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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 10-30-1998rp) OCTOBER 30, 1998 1. COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE.- NOTE: CHEDULE.NOTE: Ward I Councilmember Tim Bildsoe meets with residents and receives their comments in the Administration Library, beginning at 6:00 PM before each Regular Council meeting. NOVEMBER 4, 7:00 PM NOVEMBER 18, 7: 00 PM 2. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 3. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2 4. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 5. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 6:30-8: 00 PM 6. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 7:00 PM 7. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 7: 00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers City Information Desk open 9:00 AM -3:00 PM for absentee balloting City Information Desk open until 7:00 PM for absentee balloting STATE GENERAL ELECTION: polls open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM INFORMATIONAL OPEN HOUSE ON COUNTY ROAD 61 REALIGNMENT Plymouth Ice Center, 3650 Plymouth Blvd. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, Medicine Lake Room SPECIAL MEETING, PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORYBOARD, Public Safety Library CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO Page 2 OCTOBER 30, 1998 • 8. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 7: 00 PM 9: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 7: 00 PM 10. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE, Hadley Lake Room PLANNING COMMISSION, Council Chambers VETERANS DAY, City offices closed 11. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 PRAC, Council Chambers 12. November, and December calendars are attached. (M-12) 1. NEWS ARTICLES, RELEASES, PUBLICATIONS, ETC. a) Community Development Department newsletter, Northwest Notes. (1-]q) 2. ABSENTEE BALLOTING INFORMATION As of noon, Friday, October 30, 1,405 absentee ballots have been mailed out for the November 3 General Election. (I -2a) 3. STAFF REPORTS a) Report from Public Works Director Fred Moore on the proposed realignment of County Road 61 from County Road 10 to the north city limits, City Project No. 9004. (I --3a) b) Report from Public Works Director Fred Moore on the County Road 101 improvement project from Highway 55 to County Road 24, City Project No. 9005. (I --3b) 4. CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS POLICY—CORRESPONDENCE a) Letter from Transit Coordinator John Sweeney responding to concerns from Annette Simmons–Brown about the shuttle bus service. (I --4a) A status report on the most recent correspondence is attached. (1--4) S. CORRESPONDENCE a) Letter to Tom Kellogg of Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik and Associates from DNR Area Trails and Waterways Supervisor Martha Reger about the effects of the Ferndale Road construction on the Luce Line Trail. (I -5a) H U I C�? i I coo "q- 00 > mu d3^ C M t k �v U MU tw 6 z F 63 0.0 �a 0Cuvu �o"o ONob FU A y 00 .wa d y us z `n � o e w0oo�4 <� 801 m OU cw7z 89o (RZ6u -- IUD � •= �-+ UO G j¢aiC7� � — x S�'� aw¢W ami �'U�> 8v¢ia0a�v�idi �O M O N U C; 'd V1 h N CN `� 00 N a lq�00v w PTO O c� -d 3/� /� cn Nna�n G;3 ti 00 tr) Z cd Q d U U > a e mp ::)u2 c ��.. F- �"-,ars.m Z 15 c o<��� a z 5GAQg VV9. _ 2OU.' a OU oz N p 00 z .b ] U V 3 -_-n CC3 �o ti N N • Council chooses 'Partial Urban Expansion' option • Council gives direction to planning process • Next steps _i . k a • Call Community Development at 509-5450 • Check the City Web Site at www.ci.plymouth.mn.us • E -Mail us at AHurlbur@ci.plymouth.mn.us A Nezvsletter for Residents and o wes� Issue 10 October 28, 1998 RAr City Council chooses "Partial Urban 'CITY OF Expansion" option PLYM'�'�..