by Dennis Dalman
It will cost the City of Sartell as much as $80,000 to landscape two roundabouts on Pinecone Road.
At its March 27 meeting the city council voted 3-1 to approve that amount of money to have roundabouts landscaped – one at Scout Drive, the other at Second Street S.
Council member Mike Chisum vigorously opposed the expense. He said he hasn’t talked with anybody who thinks that much money is worth spending on roundabouts. Council member Ryan Fitzthum, at first, also opposed spending that much money for landscaping roundabouts.
Sartell City Administrator Mary Degiovanni said the money would come from the original amount budgeted for the Pinecone Road improvements in 2015.
Chisum said he thinks that money should be spent on more necessary projects, such as road repairs.
Both Chisum and Fitzthum were not members of the city council when the subject of roundabout landscaping was brought up last year. Since the subject was first raised at a council meeting, city staff has researched options, and a committee workshop sought landscaper input. There have been several discussions on the topic.
Degiovanni said the city could go a cheaper route by just planting grass on the roundabouts and maybe a tall tree, and each roundabout could be done for perhaps $20,000, and that cost would include traffic- and erosion-control, soil amendments, and installation of electric and sprinkler systems. The enhanced landscaping, however, would cost between $36,500 to $43,400, depending on size and design, Degiovanni noted in the agenda comments. By doing the enhanced plan, she said, the council and residents could see how they would like to landscape other roundabouts in the future.
Mayor Sarah Jane Nicoll and council member Pat Lynch spoke strongly in favor of the enhanced-landscaping option, the one costing as much as $80,000. Nicoll said visitors to the city would be impressed by nicely landscaped roundabouts and the roundabouts should not be left looking unattractive any longer. Lynch said the money is there to do the enhanced plan so the city might as well make the roundabouts look as nice as possible rather than doing the bare-boned minimum.
Fitzthum said he thinks the council should have more dialogue before spending that kind of money, including talks with landscapers to make sure the council can justify that kind of cost to residents. A committee, he said, should be formed to accomplish those goals.
But Lynch disagreed, saying the committee would just be a case of micromanaging. People, he said, feel better when their city looks good.
If roundabouts are not attractive, Chisum said, that will not detract people from wanting to visit or move to Sartell.
“They (roundabouts) are only a traffic tool,” said Chisum, adding he does not agree they have to be decorated. “They’re not a tourist attraction. They’re not a claim to fame . . . They’re a traffic tool; they’re a glorified stop sign.”
Nicoll made a motion to approve spending up to $80,000 for the roundabout-landscaping projects. Lynch seconded the motion. The motion failed on a tie vote with Chisum and Fitzthum voting no (council member David Peterson was not at the meeting).
Fitzthum said he’d prefer to have a workshop with the entire council to revisit the issue, saying again that $40,000 is way too much to spend on roundabout landscaping. He also noted too much money ($60,000) was spent on the roundabout at Leander Drive five or so years ago.
Nicoll noted the cost of that project was an engineering decision that had no input from the council.
Degiovanni said it would be possible to schedule a workshop after the council approves a motion.
Nicoll then said the council should move the issue along, that a decision should be made.
“I think we already have,” said Chisum, referring to the failure of the motion. “There was a motion, and the motion was defeated.”
Again Nicoll made a motion, Lynch seconded it, and the vote was 3-1, this time Fitzthum voting for the motion.
Degiovanni said a committee could consider options ranging from minimal ($20,000 for each roundabout, $40,000 total for the two) or up to $80,000, and the council could approve the final decision.
The staff recommendation involves awarding Helmin Landscaping up to $79,900 for landscaping the roundabouts at Scout Drive and Second Street S. and no more than $20,000 to Klein Landscaping for the landscaping of the roundabout at Heritage Drive.
Again, those numbers could be tweaked in the near future.
Future landscaping of roundabouts will be decided on a case-by-case basis, based on what the city decides after the ones at Scout Drive and Second Street S. are done.