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8. Assumption Seminary, Timetable for Securing the Buildings on the Property it g 1 , . CITY O --1 ,‘,i: CHANHASSEN „, ., 1 ,:\ , , 4 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 1 ± ' ~' (612) 937-1900 Action by City Mmiti4I Afti MEMORANDUM T::r dersed. 1/°1 IITO: Jim Chaffee, Public Safety Director M`:itie`{. FROM: Scott Harr, Assistant Public Safety Director °'� "�` II DATE: August 18, 1988 'at' stB.[li' t v .;u tn 9*Kt $ -. f .. Oat: :..tnt ICU to 1,01,1n.tt II SUBJ: Assumption Seminary Farm - 2.2 -Pe'' II I was asked to contact the representative owner of the Assumption Seminary Farm property, Mr. James J. Schumacher, to inquire as to a response to my letter of July 29, 1988. This letter setforth the following requirements that I understand were made by the Mayor: II1. Specific Times for the Completion of Specific Work: Mr. Schumacher advises me that he is proceeding as rapidly as possible to set such II times; however, he is still awaiting a response from the Carver County Environmentalist who is assisting him in legally dealing with the drums of material, tires, etc. He assured me that he is anxious to conclude II this clean-up process and will advise as soon as he knows. I have also talked with Mr. Mike Shotliff, Carver County Envinronntalist, who con- firmed this. II 2. Board up all Windows in Seminary Building: Mr. Schumacher did state that his group of owners does not feel that all of the windows need to be secured in order to make the building safe at this point. Frankly, I II think he does have a point, as what available light does come in is beneficial from a safety standpoint for those of us that are required to enter the building on occasion. 3. Get Rid of Tires: Again, Mr. Schumacher advises that he is working with the Carver County Environmentalist in order to dispose of the tires pro- perly. 4. Clean-up Anything that is a Health Hazard Inside the Barn: Mr. Schumacher is, again, pursuing this with the County representative. 5. Check-out Shed Behind the Barn Containing Junk: See response to #4, above. cc: James Schumacher, 390 West Cottage Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55117 Michael Shotliff, Carver County Environmentalist CIT OF C NH : S SEM \, 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 (612) 937-1900 July 29, 1988 Mr. James J. Schumacher 390 West Cottage Avenue St. Paul, MN 55117 Dear Mr. Schumacher: ' I am in receipt of your letter of July 21, 1988 regarding the Assumption Seminary farm. I appreciate your continuing efforts to work with us regarding the property. Per your request that the City definitively advise you what requirements it finds acceptable to secure the property, I understand that the City Council recently discussed the issue, during which the Mayor requested the following: 1 . Specific times for the completion of specific work; 2 . Board up all windows in seminary building; ' 3 . Get rid of tires; 4 . Clean up anything that is a health hazard inside the barn; 1 5 . Check out shed behind the barn containing junk. The Mayor would like a response to provide the Council with a response on August 8 , 1988. Please feel free to call me with any questions . Again, thank you for your cooperation. ' Sincerely, .. -6Z64AA/ t Scott Harr Assistant Public Safety Director SH) cc: Mayor Tom Hamilton Don Ashworth, City Manager Jim Chaffee, Public Safety Director JAMES J. SCHUMACHER ' LAW OFFICE LTD. 390 W. Cottage Ave. St. Paul, MN 55117 (612) 489-4518 July 21, 1988 I ' Mr. Scott Harr Assistant Public Safety Director City of Chanhassen 690 Coulter Drive P.O. Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 ' Dear Mr. Harr : In response to our recent telephone conversation regarding Assumption Seminary farm, I suggested that we consider a security ' alarm system in lieu of posting an armed guard on the premises supplementing security lighting. ' I visited the property today with an electrical contractor who is submitting a quote on the installation of exterior lighting which will probably be in the form of street light type lighting on ' posts surrounding the building. There is no power supply in the building at this time and we will have to provide power from a light post to the building in an attempt to provide some type of security alarms in the building. We are also investigating the possibility of an exterior type of security alarm system. I will keep you advised of the developments. I requested that the door be barred from the inside in the southwest corner of the building and we will attempt to reopen the main entrance with a secure lock system to provide access to authorized visitors. Ver truly . • Jam- • chumacher AIM r I I 2231 4 A City Council Meeting - July 25, 1988 1 W# 1(P) ASSUMPTION SEMINARY PROPERTY, FLYING CLOUD DRIVE. this Mayor Hamilton: I think that having been fairly active in trying to 11 Assumption Seminary cleaned