Several residents and business owners along the path of the 2019 street improvements spoke to the City Council during Monday’s public hearing. The projects numbered 966-971 include street reconstruction of Park Lane from University Avenue to Locken Boulevard; street construction for the extension of Spruce Lane and Fir Lane from the east side of Barrette Street approximately 350 feet east; curb replacement and water main trench repair on North Broadway from sixth street to seventh street. There are four streets receiving bituminous mill and overlay, Ash Street from 200 feet south of Loring Street to E. 3rd Street; 2nd Street from Market Street to Ash Street; 3rd Street from Main Street to Broadway; 4th Street from Broadway to Elm Street.
Jeremy and Kathryn Amiot, who live on Barrette Street were concerned with being assessed for a new street their property doesn’t front. “We had some concerns about the assessment we received because our property doesn’t front onto the new streets that are being built,” said Kathryn Amiot. “We weren’t sure why we would receive a special assessment for something that we’re not getting a direct benefit from.”
Public Works director Pat Kelly explained that there are different methods of assessing streets for front streets, which houses face, and side streets, which the side of houses typically face. “As part of state law we are required to give an estimate of the proposed assessment,” said Pat Kelly. “There will be an assessment hearing this fall. We have two methods of assessment, a front foot assessment which is when all the homes are facing the street we directly assess that amount. On the side streets where the houses don’t face that street, we spread what we would normally assess for that street to the middle of the block. In theory, if you did all four sides of a street and all the lots were the same size everyone would pay the same.”
Kent Freeberg asked who was being assessed for the lots in the cul-de-sacs and whether the assessments for each lot was public information. Kelly said the developers will be assessed for the lots in the cul-de-sac and Finance Director Angel Weasner said the information was public and available at the City Hall front desk. Freeberg mentioned he had asked for it within the last two weeks but no one was able to get him the information at the time. Weasner apologized as she wasn’t in when he came by saying the information is available but she did not bring it down to the Council Chambers.
Kathryn Amiot also looked up some of the legal terms used in the letter and posed questions about the terminology used in the letter to property owners on Barrette Street. “I was looking up legal terms to try to have a better understanding of what these things mean because I’m obviously not a lawyer and I don’t know,” said Kathryn Amiot. “When I looked up what a special assessment was it said a special assessment is required for the property to have a benefit that is not shared by the community at large. It seems like these benefits will be shared by the community at large so I was questioning whether a special assessment was warranted.”
The Council was unable to provide any further specification to Amiot’s questions about the terminology, but City Administrator Shannon Stassen told her if she would send them an email they would forward the terms onto the City Attorney for clarification.
Several residents including Jeremy Amiot also had concerns about the drainage behind the Barrette Estates and whether the new development would address that. “For the last two winters we’ve lived on Barrette Street and every spring we get a good amount of water behind everybody’s houses,” said Jeremy Amiot. “That is forming along where the City owns about a 50-yard easement behind all our properties. I was just asking questions about why they didn’t build the drainage built in behind those lots because they were kind enough to put fire hydrants and utilities behind there but not any drainage for everyone back there.”
Chris Fee also addressed the council saying that if the drainage issue in his back yard was solved he’d be happy to pay the assessment. Both were assured that the developers were addressing drainage as part of their project, which KROX spoke with Bob Herkenhoff who owns the site of the future cul-de-sacs about in January. Jeremy Amiot said it was nice to hear drainage was being addressed without an additional assessment to the owners on Barrette Street. “That’s nice to hear that at least the developers are flipping the bill for the drainage and not me,” said Jeremy Amiot. “Because it’s a benefit for them because they are putting $300,000 houses behind my house, so that was nice to hear.”
Kelly also clarified that the type of assessment being used on Barrette Street is used often throughout town for side streets to make owning a corner lot more equitable in assessments. “It takes away the inequity of owning a corner lot,” said Kelly. “If you just said we’re going to assess a straight front foot everywhere the corner lot is going to pay the full price on their front and then on the sides they’ll pay full boat on their side which in town is typically 140 feet. The next house wouldn’t have to pay anything for that side street. To make it somewhat more fair and palatable to buy corner lots we try to make it more equitable for everyone in the community.”
Business owners also had a few questions for the Council. Councilman Steve Erickson addressed the council on behalf of several people who had contacted him to ask whether a possible sidewalk replacement, which the letter stated could be included in the project if needed, would be an additional assessment. Kelly said property owners would not be assessed if something new were to come up with the sidewalks. Brian Moore, the Owner of the Grand Theatre said having both 2nd Street and Ash Street on the list was an assessment of more than $3,000 for the business and was worried about the added stress that could put on the business which is coming off a down year. Weasner told him that assessments over $3,000 are charged over four to ten years, which Moore said would help. “Things are just down all around and we were just nervous that they were going to be completely tearing up the streets,” said Brian Moore. “Then if it rained, we might be down for six weeks or eight weeks, and if they tore both these roads up we could really be hurting. It is a lot of money, but over the course of 10 years it will help.”
Kay Hegge, chair for the Prairie Skyline Foundation, asked if there was any consideration for the non-profits when it comes to assessments. The foundation owns both the old Cathedral and the old Methodist Church on Ash Street. Councilman Tom Vedbraaten responded, “if you own the building you own the land.” Which Hegge said she took at meaning, not at this time.
The council meeting started with Pat Thomas expressing her disgust with Midcontinent Communications not carrying the Minnesota State Girls Hockey Tournament. She said she contacted Midcontinent and they finally got the game on halfway through the semi-final game and didn’t have the championship game on. She said she is tired of being treated like a second class citizen by Midcontinent and when the contract ends they should look at going with somebody else.
