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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 04-27 CCM Study SessionN INUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA STUDY SESSION APRIL 27, 2009 CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Study Session called to order by Mayor Tim Willson at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor Tim Willso 1 and Councilmembers Kay Lasman, Tim Roche, Dan Ryan, and Mark Yelich. Also present were Zity Manager Curt Boganey, Director of Fiscal & Support Services Dan Jordet, Public Works Direi;tor/City Engineer Steve Lillehaug, Director of Business and Development Gary Eitel, Assistant Cit3, Manager/Director of Building and Community Standards Vickie Schleuning, and Carla Wirth, TimeS aver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF AGENDA ITEMS AND QUESTIONS Mayor Willson askyd if the Council wished to discuss any agenda items. There were no requests. j ROBBINSDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT Mr. Boganey noted the attendance of representatives from the Robbinsdale School District to discuss pending plans and potential changes in the District that may affect Brooklyn Center's elementary school. Stan Mack, Robbin sdale School Superintendent, provided a review of the School District's feasibility study to analyze t ze remaining schools that had not been remodeled. While the schools were identified as being adequate for operations, additional reinvestment was needed. Mr. Mack explained that the Departmej it of Education had given the School District the authority to use alternative facilities funding to remodel and renovate buildings at taxpayer's expense with approval by State. However, the cost lifferential between building new and remodeling was too close to approach a full scale remodeling. 1 he facilities study also looked at the number of schools needed. In January, the Board of Education undertook the massive task of closing two elementary schools, repurposing one, and closing one middle school because space was not needed. In the long term, this does not answer the issue of needin4 an adequate facility. Mr. Mack explained their work with the District 3 and District 5 Congressmen to look at how the federal stimulus effort could benefit the District. He asked for Council input on the potential effort underway to ident.fy a single school site that would serve the student population of Lakeview, Robbinsdale, and 1, orthport. It is hoped that if they can locate a school in the border area, they could gain the cooperati<,►n from both cities to have an east side school funded by the federal stimulus package. He advi$ed that the Board of Education took steps last winter to recognize the need to 04/27/09 -1- locate schools by the school population and they are committed to represent the entire District by using a balanced approach to assure children and parents have the closest possible access to schools. Patsy Green, School Board Member, provided the Council with copies of their Strategic Plan, the summary press release adopted by the Board of Education about right sizing the District, the letter sent to elected State officials, the Minnesota Department of Education letter recommending the District not remodel the remaining three elementary schools, the Facilities Study addressing where students live in the District and existing District buildings, the current and new boundary map for 2009-10, and architectural information for new "shovel ready" schools. Mayor Willson mentioned that it was contentious when schools were closed in the past and the City heard clearly on the Northport issue. Mr. Mack stated if the project can move quickly once funding is available, the school could operate until the day the new school opens and the land could then be traded. He stated the Northport location is a beautiful site next to parkland but they need to find a compromise with Robbinsdale as well. He advised the minimum project cost is $20 million and he believed a shared location between the two cities would be an ideal compromise. He offered the suggestion that Brooklyn Center and Robbinsdale agree to shift its borders 150 feet so the school can be located in both municipalities. Ms. Green stated Senator Klobuchar's staff is aware of the issues with closing schools in Robbinsdale and the need to find funding to build one school. She advised that the Robbinsdale City Council felt one new school was better than remodeled schools, even if located across their border. Councilmember Lasman asked about the size of the student body. Mr. Mack stated they try to build for 900 to 1,000 students for elementary schools. Based on enrollment, the District has seen a leveling in elementary numbers that could remain for the next ten years based on projections. Councilmember Lasman asked if Northport would be sold or retained. Mr. Mack stated if traded it would be in the City's hands and the City's decision to make. He suggested the best fit may be to expand the park area. Councilmember Ryan stated he had attended numerous District planning sessions and was struck by the daunting complexity of this decision process given declining enrollment. He agreed it was always difficult to close schools but that is the definition of "leadership" if it needs to be done. Councilmember Ryan stated he appreciates being able to see the process in action and believed the City could have a high level of confidence in the District's decisions. Mr. Mack stated he appreciates that Brooklyn Center is divided among four school districts, which creates a different dynamic. He also appreciated the Council's consideration of this difficult and complicated issue. Councilmember Yelich asked about "right sizing" schools around financials, whether academic outcomes are also part of the question, and if there is evidence it does not compromise educational outcomes. Ms. Green presented statistics on the declining enrollment in Robbinsdale due to the aging of communities and their effort to right size