The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCity Council Packet 03-09-1999 SpecialCOUNCIL STUDY SESSION MARCH 911999 7:00 PM Public Safety Training Room 1. Youth Curfew Ordinance (requested by Youth Advisory Council) 2. Proposed new format for Plymouth News 3. RV Ordinance (requested by Councilmember Slavik) 4. Sealcoating Program (requested by Councilmember Bildsoe) 5. City Center Streetscape Plan 6. Use of City facilities and equipment 7. Reconsider date of Joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting on the Comprehensive Plan scheduled for March 31 491 KA• CL lkp 44 0 m 0 0 3 0 0 0 0CD p NCD 3 3,o O CS DCaVCD K 3 CD M CL Q. IV 3 CD Z WCD o p C CD CD O 3 Z O O 3 O 0 CD CD O C: X CD CDCD CD IV CSDO 7 C) 3 oo O CD cn C 3 cr CD V 0 m m m 0 = Nn CD E 3 N O p_. T p Cn O CD CDCD 3 T 3 4 CD Z O O CC:- n 3 oQ) 0 C: CD cn 4<0) c 0) CD Cl)cn cn cCD D CD = N — CD A. CD O .. iCDCD3w cn cr 3 CD O C: l<3 0 CDCD 0- cr 0 0 0 CD CD 77 CD CL cn n 0 CD 0 0 V 0 0 w cnC:) 0 0 o 0 3° 3-' 0 Q) CD3CLcr 0) CD 0 3 z CD CD V N n o 2) to 0 W O C: 0 cr C V CD 0 V 0 CD C: CD 0 7r CL C V moi/ CD 3 cn W C Yid ch t co CD Vim/ CD 0 CD CD 77 CD CL cn n 0 CD 0 0 V 0 0 w SU =3 o 0 CD oma- 3 =r r -l- M 3 < 0 < 3 0 cD CD D C — CD__ c c cn o c Zc 3 0 C CD 2) w V - CD ``V l - V C: cn cr 40 ZC) CD C O 3 CD o — W 3 C). TCD mn CD m ca- 0 3 CD — V CDV CD 0 0 0 0 0 c MOS0 0 cn C CD cn CD cn 0 0 FD 51) 10 rF F C CD MMI CD cn rF all 0 m 0 3 33 3 0 cD V C' 1V V+ L S i CD cn 0CD CD CD sc 1 CD cc DATE: March 5, 1999 TO: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager FROM: Craig C. Gerdes, Director of Public Safety SUBJECT: Curfew I thought it might be helpful if we provided copies of the Hennepin County and the City curfew ordinances for Monday's Council meeting. As currently written the Hennepin County ordinance is more restrictive than ours. Attachments Plymouth City Code Section 925 - Curfew 925.01 925.01. Persons Under the Age of 15 Years. It is unlawful for any person under the age of 15 years to be on or present in any public street, avenue, alley, park, or other public place in the City between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day Sunday through Thursday and between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day on Friday and Saturday, unless accompanied by his or her parent or guardian, or person having legal custody and control of his or her person, or unless there exists a reasonable necessity therefor. The fact that said child, unaccompanied by parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody, is found upon any street, alley, or public place after 10:00 p.m. or before 5:00 a.m. of the following day Sunday through Thursday and between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day on Friday and Saturday shall be evidence that said child is there unlawfully and that no reasonable excuse exists therefor. 925.02. Persons 15 and 16 Years of Age. It is unlawful for any person 15 or 16 years of age to be on any public street, avenue, alley, parks or other public place in the City between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. the following day Sunday through Thursday and 12:00 midnight and 5:00 a.m. the following day on Friday and Saturday. The provisions of this Subsection do not apply to any minor person who is accompanied by his or her parent, guardian or other person having the authorized care and custody of the minor person, or when the minor person is upon an emergency errand or legitimate business directed by his or her parent, guardian or adult person having authorized care and custody of the minor person of the minor person is engaged in planned or organized youth activity under the direction of a school, church or community organization. The fact that the minor, unaccompanied by parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody, is found upon any street, alley or public place after 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday or 12:00 midnight Friday or Saturday or before 5:00 a.m. any day is evidence that the minor is there unlawfully and that no reasonable excuse exists therefor. 925.03. Persons 17 Years of Age. It is unlawful for any 17 year old person to be on any public street, avenue, alley, parks or other public place in the City between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 5:00 a.m. The provisions of this Subsection do not apply to any minor person who is accompanied by his or her parent, guardian or other person having the authorized care and custody of the minor person, or when then minor person is upon an emergency errand or legitimate business directed by his or her parent, guardian or adult person having authorized care and custody of the minor person or the minor person is engaged in planned or organized youth activity under the direction of a school, church or community organization. The fact that the minor, unaccompanied by parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody, is found upon any street, alley or public place after 12:00 midnight or before 5:00 a.m. is evidence. that the minor is there unlawfully and that no reasonable excuse exists therefor. 925.05. Responsibility of Parents. It is unlawful for any parent, guardian, or other person having the legal custody and control of a minor under the age of 18 years to knowingly or negligently permit the minor to violate the provisions of this Section. Plymouth City Code 925.07 925.07. Responsibility of Persons in Charge of Places of Amusement. Subdivision 1. General Rule. It is unlawful for any person operating or in charge of any place of amusement, entertainment, or refreshment, or other place of business to permit any minor under the age of 18 years of age to loiter, loaf or idle in such a place. Subd. 2. Notification of Police. Whenever the owner or person in charge or in control of any place of amusement, entertainment, refreshment, or other place of business shall find persons under the age of 18 years loitering, loafing, or idling in such place of business, he shall immediately order such person to leave, and if such person refuses to leave the said place of business, the operator shall immediately notify the police department and inform them of the violation. Subd. 3. Existing Laws. This Section shall not be construed as permitting the presence at any time of any person under the age of 18 years in any place where such presence is prohibited by any existing law or ordinance. Subd. 4. Power of Arrest. When a minor person is arrested because of a violation of this Section, the arresting officer shall notify, as soon as reasonably possible, the parents, guardian or person having legal custody of any minor so arrested. Ord. 98-29, 09-02-98) DEC -22-1998 14:18 SHERIFF'S PATROL DIVISION Hennepin County Ordinance 16 Juvenile Curfew ORDINANCE NUMBER SIXTEEN ti JUVENILE CURFEW FOR HENNEPIN COUNTY 612 391 5108 P.01/05 otur-e s Pagel of 5 AN ORDINANCE SETTING A COUNTY -WIDE, NIGHTTIME CURFEW FOR JUVENILES. THIS ORDINANCE IS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO MINNESOTA STATUTES, CHAPTER 145A.05, SUBD. 7A (1994). ADOPTED BY THE HENNEPIN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA ON DECEMBER 20,1994 AMENDED ON JUNE 27, 1995 ORDINANCE NO. 16 JUVENILE CURFEW An ordinance setting a county -wide, nighttime curfew for juveniles. This ordinance is adopted pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 145A.05, subd. 7a (1994). SECTION 1: FINDINGS AND PURPOSE A) In recent years, there has been a significant increase in juvenile victimization and crime. At the same time, the crimes committed by and against juveniles have become more violent. A significant percentage of juvenile crime occurs during curfew hours. B) Because of their lack of maturity and experience, juveniles are particularly susceptible to becoming victims of older perpetrators. The younger a person is, the more likely he or she is to be a victim of crime. C) While parents have the primary responsibility to provide for the safety and welfare of juveniles, Hennepin County also has a substantial interest in the safety and welfare ofjuveniles. Moreover, Hennepin County has an interest in preventing juvenile crime, DEC -22-1998 14:18 SHERIFF'S PATROL DIVISION 612 391 5108 P.02i05 Hennepin County Ordinance 16 Juvenile Curfew Page 2 of 5 promoting parental supervision, and providing for the well being of the general public. D) A county -wide curfew will reduce juvenile victimization and crime and will advance public safety, health, and general welfare. SECTION 2: DEFINITIONS A) "Juvenile" means a person under the age of eighteen (18). The term does not include persons under 18 who are married or have been legally emancipated. B) "Parent" means birth parents, adoptive parents, and step-parents. C) "Guardian" means an adult appointed pursuant to Minn. Stat. §525.6155 or 525.6165 who has the powers and responsibilities of a parent as defined by Minn. Stat. §525.619. D) "Responsible adult" means a person eighteen (18) years or older specifically authorized by law or by a parent or guardian to have custody and control of a juvenile. E) "Public Place" means any place to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access and includes, but is not limited to, streets, highways, and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transport facilities, and shops. F) "Emergency" means a circumstance or combination of circumstances requiring immediate action to prevent property damage, serious bodily injury or loss of life. G) "Serious bodily injury" means bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death or that causes death, serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss of impairment of the function of any body part or organ. H) "Establishment" means any privately -owned place of business to which the public is invited, including but not limited to any place of amusement, entertainment, or refreshment. I) "Proprietor" means any individual, firm, association, partnership, or corporation operating, managing, or conducting any establishment. The term includes the members or partners of an association or partnership and the officers of a corporation. SECTION 3: PROHIBITED ACTS A) It is unlawful for a juvenile under the age of 12 to be present in. any public place or establishment within Hennepin County: 1) any time between 9:00 p.m. on any Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and 5:00 a.m. of the following day. DEC -22-1998 14=19 SHERIFF'S PATROL DIVISION 612 391 5108 P.03/05 Hennepin County Ordinance 16 Juvenile Cmfew Page 3 of 5 2) any time between 10:00 p.m. on any Friday or Saturday and 5:00 a.m. on the following day. B) It is unlawful for a juvenile, age 12 to 14, to be present in any public place or establishment within Hennepin Cotmty: 1) :my time between 10:00 p.m. on any Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and 5:00 a.m. of the following day. i 2) any time between 11:00 p.m. on any Friday or Saturday and 5:00 a.m. on the following day. C) It is unlawful for a juvenile, age 15 to 17, to be present in any public place or establishment within Hennepin County: 1) any time between 11:00 p.m. on any Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and 5:00 a.m. of the following day. 2) any time between 12:01 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on any Saturday or Sunday. D) It is unlawful for a parent or guardian of a juvenile knowingly, or through negligent supervision, to permit the juvenile to be in any public place or establishment within Hennepin County during the hours prohibited in paragraphs A), (13) and (C) of this section. E) It is unlawful for a proprietor of an establishment within Hennepin County to knowingly permit a juvenile to remain in the establishment or on the establishment's property during the hours prohibited in paragraphs (A), (B) and C) of this section. If the proprietor is not present at the time of the curfew violation, the responding officer shall leave written notice of the violation with an employee of the establishment. A copy of the written notice shall be served upon the establishment's proprietor personally or by certified mail. SECTION 4: DEFENSES A) It is an affirmative defense for a juvenile to prove that: 1) the juvenile was accompanied by his or her parent, guardian, or other responsible adult. 2) the juvenile was engaged in a lawful employment activity or was going to or returning home from his or her place of employment. 3) the juvenile was involved in an emergency situation. 4) the juvenile was going to, attending, or returning home from an official school, religious, or other recreational activity sponsored and/or supervised by a public entity or a civic organization. 5) the juvenile was on an errand at the direction of a parent or guardian. 6) the juvenile was exercising First Amendment rights protected by the United States Constitution or Article I of the Constitution of the State of Minnesota. DEC -22-1998 1420 SHERIFF'S PATROL. DIVISION 612 391 S108 P. 04166 Hennepin County Ordinance 16 Juvenile Cw*w Page 4 of 5 7) the juvenile was engaged in interstate travel. 8) the juvenile was on the public right-of-way boulevard or sidewalk abutting the property containing the juvenile's residence or abutting the neighboring property, structure, or residence. B) It is an affiirmativc defense for a proprietor of an establishment to prove that: 1) the proprietor or employee reasonably and in good faith relied upon a juvenile's representations of proof of age. Proof of age may be established pursuant to Minn. Stat. §340A.503, subd. 6, or other verifiable means, including, but not limited to, school identification cards and birth certificates. 2) the proprietor or employee promptly notified the responsible police agency that a juvenile was present on the premises of the establishment during curfew hours. SECTION 5: PENALTY &-?-" A) Violation of Section 3(A), (B) or (C) will be prosecuted pursuant to Minn. Stat. §260.195 and will be subject to the penalties therein. B) Violation of Section 3(D) or (E) is a misdemeanor and will be subject to the penalty set forth in Minn. Stat. §609.03. SECTION 6: REVIEW The County Board shall conduct yearly reviews of this ordinance to assess the effectiveness of and continuing need for a juvenile curfew. Prior to the annual review, the County Attorney shall prepare and submit a report to the County Board evaluating olations of this ordinance and juvenile crime and victimization during the preceding ye SECTION 7: EFFECTIVE DATE This ordinance shall take effect on July 1, 1995. This ordinance was current as of the date stated below. To be certain that it has not been amended since published here, please contact the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, C-2000 Government Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55487; phone 612)348-5550; fax (612)348-9712; e-mail Mark.Chapin@co.hennepin.mn.us Last updated August Z 1996 Hennepin County is providing this information as a public service. Please send your comments on our Web Site to Henn.Net@co.hennepin.mn.us DEC -22-1998 14:28 SHERIFF'S PATROL DIVISION - Hennepin County Ordinance 16 Juvenile Chrfew 612 391 5108 P.05/05 Page 5 of 5 TOTAL P.E6 ACLU News Wire -- 10/21/96: Rights Around the... Pagel of 2 American Cn* l Uberties Union October 21, 1996: Rights Around the Clock: Teens Oppose Tough Curfew Plan WASHINGTON -- Prince William County police would conduct unannounced, late-night sweeps to round up teenagers loitering after hours in public places under a curfew proposal to come before the Board of County Supervisors next month, the Washington Post reports. Teenagers caught in the roundups, to be carried out at least four times a year, would be taken to "community curfew centers," where they would receive counseling and wait for their parents to pick them up. About 85 percent of the young people surveyed by Prince William police in July said they opposed a limit on their nighttime activities. Several interviewed last week said the proposed law would unfairly punish good children. I worked extremely hard to get my parents to trust me with a 12:30 curfew," said Chris Parker, a 17 -year-old high school junior. "I don't go out and drink or get high. I go to a coffee shop and talk. The Constitution say we have rights, but this law says we have to be 17 to get those rights." The sweeps are the centerpiece of a plan that would give the county the most aggressively enforced curfew in the area, barring people younger than 17 from being out from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m, on weekdays and midnight to 5 a.m. on weekends. None of the curfews in surrounding communities assign officers specifically to go out and catch violators. The push for a curfew comes despite persistent criticism from civil libertarians and skepticism about the laws' effectiveness from criminologists and law enforcement officials, including Prince William's police chief. The District enacted a curfew in the summer of 1995, but its constitutionality is being challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union, and police say they are making few efforts to enforce the law. Robert Plotkin, president of the National Capital Area ACLU, said juvenile curfews are a violation of teenagers' rights to speech and infringe