� Vote sets framework for preparing Comprehensive Plan OU The Plymouth City Council, after over four hours of public comment and deliberation at their October 21 meeting, voted 4 to 3 to choose the "partial urban expansion" planning option for northwest Plymouth. The Council's selection of a planning option sets the framework for preparation of a Comprehensive Plan for the area and the city as a whole. With the "partial urban expansion", the City will plan for extending city sewer and water service to only . a part of the northwest area by 2020; about 1,300 acres, or about 40 percent of the approximately 3,100 acres in the area. The expansion areas would be generally limited to the area east of Vicksburg Lane, with some limited expansion west of Vicksburg along the Soo Line Railroad and Schmidt Lake Road. Preservation of existing large - lot residential areas without sewer and water, golf course and wetlands would leave about 46% of the urban expansion area undeveloped, allowing for about 45 % of the area to be developed for new homes and limited commercial uses, with the remaining 9% to be used for new streets, parks and institutional uses such as churches. The current 20 -acre minimum lot size would be retained for the area outside the urban expansion area. In addition to selecting the option, the Council's action gave some direction to the planning process that will follow over the next year. The following is an excerpt from the City Council's resolution: "NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Plymouth City Council that: 1. The partial urban expansion option is selected for northwest Plymouth. Only a portion of the City corresponding generally to the area shown on the March 27, 1998 illustration shall be planned to be within the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) by the year 2020. 2. No urban service area expansions and no development shall be allowed in northwest Plymouth until detailed plans are completed and a water management plan and implementation program is adopted and established, and detailed hydrological studies have been conducted. The plan shall meet the following criteria: • preservation of wetlands, lakes and woods in the area, • minimize impact on the watersheds and water quality, • maintenance of current inflow stream rates, • establishment of riparian corridors, and • establishment of greenways and open space park areas. 3. Land use plans and policies developed in the next phase of the planning process shall incorporate large -lot residential areas without sewer and water to preserve the rural character of existing residential neighborhoods within the urban service area, and shall encourage the continuation of the golf courses in the northwest area. 2 Northwest Notes October, 1998 4. 5 The community facilities plans (including sewer, water, transportation and parks elements) prepared in the next phase of the comprehensive plan update shall not foreclose the possibility of providing urban services in an economical and efficient way to the entire City. It is acknowledged that Minnesota law requires that the City re- examine its comprehensive plan at a minimum every ten years. The decision on whether to expand the MUSA beyond the boundary that will be established by the current planning process may be reconsidered in a future plan update." Specific land use plans and development policies and plans for the infrastructure needed to support development (transportation, sewer, parks, etc) will be prepared in the 1 next phase of the planning process. The exact boundary between the "urban" and "rural" areas will be determined as part of the detailed work on the City's sewer plan. A schedule for the remaining steps to update the Comprehensive Plan has not yet been set. Additional public meetings will be held. The City will continue Northwest Notes and to publish reports on the City's web site. City of Plymouth Community Development Department 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 State law requires cities in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area to complete updates to their comprehensive plans by December 31, 1998. Plymouth will be requesting an extension on that deadline. Until the City has adopted the complete plan, no actions anticipated by the plan (such as development approvals or utility extensions) may occur. For more information please contact the Community Development Department at 509-5400. