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03/17/1997 - City Council SpecialAGENDA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday March 17,1997 5:00 p.m. Community Room - Municipal Center Building I. ROLL CALL & ADOPTION OF AGENDA II. VISITORS TO BE HEARD 5:00-7:00 III.. JT MTG WITH ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION & NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION • Consideration of lawn chemical ordinance • Direction Re: Central Park & Other Capital Items Recognized in Lee Markeil Letter/January 31, 1997 • Direction Re: Acquisition of North Park (Borchert Ingersoll) • Prioritization of CIP Items • Direction Re: Patrick Egan Park Master Plan (includes direction re: acquisition of Lee Anderson Parcel) • Citizenship Wetland Assessment Project • Public/Private Recreation Programming • Other Business 7:00 IV. DIRECTION, AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION, PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATION 7:10 V. 1997 COMMUNICATIONS WORK PROGRAM/ WALLACE GROUP VI. OTHER BUSINESS VII. ADJOURNMENT Y_ city of eagan TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS FROM: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES DATE: MARCH 12,1997 SUBJECT: SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL ME:ETINGIMARCH 17,1997 A special City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 17, 1997 at 5:00 p.m. in the Community Room in the Eagan Municipal Center. The meeting is structured as a joint session with the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and then two other agenda items will be discussed which include direction to the Airport Relations Commission regarding professional consultation and the 1997 Communications Work Program revision for the Wallace Group. The Advisory Parks Recreation and Natural Resources Commission will leave the special City Council meeting at approximately 7:00 to begin their monthly APRNRC meeting in the Council Chambers. JOINT APRNRC MEETING There are seven items listed on the agenda that require policy direction by the City Council to the APRNRC. The following provides a brief discussion about each item followed by the direction the APRNRC and City staff needs relevant to the agenda item. Also included for City Council review are a number of items that are considered informational and, if time permits, it may be appropriate to discuss one of those items. CONSIDERATION OF LAWN CHEMICAL ORDINANCE This item has been considered by both the City Council and APRNRC. Since the Council's last discussion, a draft ordinance has been finalized and forwarded to commercial applicators for comment. Enclosed on pages _7_ through c is a copy of memo from Water Resources Coordinator Rich Brasch regarding this matter. Special City Council Meeting March 17, 1997 ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction as to whether a lawn chemical ordinance or continuation of community wide education is appropriate for coordination by the APRNRC and City staff. DIRECTION REGARDING CENTRAL PARK AND OTHER CAPITAL ITEMS LEE MARKELL LETTER Lee Markell, Chair person of the APRNRC sent a letter to the City Council dated January 31, 1997, asking for direction on several capital items including steps for a study and of possible locations and functions of community facilities including a central park. For a copy of that letter, refer to page(s) It - ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC and staff regarding each of the following items: ACQUISITION OF NORTH PARK During the past three years, the City has been considering the acquisition of a tax forfeited parcel of property that was formerly owned by Borchert Ingersoll, located in northeast Eagan, more specifically, north and adjacent to Gopher Smelting. The property has been referred to as "North Park." To date, the City has not officially acquired the property and at a recent joint meeting of the City Council and Advisory Planning Commission held on February 25, there were questions and concerns raised by City Council members as to whether the property should be acquired and designated as parkland. Whether the City should or should not acquire the tax forfeited property from the County and proceed with its designation as a park needs to be determined before any additional cost is incurred in finalizing the acquisition. For copy of background information, refer to a memo prepared by the Director of Parks and Recreation found on pages -tom through �. For information relative to the state legislation which granted the City the right to acquire the parksproperty and the exchange of property, a memo is enclosed on pages through prepared by the City Attorney's office. For a technical review and information relative to the environmental review the City has conducted, refer to correspondence prepared by the Superintendent of Parks to the MPCA on pages A through �. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC and staff regarding the future acquisition of North Park. Special City Council Meeting March 17, 1997 PRIORITIZATION OF CIP ITEMS Direction was given by the City Council to the APRNRC to evaluate all capital projects identified in the park systems plan and reprioritize those projects with the assumption that the only revenue source available for financing the CIP is the Park Site Development Fund. Enclosed on pages ;2!� Through is a copy of a work plan prepared by the Acquisition and Development Subcommittee of the APRNRC in regard to the CIP items. If the Council concurs, the subcommittee and commission will use this format as an approach to its prioritization. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction as to how the APRNRC evaluates the CIP. PATRICK EAGAN PARK MASTER PLAN The APRNRC is asking for direction regarding the preparation of a master plan for Patrick Eagan Park. Also addressed is the status on the acquisition of the Lee Anderson parcel. Enclosed on page(s)_ is a copy of a memo from the Director of Parks and Recreation. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC regarding the preparation of a master plan for Patrick Eagan Park. CITIZENSHIP WETLAND ASSESSMENT PROJECT The City has used volunteers from throughout the community for lake monitoring for a number of years. The City has an opportunity to work with Dakota County, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Audubon Society to expand citizen wetland monitoring to cost effectively provide additional useful information for local government wetland management. The program would require a modest commitment of staff time but it has the potential of leveraging substantial additional monitoring information without additional out-of-pocket costs for the City. Additional information concerning the program is enclosed in the memo on pages ,PRthroug�. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC regarding participation in the Dakota County Wetland Assessment Monitoring and Awareness Program in cooperation with the MPCA and Audubon Society. 3 Special City Council Meeting March 17, 1997 PUBLIC/PRIVATE RECREATION PROGRAMMING The City of Eagan has been contacted by the Lost Spur Country Club, the Osman Shrine Temple, asking if the City would be interested in using the golf course on a cooperative basis and providing lessons, leagues, etc. The City has also been contacted by the Eagan Athletic Club about some joint public/private recreation programming at that facility. Following a meeting with Fred Morgan, owner of the Eagan Athletic Club, it appears that his interests extend further and may include the potential for City participation in the club itself. Staff has requested a letter from Mr. Morgan in this regard. It is hoped that the letter will be available for review on Monday's meeting. Enclosed on page�A�q for City Council review is a copy of a letter from the Shrine. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC and City staff regarding future discussions with the Osman Shrine Temple regarding the Lost Spur Country Club and Eagan Athletic Club for joint recreational programming opportunities. AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATION At a special City Council meeting held jointly with the Airport Relations Commission on October 15, 1997, commission members presented a number of items for discussion with the City Council including the possibility of the City retaining a national consultant from a legal and operations standpoint to support the City in various noise abatement activities. The packet information from that meeting is enclosed on pages - / through :3.5 The minutes of the meeting reflecting the discussions are enclosed on page a 0e. Based on the Council's indications at that time, the commission requested responses from a number of nationally recognized firms. A copy of one of the letters outlining the City's potential needs is enclosed on pages through J�-. The City has received one response to date due to conflicts within the industry due to firms representing other cities in our metropolitan region. Earlier this year, the commission determined that it would be worthwhile to move forward with further analysis of the one proposal received and solidify a cost proposal for consideration by the City Council. At that time, the commission asked that the Council be informed of its intentions to be certain that it was operating within the direction given. A question was raised about the informative item, but no direction was provided at that time. The commission has asked that its Chair, Jon White, approach the City Council to get clarification as to whether to investigate the costs of a proposal in this regard or to discontinue work on this matter. While this is not a joint meeting, other members of the commission may be present as well. 4 Special City Council Meeting March 17, 1997 ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To approve or deny the continued exploration of outside professional consultation by the Airport Relations Commission along the lines defined in 1996. 1997 COMMUNICATIONS WORK PROGRAARIWALLACE GROUP The 1997 Communications Work Program was presented at a Special City Council work session on February 4. At that meeting the City Council discussed each of the goals outlined by the Communications Coordinator and the Wallace Group. Staff was directed to revise the goals and budget to represent to the City Council. The Communications Coordinator, Assistant to the City Administrator Duffy and City Administrator have met with Roy and Sheri Wallace and reviewed all of the objectives that were originally outlined in the proposed1997 Work Program. The list has been revised and reprioritized for consideration by the City Council. For a copy of that information, referto the memo from the Communications Coordinator enclosed on pages Z through. Please note that the attached information attempts to separate the tasks that are performed by our in-house Communications Coordinator from those goals that would be outsourced to the Wallace Group. Adopting a communications plan and providing more written/formal communications with the business and residential community was identified as a top goal for several years by both the City Council and management team at annual retreats. Due to funding restrictions, it took a couple of years to hire a Communications/ Recycling Coordinator (one-third recycling and two-thirds communications). It has been a conscious decision of the City Council to not add any additional staff but to outsource additional communications objectives to a consultant. The Wallace Group was hired in November of 1995 and some of their accomplishments, as directed by the City Council, in 1996 are outlined in the attached memo. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: The Wallace Group and staff are looking for direction regarding the Communications Work Program for 1997, as presented. iImillizAWI(e] Ai.�� TLHreh M TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: ADOPTION OF LAWN CHEMICAL CONTROL ORDINANCE DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Background At a joint meeting of the City Council and the Advisory Parks, Recreation. and Natural Resources Commission on December 4, 1996, one of the agenda items was the passage of a lawn chemical control ordinance as an aid in reducing phosphorus loads to the community's lakes. The City Council directed staff to meet writh potentially affected commercial applicators regarding this issue. Staff held that meeting on January 30, 1997. The attached memo to the Advisory Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission summarizes the results of the meeting and describes two options for action on the lawn chemical control issue. At its February- 24. 