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Home My WebLink About02-03-2025 City Council Work Session Packet CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Mayor Amáda Márquez Simula Councilmembers Connie Buesgens Rachel James Justice Spriggs Laurel Deneen City Manager Aaron Chirpich City Hall—Shared Vision Room, 3989 Central Ave NE Monday, February 03, 2025 6:00 PM AGENDA ATTENDANCE INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC Members of the public who wish to attend may do so in-person, or by using Microsoft Teams Meeting at columbiaheightsmn.gov/joinameeting: ID 271 361 336 205 Passcode sd66JM7R. For questions, please contact Administration at 763-706-3610. Auxiliary aids or other accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request when the request is made at least 72 hours in advance. Please contact Administration at 763 -706-3610 to make arrangements. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL WORK SESSION ITEMS 1. 2025 Legislative Session Update and Preparation – Presentation by Lockridge Grindal Nauen. (20 Minutes) 2. MnDOT Briefing: Community Engagement and Design Progress for Central Avenue. (30 Minutes) 3. Medtronic Site Presentation from Lincoln Avenue Communities. (30 Minutes) 4. Review Of Public Feedback and Next Steps For 2025 Concrete Alley Reconstruction, Project 2506. (20 Minutes) 5. Code Enforcement Officer Discussion. (20 Minutes) 6. Expenditures Using 2023 Public Safety Aid. (10 Minutes) 7. Update Purchasing Delegated to City Manager. (10 Minutes) 8. City Newsletter Format Update (10 Minutes) 9. Council Corner. Monthly Calendar Sharing Monthly Event Notification and Attendance Monthly Proclamations and Meeting Guests ADJOURNMENT 1 City of Columbia Heights AGENDA February 03, 2025 City Council Work Session Page 2 Auxiliary aids or other accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request when the request is made at least 72 hours in advance. Please contact Administration at 763-706-3610 to make arrangements. 2 ITEM: 2025 Legislative Session Update and Preparation – Presentation by Lockridge Grindal Nauen DEPARTMENT: Administration BY/DATE: City Manager / January 30, 2025 CORE CITY STRATEGIES: (please indicate areas that apply by adding an “X” in front of the selected text below) _Healthy and Safe Community _Equitable, Diverse, Inclusive, and Friendly X Trusted and Engaged Leadership _Thriving and Vibrant Destination Community X Strong Infrastructure and Public Services _Sustainable BACKGROUND: In October of 2024, the City renewed its contract with the law firm Lockridge, Grindal and Nauen (LGN) to provide professional lobbyist representation during the 2025 legislative session. During the 2024 session, LGN helped the City draft and submit a bonding bill requesting $12M from the state to cover roughly 50% of the estimated cost of construction for a new Municipal Service Center (MSC), and they also helped draft a bill requesting sales tax exemption and reimbursement for taxes spent on construction materials for the new City Hall. Both of these efforts are being carried forward by LGN for the 2025 session. SUMMARY OF CURRENT STATUS: In preparation of the 2025 session, LGN has assisted staff in the preparation of revised project budgets and submittal of updated bills for the MSC bond funding and sales tax exemption request. Staff from LGN will be at the work session to update the Council on the current status of the 2025 legislative session and report on what they are seeing on the ground. LGN will also discuss the broader strategy for supporting the City’s priorities during this session and how the Council can help. Finally, City staff and LGN staff would like to explore additional legislative priorities of the Council in 2025. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING AGENDA SECTION WORK SESSION ITEM MEETING DATE FEBRUARY 3, 2025 3 Item 1. ITEM: MnDOT Briefing: Community Engagement and Design Progress for Central Avenue. DEPARTMENT: Public Works BY/DATE: Assistant City Engineer / January 27, 2025 CORE CITY STRATEGIES: (please indicate areas that apply by adding an “X” in front of the selected text below) _Healthy and Safe Community _Equitable, Diverse, Inclusive, and Friendly _Trusted and Engaged Leadership _Thriving and Vibrant Destination Community X Strong Infrastructure and Public Services _Sustainable BACKGROUND: The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is furthering efforts on the preliminary design phase of the Central Avenue project with the goal of landing on a preferred alternative for the corridor this year. SUMMARY OF CURRENT STATUS: MnDOT has begun their next phase