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12-17-1951,._: _. (~ 12/1751. ' ~ ~ a7 ADJOURNED COUNCIL NESTING Village of Richfield December 17, 1951 I:. Pursuant to dve call and notice thereof an adjourned meeting of the Village Council of the Village of Richfield Minnesota was duly held at the Village Hall in said Village on Monda~r, December 17, 1951 et 7s0o P.M. The following members were presents Mayor Christian, Trustees Bowen, Iverson, Walters and Kittlejohn (Li°ttlej~ohn arriving late.) - c and the f~ollowi.ng mere absents bone ° ~ The Mayor announced the first order of business was the consideration of the purchase of Grass Lake property. Mr. Victor Engberg, the appraiser employed by the Village for this purpose, reported that he could buy the land for approximately $200 per lot in platted areas and X300 per acre in•the unplatted areas. Moved by Bowen, seconded by Walters that T~'. Ehgberg be authorized to negotiates on behalf of the Village, for the purchase of this land and to advise the property owners that the Village offers the maximum of X200 per lot in the platted area-and a maximum of $300 per acts in the unplatted area. Carried. 2. Mr. 0. B.°Strand submitted for approval the plat of Strandts 2nd addition to Richf~.eld. The Village Engineer was consulted and gave his approval„ e Moved by Walters and seconded by Iverson that said plat be accepted aub- ject to the ownerts full compliance with aPll the requirements of the platting ordir_ance. Carried.. Mr. 0.°B. Strand informed the Council that he would deed the land adjacent ~to said plat for street purposes. e e • -Moved by Walters, seconded by Iverenr~. tT1at the Village Engineer accept deeds from O. B. Strand for certain land adjacent to Strands 2nd addition -for street purposes. Carried. • 3. Mr. 0. B.. Strand requ®wted a special use permit to use a trailer for a tem- porary office at approximately 77~ Street and Lyndale avenue S. ' 4~ ~ ~ .. w r~'dver~ b~ Walters, seconded by Iverson that the request be granted. Carried. I~. Trustee Bowen suggested that the Village designate one or two locations to be used as depots for the purpose of dum~i~ag~ and bur~.ng Christmas trees after the holidays. ° ° Moved by Iverson, seconded by Bowen that the Manager be authorized to designate two locations where Christmas trees may be dumped. These locations shall be strictly 13m~ed to the dumping of Christmas trees which will be burned under the supervision of the Fire Department. after the locations have been slected~ the public is to be informed of said locations by a published notice. Carried. ° 5. The Manager reported on his meeting with the architect, held for the purpose of finding ways to economize on construction of the addition to the Village Hall. He stated that he had Hbeen approached by residents of the Village who proposed 12/17/51 that-bids be re3ected because t~iey are too high and that steps be taken to construct a-new building of comparable footage at a different location so as to avoid the difficulties attending construction of an addition to the existing Village Hall; the .proposed building to be located at some 100 to 200 feet from the present building and ~ the adjoining park or that it be located- immed~.ately adjacent toy the -Fire Hall.p - The Manager called on Mr: Robert Cook, s~OOkesman for those making the above mentioned alternate proposal, Mr. Cook stated that after a study of the plans and an investigation of current construction costs, he was positive that a comparable building could be built for much ~.ess, viz., 19,00000 ar a total cost of X30,000.00, subject to some qualification. -There was considerable discussion on the relative costs and merits of- constructing a new building either in, the park adjoining the Village Hall or adjacent to the present Fire Station. The ~.ttorney was consulted on the legal aspects of using the bond proceeds fora separate building ~n a different location. He stated that a separate building would probably involve a new authorisation from the electorates whereas merely, changing the location of the proposed addition would not. P - ~Lr. Jacobsen of the firm of Jacobsen-and Quist, low bidder on the general construction, was asked how much of the-cost of the construction applied to the preparation of the present building for the new construction. :Mr.eJacobsen sa~.d that 3,t w~.ild take-about three weeks. to complete the preparatory work. This would amount to about X420.00. He also stated that much of the dismantled material from the present building could be utilized in the-new construction, thus offsetting some of the cost, The architect also stated that much of the dismantled material could be utilized in the new construction. Much of the discussion concerned the cost per square and cubic foot. Trustee Walters stated that the present bid would result in a cost of about ~12.,~5 der square foot whereas such construction cost should be nearer X30.00 per dquare foot. He said, in view of this, all possible alternatives should be fully ir_vesti~ gated before a bid is-accepted. The architect pointed out that the dnly economical, approach was_to de» cide on an over-all plan. and then stick to it. The west wing was. bbi.].t with the intention that a second story would be constructed at some future,ti~ne. Thus if th® present plan were abandoned, the cost of the extra heavy con- struction in the west w3.ng would be wasted. Also the cost of drawing uP the plans for the proposed additiop would - offset some of the saving which it is claimed would result from the construction of a separate building. Mr. J. E. I,abo arose and said that it was not necessary tp pay such high architect fees. He said that any draftsman could draw adequate plans at very little cost, he paying only X100 for the plans of a building costing X94,000.00. The Mayor pointed out that under the law "preparation or supere~ision of the preparation of plans and specifications for public works-exceeding ~7,000.00-in cost can be. done only by a person who is properly registered under the laws of Minnesota. e The Manager pointed out that it was easy to .say that a new building could be constructed for less than the proposed addition but that experience ~s shown that when firm bids are actually submitted in such cases, the contrary is more often true. He stated that the Village administration is responsible ._ _ lz/17/51 . ~ 1 to the public and that if the present planr.were abandoned and the bids for a separate building did not result in the claimed saving the administration would be justifiably subject to severe criticism., To protect the public the Manager suggested that those who were so positive that a comparable new building could be constructed for much less should be willing to guarantee that if the contrary proved to be true th®y would make up the difference, The Manager submitted the following factors which should be taken into account before a decision is made: sa. It is my understanding that the present west wing of the.build3ng was con- structed with the intention that a second story would be built. on i t at some future time. Undoubtedly it was of heavier construction .than would have been necessary had there been no planning for a sec and story. The cost of extra heavy footingy~ supports and general construction has a1- ready been paid. for. b. In order that we would not find the proposed addition stopped because of II. S. Government restrictions placed on steel' we purphased much of the necessary steel before restrictions went into effect. Some additional steel which would be required is available i.n the present structure if - the addition is put on it; if put else~liere the steel from the present. building would not be available. The architect can advise whether a - new building could be bonetructed with the present steel, now on hand and not in use. c. I have discussed costs with both the architect and outside engineers and am advised that the bids we now have axe very much in line with office building construction of comparable footage even where such buildings are independent. The 1~ssociated General Contractors of Minnesota advise me they do. not keep construction cost figures because of the extreme vari- ations in building factors which make it difficult to compare. They adds„ however, that we can be certain of one thing -- the costs are not going down. d. It %s assumed that a maJjor reason for providing office <space is to in- cr~a.se administrative efficiency. It is likely that such improvement ixi public service would be largely invalidated if part of tha Village offices are to be supervised from another office perhaps one-half block away. Tt is particularly important during the first tk~ree to five years of couhcil-manager government that the var3.ous offices be located close together in order that the Village Manager may be able to give close supervision to matters of interwoffi.ce procedures public relations~~ and similar matters. The mere fact that hardly a Council. meeting goes by ~,.thout the need for getting from some office nacewsary records and infoxm.ation indicates that offices located a substantial distance from the Council Chamber will cause delay and incornrenience. Furthermore space used by the Council and Court would not be available for overflow work in the administrative offices Locating the building next to the Fire Hall would reduce that problem,but it would interfere with future expansion of the Fire Hal]. and would necessitate personnel - traveling back and forth through the fire truck garage to be in contact with the Councils the Court or the Police Department. e. Time is enormously important. Tde have been working to get plans ready since early august. The architect has now completed his work and bids are in. To discard the present program for another less certain one would immediately mean paying an architect for plans which will never 12/17/51 ~`~~2 be used, which is at least ~3i000 1oss~ and 3robably the work could not be started in less than four months; it can be well toward completion by then, if started immediately.e f. If a separate building is to be built to hold a second floors the prot~- lem of an addition still faces the Vile. an the other .hand, the proposed addition can always be used for an auditoriums library, or other public use if anew city hall is to be built where the present building now stands facing Portland Avenue. The present building might well be moved to another locatiori.~ if several years in the future the proposed office space provee inad®quat®. e Recommendation: It is apparent that the Villages like other organizations which are ex- panding is a victim of ir~flation.~ The prices are high; they are higher than the architect estimated early in August. It was his estimate, then, that we could build the proposed addition for about 17.,500. By exercising every economy that comes to minds it appears that the price is more nearly 1~9s5~a If it can be demonstrated beyond any doubt that comparable quarters can be provided at a substantial savings, without sacrificing either tame or adminis~+ trative effici:ency~ certain7.y we a7.1 areo ob7.igated to act to make such savings for the Vil7.age, If there is serious question of that, however, it is my judg- ment that the wiser-move would be to act now on what we have,~.n black and white. It would be my suggestion that we pay for construction materials now on hand, and the fee due the architect for work completed several years ago, out of 1951 funds. The Clerk+s and Treasurers records show that the General Fund -has an unobligated balance of about ~50,00o