Centerville Tidbits
Trail Project Date, Issues Discussed
Centerville’s trail project is likely to happen within the next two years.
That was the message coming out of a city council work session following the regular meeting on August 13.
More than 20 different sections of trail around the city are slated for development or improvement sometime in the future.
The purpose of the August 13 meeting was to prioritize among city council members the order in which the trails should be tackled and, specifically, which ones should be part of the initial project, funded by a grant of $750,000 in federal funding and $350,000 of city money in match funding and consultants’ fees to make the project happen.
A ballot of council members, taken prior to the meeting, saw trails along Mill Road, 20th Street, Goiffon Road, the southern border of Center Oaks and City Hall emerge as the top favorites for action.
Some of the 12 trail segments likely to be included in a large-scale trails project include portions which would be featured in the 2009 Street Improvement Project and the downtown redevelopment project.
“I think the burning question here then becomes, how do you want to proceed with the construction of these trails?” City Engineer Mark Statz asked at the meeting. “Do you think this is a 2009 construction project?”
Council Member Tom Lee said he favored 2010 for the construction of the trails.
But Mayor Mary Capra indicated she was open to the idea of holding the project in 2009, subject to confirmation that the inclusion of the Mill Road trail would be covered by the grant money, as it was not included in the original application.
One area of concern was the future potential grades of front yards along the Mill Road trail, after the trail was complete.
“I guess what I’m really interested in is the whole yard issue, and what happens to the yard when [the trail] goes down,” said Council Member Linda Broussard Vickers. “I want people to be able to mow easily.”
Engineer Statz admitted there might be some problems.
“I think one guy up here has a retaining wall – I think there are going to be issues,” he said. Finance director John Meyer will investigate whether the Mill Road trail would be covered by the grant money before the city council gives any further direction on how the project is to proceed. If the grant is not used before 2011, the city loses it.
In other action during the regular meeting, the City Council:
• Granted a request for the use of 1694 Sorel Street for parking for the annual St. Genevieve Church chicken dinner on August 17.
• Approved a request by Centerville Elementary School PTA for a temporary bingo permit for November 7.
• Agreed to grant a request from the Dead Broke Saddle Club for the renewal of charitable gambling permits for Trio Inn, Wiseguy’s Pizza and Pub, and Kelly’s.
• Approved a request by Kelly’s for a temporary event permit for August 16.
• Passed a resolution appointing election judges for the upcoming primary and general elections and the interim deputy clerk, Ms. Sweeney.
• Allowed encroachment agreements at 1962 72nd Street, 7088 Dupre Road and 7048 Cottonwood Court.
• Resolved to write a letter to Old Mill Road resident Cathy Fruth, who had previously complained about the steepness of her driveway following street improvements made to Old Mill Road.
• Approved a request by the Clearwater Creek Estates Development to reduce its letter of credit to the sum of $146,890, and also to refund the $10,000 escrow deposit, pending confirmation that there were no outstanding unpaid bills by the company.
• Passed resolutions proclaiming September 17-23 as Constitution Week, and October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
• Heard that the CSAH 14 bridge was scheduled to be open to traffic again by September 1.
• Was informed by City Administrator Dallas Larson that Centerville was negotiating with Anoka County and one of its subcontractors for payment towards repairs totaling $7,000 that the city was forced to make after a water main valve burst last winter. The city believes the damage resulted from the work being performed on CSAH 14. The subcontractor offered the city $500 towards the repairs.