up, I would like to see us, the letter fromtScott Harr, #1, I would like to see a date put in there so the property II aware of the fact of when we want to have this done. To leaver it notedatedeI think just gives them an open end and it can drift on and on forever so we should set type of a date in there that's reasonable and one that they can meet. II Also, the seminary itself, the brick building, I think it-might be wise to have them board up all the windows and doors so that whole thing is closed. Then it would be so dark in there that it would virtually eliminate anybody wanting to go in there because it's a scary place to begin with and if it's totally dark, I II can't imagine anybody that's going to want to be in there. Councilman Geving: What's not boarded up now Tom? I Mayor Hamilton: They just boarded up the first level and there is still a door open at the back of the building so you can access to the interior of the IIbuilding. Then, there were a lot of tires out there. They seemed to be kind of all over the place. A lot of them down by the barn. A lot of them in a couple of garages just scattered around the property and I would like to see them dispose of the tires. Get them off the property. That should be included I II think and there's a shed behind the barn also where there are not only a lot of tires but also a lot of junk. Standing water. Just things that are a hazard. Also, the barn, I would like to see to get some type of a commitment from the # property owners on the barn. So you say that you're going to arrange for the II barn to be burned. That could be a long time. I have to feel with what's inside the barn, it is a health hazard and it should be taken care of as quickly as possible if there's some way that we can get that cleaned up. Those were II some of the additions I'd like to see. Councilman Geving: When you're talking about a timeframe Tom, what are you II thinking? In terms of this year yet? Mayor Hamilton: Absolutely. Give them two weeks or 30 days or something. Leave that to Jim's discretion but put a date on it. I Councilman Johnson: What happens a lot of times in circumstances like this with the environmental agencies is that they request the owner to provide them a II schedule of activities where they say, okay we're going to have the barrels tested by such and such a date. You have to get a contract with somebody to come out and test them. There's a few days there and the II p schedule as to what they would do. What steps are going tobevtaken.c When those steps will be taken and then we'll have, rather than just say everything will be done by such and such a date. Where we can monitor that there is continuous progress going on throughout the activity. II Mayor Hamilton: I guess I would leave that up to Jim if he feels that type of a II mechanism would help or is necessary, then arrange a schedule of dates for them 1 to meet so we know how it goes. Anything else you would like to add? 1 1 Councilman Boyt: I would just like to say that I think we'd better be very careful about rushing them to a burn. If we can't have 4th of July fireworks, II 3 I 224 City Council Meeting - July 25, 1988 we sure can't burn the barn down. Mayor Hamilton: I'm not saying anything about burning. I didn't mention burning at all. ' Councilman Boyt: I think they did. I think there's a plan for this to be a controlled burn. Mayor Hamilton: Obviously we're not going to allow them to burn as long as it's this dry. That's why I would like to take care of some of these things because it may be a year before they can burn if we continue with drought conditions. ' Councilman Boyt: I would be all for a timetable as long as we take into account that we're not forcing them to spend $200,000.00, if that's what it costs to haul it all off, when we could very well burn it if the conditions were right. Councilman Geving: The only thing I would want to add Tom is we'd like to see this back to us then in early August so we know what's happening. Mayor Hamilton moved, Councilman Horn seconded approval of the Assumption Seminary Property pursuant to the City Manager's recommendations with the noted additions. All voted in favor and the motion carried. 