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday and Wednesday through Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. You may also send e-mail to ahurlbur@ci.plymouth.mn.us. Documents are also available on the City's web site. The current and previous issues of Northwest Notes are there, along with other reports. The web address is: http://www.ci.plymouth.mn.us. And remember to VOTE NOVEMBER 3 Northwest Notes/ News on Planning for Northwest Plymouth DATE: October 23, 1998 TO: Mayor and City Council ugh Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager FROM: Fred G. Moore, P.E.,Director of Public Works SUBJECT: COUNTY ROAD 61 REALIGNMENT COUNTY ROAD 10 TO NORTH CITY LIMITS CITY PROJECT NO. 9004 Hennepin County has budgeted as part of their Capital Improvements Program the completion of the realignment and upgrading of County Road 61 from County Road 10 northerly to I-94/694 beginning in late 1999. This project will complete the upgrading of County Road 61 between I-394 in Minnetonka all the way through Plymouth and ending at I-94 in Maple Grove. County Road 61, which is named Xenium Lane/Northwest Boulevard in Plymouth, serves as a major north/south arterial street providing service to residents, businesses, and industries within Minnetonka, Plymouth, and Maple Grove. The County has prepared the first preliminary plans for this project and the Plymouth Engineering staff along with County staff will be holding an open house for the residents within the affected construction area. This open house will be held on November 5 from 6:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the Plymouth Ice Center. Attached is a copy of the letter being sent to the residents along with a map indicating the area which has been notified. Also attached is a copy of the preliminary plan for the road within Plymouth. The new road will be on a complete new alignment as it goes northerly from County Road 10 until it intersects with the existing road (Hemlock Lane) in Maple Grove, just north of our city limits line. This alignment has been planned for many years and the right-of- way has been established as part of the development of the area. This will allow for the major arterial traffic to be on the new alignment and existing Hemlock Lane will serve as a residential collector street to serve the adjoining residential areas within Plymouth. SUBJECT: COUNTY ROAD 61 REALIGNMENT . Page 2 In order that the major arterial traffic will not continue to use Hemlock Lane as a short cut between County Road 10 and County Road 61, the plan proposes cul-de-sacing existing Hemlock Lane just north of 60`' Avenue. City staff and County staff have reviewed many alternates on where Hemlock Lane could be closed to accomplish the elimination of the through traffic movement and this is viewed as the best location. We will be seeking input from the residents at our open house and their comments on the proposed location to cul-de-sac Hemlock Lane. We will post this open house as a public meeting if City Councilmembers wish to attend. There will not be a formal presentation on the project at this meeting. Maple Grove held a similar open house on their portion of the project last week. After receiving citizen input, the County will be finalizing the preliminary plan and presenting it formally to both cities to receive preliminary approval in order that they can begin final design for this project. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions on this proposed project. attachments V:\pw\En`kwain`\PROJECTS\9004\Memos\61 reWign-10 23.doc l ii OP 4\ a .t UPC - V LQ''09 _• ..._ - SA o o _a� i1 O •�•4 VAMiAg•ii _ \ - -s ,r• C.7 ,•'Yl � � 4 _ •n . _ �f A' 1-7 41 r 41 aw l ^� R — is fN ri ooaN3a�r = s'-- � •::..: MMLQM--- - VxOr OAP- (� �• <. , jai a .h' � tir _ w•;'a sR - _Rr..:: V) c l g � �' •moo. • f ° " _ _ ' � - � "• "a•" ' 00f.. Nol 1; -�R 1 s�• �' GR R• ��lsl•rlwsr rl arl 01. Ji ^•y.f �.�\ .M �- �•¢yy .a '= c�9 eRe s,�-•� 6n= ! T,'f! a-rc•r 3 •CMS. t -�A• •.f• \ .� .I ti ��' ,. � ��• }'' '� f R •s - `;� - Y.N . �• +la. � air w _ .._ N -Y..Ya'all \.__� ^ fA IeI [w '' f1'W �. •i . i - 1l � '.ti I� • .1 A tp 4q 4 Q s. .. � •.�^•► -� s,� nag _ � � ^A -R .� y -6 M ac/ - a_ �I• ! a,Y ! ay,F s ��• •- _ .s s_Z zR -M ..q s� 7 � fig .' i ° � � p o�,N •. v�4 d '. M3IA)Ir0 f T -- AN • •Yi• ,�/•"�.! ill �• I ,1�i1 i - ar• r1.. October 22, 1998 «PIN» «NAME» «ADDRESS» «CITY:., «STA» «ZIP» aiv OF PLYMOUTF+ SUBJECT: CSAH 61 (NORTHWEST BOULEVARD/HEMLOCK LANE) CONSTRUCTION/RECONSTRUCTION FROM BASS LAKE ROAD TO I -94/I-694 CITY PROJECT NO. 9004 Dear Resident: You are invited to review Hennepin County's preliminary design plans for CSAH 61 north of Bass Lake Road (County Road 10) at an open house on November 5, 1998, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the large meeting room at the Plymouth Ice Arena (3650 Plymouth Boulevard) located at 37' Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard adjacent to the Lifetime