Centerville Tidbits
Council Asks: Are Curb Cuts Needed?
Centerville Public Works employee Tedd Peterson has spotted a possible safety problem associated with the Anoka County Road 14 reconstruction project where Lakeland Circle and Peltier Lake Drive intersect Main Street.
The popularity of the new bike trail on the south side of the road and the lack of curb cuts for pedestrian and bicycle access to that trail are contributing to a safety issue, a memorandum from city employee Kim Stephan subsequently told council.
There is no sidewalk on the north side of Main Street in that location, and families with small children out bicycling on neighborhood streets to access the bike trail are stalled in Main Street traffic as they lift their children’s bicycles up over the curb to access the trail. Whether or not a crosswalk would then be required in those locations was also questioned.
The issue was discussed at the Parks and Recreation Committee meeting July 1, whose members unanimously recommended that council bring the issue to the attention of Anoka County to see what could be done to make the area safer for trail users.
Council members voted unanimously to do so at their July 8 meeting. Council members Tom Lee and Jeff Paar were not present.
The Weeds Won’t Grow
The Centerville City Council cultivated steps at its July 8 meeting to rectify the failure of native wetland and buffer plantings to take hold in a graded wetland mitigation area within the Centerville Industrial park.
According to a presentation by City Administrator Dallas Larson, the permit obtained from Rice Creek Watershed District for the 21st Avenue/Backage Road project will not be closed out, nor plantings approved, until “correct vegetation has been established.”
That vegetation, which includes buffer grasses and wildflowers, has been at least partially successful. However, of the 0.7 acres of wetland and upland buffer areas that that require attention, approximately 5,000 sq. ft. will likely require reseeding, city documents show.
Council elected to accept the least costly proposal for the work, submitted by Prairie Restorations, Inc. of Princeton in the amount of $6,275. Larson told council that the cost could go as high as $9,075 depending on the success of the plantings.
The proposal includes invasive species management for three seasons beyond 2009.
In other action, the council:
• Approved the expenditure of up to $200 for supplies to fund the Park and Recreation Committee’s volunteer appreciation barbecue in conjunction with the July 14 Music in the Parks event at Hidden Spring Park.
• Accepted a $1,100 CenterPoint Energy Safety Grant from CenterPoint Energy representatives for the purchase of safety vests for the Centennial Fire Department. The council was also awarded a $1,400 Community Partnership Grant.
• Approved a permit application submitted by the Centerville Lions Club for the sale of Fête des Lacs raffle tickets door-to-door within the city.
• Adopted a resolution approving traffic signal installation, energy supply and maintenance agreements between the parties of Centerville, Lino Lakes, Anoka County and the State of Minnesota for traffic control signals at a number of intersections on County Road 14, including those affected by the I-35E Interchange Project.
• Approved the North Metro Telecommunications Commission budget in the amount of $1,028,078, a decrease of 1.3% over the 2009 budget.
• Took action to adopt new procedures insofar as they affect city banking transactions.