Fifty-eight trees are set to be removed in the Garfield Elementary School neighborhood for the Safe Routes to School initiative, aimed at developing safer routes for students to walk and bike to schools.
The trees to be removed, Brainerd City Engineer Paul Sandy said, conflict with sidewalk alignment on Northeast Ninth and 10th avenues and Northeast G, H, J, L and N streets.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Environmental Stewardship recommends the trees be removed in the winter (before March 31) so as not to disturb northern long-eared bats, which roost in trees in the area during summer months.
The city's street department concluded staff can remove 38 of the trees, while the other 20 trees would need to be removed by a tree removal contractor because of branches leaning over houses and possibly damaging things during the removal process.
The Brainerd City Council authorized staff during its Monday, Dec. 3, meeting to solicit quotes for the winter removal of 20 trees, notify affected property owners of the tree removal, and have the street department remove the 38 remaining trees.
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In other business Monday, the council:
Approved the disposal and sale of several old Ford diesel city buses, as the city started buying gas buses in 2017 and can no longer use the old ones for parts. Two buses will be recycled at Crow Wing Recycling, while two will be put up for sale as surplus items and recycled if not able to be sold.
Agreed to create two public transit bus parking spots on the west side of city hall, at the request of the Transportation Advisory Committee. Because of the buses' large size, issues sometimes arise when bus drivers need to park a bus to do business in city hall, such as dropping off fare boxes, using the restroom, coordinating with dispatch or simply taking a break. The parking spots will each have a sign and pavement markings denoting them as public transit spots.
Adopted a new public transit policy for children. Under the new policy, children 8 years old and older may ride public transit alone, while those between 4-8 years old can ride with a sibling who is at least 11 years old. All children may ride public transit with a responsible guardian, adult or parent. This policy will not affect the point-to-point transportation agreement with St. Francis of the Lakes Catholic School.
Increased the public transit subscription fare service provided from $2.50 to $3 per ride effective Jan. 1. Subscription services are guaranteed seats with repeating schedules. Subscription fares increased in November 2015 and 2016 but have remained the same ever since. This fare increase is in line with recent increase in the Dial-a-Ride service and will help offset some expenses of the service, as the city has started dipping into the reserve fund this year.
Accepted the donation of two parcels of property in the Northtown Addition to be used as a playground called The Meadow Park. Funds have already been requested in the 2019 budget to build a playground at that site.
Directed staff to research cost options to stream city council meetings online, along with airing meetings on cable.
Learned Brainerd Community Action intends to vacate the city hall annex building by Jan. 1.
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Approved a new ownership taxi cab license for Grab-A-Cab Taxi Service, contingent upon background checks and police approval.