Fitness Facility. This improvement project is programmed for construction by Hennepin County starting in late 1999, with most construction work in the year 2000. Hennepin County has started work on the preliminary design for the project which they hope to complete later this fall. Final construction plans will then be prepared so the project can be under contract and construction started in late 1999. At the open house, property owners will be able to review the preliminary plan that has already been completed by Hennepin County, ask questions, and provide comments. As planned for many years, County Road 61 will be on a new alignment as it proceeds northerly from County Road 10. It will join the current road alignment at about 62' Avenue. The preliminary design for CSAH 61 anticipates two through -lanes in each direction with turn lanes at key inte;sections. The City's trail system will be continued along the both sides of Northwest Boulevard and tie into the Maple Grove system. In addition, the preliminary design includes the cul-de-sacing of Hemlock Lane, north of 60' Place, and closure of the median opening at the intersection of Hemlock Lane and Bass Lake Road. The modifications on existing Hemlock Lane are to eliminate traffic from using it as a short-cut between County Road 10 and 61. N:1pw%En`ineering%PROJECTS\9004%Ltn\CSAH61 Form.dx PLYMOUTH A Beautiful Place To Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARO - PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 - TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 9 www.d.plymouth.mn.us Page Two If you are unable to attend the open house on Thursday, November 5, the preliminary plans will be available at the Engineering counter in City Hall, located at 3400 Plymouth Boulevard. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me at 509-5520 or Dan Campbell at 509-5522. Sincerely, Daniel L. Faulkner, P.E. City Engineer cc: Fred G. Moore, Director of Public Works G:Ipw%EngimmngNPROMCTS%9W4\Ltrs\CSAH61 Form Pg2.dx e lrl///. A —_—_--v daau swsw wa Dl Uie tlltl. — IVAOUddtl !ltl15 w OObS = -1 :31M— 31VO — — — 'P`! OL 57*6w'1 *71_MONA — — — — — AITgAxld= 3ADtl3'31d9N— AO A10NOIA 6iS6'0N 13WOW C'ON IOOM 14—*ON'N'PPO DATE: October 28, 1998 TO: Dwight D. Johnson City Manager FROM: Fred G. Moore, .E�., Di—rector of Public Works SUBJECT: COUNTY ROAD 101 IMPROVEMENT HIGHWAY 55 TO COUNTY ROAD 24 CITY PROJECT NO. 9005 Earlier this week I received an inquiry from Councilmember Tim Bildsoe concerning the county's status of the County Road 101 Improvement Project from Highway 55 to County Road 24. We had met with Jim Grube, Director of their Transportation Department, about six weeks ago to discuss the improvement project. At that time Mr. Grube stated that in their draft CIP that they were preparing to present to the county board that the project was advanced from the current adopted program for construction in 2001 by one year. I have discussed this project with Mr. Grube this week. He has stated that last Friday the proposed 1999 - 2003 County Capital Improvements Program was presented to the county board and there was a brief discussion on some of the projects. The County Road 101 project was part of the discussion. The CIP as presented does have this project advanced by at least one year (2000) and it could be possible that construction could begin during the fall of 1999. The proposed funding for the County Road 101 project is as follows: • $4.1 million from sale of land in Hopkins (former county maintenance facility). • $60,000 bond sale. • $73,000 state aid funds. G:\pw\Engineering\PROJEM\9005\Memos\CR101 Imp 9005.doc SUBJECT: COUNTY ROAD 101 IMPROVEMENT Page 2 The advancement of the County Road 101 project is contingent on the county selling the land in Hopkins in 1999, and also selling a limited amount of bonds for this project and other projects in the program. Mr. Grube stated that the brief discussions with the board, the proposed financing concept were deemed acceptable. He did not get an impression that this would be a problem with the county board. The Capital Improvements Program will go to a committee of the board and is typically back for adoption at the end of November or early part of December. I conveyed this information to Councilmember Bildsoe and stated that after my conversation with Mr. Grube, it would be appropriate for our Councilmembers to contact our county