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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br /> Monday, March 11, 2019 <br /> 7:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> Kempf noted he attended the Fire Hall meeting regarding the rebuild of County Roads 15 and 19, and that <br /> one thing that was discussed was the Culver's corner of that intersection, which is on the northeast corner <br /> of the intersection of those two roads. The County's right-of-way veers away from the intersection and <br /> there is actually a large piece of property that lies within the County's domain. <br /> Kempf stated he proposed that it would be good if there was something that can be implemented to alert <br /> the string of cars that come from 394 on their way home through Navarre that something has changed in <br /> the intersection that would invite the bike traffic to stop and have pedestrians be able to stop. Kempf <br /> stated he would like to see something that invites pedestrians and bikers to congregate at that corner and <br /> that he suggested to Hennepin County's representative that they consider putting a semi-circular stone <br /> bench and a paved patio area in that corner of the intersection, which would give the statement that this is <br /> a pedestrian zone. The Hennepin County representative seemed receptive to that. <br /> Walsh noted he was in attendance at that same meeting and that he encouraged Hennepin County to come <br /> before the City Council with all the feedback they have received and Hennepin County's response to it. <br /> The representative was encouraged to contact Adam Edwards to get on the agenda. <br /> Crosby stated Hennepin County had some good ideas about slowing traffic down in that area as well. <br /> PUBLIC WORKS/CITY ENGINEER REPORT <br /> 10. WATER METER REPLACEMENT <br /> Edwards reported the City received three proposals from three separate companies to replace the water <br /> meters. The RFP review occurred concurrently with revisions to the water rate study. During the <br /> process,Staff concluded that an alternate meter replacement plan over an eight-year time frame would be <br /> more advantageous to the City. Changing out the meters over a longer time frame minimizes the water <br /> rate increases and allows the City to maximize use of those meters that still have reasonable life left in <br /> them. As a result,at this time Staff recommends the City Council reject the bids and direct Staff to <br /> negotiate an alternate meter change-out plan. <br /> Johnson asked if Staff is concerned about the maintenance issues associated with the batteries by <br /> extending the replacement by a couple of years. <br /> Edwards stated the concern with the battery life is what started this process and that the City does have a <br /> number of batteries that are reaching the 15-year mark. The last time the replacement was done occurred <br /> over a 5-year period of time. Even if the replacement started today,the City would still have some meters <br /> that would be replaced at seven to ten years. <br /> Walsh stated there are a number of meters that still have a few years of useful life yet and that the City is <br /> attempting to get the biggest bang for its buck by spreading out the replacement over a longer period of <br /> time. As a result, the City does not need to do them all at once and that they can do it when they <br /> functionally need to do it. <br /> Printup moved,Seals seconded,to reject all bids for the meter change-out and direct Staff to <br /> pursue the revised meter replacement plan. VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 0. <br /> Page 2 of 16 <br />