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PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA
October 5, 1998

The city council of the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota met in special session in the council chambers in City Hall on Monday, October 5, 1998 at the hour of 6:00 o’clock p.m. with Mayor Owens presiding, pursuant to call by Mayor Owens which was served on all members on September 30, 1998: Document No. 7642 - Notice.

Present at roll call were Council Members Brooks, Polovitz, Lucke, Hamerlik, Bouley, Glassheim, Carpenter, Klave, Beyer, Babinchak, Bakken, Hafner, Martinson - 13; absent: none.

Mayor Owens announced that anyone wishing to speak to any item may do so by being recognized prior to a vote being taken on the matter.

CONSIDER MATTER OF MPO TRANSPORTATION
PLAN

The city auditor reported that this matter had been presented to the city council at its meeting on Monday, July 6, 1998, and consideration of the matter was tabled at that time.

It was moved by Council Member Hafner and seconded by Council Member Beyer to remove this item from the table. Carried 13 votes affirmative.

Mayor Owens called for a public hearing on the matter of the MPO Transportation Plan.

COUNCIL MEMBER LUNAK REPORTED PRESENT

The city auditor read the report from the Planning and Zoning Commission who had considered the matter of the request from the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks Metropolitan Planning Organization (GF-EGF MPO) to present the Metropolitan Long-Range Transportation Plan Update and for preliminary approval of an ordinance to amend the Comprehensive Plan to include the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks Transportation Plan Update (1998 Street and Highway, Transit, Bikeway and Pedestrian Elements), together with all maps, information and data contained therein and approval of a resolution amending same, and recommended preliminary approval of the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks Transportation Plan Update with the acceptance of Transportation Plan Alternative “A” subject to special conditions shown on or attached to the review copy (to remove the 17th Avenue South and I-29 Interchange, to remove the Red River bridge crossing at 17th Avenue South, to remove the Red River bridge crossing at 32nd Avenue South and restudy the U.S. Highway No. 2 by-pass); to introduce the ordinance amending the Comprehensive Plan as it relates to the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks Transportation Plan Update and to set the date of the public hearing for a date yet to be determined (which was tonight).

It was moved by Council Member Glassheim and seconded by Council Member Brooks that this recommendation be and is hereby approved.

The following individuals appeared and spoke during the hearing on this matter objecting to the placing of the bridge at either 17th Avenue South or 32nd Avenue South:

Roger Hegland, 505 17th Avenue South, stated their petitions have been ineffective and ignored, and questioned how they weigh the wishes of East Grand Forks for the 17th and 32nd Avenues bridge, how many homes and people are affected on the East Side vs. Grand Forks. He also asked if the emphasis should be on diverting traffic away from residential and congested areas; and this will drive people out of established and mature reconstructed neighborhoods He stated they survived and want to get on with their lives, many have invested personal savings beyond the SBA loan money to get re-established, this project would take it all away

Gordon Caldis, 17th and Belmont Road, strongly objected to the bridge at 17th Avenue South; that traffic will increase and will have negative impact on residents, schools and parks within this area. He stated there would be safety problem with increased traffic, 92 properties between Belmont and Washington .

Patricia Frey, 1524 Walnut Street, urged support of the recommendations from Planning and Zoning Commission; suggestion was made by those presenting that without the 17th Avenue bridge in the plan, it was a question of deadlock and therefore no federal monies, that is not the issue, the issue is which plan; and costs referred to in the plan are construction costs only, do not include acquisition costs nor any calculation of economic impact on the immediate neighborhood. She stated that many people do not abut 17th Avenue and would suggest that remnants of Walnut and Chestnut Streets that have managed to survive the flood would be utterly destroyed and lose any possibility of resurrection, and suggested that impact on streets from 13th south would be extremely negative on home values, residential character of the neighborhood, suitability of neighborhood for families, and urged council to accept the recom-
mendations.