board representatives to let them know that we are in agreement with the proposed Capital Improvements Program and encourage them to proceed with adopting the program as it relates to County Road 101 and its proposed financing. I will continue to follow-up with Mr. Grube as the county board considers the Capital Improvements Program. He stated he would let me know if there was any proposed changes for the County Road 101 project. G:\pw\Engincering\PROJECTS\9005\Memos\CRIOI_Imp_M.doc October 26, 1998 Ms. Annette Simmons -Brown 4144 Goldenrod Lane North Plymouth, MN 55441 SUBJECT: CONCERN WITH QUALITY OF SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE ON ROUTE 93B Dear Ms. Simmons -Brown: Your letter to Mayor Tierney was forwarded to me for review and response. First I would like to thank you for taking the time to address your concerns in writing and apologize for the fact that the service has been somewhat unreliable. To the best of my knowledge, on each occasion when you have called me in the past with a problem, that problem has been corrected, immediately. If I am mistaken about that, then I would appreciate hearing from you again if and/or when a problem has not been resolved promptly. I had some difficulty tracking down your problem because you referred to Shuttle No. 93C when in fact based on your address, it appears that you utilize the 93B. There were no apparent problems with the 93C shuttle service. Unfortunately however there have been problems with the 93B shuttle service and my investigation revealed that all the problems have been related to utility and street construction on Zachary Lane this summer. Based on the concerns pointed out by you, I have met with the appropriate individuals involved in the construction project and have received assurance that 531 Avenue as it crosses Zachary Lane will remain open for the duration of the project; therefore, I am confident that the service will be again reliable. Enclosed for your information with this letter is a rider alert that is being distributed today on the Route 93B addressing the construction rerouting made necessary by the construction project. You indicated in your letter to the Mayor that the ridership has been decreasing over time and further indicated that you believe that the priority of this issue has dropped as well with the City. I have reviewed the ridership on this particular route dating back to January 1996, and find that the average ridership per month has in fact increased since January 1996. The average ridership per month for 1996 was 775, and the average ridership to date through August 1998 is 830. There has been a Q:Xpw%Enginxrin8\TRANSMLTRS\981Simmoro Brown -IO 26.dx Plymouth Metrolink: Peak Express, Reverse Commute, and Dial -A -Ride - 3400 Plymouth Boulevard - Plymouth, MN 55447-1482 - Phone 612509-5521- Fax 612.509-5060 0 Printed on recycled paper containing at least 15% post -consumer fiber. J � Y decreasing trend since April, and I also believe that can be attributed to the construction in the area. Enclosed also is a copy of the Ridership Data. You indicated to the Mayor you did not think it was the passenger's responsibility to monitor the quality of service for shuttle transportation, that few of you have the time or inclination to do this. I must respectfully disagree with you on that statement, as in fact there are regular riders of the system that serve on the Plymouth Advisory Committee on Transit (PACT) which meets monthly on the fourth Wednesday evening of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Plymouth City offices. The purpose of this group is to discuss the management operation and perceived problems with the service. To me, the shuttle service is somewhat analogous to shopping at Dayton. If you have purchased defective merchandise, Dayton has no way of knowing that until you call this matter to their attention and return the merchandise and they then make every effort to satisfy the customer. That is basically the way a transit system operates. It is impossible for me to be aware of all problems at all times if there is not some type of communication from the customers; therefore, I welcome your concern and observation at any time. My direct phone number is 509-5521. Additionally, I would encourage you to join our Plymouth Advisory Committee on Transit and attend a Wednesday night meeting if it is possible to fit into your schedule