That’s probably no surprise to the council that a lot of our infrastructure is aging. It’s not fixing itself.”

City Engineer and WSB representative Morgan Dawley

St. Paul Park Council meetings are held the first and third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in city hall. The public is invited and welcome to attend.

The St. Paul Park Council met Monday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. in city hall.
Among items contained on the night’s agenda was approval of a horizontal infrastructure study, intended to give the city a clearer picture of what lies beneath and prioritize maintenance
“This item is a proposal for what we’re calling a horizontal infrastructure study, basically an asset management effort to better and more thoroughly understand our infrastructure, primarily underground infrastructure,” City Engineer and WSB representative Morgan Dawley told the council.
The study will focus on sanitary sewer, water main and storm sewer infrastructure, while also tying into previous work on rating city roadways. Dawley said the city has already started looking at road conditions, and the new study would expand that work underground.
“That’s probably no surprise to the council that a lot of our infrastructure is aging,” he said. “It’s not fixing itself.”
The study is expected to help city officials identify where public dollars should be invested for repair, reconstruction or rehabilitation. Dawley said the city needs to consider not only the age and condition of infrastructure, but also the risk of failure and the consequence if a failure occurs.
As an example, he said a pipe failure under Broadway near downtown or the refinery could carry a higher consequence than a similar failure in an agricultural or green area. Those distinctions, he said, matter when the city is deciding which projects should rise to the top.
The work will also consider possible future development and infrastructure expansion needs, including sewer and water capacity constraints that were previously discussed in connection with potential development in the southern part of the city.
Dawley aid the study could help the city over less formal ways of selecting projects like driving around or deciding based on general impressions. The study is expected to be completed around August and could be used in upcoming budget discussions. It may also help form a capital improvement plan for future infrastructure projects, giving residents a better idea of when streets or utilities may be scheduled for work.
Franke made the motion to move forward with the infrastructure study, being seconded by Council Member Jeff Haggerty, with unanimous council approval.
Also from Monday, the council approved a conditional use permit for 945 Lincoln Avenue, where the property owners sought permission to add a detached garage while keeping an existing attached one-stall garage.
City Planner Nate Sparks said that city code requires a conditional use permit when a property with an attached garage adds a second garage.
“They have an attached one-stall garage, and they wanted more garage space,” he said.
According to Sparks, the existing garage is about 276 square feet, while the proposed detached garage with dimensions 24 by 24 feet and roof peak 15 feet four inches would be 576 square feet and located behind the house. The driveway would be extended to reach the new garage.
Sparks said the applicants adjusted the driveway plan to meet setback requirements. He also said that if the owners converted the attached garage into living space, the conditional use permit would not be needed, but they wanted to keep both garages.
The Planning Commission had reviewed the request May 11, holding a public hearing and recommending approval with conditions included in the resolution. Notices had been sent out for the hearing, with some coming back “return to sender” if the addressee had moved.
“We do know that it went out, because we got a couple back,” Sparks said.
No one had spoken at the public hearing on the proposed garage, with Council Member Tim Conrad saying the request had been reviewed thoroughly by the Commission.
“There was some concern, at least question on water runoff, and they just wanted to make sure that they were aware of that and how they would address it,” he said. “They seemed diligent in that.”
With motion by Conrad seconded by Taggerty the conditional use permit for a garage at 945 Lincoln Avenue was approved.
Also forwarded from May Plan Commission meanwhile was a minor subdivision at 1220 Fourth Street. Applicant and property owner Bob Schwartz owns two adjoining parcels, including a vacant lot too small to be buildable under city code.
Sparks said the vacant parcel was about 40 feet wide and roughly 5,000 square feet, whereas R-2 zoning requires a buildable lot to be at least 5,600 square feet.
“What he’s proposing to do, Mr. Schwartz is proposing to take a strip of land off of the adjacent lot and attach it to this lot,” Sparks said.
Sparks said the request involved Lot 13 of Block 99, along with adjoining Lots 14 through 16. Because the lots are owned in common and the adjustment would make the smaller lot buildable, the matter had to be processed as a minor subdivision.
Franke sought clarification on where the lot was located.
“Is this between Fourth and backs up to Fifth or Fourth and backs up to Third?” he asked.
“This is the block that has the alley in it, and this is the one right underneath it,” Sparks said, referencing the area on a city map. It was shared that the Plan Commission had recommended approval with conditions, including that all setback and performance standards be met for future construction, that the applicant provide a utility plan before permits are issued, that all city engineer comments be addressed and that perimeter easements be granted.
Sparks said utility work may be needed before the lot can be developed.
“He’s probably got to put in a service line for sewer and water, which would require like street repair,” Sparks said.
Sparks also noted that one parcel is torrens while the other is abstract, with different backgrounds potentially requiring extra steps during recording.
“If you’ve ever been through that Kafkaesque procedure you know,” he said.
Franke asked whether the action would give Schwartz two buildable lots, Sparks answering in the affirmative.
“You’d have a second buildable lot,” he said of the minor subdivision request.
Earlier in the meeting meanwhile, the council approved ordinances amending the city’s building and rental code, fire code and fee schedule.
