Direct city staff to prepare tobacco-free parks policy – excluding Island View Campground
Drew Hage, a development planner at the Southwest Regional Development Commission (SRDC) in Slayton, brought the draft of the Mountain Lake Active Living Plan to the attention of the Mountain Lake City Council at the group’s Monday, June 22 meeting.
That plan was reviewed and the adoption of a “complete streets” policy was discussed. A “complete street” is any street on which one feels safe walking or bicycling. In a rural community, a “complete street: could be a street that is wide enough so pedestrians can safety walk along the shoulder and one on which vehicle traffic is not excessive and traffic speeds are reasonable. A “complete street” may also have a sidewalk or path separate from the street on which pedestrians can walk or bicycle.
Each council member received a worksheet from Hage on which all the infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects in the draft plan were listed.
The projects will be ranked by the council – in relation to importance order to create a priority needs list – from projects to be tackled now – to those reaching out into the future, even as long-range as 10-years+ – and returned by Friday, June 26, so that the plan can be completed.
Earlier, members of the Mountain Lake Active Living Planning Team had individually created their own priority list. The team includes Dana Kass of the Mountain Lake City Council as well as a city resident, Mountain Lake City Administrator/Clerk Wendy Meyer representing the City of Mountain Lake, Cheryl Hiebert representing the Mountain Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, local residents John Oeltjenbruns and Dolores Peters and SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Program) Coordinator in Cottonwood, Jackson and Nobles Counties for Des Moines Valley Health and Human Services (DVHHS), Diana Madsen.
The projects on the list will seek funds through a variety of sources, including – a possible SHIP grant for signage, UCare grant, MnDOT grant, Blue Cross/Blue Shield grant, TAP (Transportation Alternative Program) or from other funding sources – including monies that remain from a Toro Grant for downtown beautification. Administrator Meyer will be coordinating with Hage and Madsen in seeking funding. It was noted that some of the project ideas on the list could possibly be completed by service groups, as student work projects or by volunteers.
The City of Mountain Lake has been working with Hage’s direction over the past seven months to develop its own Active Living Plan in order to help make the city more pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly by providing new strategic walking and bicycling improvements.
Active Living is described as a way of life that integrates physical activity into one’s daily routine. Active Living is about fostering an environment that makes it safe and convenient for children and adults to walk, bike and be physically active on a daily basis. This can start with just making small trip. An example of such is walking between stores – instead of driving from one end of Third Avenue or 10th Street – to the other.
Creating a healthy community depends on the physical design of the community – making it more walkable with specific improvements – along with a number of other variables.
Mountain Lake’s Active Living Plan – draft version – includes the following infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects:
* A sidewalk or dedicated lane connecting the Mountain Lake Trail from Casey’s to 7th Avenue along Golf Course Road.
* Creation of a trailhead at the “park” area east of Casey’s. (Casey’s has already granted permission for the trailhead.) Included at the location would be a kiosk with informational brochures – or signage noting the trail connection points and some type of outdoor seating.
* Signage and road symbols noting the route of the Mountain Lake Bike Loop. (The loop runs south down 10th Street from 3rd Avenue to Mountain Lake Road, east on Mountain Lake Road to Cottonwood County Road #1, north to Prince Street, west to 11th Street, north to Midway Road, west to 10th Street, and south to 3rd Avenue.)
* In conjunction with Safe Routes to School Connections, a dedicated drop-off and pick-up area in front of Mountain Lake Public Elementary School, including improved traffic flow. As well, sidewalk placement along 4th Avenue from east of the public elementary school to 15th Street.
* Sidewalk placement on 5th Avenue west of the public school (most notably for after home athletic or extra-curricular events when cars are parked on both sides of the road).
* Creation of either permanent or removable “bump outs” (and extension of the sidewalk into the street) along 3rd Avenue with the road’s intersections with 10th Street, 11th Street and 12th Street. “Bump-outs” would assist in increasing 3rd Avenue crossing times, allow pedestrians and drivers see past cars parked on 3rd Avenue – and, on the flip side – allow drivers on 3rd Avenue to see pedestrians and drivers on the at the corners of the two streets. An example of a “bump-out” is below.
* Sidewalk placement along 6th Avenue from where sidewalks end – to Munson Field.
* Sidewalk placement east from Golf Course Road (north of Casey’s) to 7th Street.
* Sidewalk placement along Mountain Lake Road to connect to Heritage Village.
* Addition of a stop sign along 3rd Avenue at the intersection with 10th Street. The average daily traffic volume on 3rd Avenue is calculated to be 3,150 vehicles; and on 10th Street, 810 vehicles.