1(Q) APPOINTMENT OF COMMUNITY CENTER TASK FORCE MEMBERS. Councilman Gevi.ng: I pulled this off because I think it's something that I was ' kind of hoping would happen. I'm happy to see that there are applicants who are willing to take this and run with it to bring back to us the possibility of a community center. One of the -reasons that I pulled it off was that there seemed to be some new information that has risen and if there is a Park and Rec, and I ' see several people here, that could comment on this as to what that new information is as to why this has come back to us as a recommendation to appoint these people, I'd like to see that before the Council at this time. Jim Mady: Dale asked me to kind of update you guys as to what the idea is with the Community Center proposal. As you're aware, staff recommended, I believe it was in May, to not have a Conmuni.ty Center Task Force because at that time we didn't have an idea of how to go for a community center. We didn't feel we had sufficient monies to really do much of anything. Since that time I've been playing around with the thought, the idea of maybe there exists in the City a ' piece of property that the City already has access to because knowing that, two of the spots that came up during referendum issues were the Lake Ann spot, the Eckankar property and the Charlie James property. Looking at both of those ' pieces of property, it would cost the City approximately $700,000.00 to $800,000.00 to acquire the land and then put the needed services to it. That's sewer, water and roadway to i.t. If you eat up $800,000.00 of city bonding ability, we'd have very little money left to build a building and it's just not enough to even start a building so that pretty well threw us out of the park to building anything. At that time I started looking at the City Center Park and the school property and it looks like it may be feasible to build something ' there. It probably would have to be phased but we think right now it is possible. We met with Bob Aussing of the Chaska School system to get his input 4 IPA -1 CITYOF CHANHASSEN 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 (612) 937-1900 MEMORANDUM 1 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Don Ashworth, City Manager DATE: July 5 , 1988 SUBJ: Assumption Seminary As this item had previously appeared as a Council presentation item, I am replacing the item onto the agenda for interim action. 1 Although the City Council may desire removal of all buildings, such will assuredly result in lengthy court action. The City can point to nuisances/dangers. However, the court will look primarily to structural condition prior to allowing the City the right to contract for demolishing the structure( s) . The cost of demolition would have to be borne by the City with the potential of reimbursement. In light of the above statements, I believe the actions taken by our Public Safety Department to date have been prudent and far less costly than demolition. In essence, we are asking for clean-up, dormatory building removal/demolition, securing of the main structure, and regular security patrol. If the property owners comply with the conditions outlined by Public Safety, I believe we have a workable solution during the period of time that the owners decide the future fate of the main structure. 1 Authorizing this office to confirm with the property owners that, by meeting all conditions outlined in Scott Harr' s memorandum of June 21, 1988, the City agrees that such represents an interim solution for the property while providing the property owners with an opportunity to determine whether to sell/demolish/renovate the main structure. 1 1 II. CITY OF 1 \ --i , \ I , t CHANHASSEN I 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 \ 1 . .".'4` (612) 937-1900 I IMEMORANDUM TO: Don Ashworth, City Manager IFROM: Scott Harr, Asst. Public Safety Director e DATE: July 19 , 1988 IISUBJ: Assumption Seminary I Today Mr. Jim Schumacher, owner of the property, called me to inquire as to whether we would accept an alarm system on the property rather than the on-site security guard. II told him to send us a letter but that off the top of my head it seemed like a very reasonable alternative. I told him to send his proposal to me for consideration. IIcc: Jim Chaffee Mayor Hamilton II 1 I I I I I II , . I CITY OF II ,-- , , I r 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 II K ' ' (612) 937-1900 MEMORANDUM I TO: Don Ashworth, City Manager FROM: Scott Harr, Assistant Public Safety Director II DATE: June 21, 1988 1 SUBJ: Assumption Seminary This memo is to outline the results of the meeting held on June 1 21, 1988 , at Chanhassen City Hall regarding the Assumption Seminary. Present were: II James Schumacher, property owner II Roger Knutson, City Attorney Jim Chaffee, Public Safety Director Dale Gregory, Fire Chief Scott Harr, Asst. Public Safety Director 1 The purpose of this meeting was to provide attending parties the opportunity to clarify positions and to set goals . Throughout II the meeting, concerns were expressed, questions asked and answered, and alternatives explored. Specific tasks and dates were agreed upon as well . IIThe meeting began by having participants read the introduction material supplied by me ( see attached) . The general history of the property was also discussed. 