on their freedom of movement and assembly. One concern is that they will be enforced in a discriminatory fashion," he said. "Normally, police aren't' supposed to stop someone unless they have reasonable cause. A curfew makes it a crime just to be out on the street." Kenneth Adams, who is studying the impact of curfews on arrest rates for the National Institutes of Justice, said their popularity aarong residents often outweighs their real effectiveness. So far, we haven't seen that [curfews] have made a big impact," said Adams, a professor of criminology at Sam Houston State University in Texas. "Police are the ones dealing with parents. You look impotent when you say doing nothing is the best thing. You see that with politicians, too." ACLU Press Release: 05-22-98 -- Court of App... Pagel of 2 American Givil Liberties UnionkN_ 0 -s Appeals Court Says D.C. Curfew Law Unconstitutional FOR IlVIMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, May 22,1998 WASHINGTON -- The second-highest court in the nation ruled today that the District of Columbia's juvenile curfew law violated the constitutional rights of children. In a 2-1 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed a lower -court decision that permanently prohibited the D.C. government from enforcing the city's 1995 curfew law. That law prohibited people under age 17 from being in any public place or private establishment between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays, and between midnight at 6 a.m. on weekends. The curfew law had not been enforced since the lower court's decision in October 1996. The American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of a group of children and their parents, hailed the ruling as an important victory for the rights of young people and families. While the three judges issued three separate opinions, the majority agreed that although the city had a strong interest in preventing juvenile crime, there was no good reason to believe that the curfew law would have any significant impact on that problem, and it would seriously infringe on the basic right of liberty. The enactment of the curfew law created a new casualty in the 'war' against crime—the Bill of Rights," said Robert Plotkin, an attorney at the D.C. law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker who handled the case for the ACLU. "The court's ruling today restores it to life." Arthur Spitzer, Legal Director of the ACLU of the National Capital Area, said the court's ruling is important "because it will send the message to cities and towns across the nation that laws punishing all juveniles are not a permissible response to the problems caused by the small fraction ofjuveniles who commit crimes." The proper response to juvenile crime is to arrest the criminals," Spitzer said, "not to put thousands of law-abiding young people under house arrest." The case -- Hutchins v District of Columbia was filed in November 1995, shortly after the law was enacted. The plaintiffs in the case were eight young residents of the District of Cohunbia, four parents, and a local movie theater. An earlier D.C. juvenile curfew law had been enacted and struck down by the courts in 1989. This law was the D.C. Council's second attempt to enact a curfew law. The latest D.C. curfew law was modeled after a similar law in Dallas, which had been upheld by the courts there. Despite the lack of evidence that curfew laws are effective in ACLU Press Release: 05-22-98 -- Court of App... Page 2 of 2 crime control, many cities have recently adopted or are const*ring curfew laws, fueled in part by President Clinton's announced support for curfew laws. But as 16-year-old lead plaintiff Tiana Hutchins explained when the D.C. lawsuit was filed, she and many of her friends oppose the curfew because "it is unfair to punish good kids who are out trying to make something of themselves when only a small percentage of young people are committing crimes in the city during curfew hours." CODi7[8%!f 1"S, ne Amwican Cad Liberda Union ACLU Press Release: 10-07-98 -- More Cities ... im=kan Civil Liberties Union More Washington State Communities Repealing Curfew Laws, ACLU Says FOR EM31EDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, October 7, 1998 Pagel of 2 SEATTLE -- In the wake of a series of court rulings finding curfew laws unconstitutional, cities and counties across Washington State are repealing their curfew ordinances, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington said today. The latest rollback came in Yelm, Washington, after the ACLU contacted Mayor Kathy Wolf to say that the curfew infringes on the rights of youths. The Thurston County community joined cities across the state, including Raymond, Chelan, Woodland, La Center, Prosser, Omak, Coupeville, and Camas, which have dropped curfews after hearing from the ACLU of Washington. In urging curfew repeals, the ACLU cited court rulings finding a Bellingham curfew law unconstitutional. In May, the Washington Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a decision overturning Bellingham's curfew. The action let stand a unanimous 1997 ruling by the Washington Court of Appeals that the curfew law "infringes on a minor's fundamental freedom of movement and expression" and is unconstitutionally vague. The Bellingham case stemmed from a 1993 incident in which a 15 -year-old boy suffered a broken arm when a police officer sought to enforce the curfew against him. Represented by former Whatcom County ACLU chapter president Breean Beggs, the boy and his family challenged the criminal charge and sued the City of Bellingham over the injury. The ACLU submitted an amicus brief arguing the curfew was unconstitutional. The government cannot ban young people from being outside without an extremely compelling reason," said Kathleen Taylor, Executive Director of the ACLU of Washington. The ACLU opposes curfews because they criminalize the normal behavior of law-abiding citizens. Curfews also interfere with parents' rights to decide how to supervise their children." The ACLU of Washington urges communities to consider more constructive alternatives, such as shelters for abused children, jobs and late-night activity programs for at -risk teens, and support programs for families. The Bellingham decision follows earlier rulings of the Washington Supreme Court, which has twice found non -emergency curfews unconstitutional (City of Seattle v Drew for adults in 1967 and City of Seattle v Pullman for minors in 1973). While the U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on a non -emergency curfew law, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (with jurisdiction over Washington State) in 1997 overturned San Diego's juvenile curfew on grounds similar to those cited by the Washington court. November 2, 1995; ACLU to file Suit Challengi... Page 1 of 1 mericin Civil Liberties Union ACLU to file Suit Challenging D.C. Curfew Law FOR DIM EDIATE RELEASE November 2, 1995 On Thursday, November 2, 1995, the American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area will file a class-action lawsuit against the District of Columbia challenging the D.C. juvenile curfew law on the grounds that it violates the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The plaintiffs in the case are eight young residents of the District of Columbia, four parents, and one local business. The suit will be filed in federal district court in the District of Columbia. The D.C. curfew law prohibits young people under age 17 from being in any public place or private establishment between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays, and between midnignt at 6 a.m. on weekends. The law permits police officers to stop any young person and demand to know his or her age and reason for being out during curfew hours. If the officer "reasonably believes" that a young person is violating the curfew, the individual may be arrested and detained. A young person's parents may also be punished for their child's curfew violations. The plaintiffs and the ACLU allege that the curfew law is unconstitutional because it infringes on the First Amendment rights of young people to engage in free speech or association. It also authorizes police officers to arrest young people without probable cause, although the Fourth Amendment requires probable cause before an arrest can be made. And it usurps the constitutional rights of parents by preventing them from making their own decisions about appropriate curfew hours for their own children. The curfew law is also unconstitutional because it prohibits ordinary, harmless activities such as ACLU News Wire: 12-01-97 -- Survey: Youth Cur... Page 1 of 2 December 1, 1997: Survey: Youth Curfews on the Rise WASHINGTON -- A new survey has found that more American cities are using nighttime and daytime curfews to reduce juvenile crime and truancy, the Associated Press reports. The survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that 276 of 347 responding cities had a nighttime curfew. Seventy-six had a daytime curfew as well. That's a modest increase over a similar survey the mayors group did in 1995 when more cities responded, but fewer said they were using curfews, the wire service said. In that survey, 270 of 387 cities had a nightly curfew. According to the survey, 56 percent, or 154, of the surveyed cities have had a youth curfew for at least 10 years. Officials in half these cities say juvenile crime has dropped since the curfew was imposed; 11 percent say the number of juvenile crimes has remained steady; and 10 percent have had an increase in juvenile -related crime. But because most of the remaining cities have had curfews for only a short time, no data on the impact on juvenile crime was available. AP said that the curfews can be expensive for cities, too. Twenty-three percent, or 61, of the cities said there were increased costs to enforce curfews. Officials in Chandler, Ariz., cited more paperwork, court appearances and time officers spent dealing with youths. Officials in New Orleans pointed to increased overtime for police. San Jose, Calif. officials said curfew enforcement hiked police payroll costs by $1 million. Twenty-three percent of cities reported problems implementing the curfew. Parents in a middle-class Denver neighborhood opposed a proposed youth detention center. Some judges in Chicago didn't take curfews seriously. And Los Angeles officials said "the problem is convincing liberal politicians that it doesn't violate kids' rights and convincing police officers that it is productive." Fourteen cities said there had been constitutional challenges to the curfew. The American Civil Liberties Union has fought such laws in a number of cities on the grounds that they impinge on civil liberties while offer nothing more than a quick -fix approach to crime. Instead, the ACLU says cities should use the money spent enforcing curfews on youth programs instead. Ramona Ripston, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, told the Los Angeles Times that she disputes the survey's findings, noting that "crime statistics are just down all over, in cities that have curfews and cities that don't have curfews." The newly popular ordinances violate the rights of youths as well as parents, she said. ACLU News Wire: 12-01-97 -- Survey: Youth Cur... Page 2 of 2 Parents have the right to set limitations on their own children and should be involved in seeing that their rules and restrictions are carried out -- not Big Brother, not the state," Ripston told the Times. "This is an attempt to get at juvenile crime because the other solutions are too hard. This is just the easiest way out for a community." The Times reported that although an appeals court handed the ACLU a victory in June by striking down San Diego's tough curfew law, the city immediately passed a narrower law fashioned after one that has won a federal court's favor. The next legal battle comes in Monrovia, where Rosemary Harrahill is leading a group of parents in fighting that city's daytime curfew. Harrahill, who teaches 16 -year-old Jess and 14 -year-old Ben -Joe at home, said she resents the police requirement that her sons carry fluorescent -orange cards to signify they have permission to be outside. She said the boys were stopped 22 times over nine months as they walked home from the public school where they take one or two classes. It's ridiculous. When in history has a specific class of people been singled out and numbered?" Harrahill told the Times. "There is something much more insidious in these curfews than what is on the surface --it's control. We have shades of a police state coming. I object," she added. "I object roundly to this persistent, unnecessary government interference of my kids constantly having to prove themselves. There is no presumption of innocence in a curfew. Everybody's guilty." Source: The Associated Press, November 30, 1997; The Los Angeles Times, December 2„ 1997 tun ---_1QtH_-- HOME I ---SFARCH -__ FEEDBACK Cowrirht 1997, The American Crud Liberties Union ACLU Press Release: 06-02-97 -- Curfew Overt... Page 1 of 2 American Civil :Liberties Union Curfew Overturned in Washington State FOR EM[MEDIATE RELEASE Monday, June 2, 1997 OLYMPIA, WA -- The Washington State Court of Appeals today ruled that Bellingham's curfew law is unconstitutional. In a unanimous 3-0 ruling, the court found that the curfew infringes on minors' fundamental freedoms of movement and expression and is unconstitutionally vague. The ACLU of Washington had submitted a friend of the court brief in the case urging that the curfew law be overturned. The Court of Appeals agreed with the ACLU's view that the curfew wrongly makes it a crime for law-abiding citizens simply to be outside and interferes with the rights of parents to supervise their own children, said ACLU of Washington Executive Director Kathleen Taylor. "The ACLU urges communities to consider more constructive alternatives, including jobs and late-night activity programs for teens, and support programs for families." The ACLU of Washington has urged over a dozen communities around the state not to enact curfews, explaining why such measures are unconstitutional. The Washington Supreme Court has never upheld a non -emergency curfew law and has twice struck down curfews as unconstitutional (City of Seattle v. Drew in 1967 and City of Seattle v Pullman in 1973). Enacted in 1992, Bellingham's curfew ordinance prohibited minors under 16 from being in any public place of the Central Business District between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Fridays and Saturday. The ACLU of Washington opposed its adoption for abridging the rights of all juveniles, as well as of their parents, because of the wrongdoing of a few. While proponents of curfews tout them as crime -fighting measures, most crimes committed by juveniles are not committed during hours covered by curfews. As the Court of Appeals stated, "Noting that the number of juveniles engaged in safe and innocent activity almost certainly outnumbers those engaged in criminal activity, the -- - courts have held that confining all of them to their homes or a few designated activities without evidence that such Draconian restrictions were necessary to address juvenile crime is not a narrowly tailored response to the problem." The Court of Appeals further noted, "... the curfew interferes with parental control because it prohibits parents from allowing their children to participate in beneficial programs or groups which may keep them out after curfew hours." 