1997 meeting, the APRNRC voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council that a lawn chemical control ordinance be developed in accordance with the components agreed on by a working committee of APRNRC and City Council members (see attached Fertilizer Control Ordinance - Draft Components) and that the ordinance be adopted for implementation this spring. The APRNRC also directed staff to send a draft of the fertilizer ordinance to all commercial applicators invited to the January 30 meeting and solicit their input on the content of the ordinance. On February 26, staff sent a draft ordinance out for review and requested that comments be forwarded to the City by Friday. March 14. Thus far. comments have been received from four of the 15 parties to whom the draft ordinance was sent. A summary of those comments is attached. Staff will be prepared to report on the nature of all comments received at the March 17 City Council/APRNI RC workshop. Council Direction Requested Staff request direction regarding preparation and adoption of a lawn chemical control ordinance. As mentioned previously, the APRNRC has recommended that the City Council proceed with adoption of an ordinance so it can be implemented as early as possible this year. A, - J, , /-; '- � � Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator 9 TO: ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: OUTCOME OF MEETING WITH COMMERCIAL LAWN APPLICATORS; OPTIONS FOR FUTURE ACTION DATE: FEBRUARY 17, 1997 At a joint meeting of the City Council and the Advisory parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission on December 4, 1996, there -vas a discussion concerning the possible adoption of a lawn chemical control ordinance as an aid in reducing phosphorus loading to lakes. The draft ordinance was aimed primarily at licensing of commercial applicators. Commercial applicators service about one-third of the residential ;awns in Eagan and most commercial and industrial property. After some discussion, it was agreed that it would be helpful for staff to meet with potentially affected commercial applicators regarding the issue. letter to 15 commercial applicators who service this On January 17, City staff sent a area inviting them to a January 30 meeting with staff to discuss a variety of issues. All Commission members received a copy of the letter and the mailing list. Following is a brief summary of the meeting as well as an outline of future Options for action on this issue. Of the 15 commercial applicators invited to attend, 3 notified staff that they would not be able to attend because of scheduling conflicts. All expressed an interest in keeping abreast of any ordinance the City is considering adopting but also mentioned that compliance with the fertilizer control ordinances adopted by other communities in the Twin Cities did not present any insurmountable problems for their firm. One representative mentioned that an ordinance aimed Only at regulation of commercial applicators could be construed as "picking on" one group. Only one commercial applicator, Dave Hope representing Barefoot Grass, attended the January 30 meeting. In addition to Dave, Charlotte Shover of the Dakota County Extension office and Mark Zabel from the Mn Department of Agriculture attended. After a discussion of the components of a possible ordinance, Dave indicated that his company would have no problem complying with an ordinance built around that framework. Dave indicated that his firm has also developed the capability to do soil testing to tailor the fertilizer applications to the nutrient needs Of the soil, although that testing is now done only on an as -requested basis. Some minor changes to the ordinance were suggested which would affect the phosphorus content and application date components. We also discussed the most effective way to resolve problems with fertilizer and Pesticide/herbicide applications in the field if we see them. Dave and Mark both suggested contacting both the local manager of the company as well as the licensing and enforcement Personnel at the Department of Agriculture to report a problem. In addition, we agreed it would be a good idea to communicate directly with commercial lawn care company representatives in March to brief them on the community's goals for proper lawn practices to protect the 7 environment, identify what messages the community is sending to residents in this regard, an, solicit the cooperation of the company. There are two options the Commission may wish to consider in forwarding to the City Couni recommendation for future action on the lawn chemical control ordinance issue. They are as follows: I. 2. Pursue adoption of lawn the irew Qnntrnl nrriin nre The commercial applicators witn whom we communicated had no significant opposition to adoption of an ordinance following the conceptual framework discussed during the last several months. However, the City will need to act quickly if an ordinance is to be ready for this spring. While non - zoning ordinances such as this one can become effective upon adoption and publishing by the City Council, it is possible that the Council may want outside review and comment before it votes on the issue. postpone consideration of ordinance adoption for Al least one year. City staff would seek to improve communication with commercial lawn care companies regarding City objectives for phosphorus control and the role of t.ts commercial applicators in reaching those objectives. In addition, staff would make a more concerted efforts to identify and resolve problems in the field through systematic, periodic reviews of field operations this summer. Adoption of an ordinance could be re -considered after evaluation of this effort. Staff anticipates that a recommendation from the Commission would be forwarded to the City Council for consideration at their March 4 meeting or at a future Council/Commission workshop. /";�' /7' - � Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator CC. Ken Vraa M* FERTILIZER CONTROL ORDINANCE CITY OF EAGAN DRAFT COMPONENTS (January, 1997) I. Commercial applicators operating within the City would need a license from the City each year. II. Conditions of the license would be as follows: A. Phosphorus content of any fertilizer applied within the City would be limited to a maximum of 3% phosphorus by weight. B. City would be allowed to randomly sample fertilizers used by commercial applicators within the city to determine compliance with phosphorus content standards. C. The total amount of phosphorus that can be applied to a unit area of turf would be limited to .5 lbs per 1000 square feet per growing season. D. An exemption would be allowed if higher rates of application or phosphorus content is documented by a reliable soils test. E. Prohibit fertilizer applications when the ground is frozen or between November 1 and April 15. F. Prohibit spillage of fertilizer on impervious surfaces/ require clean-up. G. Require licensees to have sticker issued by City affixed to their vehicle denoting possession of a valid license for that year. III. Newly established turf grass should be exempt from the provisions of this ordinance regarding fertilizer content and application rate for the first growing season. IV. License forfeiture would likely be the primary enforcement mechanism for compliance with conditions of the license. CT SUMMARY OF COMMENTS RECEIVED ON DRAFT LAIMN CHEMICAL ORDINANCE (Prepared March 13, 1997) 1. Morgan Lloyd - Lawns -R -Us Has no problem with an ordinance if it is not much different than other communities in the Metro area and everyone will be required to play by the same rules. His company only uses phosphorus when they put down new sod. 2. Steve Churnham - Tru -Green Chemlawn He has two problems with the proposed ordinance. First, it does not regulate the homeowner. Even if it did. enforcement of an ordinance regulating homeowner use of fertilizer is impossible. Second, the dates of allowable application will vary depending on weather conditions. Also indicated that he didn't think the ordinance addressed the most significant phosphorus contributor to lakes which is vegetative material on paved surfaces. 3. Scott Severson - Greenstuff Lawn Compliance with the ordinance presented will not be a problem for his firm. The approach makes sense. His only concern is that he does not want to be required to post yet another sticker on his vehicle. 4. Chuck Sterzinger - Apple Property Services All commercial lawn care companies are already licensed by the Department of Agriculture, and are already very aware of their responsibilities to apply fertilizer in an environmentally sound manner. He does not believe licensing of commercial applicators by the City will decrease fertilizer pollution because the problem rests with individual homeowners in his opinion. They are a relatively small company with 40-50 total accounts - three of which are in Eagan- and he does not think that requirements for a license by each city will do anything but make it more difficult for responsible lawn care companies to stay in business. �o January 31, 1997 Dear Mayor Egan and City Council Members, At the most recent joint meeting with the City Council held on November 19, 1996, the Council directed the Commission and staff to pursue a study to determine the general suitability of various sites within the community for aquatic, muld•use facilities and/or a central park. In discussing the scope of this task, and In order to come back with a product that Is meaningful to the Council and community, we recognize that there needs to be greater definition given to the task by the Council. The Commission also believes that the complexity and multiplicity of Issues Involved, having to do with possible design solutions, will require the assistance of an outside consultant. Therefore, the Commission authorized me to prepare this request to the Council seeking authorization to secure the services of a park planning consultant. The scope of services for the consultant would include: 1. Assist the Commission and Council In defining a "program" to be used In the analysis of various sites. 2. Provide a space needs analysis for each of the various components. 3. Assist the Council/Commission in determining a weighted priority system for site selection. This selection process should Include, but not be limited to, the following: a. ease of access for vehicles and pedestrians, b. location within the community, c. adjacent amenities, d. physical features, e. relationship to complementary facilities which can be supportive, f. availability of Infrastructure and g. ability to meet multiple needs. 4. Do an initial survey of both public and private property to Identify the existence of sites that warrant further, more detailed review. S. Prior to the completion of a report, conduct a public Informational meetings) to solicit Input from the community for a draft document. Eagan City Council Page 2 6. Provide general direction with cost comparisons of sites. This task may lead Into a cost benefit analysis, depending on the degree of specificity In the program design of any particular facility. This Is just a general outline of the work to be completed. If the Council authorizes the use of a consultant, the Commission and staff would complete the scope of services portion which would provide greater detall. Input on the services needed Is requested from the Council to Insure the final product meets the Council's expectations. After completion of the scope of services, a request for proposal would be sent to specifically identified firms that have a background in this type of study. We believe that a firm could be selected within four to five weeks after the request for proposals are issued and could begin work immediately thereafter. This study should take four to six months to complete. In considering this, the Council may also wish to consider having a member, or members, of the Council participate in the process of work definition and consultant selection along with other consultant/Commission work sessions. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Any additional Council direction relative to this study would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Lee Markeli, Chairman Advisory Parks and Recreation and Natural Resources Commission (a 44, kb�, ...r, city of eagan TO: TOM HEDGES, CITY ADMINISTRATOR MEMO CITY COUNCIL ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: KEN VRAA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATOIN PAUL OLSON, SUPERIN"IENDENT OF PARKS DATE: MARCH 13, 1997 RE: BORCHERT-INGERSOLL (NORTH PARK) SITE BACKGROUND To meet the projected community demand for athletic facilities in the next three to five years, the City has proposed the development of a complex to be known as North Park to be located In the northeast quadrant of the City. A significant portion of the site proposed for the park Is a tax forfeited parcel known as the Borchert -Ingersoll site. By statute, tax forfeited parcels become the property of the State of Minnesota and the administrative responsibility of the County in which the parcel is locate. The tax forfeited parcel does not include the 18 acres upon which the original buildings and entrance drive are located. In 1994, the City and Mr. John Tapper, CEO of Gopher Resources, a privately operated lead recycling company located adjacent to the tax forfeited parcel (Parcels A and D) began negotiations for a land exchange involving a portion of the parcel. In exchange for a portion of the tax forfeited parcel (Parcel A), Gopher Resources would deed to the city other property contiguous with the adjoining tax forfeited land with access to Yankee Doodle Road (Parcel B). The new configuration would provide the City with an accessible site large enough to accommodate an athletic facility, preserve a major wetland and provide ownership of additional Lakeshore property. The property exchanged with Gopher would be used as part of a facility expansion project. City staff performed a preliminary review of the property with County staff assisting. Assurances that the site could successfully be "closed" as an unauthorized dump site were received. An exhibit was prepared showing the land swap which was later to be part of the materials presented to the state. In 1995, upon completion of the negotiations with Gopher and subsequent final approval of the City Council, legislation authorizing the acquisition of the tax forfeit parcel and exchange of Parcel A for Parcel C was prepared and an agreement with Gopher was approved. Because the tax forfeited property is adjacent to a state protected water body, the prior approval of the Department of Natural Resources was also required. Legislation authorizing the acquisition specified that the property be used for public purpose. The City's acquisition of the tax forfeited property for public purpose received final approval by the Legislature In 1995. In the fall of 1995, the Dakota County Department of Environmental Management requested that the City conduct a detailed environmental review and possible site "cleanup" prior to commencing park construction. Their request was based upon historical suspicions that potential environmental contaminates, produced both on and off the site, had been buried there. Field reviews by County staff had also identified a small amount of specific foreign materials often considered to be "indicators" of industrial or hazardous waste. The indicators Included pallet banding materials, mechanical components and several fluid filters. The potential contamination of ground water being the primary concern. DISCUSSION In the summer of 1996, the City contracted with an environmental consulting firm, Northern Environmental, to conduct a limited round of shallow ground water testing. The purpose of the testing was to make a preliminary assessment of contaminant leaching and flow through and under the fill pile, prior to the City assuming ownership. The initial results detected trace amounts of several foreign compounds including bis (2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate, acetone and lead. The bis/phthalate and acetone were also detected in the associated laboratory blank and were likely attributable to laboratory contamination. The lead concentration of .056 mg/I was considered minimal however additional exploration was considered to be warranted. A single shallow monitoring well capable of yielding a reproducible sample was Installed in the late summer at the point where the elevated lead level had been detected. To the surprise of all, the well was now dry. Upon further investigation it was determined that a clay "tense" had created a "perched" cell of water that was dry due to a lack of rain fall. Following consultations with Northern Environmental the City determined that it would be prudent to conduct deep well testing that would not only determine the flow of ground water under the fill pile but also develop a profile of the fill pile. At approximately the same time the City of Eagan applied for Inclusion in the Minnesota Pollution control Agency (MPCA), Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup Program (VIC). VIC staff conducted a site visitation and provided additional information regarding the program. The VIC Program appears to offer the type of assurances the City of Eagan, being the potential owner of a parcel having a questionable environmental history, would covet before consummating the acquisition. A fear of the unknown and the subsequent cost of a potential cleanup would be significant deterrents to proceeding. Following review of the City's application dated August 28, 1996 the Borchert Ingersoll Site was approved for further review and analysis by VIC staff. In November of 1996, Northern Environmental completed a second round of subsurface testing. Four wells were installed in the area of the fill pile. Two of the wells penetrated the fill pile down to ground water while the others were placed at the toe of the slope. The data revealed that the ground water did not flow directly to the adjacent pond but instead flowed in a radial pattern from North to South. Trace levels of 1,1 Dichlorethane, Methylene Chloride and DRO were detected. The Methylene Chloride was determined to be a lab contaminate while the DRO required resampling due to tab error. DRO was detected during the resampling, however the concentration was less. Soil chemistry testing and composition analysis were also completed on samples taken from those well points that had penetrated the fill pile. The fill was found to be from 16 to 25 feet thick and composed primarily of sand, gravel, concrete and black dirt with minor amounts of woody vegetation. The absence of any detectable levels of organic contaminates would seem l `� to suggest that any on-site sources were most likely small and localized. No evidence of municipal waste or other types of debris were encountered. The City had previously undertaken a cleanup and removal of surface debris from recent unauthorized dumping. In March of this year the City submitted all analytical test results and a pictorial and topographic history of the site to the MPCANIC program for their review. The City has specifically requested that the MPCA issue two types of letters providing a degree of assurance regarding any potential enforcement actions: ■ No Action Letter - States that a release of hazardous substances, according to the technical definition, had been detected however the levels detected are below the Minnesota Department of Health recommended allowable limits. As a result, no additional cleanup would be required other than perhaps the removal of unauthorized surface debris. • No Association Letter - Issued to a voluntary party who, through a good faith effort, has detected contaminants at a site which are currently the source of a detectable release or have the potential to be released. If a No Association Letter is issued, any future actions taken by the City in accordance with specified provision, will not associate the City with the release and protect the City from future cleanup liability. Upon Issuance of the No Association Letter and No Action Letter the City will submit the Information to Dakota County for their review as per the applicable County ordinances. We remain unsure of the County intentions pertaining to site cleanup, additional testing and closure plan preparation as their position has changed more than once regarding this property. In our opinion the data would seem to indicate that contaminants are present only in trace amounts posing no threat to public health or safety. Additional testing and removal of the fill would seem unreasonable and unnecessary. Our hope is that the County will draw the same conclusions and the acquisition process can be completed along with the completion of a closure plan. LAND EXCHANGE Although the City has not taken official title to the property to be exchanged with Gopher Resources, the County has permitted, and the Council has authorized the preliminary plat for the expansion of Gopher Resources. A closing on the exchange parcel can be held shortly to accommodate Gopher's expansion. 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I ) '` ' ` i 1 tt ` i r - '" //F;' 1!1 r c, /l„�,;• -�;+t. /r ,.1;'�,?:'.� �',It\+� t t\ 1ll�t I r/ dile `IAra.. t y•>w: tM• f d ,i _ '`� �/ . , Vii\ �� - - 'r �. p♦ \r..> t , � / t I ., 11 =�1, .�J \. /Irll,lr ,` .• 11•'IA)�\;� '...�,`ti!..' ;I�Ir♦l�>aA. fl l 'tt . r�.l 1 {` ..RAII ���+ :{i�`•jyuw, , r t\ 1• .i i sa / r ' I!I _..:1• . a P` ■tlii r gee ies::r:esA r ?' `•^ ' of r \ •j�' ! `\ 0 111, ., p �•� r; � t �'; \ _ ° '.i z:�-�f•%'s c a_ �• /ta �. t, ; tii I �\' �it�,t{<}i�-_ ,/;, /1, 1, n1tl.ilil'ITt(-I:` ��E^:=� rri�ltl �i:�r;�v.•t3 �>li'\ IM`- Alry�`���////��♦�Lf�+ryr„ [ -y1ry { 1,\♦ �.i- �3i� Ids=. ��yi• 7s ~��3''� 1}�1 r,�••°' 1 ii11111111111111 l , i I _ — _ /i s _ f ,Y • ..'� �. 4r• i' 1 ��� � � a`i 1 MEMORANDUM TO: Tom Hedges, City Administrator FROM: Mike Dougherty, City Attorney DATE: February 27, 1997 RE: Acquisition of North Park Our File No. 206-13051 At the joint City Council/Advisory Planning Commission meeting held on February 25, 1997, there was considerable discussion regarding the acquisition of the tax -forfeited property from the County and its designation as a park (North Park). Several Councilmembers spoke of the fact that the City has not acquired the property nor has it made a determination that the property would be designated as parkland. As you no doubt recall, due to the property being tax forfeited, the County is charged with the responsibility to oversee the disposition of the property. At the behest of Gopher Smelting, legislation was introduced and approved by the State legislature which granted the City the right to acquire the park property from the County, without any consideration. Furthermore, the legislation allowed the City to exchange a portion of the park property for a parcel of land contiguous to the park property (a parcel owned by Gopher). However, one important element of the legislation is that the conveyance to the City must explicitly provide that the land shall revert to the State of Minnesota if it is not used by the City for public park or open space. Additionally, any property that the City should receive through an exchange of the parkland property shall be similarly restricted for use as a public park or open space, any other use of the property will cause the State of Minnesota to reacquire ownership of the property. Presently, the City of Eagan is under contract with Gopher Smelting to exchange a portion of the parkland property to be acquired for a parcel contiguous to the parkland, which is owned by Gopher. On behalf of the City and Dakota County, our office has completed a quiet title action to ensure that the City has good title to the parcel to be conveyed to Gopher Smelting. Also, we have reached a tentative settlement with Gopher regarding its appeal of assessments for Yankee Doodle Road, which were levied against the parcel to be received by the City in the exchange. Assuming that the settlement of the assessment issue is approved by the City Council, the land exchange should be completed shortly. 