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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-26-2021 Council Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. ROLL CALL The Orono City Council met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present:Mayor Dennis Walsh,Council Members Matt Johnson Richard Crosby, III,and Victoria Seals. Council Member Aaron Printup was absent.Representing Staff were City Attorney Soren Mattick,City Administrator/City Engineer Adam Edwards,Finance Director Ron Olson,and Community Development Director Jeremy Barnhart. Mayor Walsh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA CONSENT AGENDA 1. COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 12,2021 2. COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES OF APRIL 12,2021 3. CLAIMS/BILLS 4. APPROVAL OF RENTAL LICENSE 5. APPOINT SEASONAL EMPLOYEES 6. APPROVAL OF WALTERS PORT WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT— CHANGE ORDER 1 PROJECT#21-022 7. BIG ISLAND PARK ADA TRAIL PROJECT(19-033)—INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE 8. APPROVE RESOLUTION NO. 7190,A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT—BROADBAND FUNDING 9. ACCEPT DONATION OF$1000 FROM NORWEST AREA JAYCEES 10. LA21-000016—SCHIMMEL CONSTRUCTION O/B/O DAVID& KATHRYN WIEMER, 1405 WEST POINT ROAD,VARIANCES—RESOLUTION NO.7189 Crosby moved,Seals seconded,to approve the Consent Agenda as submitted.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENTS Jim Hillegass,2465 French Lake Road,has lived in the area for about 40 years and moved into a house on a long peninsula with a private road with four other houses in May 2016.He had a septic system upgrade to perform on behalf of the previous owner and it became rather involved. Mr.Hillegass now has about 700 hours into the project,it is completed,there was not a visible problem in the beginning and he asked his neighbor,Ann Schull,to attest to that fact and she should have written the Council an email which he Page 1 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS—Continued hopes they have read.The septic system was installed in December 2020 and the City has approved it,but the City Attorney Steve Tallen continues to prosecute.Mr.Hillegass is here to ask the City to drop the prosecution or to ask Mr.Tallen to drop the prosecution. He said it is senseless at this point—there was no problem to begin with,there is no problem now. The work was done slowly and Mr.Hillegass counted 18 people involved in this,not counting Councilmembers,Mayor, or City Staff other than the primary ones. In the middle of the project,Mr.Hillegass' wife died and it slowed him down.He is just asking that the Council consider dropping his now as he is sure they have far more important things to do. PRESENTATION 11.ANN BREMER AWARD-WESTONKA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT KEVIN BORG Superintendent Kevin Borg said he is here to bring an award and appreciation from the Westonka School District. When they started the school year it was the greatest effort to operate safely but also have kids in school;they moved forward with a lot of hard work and expense to be sure they had the right things in place.Mr.Borg said they moved forward before they knew how they would pay for all those things,with the understanding that it was really important to the community that kids were in school and to be safe. They were so pleasantly pleased to see how the City of Orono was directing their CARES Act federal dollars to the community,which was the intention,and that they partnered with the Orono and Westonka school districts with those funds.Mr.Borg shared how much they appreciate the benevolence of thought as to how those funds could be directed to families and students.He also wants to share what the funding did.They were able to operate school,keep kids in school,make the online systems more robust,and keep students and staff safe. He noted the Council directed$105,000 out of the CARES Act to the Westonka School District and he presented the Council with the Ann Bremer White Hawk Award. The award is the largest award he could give and it is about community partnership and investing in the Westonka District. Mr.Borg stated annually they give this award to people that meet the criteria and a committee of the Board selects the recipients. The award is named after Ann Bremer,who was a Board member from 2004—2017 until her passing.He gives this award with appreciation and thanked the Mayor and Councilmembers and said the District really appreciates their leadership. Mayor Walsh shared the pillars of society are the children, schools,families and it was very important that the Council direct those funds.They did it evenly before the school districts because they are both very important. Mr.Borg shared with what happened in Plymouth,MN,every single school resource officer they have had serves with great,great relationships and expertise.When people feel vulnerable that is what they want to give them guidance and he noted there is a culture in the Police Department and they are all excellent.He thanked the Council for that,as well. Crosby appreciates those comments and they appreciate what the school districts are doing for the children. It has been a tough year for everyone,especially kids and the elderly,so getting kids back in school is so incredibly important.He thanked Mr.Borg for that hard work. Page 2 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. 