1XIWX I JOtN I HOME I SEARCH I FEEDBACK ACLU NewsWire -- 06/09/96: SURVEY CASTS DOUBT... Page 1 of 1 olmerican Civil Liberties Union June 9, 1996: SURVEY CASTS DOUBT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF TEEN CURFEW WASHINGTON -- Curfew laws for teens are widely used, enjoy enormous popularity and have reduced juvenile crime in certain cities, according to recent claims, The Los Angeles Times reports. But despite those successes, surveys of the nation's big cities have found that most curfew laws are not strictly enforced and that their impact in most cities has been modest at best. And some officials question the wisdom of having police officers spend time picking up otherwise law-abiding 16 -year-olds and transporting them to station houses. In December, the U.S. Conference of Mayors surveyed 387 cities and found that just over one-third characterized curfew laws as "very effective." Many conceded that they did not have the personnel to enforce the measures. This is the hot topic now, so a lot of police departments are hauling kids in to prove they are doing the job," said John Pionke, who compiled the survey. "But the history of these laws is [that] police are soon pushed in another direction and they back off enforcing the curfews." The Los Angeles Times reported that nearly three-fourths of cities of more than 100,000 population have curfew laws on their books. Some of the more stringent laws enact daytime curfews for teens 18 and under, and impose fines of up to $500 for repeat offenders. Lawyers for the ACLU continue to fight the curfews as unconstitutional, arguing that they punish law-abiding teenagers more than true criminals. We don't think the government can make it a crime to sit on the curb and talk to your friends or walk your dog at night," said Art Spitzer, an ACLU lawyer who challenged the curfew in the District of Columbia. We could probably reduce the number of rapes if we made it illegal for women to go out by themselves to jog but that's not the way we make laws in this country," he said. ND£X -J01K_ _. HOME ..SEARCH_ - FEEDBACK Com-rieht 1996 The Amw»em Csvd Liberties Union ACLU Press Release - ACLU Statement on Juven... Pagel of 2 it _ ,% iexican Civil. Uberdes Unison Statement of Teresa Nelson, Executive Director, ACLU Of Georgia, On Juvenile Justice Hearings FOR ]JM3 EDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, April 10, 1996 ATLANTA, GA—In this election year, politicians have once again focused their attention on the issue of crime in America. But this year, the scapegoat is not Willie Horton -- it is our children. Teenagers (and even pre -teens) are being demonized as superpredators," creating an atmosphere of fear and blame directed largely at inner city, minority youth. Ironically, these hearings are taking place in a state with one of the worst records on implementation ofjuvenile justice laws. Georgia's broken juvenile justice system is a prime example of what happens when institutions focus on locking kids up instead of helping them. In the war of words over who is "toughest on crime," today's hearings can only lead to more rhetoric, while offering little in the form of long-term, comprehensive solutions to the juvenile crime problem. Rather than exploring innovative efforts to reduce and prevent crime, these hearings play to America's obsession with quick and easy solutions to problems -- solutions that will not work, such as the wholesale transfer of children to adult prisons, three strikes and mandatory minimum sentencing schemes, building more jails, curfew laws, and capital punishment. Those measures sound "tough" indeed. But what does it mean to be "tough" on crime? If being tough means being effective, very few politicians have been tough. If it mean_ s sounding tough but being ineffective, they've all been tough. Many public policy analysts confirm that early prevention programs offer the best hope to stem the tide ofjuvenile crime. They emphasize the importance of reinvesting in communities, creating more educational opportunities through better schools, as well as increased job training, recreation and mentoring programs. Such initiatives provide young children with strong, positive role models like teachers and community leaders, while enhancing the quality of schools and providing economic opportunities. But those voices will not be heard today. Instead of rising to the challenge of finding solutions, Congress has chosen to continue the attack on America's children. The real challenge for our nation is not how many jails can we build, but how many kids can we save. We must demand accountability from our elected officials to pursue long-term and often times difficult solutions that actually work. But we must act now to avoid losing an entire generation of our children to hopelessness and adult prisons. iNMX I Jnlx HOME I SEARCH FEEDBACK March 15, 1995; Statement of Jordan Budd ... Page 1 of 1 timerican Civil, Liberties Union Statement of Jordan Budd Staff Counsel ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties FOR EM[MEDIATE RELEASE March 15,1995 In the first six months of the City's "aggressive" curfew enforcement program, almost 2,300 young people were arrested for curfew violations -- more than 1,300 more than during the same period the year before. At this rate, the City is on pace to arrest about 5,000 otherwise law-abiding teenagers each year for curfew violations. Mayor Golding and Police Chief Sanders claim that the juvenile crime rate is dropping as a result of this assault on the fundamental liberties of San Diego's young people. But the statistics tell a different story. Mirroring a nationwide trend in crime statistics, the total number of juveniles arrested for violent crimes has dropped over the last year. But the percentage of those crimes committed during curfew hours has remained almost exactly the same -- 16.7 percent for June -November 1993, 15.6 percent for June -November 1994. In other words, the number ofjuveniles arrested for violent crimes has dropped during non -curfew hours at about the same rate as during curfew hours. Since the curfew can't be credited with reducing juvenile crime during non -curfew hours, something other than the curfew is causing the drop in criminal activity. The truth is, curfews divert attention from real crime prevention. If police officers are checking the IDs of every teenager walking a dog after 10:00 p.m., and then driving those kids to police stations to be held until parents arrive, the police department's resources are diverted from dealing with real crime. It's no surprise that some San Diego police officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, have called the curfew "a waste of our time." Other cities in California have learned that lesson. In 1990, the San Francisco Police Commission recommended that the City scrap its teenage curfew law. The Commission found that the law could not be enforced fairly and would just multiply the problems the Police Department already faced. More recently, Oakland's City Attorney and Police Chief both recommended against a juvenile curfew; -finding that it would limit patrol officer availability and burden resources without increasing public safety. The police already have the ability to arrest teenagers involved in real crime. The curfew adds nothing more than the obligation to arrest the innocent as well. INDEX IQIM ._ NOME -SE"CH -- i FEE MUCK Camrjrb IM TheAmff wn OWLfaerdn Union DATE: March 9, 1999 TO: Mayor and City Councilmembers THROUGH: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager FROM: l Craig C. Gerdes, Director of Public Safety SUBJECT: JUVENILE NIGHT VIOLATIONS REPORT I received a request from Council Members Saundra Spigner and Kelli Slavik for information on juvenile disturbance calls to police that may be related to curfew violations. This request is very difficult to accomplish as our records are not kept in a manner that easily facilitates this type of search. We selected three primary categories; of curfew, noise complaints (such as loud parties), and public nuisances. We then did a computer search of these categories for the period October 1, 1998 through March 6, 1999 which gave us a group of approximately 300 records. We then had to check each record in a hand search to determine if juveniles were involved and the basic circumstances. We also narrowed the search to incidents that occurred after 9:00 p.m. and located 89 violations. A synopsis of those 89 violations is attached. This information was not compiled into any sort of a statistical analysis and is just a brief overview of incidents within the perameters described. This is by no means the total number of calls to police which may involve juveniles after 9:00 p.m. Again, only three categories were looked at as this is a very difficult searching process which involves hand searching each record. bb ybrb b bybarro brrbv vyv bn0 vy C Q" o i'S • o C/ o Qom' r S' 0 0 0 y o 0o o0" CD CD A C C) C n ZO Z(" 0 CAC) ZnZO ZO,Z(O'z n n y n O O Zvi p ZZ Z Z F O O O a CD W CD CD CD CD CCD 0 n 0 0 C C) c7 nCD 0CD G 0CD 0CD nCD L3 0CD C Cn o CD 0 CD CD CD C' CD C' CD o C7 coo o UQq o CD CD CD o CD o moo. o o D CD O O ON Ol% w 0o J N O J p N P G O O O O QA~~ O LAO vi O O th C 00 0 In LA0 O O UQ tA O ni... x rn CD O OCD R O C G' o rC Cep c O n o r 0,p 0 3 n C) o Arpi R a- CDDD z a,%C C, g 9 v Im CDD Vii cn CD cn a. CD o C r roc o o o O O CD 0 0 r D CD r aZ rCD o CEn rr a aha a CD CD y CD CD CDCD caw CD CD CD CD 0 o CD CL r CD CDCDr ID 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 w W N N N N N N N N O O a\ t!i vi t h P w W 0o O A O O J w w N10 F- 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 N N O O O O O N O N w O N O N N N O N N O O N O N O N O W O W N O 0 O C) O O O N W N w N N N w W w 040 w CT O 1 w O cn CT N O N O 00 00 I'D CT O A p O v. O . G G p CA O CD Cf -+ w O CD CD CD Ln C CD C C CD CD C O CD CD C CD cD cD CD CD v CD CD CD CC CD C CD C CD p CD CD O CDn CD 3 CD ir rF CD C) ` ' Vn p C CD CD CD CD CD C t - FO -- CD F G CD CD CD CD CD CD CD v CD vA CD W CD vn p O O (n CD CD CD cn a. v _ CD Ln CD CD lDn. CDcn w U4 CD O n C) n CD n y v m y CD 0 a 7 n yff p CD CD o d d o ro r o o O r CD c CD CD a'. r. Q CD CD h n CD h CD noCDco a, cD a cu a, y CD a. v°ate' CD sviava o N a. o¢,CD coo c CL o CD p- as o CD o 4 o w o o CD C7 O C, o C) r O d C3 O O N n p P. G. C CS CD C p p r CD CD t n sCD C UQ O p p O .fir I CD i i ., W En O ty spy (p cD En vn t f'S FFI+F, CD S yVq CDSi+. spyV pi 1.'r UQ O0 i+. 1.+. C CD Fy+. FJ i+• LD1y I.r..! V f•c' Vj... Fes+. h/ ice. D 1"rCD EI. p n i CD O npyii Q. O n 3" pCD Env' J UQ p cD C p 0 En CD o o O— o 0 A N a UQ 0c r tCDx y a. CD a4 C/2 a a C a n 00 d CD CDCL a. o OCl. En comPDo CD L 0 0 0, o CD o O o o o 3 p c' W C7Envatr+, D p0 CD CCD r w Q- CrL CCD C y cD 0 oz CD En a c o o o' 0' cD 0 O cCDo p.. CD o Uq O pCD N y UQ O rp UQ CD ra C ti Z o'Z0 o C7 ZZZZZCD 0 • 0 • 0 c o o' 0 0 CD N C7CD 0 ' 0• (n (A CD o O °00000o 0W n SCD 0 n ' cCDD CCD cCDD CD CD 'ttoDoo <. ° o CD cD n '"' ° o ` I • o' a. o O O Z CD E. 0 0: ww.p w O Aw w -•Nv, P r"w z N °1 N_ x J O4N O O O O w N Cn 00 N O J e w Uma to O O O CD ' . O O O t o (.Ato 0 c!i O n O O Z ) W r t 0 0 C00 C CD CD O l7 p O O f A q C"" O cr A O V O N b p C 0 v ' CD O 0 byam : r" o w r rCo. CD wr CD CD CDCDCD y CD `° 0 CD . o CD CD r r f-+ r-. -- ---+ O O O O w w N J 01 •- •- 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 O N w O w O O N OO N N w N N w O w O O N O w w N w 0 0 va p N v O to N O O D1 N J N N N ver, rC w .N x C7 r O CD O v. 0 O R .i . O -- CD 0 G O c CD It cD c 0 0 0 a. . • 0. ¢- p 0 0 c ° < c 0 < c cD < c c c c ° CD v, v, CD CD CD cn CD CD Z$ p., C CD CD CD ctiCD0 CD0• D 0 „ a O N CD Y ` Q vCDi CD Q„ Cr o- t p n . -- o CD N C~D f~D C~D CD CCD rtGv4CDCDCDCDs .• CD . i Sv -h cn , `r3 CD O , 'C ti cn N va ' a' O 0 , CD O CD n C n O O vOih Uq v3i . t3 CD 7 0v°.i0y0 ' o CD O F- .. • . . .-. o 0 0 CD CD CD CD O UQ CD O .- p, cv -h ' O va CD 0 ' a. a. • 0 o o va - o ? a ova C, a.CD° o 00CD ° oN .00i o o° 4 a CD M CD a CL CD CD CD 0 CO O y CD - N G CD n 0 0 :.a CD CD + CD n , r v Ua Uq 0 CD CD 0 CD CD 0 CD . CL Q cn O N' 0 CD d L CD - 0 0 0 CL a CD CD ow 0 D. CCD ° 0 CD ¢ y CDCACL00CDCD o u ' N ° • 0 CD macro CD n CL va CD CD 0 o ¢. ,. O CL CD lD It NCDCDCCDCD CD cn Q - CD 0 IAW vw0-- xww p•pw CD r t!i a1 n ON ul 0 N N O O UQ to CL 1 O 0 z O to O O Ch Dc CD b?xrx CD o 0 D p- I R 0 En rCD CD P CD o CD CD p N n p' O 0 CD d CD a o 0 10 CD 1 LA O\ LA w O O1 01 p O x xo.r• LA VI O to O A 1 1 N J O v, Ch tai O vi O P, O O UQ UQ 0 00 CD 7dCD CDr w CD N tz p O CD n CD y y CD CD CDD CD C. C IAW vw0-- xww p•pw 71 t!i a1 ON ul w N N O O UQ to 1 O 0 O O to O O Ch Dc O b?xrx p- 0 R 0 oda rCD rr CD m0CDCrCD CD 0 CD CD CD VI O O oOOOOOOC) N N N N N N N N N C) - w N N N. r '-- p 0 N N O O O O O O 00 D1 N 00 00 00 Vi N - O,, In W W N O 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00p00000000000000000000000o a N N N O O O tN tN NO O N O N N O N O O O O W W N . r -• O w NN w w w ~ W O O O N N w w v N O kA Qv N Cv O O\ 0v LA •P 00 O 01 VA 00 O r3 J p N 1--1 ' ^ `L3 -' It ' r W W * N A) v ' '--i '-4 r q C ° G `C G G vi a' CD CCD CCD CCD CCD ' CD CCD CD CD c CSD c CD C a•• CD Q a. t i fD oCoCDOOOcDoCD .. a. '. CD CD v . E -t CD rP a r • r.. i--. i--• -+ --• .. , --. r--• i--. p c n CD CD (D CD CDrn CD CD D CCD vOi ? N • N a N N vOi vpi 7:' vOi r En A p `C 0 0 N A CD ° CD C) C7 p7 r+• CD ... r rOr-• • .... • V C E--• CD ... - C V CCD CD Cp b y CD DCD CD CD to CD O CD (iQ O CD n .. ', Ln cn CD G. y vii Q. 'C ' CD " O vii `C N °* CD N ,fir a O r h N N p . " . p CD z p ^ • O CD ° —. '' . p O "' O O o A `< o N o 0 "' o . N o CD o CD p, per, Q' o' o . x p o a. od CD Cry (`° ' C CD ¢ ,., 4 t1 ,-- . t Q CD CD CD CD O CCDOCDp0p08pp '+* O CD cD " ' a n O p' A' - x C "+ CDS• °' p CD a' O N N00CD `< a w o CD xEnCDCD uq cn A Enti O r. O ri, n O O UOQ v -+ W d, CSD 9 ° C CCD C CSD ` 0. a• vOi O O C En CD CD 0 CD Q' CD En 0 n C En (D CD CD UQ Sv ° C I A cL CDto n O 0 CD vi UQ w r* • n . 0 C. 0 OEnz A En O C CD N CD O O cn p; CDOLsOCDCDCD ... n G C1. O co o o CD pUQ 0 o UQ UQ CD o n o0 C7 0 n r- oo N CDaqoodoZZoCD00 CD 0 Wo CD CDCDNOCDC. 00 C) 0O O L ICP v"W o a• n o 0 w.-.• 01 c1 N p W a1 rnGjW O p O win A p p p O W O N l l A W00 LA N 11 O ILA O o O to O O to O to pt!i 0 O O v 0o N J LA Vi t C C) C o O ON 00 7d C a CD aaa 1CD o as c o CCC i O Q- rarr o a r n CD r r CCD CCD CCD I-- CD N O, r 0 CD CD CD CD CD CD CD o CD O w O W O o N O N O N O N O N O N O N O N O N O N O F•-' O O O O G O O N N N N N O O W W N N N 01 O W O W O J DIC 4 O\ 110 P- O O 00 110 p O O O 00Z1 O O Un O O 110 0 110 O O o O O O O O O O O O O N N N_ O Ow O N_ N O OP N uj N O O N kA Op w P C O 110 O 1 N kA N N oo O\ W N J N 1 A O N r O W O-hO O ` . O_ .. O R .. p ems. co OO CD C C C C C O C C Q. C CD C CCLpO•• O (D M a CD CD p CD CD CD CD 0+ CD t 0 CD h CD Or CDCDC3CD CDCD CDv CD C yOC/J C/i CD D O fD O CD n N CD C> CD O n 3 (D y CD p to q CD rn Y Co C CD N F. tem, O n CD p pcD CD co T Ap• t 0+ ,' D r N• r O+ a N a 7 CD O Q. Q, C Q. NCD CD CD° w H, o ° orh p- co o X p co A CDcl. CLaawo0n o D o o co CD a, CD o co b Q Gd CD CD y C 1 CDCD CD o cr CD CD CD° P o O' N n ti cr O CD y o LsCD P C t C0 CD C. CD ' CD F• CD vA p, 0 0 5, 0 c a' CD W CD cr W r '.3 R. 0, C ° CL 0 " CDCA A p3 o CDD N Q y a° 0 o CD 0 CL ado CD CD CD Q- cD f C a. y o CDQ. o 3 0 CD r CD o+ oooR. a O C O CD N C fNp CD " CD CDCDD CD 3 p CD P En y fn 0 DATE: March 4, 1999 TO: Mayor and City Council, through Dwight Johnson, City Manager FROM: Helen LaFave, Communications Supervisor Kathy Lueckert, Assistant City Manager SUBJECT: Proposed Changes to Plymouth News The Plymouth News has retained the same format since the early 1990s. While the newsletter was one of the leaders in the area at that time, it is time to revitalize its look to better reflect where Plymouth is today and improve its readability. This memo outlines my recommendations for changes in format and frequency, as well as budget ramifications. In sum, the changes increase the size of the Plymouth News to a tabloid size, utilize four colors, and reduce mailings from monthly to bimonthly. I am proposing that these changes go into effect with the July 1999 issue. Proposal Change the format of the Plymouth News to a tabloid size. A tabloid page is approximately 11" x 17" (double our current page size). With the recommended frequency, we will providing the same space for information as we do now over the course of a year. I have attached a black and white mockup of the proposed new design. A color version will be distributed at the meeting. Go to four colors with the Plymouth News. Assuming bids come in favorably, we would be able to go to four colors with the budget numbers below. This will allow us to run 4 -color photos, enhance readability, and, in general, make the piece more eye-catching. Improve the graphic design. Contract with a designer to handle art direction for each issue. This will allow an individual to concentrate solely on the "look" of each edition of the newsletter. Many governmental agencies, including the Cites of Bloomington, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Shoreview, New Hope and the Wayzata School District use professional designers to put together their newsletters. Separate the Plymouth News and the Recreation Booklet. Mail the Recreation Booklet and Plymouth News separately. It gives each a separate identity. This provides the Recreation Booklet with better visibility. It will also allow each publication to be mailed at the time that is best for it. The Recreation staff strongly supports this move. If the City Council approves this change, we r, would add a two-color cover to the Recreation Booklet for the remainder of 1999. We will look to do any additional upgrades to the Recreation Booklet in 2000, and address these during the 2000 budget process. This will also give us more time to thoughtfully consider how to better market the City's growing recreation facilities, including the Ice Center, Activity Center, and Field House. Change the frequency of the Plymouth News to every other month. With six mailings of the newsletter and four separate mailings of the Recreation Booklet, we will have ten mailings annually rather than the current twelve mailings. Most cities mail their newsletters on a bimonthly or quarterly basis. Moving to a bimonthly publication schedule will require more planning on the part of departments, but I am confident that this can be accomplished. Much information is seasonal, and planned well in advance. Major issues generally are on the horizon far enough in advance that we can include them in a regularly scheduled newsletter. (Plymouth worked on a bimonthly basis before the current monthly format was implemented). Also, if an immediate issue arose that required a mass mailing to citizens, it does not preclude us from doing a special mailing to notify residents of an important issue, such as bond elections. Other considerations With the proposed format and frequency changes we will still accommodate the Environmental Extra. We will include it as a four-page, 2 -color insert twice a year. I have discussed this with the Solid Waste Coordinators. It will actually give them a bit more space annually, despite the fact it will be less frequent. It also fits into their 1999 budget. To allow for the transition, the June issue (the last issue in the current format) of the Plymouth News will likely be an abbreviated 2 -page issue. I have identified the months that it would make most sense to mail the newsletter. January March (Include Environmental Extra) May July September (Include Environmental Extra) November Budget Implications for 1999 If Council approves this proposal for implementation in July, the cost for the remainder of 1999 is 19,000. The current communications budget contains funds to cover this cost for the rest of 1999 with the remaining newsletter printing budget ($10,200) and professional services budget ($9,100). This includes the funds placed in this budget ($6,115) at the time of the adoption of the 1999 budget. Budget Implications for 2000 We estimate that the increased cost in 2000 for the newsletter change is $10,485, or a total cost for production and mailing of $79,000. This includes the postage cost for four mailings of the Recreation Booklet. Production costs will increase over 1999 by $18,600; however, postage costs will decrease by $2,000, from $42,000 to $40,000. Recommendation I recommend the proposed changes to the Plymouth News, in terms of format, size, and mailing frequency. r News published by the City of Plymouth Headline in Sanserif with optional subhead below The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The Ock brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped oder the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick' brown fox jumped over the lazy, dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. siihhead The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The'gttick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown z w w H 3 z cd cd o ami H ,o` H W o >zo'0 I 0 0w o W ani H.d Cd o O 0 v v ?'3 o aa,, 00 >, x O =A Qa oinZo v W >0. N E-o N to H U cn U Gn 0 '0 v 0. 