Darren Nelson, 505 South 6th Street, and was member of the Citizens Advisory Committee that studied Minnesota-4th Avenue South corridor several years ago, that he didn’t want to have traffic through neighborhoods but the reality of the fact is that whether 4,000 more cars, or whatever it is, the cars are not going to go away. The solutions offered are to funnel more of them through his neighborhood, and now have more than they can handle, have several schools, narrower street, and they’ve been fighting that battle for over 20 years. He stated that this city has been growing south for many years - school, golf course and depend upon regional traffic flows to make them work; and adopting a long-range plan with no southend bridge says near southside neighborhoods can take all of the traffic now, but that’s not an equitable or efficient or logical solution to the problem.

Charles Share, 1021 South 21st Street, principal at Holy Family School, expressed his desire for council to consider not looking at this bridge issue and definitely opposed to anything that would include a bridge on 17th Avenue South; and encouraged city council to approve recommendation.; that a long range plan with a bridge on 17th Avenue South would dramatically increase the traffic past the school and have negative impact on the school.

Lonnie Winrich, 606 South 4th Street, here as a citizen and not a spokesman for the Historic Preservation Commission, that a lot of development has occurred south of 13th Avenue South and still have no southend bridge, and believe need bridge to accommodate that development and thinks best location is 32nd Avenue South, traffic would increase but traffic will increase on 32nd Avenue South even if don’t build a bridge there, and if don’t accommodate that traffic it will flow north probably on Belmont Road and South Washington, possibly on Cherry, and east on 4th Avenue South. He stated that a week ago this council took a courageous action and decided that it was more important to plan and prepare for the future than to try to recapture the past, difficult decision and vote was 9 to 5.

Al Boushy, 1805 Chestnut Street, stated this debate has put them behind in rehabilitating their home, this project keeps arising; and encouraged council to approve plan without 17th and 32nd Avenues bridges.

Dr. Homer Rovelstad, 3203 Belmont Road, stated he appeared some time ago and presented petition with 815 residents on 32nd Avenue South and 17th Avenue South and throughout the city, and continue and pass the resolution that Planning and Commission had recommended.

Ted Black, 1717 South 35th Street, stated he wanted to address one of the options that is still included in the long-range transportation plan and has petitions with 101 signatures that were gathered and those that signed this position strongly support your efforts to delete the proposed 17th Avenue interchange with I-29. Mr. Black presented petitions to the Mayor.

Floyd Christianson, 1811 Chestnut Street, stated he drove on 47th Avenue South and lot of room for four-lane highway all the way to I-29, home being built are long way from 47th Avenue South and can drive all the way to I-29 with few obstacles in the way, and cheapest way to build any road.

Steve Hansen, 1912 Belmont Road, stated if necessary it would be his intent to head up circulation of a petition to keep Lincoln Park golf course, what remains available with the construction of the proposed dike, as a golf course and is opposed to construction of a bridge at 17th Avenue South cutting across this limited amount of land.

Ann Sande, 1011 Belmont Road, that since Columbia Road opened up traffic has dropped on Belmont, that these streets are arterial and collector streets, Belmont is a minor arterial, 8th Avenue is a collector street, Minnesota and 4th Avenues are considered minor arterials and if going to live on major streets you have to accept that things are going to change, traffic increase one way or another, and important for people to realize that in spite of the fact that you have a school or multiple schools, or churches and daycares, traffic is going to increase on these streets. She stated that the school district might want to reconsider its habit of placing schools on minor arterial and collector streets. She stated that 17th Avenue South is too narrow for a bridge but thinks there ought to be a second bridge which will hold down traffic on Minnesota and 4th Avenue, suggested at 32nd Avenue South, 47th Avenue South where City has land for a bridge - need to leave open the opportunity for a bridge because it will be needed.

A resident at 1920 Belmont Road stated he golfs every day at Lincoln, and important for community to save Lincoln Park Golf Course, and asked council to vote no for the bridge on 17th Avenue South.

The city auditor reported that the council did receive on July 20 an additional petition with 84 signatures in protest to the bridge on 17th Avenue South.

Council Member Hamerlik stated that as he read MPO report and when talk about reduction of traffic instead of increasing that we need to have a bridge and 17th Avenue might be the best spot but in view of opposition it seems appropriate, either no bridge on 17th or 32nd or a bridge on 17th but will support a positive vote on what has been recommended. He stated that the MPO did a good job and if their information is accurate, hard to vote against it.