12. PARKS COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE Chair Brian Roath gave an update regarding the Parks Commission.He thanked the Council for their continued support for the Commission in their advisory role.There are seven people on the Commission right now with varying interests,expertise,and experiences and they are working well together.He noted they do not have alternates so if there is interest from anyone,they would like to get that in the pipeline. Chair Roath noted Lurton Park,Navarre Park,and Saga Hill have been completed in recent years and the Commission has a full plate of things they are working on and planning for in the next five years,and have identified some major projects beyond five years. They are finishing up the soccer fields at Bederwood Park and Councilmember Seals is planning a great event on May 22,2021. Orono is partnering with the Orono Westonka Soccer Club to have a grand opening on that day. Chair Roath shared the Commission has spent a lot of time and effort on Big Island and is finally coming to fruition and that ribbon cutting is planned for August 7,2021.They are also starting the process of a connector trail between the Dakota Trail and Navarre and have recently finished final touches on the East Long Lake Trail. Mayor Walsh noted these are not small projects but are pretty major;it has been amazing. Chair Roath said five years out are some other major projects. Crystal Bay Park is in the pre-planning process and Commissioners are assigned and starting to identify key stakeholders to work on developing a plan for feedback and input.This park is the"storefront"of the City when considering how many people go down the Dakota Trail every year and the Commission thinks it has great opportunity to develop something that connects the trail and serves the neighborhood as well as Orono residents. Hackberry is the biggest project in the next 10 years and will be redeveloped, including tearing down the house and moving a lot of soil.The Commission may contact the Baseball Association as they use that park and as their needs grow it may be a good location for the City to support the growth of those activities. Trails in general are important to the Commission,building trails,connecting trails,and so forth. Chair Roath said the Commission is approaching the golf course in two ways,they see the golf course as a business in the summer and as a park in winter.There are people involved in both of those groups and the timelines are different, but either way it is something on the radar for the next five years. Lakeview Legacy Trail is the first priority on the list and he understands the Council had a workshop earlier talking about road improvement priorities.The development of that trail probably makes sense to dovetail in with the resurfacing of that road. Mayor Walsh stated the road probably would not be done until at least 2024. Chair Roath noted that gives the Commission time to plan and have more discussion on it. Summit Park has been talked about a lot in the last year and regardless of what happens with the Rowing Club(as their plans would not interfere)it would be a great opportunity to put a new play area and they have been engaging with a vendor and getting ideas. Chair Roath noted the Commission is attuned to the funding and availability for all of the projects;Big Island has drawn down a lot of the Park funds and Hackberry Park in 5+years is another one where they need to start building reserves if they want to move forward on it. He stated there are a lot of small and medium projects in between. Page 3 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. 12. PARKS COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE—Continued Mayor Walsh said the good news is many times there are partnerships such as Hackberry Park with the Baseball Association,grants,and park dedication fees.They also recognize with the vision to keep that going there must be a fund established in the budget.They are currently at$50,000 and are committed to getting to$100,000-$150,000 this year so there are known,committed dollars to keep things up and running and to plan for things in front of them. Chair Roath thanked the Council for their support and said after a long time of not doing a lot with parks, the last 10 years have been full of good activity and he hopes they can keep that going.He continued on with the golf course and as he said earlier,the Commission sees the golf course as having a lot of opportunity for winter activities.There is a long tradition of sledding at the golf course and there is a lot of activity there. In the summer,it is a business to be run so the approach has to be a lot different. Chair Roath is putting his business consultant hat on for this and said whether park or business,the goal is to maximize the value to the residents of Orono.The benefits come in terms of return-on-investment and in order for the golf course to make money,they need to put some money into it.He noted there will be some money asks of the Council and he asked them to think about it in a different way rather than just capital improvement plan(CIP)money that would go into a different park. The vision statement for the golf course in winter is Orono Golf Course is a park perfect for adventure sledding and other winter activities. Orono sponsors the expansion of winter activities but it is partially supported from revenues from possible sources such as parking permits, trail permits, annual memberships,food and drink sales, voluntary donations, etcetera. Chair Roath does not know what of those they will call on,but primarily this is a park so there is not a revenue return-on-investment associated with it.They want to start with sledding and build to offer a winter wonderland of activities; ideas include developing groomed trails for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing,fat tire biking,having the clubhouse open more regularly(especially on weekends),installing a year-round gas fire pit,the clubhouse hosting birthday parties and sledding parties, setting up lights near the sledding hill,selling s'mores,hot chocolate,snacks,hand warmers,and beer in the clubhouse.He noted none of those have been decided.Moving forward,the Commission will come to the Council with requests through the CIP process.He asked if there is feedback on the winter side. Crosby knows there are some water holes at the golf course,so what about a skating rink. Chair Roath said they will certainly add that and there was some discussion about building a pond and noted that would be great. Johnson said using all parks year-round is really important. Chair Roath said switching over to the golf/business side,the Commission sees the stars aligning and this is the perfect time to make some changes.Joey Brettingan,the new golf course superintendent,brings a lot of experience and new ideas and has been working with the Commission and neighbors on this.The time is right to do something because they have a supportive Council and a supportive neighborhood that understands and wants to do something there. He stated the prevailing attitude is that it is okay for the City to make some money at the golf course,and they should not feel ashamed if it is making some Page 4 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. 