR [Dance Dance Revolution] or snowboard type games." Page 30 1 of 3 2/12/2008 7:21 AM High-tech sweat 'It just blew me away' http://www.starnibune.com/templates/Print This_Story?sid=15468221 The game center sits just.off the running track at the community center. It's not a huge setup, about 1,200 square feet, but that was.one of the attractions, Wysopal said. Plus its $75,000 cost was far less than the cost of building another ice rink or pool, which many centers build to attract.teens. The city hasn't tracked how many teens they've attracted. The arcade has 20 games that require players to kick, box, pedal or dance their way to victory. In one corner is "Kick 3," a series of three towers that light up in certain sequences, requiring the participant to kick, hit or slam the lighted spot and rack up points. A few games down was Power Boxing. Players don the fat boxing gloves hanging below the video screen and then try to knock out tough -looking opponents with names like Raz Raven and Valentino. Snowboarders gravitate to the virtual snowboard,. hooked up to a video screen that allows them to maneuver across mountain slopes by shifting their weight on the board. "When I saw it, it just blew me away," said Mauer's buddy Tyler Swanson, 14, of Oakdale. "I thought the place would just have a bunch of PS2s [PlayStation2s] or stuff I had at home." 'Burbs grapple with options The teens who were pedaling and .punching this night had no idea they were part of the city's grand plan to keep them occupied in a positive setting. It's the goal of suburbs across the metro area, which admit that finding popular activities for teens is tough. There's plenty of classes and activities that engage children up to age 12, recreation directors said. After that, it's a crap shoot. "That group is difficult to program for," said John Keprios, parks and recreation director in Edina, which has opened -- and closed -- three teen centers over the years. Burnsville tried something totally different, opening The Garage, which features Friday and Saturday night rock concerts, pizza parties; speakers, dance classes and more. Eden Prairie, meanwhile, is building a new space for teens at its community center and is soliciting teens' ideas for its content. Making the place a magnet "Will it have a coffee -shop feel to it?" said Jay Lotthammer, Eden Prairie's park and recreation director. "Will it have computers, video games, music? We want to make sure it's a place kids want to come to." North St. Paul is a guinea pig for some of the newest "exergaming" products, said Mike Hansen, CEO of [tech Fitness, which manufacturers some games and distributes the XRKade Package. The XDream Bike, for example, is being piloted in North St. Paul and 2 of 3 Page 31 2/12/2008 7:21 AM High-tech sweat http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print This_Story?sid=15468221 three other cities nationally, he said. Sponsors see opportunities Minnesota will also be where XRKade launches some sponsorships this summer. Teens who excel at a particular game can register for contests and prizes, such as a real piece of the equipment they're playing in a virtual world. "I wanted to make sure the Midwest was involved in this, because that's where I'm from," said Hansen, who grew up in Forest Lake. Meanwhile, at North St. Paul's teen center, Mauer was competing with Swanson in the Kick 3 game, before heading to the virtual snowboard. "I have video games at home, but this is different," Swanson said. "You have to move [your body] to play the game, not just sit in a trance using your fingers." Jean Hopfensperger • 651-298-1553 © 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.. Page 32 3 of 3 2/12/2008 7:21 AM City of Plymouth News Release For Immediate Release February 15, 2008 Plymouth State of the City Set for February 28 Contact: Laurie Ahrens, 763.509.5051 The City of Plymouth, in cooperation with the Twin West Chamber of Commerce, will host the Plymouth State of the City presentation at Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 34th Ave. N., on Thurs., Feb. 28, 7:30 a.m. Mayor Kelli Slavik will make a presentation, outlining the City Council's recently adopted goals as well as recent. accomplishments. This free event will include a light breakfast. No registration is required. The general public is welcome to attend. i Page 33 MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING February 14, 2008 PRESENT: Commissioners: D. Anderson, A. Vanderwell P. Knight, E. Singer, M. Smith, G. Anderson, N. Carroll Staff: Miller, Evans Planning Commission Liaison: Jim Davis City Council Liaison: Bob Stein ABSENT: Staff: Blank PACKET INCLUSIONS: 2-14-08 Agenda, 1/10/08 Minutes, 2008 Work Plan, 2007 Draft Annual Report, Millennium Garden Brochure CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Council Chambers by Vice -Chair Singer. a. New Commissioner's Introduction Vice -Chair Singer asked the new Commissioners to introduce themselves, share what ward of the city they represent and a little about their families. Commissioner Ned Carroll shared that he has worked with Staff Blank in the past. He stated that he has lived in Plymouth for the past 13 years and has three children. He is currently completing his two term with the Shingle Creek Water Shed Commission. Commissioner Douglas Anderson moved to Plymouth one and half years ago. Both he and his wife teach in the Osseo School District. He has