5 C w9p C3' Ob ll G 0 0. mC4-4 ti^ O O s U A Ci ^p ' w, O co k I G4 0 U N ito O p Q N 0 to CSU u, J11 3 r SLS z> Ma z C) M J 8 0 rU) yrooa m 0 5' ~-3 CD cD t"L O O a O a a 'b CD CD CD 0c) CD Q CD CD , CDUQ0Cr 0 CDa'0 0 C C a Q 04 C Q b 0 CD co n `a O. CD CD Q CD Q O a. n C tL p cD N'L3 CD CD O Oca O CT CDCD ts CD CDCD (IQ CD CD 0 Cn CD P b Q CD 9- C CD o aCn' - CD CSD P4 6 y0 0 y C O cr y O n [. p Qcn- ' CD+ a. = a' z a a- CDS a 0a, 0CLo Q CD 8 0 rU) yrooa m 0 5' ~-3 CD cD t"L O O a O a a 'b CD CD CD 0c) CD Q CD CD , OMCl a. w C CDD na n CD a C)ti CCD, co . 00 . O O cn0 CT A * 8 COa. CD ts CD CD 0 Cn CD coUQ CD F CD y ON N M 0 C CD o pCD 0cr j1w y y0 CD CD CD O p Qcn- ' CD+ a. = a' z a a- CDS a. Q cD . o 0CLo Q c CD 6125458568 REAUME 6125458568 P.01 Post -it' brand Fax Transmittal Memo 7672 To A tiP 0&01,_iQJ 9Qr company Location Fax • 5-06 y1TClophone A Comments % ( No. of Pages From Company Location Fax ,a Original OiSpositlon. Ibdayb Date Time Oept• Charge Telephone N 0 Destroy 1:3 Return EJCall for pickup ry T11is is in response to a flyer distributed by Pat Heintz warning me that my right to pork my ry may be in jeopardy. I have been informed by Kelly Slavik that Mr. Heintz is misinformed and that the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 9'6 pertains to only those rvs which are not currently licensed. However , I would like my views put on record. since this seeuxs to be. a recurring topic. Why arc you picking rvs to satiate your snobbish attitudes? Let's get all the trailers, boats and cars off everyone's PRIVATE PROPERTY. On second thought, don't stop there. Have those eyesore swingscts removed from all our sightlines. Many people don't have kids and I don't believe they should have to look at them out their windows. How about gardens and ,God forbid, compost piles. Should we make a bunch of rules for these to conform with our narrow vision and holier than thou agendas? Let's require a minimum of 2 rose bushes and at least 10 square feet each of marigolds and petunias. Of course, each garden owner will be required to submit plans for the amount and variety of tomatos planted to the jack -booted tomato police. It all sounds a little silly to me. The City of Plymouth must be runniatg pretty well for a councilmemberorcitizentohavetomakethisapriority. Leave my recreational vehicle alone and find something better to do wi.h your time. Sincerely, Kim Reaume, RV owner E DATE: March 4, 1999 TO: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager FROM: Fred G. Moore, E., Director of Public Works SUBJECT: SEAL COATING PROGRAM Councilmember Tim Bildsoe has requested a review and discussion of our Seal Coating Program at one of the City Council's study sessions. This has been scheduled for the March 9 study meeting. Seal coating is one of the preventative measures used to extend the life of asphalt streets and prolong the period of time until they will require reconstruction. We seal coat a street after approximately eight years. Before a street is seal coated, the Street Division makes the necessary surface repair on the street by either digging out and replacing portions of the asphalt or placing a thin layer of asphalt to remove depressions. Filling cracks to keep water from getting into the street subbase material is also part of the program. On our cul-de-sacs which have a large amount of turning traffic, seal coating has not been successful. Therefore, on the cul-de-sacs we are now using what is called a slurry seal. After this material hardens from the initial application, it does not soften and track on hot days from turning traffic. The disadvantage to the slurry seal is that no traffic can use the area where it has been applied for 24 to 48 hours. With a regular seal coat, traffic can use the street immediately after its application. Generally, the next level of street maintenance above seal coating or slurry sealing is a thin asphalt overlay. This is generally a one inch thickness of asphalt. This does add structural strength to the street, which also increases the life of the street, but is much more costly. The cost of seal coating is approximately 40 cents per square yard of street. The cost to do an asphalt overlay is approximately $6.75 per square yard of street. The asphalt overlay method is used as part of our Street Reconstruction Program on streets that have adequate base material below the asphalt. K:\pw\Engineaing\GENERAL\PWKS\SEALCOA'nMEMOS\1999\Dwight 3 4.doc 4 SUBJECT: SEAL COATING PROGRAM Page 2 I am attaching a memorandum administers our Seal Coating implementing the program. attachment from Dan Campbell, Sr. Engineering Technician, who Program. He works with the Street Division in K:\pw\Engineering\GENERAL\PWKS\SEALCOAINMEMOS\1999\Dwight 3 4.doc DATE: February 26, 1999 TO: Fred G. Moore, P.E., Director of Public Works FROM: Daniel K. Campbell, Sr. Engineering Technician SUBJECT: PLYMOUTH'S STREET MAINTENANCE PRACTICES SEAL COATING, CRACK FILLING, AND SLURRY SEAL As you are aware, as public works officials we are stewards of infrastructures which provide sanitary sewer service, municipal water facilities, and roads that afford safe and efficient transportation to the Plymouth citizenry and general public. Regular maintenance of these facilities is required to supply long lasting and cost efficient systems of utilities and roads to the taxpayer. Currently, the City of Plymouth Public Works Department has the responsibility to maintain approximately 265 miles of city streets. Three street maintenance procedures that are currently used to preserve street life to 20 years and more are crack filling, seal coating, and slurry seal. CRACK FILLING: Crack filling materials have improved over the years so that the products we use today have the ability to withstand the contraction cycles that our streets go through annually. Crack repair is done on an annual basis to protect our streets from intrusion of water into the subgrade underlying the bituminous surface. By not allowing water in the subgrade of the road, traffic loads during the freeze/thaw cycle have minimal impact on the bituminous road extending its life cycle. PLY NnNWiskl\pw\Engineering\GENERAL\PWKS\SEALCOAnMEMOS\1999\Street Maint 2_26.doc SUBJECT: PLYMOUTH'S Page 2 SEAL COATING: Bituminous streets are made u of compacted oils and aggregates. Over time, the factors of sun, water, expansion/contraction and traffic cause loss of the oils and fine aggregates in the bituminous surface. Seal coating has long been an accepted practice used by cities, counties, state public works departments and countries throughout the world to prolong the life of bituminous streets. Studies have shown that seal coating cqn extend the life of a street by five to ten years. Seal coating slows the processf oil and aggregate loss and also provides a safer skid resistant surface. MUM .V03 MIA N The City of Plymouth has bee using slurry seal to protect cul-de-sacs for the last three years. Slurry sealing is a procedure similar to seal coating with the end result being a much harder surface. This maintenance procedure also slows the process of oil loss and affords a skid resistant surface. Tracking has been a problem in the past. This yea we propose to have the slurry seal placed prior to the seal coat. The seal coat will then cover up any tracking which takes place from the slurry seal resulting in a much better final appearance. For your use, I have attach d a number of articles and studies done on preventive maintenance for pavements. Also, two videos are being supplied which were produced by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board on seal coating and asphalt crack treatment. I hope that this information will provide the Council with a better and rstanding of our current maintenance practices used to prolong the life of our street infrastructure. attachments PLY N71Ntdiskl\WEngineering\GENERAL\PWKS\SEALCOAINMEMOS\1999\Strcet_Maint 2 26.doc Preventive Maintenance for Pavements Page 1 of 2 Preventive Maintenance for Pavements Presented by: Mike Mamlouk, Ph.D. Federal funding has traditionally focused on constructing new facilities while upgrading and preserving existing highways. Since much of the required infrastructure is already in place, the emphasis must shift to getting the greatest value from existing highways. The percentage of funding applied to new construction is decreasing, while funds for rehabilitation of the system are increasing. Currently, the total annual budget for maintenance, construction, and operation of the 32.9 million miles of public roads in the U.S. is approximately $98 billion. About 28%, or $27 billion, of that money is spent on operations and maintenance. FHWA has estimated that it would require about $50 billion annually just to keep those roadways in their current conditions; i.e., no further deterioration, but also no improvement. To bring the backlog of substandard pavement up to par would require an estimated additional $215 billion. Pavement preventive maintenance is defined as those treatments that extend the service life of pavements. 'Several preventive maintenance treatments are available such as crack sealing, fog seal, chip seal, slurry seal, micro surfacing, and thin overlay. Since man y preventive maintenance treatments can also correct limited pavement distress, there is some confusion about when maintenance treatment is preventive as opposed to being corrective. Most of maintenance treatments can be applied as either corrective or preventive. The distinction is the timing of the treatment relative to the condition of the pavement. In general, preventive maintenance treatments are applied to pavements in good structural condition. This treatment usually takes place much earlier in the pavement's life in comparison to common practice in the pavement industry. The concept of applying the preventive maintenance treatments to pavement in good structural condition is like changing the oil and filters regularly on your vehicle. This activity defers engine wear and the need for.costly repair. If this activity is not performed early in the engine's life and on a routine basis, it may result in premature damage ending in costly engine replacement. If you wait until the engine starts to smoke, changing the oil and filter is not going to help because the damage has already occurred. Similarly, preventive maintenance treatments must be applied early in the pavement's life, before the pavement shows significant distress, and the treatments must be applied on a routine basis. The application of a treatment after significant pavement distress has occurred is a stop -gap approach to keep the pavement open to traffic and ending in costly pavement rehabilitation. For more information on this topic, please contact the speaker at: Mike Mamlouk, Ph.D. Arizona State University Dept. Of Civil and Environmental Engineering PO Box 875306, Tempe, AZ 85287-5306 602/965-2892 Fax 602/965-0557 e-mail = mamlouk@asu.edu Go back to the 1996 Engineer's Conference Proceedings menu http://www.dot.state.ut.us/1996conf/mamlouk.htm 2/25/99 ROAD SURFACE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - Cont' d from Page 1 COST OF DELAYING MAINTENANCE WHAT IS A RSMS? It is a well documented fact that the cost of repairing a pavement increases drastically if maintenance is delayed past a certain point in the design life of the pavement. The design life is the total expected life of a pavement before reconstruction is required. Althnr h the point at which the rate of deterioration be ' to increase rapidly can vary significantly depen ' g on various factors, it usually occurs at approximatel 75 percent of the design life of the pavement. This relationship is illustrated in figure 1. Figure 1 shows that for every dollar required to rehabilitate a pave t that has reached 75 percent of its design life, it v nDWd take 4 to S dollars to rehabilitate a pavement if r Ambilitation is delayed until it reaches its design life. The reason for this drastic increase n, rehabilitation costs can be seen by reviewing figure 2. It slows what types of maintenance and rehabilitation techniques are required to upgrade the condition of a pavement as it ages. You can see that if rehabilitation performed at the 12 year mark, the pavement only requires preventive maintenance such as an overlay. If rehabilitation is delayed until the 16 year marls, the pavement requires reconstruction which is much more expensive. Notice that it did not take much time to elapse before a much more expensive rehabilitation procedure was necessary to up the street. Therefore, the primary goal of any pavement management system is to keep the good streets in good shape, and delay rehabilitation of the streets in bad shape until funds are available. vow ra w nae O000 A road surface management system is a formalized decision making system which assists municipal decision makers in developing cost effective strategies for prioritizing and allocating funds for maintenance of roads. This is accomplished by assessing the condition of the road system (typically referred to as a network), weighing maintenance alternatives and establishing long-term programs and budgets. The four basic steps that a RSMS should include are: 1. A systematic method of gathering all relevant information pertaining to the condition of all road surfaces in the network (referred to as a distress survey). 2. Use the cost and expected life of the various maintenance alternatives to determine the most efficient repair based on the needs of the Community 3. Determine when to do the maintenance. 4. Budget funds that focus on preventive maintenance so as to prevent any major deterioration from Wig• Based on the data from the distress survey, the typical computerized RSMS is able to generate a series of reports that include: 1. Road Inventory - An inventory of roads and streets in the network. It would Include information such as the length, width, type of road surface, etc. 2. Condition Summary - An summary of the condition of each pavement surface (results from the distress surV0y)- so % W" s1.00 or 0000 OWLITY OROr FAWMATc0N ca F191E .... MR wru roar sa ro 81 QUM TY 71rs To 0 Pom a to to TWIS Figure 1- Pavement Deteriora on/Rehab'Uitation Relationship Source: Road Surface Management for Local Governments - FHWA, 1985 ) FROM THE PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE CORNER CHIP SEALS - An Economical Maintenance Alternative WHAT IS A CHIP SEAL? A chip seal typically consists of a single application of an emulsified asphalt. After the emulsion is applied, it is immediately covered with a layer of aggregate that is uniform in size. The aggregate is then imbedded in the asphalt emulsion before the emulsion breaks. This should be accomplished by a pneumatic -tired (rubber) roller. For a more detailed description of how to properly construct a chip seal, please refer to the article Bonding, Bonding, Bonding' in this newsletter. The basic components of a chip ad are: 1. EMUISHM) ASPHALT. Emulsified asphalt is a liquefied asphalt that is produced by breaking the asphalt cement into very small droplets with a high-speed, high -shear mechanical device and mixing it with an emulsifying agent. The emulsifying agent beeps the asphalt droplets dispersed in the water until the emulsion is used. When the emulsion is applied to a road surface, it starts to cure (harden) as the water evaporates. The curing process allows the emulsion to revert back to asphalt cement regaining all its characteristics including adhesion (binding action) and water -resistance. As a result of the emulsion curing, the asphalt separates from the water and forms a coatimtotis film which adheres to the road surface. The process of curing is refuted to as 'breaking*. The three classifications of an emulsion which are based on their breaking time are: rapid setting (RS), medium setting (MS), and slow setting (SS). Rapid setting emulsions are g7mUy used for chip seals. Therefore, the work must be performed quickly before the emulsion breaks. Another important characteristic of an emulsified asphalt is the electrical charges that surround the asphalt particles. If the asphalt droplets have negative charges, the emulsion is classified as anionic. When the asphalt droplets have positive charges, the emulsion is classified as cationic and is designated with a C (i.e. - CRS, CWS, CSS). 