11 We have informed the County, and I believe there have been ongoing discussions between the City and County staffs regarding the cleanup of the debris still located upon the remaining parkland property. We do not expect that the City will acquire title to the remaining parkland property until such time that the City is satisfied that all environmental issues have been satisfied. It may be that the present Council decides not to pursue acquisition of the remaining land. However, to the extent that the City does eventually acquire the remaining portion of the parkland property, that land together with the parcel acquired from Gopher Smelting is required to be held for parkland and/or open space. Any use of either parcel other than for park or open space shall cause the State of Minnesota to automatically reacquire the property. If you have any questions, please give me a call. MGD/wkt cc: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation Robert B. Bauer, Assistant City Attorney I& (city vF Cagan February 28, 1997 Mr. Joel Otto Project Manager MPCA/Site Response Section V.I.C. Unit 520 LaFayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4194 Dear Joel: THOMAS EGAN Mayor PATRICIA AWADA BEA BLOMQUIST SANDRA A. MASIN THEODORE WACHTER Council Members THOMAS HEDGES City Administrator E. J. VAN OVERBEKE City Clerk The City of Eagan has been considering the acquisition of a tax forfeited parcel of property in Eagan for nearly three years. The site, known locally as the Borchert-Ingersol parcel, is intended to be part of a proposed athletic field complex scheduled for construction in approximately 3 - 5 years. In the fall of 1995, the Dakota County Department of Environmental Management requested that the City conduct a detailed environmental review and possible site "cleanup" prior to commencing park constructionlTheir request was based upon historical suspicions that potential environmental contaminants, produced both on and off the site, had been buried there. Field reviews by County staff had also identified a small amount of specific foreign materials often considered to be "indicators" of industrial or hazardous waste. The indicators included pallet banding materials, mechanical components and several fluid filters. The potential contamination of ground water being the primary concern. In the summer of 1996 the City contracted with an environmental consulting firm, Northern Environmental, to conduct a limited round of shallow ground water testing. The purpose of the testing was to make a preliminary assessment of contaminant leaching and flow through and under the fill pile, prior to the City assuming ownership. The initial results detected trace amounts of several foreign compounds including bis (2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate, acetone and lead. The bis/phthalate and acetone were also detected in the associated laboratory blank and were likely attributable to laboratory contamination. The lead concentration of .056 mg/1 was considered minimal however additional exploration was considered to be warranted. MUNICIPAL CENTER 3830 PILOT KNOB ROAD EAGAN, MINNESOTA 55122-1897 PHONE: (612) 681.4600 FAX (612)681-4612 TDD: (612) 454-8535 THE LONE OAK TREE THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY Equal Opportunity[ 19 Employer Cont'd..... MAINTENANCE FACILITY 3501 COACHMAN POINT EAGAN. MINNESOTA 55122 PHONE (612) 681-4300 FAX (612) 681-4360 TDD (612) 454-8535 Mr. Joel Otto February 28, 1997 Page 2 A single shallow monitoring well be capable of yielding a reproducible sample was installed in the late summer at the point where the elevated lead level had been detected. To the surprise of all, the well was now dry. Upon further investigation it was determined that a clay "lense" had created a "perched" cell of water that was dry due to a lack of rain fall. Following consultations with Northern Environmental the City determined that it would be prudent to conduct deep well testing that would not only determine the flow of ground water under the fill pile but also develop a profile of the fill pile. At approximately the same time the City of Eagan applied for inclusion in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup Program (VIC). VIC staff conducted a site visitation and provided additional information regarding the program. The VIC Program appears to offer the type of assurances the City of Eagan, being the potential owner of a parcel having a questionable environmental history, would covet before consummating the acquisition. A fear of the unknown and the subsequent cost of a potential cleanup would be significant deterrents to proceeding. Following review of the City's application dated August 28, 1996 the Borchert Ingersol Site was approved for further review and analysis by VIC staff. In November of 1996 Northern Environmental completed a second round of subsurface testing. Four wells were installed in the area of the fill pile. Two of the wells penetrated the fill pile down to ground water while the others were placed at the toe of the slope. The data revealed that the ground water did not flow directly to the adjacent pond but instead flowed in a radial pattern from North to South. Trace levels of 1,1 Dichloroethane, Methylene Chloride and DRO were detected. The Methylene Chloride was determined to be a lab contaminant while the DRO required resampling due to lab error. DRO was detected during the resampling, however the concentration was less. Soil chemistry testing and composition analysis were also completed on samples taken from those well points that had penetrated the fill pile. The fill was found to be from 16 to 25 feet thick and composed primarily of sand, gravel, concrete and black dirt with minor amounts of woody vegetation. The absence of any detectable levels of organic contaminants would seem to suggest that any on-site sources were most likely small and localized. No evidence of municipal waste or other types of debris were encountered. Given the level of testing completed to date by the City and predicated upon PCA/VIC review and approval of the materials included in this submission the City of Eagan is requesting the issuance of a No Association Letter and a No Action Letter prior to its acquisition of the parcel. The City only became aware of the potential for contamination during the preacquisition process. The City has made a good faith effort, at its expense, to determine the level of contamination, if Cont'd..... Mr. Joel Otto February 28. 1997 Page 3 any. The City had previously undertaken a cleanup and removal of surface debris from recent unauthorized dumping. Upon assuming ownership of the parcel the City would again remove loose surface debris in anticipation of the park construction process. The primary fill area is the proposed location of a parking lot. Slope stabilization work may also be completed if necessary. Upon issuance of the No Association Letter and No Action Letter the City will submit the information to Dakota County for their review as per the applicable County ordinances. We remain unsure of the County intentions pertaining to site cleanup, additional testing and closure plan preparation. In our opinion the data would seem to indicate that contaminants are present only in trace amounts posing no threat to public health or safety. Additional testing and removal of the fill would seem unreasonable and unnecessary. Our hope is that the County will draw the same conclusions. To aide you and the VIC staff in a review of the site and circumstances I have enclosed a variety * of attachments per your request. Each individual item is numbered to correspond with the following summary description. #1 Results of step 1 Environmental Investigation #2 Results of ground water monitoring, well installation and sampling (step 2). #3 Areal Photographic a) 1937 1:20,000 b) 1940 1:20,000 C) 1951 1:20,000 d) 1957 1:20,000 e) 1964 1:20,000 f) 1966 1:20,000 g) 1973 1:24,000 h) 1978 1:9,600 I) 1990 1:9,600 j) 1991 1:40,000 #4 Topographic History a) 1896 1:62.500 b) 1951 1:24,000 C) 1967 1:24,000 d) 1993 1:24,000 (Contour Interval) C.I. = 20' C.I. = 10' C.I. = 10' C.I. = 10' a� Cont'd..... Mr. Joel Otto February 28, 1997 Page 4 #5 Anecdotal Interviews a) John Tapper Gopher Resources b) Other Sources - Carl Robinette 425-1649 Gopher Resources (40 years) no recollection of seeing hazardous material dumping, primarily construction debris. - Mike Doyle 854-8544 Excavator (1980's) Saw no dumping of materials other than construction debris. The City of Eagan looks forward to working with you and the VIC program. Should you require any additional information or desire to discuss an issue please contact me at 6814313. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Respectfully r Paul Olson Superintendent of Parks PO/PJP CC Tom Hedges, City Administrator Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation I:144wpyoelotto.059 JOINT COUNCIL/APRNRC MEETING March 17, 1997 5:00 PM FOR COUNCIL/COMMISSION ACTION Review the draft methodology and criteria for development of the Parks Capital Improvement Program and provide direction/approval of process. BACKGROUND The City Council has requested that the Advisory Commission prepare a Capital Improvement Program for the Park Site Acquisition and Development Fund which responds to the question, "If this was all the money you were to have, how would you spend It?". The amount of money being identified is $2,000,000. The sub -committee, Lee Markell, Terry Davis and Michael Vincent, have met to begin that task. (See attachment for additional background.) DRAFT OUTLINE The sub -committee's work has focused on developing the internal process and criteria for prioritization. The basis of this prioritization begins with the Vision and Mission Statement of the Department: To preserve and enhance ecologically diverse open space throughout the City of Eagan, continue parks development and provide high quality active, educational opportunities to meet current and future needs and interests of a diverse and changing population. The sub -committee has developed 7 criteria to be used in evaluating park needs. Clearly the objective criteria needs to be framed within subjective realities. The sub -committee recognizes the importance of balance between athletic, neighborhood, revitalization, preservation and acquisition. The ongoing intent should be to invest in a diversity of needs and projects for those the City serves. A measure of flexibility must be maintained beyond the first years to be able to rapidly respond to needs that are emerging or may become clearly defined. The proposed C.I.P. prioritization criteria are. Those projects that: • The City has expressed a commitment to perform. For example, Walden Heights Park. • Focus on needed neighborhood parks development or enhancement. • Meet Consumer Products Safety Commission guidelines or other safety regulations or guidelines. • Require compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. • Generate revenue. • Reduce long term operational costs. • Realize partnership opportunities. Each of the above criteria will be individually weighted. A previous commitment may be weighted at 30%. A realized partnership opportunity at 5%. 93 The sub -committee also felt that the C.I.P. prioritization process should focus on projects that are estimated to be in excess of $10,000. Smaller projects, while perhaps vital to neighborhoods, would be cumbersome and time consuming within the process, given the size of the task. Therefore, projects less than this amount would be combined together and processed through a designated portion of the Park Site Fund set aside specifically to deal with these needs. These funds could be identified as "contingency". In addition, the sub -committee would like to designate a portion of the funds for the unforeseen and the unexpected opportunities that are certain to arise. FORMAT FOR PRESENTATION The Commission would develop a matrix formula to evaluate each park/park project utilizing the aforementioned criteria. This matrix Is a "working document" and might appear as in the following example: The sub -committee speculated on how the Council would like the C.I.P. presented and reasoned that a matrix would be simple, readable and understandable. An example Is provided: Park Name $$ Criteria $$$ Replace Trail Blackhawk E $$ ++ J a v 3 Season Shelter Park Name Project 1#11#21#31#441#5 $$ $$$ #6 #7 T7 Overall Conclusion Berry Patch Replace old trail and � � O> E v broken stairway. Blackhawk Constuct 3 season building on north side. The sub -committee speculated on how the Council would like the C.I.P. presented and reasoned that a matrix would be simple, readable and understandable. An example Is provided: Park Name Notation Berry Patch $$ to $$$ Replace Trail Blackhawk E $$ ++ v 3 Season Shelter Bridle Ridge $$ $$$ � Bur Oak T7 issi- O � � O> E v o a j m Notation Berry Patch $$ $$$ Replace Trail Blackhawk $$ $$$ 3 Season Shelter Bridle Ridge $$ $$$ Light Parking Lot Bur Oak T7 issi- - I $$$ I Install Security Light The matrix would also identify for the reader which projects would not be funded from the $2,000,000. FOR COUNCIL/COMMISSION DISCUSSION The sub -committee would like consensus and additional direction. If this process format is acceptable, the subcommittee and Commission would like to move forward with this process. Memo to: Acquisition and Development Committee From: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation Re: Capitol Improvements Program, Park Site Fund Date: December 26, 1996 Issue: The City Council has asked the Commission to recommend a Capitol Expenditure budget for parks development, based on the funding available in the Park Site Fund. The Council has identified this approach as "Pay as You Go" History: Staff and Commission have previously presented five year CIP documents that projected the financial needs and costs for park development for the five year period. The costs for these projects usually exceeded the funds in the park site fund, inferring that either the items identified in the CIP would not all be completed or additional sources of revenues would have to be found to finance the project list. Typically the first year of the CIP project list was approved. In 1996 that list included several projects that were not completed, such as the Walden Heights neighborhood park or the trail in Wondering Walk Park. These two projects were included for work in anticipation of the needed parkland dedication and, particularly as in the case with Walden Heights, the very high priority given for the completion of this park. Obviously, the park dedications have not occurred, and the projects remain undone. Status of the Park Site Fund. As projected in November of 1995 for fiscal 1996, the Park site fund would finish the year with about $360,000 in reserves. However, revenues from park dedication in 1996 have been more then triple that which was forecasted and, because projects were not initiated and Blackhawk was under expenditure projections, the Park Site Fund will finish 1996 with a carry forward balance of just over 1.7 million. 