two grown children. Commissioner D. Anderson served for 20 years on the Maple Grove Park Board. The current Commission members (A. Vanderwall; P. Knight; E. Singer; M. Smith and G. Anderson) reviewed the wards they represented, a little about their families and their current duration on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission also welcomed two new liaisons. Planning Commissioner liaison, Jim Davis who served one term on PRAC. He has lived in Plymouth for the last eight years. City Council Member Bob Stein will be this years PRAC liaison. He is serving the last year of his second term on the council. He also served on the Planning Commission for four years; serving one year as the liaison to PRAC. He has been a resident of Plymouth for the past seventeen years. b. Elect Chair and Vice Chair Vice -Chair Singer opened the floor for Chair nominations. Commissioner Smith nominated Vice -Chair Singer. Commissioner Anderson second. Vote: 7 Ayes. MOTION carried. The floor was then open for nomination of a Vice Chair. Commissioner Carroll nominated Commissioner Smith. Commissioner Knight seconded. Vote: 7 Ayes. MOTION carried. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION was made by Commissioner G. Anderson to approve the minutes with revisions as noted. Commissioner D. Anderson seconded. Vote: 7 Ayes. MOTION carried Page 34 MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING February 14, 2008 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Association No information was presented. b. Staff- Diane Evans Staff Evans introduced herself to the new Commissioners. She reviewed the events that have occurred since the last PRAC meeting. Chair Singer and Commissioners Knight, Smith and G. Anderson were thanked for helping with the Fire and Ice event held on February 2, 2008. Staff Evans informed the Commissioners of other upcoming events that will be held over the next several months. This included Jazz Impressions, which is an adult only event being held on February 15th at the Black Box Theater in the Plymouth Creek Activity Center. She also referenced the upcoming Yard and Garden Expo that will be held April 4th and 5th. She noted the admission fee of $3.00 will go to the Millennium Garden fund, which will help with the second phase of that project. Primavera, an art exhibit event, will be held later in the month of April. She also informed the Commissioners that over the next year recreation staff will attend PRAC meetings to introduce themselves; as well as present an overview of the programs they supervise. Parks and Recreation staff is busy finalizing the 2007 Annual Report. Staff Evans referenced the draft that was included in their packets, which they will be reviewing later on in the meeting. The summer brochure, which is the largest of the three produced annually, is wrapping up and will be sent out to residents on or around March 12. The Commissioners will have the opportunity to see the brochure at their March meeting. Staff Evans noted that Parks and Recreation is hiring a new position. More details will be forthcoming at the next meeting. 4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION a. 2008 Work Plan Staff Evans advised the Commissioners that the City Council reviewed the Parks and Recreation work plan on 1-29-08 and approved the nine items as outlined in their hand-out. Chair Singer asked the Commissioners if they had any additions or edits. Commissioner Smith questioned why there was not a line item that specifically addressed how we will continue to grow and expand our recreation division. Staff Evans replied'that the work plan philosophy had changed. The City Council sets the goals and Staff, along with PRAC agrees, to work on those items. If PRAC makes changes to the current work plan, it will need to go back to the City Council for approval. Chair Singer questioned line item #9. She wondered what the plan is for future outdoor skating rinks. Staff Evans stated the focus would be to look at the number of rinks open and decide if they are adequately used. Discussions would then take place to determine if it might be more appropriate to reduce the number of rinks to provide better quality and/or add facility enhancements. Chair Singer responded by stating that once the study is done, PRAC will be receiving statistics based on that research. She then asked Staff Evans if they will be putting together a plan on the skating rinks for next winter. Staff Evans replied yes and no. Some recommendations could be implemented in 2008 and others requiring financial support may have to be worked into the CIP. Chair Singer informed the new Commissioners that PRAC makes recommendations to the City Council with the council having final approval. Chair Singer then asked Staff Evans if she need to Page 2 of 5 Page 35 MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING February 14, 2008 have the Commissioners recommend the adoption of the 2008 Work Plan. Staff Evans replied yes. City Council Member Stein interjected that generally the Council approved work plans after the fact. This is the first year they decided to review and recommend the work plans. Their reasoning is due in part to some commissions going over board on goals, which had caused some work flow issues for staff. He continued to state that next year PRAC will work with staff to propose line items that should be included in the 2009 work plan. Commissioner