2. AGGREGATES. Aggregates used for a chip seal should be hard enough to resist the wearing action caused by traffic. The aggregate should be as close to one size as is economically possible to provide a dense, stable surface. Also, if the difference in size of the aggregate is too great, the smaller aggregate will be completely covered by asphalt. The size of the aggregate usually varies from 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The aggregate should be as close to the shape of a cube as possible. Clean aggregate is essential for proper bonding to the asphalt. Also, the electric charge of the aggregate must be compatible with the type of emulsion used. The positively charged aggregate should be used with an anionic emulsion and a negatively charged aggregate should be used with an cationic emulsion. This is because particles with opposite charges attract. WHY USE A CHIP SEAL? A properly constructed chip seal can provide a durable, low cost, all weather surface. It may be used for one or more of the following reasons: 1. To provide a waterproof cover over an existing pavement (paved or unpaved). 2. To correct surface raveling and oxidation of old pavements. 3. To provide an anti-slod surface. 4. A short-term measure to prevent further deterioration until another type of treatment is applied (i.e. overlay). The chip seal is best suited for low volume roads that serve light duty traffic. It may be used in combination with crack sealing to prevent moisture damage to a pavement. A chip sal is a seal coat. It is not intended to increase the structural strength of the pavement. If the existing pavement has structural damage that requires the structural capacity to be increased, please choose mother maintenanc a ehabilitation alternative such as an overlay. Continued on Page 4 PAGE 7 WIC ALERT - SNOW ADVISORY! Cont' d from Page 1 removal is a team effort and their co is are 1 to the refreezing of melted snow on the ad important. At this meeting, personnel from fire but can be very detrimental to the pa t lice departments, as well as, from any nei especially dig the spring thaw. tats and schools may also be invited to 4. Pub Relations 2. Em oyes Training Inform the co Uy thst you preparing for the As they say in , 'You pla like you practice." winter and that th should be mg the same thing. This can also be said for removal. If your Let the public what the ow policies are and personnel havenot 'cel" is the form of training). explain why they were Remind the public most likely, they will rm well when it counts. that snow removal can very difficult job and Therefore, it is ' to train all employees. This discuss what things they do to help make the snow should include the foII removal process run y. All employ, shaould fully taxa roles' Written by: Al S. Keach , PE Equipment rators must ua how to 2 Engineer properly and maintain a equi they use. sure they know all p ons that necessary to safely operate P See our ter 1993 newsletter issu for more N only do we want everyone to be safe, but ideas on "good" public relations). s compensation or litigation a be very costly. Explain Trow salt and anti-skid material d be applied and at what rates it sbonld be Drivers should review their routes and At run to make sills they are familiar with poasib CHIPS SEALS - Cont' d from Page 7 obstacles. It is a good idea to have drivers practice by driving the route with a that is loaded and las a plow attached. This is must r all "rookies", but also a good idea f r old ne three main reasons that people are dissatisfied with veterans. chip seals: ew all policies and procedures, y for i such as emergencies and acci 1. ]Poor consbmction techniques. There are many S to personnelwho are tc factors that can effect how well a chip seal will comp that they must be 'eat, to the perform. If the chip seal is not properly complaint, in a and constructed, it will not perform as expected. above on, be 2. Improper application. If the road serves heavy duty ughWay Pre tIOII traffic or the existing pavement has significant structural damage, a chip seal should not be used. Locate and with delinestors. This 3. ]Unrealistic expectations. The purpose of a chip wonted incl bridge culverts, medians, seal is to prevent moisture penetration and air drainage and manholes. , low hanging infiltration by sealing the surface and to improve wins ma a to be relocated and trees need to be the anti-skid qualities of the surface. If y drainage deficiencies were n co Written by: Alan S. Kemher, PE g the summer, this is a good time try T2 Engineer correct them, if possible. T1tis could incl grading drainage ditches, cleaning out inlets and basins, and filling in low spots. Poor drainage n t only can PAGE 4 History of blurry rage yr History of Slurry In the early 1930s, a coating consisting of a mixture of very fne aggregates, asphalt binder and water was laid out on a road in Germany. It proved to be a novel approach, a new and promising technique in maintaining road surfaces - and marked the beginning of slurry seal development. Later in that decade, extensive worldwide experimentation begain in earnest. But it was not until the 1960s, with the introduction of improved emulsifiers and continuous flow machines, that real interest was shown in the usage of slurry seal for a wide variety of applications. Continuing advancements in maxing methods, emulsions and in machinery have made slurry seal today's choice in providing highly durable, low cost paving and surface maintenance. As a treatment for everything from residential driveways to public roads, highways, airport runways, parking lots and a multitude of other paved surfaces, slurry seal is now used extensively throughout the world. Local, state and federal agencies - including the military -have a growing and ongoing commitment to the use of slurry seal in their maintenance programs, attesting to its effectiveness and economy. What is Slurry? Page 1 of 1 What is Slurry? The principal materials used to create slurry seal are aggregate, asphalt emulsion and which are mixed together according to a laboratory's design mix formula. Water is also added for workability. Asphalt emulsions serve as a binder, holding the crushed aggregate together and adhering the new slurry surfacing to the old surface over which it is being applied. Various emulsions and aggregates are used to meet the conditions, specifications and requirements of individual projects. The aggregate must be clean, crushed, durable, properly graded and uniform. The asphalt emulsion is a three-part system consisting of asphalt, water and emulsifier. Fillers such as portland cement, hydrated lime or aluminum sulfate liquid are often used in small quantities as stabilizers or chemical modifiers. How is Slurry made? How is Slurry Made? Page 1 of 1 Slurry is made in specially designE d equipment, either truck -mounted or self-propelled. equipment carried a quantity of unmixed materials which are blended together in a continuous flow pugmill. The use c if this technologically advanced machinery insures a smooth, consistently uniform ni re. Slurry is made quickly and accui accomplished in one continuous a few hours. How is Slurry applied? at the project site. Mixing and spreading are ration, with the surface being reopened to travel within Slurry Applied? slurry seat is appnea to an existrn pavement surface by means of a spreader b x linked to the surface slurry mixing unit. Slui ry is =_ introduced into the spreader box, Nhich then lays down the slurry coating as th mixer/spreader is driven forward. The box is capable of spreading t e slurry seal over the width of a traffic lane in a single pass, and is constructed so that close c )ntact with the existing surface is maintained. Th s insures uniform application of the new coting on a variety of configurations encomp ssing various crowd shapes, superelevated sec ions and shoulder slopes. Trained operators continually mor automatic mixing procedure. Othe clean the surface before slurry ap barricade the street, inspect the o progress for uniformity, clean met spreading in any area inaccessibl the Page 1 of 1 r9 s ications, ration in utility covers after application and complete slurry seal to the spreader box. aytsxl'.'a r ,f r Y.jalxC'.zj rx r9 s ications, ration in utility covers after application and complete slurry seal to the spreader box. Agenda Number: .5 TO: Dwight Johnson, City Manager L r FROM: Barbara Senness, Planning Supervisor through Anne Hurlburt, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Consider Streetscape Plan for City Center DATE: March 4, 1999 for the City Council Meeting of March 9, 1999 1. REQUESTED ACTIONS: a. To review and discuss the City Center Streetscape Plan and implemention of all or a portion of the recommended improvements. b. To direct staff to schedule approval of a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to add the Streetscape Plan to the City Center portion of the plan for the City Council meeting on April 6, 1999. 7:tli llilM1 The City Center Streetscape Element is a plan and set of design guidelines for a wide range of public improvements in Plymouth City Center, some of which would be funded by the City and some by affected landowners. A copy of the Streetscape Element and the proposed amendment to the text of the Comprehensive Plan (the amended language is underlined) is attached. As a formal part of the plan, the City can use the Streetscape Element in their decision making on private development requests in City Center as well as when they prepare the annual update to the Capital Improvement Program. The improvements identified in the Streetscape Element include such things as lighting, landscaping, pedestrian amenities, on -street parking bays and signage. They are intended to support, enhance and help unify the private development in City Center and to provide an overall identity for the area. Authorized by the City Council in November 1997, this element was developed over the past year with assistance from SRF Consulting Group. In January 1998, the City hired SRF Consulting Group to prepare the study. During the subsequent nine months, the consultant 1 prepared a report with input from staff, the Planning Commission, the City Council and residents living near City Center. A detailed outline of the public process to date is included as an attachment to this memorandum. On January 27, 1999, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council add this element by reference to the City Center section of the City's Comprehensive Plan. There was no one present at the public hearing to speak on the element. During their deliberation, the Planning Commission voted to delete the text from the Streetscape Element referring to traffic circles. The Commission concluded that widening the median along Plymouth Boulevard, providing bump outs for parking bays and marked crosswalks would sufficiently calm traffic through the area. The Commission further noted that they thought traffic circles would be confusing to the public, rather than an aid. The Commission also asked that the City Council consider completion of the sidewalk system in City Center as a priority in the CIP. Commissioners saw a need for having a continuous system for pedestrians in the near future, rather than waiting for each segment to be constructed as development occurs. On February 23, 1999, staff discussed the Streetscape Plan with the Plymouth Business Council. The Business Council liked the plan concept and showed great interest in participating in plan implementation, primarily in the area of providing additional landscaping. Need for Streetscape Element The need for a streetscape element stems first from a recognition that the City, in adopting a City Center Plan, has placed a value on creating a people -oriented place with a mix of commercial, office and public uses. The City Center Plan would establish a pedestrian -friendly environment and a strong community atmosphere. The plan calls for creating lively streets, allowing on -street parking, screening off-street parking and reinforcing the pedestrian aspect of streets with street trees, pedestrian lights and other pedestrian -scaled amenities such as benches and planters. The Streetscape Element builds on thgeneral direction established for public spaces in the City Center Plan by setting more speci c guidelines for what the public spaces should look like and what elements they should contain.) The role of the Streetscape Element is to provide a set of unifying elements that will provide a strong identity for City Center, tying together the mix of uses that exist today and will develop over time in the center. Unlike what is occurring in other commercial centers in the City, this unity cannot be achieved by private landowners in City Center because 1) not all of the land is being developed at the same time and 2) there are many landowners, not a single entity developing plans for the area. We are currently seeing how well an overall theme draws potential tenants to an area in that both Plymouth Station and The Plymouth Collection fully leased out in a matter of a few months. While development is continuing in City Center, it is much slower paced, as is leasing of new projects. The Streetscape Element is intended to serve as a coordinating " spark" to also give City Center that overall identity. 2 Core Concept of Streetscape Element The core concept of the streetscape element is the creation of a hierarchy among the streets in City Center. This hierarchy is based on the existing function of each the streets. For each of the different types of streets, the consultant has also recommended a set of design standards for landscaping, lighting, screening, signage, pedestrian amenities, pedestrian crossings and parking. The basic hierarchy is as follows: Primary Gateway: Vicksburg Lane and Highway 55. Based on the function of Vicksburg as a minor arterial, the vista provided as you approach the area from Highway 55 and the dominance of the theater, this intersection becomes the logical choice as the main entrance to City Center. Secondary Gateway: Vicksburg and County Road 9. This is likewise an important entrance to City Center because of the arterial function of Vicksburg and the fact that it runs all the way north to Maple Grove. However, given the residential development on the west side of Vicksburg, this area is seen as a secondary entry point and one where buffering of adjacent residential development will be of primary importance. Parkway: Plymouth Boulevard. Plymouth Boulevard is presently a four lane roadway with a landscaped median running its full length. Because Plymouth Boulevard is wide and has a limited number of access points, traffic speeds on this roadway are relatively high today. The improvements proposed would all help to " calm" traffic through the area. The concept plan would further emphasize the tree massing that occurs along much of the boulevard and add on -street parking in bays as it occurs along the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes parkways. In addition, the consultant proposed a traffic circle at 36`h Avenue for both safer vehicular and pedestrian movement. The Planning Commission and staff concluded that the other proposed improvements along Plymouth Boulevard would sufficiently calm traffic and provide for safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians without installation of a traffic circle at 36`h Avenue. Consequently, both Planning Commission and staff recommend deleting the traffic circle from the Streetscape Element. Pedestrian Focus: 34`h, 35`h , 36`h and 37`h Avenues. These are the streets where pedestrians would have high priority, with mid -block crossings, pedestrian amenities and lighting as well as additional planting. Highway: Highway 55. Although not a part of City Center per se, vehicles traveling along Highway 55 will see the center. In addition, visibility is important to businesses along this corridor. Consequently, monuments and signing at the entry points at Vicksburg and Plymouth Boulevard will be an important element of the plan. 3. IMPLEMENTATION: The consultant prepared an implementation phasing plan and set of cost estimates for all recommended improvements. This material was not included in the draft Streetscape Element recommended for addition to the Comprehensive Plan. This is because the City does not typically include the level of detail that the consultant provided on the proposed improvements in its comprehensive plan. This level of detail comes in the capital budgeting process. 