Council Member Bakken stated that putting a bridge on 17th Avenue South doesn’t make a lot of sense because it is a narrow street, long span over a golf course and dike, but should leave 32nd and 47th Avenues in the plan for future study; that we need southern bridge; and that 32nd and 47th are probably last two areas and if go farther south, wider areas to span, coulees to span and costs go up; and would like to delete 17th Avenue South, leave 32nd and 47th in for now and let the plan progress.

Mayor Owens closed the public hearing.

Council Member Bakken moved to leave the bridge at 32nd Avenue South and include 47th Avenue South for future study. Council Member Glassheim seconded the motion.

Council Member Carpenter stated that 32nd is an established neighborhood, that talked about 47th and should concentrate on that, work with East Grand Forks and address some of their concerns, have R/W at 47th , and moved to amend the amendment to delete 32nd Avenue South. Council Member Babinchak seconded the motion.

Council Member Glassheim stated he would like to leave 32nd Avenue South in for study because he’s not sure about the numbers as to whether 47th does much to relieve the congestion that will grow on Minnesota and 4th, and virtually no impact where 32nd would have some impact, and shared pain but not concentrated in one place. He stated they should leave that until numbers firmed up and would have to be combinations made and design elements made if it should go on 32nd. He stated he didn’t think any action on this would happen for 10-15 years, and no such moving of dirt, etc. but if take out of the 20-year plan now that forecloses any possibility in the future.

Council Member Klave stated that there are no driveways abutting 47th, everything set back, designed that way if there was a bridge that would go through there, clean span to Hwy. 81, that 32nd Avenue South established neighborhood and if looking at planning and growth, 47th Avenue has to be looked at seriously.

Council Member Carpenter stated there’s a fact sheet on 47th Avenue river crossing, and under traffic impacts: the bridge in this option will carry about 3,450 vehicles per day, roughly half of the more northerly bridge options, therefore traffic impacts related to this bridge are in general of a lower magnitude than those of earlier options. The bridge serves to relieve the Point Bridge and Minnesota-4th Avenue in Grand Forks as well as portions of DeMers Avenue in both Grand Forks and East Grand Forks central business districts. This relief is sufficient to improve the LOS (level of service) on Minnesota-4th in Grand Forks and at the 1st Avenue Point Bridge intersection in East Grand Forks. The 47th Avenue bridge does not relieve 32nd Avenue congestion significantly since most of the traffic using this bridge ends up using 32nd Avenue after crossing the River. He stated that there will be relief at Minnesota-4th, and this does help address Minnesota-4th; and are getting the benefit from 47th and support not having a bridge at 32nd and direct our attention to 47th.

Upon call for the question of the amendment by Council Member Carpenter to the amendment to the motion to delete 32nd Avenue South and upon roll call vote, the following voted “aye”: Council Members Brooks, Polovitz, Lucke, Hamerlik, Bouley, Carpenter, Lunak, Klave, Beyer, Babinchak, Martinson - 11; voting “nay”: Council Members Glassheim, Bakken, Hafner - 3. Mayor Owens declared the amendment approved.

Upon call for the question of the amendment by Council Member Bakken, as amended, to the motion to add 47th Avenue South for future study and upon roll call vote, the following voted “aye”; Council Members Polovitz, Lucke, Hamerlik, Bouley, Glassheim, Carpenter, Lunak, Klave, Beyer, Babinchak, Bakken, Hafner, Martinson, Brooks - 14; voting “nay”: none. Mayor Owens declared the amendment carried.

Upon call for the question of the original motion, as amended, and upon voice vote, the motion carried 14 votes affirmative.

Council Member Beyer stated that the MPO still has to hold a hearing on and this is just Grand Forks’ decision, MPO has to hear the transportation plan.

ADJOURN

It was moved by Council Member Beyer and seconded by Council Member Bouley that we do now adjourn. Carried 14 votes affirmative.

Respectfully submitted,



John M. Schmisek
City Auditor

Approved:
_________________________________
Patricia A. Owens, Mayor