1997 revenues will bring that total to about 2 million. Priority for funding. Given the Council direction, "if this were all the money you were to have, how would you spend it?" the Commission needs to develop a priority list of projects to be done over the next several years. Implied, if not stated, is that there would be no park bond 2s referendum to fund needs that go beyond the funds that are now or will be in the fund in the future. Given the potentially long list of possible park projects, the commission should first consider what are the guidelines to be used to help decide what are the priorities? Should neighborhood park development come before community parks or is it just the opposite? Where does acquisition come in? Do current needs take priority over projected needs of five to seven years? What about projects that were identified for 1996 and not done or those projected for 1997. Where to start, where to go. Clearly, there is no one singular place to start. There are probably a dozen approaches that could be taken to come up with both the criteria to develop the list and the list itself. The Commission has a great deal of information already in place and that is the park systems plan. This document helped identify the vast number of potential projects / needs of the park system from lighting of ball fields to replacement of play equipment. Reviewing this document should help the committee and commission as it tackles this task. Time Frame for Completion. Although there is no stated deadline for completion., its reasonable that at least a major portion be done soon or at least this corr.ing years projects identified and agreeded to. There are several projects that were previously identified to be funded for this coming year (1997) and work initiated on them in anticipation that they would be underway. These projects should either be identified as priority projects to be continued or they are not as important- as mportantas projects several years hence. Although it would be ideal to have a final list completed at one time, this may not be possible. Having a partial list in order to have projects underway for this coming year should be considered. Lets get Started! I would like the sub -committee to meet the week of Jan 6. Would you be able to meet at 5:00 on Wednesday the 8th? Please advise if this not acceptable and other dates that are preferred. Respectfuxly, �� O/A JOINT COUNCIL/APRNRC MEETING March 17, 1997 PATRICK EAGAN PARD FOR COUNCIL/COMMISSION ACTION Staff Is seeking direction in regards to Patrick Eagan Park in general and specifically two Issues relative to the park. BACKGROUND At a previous joint Commission/Council meeting, direction was given to continue to work with the land owners (Lee Andersons) to the south of the entrance road off Lexington Avenue to determine if there was still an interest in selling a portion of their property for incorporation into the park. Staff was to report back on the outcome of those discussions. The Council will recall that the City has a Scenic and Open Space matching grant from the Department of Natural Resources for $26,000 with which to acquire a portion of the 10+ acre parcel. Staff has received a grant extension from the DNR giving the City until May 1, 1997 to come to some conclusion on the grant. Staff met with Mr. Anderson a few weeks ago to discuss options. Mr. Anderson had several questions regarding sanitary sewer availability and how much of his property might be serviced. Gravity sewer would not be serviceable to a significant portion of his property thus requiring a lift station or individual septic systems if developed. Staff met with Mr. Howard Kyllo on Friday, March 14 to review possible development ideas for the Anderson parcel. Mr. Kyllo stated that the Andersons had contacted him for advice on the options open to them which include full development or sale of a portion of the land and dedication of a portion. The second issue associated with the park has to do with the recent passing of Lillian McCarthy. Lillian had a life estate in her home and with her recent passing, the City will take possession of the home on May 31. Her daughter and son in law, who had been staying with Lillian to take care of her, are organizing her possessions and intend to have an estate sale In May before vacating the home. Discussion and direction is requested regarding what might be done with the home in the short and long term. Should the home be rented? What feasible options should be explored that require more Information? Is there a park purpose for the structure? Is this finally the time to develop a "master plan" for the entire park or is the incremental approach still acceptable? TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: PARTICIPATION IN DAKOTA COUNTY )XTTLAND ASSESSMENT, MONITORING, AND AWARENESS PROGRAM DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Issue The issue before the Council and Commission is whether the City should participate in a cooperative program with Dakota County-, the MN Pollution Control Agency (MnPCA), and the Audubon Council for development and evaluation of a citizen -based wetland monitoring. assessment, and education program. Background Dakota County. the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Audubon Society are proposing a cooperative project to test and evaluate a wetland monitoring methodology that can be implemented by citizens and will generate information of use to local governments in wetland management. The principle thrust of the program is to train citizens to carry out a technically valid monitoring technique which relies on a systematic evaluation of vegetation and invertebrates to assess the quality of the wetland. Equally important is whether the information generated from the program will be useful to local governments in their water resource and wetland management efforts. The effort is similar to one started by MnPCA more than 20 years ago to involve citizens in monitoring and tracking lake water clarity on a systematic basis. City water resources staff currently coordinate the involvement of 15-25 citizen lake monitoring volunteers who monitor lakes within Eagan. A similar citizen -based wetlands monitoring project was tested last year on a small sub -set of volunteers composed mainly of teachers from Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville. The participants were universally enthusiastic about their participation in the program. This years effort would be expanded to include lay citizens as well and would cover a larger geographic area of Dakota County. The development and application of the technique is drawing national interest for two principle reasons. First, it may be a very cost-effective way of generating information on the quality of wetland resources that local governments could find useful in establishing priorities for wetland protection. Second, it may be a way for citizens to generate useful, technically valid information f on a very important aspect of the natural resources base and thus become actively involved in wetland resource management at the grass roots level. Project Proposal Description The project would involve three tasks. The first is citizen monitoring of selected depressional wetlands. It is expected that a total of six teams of five volunteers/team will be operating within Dakota County, with each team monitoring 5-10 wetlands. If the City elects to participate in the project, 1-2 teams would cover Eagan. The second task involves performing a detailed technical investigation of a sub -set of wetlands monitored by citizens in order to evaluate the accuracy of the citizen assessments. This task would be performed either by outside technical experts of MnPCA staff. The third task would be the development of public education materials on the wetland resources of Dakota County. Duties of City water resources staff in the project would include recruitment of volunteers, participation in wetland assessment training sessions put on by MnPCA staff, selection of sites, providing technical guidance and coordination assistance for citizen teams, and review and distribution of education materials. The term of the project is expected to extend through September 1998, and a City water resources staff time commitment of 100-145 hours is estimated. No significant cash outlay on the part of the City will be required. The majority of the coordination responsibilities for the project will lie with the Dakota County Environmental Education Program, with the cities of Burnsville, Lakeville, and Eagan the main municipal cooperators. It is expected that a presentation of the results of the project would be made to the City upon completion of the effort. For Council/Commission Action Staff seeks direction from the Council and Commission regarding whether the City should participate in the project. -s Coordinator Robert E. Ferguson 1997 Potentate 1720 Taconite Trail Eagan, MN 55122 Phones Res. (612) 454-3909 Bus. (612) 683-6980 Fax. 4612) 683.6870 DIVAN Ronald L. Nelson Chief Rabban Jerry Plachecki Assistant Rabbon Stanley R. Tyler High Priest & Prophet Thomas L. Huppert Onental Guide L.R. "Larry" Stahl Recorder George Toby Treasurer Ricks rd E. Thompson First Ceremonial Master Henry M. Paulson Second Ceremonial Master Sally Robins arector/Counselor Michael L Hildebrand Marshafl Rahn S. Lund Captain of the Guard Charles V. Ferguson Outer Guard A.A.O.N.M.S. r3 � OsmMShrl" 2750 Sibley Memorial Highway . St. Paul, MN 55121 (612) 452-5660 . Fax (612) 683-0231"a11� Marvin L. Ellison, Business Manager 'n J February 19, 1997 Mr Thomas Hedges, City of Eagan 3830 Pilot Knob Rd Eagan, Mn 55122 City Administrator Subject: Lost Spur Golf and Country Club Dear Mr Hedges: Mr. Ferguson and I met with you and the Mayor on December 19, 1996 to discuss the potential interest by the city of Eagan for the use of the golf course. We appreciate ven- much your spending time with us to discuss this matter. We came away from our meeting with a feeling that we perhaps maybe able to develop a relationship with the city of Eagan for use of the Lost Spur Golf Course. The Lost Spur Management Committee at its Januar- 14, 1997 meeting, reviewed and speculated on the matter of the City of Eagan's potential interest in using the Lost Spur Golf Course in some way for the 1997 golf season. We would like to propose we meet with the appropriate City of Eagan stats members in the near future to discuss the city's potential interest and to provide for scheduling of the City's programs at the Lost Spur Golf Course it the City is interested in programming here in 1997. Please achise if you have any questions regarding this proposal. Sincerely Yours, `Jere T Sigvertsen, AIA G `'r cc: Robert Ferguson Lost Spur Mgnt Committee 3c) Host of the 1997 Midwest MEMO? _city or •agan TO: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES FROM: ASSISTANT TO THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR HOHENSTEIN DATE: OCTOBER 11, 1996 SUBJECT: ISSUE OVERVIEW - CITY COUNCIL AND AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION JOINT MEETING The City's Airport Relations Commission last met jointly with the City Council at the end of 1995 as the