Call Meeting to Order

The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m.

Members Present

Mayor Paul Skrede, John Menzel, PW Supervisor Jerry Hudlow, Teresa Pendleton, Police Chief Cory Johnson, Administrator Dana Young

Members Absent

Jon Monson

Mock OSHA Inspection (SafeAssure)

Dana Young stated that SafeAssure conducted a “Simulated OSHA Inspection” on May 29^th and a number of deficiencies were noted. The Committee reviewed the deficiencies and made the following recommendations:

Office Area

· Improper OSHA posters / postings covered - New OSHA poster has been sent by SafeAssure.

· Coffee maker for “Household Use Only” – Purchase 3 “commercial use” coffee makers to replace the “household use” only coffee makers for the Police Department, Public Works Department and City Hall staff.

· Extension cord-vacuum cleaner cord-ground missing – Purchase new cord.

· Pipes-gas shut off valves not marked – Attach sticker indicating gas shut off valve.

Public Works Garage

· Fuel stored in plastic containers – Replace with metal container.

· Fall protection harnessing is over 5 years old or no label showing age of harness – Purchase new harness.

· Personal protective equipment is exposed to elements or damaged – Equipment is not currently in use and should be thrown out.

Motion by Paul Skrede to accept the Inspection Report and to request that staff report back next month on the progress of the proposed corrections. Seconded by Teresa Pendleton. Motion carried 6-0.

Other

Police Chief Johnson provided a brief update on 4^th of July activities and Jerry Hudlow provided a brief summary of the damage from last week’s storm.

The Safety Committee adjourned on a motion by Dana Young, seconded by Chief Johnson. Motion carried 6-0.

Hiring Process for New Public Works Employee

Dana Young stated that 58 applications have been received for this position. He stated that he has gone through all of the applications and determined that approximately 11 of the applicants meet the minimum qualifications. He stated that he would begin the interview process within about a week and would invite the two final candidates to meet with Jerry Hudlow and the public works crew as part of the interview process.

Dana Young stated that Doug Lawver is considering retiring sometime in November of this year so that he is considering using this hiring process to eventually fill Doug’s position as well as Owen Fuglseth’s. Paul Skrede suggested that the Committee give strong consideration to recommending hiring two new employees at once instead of hiring the second individual after Doug’s retirement. He stated that the individual may no longer be available and it would also give a great opportunity to provide additional training and to undertake several additional projects that need to be addressed.

Honeysuckle / Fairhomes Lane Storm Sewer Extension Project

City Engineers Dennis Saari and Dave Martini were present to discuss the Honeysuckle / Fairhomes Lane Storm Sewer Extension Project. Dennis Saari stated that they have reviewed the proposed project and believe that the ditch should remain open rather than covered to accommodate a pipe. Dennis stated that a storm water pipe would have to be placed fairly shallow in the open ditch due to the location of the sewer line underneath the ditch and that this would greatly reduce the size of the existing ditch. He stated that any water runoff over this smaller ditch could easily expose the pipe or result in excess runoff spilling over the top of the ditch.

Paul Skrede stated that perhaps it would make more sense at this time to repair the upper portion of the pipe this year and reevaluate the lower section to see whether to extend a pipe to the culvert. He asked public works to contact several contractors to get a price on the repair of the storm sewer line and to requested that the crew pump water through the line to ensure that it is cleaned out properly.

Bid on Engineering Services for Rutledge / Northome Storm Sewer Project

Dennis Saari stated that he had met with a directional drilling company to review the cost of boring a storm sewer line under Northome Road and Azure Road to the lake. The contractor informed him that the cost of the boring could be as high as $150 per foot due to the two set-ups that are needed and the relatively short amount of pipe.

He stated that another option would be a pipe bursting method that would install a new pipe through the existing storm sewer that is located along the property line of Dyke Williams. However, he didn’t believe this method would work since pipe bursting does not work with water heater pipes, which are generally too thick.

Further discussion was held regarding the need to repair the 100’ belly in the storm sewer line on Rutledge Road and the installation of a manhole cover at the intersection of Rutledge and Northern Road.

Motion by Dana Young to recommend that the City Engineer provide a cost estimate on the proposed project, which would include installing approximately 650’ of new storm sewer line on Northome and Azure and approximately 100’ on Rutledge to replace the sagging line. Seconded by Paul Skrede. Motion carried 4-0.

Pilings for New Cruiser Docks at St. Louis Bay

Paul Skrede noted that several members of the Public Works Committee met with Tom Niccum of Minnetonka Portable Dredging prior to the meeting to discuss the possible installation of steel pilings along various locations along the dock to help to stabilize the docks from ice and wind movement. As an alternative, he stated that Mr. Niccum was also asked to provide a quote on the installation of an entirely new wooden dock. He added that he would also like to have staff ask Mr. Niccum for a quote on installing the new dock section. Jerry Hudlow stated that he would check with the City of Excelsior on the effectiveness of their dock, which had been built about five years ago by Minnetonka Portable Dredging.

“Bird Sanctuary” Ditch at Thorpe Park

Dana Young stated that he has received complaints from Dick Kruetter and Fred Zimmerman regarding the unmowed ditch at Thorpe Park. He stated that they both expressed concerns that the tall grass is unsightly, a breeding ground for mosquitoes and blocking the flow of water runoff into the pond.

Paul Skrede noted that he had heard a number of positive comments that the unmowed ditch might be helping to keep the pond clean by filtering the water before it reaches the pond. It was generally conceded, however, that the unmowed ditch probably would slow down the flow of water runoff into the pond during a substantial rainfall. Jerry Hudlow noted that the vegetation would eventually fill in ditch if the vegetation were allowed to continue to grow.

Motion by Dana Young to clean out the ditch sometime after August 15^th. Seconded by Paul Skrede. Motion carried 4-0.

Purchase of Aerator for Thorpe Pond

Discussion was held on replacing the aerator that had been stolen from Thorpe Park pond last year.

Jerry Hudlow noted that he thought that the pond water actually appears cleaner this year without the aerator. Paul Skrede stated that he would still prefer to purchase a new aerator to try to keep the pond water circulating properly and to add to the aesthetics of Thorpe Park.

Motion by Paul Skrede to purchase an aerator from MTI Distributing in the amount of $5,304.16. Seconded by Dana Young. Motion carried 4-0.

Jerry Hudlow noted that the price did not include installation but the aerator could still be installed using the existing control panel owned by the City or the City could contract for the installation of the new control panel by hiring an electrician.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn by Paul Skrede, seconded by Jerry Hudlow. Motion carried 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Public Works & Safety Committee will be held on Wednesday, August 1^st.