1 Mr. Schumacher explained the general position of the group that he owns the property with. The property was purchased as invest- ment property and while willing to cooperate, the group does not want to see the main building destroyed unless there are no other alternatives. The primary concerns discussed were the safety issues presented II by the present state of the property. In response to the discussion, Mr. Schumacher agreed to the following: 1 1 . The property owners will legally remove all of the barrels on the property as soon as possible. It was recommended that II the owners contact Mr. Michael Shotliff, Carver County Environmentalist, as well as contacting Ms . Ingrid Verhagen, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. I IF Mr. Don Ashworth June 24, 1988 Page 2 2 . The property owners will provide a private security officer on the property by July 1 , 1988, as Well as to provide security lighting of the main building by July 21 , 1988 . The property owners will also immediately secure the main building (a ' basement door is open on the west side) . 3 . The property owners will work with Fire Chief Gregory to arrange for the dormitory building to be burned (and possibly the granary) as soon as Chief Gregory permits the barn. Mr. Schumacher stated that he will continue to investigate alter- natives by which the main building might be dealt with. This would include the razing of the building or the sgle of the property. Public Safety. Director Jim Chaffee asked that I include in this memo that the owners are required to take care of the cistern to the rear of the main building within two weeks of this dated memo ' ( although this item was not discussed at this meeting) . Director Chaffee is also requiring that the interior of the barn be cleaned up, including the removal of the dead chickens. ' I have requested that the Carver County Sheriff' s Department pro- vide extra patrol of the property (memo attached) . While the aesthetics of the property were discussed, the emphasis of this ' meeting by those attending was public safety. NOTE: MR. SCHUMACHER REQUESTED A LETTER FROM THE CITY MANAGER STATING THAT THE SPECIFICS SET FORTH IN THIS MEMO WILL SATISFY THE CITY, AND THAT HE WILL COMPLY UPON RECEIVING THE LETTER. . . I CITY OF ... I \ i ' 1 \ , , _ 4... , 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 I (612) 937-19M 1 MEMORANDUM 1 TO: Deputy Chief Jim Castleberry FROM: Scott Harr, Assistant Public Safety Director f I DATE: June 24, 1988 SUBJ: Assumption Seminary Property 1 The City of Chanhassen is continuing to communicate with the owners of the seminary property in order to determine what is to II be done with it. I cannot say at this time what will be done, or when something will be done. In the meantime, I would like to request continued, agressive II patrol of the property. The owner has requested that any trespassers be arrested, and he would want to pursue them civilly II as well. Because of the fact that the building is located so that many of your personnel frequently pass it, I would appreciate your II alerting everyone, in addition to the 2800 units. Thank you. 1 1 1 1 1 1 II MI II, CITY OF 1 \ 4 NEASSEN 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 (612) 937-1900 1 TO: Whom It May Concern FROM: Scott Harr, Assistant Public Safety Director DATE: June 17, 1988 SUBJ: Assumption Seminary 1 This memo is to briefly update you on the status of the 1 Assumption Seminary property. It is my understanding that the empty buildings have been per- mitted to stand as they are for the past twelve years or so. 1 Public Safety Director Jim Chaffee and I determined that City action is now required. ' We proceeded to establish communication with the owners through Mr. James Schumacher. Communication has remained positive with Mr. Schumcaher and his associates being responsive to our 1 requests . On February 9 , a meeting was held with City staff and Mr. Schumacher for the purpose of putting the final touches on a ' large-scale organized burn in order to reduce the structures to debris that could be disposed of easily. Everyone was in agreement except for the Department of Natural Resources who 1 advised that no burning would be permitted because the stream behind the buildings was a protected trout stream. From that time on, I sought cooperation from the DNR so that we could regroup and proceed with assisting the property owners in 1 destroying the buildings. Finally, on May 6 , 1988 , I learned from working my way up the political hierarchy that, for whatever reason, this particlar stream was not included on their protected 1 list. I finally got DNR to admit that they have no jurisdiction. Just as I learned the above, Mayor Hamilton encouraged the City 1 to take action, which we have pursued by seeking advice from the City Attorney on the rights of the City in requiring that the structures be torn down. 1 The purpose of this meeting is to give everyone currently involved the opportunity to clarify their positions to one another. It should also be noted that a private party contacted 1 1 June 20 , 1988 ' Page 2 - me expressing a strong interest in purchasing the property (she stated she would have material here for