Council took up the issue of the Dual Track Airport Planning Process. As you know the State concluded that the process be ended in the last Legislative session and that facilities at the current site be expanded to accommodate projected growth. While the airport issue has become less important to some communities in the aftermath of this decision, its immediacy for the City of Eagan has increased due to the continued high growth of operations and the expected construction of the North-South runway as the means of expansion of the current site. The Commission has identified a number of issues to be shared with the City Council. Because of the limited time available at the workshop meeting, they have prioritized the Hems they wish to discuss to conform with the time available. BACKGROUND The City of Eagan has experienced a growing incidence of aircraft noise impacts in the years following the introduction of jets in the commercial airline fleet and especially since deregulation resulted in the increased use of Minneapolis -St. Paul International Airport as a hub. At the same time, the City has been developing, while designating a substantial portion of the northern part of the City for noise compatible land uses such as commercial and industrial. Despite this planning effort, noise effects are still felt in many parts of the community. This is partially because some residents will be bothered by aircraft at different levels of impact and partially because the sheer number of operations Is far above what many people experienced when they first moved into their homes. In addition, the north -south runway will introduce overflights in areas of south, west and central Eagan which have received substantially Hess noise in the past. 31 C L ION ITEM Land Use Policies and Metro olitan Council Policy Qontours - The City of Eagan has a long standing history of concentrating commercial and industrial uses in areas expected to be impacted by aircraft noise. The City's planning has been reinforced by land use compatibility guidelines prepared by the Metropolitan Council. These policies generally defined the Eagan -Mendota Heights Corridor where aircraft are to be concentrated. Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Council began the process of amending the Aviation System Statement and Guide Plan to conform with the approved expansion plan. One of the primary aspects of the amendment was to develop new noise policy zone boundaries consistent with expanded operations. Staff shared the initial proposed boundaries with the City Council and received direction to urge the Metropolitan Council to retain noise zones of a sufficient size to maintain noise compatible uses where they currently exist. At the same time, the Airport Relations Commission was reviewing the City's noise policies for land use and concluded that the tools themselves - conditions for noise attenuation and notice to buyers as conditions of subdivision - were still valid but that the area in which they are applied should be expanded. Their reasons are that noise impacts are felt over a broader area than is depicted in typical DNL 65 or 60 contours, any reduction in the area controlled by the policies might tend to encourage residential development too close to the airport and the introduction of new noise in west and south Eagan requires some guidance for infill development and redevelopment of the area. These issues were discussed with the Metropolitan Council and their advisory bodies are recommending that the current policies be retained and that they be applied to an area around the airport up to one mile from the current 60 DNL contour. This is at least as large and somewhat larger than the current policy contours. The Council is expected to put this draft amendment out for comment in the next several weeks and the Commission will provide a formal recommendation to the City Council at that time. Rather than the City developing policy boundaries of its own, it appears more logical to respond instead to the Metropolitan Council's proposal, especially since it so closely conforms to the findings of our own Commission. M P Mitigation Program - Mayor Egan has been an active participant in the MSP Mitigation Committee, using input from the Commission as a basis for negotiations with the other cities, the MAC and Metropolitan Council. The City's stated position as recommended by the Commission had four main points: 1. State Funding for Abatement and Mitigation - As Much a Part of the Airport Decision as its Location 2. Larger Mitigation Area - More Mitigation Tools than Part 150 - 60 DNL plus 3-2-1 Phase -In of Noise Abatement Programs - MSP Airport Area Concept Package 3. Equitable Sharing of Impacts by All Benefitting Communities - Narrower Corridor Operations - River Bottom Departure for Runway 17-35 Traffic - Expansion of Nighttime Hours - Nighttime Operations on Runway 4-22 4. independent Operations Monitoring System The draft Mitigation Report attached outlines the results of the process. The report Includes a number of Eagan's positions or modifications of them. In particular: 1. MAC funding should exceed the currently projected $25.5 million per year and, if that Is not sufficient to complete the program in a reasonable time frame, state funding should be requested. 2. The Sound Insulation program will be completed to the year 2005 60 DNL with consideration of a reduced insulation package (3-5 dB) to the 54 DNL if it is warranted after homes within the 60 DNL contour are completed. The Community Protection Package plus additional community stabilization tools are included in the proposal. 3. Corridor operations will be reviewed although there are interests in Inver Grove Heights and Minneapolis lobbying to rescind corridor operating standards as a part of that review. A river bottom standard instrument departure will be one of the tracks used for operations to the south and west. The MAC will negotiate with the airlines to expand the voluntary nighttime restriction hours by one-half hour to 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Runway 4-22 will be used more hours of the day and night as anticipated in the runway extension EIS. On the downside, the committee is recommending, over the Mayors opposition, that construction of the north - south runway be moved up and benchmarks of groundbreaking in 1998 and operations in 2003 were established. The Commission believes that the City of Eagan's interests are best served by that runway being built as late as possible so that the quietest possible stage III fleet is in place before operations begin over that part of the City. 4. The report calls on MAC to expand its ANOMS monitoring system although it is non-specific as to the extent of the expansion and did not endorse the concept of a separate system that wouldn't require FAA participation. 5. Other aspects of the report evolved through the discussions and negotiations between the Mayors and MAC. The Commission wishes to discuss the implications of the report with the Council and what additional positions, if any, the City should take in this regard. Since the report will ultimately be forwarded to the legislature, it may make sense to include the report or desired modifications of it In the City's airport legislative program. 33 PRATES AND FEEDBACK Legislative Program and initiatives - The Council previously approved a Commission recommendation to support federal legislation requiring the Department of Transportation to further limit noise impacts in areas around airports. Last year, the City also adopted a legislative program for state airport issues and pursued it with the City's Legislative delegation. It is anticipated that a number of airport related issues will still be before the Legislature this year especially in light of the fact that operations growth continues to exceed projections. At the last Commission meeting, Chair Schlax submitted the attached draft of legislative issues for consideration by the Council and Commission together with any issues raised by Tuesday's discussion. Leg at Consultation -The Commission has been exploring the possibility of discussing the City's aircraft noise situation with a national consultant from a legal and operations standpoint. Mayor Egan contacted the firm of Cutler and Stanfield at the most recent NOISE Conference to determine whether they might submit a proposal for this service. The firm declined citing a possible conflict of interest because of previous work done for the City of Minneapolis. Staff continues to research the possibility with other firms and has received a response from one firm to date. The Commission will review any proposals and provide a recommendation to the City Council. INFORMATION ITEMS urrent Operations and Noise Abatement Departure Profiles - The level of operations outside of the corridor continues to be excessive, averaging between twenty and twenty- five percent of all flights from the south parallel runway. Over the past year, the City is also experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of short final arrivals which overfly the City and make sharp turns to get into the arrival pattern. The City has been in contact with the FAA concerning both of these issues with limited success. With respect altitude, rather than location, the MAC has withdrawn its earlier analysis of the Noise Abatement Departure Profiles and will be developing a new analysis for City review later this year. The Commission will review this information when it is available and provide a recommendation to the Council for a City position at that time. Community _ Survey Resc)onses - The Commission recently reviewed the Community survey results as they pertain to aircraft noise. The consultants also provided a breakdown of the locations of those responses within the City. The Commission noted that aircraft noise Is significant in that It was the second most mentioned negative aspect of the community, following taxes, and more than sixty percent of those who find their neighborhood's noise environment to be poor cited, aircraft noise as the reason. The responses were spread throughout the City with some concentrations near the edges and ends of the corridor. The Commission is cautious about drawing too many conclusions about the location data because the raw number of the responses was fairly limited. It was concluded however that aircraft noise impacts are felt throughout the City and not concentrated in one area. C-3 .§ound Insulation Prooram - Recent articles have raised concerns about the effects of the sound insulation program on indoor air quality. Articles in this regard are attached. The MAC is moving quickly to respond to these concerns by communicating with the affected homeowners, distributing carbon monoxide detectors and preparing designs to remediate the problem and better ventilate the homes. Detectors and remediation will also become standard features of the program for future homes. K would appear that the problems encountered are scattered, are the natural consequence of tightening a home's exterior and can be corrected relatively easily once detected. The Commission looks forward to this opportunity to meet with the City Council and staff would be happy to provide any additional information the Council may require. Assistant to the City Administrator EAGAN SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES; OCTOBER 15, 1596 PAGE 2 adopt an ordinance requiring residents to provide the responsibility of snow removal adjacer>D�. Vxn-r- ` - property in certain areas. JOINT MEETING WITH AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMITTEE Mayor Egan welcomed members of the Airport Relations Committee who were present for the joint meeting. Commission Chair Mike Schlax overvieewed the issues currently before the Commission which warrant discussion with the City Council. in addition to several updates, the discussion items were noise related land use policies, noise mitigation for an expanded airport and how these issues should be pursued through the legislature and legal channels. With respect to Airport Noise Land Use Policies, the Commission asked the Council what its expectations are in terms of land use controls around operations areas including the corridor and the north/south runway. Mayor Egan noted that the Comprehensive Plan and conditions placed on subdivisions are useful tools to prevent noise sensitive land uses in noise impact areas. City Councilmember Hunter stated that the corridor generally works, despite flaws in the operations and that few people purchasing homes in the City are surprised by planes being overhead. Mayor Egan stated that the Commission and the Council should consider the appropriate contours for land use, mitigation and stabilization tools Including contours for the north/south runway. With respect to mitigation, Mayor Egan noted that the MSP Mitigation Committee did not accept all of the positions of the City, but that mitigation will be provided beyond the 65 DNL and that the City was successful in forming alliances with other communities, especially Minneapolis. The Commission noted that the mitigation plan does not provide for an independent noise and operations monitoring system with enforcement. The Mayor responded that the City was not successful in getting support for this recommendation. City Councilmember Awada stated that it is important to keep operations in the corridor and the Commission agreed that it wants to see the corridor enforced and that the current levels of 20 to 25 percent of operations outside the corridor is unacceptable. Commissioner Harrison stated that actual excursions are higher. Mayor Egan also noted that the growth projections used in airport planning are dramatically understated. The City Council asked the Commission to monitor the ongoing progress of the mitigation program. There was discussion of the use of a legal and operations consultant to assist the City with its positions. Councilmember Awada stated that if there is something that the City can do legally to enforce operations standards, it should be explored.