Carroll asked when PRAC would start addressing next years plan. Staff Evans replied sometime in October 2008. Chair Singer entertained a motion to approve the recommended work plan. MOTION was made by Commissioner Vanderwall to approve the work plan. Commissioner Knight seconded. Vote: 7 Ayes. MOTION carried b. 2007 Annual Report Staff Evans reviewed the annual report. She informed the Commissioners that each member may have a slightly different version of the report. Staff Evans briefly explained what the report is used for and how is it comprised. She requested that the Commissioner's approve the report at tonight's meeting so it can be moved forward to the City Council on February 26, 2008. She noted that the Annual Report highlights of accomplishments PRAC and the Parks and Recreation Department have made over the last.year. Staff Evans walked through the report with members of the Commission and. PRAC liaisons stating their corrections and edits. Commissioner Smith reiterated his previous comment that the report should reflect the number of recreation programs as a highlight. Staff Evans explained that the items noted in the highlight section is directly related to what PRAC has worked on over the last year. Chair Singer commented on the use of colors for graphs and charts and how much easier it is to read. She extended her appreciation. Staff Evans asked the Commissioners to contact her in the next day or so if they have additional edits. Staff will be presenting the report, if approved by PRAC, to the City Council in two weeks. Chair Singer asked for additional comments. MOTION was made by Commissioner D. Anderson to approve the annual report with minor corrections and edits as noted. Commissioner Smith seconded. Vote: 7 Ayes. MOTION carried. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None 6. NEW BUSINESS Staff Evans reported on an email that was received from the MN Recreation and Parks Association. For the first time they are conducting a Board and Commission symposium. This event will be held on Page 3 of 5 Page 36 MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING February 14, 2008 April 22, 2008 at the Roseville Oval Skating Center from 6:30-9:OOpm. Topics will include: roles and responsibilities, neighborhood relations and community participation and advocacy at the local and state level. More information will follow. Council Member Stein asked what was known about Plymouth/ New Hope Little League and the request for a joint venture for a concession building at Zachary Playfield. Staff Evans responded that Council Member Black, Staff Blank and representatives from Plymouth/New Hope Little League sat down to talk about the desire to build a -concession stand at Zachary Playfield as a joint venture. Portions of the playfield were developed into little league size fields. As part of that reconstruction, Plymouth/New Hope provided some funds, however there remains an outstanding balance of $50,000. Although the City is still awaiting payment, little league has come forward with their request to have a concession building constructed at Zachary; similar to the structure at Greenwood Park. As background, our agreement with the Wayzata Baseball Association for the ,Greenwood concession building provided $30,000 of City money for the project and the Association would be responsible for the remaining balance. Staff Blank has recommended that the same type agreement be entered into with the Plymouth/New Hope Little League. Staff Evans believes the Plymouth/New Hope Little League would like the City to contribute more than that. Council Member Stein asked what the total cost of project would be. Staff Evans replied approximately $230.000. Chair Singer asked if that was currently in the CIP and Staff Evans replied no. Council Member Stein interjected that the City Council will be holding a study session next week to discuss this issue. Chair Singer then directed the Commissioners to the brochure on the Millennium Garden. She gave the new Commissioners a briefing on the proposed enhancements of the garden. The brochure is being used as a tool and has been distributed to previous contributors throughout the city to obtain funds for the construction of the second phase of the garden. Chair Singer stated the garden is one of the outstanding features that we have in the City. It also contributes largely to Plymouth Creek Center weddings and other special events. Chair Singer asked for questions. There were none. 7. COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION- Misc. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Singer entertained the motion to adjourn. MOTION made by Commissioner Knight to, adjourn the meeting'and seconded by Commissioner Vanderwell. Vote: 7 Ayes. MOTION approved. The meeting adjourned at 7:48pm. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 7:00 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Page 4 of 5 Page 37 MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING February 14, 2008 Mary Miller -PRAC recorder Page 5 of 5 Page 38 City of Plymouth Environmental Quality Committee (EQC) January 9, 2008 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Kathy Osborne, Commissioners Carlos Gutierrez, Tawnia Johnson, Peggy Willenberg, Terrie Christian and Sally Strand MEMBERS ABSENT: Commissioner David Pellinger STAFF PRESENT: Water Resources Manager Derek Asche and Office Support Representative Patty Hillstrom 1. CALL TO ORDER — 7:00 P.M. 2. PUBLIC FORUM Commissioner Christian introduced Bill Wixon and Tom Gallagher and stated that they are board members for the Association of Medicine Lake Area Citizens (AMLAC). Mr. Gallagher recommended on behalf of AMLAC, that the City Council consider the set-up of a forum of experts to guide them in decision making for Medicine Lake. The EQC would like a Council study session that would include experts to educate Councilmembers. on lake management. Mr. Wixon added that great things are being done in Plymouth regarding water quality in the lakes and watershed. He said that Medicine Lake was not treated for aquatic vegetation last year and reported that as a result the vegetation was unbelievable this past summer. He would like to see a committee to keep pulse on what is going on with the lake and to be able to monitor what steps need to be taken to build on the progress that has already been made. Mr. Wixon suggested offering a study session to the City Council to help educate them about what happens to lakes. Water Resources Manager Asche inquired if a panel of experts at an EQC meeting in the future would suffice. Chair Osborne suggested inviting the City Council to the meeting to get them more involved. Commissioner Christian added that the councilmember's are the decision makers and she would like them to be more educated. Commissioner Strand asked Mr. Gallagher to bullet point some study session ideas that he would like to have covered and forward them to any EQC member. There were also many students from various high schools attending the EQC meeting as part of a government class. Page 39 Environmental Quality Committee Minutes January 9, 2008 Page 2 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda for the January 9, 2008, EQC meeting was approved as written. 4. CONSENT AGENDA A. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 12, 2007, ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MINUTES Motion by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Christian, recommending approval of the December 12, 2007, Environmental Quality Committee meeting minutes. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. 5. PUBLIC HEARING There was no public hearing scheduled for the meeting. 6. GENERAL BUSINESS A. 2007 ANNUAL REPORT AND 2008 WORK PLAN The following changes were made to the 2007 Annual Report and 2008 Work Plan: 2007 Annual Report Objective (page 1) • Reword the last sentence III. 2007 Membership (page 2) • Correct spelling of Peggy Willenberg's last name 2008 Annual Plan 2008 Proposed Membership (page 4) • Remove the word "committee" from Kathy Osborne's title • Correct spelling of Peggy Willenberg's last name Schedule of Activities (page 5) • Remove first bulleted item in February • Correct spelling of "practices" and "responsibility" in no. 2 of the sub notes Motion by Commissioner Christian, seconded by Commissioner Willenberg, recommending qpproval of the 2007 Annual Report and 2008 Work Plan. Page 40 Environmental Quality Committee Minutes January 9, 2008 Page 3 Commissioner Johnson referenced a sentence in the plan about student members, and asked how the EQC encourages students to serve on the EQC. Water Resources Manager Asche replied that if the City Council approves of student positions they will be pursued among the schools in Plymouth. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. B. WATERSHED ASSESSMENTS — MINNEHAHA AND ELM Chair Osborne stated that she received a phone call from a resident on Schmidt Lake that has sediment issues affecting his boat landing. Water Resources Manager Asche replied that City staff has been on site and met with the homeowner, and he confirmed that there is a sediment delta that creates a problem for access to the lake when the water is low. He said that the EQC could include the sediment issue in the plan although there would be no guarantee. He added that the Public Works Director, Doran Cote, has asked for direction from the City Council on the sediment delta issue on all lakes in Plymouth. Motion by Commissioner Strand, seconded by Commissioner Willenberg recommending the inclusion of a feasibility study on sediment deltas in public access water bodies. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Elm Creek Watershed Page 143 • Replace Mud Lake with Lake Camelot throughout the plan Page 145 • Complete the year in the third paragraph, first sentence, to read 1980 Page 159 • Replace the word "establish" with "continue" in no. 2 under Solutions • Replace wording in no. 3 under Solutions with something relating to regional ponds • Insert Elm Creek Channel Study in no. 5 under Problems • Consider incorporation of wording about volume Section V1 • Add wording about increasing size of buffer for wetlands and creeks Minnehaha Creek Watershed Page 331 • Correct spelling in third paragraph and throughout the plan Page 350 • Remove wording "was designed to" from the last sentence in the last paragraph Page 41 Environmental Quality Committee Minutes January 9, 2008 Page 4 Page 357 • Change wording in no. 1 under Solutions that projects new technologies • Change wording in no. 2 under Solutions to something that is consistent with the total maximum load plan • Replace wording in no. 3 under Solutions with generic grant program wording Page 358 • Change 1 to A • Change A to E • Change B to C • Change C to D • Change D to B Page 375 • Remove no.'s 2, 4, and 5 under Problems and Solutions • Add TMDL information Page 376 • Adjust to reflect Action Plan 7. REPORTS AND STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS There were no reports or staff recommendations. 