to obtain a better understanding of how the system is monitored and managed. The next meeting is October 28. You did not speak with a high regard about the management of the system, however, I would like to inform you that the Plymouth Metrolink system received an award at the Minnesota Public Transit Conference as the Transit System of the Year in 1997, for demonstrating leadership in community service, by establishing successful reverse commute service from downtown Minneapolis, and for creating greater efficiency by increasing ridership and reducing passenger subsidies. I informed the City Council at the time I was presented with the award that by no means would we rest on our laurels and we would continue to make every effort to improve the service to the Plymouth tax payers to the best of our ability. That continues to be a top priority of the Plymouth Metrolink system. Again, I would like to apologize to you for any inconvenience we have caused and ask that you notify me immediately in the future of any problems so that they can be dealt with as soon as possible. JSincerweeney dministrator enclosures cc: Mayor Joy Tierney and City Council Kathy Lueckert (C/R 98-66) Fred G. Moore, Director of Public Works Q:\pw\Engineering\TRANSI*nLTRS\98\Simmons Brown_IO 26.dce PL�iI�OIII /YIfTr�O!/iY�Y j , -� RIDER ALERT Route 93B Zachary Lane Construction Re-routing Ongoing construction on Zachary Lane in the northern part of Plymouth has created some significant challenges for Plymouth Metrolink Route 93B service. As a result of this ongoing construction, Route 93B will be re-routed until the construction is completed. This re-route will begin on Monday, October 26, 1998, and will remain in effect until further. notice. The re-route will effect that portion of the route north of the intersection of Zachary Lane and 53rd Avenue North. In the morning the bus will begin its route at Deerwood and Bass Lake Road, and instead of traveling east on 57th Avenue North from Deerwood it will run east on Bass Lake Road to Trenton, - Lane. At Trenton Lane the bus will turn south and follow Trenton Lane to Ximines Lane where it will turn south on Xunines Lane to the intersection of 53rd Avenue North. At 53rd Avenue North'it will turn. west on 53rd and cross Zachary Lane, at which point the bus will assume its normal route for the remainder of the trip. In the afternoon the bus will follow this same route in reverse. The construction company working on Zachary Lane has promised to keep the intersection of Zachary Lane and 53rd Avenue North open for the duration of the road construction period. Because of this re-route, the bus will begin its trip in the morning threeminutes earlier than normal. By the time the bus reaches Zachary Lane and 53rd Avenue North it should be right on schedule, but to be safe (at least until the new route has been run a few days) it would be wise to be ready for the bus a couple of minutes early all along the 93B route. We apologize for the problems that have occurred on Route 93B in the recent past. The construction on Zachary Lane progressed at a faster rate than we expected and resulted in problems for the bus driver in crossing Zachary Lane in the morning. We believe this re-route of the 93B will alleviate future problems. If you have any questions please call Plymouth Metrolink at 509-5521. Thank you for your patience. Plymouth Metrolink - 3400 Plymouth Boulevard - Plymouth, MN 55447-1482 - Fax 612.509.55 10 - Website www ci.plymouth.mn.us - Phone 612.509.5521 Services: Peak Express, Reverse Commute, Plymouth Rider, and Dial -A -Ride 0 Printed on recycled paper containing at least 20% post -consumer waste fiber. y s2NDXW 81STTRENTON ;O � s o ✓z � ,o�',-Srq w 1 T Re-route 93B 5 z ' during Zachary L � gy v construction ,�� z BASS LAKE RD CO RD NO 0 57TH AVE AVE 5TT14 g Am_ 7d' 57T1i A } 0 58TH AVE °N _.�' ' P zg P� ORL N ti MLA AO G W. 64 FIC D c tJ0 3 INCz 52NDAVe W 9L °.Q A,� ,CiO°O 2 A u� fO . O 515 f p` W O O StSTAVI O �2 �O O 51ST U. SCHMI T J M, 50TH S pp0 5012 PL ? 50TH AV _ 0 W OTH A 2 SOTH AVE 4 gA49��° A c� SCHMIDT LAKE RD O z 2 w PL 54TH AVE O Z y g AVE TH A V = Church r1, LL y � z .o O of th! gSS11 �" G Z� I 4a vE ti o� Epiphany G w 48TM�'^VE5 s UNI 4 ° L y 4TZ}1 AVE3 �4 2 A�GL y<7 w C O AVE p 4j 6 ,1JS a Z m Ty �9 <9y _ *ORE O 46TH AV ' m yif+ m v° �° 5 3 x �eTH AV G AVE $O 2 W I'RENTOc2f J.