09-17-2001 CC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Minutes Page 2 September 17, 2001 relocate in with the current city hall expansion project. Councilmember Dietz stated that the Utilities Commission would like reassurance from the Council that if Elk River Utilities decided to be included in the city hall expansion project, then Utilities would not have to pay for any land purchase costs. The Council was of the consensus that there would be no charge for the land. Councilmember Dietz stated that the majority of the Utilities Commission is in favor of utilities moving into city hall. 4.2. Park and Recreation Update Director of Planning Michele McPherson stated that she had two acquisition requests for the Council to consider but she is removing one (the Bloomdahl property) at this time. Ms. McPherson stated that Richard LaFavor approached the city with an offer to sell 70 acres of land for city park purposes. Ms. McPherson stated that the property survey, the appraisal, and the wefland delineation costs would need to be determined. Ms. McPherson stated that staff would like to pursue negotiations for the purchase of the 70 acres and that the Park and Recreation Commission recommended continued negotiations to the City Council. Mayor Kdinzing stated that if anyone wished to speak to this issue, they could do so now. Allan LaFontaine, adjacent property owner - Questioned how this proposed property purchase would affect him. He questioned if he would be assessed for any road improvements and he felt that a park was not needed in the area. He also inquired as to the type of uses for a park. Ms. McPherson stated that no plans are in the works at this time but there could be walking trails, a fishing pier, and/or a playground. She stated that the commission would ask for input from the surrounding neighborhoods as part of the park design. Mayor Kdinzing questioned where the figure of $10,000 per acre came from. She stated that this number is high and a lower amount should be considered. It was noted that this figure was the original asking price. Councilmember Kuester stated that this location would be a good choice for a park location and that if a resident is offering parkland to the city it should be seriously considered. Council directed staff to continue negotiations with Mr. LaFavor for the purchase of 70 acres of land and to obtain an appraisal of the property. 4.3. NCDA Update Senior Planner Scott Harlicker stated that the NCDA discussed the status of legislation affecting the Northstar Corridor and he stated that the park and ride facility plans to be open and have buses running by October 1, 2001. 4.4. Consider Bailey Purchase Agreement City Administrator Pat I~daers stated that staff recommends purchasing the Bailey property with a life estate arrangement for the future expansion of the library and/or parking lot. Mr. Klaers introduced Charlie Wilson, the attorney acting on the city's behalf, who would explain the definition of a life estate.