8. FUTURE MEETINGS February 13, 2008 — Election, Orientation, Surface Water Management Plan (Bassett and Shingle Creek, Shingle Creek Chloride TMDL). 9. ADJOURNMENT With no objection, the meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m. i Page 42 Page 1 of 1 Laurie Ahrens From: GUSTAFSON, SYLVIA, ATTOPS [sylviagustafson@att.com] Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:46 AM To: Sandy Hewitt; Laurie Ahrens; Sarah Hellekson; terry.cheng@welIsfargo.com; carmen.pehier@target.com Subject: FW: New Park & Ride Team: Some great feedback from a Metrolink passenger. This is really good to see and I am pleased with the positive message. Thanks, Sylvia 612-376-6692 From: Kim.M.Vandenberg@wellsfargo.com [mailto: Kim. M.Vandenberg@wellsfargo.com] Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:15 AM To: GUSTAFSON, SYLVIA, ATTOPS Cc: Mary. Lelivelt@co.hen nepin.mn.us; bmaciej@ci.plymouth.mn.us Subject: RE: New Park & Ride Hi Sylvia, I think things on Monday went very well. (My mail was broken Monday so I'm answering this today.) There were two people there in reflective vests, one was.from Laidlaw and one of them was Bernie. I arrived at the new park and ride at 6:35, wanting to be early, so I took the 790 that arrived there at 6:45, which got us downtown rather quickly in the President's Day light traffic. I didn't talk to Bernie as he was busy but one of my 7:05 spies got a greeting from him. I understand that they cleaned out the lot on Friday and it really looked good. Of course, things are icy, but what can we do?! The ride home for me was at 4:10; the 790 with Josh driving was also efficient. When we came home there were no cars in the Four Seasons lot other than that red Ford van that has been there for months; I understand that there was someone at the lot in the morning to tell people not to park there. I had to take my car to the service garage this morning so I'm not riding today, but I'll see how it goes tomorrow and let you know. I can ask my bus lady friend Mary to let you know how today went. If things go as well as they did yesterday 1 feel that this new lot will work out nicely. There were only a couple dozen cars there yesterday for the holiday but it appears that the lot has plenty of room. I think things really came together. Kim VanDenBerg EHS Software Licensing 612-667-5993 255 Second Avenue South N9301 -01R Minneapolis, MN 55479 This message may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the addressee or authorized to receive this for the addressee, you must not use, copy, disclose, or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation. 2/19/2008 Page 43 Adding Quality to Life February 22, 2008 SUBJECT: REZONING AND PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD) GENERAL PLAN FOR W.B. GYMS, LLC. (2008007) Dear Property Owner: . Pursuant to the provisions of the Plymouth Zoning Ordinance, this letter is to inform you of a request by W.B. Gyms, LLC., under File Number 2008007, for approval of a rezoning. and planned unit development .(PUD) general plan to reuse the existing Rick's Market building at .11 605 County Road. 101 for a Gold's Gym. Hennepin County records indicate your property is within 750 feet of the site of this proposal. You are hereby notified of, and cordially invited to attend a Public Hearing to be held by the Plymouth Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m., on Wednesday, March 5, 2008, in the Council Chambers at the Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard. The public will be invited to offer questions and comments concerning this application at that time, or feel free to call the City Planning Department at (763) 509-5450 for more information. INFORMATION relating to this request may be examined at the Community Development Information Counter. (lower level), on Mondays and Wednesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except holidays. Sincerely, Barbara G. Senness, AICP Planning Manager 2008007propnotice. 3400 Plymouth Blvd a Plymouth, Minnesota 55447-9482 • Tel: 763-509-5000 - www.ci.plymouth.mn.us Page 44 Feb 15 2008 17:55:46 Via Fax _> 763 509 5060 Administrator Pd9C 001 Of 005 r EAGU E of, MINNESOTA C I.TIES -FridaYFU.N"M A ii.,eakIly lcglsh-uim updZIleft(MI the IX(7,;W Q'MM?C.Y01(( C'WeS V 71'he. FridayFax, is ])rack With flue 2008 session 110W Underway, di.e Lea,gue will again be providing, cities with. a Friday afternoon synopsk oflegislative activity, "['he FridayNi.x is intended to be a. supplejuent to the weekly The session is offto a quick start. The legislature convened on "Tuesday and iniriiediatdly held hearings on the transportation. bill, a constitutional ainendroent to dedicate wiles ta.x., capital ptqj ects bills aiid a host of other policy legislation. Next weeks corurnittee,a.genda includes a full slate of Bearings starting on Pr'esident's Day. Legislators are also introducing bifls,,at a breakneck pace. The House has already had 465 bills introduced this week., which adds to the 2,552 bills left. over from. last session, The Senate has, introduced 347 bills this week with 2,363 left froni last, session, Stay tuned to the'l.,eagUf_-`S publications or feel free to contact any meniber