� g 0 PL f 45TH AVE 45TH AVE zPost AVE d►�� N AV w �A� il Oflla! ^� z - c� Pilgrim 16 CIO N LO co 0 CM C4) > 0 a N CO N rte, M M cq 0 O) O) co 1- 0 4) � N 0 r C r O Z (D LA v 00 1- co O 0 04 r - co co Y� Z� O MLO(0 cca ,cocoLO li O M 0 `.� W 3r-LO� cl 7 V R O� m c) .4t 14, ` a) _ n n T W '7 aD vU')0 mco�(0 Ix N 0 0 Q�00� Q M 0) O RP-CCO0) sr rl- O 0) (co O LA O_ O ONi 0 N t0 1%. a0 0 0 OI M an of T- V- t - N O cc IL Mayor Joycelyn Tierney City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mayor Tierney: Annette Simmons -Brown 4144 Goldenrod Lane North Plymouth, MN 55441 612-550-0667 October 16, 1998 This letter is to advise you of the unsatisfactory quality of the shuttle bus service intended to provide Plymouth Metro Transit commuters with transportation from points within Plymouth residential areas to the Four Seasons Mall, to use the 93A bus to and from downtown Minneapolis. In particular, shuttle #93C has been extremely sporadic in both its reliability and the safe driving habits of at least one of its drivers. In the past two weeks alone, the 93C shuttle has completely missed the first run of the morning, intended to get passengers to the Four Seasons Mall to take the 6:10 run to downtown, three times. On two of these occasions, the driver who did make the run drove unacceptably fast, at one point almost hitting a car pulling out of a cul-de-sac along Old Rockford Road. On another of these occasions, Wednesday, October 15, 1998, no shuttle service attended at all. Passengers who wished to take the 93A were forced to walk from their normal shuttle stops over to either the Mall or to points where the Metrolink bus would stop; for myself, this entailed a 25 -minute walk and missed work time. These problems with the shuttle service's reliability (or lack thereof) are nothing new. I recall addressing this problem with you directly during a visit you paid to Westridge Townhome Association's annual picnic in August of 1997. The same problems also exist with the City of Plymouth's follow-up. I have left messages for, and spoken at least once with, Mr. John Sweeney of your offices. In a conversation I had yesterday afternoon with Ms. Kathy Lueckert, assistant city manager, I advised her of the more recent problems with the shuttle service. I was advised there would be follow-up regarding this problem. Mr. Sweeney left a detailed message on my home machine; unfortunately, this message was telling for what Mr. Sweeney did not know. He indicated he was unaware of any problems at all with the shuttle service, but indicated further he would contact Laidlaw (which, I presume, is the shuttle service contractor) to get additional information. He also asked me, in this message, if I would advise him of how many passengers might be affected by this problem as, again, no one else had advised him of this. Ms. Tierney, it should not be our job as passengers to monitor the quality of service for shuttle transportation; few of us have the time or the inclination to do this. It is clear there is no regular oversight of the shuttle service's performance, or Mr. Sweeney would not have been caught (again) unawares. If the shuttle subcontractor is not providing the City of Plymouth with daily trip sheets and reporting, then something is very wrong with how this subcontractor is being managed. Further, I found Mr. Sweeney's question regarding how many passengers might be affected by this problem to be quite interesting. In all candor, ridership on the shuttle service has dropped in the past three years, precisely because the reliability has gone down, and many people simply cannot afford to take even one chance with something as crucial as getting to work on time. Further, again, most people do not have the time to monitor the shuttle's performance on behalf of the City; it's not their job, and they simply find alternative means. Thus ridership continues to drop, through no fault of the would-be passengers, and I can't help but believe that the priority of this issue drops as well with the City. I ask you at this time to address this problem directly with the manager(s) of this department of the City of Plymouth. Please feel free to call me at my home telephone number noted above should you have any questions regarding this. I thank you very much for your attention in this matter. Sincerely, Annette Simmons -Brown cc: Kathy Lueckert John Sweeney F U 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ON 00 O 00 O 00 ON C� ON rn rn rn G*1 ON ON ON ON ON ON ON rn ON rn ON C1 Q\ O� C� O� N O �--� Cl 6 i A i i W i �--� �--� i i d6 �O 't .