The council used separate resolutions for each ordinance update, with Ordinance 784 to repeal and replace chapter 18 of the city ordinances for building regulations, Ordinance 785 to amend Chapter 30 on fire prevention and protection, and Ordinance 786 (approved March 16) to amend chapter 42 license and permit fees.
McPhee said the fee changes in Ordinance 786 were not substantive but were included so the current fee structure would match the updated ordinances.
“There were a couple of wording differences and some minor fee amounts for one service or another, but nothing that we thought was significant,” he said.
McPhee said approval would allow Rum River to fully implement the inspections program, which had been on hold because of issues in the previous ordinances. He said the city was updating the fire code but was not engaging Rum River at this time to perform fire code inspections.
“So, after tonight, I would contact Rum River, and they can fully implement the inspections program,” he said.
Also from Monday, the council authorized conduit bonds for Presbyterian Homes and Services in an amount not to exceed $52 million. McPhee said a public hearing had already been held and that the council could vote unless members had questions.
“This is the agreement that was in the council packet, and there is a modest stipend for our efforts in helping get this across the finish line,” he said. Conduit bonds involve using a municipality as a conduit, and do not involve liability to the city.
Council Member Jeff Swenson made the motion to approve after asking about the missing resolution number, which McPhee said could be assigned as Resolution 1772. Swenson then moved approval of “the proposed issuance of its bonds of one or more series, pursuant to a plan of financing in a greater aggregate principal amount not to exceed $52 million to Presbyterian Homes and Services,” seconded by Haggerty and passing unanimously.
In other news from St. Paul Park Council, members approved the May 18 consent agenda 5-0, with motion made by Swenson and seconded by Haggerty to approve consent.
Items approved in consent for May 18 included the payment of bills for May 5 through May 19, special event permits for Broadway Bar & Grill’s Higher Ground Wrestling event June 13 and the second annual Starlo Memorial Bash/Humble Hounds Fundraiser July 18, a rain garden maintenance agreement, Payment No. 7 to Geislinger and Sons, Inc. for the Third Street Reconstruction Project; city license approvals, a City Hall parking lot mill and overlay, Change Order No. 1 for technical changes in the GAC changeout contract , and appointment of Richard Burt to the Public Safety Commission for a term to run through Dec. 31, 2028.
Burt is a multi-decade resident of St. Paul Park, citing “excess free time” among reasons he became interested in the commission. He previously appeared before the council to address concerns with the Third Street reconstruction project.
As for Higher Ground Pro Wrestling, the event is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. June 13 at Broadway Bar & Grill, while the Starlo Memorial Bash/Humble Hounds Fundraiser is scheduled for 2 to 9 p.m. July 18. No concerns were reported with either special event permit.
As for the rain garden agreement, it authorizes the Washington Conservation District to maintain the city’s rain garden at 864 Pleasant Avenue at a cost not to exceed $600. Work includes cleanout, supplemental planting and mulching, and maintenance visits for inlet cleanout, leaf removal, weed removal and litter removal. The agreement runs from May 15 through Dec. 31.
The council also approved Payment No. 7 to Geislinger and Sons, Inc. for the Third Street Reconstruction Project in the amount of $671,750.30. The amount reflects work certified through May 4 with a 5 percent retainer applied.
The City Hall parking lot mill and overlay meanwhile was awarded to Bituminous Roadways, Inc. for $53,750. The mill and overlay comes as the lot is nearing the end of its functional lifespan, with cracking, potholes and uneven surfaces creating safety and maintenance concerns. Work to be done includes milling the existing surface, installing a two-inch bituminous overlay and restriping the lot.
The GAC change order made technical clarifications only and did not change the contract price. The clarifications included prevailing wage language required by the MPCA, a cap on liquidated damages at the $233,000 contract amount and language on spent activated carbon. The change order also clarified that spent activated carbon must be non-hazardous, free flowing and free of debris, and that material unable to be reactivated would legally remain the property of the city for disposal.
Closing with council updates, Haggerty noted that the Public Works Commission will meet June 2 at City Hall and still needs at least one more member.
“Please come down and apply,” he said. “Love to have you on the board.”
Swenson followed Haggerty, reporting that the Public Safety Commission will meet June 4 at six o’clock in city hall. Swenson also welcomed Burt to the Commission and said the June meeting would include a chance to meet the police and fire chief.
As for Plan Commission, Council Member Tim Conrad reported it will meet June 8 at city hall, while Council Member Charlene Whitbred Hemmingson reported that the Parks and Recreation Commission will meet June 11. Whitbred Hemmingson said new members were needed and also that gardening was going well.
“Keep watching our Parks and Rec Commission Facebook page and thats’ where we’ll give events,” she said.
Also covered were Heritage Days and Cars in the Park.
Cars in the Park takes place Wednesday from 4 p.m. to dusk at Vet’s Park in St. Paul Park, while Heritage Days is set for August 13 to 15th this year. Numerous fundraisers including a meat raffle and silent auction are planned in the lead up to Heritage Days, with more information at sppheritagedays.com. Former Minnesota Wild player Alex Stalock will be at a June 6 silent auction from 1 to 5 p.m. put on by the American Legion.
Closing out the council update, Mayor Franke shared that funding had been secured in this year’s bonding bill for the 70th Street interchange.
“Representative Rick Hansen was able to secure us $400,000 to give to MnDOT to design and predesign the 70th Street interchange,” Franke said. “This is going to be a long haul project.” Technically a state interchange on a county road, the project is slated to cost millions of dollars.
The bill still awaited the governor’s signature at the time of meeting.
St. Paul Park Council meetings are held the first and third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in city hall. The public is invited and welcome to attend.