the District so more money could be put into educational 04/27/09 -2- services for students versus running partially empty school buildings. She explained that with right sizing, they can return programming that was cut from the budget in past years. Mr. Mack describes l their efforts to eliminate overhead costs and why the Northport school was the most vulnerable anc,. not cost effective to remodel. The Council discussed building efficiencies, whether it would be LEED certified, and of green construction methods. Councilmember Roche noted the property under discussion is located on the corner of a freeway and he had envisioned ai corporate tower with at least eight stories. Mr. Mack agreed that it is not necessarily the best location but, in an effort to find common ground with the two citie the site is a compromise location that is vacant and potentially available immediately. Ms. Green stated she would also love to see an eight-story office tower along Highway 100 but the District wanted to start the conversation about locations. She advised the second part of the facility study was a recommendation to get rid of excess property. Ms. Green stated they will form a divesture committee and would like a Councilmember or representative from Brooklyn Center appointed to sit on that committee in addition to a resident from the Northport area. Mayor Willson thE.nked Mr. Mack and Ms. Green for their presentation and commented on the importance of doing what is best for the students. ADJOURN STUDY SESSION TO INFORMAL OPEN FORUM WITH CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Layman moved and Councilmember Ryan seconded to adjourn the Study Session at 6:48 p.m. Motion passed unarikimously. RECONVENE STUDY SESSION Councilmember Layman moved and Councilmember Roche seconded to reconvene the Study Session at 6:53 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. Discussion continued on the potential closing of elementary schools in Brooklyn Center. The Council agreed wit. i the need to work out preliminary details, determine the potential cost to the City since it does not c irrently own the land under consideration, and that it would be better to get an elementary school in Brooklyn Center than to redraw the boundary line. Councilmember Lasman commented that the idea of losing another elementary school would be disastrous because elementary schools are important to tax values and attracting families. 04/27/09 -3- Councilmember Roche stated this is a wonderful opportunity for this part of Brooklyn Center and asked if the City would have to purchase private property for this project to go forward. Mayor Willson stated that would be one route, but is premature at this point. He suggested staff determine what would be the most beneficial action for Brooklyn Center. Mr. Boganey stated staff will provide a report to the City Council within 60 days that outlines the issues, pros and cons, from the City's perspective and identifies options. ADJOURN STUDY SESSION TO CITY COUNCIL SESSION Councilmember Lasman moved and Councilmember Yelich seconded to adjourn the Study Session at 7:00 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. RECONVENE STUDY SESSION Councilmember Yelich moved and Councilmember Roche seconded to reconvene the Study Session at 8:37 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. MISCELLANEOUS Councilmember Yelich advised that a resident has indicated more information should be available to the public about Police Department activities, and information in the Sun Post was not adequate. He explained that Fridley posts a weekly status report to its website and asked if Brooklyn Center should post a similar report to be more transparent to what City government is doing. The Council discussed the cost for staff time to post weekly reports, what information is given to the Sun Post and who decides what to publish, and the need for input from the Police Chief. Mr. Boganey advised of staff discussions with the Police Chief about posting crime data on the website. The Police Chief is investigating that option, what is a good use of staff resources, and determining what data to make available to the public to keep them informed. It was the majority consensus of the City Council for staff to conduct research and report their findings at a future meeting. Councilmember Lasman raised the option of writing a history book to cover the ten years between the writing of The Brooklyns and the upcoming Centennial. She advised that Roseville had such a history book and suggested they be contacted about the process they used. The Council discussed how this work would be delegated, whether to the City, Historical Society, or Centennial Committee. 04/27/09 -4- 1 1 1 Councilmember Lasman stated the City did not fund the writing of The Brooklyns and it is not the intent for the City, to fund this book. It was noted the history book could be funded by sales of the book. It was the majority consensus of the City Council that Councilmember Lasman would contact Roseville and see how they wrote their history book and to ask the Historical Society if they would like to prepare such a book. ADJOURNMENT Councilmember Lasman moved and Councilmember 8:58 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. 04/27/09 -5- Roche seconded to close the Study Session at STATE OF MINNESOTA) COUNTY OF HENNEPIN) ss. Certification of Minutes CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER) The undersigned, being the duly qualified and appointed City Clerk of the City of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, certifies: 1. That attached hereto is a full, true, and complete transcript of the minutes of a Study Session of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on April 27, 2009. 2. That said meeting was held pursuant to due call and notice thereof and was duly held at Brooklyn Center City Hall. 3. That the City Council adopted said minutes at its May 11, 2009, Regular Session. ~ ayi0-Qvjt City Clerk C Mayor 1 1 1 04/27/09 -6-