Council reviews consent agenda: grants, easements, engineering contract amendments and fire department planning amendment

The Duluth City Council reviewed a broad consent agenda that included grant acceptances, contract amendments for bridges and trail work, acceptance of utility easements from the U.S. Army, and a contract amendment to continue fire department facility planning.

Items called out by staff included a resolution to accept a $70,000 crime victim services prosecutorial grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs to partially fund a victim-services specialist position in the city attorney’s office; a three-year agreement with Duluth Superior Public Access Community Television Inc. for community-access broadcasting and training at an annual net cost of $182,000 (not to exceed $546,000 over three years); and multiple engineering contract amendments for public-works projects.

Public-works listings and easements Staff read several public-works and utilities items into the record. Those included a $55,000 purchase of Itron encoder-receiver-transmitters (ERTs) for water meters; an amendment to contract L30877 with LHB, Inc., for Niagara Street bridge work increasing the contract by $21,390 to a new total of $59,825; an amendment to contract L30864 with LHB, Inc., for Bardens Peak/Skyline Parkway improvements increasing the contract by $127,000.40 to a new total of $538,004.40; and acceptance of permanent and long-term easements from the U.S. Army connecting Canal Park and Park Point. The council also heard a resolution awarding a contract to Veet and Company Inc. for the Keen Creek Resiliency Irving Park biofiltration basin project in the amount of $425,393.

Water-quality question Councilor Dirwachter asked about a reported discovery of E. coli in Keene (Keen) Creek and whether other bodies of water had been tested; a staff member replied, “I am not aware that it's been discovered in other places but I can certainly check with our team and report back to you.”

Parks, library and energy items Other consent items announced included a $350,000 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation Grant to support implementation of the Hillside Sport Court plan; reimbursement of $47,002 from the Arrowhead Library System for library materials; and a first amendment to an agreement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to support installation of energy-efficient equipment at city facilities.

Fire department facility planning The council approved (consent) an amendment to an agreement with Brunton Architects to continue fire department facility planning services, increasing the agreement by $26,440 to a new total not to exceed $109,346. During questions, Chief Courget (fire department) described the facility planning as a phased needs assessment: Phase 1 reviewed the structural condition of all eight fire stations; Phase 2 will use GIS heat maps of runs (fire/medical/rescue) to evaluate whether station locations, vehicle types and equipment match current and projected needs. Chief Courget said the study looks ahead to potential major capital investments and the long service life expected of public safety facilities.

Development and housing-related items Staff also read a DITA (Duluth Economic Development) resolution authorizing DITA to negotiate a development agreement with One Roof Community Housing and Braveview LLP on the “Braveview Project” that included an authorization amount presented in staff remarks; the transcripted amount was not fully readable. A separate item included a small Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis grant (up to $2,500) to support coordination of focus groups with lower- to moderate-income households; staff said the funds would reimburse participants (for example, with gift cards) for time and that some feedback may be shared with the council.

Ordinances and Transportation Commission The council also noted two ordinances on the table: an ordinance adding a Duluth transportation committee to City Code and an ordinance amending portions of Chapter 50 related to day-care facilities and definitions. Councilor Auel provided an update on the Transportation Commission work, saying the administration and transportation advocates are finalizing edits and that the ordinance will remain on the table until those edits are ready for a future reading.

Ending Most items were taken as part of the consent agenda with little debate; the consent items will advance under usual council procedures. Staff agreed to follow up on the Keene Creek E. coli question and provide any additional water-quality information when available.