12. PARKS COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE—Continued money and they are reinvesting it back into the parks in the City.In the past,Chair Roath thinks there were some missed opportunities;last year proved the golf course can be successful as the rounds at least doubled(estimated around 16,000)and had almost double revenue.Expenses pretty much stayed the same in that doubling of the revenue.He demonstrated a swing of$163,000 in one year at the golf course which is pretty incredible and proves that people like the course and enjoy coming out. The pandemic was the reason many people went to the course and now is the time to think about how to get people there post-pandemic. Chair Roath said the 100-year anniversary is in three years and the approach is to stage some of the things to finish in 2023 and culminates in a celebration in 2024.The group wrote three vision statements for the summer business which helps guide what they do and the first is: Orono Golf Course is an accessible golf course. Its reasonable, competitive fees are commensurate with style and quality of the 9-hole course.A focus for the Orono Golf Course is to build a sustainable business that continues to be popular with locals, adult leagues, and other regulars. Chair Roath noted accessibility means they are not trying to be a premium,elite golf course.They also want to take a business approach to this and continue targeting the same customers that have been visiting the golf course for years.A reason this is a good time to move forward is because there is a changing competitive landscape in golf courses—they are going away—and at the same time people have changing preferences for how much time they spend on the golf course and this feeds in well to a 9-hole course. Over the last couple years,Jason Goering has made great improvements to the course,removing trees, irrigation work, improving the turf,and equipment investments.Now they think they need to invest in the business side. Seals noted there was a pretty significant drop in rounds shown on screen over a few years. Mayor Walsh said there were years they could not open the course until May because of rain and sometimes they had rain the entire month of June. He noted if they lose a month, it is hard to make that up. Edwards said the biggest correlation in the number of rounds tends to be how good of an April they have. There have been past years where the course opened in March and those are fantastic years.It also depends on when the rainy weather is as last year it was the perfect storm of COVID and it rained in the middle of the week and weekend weather was great.They got great numbers on weekend play. Chair Roath continued saying the second statement is: The Orono Golf Course is a nine-hole course with facilities to host casual corporate events,fundraisers, and other large centrally organized groups. This is currently a missed opportunity as there are some current limitations that must be addressed to capture more of this type of business. These limitations include the inside space as the clubhouse is small, limited parking,and they do not have staff capable of selling group events and managing them.Chair Roath shared the third statement: Orono Golf Course offers a great pairing offun golf, and easy "apre-golf."Or skip the golf and socialize with friends overlooking the beautiful landscape. The theme here is food and beverage;they need to offer something that will keep people there before, during,and after they golf.He noted food and beverage sales are extremely small compared to the golf sales; he thinks the demand would be there if they had the offerings but in the past the sales have not been there. It is a question of whether they are offering enough,the right food and beverages that people want,and the staff capable of Page 5 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. 12.PARKS COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE—Continued serving drinks and so forth.Chair Roath shared the ideas from the group,including establishing a marketing program to help sell people in coming to the course.They would like to expand capabilities to offer additional food and beverage items,food trucks, and adding music on the deck. Crosby asked what food the golf course is offering now. Chair Roath replied a lot of chips, candy bars,canned beer,and hot dogs.He noted they are limited to pre-packaged right now and there are some questions about what they are licensed to do and what they want to be licensed to do in the future.He said now they need to establish some group packages and pricing,rebrand the course,put together a new website,and understand what they want people to think about when they think about the golf course. Renaming is not out of the question. Crosby noted on the new website they could make everything efficient,including payment,tee times, etcetera. Chair Roath replied there is some new technology they can integrate in to the new website. Seals asked what the original name of the golf course was. Chair Roath noted it was Orono Orchard Golf Course.He stated nothing is decided but he wants to get the Council excited about some of the things they are thinking