06-11-2007 CC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council :Minutes June 11, 2007 Page 4 Councilmember Farber stated that he believes we should continue repairing/replacing mailboxes as we have been. He noted that if the city replaces a mailbox it should be replaced with a mailbox that meets our standards. He stated that the cluster mailboxes on Boston/ Concord have worked well. . Cul-de-Sacs Mr. Hals indicated that 27% of the snow plow complaints received last season were on cul- de-sacs. He stated that where to push and store the snow in cul-de-sacs is one of the most difficult issues. He explained that there are issues with snow being pushed into the middle of the cul-de-sac as well as if the snow is pushed on to open space in the cul-de-sac. Mr. Hals indicated that he believes that by clustering mailboxes in cul-de-sacs, ample space would be created allowing the snow to be stored around the perimeter of the cul-de-sacs, out of the roadway. It was the consensus of the Council to hold off clustering existing cul-de-sac mailboxes at this time but to cluster all future cul-de-sac mailboxes. Councilmember Zerwas indicated that he would like to see a clause added to the city's snow plowing policy stating that if a certain number of inches of snow falls, the city may not meet policy deadlines. City Engineer Terry Maurer stated that letters could be sent to some residents in cul-de-sacs outlining the snow plowing issues as they relate to mailboxes and offering to relocate the mailboxes at the city's cost and see what sort of response is received. It was the consensus of the Council to send letters. . Sidewalks Mr. Hals indicated that he would like to see a consistent policy for snow removal on sidewalks. He stated that past practice has been to only plow the sidewalks and trails that are for the benefit for the city as a whole and not those strictly used for neighborhood benefit. The Council concurred that the policy should be consistent. Residents pushing snow across city streets Mr. Hals indicated that many residents plow their snow across the city streets. He explained that liability issues arise if the snow plow drivers do not clear the reminent snow. Mr. Hals stated that it is against State Statute to push snow across a city street and questioned how this issue could be enforced. City Administrator Lori] ohnson suggested that the statute be cited in the policy. Mr. Hals reviewed other budget requests for the Street Department. He stated that they would like to hire one full-time Maintenance employee to replace Mr. Mackendanz who recently retired. Mr. Hals and Mr. Thompson reviewed the Street Department equipment/Capital Improvement Plan requests. Mr. Hals reviewed changes to Sherburne County's funding on compo sting activities. He explained that the Sherburne County Municipal Recycling Board applies for a SCORE grant annually to fund the out of pocket expenses involved with grinding brush and composting .