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04/13/1987 - City Council Special MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE EAGAN CITY COUNCIL April 13, 1987 A special meeting of the Eagan City Council was held on Monday, April 13, 1987 at 6:30 p.m., at the Eagan Municipal Center Building. Present were Mayor Blomquist and City Councilmembers Egan, Smith, Ellison and Wachter. Also present were Administrative Assistant Hohenstein and City Administrator Hedges. CRAY RESEARCH City Administrator Hedges introduced Tim Ward and Eric Lindahl, employees and representatives of Cray Research, and also Ed Braman and Russ Nelson, representing Braman and Nelson, Inc., a corporate real estate agency handling the land transaction for Cray Research. Mr. Braman informed the City Council that Cray Research has recently acquired a 116 acre site from Wachovia Bank and Trust, adjacent to the Northwest Airlines site in Section 1. He stated that development will begin in 1987 to expand and relocate research and software operations for Cray Research. Mr. Braman stated that the manufacturing for all Cray Research hardware apparatus is performed in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Mr. Braman also stated that it is the intention of Cray Research to occupy the first building approximately October 1, 1988, on the newly acquired site. Mr. Ward, representing Cray Research, Inc., stated that the philosophy of Cray is to form small working groups and each employee group would have a separate building, ranging in size from 35 - 60,000 square feet. He stated that Cray expresses a decentralization philosophy, allowing each division to be independent, which creates six to eight buildings as opposed to one or two larger facilities. He stated that Cray Research is now a member of the Fortune 500 companies and this new facility will be designed primarily for research, software development, marketing and training. Members of the City Council asked whether adequate telephone and electrical power installations are available. Mr. Ward indicated that the telephone company has assured an adequacy for fiber optics and also Northern States Power will provide a new substation that will allocate electric power for the new subdivision. City Councilmember Ellison asked Mr. Ward whether the employment base would constitute a relocation of employees from other facilities or facilitate new jobs in the area. Mr. Ward stated that the first installations would employ approximately 500 employees, however, it is expected that Cray Research will expand to approximately 900 employees at the Eagan location. City Administrator Hedges asked representatives of Cray why the City of Eagan was chosen, stating that this type of input is always helpful as the community continues its pursuit of good economic development. Representatives of both Braman and Nelson and Cray Research stated that the interstate network, specifically 1-494, good traffic accessibility, an existing employment base in northern Dakota County, a proximity to the International Airport and the fact that an Environmental Impact Statement and Indirect Source Permit were both prepared and adopted for the site, were among the most important factors of why Cray Research considered the location. Mr. Ward indicated that there were a number of locations reviewed throughout the metropolitan area. Mayor Blomquist and members of the City Council welcomed Cray Research and expressed their enthusiasm for selecting the City of Eagan for their corporate expansion plans. 1 INTERVIEWS/CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL CANDIDATES City Administrator Hedges outlined the procedure his office has used for screening and interviewing applicants seeking the Chief Building Official position. He stated that more than 30 applications were received by the City, approximately ten were given interviews by an interview panel consisting of Mike Falk, a former Community Development Director from the City of Burnsville and currently employed by Gresser, Inc., Holly Duffy, Administrative Assistant in charge of Personnel and the City Administrator. All candidates were evaluated and four (4) were selected as finalists to be interviewed by the City Council. The City Administrator also reviewed some sample questions for use by the City Council while interviewing the finalists. Mayor Blomquist suggested that members of the Personnel Committee, consisting of City Councilmembers -Tom Egan and Ted Wachter, ask the questions on behalf of the City Council to allow the same questions and interview opportunities for each candidate. The four persons interviewed were Ken Svee, Thomas Blazina, Tom Joachim and Douglas Reid. Each applicant was given approximately a twenty minute interview. Following the interviews, each member of the City Council expressed their preference for the selection of an applicant as the Chief Building Official. The City Administrator also made his recommendation to the City Council. After discussion and review, Mr. Reid was clearly the leading candidate by both members of the City Council and the Administrator. In a motion by City Councilmember Egan, seconded by Mayor Blomquist, with all members voting in favor, Mr. Reid was hired as the Chief Building Official with a starting date of April 14, 1987, salary according to the City salary compensation plan for the Cheif Building Official. All benefits and other employment conditions to be the same as other department heads. EAGAN-MENDOTA HEIGHTS CORRIDOR POSITION PAPER City Administrator Hedges stated that the cities of Eagan and Mendota Heights are scheduled to present information and testify at the Tuesday, April 28 MASAC meeting, on airport operations that impact the two (2) communities. He stated that the two cities have worked diligently to prepare a position paper that would provide unanimity between the two city councils. The City Administrator further stated that Administrative Assistant Hohenstein has prepared a comprehensive position paper and, once adopted, will be submitted to MASAC for their review and consideration. Administrative Assistant Hohenstein presented the position paper with the use of a visual aid land use map, illustrating both the cities of Eagan and Mendota Heights. The first map reviewed by Administrative Assistant Hohenstein was the 1983 Met Council Land Use Policy Contours. He stated that assumptions made in the Metropolitan Council contours are no longer adequate. He said current traffic demands indicate the necessity to widen the area of operations to provide for a 15% separation for three miles for simultaneous air traffic departures. He stated that the City's Comprehensive Plan is consistent with the old assumptions. After discussing the original land use policy and impact of the 1983 contours, Administrative Assistant Hohenstein disucssed the Part 150 Study base map in detail. He stated that since the original Met Council Land Use Policy Contour, the FAA has developed new headings and presented new operational standards. He said he believes the new 2 area of operation is unnecessarily wide and that it fails to focus impacts where areas have been planned to accommodate them. He further stated that MAC was asked to review alternative departure tracks that would help more fairly focus departures over the cities of Mendota Heights and Eagan. Admninistrative Assistant Hohenstein also presented information that was compiled by the Howard Needles study for both arrivals and departures on Runways 11L and 11R. This information has been incorporated as the base case of the Part 150 Study. Administrative Assistant Hohenstein further discussed the proposed position paper asking that the City Council provide comment on the various sections of the position paper. Administrative Assistant Hohenstein further stated that the conclusion of the position paper is to request that MASAC and the Metropolitan Airports Commission prepare a study that evaluates the optimal use of the corridor as a full parallel capacity airway. He said that he believes that can be accommodated in a much smaller physical area than is currently used. Members of the City Council expressed their concern about the deviations that have occurred in recent years from the 1983 Met Council Land Use Policy Contour. Administrative Assistant Hohenstein stated that if traffic levels require deviation, an adequate study should address the impact of such changes. City Councilmember Egan expressed his support of the position paper, stating that the contours must be tightened and focused to allow a more restrictive flight area. Mayor Blomquist suggested that the City not request a specific set of headings but to ask that the Metropolitan Airports Commission evaluate and study the options as suggested in the position paper. After further discussion on the matter, the City staff was directed to meet with representatives of the City of Mendota Heights and if both communities are in agreement with the proposed position paper, a joint presentation would be made at the April 28 MASAC meeting. The City Administrator was directed to place the position paper on the April 21 City Council agenda for further consideration. DISCUSSION OF CURRENT LAW SUITS City Attorney Hauge appeared and provided an update on the current status of law suits that were commenced by the Bieter Company, Gdod Value Homes and Federal Land Company. The City Attorney was directed to take all steps necessary to defend the action and pursue legal action on behalf of the City. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was resolved that the meeting be adjourned. TLH April 13, 1987 Dated City Clerk 3