of the "League's Inten-,,overn-niental RelationsDeINIADIent for inforination on pending legislation. "Frimsportation bills make early progress House and Senate couirnittees spent signi-floant tirne diSCUSSillg transportation funding during the -first days of the 2008 Legislative Session. The traiuportation committees in both bodies niade passage of a comprehensive transportation funding package their- first orders of buMiless, 'T'he funding measure moving through the process contains to n11111ber of provisions frorn February 15, 2008 Page I the vetoed 2007 ornnibus transportation bill, L -IL 92L6 (Lj,Lcler, DFL -Crookston).. SpeciAlcafly, the 2008 bill contains a 5 -cent increwse in the gas tax (3) cents ininlediately, and 2 additional cents beginning Septeniber I., 2008), tab fee increases on. new vehicles, a .4 -cont I les tax rn etro area s "abonding for r(xids and bridges, and a 2.5 -cent "debt service stur,barge" to pay debt on bonds, In. addition, the bill. contains a. provision that would index the gas tax 'for inflatiOD beginning in 201.'1. hidexitig was not included in the 2007. bill, .111 the Senate, 'Lrarga -) tatjon.Qonimittee Chair Sen, Steve M.urpl-w (DFL -R ed'Wing). presented the bill, S . 22.521, on, Tuesday. The 'rnansportation Cornmittee passed the bill on 'I'liursday, and it is schedtfled for a. bearing in the full.Finance COMITlittee On Monday, February 18. The FTOLISe C0111pallion, FIF 2800, authored by Cwimiittee Chair Bernie I,i.ek.r D FL -Crookston), also niade quick ( progress this week. The bill passed out of th.e r-ransportation Committee on Wednesday all.dl out of -the Capital Inve.5itryien't F-Inance Divis _j Qn and the full Finance CTor,11mitlee on 'J"hursday. "I"he bill is scheduled for allea-ri-jig in the Taxes f,jornrylittee on Monday. Lieder orad Murphy have sui.tod they would like the bill to be on governor 1,11.11 Nq:rxr Ae�ntfs (R) desk by the etid of next week, I'hey are working to keep the bills identloal in both. bodies ,io -that a conference cornmittee can be avoided. The governor has threatened to veto the bill, and under fli.e'Minnesota Constitution, lie will have three business days to do so. Legislative lead,ers say they -will. attern-pt to override the veto inirnediMely Ul-,:ion receiving a veto inessage, A veto override atteitipt, which For more illfbi'maLion on oily legislative isgues, Contact any 111011117CI- Ofl.13C LORkLLC of N-V11ric"0111 Cities Interp S team, ReInfloii 05 12700 or 900,925,1122 uid www, lnic,org, Page 4,5 Feb 15 2000 17:56:30 Via Fax -> 763 509 5060 Administrator MINNESOTA ti;.I. T I E S 3_Frida FaxI- A i1,,euk6,legislative aarliale f oto the 1,ecxg7. e (3JMir7M.?.Y0((.7 C..71ies 'was unsuccessful ira the waning hours of the 7007 1,esgishuive Session, could happen as-,- soon as Nbrt.Iar•y ?5 of 2 Prospects, for a. veto ovenid.e are uncertain. '1f legislators vote strictly along party lines, the voto will be impossible. A veto override requires 90 votes in the 1 34 -member Housearid 45 votes to the 67 -member Senate, The Democratic Fairnr.er Labor (I:)Fl,) Party holds 84 seats in the T.-Ibu.se arid. 45 seats in the Senarte..Legislato'rs on both sides of the: political aisle are .feeling tremendous pressure froa:7r constituents and transportation advocates to het the,job done, 1'he bill is beim; pro -nu.) -ted not only as a way to make needed infrar..5tructi€re hivestn.t.ents, but also as a way to stimulate job S'rowth. and take pressure off of property taxpayers who la.a.ve increasingly borne the burden. of state underinvestnient in transportation. l:':fae ;i,.e a. tle is suppart:i jig :l:.1. 28()0/SF 2521, and is encouraging city officials to press legislators to vote 'for the bill and, if necessary, to override a, governor's veto_ A personal visit, phone call or e-mail message is the best way to reach legislators. O•ues,tions? (.."ontac-t Anne .Mnn at 651,281,126 -3 o/. nr itu7(ur-./iiia, (7 . Administi-ative fine billl to be he'al-d in key House committee A bill that would provide Hinit:ed authority f'cIr local units of goverrtra' ent. to .i.sstte a.dministrati ve citartions for minor traffic violations is scheduled Am' a hearing in the }=louse Public Sa,0ety and Ctwivil, Justice ComT.i-ritt:ee next Thursday, February 21, Page 002 Of 005 February 15, 2008 Page 2 'The bill, HF 847 (l.-tosch, DFL -St. Joseph), is supported 1.)y the Leztgile as well as tete associations representing the Minnesota chiefs of pc: Uce ,,and county sheriffs, It: would authO1'i e cities to issr,e their owra tickets for spee;dirIg under tern miles per hour above the limit. Commercial. vehicle; license -holders would not be eligible for administrative citations. HF 84.7 was heard last session in the 1_,�C t„ta.] (:icsver€'Ir•t��'r€t: <r.rtci '1Vit't�r„�ol i„ t:r"�'rr,f f>? I'S Con--unittee, where it was reconitnended to pass and r-e-re;'l:erred to the Pu Safoty arsd C..:iy'iI Justice C(xrr.niit:tee. Re17.ioe M ullery Ct►air of the Public Safety , nd C ivil ,Justice Conimittec�, did not schedule the bill for a. hearing before the policy committee deadline. The .l,,,eagi.ae r s UTgi I -Ig Ci ty Of Ci 8.1 S to COntal.C:t members, of the House Public Safµe,tv.nd Civ it ;)us'ticeC:Or;,Tamittee to express Suppol-t tbr- the bili. Ked points to convey to lesylslfr%,Uirs . • Ovej- the years., the state legislature has increw,ed the surcharge on a $40 traffic violation fine to x;72., bringing the cast of a. minor ra-roving violation to over $115 when other fees a.re factored i.n. Of this amount, less than $ 1.4 is allocated to the local. unit of government iq,,t.