Call Meeting to Order

The meeting was called to order at 1:40 p.m.

Members Present

Mayor Paul Skrede, Jon Monson, Public Works Supervisor Jerry Hudlow, John Menzel, Teresa Pendleton, Police Chief Cory Johnson, City Administrator Dana Young

Members Absent

None

Safety Concerns in the Pines

Discussion was held regarding the letter that had been sent out by Mayor Skrede to the residents of the Pines asking if there were any public safety concerns now that the Co. Rd. 101 has been completed. Dana Young stated that the City received four emails from residents – two of whom expressed concerns regarding a bush blocking visibility at the intersection of Leroy and Minnetonka Blvd and two that expressed interest in a four way stop sign at Highland and Leroy.

He stated that staff has contacted the city of Minnetonka about the need to trim back the bush from the intersection. He stated that staff has not yet verified if any action has been taken by Minnetonka to alleviate the visibility problem.

Discussion was held regarding the requests to install a four way stop sign at Highland and Leroy. Chief Johnson stated that he has requested a greater police presence in this area and has instructed his officers to park in this area for at least 15 minutes during their shift to observe any traffic concerns. He stated that his officers have told him that they only see about 10 vehicles within the 15-minute time period and have not issued a single ticket for a traffic violation. He stated that it is his goal for his Department to be proactive and seen by the residents and will continue to have his staff monitor this area. He added that it also appears that the traffic counts on Highland are back to where they were prior to the Co. Rd. 101 project, when many more vehicles were cutting through Highland to avoid the intersection at 101 & Minnetonka Blvd.

The Committee concluded that a four way stop at Highland and Leroy was probably not justified at this point in time.

Safety Barricades at Beaches

Dana Young stated that he had received an email from Sara Dale regarding installing more substantial barricades at Walden Beach to prevent vehicles and snowmobiles from crossing the beach during the winter months. He stated that the City crew presently barricades all beaches with a snow fence and piles snow from the streets in front of the beach area.

The Committee recommended that Ms. Dale continue her diligent observations of the beach area and contract the Police Department whenever she sees anyone crossing the beach in a vehicle.

Other

Discussion was held regarding finding storage space for the Zamboni during the winter. Chief Johnson stated that he has a real problem in storing the Zamboni in the police garage this winter due to the increasing size of his vehicles and the need for a secure facility to store forfeited property.

Jerry Hudlow stated that he would have to park one of the regularly used plow trucks outside in order to accommodate the Zamboni. He added that the newer public works vehicles have also gotten larger to where there is markedly less space available in the maintenance garage.

Paul Skrede stated that Verizon has indicated an interest in collocating on T Mobile’s tower and will be needing to construct a maintenance shed for their equipment at Village Hall. He suggested that the City could negotiate with Verizon about expanding the size of their maintenance shed to accommodate the Zamboni. As an alternative, he also suggested that the Park Committee could explore the possibility of constructing an addition to the Sand/Salt Shed to store the Zamboni.

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

Bridge Improvements

City Engineers Dave Martini and Dennis Saari were present to discuss several issues with the Committee. Dennis Saari stated that he and Jerry Hudlow inspected the repair work done by Hennepin County Maintenance Department last month and made the following observations:

Northome Bridge

– The abutments and beams have been painted to remove the graffiti as requested.

– A guardrail has been installed to hold the riprap for slope protection instead of using grout. It was noted that this probably looks better than grout and works just as effectively but the City should request a credit from the County for not using grout.

Carson’s Bay Bridge

– The repairs are fine. It was noted that the expansion joints would need to be cleaned every spring.

Vine Hill Bridge

– The east ends of both pier caps were suppose to be repaired by sandblasting the rebar, and forming and pouring concrete over the rebar. It was noted that it doesn’t look like this was done.

Motion by Paul Skrede to recommend that staff meet with representatives from the Hennepin County Maintenance Department and the City Engineer to resolve the outstanding bridge repair issues. Seconded by Jon Monson. Motion carried 5-0.

Honeysuckle / Fairhomes Project

Dennis Saari provided a review of the Honeysuckle / Fairhomes Project. He stated that the project would likely appeal to a smaller contractor such as Widmere rather than a larger contractor. He added that temporary easements or a right of entry agreement would be needed from several property owners in order for the contractor to work outside the easement area. He stated that the project would be bid sometime in January.

Dana Young suggested a neighborhood meeting to discuss the project, the need for temporary easements and possible tree removal issues. He stated that he would like to hold the meeting sometime during the second week in January.

Pedestrian / Bike Paths to Robinson’s Bay Road & Co. Rd. 101

Jerry Hudlow stated that he reviewed the north side of Northome Blvd with City Engineer Dennis Saari for a potential location of a path to Robinson’s Bay Road. He stated that both he and the City Engineer recommended constructing a path on the south side of Northome Blvd.

Paul Skrede stated that rather than annoying property owners by installing a path on the south side, he would prefer to widen the shoulder on the north side of the road. He stated that this shoulder would provide additional safety for pedestrians by enabling them to step off of the street.

The Committee recommended meeting with public works staff this spring to review the possibility of installing a shoulder on the north side of Northome Blvd.

Holiday Lights at Village Hall

Discussion was held on the possible installation of holiday lights at Village Hall. The Committee recommended hiring a contractor to install and remove the lights due to the need to have a bucket truck. It was further recommended that the tree lighting ceremony be held on Monday, November 17^th at 4:00 p.m.

Winter Vacation Policy for Public Works

Discussion was held on the need to establish a vacation policy for public works during the winter months to avoid two or more employees from being on vacation at once. Dana Young stated that he would bring in a policy for the Committee to review next month.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn by Dana Young, seconded by Jerry Hudlow. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 2:55 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Public Works & Safety Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 2, 2008.