* Addition of a stop sign at the intersection of 10th Street and Prince Street.
* Improving downtown business sidewalks along 3rd Avenue.
* Improved sidewalks and/or bench between the Laker Apartments and Senior Dining at the Mountain Lake Community Center.
* Adequate bicycle parking in racks. The city does have bike racks at Island View Campground, Mountain Lake City Park, Heritage Village and Mountain Lake Public Library (there are also bicycle racks at both the public and private schools and United Prairie Bank). Additional location could include the boat landing at Mountain Lake.
* Sidewalk or dedicated walking area in the Mountain Lake Mall parking lot along the Maynard’s building.
* Road art across the parking lot at the Mountain Lake boat access to indicate the path of the trail. Additional road art painting and/or stenciling projects could include crosswalks or other areas that would show direction (or for city beautification and/or distinction).
Move to tobacco-free
Luke Ewald of Des Moines Valley Health and Human Services approached the council to present information on “Start Noticing,” a Cottonwood County and Jackson County coalition working to eliminate the harmful effects of tobacco use and exposure. Ewald asked the council to consider making the city’s parks and Mountain Lake Trail tobacco-free.
Council members discussed a draft policy, and then directed city staff to prepare a tobacco-free parks/trail policy that would exclude Island View Campground.
In other business
* Approved a lease between Randy Sawatzky and the Mountain Lake Trail, pending Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources approval. Sawatzky, the owner of an 18-acre parcel of land in Section 30 of Midway Township, located north of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) property and northwest of City of Mountain Lake property, agreed to allow an unimproved trail across this property that will connect with the Mountain Lake Trail. Because this parcel is enrolled in the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program, no trail improvements can be made. The city intends to cut a path across the property with a lawn mower several times a year. The parcel will be added to the city’s list of covered properties.
* Reduced the city permit fee for shingling and/or siding to $45, effective July 1, 2015. Effective on that date, the state of Minnesota is reducing the state surcharge on a shingling and/or siding permit from $5 to $1. The surcharge was raised during the state’s 2010 budget crisis. The total charge for a City of Mountain Lake permit prior to the $5 increase was $45; but since the increase, the total permit charge has been $50.
* Approved a Conditional Use Permit for the owner of property at 703 Klein Street, allowing a home occupation in the residential district after reviewing the findings of fact and the resolution. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended six conditions in issuing the permit.
* Approved the closure of 4th Avenue – from the west side of 11th Street to the east side of the alley from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, June 29, for a Mountain Lake Public Library program, “Pint-Size Polkas.”
* Accepted a gift from the Mountain Lake/Odin/Ormsby Sportsmen’s Club to the Lake Commission.
* Reviewed, and then approved, Partial Payment #4 for the Well #7 Project of $54,915.18 to GM Contracting, the general contractor.
* Reviewed and discussed the list of tax-forfeited land, and then approved a resolution placing that property for sale.
* Looked at and discussed the costs and tonnage from the 2013, 2014 and 2015 City-Wide Clean-Ups by Hometown Sanitation. Previously, the council had agreed to a three-year contract with Hometown for these services the first Saturday of May each year. Hometown had offered two pricing options. After reviewing the clean-ups from the previous years, council members approved the per ton option. The city will pay $125 per ton in 2016, $130 per ton in 2017 and $135 per ton in 2018.
* Learned that 2012-2014 Utility and Street Project, Electric Department and Fire Call bills owed by Kuechle Underground, Inc., the project’s general contractor, have been paid.
* Briefly discussed the refunding and reissuing of bonds first taken under consideration at the city council’s June 1 meeting. The 2016 Draft Capital Improvement Plan was reviewed. Department heads have not yet had the opportunity to review that document.
* Waived the public nuisance fee for property at 736 9th Street North. Photographs taken of the property earlier in the day of the council meeting showed that the majority of work had been completed. The remaining work needed to be done was discussed with the property owner, with the owner agreeing that it would be soon completed.
* Extended the clean-up deadline for property at 1406 3rd Avenue until the Monday, July 6 council meeting and reconsider waiving the public nuisance fee at the time. Photographs taken of the property earlier in the day of the council meeting, and clean-up work completed since the Monday, June 1 council meeting were reviewed, with a substantial number of items having not been cleaned up.
* Learned that the owner of public nuisance property at 412 7th Street had moved out. Council members agreed to notify the owner that all property must be removed by Wednesday, July 1, and to call for bids to demolish the house.