of engagement with businesses and property owners along Central Avenue. This engagement consists of door-to-door outreach throughout the corridor with conversations around potential intersection, corridor, and access changes. An in-person open house for the Central Avenue project will be held on February 4th from 5:00-7:00pm at the Columbia Heights Library. Chris Bower from MnDOT will be providing a presentation to the Council on the current status of the layout options in consideration for the Central Avenue corridor and also present the next phase of decisions that will need to be made as MnDOT works towards finalizing the project design and ensuring alignment with the community’s needs and priorities. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: None – information only. RECOMMENDED MOTION(S): None – information / discussion only. ATTACHMENT(S): MnDOT Presentation Central Avenue Proposed Roadway Layout CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING AGENDA SECTION WORK SESSION ITEM MEETING DATE FEBRUARY 3, 2025 4 Item 2. Central Avenue (Highway 65) Improvements Columbia Heights City Council -February 2025 5 Item 2. Crash update 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 2 2024 (preliminary) 470 6 Item 2. Central Avenue Project 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 3 Overview MnDOT and Metro Transit are collaborating with local agencies and the public to create a new road design for Central Avenue (Hwy 65) between the Mississippi River and I-694. As a part of this project, MnDOT will work closely with Metro Transit on the integration of the METRO F Line, a planned bus rapid transit line that will provide improved transit service on the Route 10 corridor. Timeline 7 Item 2. Recent Engagement •Door knocking on every property along Central Ave – themes: •Some concerns about fewer lanes, but an understanding of the need for a change •Minor tweaks to on-street parking •Concerns about pedestrian safety •Property-specific details (Can we get a new ADA ramp? Can you fix the drainage? Will the bus stop have a garbage can?, 12”x12” concrete squares are not fun to shovel) •Hilltop/Fridley City Council •“What is Columbia Heights doing?” – Fridley expressed interest in joint council meeting 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 4 8 Item 2. Upcoming Engagement •In-person open house – 2/4 at 5pm, Columbia Heights Library •Virtual open house – 2/6 at 6:30pm and 2/7 at 9:00am •Video of presentation with survey to be posted to website after open house •Community Conversation 2/12 at 4:00pm •Good opportunity to drill into project details, ask questions 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 5 9 Item 2. What’s happening in Minneapolis? 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 6 •Shared-use path north of Saint Anthony Parkway, separated bike lanes south •One thru lane (each way) •NB and SB bus lane (south of Saint Anthony Pkwy bus lanes may vary) •February 25th Open House at Edison HS? (tentative) 10 Item 2. Traffic Operations: Signal Option 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 7 11 Item 2. Traffic Operations: Roundabout Option 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 8 12 Item 2. Southbound traffic calming in Hilltop 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 9 13 Item 2. Southbound traffic calming in Hilltop 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 10 Roadway curvature + median vegetation breaks line of sight = uncomfortable to speed 14 Item 2. Key Issues for Municipal Consent •Reservoir Boulevard closure •Number of lanes – NB bus? NB general purpose at 43rd? •Right-in right-out at 42nd Ave. •Southbound left turn restriction at 46th Ave. (key issue for McDonald’s) •Roundabouts •Single lane (46 ½ and 47th) •Multilane (49th, 51st, and 53rd) – brings right-in right-out at 50th and 52nd •Bicycle facility 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 11 15 Item 2. Landscaping/Amenities •2028 - $800,000 for “Aesthetic Elements” constructed with the project – maximum allowed by MnDOT policy •2030 - $500,000 (actual number may vary) for landscaping following construction •Community-involved Visual Quality Process beginning 2026 •Planning for maintenance remains important – want to go into VQ process with maintenance plan 1/30/2025 mndot.gov 12 16 Item 2. Project Schedule: Overall mndot.gov 13 •Preliminary design underway in 2024-2025 •Municipal Consent in early 2026 •Refining and finalizing the design in 2027 •Construction starting in 2028, completing in 2029 17 Item 2. Thank You! Chris Bower, PE MnDOT North Area Engineer Info@CentralAveImprovements.com 18 Item 2.