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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil_Connection_011712Council approves two street projects To update aging infrastructure, the Council approved two more neighborhood street reconstruc- tion projects for the year. As part of the Countryside neigh- borhood street reconstruction project, Crescent Drive, Crescent Lane, Highland Road, Hillside Road, Hunter Street, Ridgeway Road and Westridge Road will be reconstructed, curbs will be replaced or added, water ser- vices will be replaced and im- provements made to sanitary and storm sewer systems. All City-owned utility repairs will be paid from the respective utility funds. The cost of the roadway improvements is estimated to be more than $1.4 million. Funding for the roadway cost will be from a special assessment. The esti-mated assessment per Residen-tial Equivalent Unit (REU) is $12,360. As part of the Richmond Hills neighborhood street reconstruc- tion project, Normandale Court, Richmond Lane, Richmond Cir- cle and portions of Yvonne Ter- race, 56th Street, Warwick Place, Kent Avenue, Windsor Avenue, Richmond Drive and Code Ave- nue will be reconstructed, curbs will be replaced or added, water main will be replaced and im- provements made to sanitary and storm sewer systems. The cost of the roadway improve- ments and the sanitary sewer service pipe between the trunk pipe and the right-of-way line is estimated to cost nearly $2.9 million, funding for which was proposed to be from a special assessment of approximately $16,800 per REU. All City-owned utility repairs will be paid from the respective utility funds. After hearing testimony from several residents concerned with the high estimated assess- ments, Council Members agreed to take another look at the City’s Special Assessment Policy, which was adopted several years ago. The Council also di- rected staff to review the option of extending the assessment payback period for the project. Bids for the projects are ex- pected to be awarded in March or April, with construction begin- ning later in the spring. Con- struction should be completed in the fall. Council OKs water meter replacement The Council approved a $3.6 million water meter replacement project. During the mid-1990s, the City upgraded its water meters to a radio read system so that the water meters could be read via a vehicle traveling down a road-way. The batteries that energize the radios have passed their lifetime expectancies and are now failing at an alarming rate. The Public Works Department had planned to replace the bat- teries, but staff discovered two issues that don’t support that type of project. The bandwidth that the FCC has appropriated for the original radios will not be available for public use after Jan. 1, 2013. Also, most of the current meters contain a very small amount of lead in the me- ter body. Beginning in 2014, any meter containing lead cannot be installed. Given these issues, staff de- signed the project to include a total replacement of the City’s approximately 14,000 meters to be completed by June of 2013. The Council approved staff’s proposal and awarded the pro- A summary of the Jan. 17 Edina City Council meeting Jan. 19, 2012 Volume 14, Issue 2 Council Connection Upcoming meetings: • Transportation Commission, 6 p.m. Jan. 19 • Park Board, 7 p.m. Jan. 23 • Human Rights & Relations Commission, 7 p.m. Jan. 24 • Planning Commission, 7 p.m. Jan. 25 • Art Center Board, 4:30 p.m. Jan. 26 City Contacts City Manager Scott Neal 952-826-0401 Assistant City Manager Karen Kurt 952-826-0415 City Clerk Debra Mangen 952-826-0408 City Engineer/Director of Public Works Wayne Houle 952-826-0443 Planning Director Cary Teague 952-826-0460 Utilities Coordinator David Goergen 952-826-0312 We’d like to hear from you … If you have any comments, call Communications & Marketing Director Jennifer Bennerotte at 952-833-9520. The text of this publication will be availa- ble online at www.CityofEdina.com. www.CityofEdina.com ject to Ferguson Waterworks, which will replace the meters on behalf of the City. HRA agrees to expanded walkway agreement The Housing & Redevelopment Authority approved an expanded walkway easement agreement with Jerry’s Enterprises. There is an existing pedestrian bridge that connects the City’s parking ramp in the Grandview area to Jerry’s Foods. The bridge is four feet wide and used as an exit from the grocery store. Jerry’s Hardware has relocated to the space previously occu- pied by Olson Bros. Pharmacy adjacent to the grocery store. Jerry’s is requesting that the pedestrian bridge be expanded from four to 10 feet wide to provide a direct access to the hardware store. The new en-trance would be used to provide a customer access to the rental and repair area of the hardware store. In doing so, the bridge would be widened for custom- ers bringing in or taking out larger equipment, such as lawn mowers and snow blowers. This access would allow an alterna- tive to bringing in and taking out this type of equipment through the front of the store. Jerry’s Enterprises would pay for and construct the proposed new pedestrian ramp. One parking stall would have to be removed from the parking ramp for the widened walkway. The bridge is located on proper- ty owned by the City. As the property owner, the decision to expand the bridge and amend the easement rested with the HRA, which granted the approv- al.