--� N N � O N N N N N O -- O 0 0 N ^r O O O O O O O S t- ll- ON 00 00 00 00 0�1 00 C� p*, p1 p-, C� Ck O, O, p, 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 DD C� o0 C� 00 O� 00 00 O� O� O� O� O� O� C1 C� O, C� C�O� O� O1 O� C� O� C1 Q\ O� C� O� N O �--� Cl M �' l� O O W N �--� �--� 00 M d6 �O 't .--� N N � O N N N N N O -- O 0 0 N ^r O N N M M O O S � l� l� [� t� r- i l� cO o0 00 ON JN c� Ck Ck O, O, p, O O O 00 w 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 w 00 00 00 00 00 00 O� C� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� a\ Q\ O� C� O� N �O l- 00 � �' M M M O � l- t- � ON O �O O � O O O O O N O O O N N N N O O O -- M O O -- N i [� l� l� i l� 00 i 00 i 00 00 i 00 00 00 01 i Q\ i O� � Q� i O� O .� O .� O .-, O .-+ 00 00 00 00 DD 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 DD 00 00 00 00 O� C� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� O� a\ Q\ O� C� O� Ic* M �--� M M � � [� l� M 00 O� �O O � O O O O O N Cl?O E O N N N O O O M O O E N o r t� [� i [� a 00 i 00 00 i 00 i 00 i 00 i Q� Q� i O\ i� Q� O� O � O � O —. O —. M N QQ cz a N o. °0 bq 2 3 N aC y psa, o ° O 3 0 o c o, x E �, EE c od E o o ° i ►ter 0 = ttj C j >, rn o o :. E c� m �; 0n 0 O k, ocn 0 � E �n A co N O O N O N N O N O Uii -1-0 0 0 Lr CH ti CA O O = U ,O i Cd - AII =;1 O y r. z�i�G1 O U ° 2 w 0x CA C W v1 kn to to to to to �O o Q. an NO �O-�N a o '� U i Cd 6.. HHt� °aaH�7v�Hv va°3 L¢�°a°wa°� roa M N QQ cz a o. o. °0 2 3 o ° 3 0 o c o, x E EE c od E ami =' ° i , ° V 0 = ttj C j >, rn o N E c� m �; 0n 0 as k, 0 � E �n A co N O O N O N N O N O Uii -1-0 0 0 ti O = N - AII =;1 w�z tt O�to z�i�G1 a¢' M N QQ cz a °0 2 >% _ o ° 3 x 0 N rn co N O O N O N N O N O 0 0 0 - M � 106 O�to to to v1 kn to to to to to �O 1.O NO NO �O NO NO �O-�N M N QQ cz a ��nn��SnnTATEE OF U V U V EEZ(olr11=-.� DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Region 6A Trails & Waterways, 9925 Valley View Road, PHONE NO. Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (612) 826-6769 FILE NO. October 28, 1998 Mr. Tom Kellogg Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik and Associates 2335 W. Highway 36 Roseville, MN 55113-1899 Dear Mr. Kellogg: I have talked with Dick Schmidt recently about the plans for redoing Ferndale Road and how the Luce Line State Trail will be affected by construction. Regarding the use of the trail for putting an underground drainage culvert in, I don't feel that will be a problem. We would like to see more detailed plans of course, but we believe it will work. I would like to advise you of the need to apply for a utility license for this type of work early. It can typically take 3-4 months to get all the paperwork completed and the license issued. Please contact me if you would like the paperwork to begin that process. Another issue I would like to bring to your attention is the location where the Luce Line crosses Ferndale Road. Because of increasing traffic levels, and the seemingly higher speeds that people travel down Ferndale, this crossing has become very dangerous. In talking with Mr. Schmidt I understand that there is going to be some striping of the road done and the replacement of trail crossing signs. While this will help I'm wondering if we couldn't look into the use of pedestrian flashers to warn motorists of the crossing. These flashers are similar to others I've seen around the city where they either hang over the road, or are located on the side of it. With the reconstruction of this road, and the dangerous nature of the intersection, I feel that this is the perfect time to consider something like this. We have had several inquiries from people wondering if something can't be done to help identify the intersection a little better, and make drivers more aware of it -thus the request. I would appreciate anything you could do to look at incorporating this idea into the reconstruction plans. If you would like to discuss either of the above issues further please feel free to contact me. I appreciate you keeping the DNR involved in this process and look forward to our continued working relationship. Sincerely, Martha J. Reger Area Trails and Waterways Supervisor cc: Ron Moorse City Administrator, Orono Wight Johnson, ity Manager, Plymouth AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER