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City Council Minutes 01-15-1997 SpecialMINUTES SPECIAL MEETING - MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL Wednesday, January 15, 1997 - 7 p.m. Members Present: Bill Fair, Bruce Thielen, Roger Carlson, Brian Stumpf, Clint Herbst Members Absent: None A special meeting of the City Council was held for the purpose of reviewing options #2 and #3 for the realignment of Chelsea Road in connection with the Highway 25 improvement project. Mayor Fair opened the meeting and stated that the City Engineer and City staff' will present information, after which public questions would be taken. City Engineer Bret Weiss reported that the effort to improve traffic flow in this area stemmed from a transportation plan completed in 1993. In 1995, the City Council authorized City Engineer OSM to design a plan for solving traffic problems at this location. Three options were identified for the extension of Chelsea Road in a feasibility report completed by OSM in March of 1996; however, option #1 was not a feasible alternative and was eliminated from further discussion. The original Highway 25 improvements were programmed by MN/DOT to include the area from I-94 to Oakwood Drive but was extended in 1995 to Kjellbergs Mobile Home Park. In addition to the Chelsea Road extension and Highway 25 improvements, property owners suggested that an I-94 loop ramp be constructed to help eliminate stacking problems on Highway 25. This idea received support from MN/DOT, and four options for interchange improvements were created for MN/DOT review. MN/DOT recommended that the City present option 4D for review by the Federal Highway Administration. Option #2 - Chelsea Road Alignment Option #2 proposes to extend Chelsea Road along the northern property line of an 18 -acre parcel and through the Monticello RV Center property to connect with Highway 25. A concrete median would be installed on Chelsea Road from Highway 25 to Cedar Street. Oakwood Drive east of Highway 25 would become a cul-de-sac and would also include a concrete median from Highway 25 to Cedar Street, which is necessary to improve stacking; however, a right-inhight-out access may be possible. The Oakwood Drive improvements would be made at the time of the interchange loop construction. It is not yet known whether the cost to Page 1 Special Council Minutes - 1/15/97 fund these improvements would be strictly the City's responsibility, but the City Engineer noted that the County is willing to work with the City in improving the intersection. One suggestion worth considering is removing the county road status from Oakwood Drive East and shifting the designation to another road. Access to businesses in the cul-de-sac area will be addressed in detail once an option is selected. Highway 25 improvements would include construction of a concrete median from the intersection of Chelsea Road to Kjellbergs Mobile Home Park. A left turn access into the Total Mart station, which was discussed at the last meeting, was acceptable to MN/DOT with restrictions that must still be negotiated. A time frame may be a condition of allowing the access, and closing it in the future may also be tied to the number of accidents or when a stacking problem occurs. Access to businesses along the current frontage road will also be designed in detail once an option is selected. On the west side of Highway 25, Chelsea Road would be extended from Highway 25 to Sandberg Road, including a concrete median. Oakwood Drive would be closed from Sandberg Road to Highway 25, as well as the direct access from Sandberg Road to Highway 25. MN/DOT also prefers that access to Marvin Road be closed; however, Goerge Rivera, owner of 7 acres adjacent to Marvin Road, has requested that at least right-in/right-out access be allowed, which will be further explored. Option #3 - Chelsea Road Alignment Option #3 proposes to extend Chelsea Road through the northern one-third of an 18 -acre parcel to Cedar Street and through a portion of Champion Auto to Highway 25, which would then connect directly to Sandberg Road. This option would likely require relocation of Monticello Auto Body. Under this option, the Total Mart station would have direct access from Chelsea Road. Oakwood Drive East would remain as a cul-de-sac as noted under option #2, and Oakwood Drive West would be closed from Sandberg Road to Highway 25. Concerns related to this option include higher business relocation expenses as compared to option #2, short stacking distance that can only be resolved by relocation of Monticello Auto Body, closing of the driveway access to The Plumbery, and rear access to Goodyear. In addition, there were concerns regarding the large volume of traffic that would be forced onto Sandberg Road when Oakwood Drive West is closed. Also, moving the intersection farther south would increase the impact on business in the area. Page 2 Special Council Minutes - 1/15/97 I-94 Loop Ramp City Engineer Bret Weiss reviewed plans for construction of I-94 interchange improvements. Proposed plans show elimination of the signals at the current off -ramp from St. Cloud and relocation of the off -ramp to connect instead to the intersection of Oakwood Drive and Highway 25. Installation of a concrete median would allow northbound traffic on Highway 25 to access the I-94 East on-ramp as a right turn only, and access to I-94 East for southbound traffic on Highway 25 would be allowed as a right turn only via the loop ramp. Advantages to this arrangement include easier freeway access from Highway 25 for truck traffic and elimination of signals and stacking due to the loop ramp. Project Cost The construction cost for the Highway 25 improvement was estimated at $1,750,000, with an additional $500,000 estimated for interchange improvements. These costs will be paid entirely by MN/DOT. Property acquisition cost for right-of-way was estimated at $214,200 for option #2 and $345,150 for option #3 utilizing existing market values from 1996 taxes. The City's share for each option is likely to be higher and was estimated at $350,000 to $525,000 for option #2 and $450,000 to $625,000 for option U. Weiss also discussed other potential right-of-way costs such as storm water ponding, Dundas Road extension, Cedar Street extension, and acquisition for closing 6 accesses. Engineering costs for the project will be paid upfront by the City but will be reimbursed by MN/DOT at the time of bid award through a cooperative agreement. Funding for the project is estimated at $1,200,000 from Federal ISTEA funds, $300,000 from state highway funds, and possibly $250,000 from Minnesota State Aid and County State Aid. Assistant Administrator O'Neill noted that MN/DOT has agreed to pay for improvements to segments directly extending off of Highway 25, with the City paying for land acquisition costs. Discussion/Questions Public Works Director John Simola questioned if the costs for construction through the Sandberg pond were included under option #2. City Engineer Bret Weiss responded that because it's a small pond that does not meet city design standards due to steep slopes, it wouldn't negatively impact the storm sewer system if a portion of it had to be filled. Construction cost estimates would be available when the preliminary design phase is completed, and costs will depend on whether MN/DOT is allowed to utilize the pond. Page 3 Special Council Minutes - 1/15/97 Public Works Director Simola also noted his concern with losing the commuter parking lot due to loop ramp construction. Assistant Administrator O'Neill responded that MN/DOT has indicated they would pay for reconstruction of the commuter lot, and negotiations are open for paying for the actual purchase of the property as well. Milton Olson stated his concern with closing Oakwood Drive. It was his view that the off -ramp should connect with Sandberg Road using signals in order to leave Oakwood Drive open. The City Engineer explained that the Federal Highway Administration would not allow a ramp to connect to a low-volume road. He agreed that there are some major concerns regarding the impact on the Oakwood Drive businesses that need to be considered. Larry Martin, representing SuperAmerica and McDonalds, noted his concern regarding the concrete median on Oakwood Drive, which would prevent easy access to those businesses. He also noted that since Oakwood Drive would be a cul-de-sac at some point in the future, the median would have far less importance because future traffic would likely be less than the current 4,500 cars per day. Weiss explained that the reason for the median is to prevent traffic backup on to Highway 25. Dean Rasmussen, Glass Hut property owner, requested that a right-in/right- out access be allowed from Highway 25 to avoid customers having to enter the property from the rear. Weiss stated that there have been discussions regarding whether Marvin Road should be kept as a city street or used as a private road. Design concepts will be detailed after an option is selected. Bob Abel of RCA Real Estate, requested that Council select option #2 to avoid splitting the 18 -acre parcel south of the proposed Chelsea Road extension. Development of the parcel has been delayed since 1995 because of the Highway 25 project, and splitting the property under option #3 would make the property less viable for development. Russ Adamski, owner of the Monticello Roller Rink, noted his concern regarding Oakwood Drive becoming a cul-de-sac. Since many customers of the roller rink are pedestrians, it was his view that a pathway system should be included in the area. Weiss noted that MN/DOT's funding program would pay for up to 50% of a sidewalk. In addition, since Highway 25 is proposed to be an urban design, ditches would be removed, which would provide an opportunity to install a bike path to connect with the School Boulevard path. Steve Johnson, representing Monticello Ford, noted his concern regarding the closing of Oakwood Drive, which would remove immediate access to Highway 25. Access through Sandberg Road would result in customers trying to find the dealership's back door. After discussing expansion plans Page 4 Special Council Minutes - 1/15/97 with the Ford Motor Company, they have expressed grave concerns over expanding in an area where access will be made difficult. Johnson expressed a desire to work with the City to make expansion of Monticello Ford a viable project. City Engineer Weiss noted that signing will be an important issue for those businesses on Oakwood Drive, and it has been suggested that Sandberg Road be renamed to Oakwood Drive to make it easier for customers to find those businesses. Mayor Fair noted that there will be additional opportunity to discuss the details relating to individual business access as plans are developed beyond the conceptual level. He thanked the public for their comments and noted that the Council will likely select an option at the January 27, 1997, Council meeting. A MOTION WAS MADE BY BRUCE THIELEN AND SECONDED BY CLINT HERBST TO ADJOURN THE MEETING. Motion carried unanimously. Karen Doty Office Manager Page 5