3 Consultant Recommendations The consultant divided recommended improvements into three phases, covering a 10 -year period. Proposed projects for the first year would all occur along Plymouth Boulevard from 34`h Avenue (at the Post Office) to 37" Avenue because of the importance of establishing a more parkway -type character for this area and "calming" or slowing the traffic. The consultant has estimated the overall cost of implementing the proposed Streetscape Element at roughly $3.3 million. All costs are estimated in 1998 dollars and do not include design or administrative services. Staff estikates that design and administrative services would add 20 percent to the total cost, bringing thlat total to about $4 million. Potential Funding Sources Funding for implementation could) come from a variety of sources. The primary source for a substantial portion of the initial phase is the City Center Tax Increment Financing Fund. In addition, the City could choose to use special assessments to cover the cost of lighting. Sidewalks could be installed at the time of development and paid for by the developer as is the case today. Some landscaping could also be installed as development occurs and paid for by the developer. Any improvements that the City Council decided to undertake would be included in the City's Capital Improvement Program. The improvements to create a pedestrian spine running north/south mid -block between Vicksburg Lane and Plymouth Boulevard are not included in any of the identified phases. These improvements include special paving, lighting and furniture. They have not been included in any specific phase because the Streetscape Element assumes that since these improvements would be on private property, they would be undertaken by landowners as development occurs. Staff Recommendations Staff has spent time reviewing eac of the categories of improvements recommended by the consultant and considering potential funding sources for each of these improvements. As part of this effort, staff researched how other communities financed improvements to their "downtown" areas. Staff found that tax increment financing was the most common funding source. However, these were old TIF districts, established under legal requirements not available to Plymouth today. In addition, as staff looked at the communities that have made major expenditures in public improvements such as lighting, landscaping, signage, street furniture, etc., we also found that these communities were more fully developed than Plymouth, with more mature or even redeveloping commercial centers. In addition, staff learned that financially successful commercial areas have public amenities, but these amenities all serve a practical and useful function in addition to an aesthetic one. Staff used this information to help establish priorities for implementing the improvements recommended in the Streetscape Element. Staff continues to believe that over time all the recommended improvements could' be useful and functional. However, staff has also concluded that the timing may be premature for some improvements. For example, with the amount and 4 location of development currently in place, staff concluded that installing street furniture is not a high priority on its own. However, staff further concluded that the City should consider expending funds on street furniture in instances where a developer agrees to install pedestrian amenities, such as occurred with the Plymouth Hills Shopping Center across Plymouth Boulevard from City Hall. In these instances, the combination of private and public investment could create a critical mass of improvements that the City could not easily achieve on its own. Overall, staff concluded that without a large pot of TIF dollars, the City should focus on those improvements that will contribute most to achieving the desired unity and image for City Center. The improvements discussed below support this conclusion. a. Initial Improvements: With the exception of the traffic circle and street furniture, staff supports the recommended first year improvements along Plymouth Boulevard from 34`h Avenue (at the Post Office) to 37`h Avenue. City -financed improvements include 1) street improvements, 2) street lights, 3) signage and 4) landscaping (refer to map in the attachments). This is a key area within City Center and working toward achieving a safe, attractive "boulevard" through this area will go a long way toward establishing an image for the area. Planning staff supports widening of the median along this segment and constructing bump outs to create attractive on -street parking. Narrowing the pavement to one lane and adding parking will both help to "calm" the traffic in this area. As stated above, the Planning Commission and staff have concluded that these measures together with special crosswalk paving will provide the necessary level of safety for pedestrians without the need to add an actual "traffic circle" in the center of the intersection of Plymouth Boulevard and 3Oh Avenue. Leaving out the circle would reduce the project cost by roughly $20,000. Staff has also looked into what the overall costs would be for this initial phase, adding the 20 percent design and administrative costs and deleting the $20,000 cost for the "traffic circle." The following table indicates that the initial phase would cost the City $541,464. 5 Initial Streetscape Improvements Plymou h Boulevard (34`h to 37'h Avenue) Staff recommends that the City im lement the listed improvements over a two, rather than a one- year period. Recommended funding sources are as follows: 1. The City Center Tax Increment Financing fund would cover $323,639 of the total amount, leaving a balance f $217,825_. 2. Of the remaining cost, $94,908 would involve landscaping -related improvements (e.g. trees, shrubs, sod, tree uplights). Up to $50,000 of this cost would be funded from the 1999 and 2000 park dedication and forestry funds. Staff has not identified a funding source for the remaining $167,585, although future funding from the Capital Improvements Furid is a possibility. As a consequence, the Council would need to wait to identify new funding sources or re -prioritize other projects within and/or outside of City Center to complete the initial hase of improvements shown above. Staff notes that the estimates prepared by the consultant assumed installation of landscaping by private parties. Costs would be to er if City staff install the landscaping. Staff also notes that the sidewalk improvement would await an actual development request unless the Council concurs with th Planning Commission's priority for completing the sidewalk system. (All of the estimated costs would need to be revised if the Council agreed to complete the sidewalk system.) Half of the cost for street lighting between 34`h and 37`' Avenues would be the responsibility of the City as this lighting would abut City Hall and the LifeTime Arena complex. The table above 31 Element City Cost Special Assessments Developer's Cost Total Cost Street Improvements 214,800 214,800 Concrete Sidewalks 36,200 36,200 Street Lights 61,500 61,500 123,000 Signage 62,000171,900 62,000 Landscaping 71,900 Total for Area 410,200 61,500 36,200 507,900 10% Contingency 41,020 6,150 3,620 50,790 20% Design/Administration 90,2441541,464 13,530 7,964 111,738 Total by Phase 81,180 47,784 670,428 Staff recommends that the City im lement the listed improvements over a two, rather than a one- year period. Recommended funding sources are as follows: 1. The City Center Tax Increment Financing fund would cover $323,639 of the total amount, leaving a balance f $217,825_. 2. Of the remaining cost, $94,908 would involve landscaping -related improvements (e.g. trees, shrubs, sod, tree uplights). Up to $50,000 of this cost would be funded from the 1999 and 2000 park dedication and forestry funds. Staff has not identified a funding source for the remaining $167,585, although future funding from the Capital Improvements Furid is a possibility. As a consequence, the Council would need to wait to identify new funding sources or re -prioritize other projects within and/or outside of City Center to complete the initial hase of improvements shown above. Staff notes that the estimates prepared by the consultant assumed installation of landscaping by private parties. Costs would be to er if City staff install the landscaping. Staff also notes that the sidewalk improvement would await an actual development request unless the Council concurs with th Planning Commission's priority for completing the sidewalk system. (All of the estimated costs would need to be revised if the Council agreed to complete the sidewalk system.) Half of the cost for street lighting between 34`h and 37`' Avenues would be the responsibility of the City as this lighting would abut City Hall and the LifeTime Arena complex. The table above 31 reflects that $61,500 would be a City cost and $61,500 would be covered by special assessments. Street lighting abutting private property in City Center is discussed below. b. Continuing Improvements In addition to the improvements listed above, staff recommends that the City Council assign the highest priorities for continuing improvements to the following: 1) completing a street lighting system in City Center 2) establishing special signage for City Center 3) completing the additional landscaping recommended by the consultant. With the exception of street lighting that could be assessed right away, staff recommends that the Council consider implementing the continuing improvements over the next five to seven years. Street lighting is the highest recommended priority. This is based in large part on the fact that the Streetscape Element grew out of a Council concern that City Center lacked lighting and that this shortcoming detracted from the overall image of the area. Staff concurs that the introduction of street lighting will enhance the image while serving a safety function at the same time. Some of the possible fixture options are illustrated in the attachments. Based on current estimates, costs for street lighting would amount to $496,980 (this figure excludes the cost of street lights bordering City -owned property). The City can assess the affected property owners for all of this cost. Special signage is the second recommended priority. Staff finds that informing the public that they are entering City Center is a simple, yet key factor in image building and area recognition. The consultant identified the need for 9 major entry signs and 15 secondary signs, 7 of which are included in the initial improvements. Staff recommends reducing this number to 5 major entry points and 2 additional secondary entry points. The attachments include a map showing the location of staff recommended signage. Based on current estimates, costs for this reduced number of signs would be $186,130. The final recommended priority is additional landscaping. Landscaping is an on-going effort throughout the City with a focus on areas of special interest. Clearly, City Center is an area of special interest that could benefit from additional plantings to make it a more desirable, attractive destination within Plymouth. Based on current estimates, the cost of completing the recommended landscaping, including the remaining tree uplights would be $340,956. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Location Map 2. Streetscape Final Report 3. Proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment 4. Outline of Public Review Process for the Streetscape Element 5. Map of Area Covered by Initial Improvements 6. Map of Signage Locations 7. Potential Street Light Fixture Options 7 mlooil;: r-7 K --V.7-7_ FJF. CITY CENTER City of Plymouth, MN Final Report November 6, 1998 99CONSULTING GROUP, INC. Transportation - Civil - Structural - Environmental - Planning - Traffic - Landscape Architecture - Parking 0 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION; OALS CITY CENTER DESIGN GUIDELINES Vision Statement Public Space Design Guidelines EXISTING CONDITIONS Site Contex Land Use Circulation Visual Anal sis STREETSCAPE HI RARCHY DESCRIPTION OF DESIGN ELEMENTS Lighting Landscaping Irrigation On -Street Parking Traffic Circl Sidewalks Furnishings' Gateways PROTYPICAL PLANS AND SECTIONS IMPLEMENTATIO PHASING PLAN FIRST PHASE ST EETSCAPE PLAN Page 1 2 2 2 4 06 13 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 15 19 29 32 Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Group, Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota to INTRODUCTION; GOALS The Plymouth City Center is defined as a special district in the Plymouth Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of this description is to allow the coordinated, planned development of an easily accessible commercial core on land adjacent to Plymouth's primary public facilities. To ensure that development within the City Center will to create over time a unified and identifiable commercial core for the City of Plymouth, design guidelines were prepared and were approved by the Plymouth City Council in January 1996. The City Center design guidelines address issues of parking, building design, landscaping and pedestrian accommodations for private development within the district. It also suggests general guidelines for public spaces, especially within street right-of-way. The STREETSCAPE ELEMENT, prepared under the guidance of City Council and the Planning Department details a specific vision for public spaces within the City Center, compatible with the objectives of the design guidelines, which may be implemented using a phased approach. The goals of this STREETSCAPE ELEMENT of The Comprehensive Plan are: 1) to unify the downtown area through consistent design of elements.in public right-of-way; 2) to create a unique and identifiable image for the City Center; and 3) to emphasize pedestrian -friendly streets that encourage walking in City Center. SRF Consulting Group, Inc. Comprehensive Plan STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 1 CITY CENTER DESIGN GUIDELINES The City Center Concept Plan and Design Guidelines*, which were approved by City Council in January 1996, identify numerous goals and objectives Which have applicability to this STREETSCAPE ELEMENT and served as guiding principals. These are summarized as follows: VISION STATEM NT Plymouth's City enter will be a blend of cultural, recreational, civic and entertainment uses that encourage interaction of the entire community, especially families. It will be built around an infrastructure that provides goods and services for residents and that allows for casual meetings ad organized community -wide events. In all facets, the City Center wi I orient to people." PUBLIC SPACE DiSIGN GUIDELINES Develop a streetscape hierarchy Plymouth Bo levard should be a parkway Vicksburg should be Plymouth's "Main Street" Use 36th Street as link from Vicksburg to Park Create lively streets Allow parking on the streets Avoid blank building facades Screen parking and service areas Reinforcep destrian aspect of streets with street trees, pedestrian li hts and other pedestrian scaled amenities Pedestrian environment should be comfortable, safe, convenient and accessible Implement traffic calming measures Require sidewalks from all buildings out to public sidewalk Create pedestrian walkways through parking lots SRF Consulting Group; Inc. Comprehensive Plan STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 2 Develop a strong streetscape Tie streetscape into the wooded areas on the east and west side of the City Center Utilize the same plant materials of the streetscape in private development plantings Plant shade trees in parking lots Create usable open spaces within the City Center to encourage gathering and interaction Develop transit stops Create plazas at front of large private buildings Develop a strong community center building at the east terminus of 36th Street Provide a transition between the city center and the park Concept Plan and Design Guidelines January 23, 1996 Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. SRF Consulting Group, Inc. 13 Comprehensive Plan STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 3 SITE CONTEXT Plymouth's City Interstate 494 on south by Highway County Road 9 a areas and wetlan creating the im environment. LAND USE EXISTING CONDITIONS Center is located about one mile west of State Highway 55. The district is bounded on the 55; on the west by Vicksburg Lane; on the north by id on the east by Plymouth Boulevard. Wooded ds occur to the west, east, and within the site, ression of a commercial center and natural Land uses allowe within the site include retail, office and public. Adjacent land Uses include multiple family, single family residential, office residential and public. The streetscape plan must respond appropriately to these different land uses. CIRCULATION Primary access to the City Center by car is from Highway 55 and Vicksburg Lane, which are also important commuter routes. Widening of Vicksburg Lane south of 36th Avenue is anticipated in response to an increase in inter -community traffic. Traffic speeds on Plymouth Boulevard are thought to pose a problem for pedestrians and local traffic and shoulc be addressed. Plymouth Boulevard is a transit route. A bike trail exists along Vicksburg Lane and one is proposed for County Road 9. Significant pedestrian activity occurs between the City Center, adjac nt neighborhoods and public facilities. A pedestrian spine is proposed n the design guidelines, connecting sites in the City Center along a no th/south axis. VISUAL ANALYSiS Important views of the City Center occur along Highway 55. Other important views include City Hall from northbound Plymouth Boulevard and Lifetime Fitness from eastbound 36th Avenue. The impact of woodlands and wetlands is important to the overall impression one has of the City Ce ter and the surrounding neighborhood. Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Grou , Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 4 9 Key: Current On -street Parking Proposed On -street Parking Existing Traffic Signal 4 Existing Bus Route Average Daily Traffic Volumes Possible Roundabout Location Lo Vehicular Entry Point High Volume) Vehicular Entry Point Low Volume) a fff is Plymouth City Center Streetscape Element Vehicular Circulation Analysis N November 6, 1998 7 Multi and Single Family Residential Plymouth creek Elementary School I Single Family Residential Single Family Residential Multi and i Single Family Residential ' Plymouth City Streetscape E: Pedestrian and Bic November 6, 1998 Multi and Single Family Residential E i o r .\ MultifamilyResidential ........ _— Single Family Residential enter:!a ment e Circulation Analysis o oai lfl a NO Key; Multi and Single Existing Concrete Sidewalk Family Residential Existing Bituminous Trail Proposed Pedestrian Spine Proposed Trail Pedestrian Overlook o o Pedestrian Movement Future Pedestrian Movement Multi and Single Family Residential E i o r .\ MultifamilyResidential ........ _— Single Family Residential enter:!a ment e Circulation Analysis o oai lfl a NO L woier Cleansing Am Wenorw?I Plymouth City Center, Streetscape Element Visual Analysis November 6, 1998 Key; Temporary Sign Sight Line o View Terminus Major Sign (Free-standing) I I Major Sign (On Building) U Temporary Sign Existing Screening o Screening Advised Tree Massing I I Change in Ground Elevation Loss of Street Edge Definition z N orv— JAN a As the following have differing char adjacencies and tr described on the Boulevard), which softer lighting; the serves as the "frc North Vicksburg lower -intensity ed internal streets) \t\ the Highway, whip create an identity 1 design characteris following matrix. STREETSCAPE HIERARCHY Ian suggests, streets within the City Center should acteristics due to their differing functions, land use ffic volumes. The five streetscape zones which are plan include; the Parkway zone (Plymouth emphasizes the natural setting, slower speeds and Primary Gateway (South Vicksburg Lane), which nt door" to City Center; the Secondary Gateway Lane and County Road 9), which serves as a e of City Center; the Pedestrian Focus zone here the design should encourage walkability; and h offers significant views and the opportunity to or City Center. Each of these zones have differing ics, elements and edges as described on the SRF Consulting Group, Inc. a0 Comprehensive Plan STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 10 727 JA H tet', d s. as N T L OJ E : o O a. rn Qa i 3 s y aa.J 1w i C n' vi lw Q E F- as N T 1w Q Eyn IV R7 Ca i n QL. U C V) 0 v) r. as N T DESCRIPTION OF DESIGN ELEMENTS LIGHTING Lighting should be timeless in style, unique and cost-effective. Suggested lighting includes a shielded trapezoid -shaped street light, mounted at 25 feet high and 120 feet to 150 feet apart; a decorative and festive pedestrian globe light mounted at 14 feet high and 60 feet apart; a matching multi -globe light for the Vicksburg median, announcing the entrance to City Center; a decorative "light wand" option for the pedestrian spine and ground -mounted tree uplights for selected trees along Plymouth Boulevard. LANDSCAPING Landscaping consists predominantly of oak and maple variety street trees planted on regular 40 -foot intervals, echoing the native woodlands in the area. Smaller flowering trees are used in medians and pedestrian areas for added interest and human scale. Hedge and informal shrub massings alternate with low fencing to provide dense screening of parking lots. Flowering boulevards and planters are suggested along 36th Avenue and the pedestrian spine to enhance the pedestrian environment. Existing tree masses within City Center and on adjacent sites provide an opportunity for natural character to balance the commercial core and lend a unique visual quality to the City Center. These should be protected as much as possible. IRRIGATION Limited use of automatic irrigation is proposed for higher -maintenance plantings and in high -traffic pedestrian areas such as flower and shrub plantings, where regular, predictable water schedules are required. Supplemental watering of street trees would be provided by City water trucks when required due to insufficient rainfall. SRF Consulting Group, Inc. a3 Comprehensive Plan STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 13 ON -STREET P The number of or Center to suppler traffic speeds. I identified on the for on -street parki from two-lane tc 34th Avenue. In i will be widened b, on page 28. TRAFFIC CIRCLE ING street parking spaces will be increased in the City nent existing parking supply and to help reduce xisting and proposed on -street parking areas are ehicular Circulation Analysis Plan (pg. 7). Providing ig will require that Plymouth Boulevard be reduced one -lane of travel in each direction, north of naking this change, the Plymouth Boulevard median 5 feet on each side as shown in the cross-section The streetscape pan incorporates an option for a traffic circle at the intersection of 36th Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard, as designed in a previous study. The traffic circle would replace the four-way stop sign currently in place. The advantages of a traffic circle in this location include it "traffic calming" effect, and enhancement of the boulevard charact r that is desired for Plymouth Boulevard. If the traffic circle is im lemented and is well received by the community, additional traffic ircle locations could be considered for Plymouth Boulevard at 34th Avenue and 37th Avenue. SIDEWALKS Many of the nec ssary sidewalks have been installed in the City Center as development has proceeded. This plan does not propose any changes to existing sidewalks. A decorative pavement has been suggested for the boulevard on Vicksburg Lane in the event that road widening reduces the boulevard width. Decorative paving is also suggested for the medians on Vicksburg because they are not wide enoughto suppind rt a consistent planting treatment. Concrete crosswalks are sugested at key pedestrian crossing points to increase pedestrian safety comfort. Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Group Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 14 0 Light Plymouth City Center Streetscape Element Streetscape Lighting November 6, 1998 2-7 17. ui lllllll '- i,. S TT*RAl PFa• L3 C w i,. S TT*RAl PFa• 35M lw n Prototypical Streetscape Plan A Parkway -- Semi -Urban Edge November 6, 1998 Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Group, Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 21. Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Group, Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 22. i bil, I Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Group, Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 22. SRF Consulting Group, Inc. w 11L Comprehensive Plan STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 3 23. F a mar a aaaES Warr• a a ® aa a of Prototypical Streetscape Plan D Secondary Gateway November 6, 1998 Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Group, Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 3+ 24. 11 36th Avenue N. u Prototypical Streetscape Plan E Pedestrian Focus -- Streetscape November 6, 1998 Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Group, Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 25. Optional Traffic Circle 361h Avenue North and Plymouth Boulevard November 6, 1998 Comprehensive Plan SRF Consulting Group, Inc. STREETSCAPE ELEMENT Plymouth, Minnesota 26. N co C — W 0 0 O R a wd N 2 qw [_ Q CwIL r N o E twt CL Q o U z a UWaN w F e U o. 1P O CalJ a M 0 o fi a Di N 0 8 y Q m w O w h 0 U 0 fi m a b 8 D d O o fi v h U a o N OU LL CD b 14 0 O U N N0 M I' CLm e 0 m c 0U LLQCO T2yW W G_ W W ca E U)a wW 2F N CC (City Center) The intent of this classification is to provide the framework for development of a vital center serving the entire community, attracting residents for a variety of civic, commerce and recreation activities and providing a strong sense of identity for the City of Plymouth. This is a unique classification intended to provide for planned, unified development in the City Center area. The City Center area will be developed as described in the Concept Plan and Design Guidelines report dated December 4, 1995, prepared for the City of Plymouth by Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. and the Streetscape Element final report dated November 6, 1998, prepared for the City of Plymouth by SRF Consulting Group, Inc. Guidelines and Criteria: Maximum Lot Coverage: 40 percent Minimum Development Area: None City Utilities: Required in all areas. Corresponding Zoning Designation CC (City Center) and City Center Subdistricts Type of Development • Planned, unified civic and commercial center as described in the Concept Plan and Design Guidelines. Development Location Criteria: • Unique location in the community as shown on the Land Use Guide Plan Map and in the Concept Plan and Design Guidelines. 3q CITY OF PLYMOUTH RESOLUTION 99 - APPROVING AMENDMENT TO PAGE 30 OF LAND USE GUIDE PLAN TO ADOPT THE STREETSCAPE ELEMENT DATED NOVEMBER 6, 1998 BY REFERENCE TO (CC) CITY CENTER (98061) WHEREAS, the Planning Commission has conducted a Public Hearing regarding an Amendment to Page 30 of the Land Use Guide Plan of the Comprehensive Plan to adopt the Streetscape Element dated November 6, 1998 by reference to CC (City Center). NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA, that it should and hereby does amend Page 30 of the Land Use Guide Plan of the Comprehensive Plan to adopt the Streetscape Element dated November 6, 1998 by reference to CC (City Center). FURTHER, that this amendment to Page 30 of the Land Use Guide Plan of the Comprehensive Plan is contingent on the review of the Metropolitan Council, as required by Minn. Stat. 473.175. Adopted by the City Council on * * *, 1999. 1-o Streetscape Element Public Process In November 1997, the City Council authorized the hiring of a consultant to undertake a streetscape study. In January 1998, the City hired SRF Consulting Group to prepare the study. On April 22, 1998, the City Council held a study session to discuss the streetscape analysis prepared by the consultant as well as the preliminary concepts for a streetscape plan. On May 5, 1998, staff presented the same information to the Planning Commission. On April 30, 1998, City staff and the consultant hosted an open house to gain comment and answer questions about the draft streetscape plan. Staff and the consultant prepared a video to provide the same background information to the individuals who attended. The video ran continuously at the open house. Staff provided attendees with survey forms to provide written comment in addition to the comments presented to staff and the consultants at the meeting. Of the 11 people who responded to the survey, the greatest number cited street lighting, pedestrian safety and protection of existing vegetation as their major concerns with the City Center streetscape. Individual comments at the open house also addressed these themes. The elements of the proposed Streetscape Element most often cited as positive included the planting of more street trees and better screening of street trees. Several who attended the open house were opposed to the addition of a traffic circle at 36th Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard. The City also received a petition from 12 residents of the Westbranch neighborhood, requesting the planting of additional trees on both sides of Vicksburg Lane from Highway 55 to Old Rockford Road. Bruce and Ronnie Johnson, also residents of Sugar Hills, sent a letter outlining the need for 1) planting more evergreen trees to buffer residential areas, 2) installing less obtrusive lighting, 3) incorporating the Harstad property into City Center, 4) avoiding on -street parking, 5) deleting traffic circles 6) discouraging retail traffic from residential areas and 7) encouraging use of metal street furniture. The Streetscape Element does address many of the concerns noted above. The use of plantings, including trees, shrubs and hedges will 1) improve the overall visual quality of City Center, 2) provide additional screening of parking areas and 3) provide additional screening for nearby residences. The lighting proposed for City Center will provide an increased level of safety for both pedestrians and motorists. Staff will take into account concerns about glare at the time that specific fixtures are selected. As noted below, a traffic circle at 36d' Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard is optional at this time. Staff finds that other proposed elements, including widening of the median and the addition of on - street parking bays may sufficiently serve to calm traffic on this roadway. Staff is not recommending the deletion of on -street parking. With slower traffic speeds, staff finds that on -street parking would not be a hazard to bicyclists. In addition, using the example of the Chain of Lakes parking bays, staff also finds that on -street parking as proposed would not detract from the scenic value of Plymouth Boulevard. Considering details U such as preferred materials for street furniture, these will be decided at the time of implementation, taking into account issues such as cost, durability, maintenance, etc. Following the open house, the consultant prepared a first draft of cost estimates for each of the improvements they recommended as well as a phasing plan to implement the improvements. Following staff review, they finalized the estimates and submitted the final plan to the City in October. Since that time, staff has done additional research to determine how other suburban communities funded "downtown" public improvements and to identify what projects might be covered in the upcoming update to the City's Capital Improvement Program. The Streetscape Element as proposed does not address concerns beyond the designated City Center boundaries. Additional plantings and street lighting on Vicksburg Lane north of County Road 9 and 34` h Avenue east of Plymouth Boulevard are outside the scope of this plan. However, if lighting is added along 34`h Avenue up to the proposed Activity Center, the Streetscape Element could be used as a source for determining type and spacing of fixtures. T 0 ' d 10101 April 31. 1999 City Council MemberI City of Plymouth Ref: Plymouth City Center Strcetscape Study, additional landscaping, street lighting, on street parking, traffic circles, pedestrian crossings and street furniture and directional signage throughout the area. Vicksburg Lane between TH 55 and Old Rockford Rd is the main street of Plymouth downtownwithaccesstonumberofbuisnesses, Hennepin County Library, and apartments on the east side of the Vicksburg Lane. On the West side of tCVicksburg housing Hills, andPlYmoutCreek Elementary School.The main streets concept shouldWestbrachdevelopment est d de of the Vicksburg e. cover lots of beautil evergreens and he Vicksburg L ne islleft out without trees which shows ugly wetland area bigltreesonthew Some portions apartment building with no trees. We undersigned request you and the Plymouthcity the City ouncil o include in the plan, the plantation of trees in this area to enhance community pride Of Plymouth and beautification of this well deserved area on Vicksburg Lane. Name Address Phone No iL . N - Ald . JV'f' L( 0q 3 g3 -03,t3 5 - Y4? TO/T0'd s n 613314 07 uuaH 9T:80 866T-8?—ddH rou arE Bruce &Ronnie Johnson 16045 36th Place North NIAi' 7 1998 Plymouth, MN 55446 May 5, 1998 CITY OF PLYMOUTH COO."" Ty cfvatlewy_r 1 Ms. Anne Hurlburt Director, Planning & Community Development City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447-1482 Dear Anne, Thank you for holding the Street Scape Study Open House. From an overall standpoint, this represents an exciting vision for the City Center. Good job! There are some specific changes we would like you to consider. 