this meeting for distri- bution advocating that the buildings not be destroyed) . , I did meet with the Carver County Environmentalist at the prop- erty. Unfortunately, he is unable to be with us at this meeting, but did provide the attached material. THE PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING IS TO ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION BETWEEN INVOLVED PARTIES. Thank you for attending. ' 1 r 1 - - _ 1 ' r oR'C0 j. Q' i4 `r -N� VI At CARVER COUNTY COURTHOUSE �a�tF, i 600 EAST 4TH STREET I ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES CHASKA.MINNESOTA 55318-2186 (612) 448 3435 41; ,rt` 1 ES( I COUNTY Of CAI VEQ IMEMORANDUM TO: Scott Harr, City of Chanhassen I FROM: DATE: Michael Shotliff, Environmentalist, Carver County 06-16-88 SUBJECT: Preliminary environmental assessment of old Assumption Seminary site, Highway 212 , Chanhassen Thank you for allowing me, as a representative of Carver County I Environmental Services, to view and evaluate the building and grounds of the old Assumption Seminary site on Highway 212 within the City of Chanhassen. As we discussed, several areas of con- I cern were identified and need to be addressed by the current and/or future owners of the site. These areas of concern are listed below: I 1. Several 55-gallon and 5-gallon drums were found to be burst open and leaking their unknown contents. Analy- sis should be conducted to determine the nature of II these wastes. 2 . A probable underground storage tank for petroleum II products exists and would 1) have to be removed or 2 ) filled with a neutral material such as sand, concrete, etc. I 3 . If demolition proceeds, all demolition debris must go to a permitted landfill . Scrap tires and some other debris may not, however, be landfilled in any instance. I4. There is good reason to believe that asbestos is present in many locations. Pending analysis, this material must be removed by a special asbestos removal I firm, properly packaged, and disposed in a permitted asbestos landfill. II 5. Generally, most transformers installed prior to 1979 have PCB containing oils within them. While it was admittedly difficult to detect the presence of such I transformers on our preliminary visit, I feel this is one area which needs attention. PCB containing oils, generally, are a regulated hazardous waste, and must be disposed of as such. II IAffirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer 1 Let me emphasize that this evaluation is preliminary based on our site visit on June 13 . I regret that I will be unable to attend the meeting of interested parties on June 21. However, I hope that Carver County Environmental Services may continue to be of assistance and that any removal of wastes that may prove harmful to the public health or environment proceed in a fashion that is agreeable to all interests. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact me at 448-3435, ext. 249. 1 cc: Mike Lein, Director, Environmental Services -- - 1 1 1 1 1 June 20, 1988 Scott Harr ' Asst . Public Safety Director City of Chanhassen City Hall ' 690 Coulter Drive Chanhassen, MN 55317 RE: City Council Meeting June 21 Dear Scott: First of all, I want to thank you for all your encouragement and support with our plans . Enclosed please find several items of interest. I have enclosed a copy of an article that was in the Shakopee Argus on July 23 , 1909 - when the Mudcura first opened it ' s doors ! It may help to pass this article around to the council members so that they can get some idea of what the place was like when it first opened. You may want to tell them that the ' Franciscians tore out the large staircase and the lobby desk, enclosing the lobby area - to build more rooms on the second and third stories . Our intention is to REBUILD THE STAIRCASE ' to restore the front lobby area to it ' s original grandeur ! This will once again open the lobby area to the top of the building. The elevator will also be re-opened (the Franciscians enclosed that also ) it will once again be an open-air wrought iron car next to the main staircase. Another item of interest is that we intend to start a local ' preservation society to aid in the process of having the site put on the National Register of Historic Sites . ' There is also another article enclosed showing a picture of the Sanitarium as it first appeared upon opening. The article is from the August 1 , 1951 Shakopee Argus , detailing the sale of the property to the Black Francisicans . ( Sorry about the ' poor quality of the copy - the newspaper is quite yellowed and very fragile ! ) ' I look forward to working with you and the City of Chanhassen as we see our plans and dreams come to reality. Sincerely, cc: Todd Gerhart S Grace Morgan Director of Research & Development Yesteryear, Inc . 