Lowertown Ballpark Design & Construction Committee
Meeting Minutes
May 20, 2013
Committee Members Present: Mannillo, Smith, Remke, Wilgren, Ivey, Tallarico, Thurmes, Griffin
Guests: Andrew Dull, Bob Close, Jared Olson, Bob Curley, Matt Gross, Bill Hosko, Tim Holden, Pat Driscoll, Lucy Thompson, Jody Martinez, Edith Jeske, Judy Meyer, Logan Gerken, Paul Johnson, Melissa Martinez-Sones
Meeting called to order. Thurmes noted that recording of meetings is not allowed without authorization of the CapitolRiver Council. Introductions. The next meeting date of the LBDCC will be Monday, June 17th.
EAW Summary. Jared Olson reviewed the EAW Summary document (handout). There will be efforts to minimize the disturbance to contaminated soil and the team is still going through the pricing exercise with Braun to determine what can and cannot be used. There might be some tweaks made to minimize costs. Traffic capacity is not expected to be a problem – a concert of 15,000 plus a 20,000 crowd at Xcel is where problems might be encountered, so mitigation will involved slightly staggered times and proactive communication with the public. The traffic impact study did not take into account the new streets, only existing streets. New street infrastructure will improve the traffic impact. A minimal increase in noise from traffic was mentioned, and crowd noise will not likely violate any noise ordinances. There were questions about connecting with District Energy, and that is being explored. This would require a short extension of about 80 feet. Jim Ivey asked about an impact on mobile networks and suggested that another facility would be a nice infrastructure addition to the community. There were committee questions about tailgating, which was not included as part of the EAW, but it is part of an environmental impact because of the implications for parking.
Construction Update. There are about 2-2.5 weeks left of abatement and then demo will begin in mid- to late-June. It will be a 16-week process and involve 2-3 backhoes, a couple bobcats, and there will be a barricade around the site. Demo will take place east to west and work hours will be 7AM-5PM. 5th will be shut down in July except for MarketHouse residents. If flag men are deemed necessary they will be arranged. Demo will be complete around the end of September. The slab issues are still being worked through. Trucks will not be lining up or stacked up. There will be no closures of Broadway/freeway entrance. The bus stop might slide down closer to the OMF, and the team knows that the exit ramp is very important. They are working with Jack from the Farmer’s Market on various issues. Work will not stop in the winter and there will be an emergency plan in place before utilities work begins. There was a question about performance bonuses like with LRT, and that is not part of the plan. There is potential for a variance request when temporary shoring happens.
Public Realm Design Input. Bob Close presented on the design vision, the framework plan principles, and how it addresses LBDCC vision statements. Information was shared on site concept (built versus natural), site layout (more organic from west to east), stormwater management, B3 sustainability, and how the framework relates to initiatives in the Lowertown Master Plan. Logan shared 3D models of elevations and views.
Committee Q&A. How is the work being coordinated with the HPC? Working with both SHPO and the HPC, though the site is outside of the historic district. Tim Griffin suggested the team offer feedback because that would be helpful for the design team. Committee members praised the transition from urban to organic, the keeping (and added space) of the dog park, being respectful of the site, how the design is coming, being respectful of space, sustainability efforts, the connection to GLMP goals, and that the team has really listened to concerns of the committee. A sense of place is not quite evident but will probably come with the design and placement of building. There is confidence about next steps. It was noted that it’s important to be mindful o future wants and needs because in the future there could be money available to add on. A design that “reaches” into the neighborhood would be helpful because this creates potential for future CIB efforts. This building should not feel stale in 20 years.
Questions and Comments from General Public. Public ROW access guidelines are extremely important. Visual connections are important and this building is starting to look out of place; it should have a higher pitch to be consistent with a Lowertown look. Art integration is extremely important and the design team was encouraged to err on the side of ephemeral and not let one artist have a monopoly on downtown art. Parking was also mentioned as a concern that has not yet been resolved. There was also a question about the difference between an environmental assessment and an environmental impact study (EIS), and it was explained that an environmental assessment is used to determine is an EIS is necessary. Bill Hosko passed around some materials and expressed dismay about using planning guidance from 1996. He also expressed concern about the farmer’s market-goers, parking, and the design on the ballpark. Tim Holden had questions about the lease between the Saints and the City, and that is still under negotiation. He is concerned about “money going out the door with no guaranteed return on investment.” There was also a question about Met Council’s letter and then reversal of position, and Lucy Thompson explained that their concerns had been about consistency with the Greater Lowertown Master Plan and there had been an incorrect understanding of the plan. Lucy worked with the to correct the error, but there had been no issue raised by Met Council about parking. Hosko stated that the community is concerned about quality of life issues and they are not having their voices heard. The Chair encouraged individuals with differences of opinion to have their private conversations outside of the committee meeting.
Meeting adjourned.