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King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes Page 2 <br />February 1, 2005 <br />the reconstruction process 'no matter what we do'. <br />Group discussion ensued about employee parking within the lot during the reconstruction <br />process and beyond. Mr. Holme said it was his personal opinion that parking should be <br />"closed" during the reconstruction, with the need for truck and construction parking taking <br />precedence. Mr. Houlton said that he was concerned about traffic on Lowell Avenue like <br />the previous time there had been a reconstruction project, as it would be the street that <br />'picked up through traffic'. Mr. Houlton said that he didn't think that King Avenue would <br />have much traffic on it, as most of it was generated by the bank anyway. <br />Mr. Maurer said that perhaps the City Council should consider an all-way stop sign at King <br />Avenue and Main Street. Mr. Holme said that he thought a stop sign at that location would <br />restrict traffic flow. Mr. Maurer said that restricting flow was 'not necessarily a bad thing' <br />because it may deter traffic just cutting through downtown. Mr. Houlton thought the idea <br />of adding another stop sign was 'horrifying' because of other traffic controls already nearby. <br />Mr. Holme asked how many people were employed by key businesses in the area that would <br />be using the parking lot. Mr. Maurer did not know the number. Mr. Holme questioned <br />whether 149 stalls for parking would be sufficient for both employees and customers in the <br />downtown area. He also said that sidewalk access along Hwy 10 in winter months is a big <br />issue as MnDOT dumps snow along the lot perimeter which doesn't leave much room for <br />pedestrian access. Fred McCoy said that where people park from the downtown area will be <br />an issue, and that employees need someplace to park with designation. Lisa Raduenz stated <br />that the intent of the group was to determine just that, at the next meeting in March. <br />Mr. Maurer asked Mr. Houlton what the bank's plan was for parking near the meat market. <br />Mr. Houlton said the bank would continue to own that parcel of land, but had agreed to <br />'throw in' the parking available on the site to make it easier to redesign the general parking <br />lot. Mr. Holme said the furthest parking stalls from the doors of the businesses like the <br />meat market would be the best place to put general employee parking. Mr. Maurer was <br />asked about disabled/handicapped parking. He responded that a minimum of 5 parking <br />spots were required for the total of 149 spaces at the site. Mr. Ho1me asked how many <br />disabled spots were already there? Mr. Maurer responded there were two behind the <br />pharmacy area. Mr. Holme asked how many were on Main Street? Mr. Maurer said he <br />would check and get back to the group in March. Mr. Holme said that at least one spot for <br />disabled in front of the pharmacy and one in-the back lot get used "a lot" and that two spots <br />"seem to work". He said the one spot in front of the store is somewhat difficult, as backing <br />up out of the spot is dangerous because of traffic coming off of Highway 10. Mr. Maurer <br />suggested that perhaps the City could put disabled parallel parking near King Avenue on the <br />north side of Main Street as it may be a better place and would be easier for cars entering <br />into the lot if cars were not parked at that location all the time. He said this question did not <br />need to be answered at this time. <br />Steve Johnson brought up the fact that there is at least one and possibly two Artesian wells <br />on the site which are currently capped, and asked about the slope of the proposed lot. Mr. <br />Maurer responded that storm sewers should handle any seepage or drainage issues on the <br />site, and that the slope was about six feet. He also said that the islands to be installed in the <br />lot would be a 'happy medium' between traffic direction and plowing, and that there were <br />two existing and four new ones that would be located within in the lot, with the islands on <br />the north end of parking rows would be painted. Mr. McCoy asked about snowplowing <br />issues and if snow was going to be trucked away from the site. Mr. Maurer said that the City <br />Street Department would likely take it away and that it might be worth it if Phil Hals, Streets <br />