- Councilmember Wachter asked the Commission to recommend a legislative program based on City priorities and initiatives which were omitted from the Mitigation Committee report. In particular, the Council noted that a triggering mechanism in the law for reconsideration of land banking or other growth options would be worthwhile. OTHER BUSINESS There were no items for other business. The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. to the regular City Council meeting. October 15, 1996 Date ` City► of czag n Thank you very much for the opportunity to briefly discuss Eagan's aircraft noise situation and the interest we have in retaining a firm or firms for consultation concerning operations alternatives for Minneapolis -St. Paul International Airport. The City's initial interest would be to consult with an attorney or operations specialist knowledgeable in federal noise regulations to brief on the growth of operations at MSP, the proposed expansion of the airport, the history of noise compatible land use planning in Eagan, the airport's noise abatement activities and legal and operational parameters for alternatives. This briefing would be followed by one or more in-person consultations with the City Council, City staff and Airport Relations Commission concerning possible alternatives and strategies for bringing about the changes necessary to limit operations impacts in Eagan to the greatest extent possible. Depending upon the strategies selected, the City may retain the firm or firms for additional consultation, negotiation, professional support or legal action as appropriate. By way of background, the City of Eagan is a developing community south and southeast of MSP. The airport's two principle runways direct between fifty-five and sixty percent of all operations to the southeast. Due to the timing of construction of major river crossings and interstate highways, Eagan developed recently enough to anticipate the impacts of commercial jet airport operations on these runways. Based upon the operational representations of the airport, FAA and the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning agency, a large area of the northern part of Eagan was planned for noise -compatible, commercial and industrial development. A substantial portion of that area has developed consistent with that plan while much of the southern portion of the community, where noise impacts were to be less, consists of various densities of residential and retail development. In the early 1970's, MSP developed its first preferential runway system and, recognizing the noise compatible planning to the southeast, designated that direction to have first priority for operations. In response to this designation, Eagan negotiated a set of departure and arrival procedures to maintain operations over the noise -compatible area and to minimize operations over noise sensitive areas. The airport, FAA and airlines participated in these negotiations which culminated in the definition of the Eagan/Mendota Heights Corridor in the local tower order. MUNICIPAL CENTER 3830 PILOT KNOE ROAD EAGAN N1"NNES07A 55':22.1897 PHONE (0',2)681-4000 FAX (o'2) 68�-4612 TDC (c121454.8535 THE LONE OAK TREE THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY Equal Opportuniiy/Affirmotive Action Employer 3 - MAINTENANCE FACILITY 350' COAL 114% PC:N. EAGAN. M;NN=SC'A 5=:22 PHONE FAX (612) 08 i-43 TDD (6i2)454 -E535 THOMAS EGAN Mov. September 20, 1996 PATRICIA AWADA BEA BLOMQUIST Richard W. Danforth SANDRA A. MASIN.. THEODORE WACHTER R.W. Danforth and Associates Ltd. Ccuncd [�Iembe•s 303 Harbor Drive THOMAS HEDGES Seneca, SC 29627 City Ad r *!to.`. E. J. VAN OVERBEKE Dear Mr. Danforth: Cjry Cie,k Thank you very much for the opportunity to briefly discuss Eagan's aircraft noise situation and the interest we have in retaining a firm or firms for consultation concerning operations alternatives for Minneapolis -St. Paul International Airport. The City's initial interest would be to consult with an attorney or operations specialist knowledgeable in federal noise regulations to brief on the growth of operations at MSP, the proposed expansion of the airport, the history of noise compatible land use planning in Eagan, the airport's noise abatement activities and legal and operational parameters for alternatives. This briefing would be followed by one or more in-person consultations with the City Council, City staff and Airport Relations Commission concerning possible alternatives and strategies for bringing about the changes necessary to limit operations impacts in Eagan to the greatest extent possible. Depending upon the strategies selected, the City may retain the firm or firms for additional consultation, negotiation, professional support or legal action as appropriate. By way of background, the City of Eagan is a developing community south and southeast of MSP. The airport's two principle runways direct between fifty-five and sixty percent of all operations to the southeast. Due to the timing of construction of major river crossings and interstate highways, Eagan developed recently enough to anticipate the impacts of commercial jet airport operations on these runways. Based upon the operational representations of the airport, FAA and the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning agency, a large area of the northern part of Eagan was planned for noise -compatible, commercial and industrial development. A substantial portion of that area has developed consistent with that plan while much of the southern portion of the community, where noise impacts were to be less, consists of various densities of residential and retail development. In the early 1970's, MSP developed its first preferential runway system and, recognizing the noise compatible planning to the southeast, designated that direction to have first priority for operations. In response to this designation, Eagan negotiated a set of departure and arrival procedures to maintain operations over the noise -compatible area and to minimize operations over noise sensitive areas. The airport, FAA and airlines participated in these negotiations which culminated in the definition of the Eagan/Mendota Heights Corridor in the local tower order. MUNICIPAL CENTER 3830 PILOT KNOE ROAD EAGAN N1"NNES07A 55':22.1897 PHONE (0',2)681-4000 FAX (o'2) 68�-4612 TDC (c121454.8535 THE LONE OAK TREE THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY Equal Opportuniiy/Affirmotive Action Employer 3 - MAINTENANCE FACILITY 350' COAL 114% PC:N. EAGAN. M;NN=SC'A 5=:22 PHONE FAX (612) 08 i-43 TDD (6i2)454 -E535 In particular, departures were to be issued a heading approximately ten degrees north of centerline for at least three miles from the runway end and arrivals were to be vectored to a four mile final approach. The Metropolitan Council, in consultation with the airport and FAA, incorporated modeled assumptions for the procedures into the regional planning policies for cities surrounding MSP. Following deregulation and the operations growth associated with Northwest and Republic hubbing activity, the corridor procedures began to erode and, by extension, the land use controls became less effective means of noise abatement. Operations increasingly impacted adjacent neighborhoods despite ATCT's insistence that no procedures had been changed. In 1986, the Tower Order was changed internally to broaden the operations area by adjusting departures south to the localizer. Despite resident protests, no environmental review was done and the changes were left in place. Over the past ten years compliance with even the expanded operations area has further deteriorated to the point that approximately twenty-five percent of all operations on the south parallel runway track south of the localizer within the first three miles. The level of non-compliance is reported monthly through the airport's ANOMS system. Despite Eagan's repeated insistence that compliance be improved and excursions reduced, no substantial improvement has occurred. The City is also facing the consequences of the state's recent decision to expand the airport at its current location rather than relocate it to a new site. The two alternatives were extensively studied over the past seven years as means of anticipating and managing operations growth in the region. Eagan was very active throughout the airport decision. The City's position was that the airport should only expand if the new airport site were land banked and an aggressive package of noise mitigation tools were included in the cost of the expansion. The Legislature's decision was to not bank the new site and they directed the preparation of a mitigation program as a separate process after the siting decision had been made. As a consequence, there are parties actively opposing any mitigation greater than Part 150 tools applied within a projected future 60 DNL contour. Eagan and a number of other cities engaged in the mitigation planning process support an expanded package of tools applied to a much larger area of eligibility and phased out at graduated distances from the airport to better reflect the diminishing impact of operations over distance. We realize that this will be expensive and that only a portion of the area will be eligible for Part 150 or PFC funding, but the principal shortcoming of the airport's noise mitigation efforts in the past is that they do not go far enough to offset the real impacts of the industry. In addition to absorbing over half of all operations in the northern part of Eagan, the western and southern portions of the City will be impacted by the 17/35 runway proposed to be built under the airport's expansion. This runway is scheduled to carry thirty-seven percent of all departures and permit the airport's capacity to expand by nearly twenty percent. The area of Eagan to be affected by this runway includes some of the oldest, most established neighborhoods in the City. Specifically, it is an area where aircraft overflights were not anticipated and the land uses are not compatible with aircraft operations. 