CITY OF DEEPHAVEN

SPECIAL COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES

Thursday, February 24, 2005

 

1.      Call to Order/Roll Call

Mayor Anderson called the special worksession to order at 10:00 PM.

Present: Mayor Tom Anderson, Councilmembers Paul Skrede, Kim Crockett, Keith Kask and John Wheaton

Staff Members:  City Administrator Dana Young, Police Chief Virgil Gustafson, Zoning Coordinator Gus Karpas and City Clerk Sandy Langley

      Others Present:  Mayor Woody Love & Laura Turpeon of Shorewood; Mayor Bob Neuman &

Councilmember Doug Hill of Greenwood; Mark DuCharme, Fire Chief & Dana George, Deputy Fire Chief; Bob Bolles, Paula Winter, Jeannie Bowers and Joe Keiser.

 

2.      Discuss Fire Protection Issues with Fire Chief

Fire Chief DuCharme provided an update on the operations of the Excelsior Fire District in regards to the number o f volunteer firefighters and response times from the two stations.  He stated that it is the District’s goal to have 50 volunteer firefighters with 15 responding to Station 2 located in Deephaven and 35 responding to Station 1 in Shorewood.   He noted that both stations operate interdependently and mutual aid agreements have been established with the Wayzata Fire Department to mutually assist with calls in northern Deephaven and Woodland.

 

Mayor Anderson stated that he is concerned that the Excelsior Fire District is not meeting response time standards of 7-9 minutes when responding to calls in Deephaven.  It was noted from 2003 and 2004 call data that the average response time in Deephaven was 9.7 minutes and in 2004 it was 10.8 minutes.  Mayor Anderson stated that Deephaven’s decision to go with the two station concept was predicated on assurances that the response time for Deephaven would be between 7 and 9 minutes and that there would be a minimum of 8 responders per call.

 

Mayor Anderson also noted that the response time was faster and the number of responders was higher when Deephaven was serviced out of the old station in Excelsior.  Councilmember Crockett noted that the city’s residents were paying more money for less service.  She emphasized that she was not questioning the integrity of any one in the district and wished to keep the discussion civil and productive, and asked what the City could do to assist in matters, such as recruiting.  Councilmember Crockett asked the Fire Chief if expectations had been set too high and wondered why Deephaven’s concerns were not being addressed by the Fire Board.

 

Mayor Love stated that he only had a brief time to review the 2003 and 2004 call data that had been provided prior to the meeting and stated that the data should be analyzed in greater depth to ensure that the data isn’t skewed by Duty Officer calls or non-emergency calls.  He stated that is the response times indicate that there is a problem with servicing northern Deephaven within the 7-9 minutes standard, the problem is not just a Deephaven problem but a District problem as we are all in the District together.  He suggested that the District should be partitioned into zones where the response tine to each zone could be further evaluated.  Mayor Bob Neuman stated that it is his position that all properties in the District should be able to receive the same number of responders and equipment in a timely manner, regardless of their location.  Councilmember Doug Hill stated the 2003 and 2004 call data can and should be further evaluated to provide a better understanding of response times in Deephaven and other member cities.  Deputy Chief Dana George stated that moving the station out of Excelsior has added more time to get to the station, but he also feels that the response times are going to gradually improve.

 

Councilmember Skrede asked if small Duty Crews could be provided to cover during peak times. 

Deputy Chief George stated that is could come at a cost.  Councilmember Crockett asked if responders could keep equipment in their trucks to speed time and discussion followed about why the district felt it was better to have responders meet at the fire station.  There was also extensive discussion about what happens if a crew is incomplete at the station or at a fire scene, as well as why it takes time to get volunteers property trained.

 

Mayor Anderson summarized by stating that not all of Deephaven fire calls are meeting the 7-9 minute response standard that the District is trying to achieve and that more responders are needed at Station 2.  Councilmember Wheaton state that we have some workable targets to strive for and that what we are trying to achieve is a 7 to 9 minutes response time and at least 8 responders answering those calls.  Mayor Anderson stated that the next step is have these issues placed on the agenda of the next Fire Board meeting and have the Board evaluate and respond to these issues.   Councilmember Kask stated he would like to see no disparities in any of the calls throughout the member cities. 

 

It was agreed by all in attendance, including the Mayors from Greenwood and Shorewood, that the Fire Board should take up this issue at its next Board Meeting.  It was further agreed that poor response times was not a Deephaven issue, rather it was a District issue and all Cities would be encouraged to provide input as to how the District could solve the problem.  Mayor Neuman stated that until all outreaching areas in the District have the same number of fire fighters responding to calls within the same response times and with the same equipment, the results in the District are not satisfactory.,

 

3.      Discuss Stormwater Management

Councilmember Skrede stated that a meeting was held with Minnehaha Creek Watershed District to discuss what kind of grants or funding might be available for the City to address several stormwater projects.  He stated that much of the discussion was held regarding rain gardens and he didn’t believe the District had grants available for the types of projects that the City wanted to undertake.  Administrator Young stated that the Public Works Committee has been reviewing stormwater management issues for several months and he provided a brief update on the three most critical projects.  He stated that ultimately a decision needs to be made on what triggers public funding and when to involve the City Engineer on obtaining cost estimates on the various projects.  The Council directed staff to call around and see if there are any grants or funding opportunities available for stormwater projects.

 

4.      Discuss Ordinance & Policy Revisions

Administrator Young stated the Personnel Policy will be on the March 7th Council agenda.  He noted that Councilmembers Kask, Crockett and Wheaton were going to review the Zoning Code with the intent to give a report to the Council regarding their findings on the adequacy of portions of the Zoning Code. 

 

 5.  Adjournment

      Mayor Anderson adjourned the work session at 12:45 PM.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Sandra R. Langley

City Clerk/Treasurer