2871 Irving Ave So Minneapolis , MN 55408 823-6325 June 20, 1988 ' Chanhassen City Council City Hall 690 Coulter Drive Chanhassen, MN 55317 RE: Development of the "Mudcura Sanitarium" Members of the City Council: This letter comes to you from our organization, YesterYear, Inc , in the hope that we can impress upon you the historical significance and potential of the above mentioned "Mudcura Sanitarium" . From preliminary research that has been done, it has become apparent that the site is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Sites . The Sanitarium was something of a novelty in those days , in that they used the nearby sulfer soaked mud to help alieviate rhumatoid arthritis . I believe this has since been refuted by modern medical science , but it was , in it ' s day, quite a progressive treatment ! Our purpose is to restore the Mudcura Sanitarium to it ' s former beauty, to be used as a Bed and Breakfast Inn. We will restore much of the interior woodwork, as well as the original double wide staircase and front desk in the main lobby of the building. Many of the floors throughout are Birch and Hard Maple ; these too will be restored. Part of the main floor will be a public restaurant , serving fine cuisine. We are planning a menu of classic american and continental entrees . The whole of the interior will reflect the era of the early 1900 ' s (the structure was completed in 1909 ) . The grounds will be restored to their original state as much as possible. There will be a flower and shrub garden for guests to stroll through and the old Gazebo will be refurbished to accomodate quiet reflection. A vegetable garden will also be tended on the grounds (as was done then ) and the creekbed will be re-lined with the polished granite slabs , that still remain. ( It should be noted here that the parking area for the guests and restaurant will be screened off from the highway by a row of large shrubs and trees , so as not to disturb the image of a quiet country estate that we wish to project . ) ' An arrangement will be worked out with several local businesses to chauffeur our guests to and from. These are Canterbury Downs , The Chanhassen Dinner Theater and Paisley Park Productions . This amenity would re-emphasize the feeling of service and ' luxury that we will strive to maintain. This enterprise , we hope , is in keeping with Chanhassen ' s plans for development that is neither extremely commercial nor garish. ' We assume that , as Chanhassen grows , it will wish to do so with dignity and forethought . That is what we are going to reflect with our development of this property. When the property is put on the National Register of Historic Sites , it will result in positive publicity for the City of ' Chanhassen in that it will be recognized as a municipality that is striving to grow without forgetting about it ' s colorful and varied history. ' In closing, I would like to let you know that we are working on a financial Prospectus for the purchase and restoration of this fine property. We will continue to keep the City Council posted on further developments in that area. Please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns regarding these developments . We are more than willing to cooperate in any way with the City of Chanhassen. Very Sincerely, 1 � 7 1 ' Grace M. Morgan Director of Research and Development YesterYear, Inc . ' 2871 Irving Ave So. Minneapolis , MN 55408 t I CHANHASSEN CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MAY 31, 1988 Mayor Hamilton called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. . The meeting was opened with the Pledge to the Flag. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Councilman Boyt, Councilman Geving and Councilman Johnson COUNCILMEMBER ARRIVING LATE: Councilman Horn arrived during the last item of idiscussion. ' STAFF PRESENT: Don Ashworth, Roger Knutson, Barbara Dacy and Larry Brown ' 1OLD ASSUMPTION SEMINARY DISCUSSION. ' Mayor Hamilton: I'll just move ahead with one item I had and that is the old 'Assumption Seminary. It's been brought to our attention a few times that there 'is a problem with the Assumption Seminary. Scott Harr has been talking with the 'owners and trying to work with than and he's done an excellent job of trying to keep on top of this project. I've gotten so many complaints about that property that last week I went down there with Jim Chaffee. Walked the whole property and let me tell you, that's a scary place to be in. It's just awful. You can't ;believe how bad that place is. We spent a lot of time Friday and today talking 'about it trying to figure out what we're going to do to resolve this issue. I think what we need to do, what I would like to see us do tonight is pass a resolution saying that the seminary property in total is a public health hazard and a safety hazard so that will give Scott the ammunition he needs and a little more clout to move ahead with the owners, and Roger also, to get additional things done with the seminary. Board it up. Close it up. Torn down. Burned