33 Overriding all of these concerns is the City's awareness that operations growth at MSP continues to exceed the projections used in the expansion/relocation study. For the expansion plans to be adequate over the twenty-five year planning horizon, the airport may not grow faster than one- half of one percent per year. Over the past five years, growth has averaged between four and five percent. As such, the capital improvements and operational assumptions planned for the airport are likely to be overutilized much sooner than has been anticipated by the airport and the State. As such, strategies need to be identified to anticipate the means the airport will use to manage future growth. The City of Eagan is seeking assistance to: 1. Influence regional, state and federal policy to minimize noise at its source 2. Place noise impacts from operations at MSP where there are few if any people and equitably distribute the rest among the communities surrounding the airport and 3. Develop and implement a noise mitigation program which will extend sufficiently into the noise impacted communities and provide adequate tools to limit impacts on residents 4. Analyze local and industry trends and develop realistic projections for the growth in operations demand within the region. Please forward a response addressing your possible interest in working for the City of Eagan and outlining your firm's qualifications to assist in this effort, your proposed costs for telephone and in person consultations and any potential conflicts of interest which would prevent you from serving in this capacity. I look forward to your response. Please call me if you have any questions in this regard. Sincerely, Jon Hohenstein Assistant to the City Administrator 2)1 city of eagan TO: TOM HEDGES, CITY ADMINISTRATOR HOLLY DUFFY, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR FROM: JOANNA FOOTE, COMMUNICATION/RECYCLING COORDINATOR DATE: March 14,1997 SUBJECT: 1997 PROPOSED COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES MEMO At the Special City Council meeting of February 4, 1997 we discussed numerous ideas for the City Council to recommend for incorporation into the 1997 Communications program. The list of proposals had been compiled as a way of building upon the accomplishments of 1996 in order to enhance the overall communications program. To date. City staff and Council members have worked in conjunction with the Wallace Group and have gone through positioning exercises and have developed a consensus on the themes that best convey a sense of the City. Further. a significant survey of resident opinions and attitudes was conducted and the results were disseminated wider-. Finally, the media training program began with a large meeting with various City staff, on some of the key elements. with "hands-on" exercises planned for 1997. Other activities and subjects have included preparation of the Koch Refinery grant proposal for alum treatment of Fish Lake. work on media information regarding the water quality award. the "adopted tree" story. personnel issues. Carriage Hills. the May. 1996 wind storm, Country Joe lawsuit, the Mayor's op-ed article. discussion on the park bond referendum, working with the business community and several other topic areas. Also in 1996 the communication program included the following ongoing in-house duties of the Communications Coordinator. Most of these programs are scheduled to continue in 1997 In House Communications Coordinator Tasks: (2/3 time allocation to Communication Program. 1/3 time to Recycling) • Experience Eagan Newsletter --prepare. print and deliver quarterly to all residents • Chamber Newsletter—monthly Eagan Update • Press ReleasesEMedia Relations • Miscellaneous informational brochures inserts:publications • New Resident Guide • Community Pages—Eagan Fire Department Phone Directory • Lion's Club/City Map • Business Outreach Meeting coordination'promotion • Quarterly Employee Newsletter • Miscellaneous Advertisement production/placement • Special Event coordinatioNpromotion • Open House?ours • Arbor Day • Earth Day • July 4' - • Lone Oak Days • Cablecast Public Meetings • Community Information Cable Bulletin Board • Miscellaneous Cable Production • Voter information programming ( , V • Miscellaneous public /neighborhood meetings • Video Reproduction—City Council/Public Meetings Municipal Center Sign Board Other Miscellaneous Communications Projects Che Communications program has grown substantially since the incorporation of the Communication/Recycling -oordinator position in late 1993 and again with the additional services provided by the Wallace Group, beginning m late 1995. Staff is now seeking final direction from the Council regarding the additional objectives which have been proposed for incorporation in 1997 to continue the expansion of the City's Communications efforts. Understanding that all of the additional objectives cannot be incorporated in 1997without either eliminating some of the current communication program functions, bringing in The Wallace Group and other appropriate consultants, or expanding the current 2/3 time communication staff allocation. Staff including yourself, Holly Duffy and I have worked, along with the Wallace Group to compile the following table showing the possible additional objectives as presented at the February 4, 1997 workshop, staff s understanding of the City Council's modification of the possible additional objectives for 1997 and a work plan which staff and the Wallace group agree could be the best utilization of the $26,000 communication budget allocation, based on the City Council's stated priorities. C� M i "O v; 0 m 0 r— ON CN r 7 Based upon the discussion by the City Council at the 2/4/97 workshop and our meetings with the Wallace Group since that time, the two columns at the right of the table reflect the items and associated costs which can best be accomplished within the $26,000 communications allocation. In this proposal, the Annual Report upgrades, the Crisis Communications Plan upgrades and the additional Cable Production would be eliminated from the Communications budget in 1997. These upgrades would not be included in 1997 for a number of reasons including: Annual Report Although this was identified as a medium to high priority at the 2/4/97 workshop, with the idea of the Annual Report replacing one issue of the City Newsletter, it cannot be accomplished for two reasons. First, the newsletter is distributed near the first of March, May, September and December. The March, 1997 newsletter is already out and the May newsletter content needs to be prepared by April 10, 1997. This does not allow enough time for Departments to prepare the Annual Report information effectively this ,year. Secondly, the newsletter is used to promote a number of educational programs which are funded through grants from various agencies. Several of the grants require the City to publish program information to all of its residents in order to receive funding. If the Annual Report replaces a newsletter, the City would have to satisfy these requirement through another mechanism which would likely add greater expense. If the Council so directs, Annual Report "highlights" from each department could however be included as an article in the May 1997 newsletter. A separate Annual Report of some sort could then be considered for the 1998 budget. Crisis Communications Plan This item was a low priority from the City Council and was therefore eliminated as a budgeted item. Modifications will be made by staff as necessary and as staff time allows. Additional Cable Production Council indicated a wish to have any increased cable production accomplished by the Cable Access volunteers, and therefore not budget any communications funds for this purpose. As access volunteers are under no obligation to the City, any requested projects will be produced based on volunteer interest and availability, which will not necessarily ensure that the projects will be produced. Modifications to the consultation costs have been made, based on Council input, for the Business Newsletter, EDC and Volunteer Bus Tours, Business Outreach Meetings, Cable Bulletin Board, Media Training, Neighborhood Outreach and Photography Projects. These modifications help to decrease the cost of each project while preserving a high quality finished product which the City will be proud to produce. These modifications would be as follows: Business Newsletter This project was determined to be of a high priority to the City Council members as well as to the Economic Development Commission, Chamber of Commerce and City staff. The Economic Development Commission and Chamber of Commerce each budgeted $4,000 toward the printing and delivery of this publication. Their budgeting was based upon the idea that Chamber staff, City staff and Economic Development Commission members would work collaboratively to produce this quarterly publication. As we have discussed, staff is concerned about the quality and timeliness of this publication if it is produced in this fashion. The Wallace Group is able to coordinate the layout, design and content of this publication, in conjunction with the aforementioned groups, to ensure timely production. They can do this at a cost that fits within this Communication budget. If a project of this scope were to be added instead as a staff responsibility, communication staff time would need to be increased from the current 2/3 time or some of the current projects would need to be eliminated. Community Development staff would also be required to add this responsibility to its present workload. 43 EDC and Volunteer Bus Tours These bus tours can be accomplished at minimal expense. A $500 budget has been established by the EDC for its tour for the rental of buses. The Communications budget can allow for matching funding for the Volunteer Bus tour. Informational materials for participants can be produced in house at no direct cost to the communications budget. Business and Neighborhood Outreach Meetings As discussed with the City Council, these meetings can be done effectively with no direct budget allocation. The Business Outreach meetings are being accomplished jointly with the Chamber of Commerce and can continue effectively in this fashion. The neighborhood Outreach meetings can be accomplished in a similar manner with notification through the local newspapers and Cable television at no direct cost to the Communication budget. Cable Bulletin Board The cable bulletin board has previously been maintained primarily by Paragon Cable staff. The new in- house system will require maintenance and upkeep by City staff andlor a cable consultant. As this s, stem is a few weeks away from operational, it is difficult to determine how much time will be necessary for coordination and updating maintenance. As indicated previously, this project will be in addition to current Communications tasks and will need to be coordinated accordingly. This is a very visible project which will need to be upgraded frequently. In order to ensure this. funding has been indicated within this communication budget for the purpose of utilizing a cable consultant as necessary, up to $ 1,500. Media Training As mentioned previously. the Wallace Group conducted media training in a large group format for a number of City staff with the intent of conducting a second half: "hands-on" session. Based on Council direction, Staff and the Vdallace's have decreased the number of participants for this session at a subsequent reduction in cost for which this project can be accomplished. Photography It is suggested that the City maintain good quality photos of each City Councilmember as well as key staff to be used in the City newsletter and media publications, awards and recognition events and Community presentations. The costs of photos taken at City recognition ceremonies as requested by Councilmembers and the Councilistaff photos can be accomplished within this proposed budget. The other items included in the modified budget proposal include, ongoing communication counseling and assistance with press releases and media stories, a service which the Wallace Group has provided throughout 1996 as indicated previously. City staff and a majority of the Council seemed to maintain that these additions have provided a strong benefit to the communications program. Press Releases/Media Stories and Ongoing Counseling These stories, releases and counseling are geared toward "sharing our good news," maintaining and strengthening Eagan's positive image and helping to educate the public about matters of interest and importance to the community. As indicated, these efforts have encompassed a wide variety of topics in 1996 from the preparation of materials for Council and staff response, as well as media releases regarding the Country Joe Lawsuit (throughout the various stages), the public awareness of the National Water Quality Award and many other topic areas. These services help staff to more effectively provide education and communication vehicles for interaction with the public directly as well as through the media. The ongoing counseling also helps to focus and fine tune the other projects being produced through the Cit -,'s ongoing communications program. 4 As previously stated, staff is seeking direction from the Council regarding the additional objectives for the 1997 communications work program. The modified budget accomplishes most of the projects which were identified as communication priorities by the City Council at the February 4 City Council meeting and provides a sufficient level of funding to produce high quality products. Please contact me if you have questions regarding this information or to direct me further on how to proceed. s/Joanna Foote Communication/Recycling Coordinator