€ing, the citation. • District courts are cl.ogged, and appeals of statutory tickets ar'e.e'xalacerba.t ng, the problem. • Cun-ent surcharges imposed by the state Make the cost of statutory citations excessive 'for residents, and the cost of prosecuting $ttr:ttttory violations is excessive for taxpayers. • There is a lack. of clarity in existing state haw on thN i ssue. • Administrative iine;s allow Ioca.l law enforcement officers to cite drivers for Por more iniumullion on city €egiA€11ivc 1H:5[ICA, 00331MI' }n3), member oftl3c r,eapic oli 1I€nx3esora Chien III tC3-goverrmlenta€ Re€ations team, 651,281,1200 o'r800,925,1122 aIxid'I;VWNv,tr'trc,or�4 Page 46 Feb 15 2000 17:57:31 Via Fax _> 763 509 5060 Administrator Page 003 Of OOS (0) 0 EAGU EOF MINN' E SOTA . ct'-rIES .%ew Fa�- -Fridq-v A iveukl 407 y upC4.-Ilefivfn the Leag'UC QIM;P7)'I(.S0A7 CUIVS mi -nor violations that may otherwise be warnings, and serves as a deten.-ent -for other, more serious -Future violations, In the Senate, I all gLM.&Ie that wou I d permit the use of administrative fi-nes for traffic offenses was adopted as an kinnendrnerrt on -the Senate -floor in the final days of the 2007 Legislative Session, The amendment, which was offered by Sen. lar; ml Koering (R -Fort T'Zipley), was, amended into the Senate omnibus transportation policy bill, SF '1971 (M*.umly DY,"L-Red Wing) on a vote of 31 to 22. The measure, however, did not make it into the conference committee report due to Jack of a 1-10LISe position, Que-s-tions ? (.7ontact A nne Finn ert 63.1,28.1-12 ( ;_3 Tax bill introduced Monday?. During this first week. of session, rumors have been Ci)'CLIJ8.tirIg that the 110USe and Senate'):'ax chairs would introduce identical versions of a non-co.t.i.troversial ointi.ibus tax bill that they have been drafting with the input: of the sovernor's stab, The bill. is rurnored -to Contain many of the non-controversia-I a -rid non- nionetary items i.n. last year's vetoed tax bill but it tnay also co-titain items such as federal income -tax conformity that have a financial Cost to the state. In early FebrUary', League stafl.7delivered a rnemo'to the tax chairs outlining a number of provisions contained in the 2007 vetoed tax bill that would be supported. by League policies, including 'LOA, pLiblic I-Inance and "other post employtnent be-neflit (OPEB) trust language. February 15, 2008 Page 3 The bill is now rumored to be ready for - introduction on Monday. ff -tax bills are introduced, took for a. detailed article in next week's (.71ties.8ullelfti, Ouesfions? O'Rourke at Constitutional amendment proposal w -ill appear on, ballot After being approved by the House and Senate on ThUrsday, the 'Following qUeStiOrl will now be placed on this Noven.iber's general election ballot; "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to dedicate funding to protect ouj, - drinking water sources, to protect, enhance, and restore our wetlands, prairies, forests, and -fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve our arts and cultural heritage; to support our parks and trails; and to protect, enbztnce, and restore out lakes, rivers, qtrearn.,', and groundwater by increasing the sales and use tax rate beginnin. g fuly 1, 2009, by three-eighths of one percent. on taxable sales UrItil the year 2034TI If the measure is approved by more thart 50% of all voters casting votes iri the election, the state sales tax would be increased by thriae- eighths of a cent to Pund -the type of prograims listed. in the ClU-estion. That would currently generate approx.irriately $276 million per year. Of that ain.ount, $91..1 mil.lion. would go to wildlife and fish habitat. for hunting and fishing access; $91,1 million would go for cleaning up and protectiiig lakes,, rivers, streams, and groundwater; $54,5 million would. go.forarts , arts education and access, and preserving historic and $39.3 million wotild go for park,s and trails. For more i ll.forillad oil oll.0.1y Relations team, 6,31,281,120 or 800,925,'3..122 Wid vvwliv, IWc,Org Page 4,7 Feb 15 2008 17:58:21 Via Fax —> 763 509 5060 Administrator Page 004 Of 005 (0(0) EA.GU E OF MINNESOTA c1. C"IES 1 -Friday Fa -x7 Y A Wc;•'uk/y /tr'gisl(7uR v 81pcial('• f/Y)m the League Q1.iV!%1'71'7CS00 (.'M S 17he funds available for clean water- effort~s would fund th.e varioLt;a State program.,; regUired to address impaired waters across the: starte, i.110.luding creating astable lon.pg-teroi flun fi.ng source to assist cities in the cost o'l' infrastructure improvements needed to meet stronger environmental protection requirements to clean up polluted water. Additionally, at least $4,5 1pillion of t'ha.t atniount would need to be available to address groundwater and drinking water sotatce protection efforts. 'Plias proposal is consistent with the Leatigaue"s policy position ($D-41 ) on funding needs for addressing im.paaired waters. 1 here will be a7 st:a:tewide campaign to support the passage ot'this proposal. Cities should be a.wa.re: t'liaat orgataaixa.tions may be a.pproaa.ching, t:h.etii to take positrons ot'support art this ballot initiative. 