Monday’s Glencoe City Council meeting available online; Morningside Drive bids on agenda
When the Glencoe City Council meets Monday (April 6, 7 p.m.), councilors won’t be at Glencoe City Center. The meeting will be held remotely and viewers will be able to observe the proceedings online.
People interested in observing the city council meeting can access it via the city’s website – www.glencoemn.org -- and scroll to the bottom of the homepage where they can watch the meetings via live streaming.
Among the topics expected on the agenda for the meeting is discussion and a likely decision on whether the city will accept the bid for the Morningside Drive extension project. In the wake of an ongoing pandemic and Gov. Tim Walz’s order for people to remain at home and avoid large gatherings, the Minnesota open meeting law allows the city to conduct the meeting by telephone or other electronic means remotely and make decisions as long as the meetings is available to the public as long as all members of the city council participating in the meeting, wherever their physical location, can hear one another and can hear all discussion and testimony.
“Given the governor’s order, I don’t think it’s appropriate that we meet together as a council,” said Glencoe Mayor Randy Wilson. “We have to set an example.”
The law says members of the public present at the regular meeting location must be able to hear all discussion and testimony and all votes of the members of the body, unless attendance at the regular meeting location is not feasible because of the health pandemic or emergency declaration.
Wilson said residents may email in questions to the council at glencoepublicinput@gmail.com. The questions will be answered before, during or after the April 6 meeting.
City Attorney Mark Ostlund said the council is working to hold a meeting that is as close to a typical council meeting and live stream it to the public. With the pandemic and the governor’s order in place, the city is trying to maintain its operations as close to everyday normal as it can, Ostlund said.
Bids higher than expected
The Morningside Drive extension project calls for opening up the intersection of Morningside Drive at the TC&W Railroad tracks. The switching tracks would be moved to the east. Opening up the intersection of Morningside Drive and the tracks would allow the city to close the intersection of North Union Avenue and the railroad tracks.
North of the tracks, Morningside Drive would be extended to a roundabout and a linkage with County Road 15. Bids came in last month about $925,000 over the engineer’s estimate. Since then, engineers from SEH Inc., the city and county’s contract engineering firm working on the project, have been looking at ways to reduce the cost of the extension. One possibility for reducing the cost is to change plans for a turn lane from Morningside Drive on to East 10th Street. Another possibility is adjusting storm drainage, Larson told the council Monday afternoon, March 30. The city is also looking at a proposal to turn back streets to the county. It is considering a proposal to accept a section of Ford Avenue, from East 13th Street to East 18th Street. The county would be responsible for the cost of restoring North Ford Avenue. The city would give up a portion of West 18th Street, from North Ford Avenue to North Hennepin; West 11th Street, west of North Armstrong Avenue; and North Armstrong, from West 11th to West 13th streets. The city would use some of the proceeds for improving Ford Avenue for a portion of its share of the Morningside project.