about.They also think about building a small, 10x20 shelter with a metal roof for people to gather during a storm as there is limited clubhouse space,and expanding the lower parking area.This would all culminate in the 100th anniversary. Crosby likes the idea of rebranding from a dingy,public golf course to a small executive track that is attractive to the community. Seals asked if this is the time to shore up hole 7 which is the handshake agreement sitting on someone's property.Could they acquire some more land back there? Edwards noted the owner was not interested in that. Seals noted some golf families she knows all go to Pioneer Creek or Baker Park because of the driving range. She loves the idea,the food truck concept,and thinks it is a great idea. Chair Roath stated obviously,many of these things will take money and most will go through the CIP process,operational budgeting,and there are some things that should be done operationally now.The suggestion or ask is to add money to the operational budget for 2021.The first is investing$10,000 in food capabilities including an ice machine,popcorn machine,and capability to sell keg beer;these are a one-time investment that will pay off in the next two years.He said second is$5,000 for deck seating, including a third deck table and chairs and some foliage,and third is a marketing budget(ongoing investment)to pay a consultant to help rebrand,build the website,and reach people through social media. Page 6 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. 12. PARKS COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE—Continued Fourth is increased clubhouse staff hours;right now,the staffing model is one person in the clubhouse with a second person only occasionally.The group feels they should have the capability to have two people there Wednesday—Saturday evenings,to sell food,help with the pace of play,and the first tee. Frankly speaking,many people bring their own liquor, and many people just walk on the course without checking in or paying and there is an enforcement issue that a second person can help with.Finally, is $2,000 for music entertainment. Seals noted they were in the black for the last year$150,000+and she looks at it like they are just using some of the overage. Mayor Walsh does not have a problem doing any of that sltuff and they should see how it works.He noted Ron Olson come back with what has already been established as the budget,and any rollover dollars from last year from roads and bonds that were paid off were put into the building fund.He would like to see what they already have in and what they need to put in to get the funds there. Chair Roath agreed and hopes it will be positive next year. Crosby said if they get more of the kids from the schools coming there for golf events and starting at a young age. Edwards noted they have partnerships with schools and some golf programs come to the course in the afternoons during the season. Chair Roath noted the first CIP item would be the year-round fire-pit and they hope to have the clubhouse open next winter with more parties and activities scheduled. Mayor Walsh hopes some of the yearly items can fit in the budget($100,000-$150,000)rather than having to come and ask to increase the budget for things. Chair Roath stated 2020 proved that the golf course can be a profitable business and going forward they need to continue to expand capabilities and offerings and reach more customers.He said they also need to be sure they do this smartly and make the right decisions. Gordy Stofer, 190 Orono Orchard Road S,echoed that from his view as a passionate golfer,by all accounts last year was a tremendous year for the sport.People have come back to it or are trying it for the first time and they are excited to be out there.He sees people all day long playing the course and having a great time.He said in looking at Brookview,Braemar,and Chaska,which seem to be nicely thriving businesses for those communities,Orono could be some version of that.His biggest fear as living across the street is that it will continue to bleed red ink and something bad might happen down the road;the best case is it would be a profit center every year. Page 7 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. 12.PARKS COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE—Continued Alan Greene, 1397 Orono Lane,noted a lot of excitement and among the other neighbors they have talked to,there are many younger people moving in that are excited about the golf course. He also thinks there is a tremendous opportunity with the food and beverage;it could be a little social hub. Seals is glad these neighbors are excited about improving the golf course and said for a long time,people wanted it to stay as-is.Her concern is also,if it continues to bleed and no one uses it,it will be the next Lakeview. Crosby agreed there is a huge opportunity for the food and beverage and he likes the idea of the fire pit, and eventually the shelter to get out of the sun. Johnson's takeaway is the tremendous amount of effort going into the volunteer Parks Commission,the passion they have,and he thanked the group for volunteering.He agrees that there is an opportunity to make the golf course more community-oriented and target something attainable. Seals agreed the Parks Commission should be really proud of the work they have done.When she was in Mound the past week, someone asked about Bederwood as they heard there was an amazing new soccer field. FINANCE DIRECTOR REPORT 13. FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT Olson noted this report is his least favorite because expenditures are so low,revenues are always low,and that is just because of winter.There is not a lot of projecting to do other than to say they are at 16.48%of budget on revenues,which is pretty much where they were the previous year at this time and they ended up at 101%of revenues.He noted there is a lot of year left and based on historical averages they should hit about 100%.They will know much more in about six weeks when they receive the first bit of tax settlement.Permits are at 25%which is a very good sign at this time of year.Olson noted the first three months of the year are by far the lowest amount for expenditures,and they are at 21.89%for the year which is probably right where they would expect in any year.The only department that looks like it may be over budget is Mayor/Council at 45%and that will be at budget at the end of the year and is probably the memberships. He showed the top five vendors on screen,as well as the new investments during the quarter. 