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Mayor Mary Thun reiterated what she had said in the past, “I will not listen to a discussion of bringing water to your homes. We are not considering taking water to your homes. We are considering taking water down Hwy 7 to the beginning of Baycliffe and the beginning of your street improvements.”

Some Baycliffe residents spoke to the issue at hand. Said Lynn Solie, “I am a 25-year resident. We agree the road has failed. There are 23 homes being assessed but 52 homes using the roads. Promises were made by past councils. How did we end up getting the highest assessment in the history of the city? Foreclosures in our neighborhood are driving values down.”

Said Grant Peterson, resident on Baycliffe Drive, “We have a mature maple forest, wetlands, creeks, and Lake Minnetonka. I think our neighbors have been good stewards of the property. We respect the environment. We want the roads, but the costs are extraordinary We want to be part of the solution to the problem. With wider streets and curb and gutter, there’ll be tree loss and other impacts

“We’re talking about narrower roads,” he continued. “We’d like a low profile curb. Also, it’d be a great opportunity to bury overhead power lines. We’ve got a natural topography to help with drainage, yet the engineer’s plan has 20 catch basins!”

Added Mr. Peterson, “My suggestion is to eliminate the stormsewer system and use concrete gutter to control or direct the water. We’ve got larger properties here with a lot of capacity for stormwater. There are opportunities here to solve cost problems and do something environmentally conscious.”

John Mahoney, a Baycliffe resident, reminded, “We have part of the original Big Woods out here” And he asserted, “People on the private drive are responsible for much of the road problem.”

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As the public testimony came to a close, City Engineer Cara Geheren said, “There is a lot of history related to this neighborhood. Our city clerk found no promises that were made and they continue to look.”

“Higher curbs keep snowplows off the yard while lower drive-over curbs can better fit the terrain,” continued Cara. “We’re open to both. Whether it’s a ditch system or curb and gutter, we choose the one that will have the minimal environmental impact.”

Asked Councilmember Kim Roden, “Who pays if we bury the power lines?”

Replied the engineer, “The electric company is happy to bury lines but we have to pay for it -- like it’s $150,000 to bury the line along Smithtown Road, which is about a mile or two.”

City Administrator Steve Sarvi asked the engineer if she could speak about rain gardens, which is an alternative way to help with erosion and environmental issues.

“We have the expertise to do it,” replied Cara. “The watershed district is interested in exploring new technologies, but we’d have to figure out who maintains them, for example. We’ve got heavy clay soils, so that option isn’t very viable here.”

Commented Councilmember Jim Paul-sen in that regard, “Science is suspect and it seems like the bias of the person doing the research is suspect. I don’t see any choice except having a conventional stormwater system.”

In regard to a previous statement that evening, Councilmember Paulsen said, “About past city promises I’m sympathetic to that, but there’s no paper trail.”

Councilmember Kim Roden gave an encompassing summary of her personal situation. “There is a learning curve on

street reconstruction,” she said. “One of the things I’m proudest of is this council

having taken the tough votes and consistent policy. I had to vote for my own assessment. There’s a benefit and a cost to living in a low density neighborhood.”

Kim continued, “Your streets needed to be done when I was running for council and knocking on doors three and a half years ago. I have a real concern about putting off this project. The price of oil continues to go up. We’ve got to do our roads. It’s one of of the basic things that a city does. I think this is the right project. I don’t see a way out of it.”

Kim reminded residents, “A lot of dialogue continues after the vote. Dialogue continues throughout the project.”

Councilmember Jim Paulsen made the motion to authorize expenditure of city funds for the city engineer to prepare plans and specs for streets and drainage correction in the Baycliffe neighborhood.

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