1. Plant More Evergreen Trees To Buffer Residential Areas a. Given our long winters, the impact of the retail lights and buildings needs to be taken into account. For approximately 8 months, deciduous trees do not block lights related to buildings, traffic, parking lots and street fixtures. Planting more evergreen trees will help minimize the visual impact non-residential uses have on adjacent neighborhood homes. b. Evergreen trees are particularly needed at the Southeast, Southwest and Northwest corners of Vicksburg and 36th Avenue. Evergreens at those corners will strategically block the glare of business and street lights coming into Sugar Hills during the winter time. c. Evergreen trees are also needed along north and south sides of 36th Avenue west of Vicksburg. Given the whole plan, this is the only residential street which directly feeds into the City Center. As a result, appropriate tree buffering should be provided. 2. Install Less Obtrusive Lighting a. Currently the City Center parking lot lights, street light fixtures and the Mann Theater building use a "shallow box". Since these fixtures sit high up on the poles or buildings they shine directly into the surrounding neighborhoods. This represents a needless intrusion into our homes ... a lighting pollution. The good news is that there is an easy, low cost solution involving the use of deep box" light fixtures. These fixtures will dramatically reduce glare into the surrounding neighborhoods without reducing the required light coverage. For certain situations it's possible to specify a deep box which flares out at the bottom. b. All the existing City Center lighting can easily and inexpensively retrofitted with "deep box" adapters. Even if new fixtures were required the amount of money involved is relatively minor. Most importantly, it will return visual peace and tranquility to the surrounding residential areas. We would highly encourage that this become the standard wherever residential areas are closely aligned with retail. Please consider implementing this solution first with the new Rainbow. an 3. Incorporate Harstad Property Into City Center a. This un -developed property located west of Vicksburg, north of Highway 55 and south of 36th Avenue should be brought into the City Center design plan. Since this development is directly adjacent to the City Center it should be integrated and adhere to the same design standards. 4. Avoid On -Street Parking a. We have several concerns about on -street parking related to 36th Avenue west of Vicksburg. This street handles huge volumes of traffic related to Cub Foods, the Library, Lifetime Fitness (plus future retail stores). This street is also heavily used by bicyclists. Allowing on - street parking will create a hazardous situation. Here's a possible solution. It appears the Library parking lot is almost always available during the heavy parking times on the weekends, thereby eliminating the need for on -street parking on 36th Avenue. h. We do not favor on -street parking related to the Plymouth Boulevard. It creates a hazard, forces bicyclists onto the sidewalks (interfering with pedestrians) plus on -street parking ruins the scenic value of Plymouth Boulevard. 5. Delete Roundabouts a. This concept started during the turn of the century in Europe and New England. They have fallen out of favor. They represent a traffic / pedestrian hazard and do not smooth the flow of traffic. Our prolonged winters make roundabouts an even a bigger hazard and maintenance nightmare. While attractive, they are not worth the long list of problems. 6. Discourage Retail Traffic From Residential Areas a. Traffic flow into the residential areas is a major source of concern. Wherever possible traffic flow should be discouraged by signs, monuments, etc. Please give this a high priority. 7. Furniture & Receptacles Should Be Metal a. Painted metal is in our opinion more durable and attractive. While wood is also attractive, it represents an on-going maintenance headache and is easily vandalized. Anne, as you can see we are keenly interested in the City Center. Since it's located in our backyard we are very directly impacted. It has the potential to make our life in Plymouth enjoyable or a living nightmare. We offer these specific, actionable recommendations to achieve a positive outcome for everyone involved. We and our neighbors would like the opportunity to discuss these recommendations with yourself and others in the Plymouth City.government. We can be reached at 509-0641. Best regards, cc: Mayor, City Council, Planning Commission, City Manager, City Forester STREETSCAPE STUDY OPEN HOUSE APRIL 30,1998 FEEDBACK FORM COMMENTS Based on the map on the back of this page, please indicate the general area in which you reside or own property. Area Number 1 2 2 4 3 0 4 4 5 0 No answer 1 Total 11 Please indicate your major concerns with the streetscape in City Center. Pedestrian safety 7 Protection of existing vegetation 6 Transition between res. and non -res. uses 3 Street lighting 8 City Center "theme" 2 Street furniture 2 Traffic controls 3 Parking—amount and location 2 Landscaping 1 Maintenance 1 Visibility for commercial buildings 1 Traffic on local streets 1 Please indicate those elements of the streetscape plan that you like. Pedestrian -scale lighting 5 Planting of more street trees 9 Special lighting of trees—Ply. Blvd. 2 Better screening of parking lots 8 Pedestrian amenities 4 Special signage 0 On -street parking bays—Ply. Blvd. 5 Traffic circles 1 Fountain at City Hall 4 Minnesota. Initial Improvements N E.PMsrserts a compilation ofinfametion and a from dty, Dourly state and other sources riot las W E been fieldverified hfo oration should be field verified and compared with origirel source documents. S M Project Boundary 7-4 r City of Plyr louth,Mnnesota C Signage Locations Primary Focal Points Secondary Focal Points, initial irrprovemments N Secondary Focal Points Thisffiopreserisacampldianofinfamaticnand later prioritydatamaty, Dourlye and dher sou Des 1 at has W Enotbeenfieldverifiedhformationstaidbefield verified and conpaed YA odgirW souroe rbcum wt& S fl - 20 POTENTIAL STREET LIGHT FIXTURE OPTIONS RW Street and Area Lighting Service Square Shoebox Light or Designer Series Acorn Style and Round Franklin Twin Acorn Style Poles available in 20 -foot or • Poles available in fiberglass or taller aluminum or fiberglass. aluminum with an optional two -fixture Lamps are 150, 250 or 400 wattcross arm. high-pressure sodium (HPS). • Lamps are 70, 100 or 150 watt HPS. Two -fixture options are available. • Also available in a high-performance Practical for both commercial globe version. and residential areas. • Typically used for commercial and Base mounted or direct buried. residential areas. Group V Rate service. • Base mounted. Group V Rate service. Designer Series Lantern Style Traditional Style Poles available in fiberglass or Poles available in fiberglass. aluminum with a one -or two- Lamps are 70, 100 or 150 watt HPS. fixture cross arm option. Good choice for residential and Lamps are 100 or 150 watt HPS. recreational areas. Fixture available with or with- Direct buried. out the decorative spikes. Group V Rate or leased service. Popular in residential areas. Base mounted. Group V Rate service. Designer Series Colonial and Vernon Eden Style Poles available in fiberglass Aluminum poles. or aluminum. Lamps are 70 and 100 watt HPS. Lamps are 70, 100 or Good choice for communities. 150 watt HPS. Base mounted. Good choice for residential and F64 • Group V Rate service. recreational areas. Base mounted or direct buried. 16 Group V Rate service. 0 , DATE: March 5, 1999 TO: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager FROM: Fred G. Moore, P.E., Director of Public Works SUBJECT: USE OF CITY FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE BUILDING We are looking for direction from the City Council in preparing a policy on the use of the City maintenance facilities by employees. Currently, some limited use is taking place like washing of vehicles (this is in a manual wash area inside the building), changing oil, some vehicle repairs, or borrowing of tools. I believe there should be a City Council approved policy if there is to be any personal use and what that use should be. Attached is a summary of the results of a survey conducted of about 25 other cities. As can be seen by the survey, some limited use of City facilities by maintenance employees is allowed by a few of the cities. The question is, should it be nothing, very limited, or be more liberal. The most often use is permitted for washing of vehicles. The following are items of use which I view as going from a policy of nothing to more liberal: 1. No usage. 2. Vehicle parked in building. (This would be very limited and only for those employees which get called back to work to respond to a situation which must be corrected outside of normal working hours. Generally, this involves one to three employees. It would also only apply during extreme weather conditions.) 3. Washing of employee vehicles in wash bay area. 4. Minor maintenance on employee vehicles such as oil change. 5. An employee allowed to take a tool or equipment for personal use. 6. Vehicle repairs. M:\pw\Engineering\GENERAL\MEMOS\FRED\1999\Use_City_facilities Mem.doc SUBJECT: USE OF CITY FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE BUILDING Page 2 If any use is permitted, policies would be implemented to assure that it would not interfere with the City's operation or use of the facilities. Before a proposed policy is prepared, I would like to receive input from the City Council. attachment N:\pw\Engineering\GENERAUMEMOS\FRED\1999\UseCity_facilities_Mem.doc Employee Use of City Facilities and Equipment Summary of Survey of Other Cities Question 1: Use of City facilities allowed? Yes 4 No 20 Question 3: Use of City equipment allowed? Yes 7 No 17 Question 5: Car washing allowed? Yes 7 No 16 Question 6: Storage of private vehicles allowed? (generally) Yes 1 No 22 Question 8: Is use of City facilities/equipment limited to maintenance employees? Yes 5 No 5 Question 9: Former employees allowed to use facilities/equipment? Yes 0 No 19 7 m o 3 Y Y O O O O O O O O O O C7 O O O O o a c c c c c c c c c c m U. m c > m O0CO OC OC OC OC OC N T N T O C NO, Oc N O C as Cl0 OC OC OC OC N W m LL m F a 0 0_0c o NA 0 N0 o MWOMW c 00 0 0 0000 oE oc 0c 0c 0c 0LL0 c c c c c0 c Z E N 10 0 Q C OZIm W E o O c 0c 0c 0c Oc OccO O c E. 7c0 O c oc 0cdc o m m V W c m E E c o m CL cccccc co Na) 4)" D CL N>, a 5% m c 0 Na1 0 NZccccy 3 V m LL m O LU Y c N O N O d o O 5 c of C d o c c c c O c c c cc0LOAYCA w E a w y 9cc m a O O O O O J O OO C C OC OC O N E O O O O O C c C c C C w m' a` Z 0 N m V W C O y 0 0 0 O 0 O 0o0y04=. O O O O C Q c C C C 0 C C C C C u C C C C 0 C N I IM Q N N d a> d d N c d and c Eo a s a,d c Eo a c Ec a N C d c E D d w 7 s E C d d s E O d> d 3 d> d d 3 d> d O C Ed C R N4f a1 C C C Ed a 00 N U) ai V C E, L> N 4 as3 V C N N l0 N 0 d R N 0 3 d 0 l0 42 a 0 t 0 acs 0 w a 0 CL t 0 aci 0 a L t 0 0 c v o a O w w 0 0 co Or c p d w' c c c o c Z k 0, 1Fv c ccieEa' a, o 10 NONm2wE'& co,co=>HoE o N°'Nc o c o D 10 Ea 0 y'0 0=>in E c co50a°'ioE w o w o a n m w c w y a a d w w CL m a1 N 0 N m°,.°3 o N o'c N d°:: o 0 N 0 3 m w N 0 N 10 C l0 O a1N 0 ofN N t0 10 O dN d dN f/J0 10 0 10 ECitndJlLQ'ciwdJn. M mC.)ca U. r N eh le in 10 ti 10 a0 11 r N CO) le N sD P- m Os r N M V 10 10 1- 40 Cf 7 DATE: March 5, 1999 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager SUBJECT: Agenda Items for March 9h Study Session 1. Curfew ordinance. The Youth Advisory Council has studied the current ordinance and wishes to propose changes to it. Members will be at the meeting to discuss them. The amendments include relaxing the curfew time for 17 year olds from 12 midnight to 1:00 a.m.on weekends and weekdays during the summer and on weekends throughout the rest of the year. They are also proposing that the penalty be doubled for certain violations such as alcohol, tobacco, vandalism that occur during the late night hours. The police department has been invited to respond, and has previously told the Youth Advisory Council that they support the curfew laws in general. They state that uniformity of curfew laws throughout Hennepin County is an important goal. 2. New Plymouth News. The proposal is to (1) increase the size to tabloid size 11x17"), (2) print in four colors, (3) use professional design for layout, (4) change to bi- monthly distribution, and (5) separate the news from the Recreation booklet and mail them separately. The starting date would be July I". The net cost increase would be about $10,000 per year above the existing budget level. The greater use of color, the size, and the professional design will all command interest and attention from the readers. The Park and Recreation department is very enthusiastic about having their own recreation book that can have its own design and mailing schedule to market our programs and major new facilities. The main challenge will be the bi-monthly distribution of the News, and planning well enough in advance to be sure major issues are covered. 3. RV ordinance. Kelli Slavik would like to see if there is interest in making some modest changes in the current regulations on the storage of recreational vehicles such as controlling unlicensed RV's or requiring a stored RV be registered to the property owner. 4. Seal coating program for streets. Tim Bildsoe asked that this be discussed. I have asked staff to search for studies that show whether or not seal coating actually adds life to the streets. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find any at this writing, even after calling MnDot and Hennepin County. Fred Moore and the maintenance staff believe that seal coating helps keep small cracks in pavement from getting worse, which would then allow water to harm the base under the paving. 5. Streetscape Plan for City Center. The overall plan is ambitious, and has a price tag of nearly $4 million. Currently available City funds amount to about $323,000, the remaining portion of City Center TIF funds. Some of the items can be specially assessed, or can be required as a part of development. The proposed initial phase proposed the narrowing Plymouth Boulevard from 4 lanes to 2 lanes between 340' and 37th Avenues and putting protected parking bays on each side. The benefits are improved traffic calming, increased pedestrian safety due to slower traffic and only two lanes to cross, creating a major visual change along the street, and providing a permanent on -street parking solution around Life Time and the Ice Arena. Real or possible drawbacks are the cost, more potential for accidents with parked cars, less pedestrian safety due to reduced visibility caused by parked cars, and a cluttered or busy appearance along the street because of all the cars. It should be noted that Fred Moore still sees merit in a traffic circle, even though planning staff and the Planning Commission (and the City Manager) favor deleting it. Other improvements in the plan which are recommended by staff and the Planning Commission include street lighting, landscaping, and signage improvements. 6. Use of City facilities and equipment. There is no current or recent policy on the after-hours use personal use of city facilities and equipment. This issue arises mainly in the maintenance divisions, but has some application to City Hall and the fire stations as well. We surveyed many other cities, and found they have a range of policies. There may also be some cities that allow some activities informally. Some employees have been doing car repairs or washing their own vehicles at the City maintenance building. There have also been some who check out some tools over the weekend and return them on Monday morning, and even a few cases of major repair work. One philosophy is that none of these activities are harming the City in any way, so they should largely be allowed, with reasonable rules to assure minimial liability or disruption to the City. The alternative philosophy is that all of the facilities and equipment belong to the taxpayers, and that City employees should not get any special privilege or use not available to all taxpayers. Fred Moore's memo has listed a spectrum of activities for the Council to discuss, ranging from minor activities to others that would be significant. I have told the maintenance employees that I am on the conservative half of the spectrum personally, but it is also safe to say that the maintenance employees are hoping that we do not approve a zero use option. 7. Reconsider March 31st date for joint meeting with Planning Commission. The Human Rights Commission has noted that the March 31st date is the beginning of Passover (at nightfall that evening) and some members questioned the City having a major, important meeting on that date. City staff have calendars that show Passover on April 1St, and do not note the beginning as being the previous evening. Notices will go out for the meeting late next week, so any change in date should be made at this meeting. Community Development reports that getting all the parties to agree on a date was difficult, and finding an alternative date in a timely manner may be more difficult. Mayor Tierney has added this item to the call for the meeting at staff's request.