14. FINANCIAL DIRECTOR UPDATE Olson shared they have been working on making the City more efficient, especially now that they went to monthly utility billing. So far through March they have received over 2,100 checks;they come in,get put into the register,applied to the account,make a deposit and take them to the bank.He said they just ordered a scanner which will be connected to PSN(credit card processor)and will connect right to the utility account. He also noted they upgraded to a"real-time", or at least within an hour,processing for payments. Olson stated they worked with the credit card company,for example the point-of-sale system Page 8 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. 14.FINANCIAL DIRECTOR UPDATE—Continued for the sewer inspections,people were calling to pay by credit card and they try not to take credit cards over the phone as there are many regulations and security measures.Now people will be able to log on to the website and pay for things rather than calling the City or sending in a check. PLANNING DIRECTOR REPORT Barnhart shared that the Comprehensive Plan amendment for 135 Orono Orchard Road subdivision by Gordon James was approved by Met Council. Four of the five Comp Plan amendments that have gone through the Met Council process have been approved;the only one still out there is Orono Crossing which will not likely be ready until June. Johnson asked if they are any closer on the sewer issue on Gordon James. Barnhart reported that was sewer issue and they have a resolution for it. Johnson asked if it is with Long Lake. Mayor Walsh replied Long Lake is not going to do anything. He spoke with Gordon James about it and they decided to go a completely different avenue with some kind of force main out to the sewer and bypassed Long Lake. Barnhart said regarding the Big Island dock issue,the goal was to bring back a formal update at this meeting but the property owners and neighbors are still working together to come up with a solution. Hopefully there will be an updated at the first meeting in May. Mayor Walsh spoke to the neighbor right next to where the dock would go and he is willing to pick them up and bring them out to the island(if someone else wants to go with him)to see what it looks like. The owner was worried about having four different slips.Mayor Walsh told him he was thinking it would be one dock with 2 boats on each side. Crosby agreed to go to the island with Walsh. Barnhart stated the Councilmembers may get calls from residents near 1565 Orchard Beach Place,which is a new home being built,and the Council gave variances over two years ago. They are struggling with the height of the building and are working with the property owner to address the issue. He reported the City has been with MN Spect for about six weeks now and will have a staff meeting to go over things and see how things are going.At that time,they can look at any improvements on either side to keep things smooth. Overall,the six weeks has been pretty good and he has been satisfied with the responsiveness. Johnson asked if the City dock was damaged out at Big Island. Edwards replied it swung before it was installed but he has not been out to look at it yet. Page 9 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,April 26,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT Attorney Mattick had nothing to report. CITY ADMINISTRATOR/ENGINEER REPORT Edwards updated the Council saying the Walters Port water main replacement project is underway.There are a number of bacteria tests to do this week and real construction replacement starts the following week. Regarding the Tonka force main project,the contractor will begin laying out a bypass system to carry the waste while they are doing the work,as well as digging the pits and the pipe bursting project of the existing pipe will be the following week. Edwards said the 2021 streets project contractor is due to come begin the mill and overlay portions for the project in the Navarre batch of roads this year.Regarding the Dakota Trail connection,Three Rivers Park District has a lead on that and there is a pre-construction conference this week to see if they can get a timeline. It was awarded by Three Rivers for construction this summer. Edwards said the Diamond Lake Regional Trail Master Plan met a lot of resistance in the City of Medina, so in layman's terms the plan is to now go around Medina. In Orono,the tentative layout now has them using the existing trail as part of the 112 project; coming out of Wayzata to the Luce Line to Long Lake,Orono,and the 112 trail to the Independence trail. He reported the Spring Clean-up had over 300 visitors, 50+tires,40 cubic yards of electronic waste,and the Salvation Army filled a truck and a half with donations.The bike donation group collected 129 bicycles and the Police Department ran their drug takeback program and collected 160 pounds of expired prescription drugs.It was a very successful event despite the weather. ADJOURNMENT 15.THE MEETING WILL BE CLOSED AS PERMITTED BY THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE(SECTION 13D.05,SUBDIVISION 3(B))TO DISCUSS THE TWO LAWSUITS. 1) BURWELL VS. CITY OF ORONO AND 2)NYGARD VS. CITY OF ORONO Walsh moved,Seals seconded,to adjourn the meeting at 7:32 p.m.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. ATTEST: WNW 0 nna Carlson,City Clerk Dennis Walsh,Mayor Page 10 of 10