which is legally available for use by the Council in this way. This would enable the Village to proceed immediately with the proposed addition, including partitions which are highly desirable if not absolutely necessary, and would make available sufficient monies to purchase much of the equipment needed for the new addition.n Inasmuch as it would take time to thoroughly investigate the proposed alternatives Mr. Jacobsen of Jacobsen and Quist, low bidder on the general construction, was asked if he would hold his bid open beyond the ten-day legal limitation. Mr. Jacobsen stated that he would be glad to hold his bid open for a reasonable time. It was suggested that the Council should have until February l~ 1952 to make the investigation. Mr. J2FCObsen offered to hold his bid open until that date. - It wad moved by Bogen, seconded by Walters that the offer of dir. Jacobsen of Jacobsen and Quist -i,o hold their bid oepen until February 1~ 1952 be accepted. Carried. Tt was moved by Bowen and seconded by Walters and carried that the Manager be directed to try and obtain sim37.ar extensions of time from the other low bidders, recognizing that if such extensions were not obtained the bids would be re3ected by default.... 6, The Clerk requested action on, the recommendations of the Public ~cami.ner re-- garding certain interfund transfers. Trustee Bowen introduced the following Resolution and moved its adoption _ ._. .. ~ /5 ~~ . 2 17 1 .~ R~soLV~TION A HE,SOLIITTON AUTHQRIZ~tG AND DIRECTING THAT CERTAIN ~, INTERFUND TRANSFERS BE MADE IN ACCORDABTGE T~TH PUBLIC NER'S .REPORT FOR YEARS ENDED ]~CEMBF~'t 3l, 19l~7, 1918, 19.9, .. and 1950 TaiFIEREAS the Report of Public Examiner on the Financial Affairs of Village of Richfield for Years ended December 31, 19.7, 19t~8, 19l~9..and.~ 1950 states: -~ ~An analysis of the disbursements made from various special assessment funds indicated that some expenditures, charged to a particular fund, should have been made from another funds and e tr3HEREAS it is the intention of the Village Council that all funds shall, be accounted for according to law and the requirements of the Public Examiners and° ~ 5 certain interfund transfers are necessary to Derry out the inten- tion of the Council and the Requirements of the Public Examiners NOT~3 TI + ,FORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Village Council of the Village of _ Richfield Hennepin County Minnesota that the Director of Finance bey and hereby is, authorized and directed to make the following interfund transfers: From ~ To M r ~ ~.IFiOUnt ~... ' General Fund Combined Storm Sewer Districts 7,919.1.7. Nos. 2 and 3 Fund n ~ Combined Storm"Sewer Districts 32,471.~a . Nos. C-1~ D-1, and 0 ~- er a 1950 Tsnprovement Fund c µ 71~031.0?~ Stoma Sewer District Storm Sewer~Districts 1?.83 No. 1 Nos. 2 and 3 Combined Storm Sewer General Fund 2,553.12 Districts Nos. 2 and 3 n F. T. R. Fund 1581.00 Combined Storm Sewer General Fund 8,339.45 _ Districts Nos. C-1~ ~ _ D-1 and 0 Fund . . e ~ P. I. R. Fund ~ 5,308.25 e 1950 Improvement Fund 37,212.$$ ~ P-. I. R. Fund General Fund 2,935.57 . H P. I. R.. Sinkixlg Fund 3,711.05 a Storm Sewer District No. 1. - 111.79 e Combined Storm Sewer Distracts _ 21.07 Noss 2 and 3 Street and Fire Street and Fire Equipment Sink~.ng 1b8e25 Equipment Fund Fund ~ . Liquor Fund General Fund 799.33 The motion to adopt the foregoing Resolution was duly seconded by Ta°ustee Iverson and upon vote being taken thereon the following votedd in favor thereof: Christians Bowen Iverson Walters and Littlejohn and the following voted against the same: None. T~IEREUPON said Resolution was declared duly passed and adopted. ° . . 4 lz/i2/5i ~ Trustee Bowen introduced the following Resolution and moved its adoption: RESOLUTION A;RESOI~UTION AUTHORIZING AND DiRFCTiNG'TH~ DIRECTOR OF FIN~~AtCE TO TR~ISFER $10,000.~~ FRCJ~! T~ GTs`Jd~'RAT. FUND TO THE VILbAGE HAIaL ,ADDITION FUND WHER~S on September 1.1, 1951 the Village Council was authorised, by a Special Election, to sell bonds in the amount of X50,000.00 to pay for the con- struction of an~_ addition to- and betterment of- the Village Hall, and WHEREAS the amount of ~50~000,~ was thought to be sufficient to cover the cost of said addition and betterment, and WHFS the cost of construction has inereawed above the amount originally -anticipated, and ~ it is necessary that additional space be acquired iri order that the affairs of the Village can b8 efficiently administered, and T~~S it appears .that the money in the special fund to be used for the construction of the poroposed addition to the Village Ha]1 is insufficient #.n the amount of about X10,000.00, and n ~ WAS the law allows money in the general fund to be used for a special g~urpose by making a transfer to the fund established for the special purpose N06d THE~'OP~E BE IT RESOLVED by the Village Countiil of the Village of Richfield, Hennepin County, Minnesota, th~.t-the Director of Finance be, and -hereby is, authorized and directed to transfer ~7.0~000.00 from the general fund to the Village Ha11 addition fund. The motion to adopt the foregoing Resolution was duly sew nded by Trustee Iverson and upon vote being taken thereon the following voted inofavor thereof: ~Chri.stian, Bowen, Iverson, Walters and Littlejohn and the following voted against the same: None. - 4 ~ WHEREUPON said Resolution was declared da~].y passed and adopted, -. The last Monday of the month falling on New Years Eve,. the Council dis- cussed an alternate date for said meeting.. It was moved by Tr7alters and ~secondeel by Iverson that the last regular meeting of December be held. on " ~" December 28 at 7:00 P.M. Carried. Moved by Walters, seoonded by Iverson that the meeting adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 12:00 P. M. Village Clerk