'File League generally does not take pc;�Sitions on ballot initiatives, but will continue to provide factual information to our members about the meZistlre, ()r.reSfi01?.s? (_701'1.WC/ (:."rcri�Y,Jvlrrrsvrr (r./. ?59 o c: jvlrrrsc�rrr l'slrrrL . vrg, JOBZ report up in committee next week Next week, legislators will. have their first rst opportxin.ity to consider the recent report from the Office of ..Leg.islGative Auditor's (01.A) on ,1()BZ. In fact, the report has been scheduled Cor hearings i.'ra three; coni'trtitttees, Se.:natte. %irk w T iv':r ai*gj.j y _..... Monday at 12:30 rootn. 12:3, HOUseEducattic>R'x Einarrce and Economic. C,_'onmetit:iverie.:ss Finance Division -- Monday at 4 p.n:t. and $en. ).te l'ax Co)m lit:tee on Tuesday at 8,30 it) rooni 15. February '15, 2008 Page 4 Interested city offiicials.: hotr.Id take the time soon t'o weigh in with their local legisla-tors on the prog;ra.m. One of.'the biggest concerns about the .I0'BZ proggrEarn thaa.t emerged from last sessiota's hearings on. the progra.ny f:ocu.sed on al. concern. that ntat'tly of the state's most econorylicatlly distressed careers were not benefiting from the pr°ograr'tt. The. report highlights ai number ofproblems with the a r.dmi'rxista:aa:tive oversigl:it of'the proggra.rn, With tlte: report: already scheduled for - three committee healrings, it seems clear that legislators are interested it). makirag cha,ilges to the program, For cscopy of the fa.all report, and Shorter executive 5urnmaary oLltlinin�q tile: QLA.'s -econim.endations go to Qt. esrivrrs? Cowc:ict.M-mr lGr• 0 :l?ourke ca 651.281.1261 ctr jvt rrarr kcs!cr,?/>rrc.. vla�x. Legislative committee schedules ;:-louse and Senate committees have Scheduled a full slate of hcatings -for next week, Corm-nit:te�e schedules change on ti- regularbasis, for the latest in:l'orma.ti.on on House and Senate co'nimittee agera.das, please visit thi; legislative schedule4 at: lztt:p;//��wvv,hcrtrse; le:�,stai.tt;.,rzlrz,trs/ccrr�� air/ycl�e:c�tr lrtt:p://wwru, senate.] egi. state, mn ,trs/sch ed.ul e/sch For more ilnforn7allon on. city rej�Mhllive iHsucs; contact any mamber o1•L11C League 01` Mi11SSC`OUL C:•iLiC4 III LorgoVoI'n111Cllitii ltclationa town, tis 1,28'1,1.2700 orM)0,925,1122 Wid WWW, tl:t1.C,or9 Page 48 Feb 15 2000 17:59:11 Via Fax –> 763 509 5060 Administrator Pd9C 005 Of 085 (0 O EAGU E ofz E MINN' SOTA I (]ITIES -Frid.a.WFi'l -X7' 4; CLN — A )1-,euk/,y legislauve 21i1Nk1('fi'0f1? the LeCTg'1-tC QfMiT7M-.fS0U7 C.'UWS Town fital] meetings Town hall meetings are a great. Claance to Ineet with your legislators and tell.yot.-ir city story, UPC0rr)iI18'l11eefiY18,S 111 a City llei111' YOU liflChIlde; Feb 15 iliPiwk Rapids (Park'plapids Libraq, 210 West tst Strcetr OprTi) with Rep Brita Sailer Fob 16 in Princeton (K. -Bob Card. 8:30an)) with Sell, Betsy Werghiwid Rep. Soncjr,,-j, E.ricksoji Feb '16 in Minneapolis (Bryant Sclware Park; 31.01 13ryastt Avertuo South, 10wii) with.Speaker of 01e Militiesota HO)ose Rep. Margaret Ancler5on Kelliher, Rop, f"nink Horiastoiti and Sou. Scott: Dibble Feb 16 in 0al(difle (Qakdalc Discovery Center, 4444 Hadley Avenue North, west of 694 aii.d soulb of nol, IO n:r) wi th Sell. Chuck. Wiger–Rep. Nora Slawik.. acrid Rep, Lcon Lillie Feb '16 in Bro(.ildyn Park (Brooklyn Park Cily (,'.ouriciI Challibels, 10,1.1.A) with Sen. Linda Sclieid. Rol). Melissa 1-tor(A-4-M. Rep, Mike Nelson, and Re.p, Hilstrorn Feb 16 in St. Paul (Ifillcrost Corx.irliunity Center, 1978 Ford P,,irkway, l0(ain) with Rep,Mich'icl Payni"..w F'eb 16 in. Milaca (Hi -Way Cafe - Central Avetitte Nort1l, 0:30,iril) Willi SOL), Betsy Woleitlaud lt.ep. Sondra Erickson F"cb 16 in Eagan (Wescott 1340 Wescott Rd. 1.0;30ani) with Rep. Sand.ra Mlisin. Fob 16 in. Oniunia (Cedwwood Fajudy Restaurant.. 1pill) Willi Seri, 1,1uh-v Wer -gilts 1111d. Rep, Sondra E."xickson Feb 16 is Isle Vi RestFturant: wuth ofIsle Ars Huy 47, 3pni) with Seri. Detsy'Wergin andRep. Sondra E.'.tickson Fob 18 in Maple Grove (Tho.Maplc Grove Couuniulity Centor, East Banquet Rooni,at 1.2951 Weaver Lake Rd, 7pin) with Rep. l'i< airl Zellers and. Rep. Joyce Peppin FeblUary 15, 2008 Page 5 Peb 10 hi Blownington (Mituiesota Wley National Wildli fo Refuges Visitor, CoTacr, 3 81. 5 At todean [)Ivd. Rist, Willi Rcj,?. Atin Uric-7.0w,,ld 21 111 Apple Valley (G nalaxic Librity, 6:30pin) with Rol) Sbelley Madore Feb 21 hi Minneapolis (Roosevelt 1-figh School, 4029 28111. Ave S,1'fic Medi,)- Ccii.lori 7piu) with Sort Torres-- RUv and Rep. J i 111 DZIN Id 0 Fob 22 ill, E',lbow take. (The. C'atdc C' ' 'lub, 7aixi) with Seri. Bill Ing6brigtsen and Rep. , 1"orrey Westroin Feb'22 in <."hokio Cooperative 9wil) with Son. Bill'higebrigisen and Rep. "Torrey Feb 22 in Mori -N (Detoy's Faliiily Rcsttwmxit, 10;30m.ii) Willi Son, 1.3jI1Ingebrigitsen and Rep. "I'lorrey. westrolal Feb 22 in St. Pan I (I IS State Capitol, Saint Piatil RSVP to Senator C"ol-terl's Office at 651-2!)6-$931, 11:30,1.111.) Willi $el -1. RiChard Cohen, Rep. Michael Payular, alfa Rep. Efin Murphy Frz,,1122 in I.T.oft'r-win (DONN, Drop1rul. 12:20piu) N-Vith Seal. Rep. Torrey WCstmin Feb 22 in Braildorl. (Corti nuility Ccriter, belliri(I hm !mall, 2pii1) with Sen–Bill I.-ingebrigtsen and Rep. Torrey westroul Feb 22 iri Alexandria (Traveler's Inn Res,,Lauralil-, 1:45pin) with S'on,flill h:igQbrigtson,and Rep. 1orrey we,q"in Check. your local newspaper or radio station -11w additional dates. For more ill:'01-ITIAUOII 011. City le.l iShIflVe ir;HUCA, cOrlitlel ally molliber ot'llic Loapic of Nlinncsota Cities Ill Lorgoverrimen Eat Rolationg town. 651,281,1200 orS00,925,1122 sales vvwwJj:ti(:,or&, Page 41 1 9