down. I don't care what we do with it but it's got to be changed. I found about ten 55 gallon drums stored behind one of the buildings. There is something in them leaking and it's going right into the creek. There's hundreds - of tires out there. The place is supposed to be totally secure and we had them board up all the doors and windows so you couldn't get into it. I had never been there and within about two minutes I was in. The door was wide open so it's not very secure. Once I got in I wasn't so happy I was in there. In the basement level there are huge walk-in coolers like you see in a grocery store or in a big apartment building but the door is still on. We have some very, very serious problems there and I think our staff can probably take care of the doors so we don't have the problem of somebody being put in there. I know that Scott will be contacting Roger to find out how do we move ahead to secure the property. There are a total of about six buildings there and two of them are being occupied. I would like us to even pursue the possibility of telling the owners that the buildings that are being inhabitated can not be until they get the others cleaned up. There are certainly a lot of hazards for the people living there because they have children and the whole property is just unsafe. I'd like to see us pass a resolution saying that it's a health and a public safety hazard. Perhaps Roger could draft wording for that so we could send that to the owners. Councilman Geving: Let's go ahead with the resolution. I noticed it was up for ' sale. It's up for sale and will that have an impact on the sale? If we declare 1 22r II ' „ "City Council Meeting - Ma 1, 1988 11 it as a safety hazard. Of course, I don't know what the people were doin g with it anyway. Mayor Hamilton: It would seem to me that anybody who would come in here to purchase that property, we should tell them that until such time as it's cleaned up, the building taken down and the debris removed, that they're just going to have to do that or the City wouldn't be satisfied. Councilman Geving: The houses that are occupied, I drove by yesterday, and it ' seems like I remember that we had almost declared it uninhabitable at the time because we were concerned about water pollution I believe. Contamination possibly from the well. I don't recall that specifically but it seems like the ' homes that are being occupied were almost unfit because of the wells. I have no problem with that. It looks like we should do something because the windows are all broken out. It's a shabby looking place. Mayor Hamilton: It's such a beautiful setting. A beautiful area. It's a shame that it's gotten to this point. I Councilman Geving: There have to be some of us who remember what it looked like when the Seminarians were there. Mayor Hamilton: There are big trees that have been cut down in the area. We should try to eliminate that. There are some huge, huge trees out there. I don't remember if they're oaks or poplars but those things are this big around. They're huge. It's just a beautiful piece of property when you get behind the seminary. A creek running past the seminary behind it's all wooded. It's just gorgeous. To have a mess like that, it's a shame. IL ' Councilman Johnson: Did you see what was in the drums? Mayor Hamilton: No I didn't even want to touch them, to be honest with you. ' They've ben there for a while and one of them had tar running down it. That was down by the barn and it was leaking out. All I know is one of them was leaking out. ' Councilman Johnson: We should get the MPCA site investigation to go out there immediately. If you saw something coming out of the drums that were there, that's enough for them to respond and they will go out and look and call the ' homeowner and everything. Mayor Hamilton: That was the direction we gave to Scott. To talk to the MPCA. ' Councilman Geving: Tom, do you know who owns that property? Mayor Hamilton: There are five attorneys who are attempting to sell it. They ' realize that they've got a white elephant and they have a million dollar pricetag on it. There's no way it's worth near that. ' Councilman Geving: You're interested in directing Roger to go ahead with the resolution. Roger Knutson: I'll just draft a resolution for your next meeting. [E7 I 2 • -(y �.:- • City Council Meeting 31, 1988 ' -, Mayor Hamilton: We could have it on our consent. 11 Councilman Geving moved, Mayor Hamilton seconded to direct the City Attorney to II draft a resolution declaring the the Old Assumption Seminary as a public health hazard and a public safety hazard to be available for the next City Council II meeting. In the meantime, directing staff to move ahead to proceed to do - whatever they can to close it down. All voted in favor and the motion carried. PARTIAL VACATION OF WEST 64TH STREET. II ;Mayor Hamilton: We've gone over this a number of time. I guess Barb, has II ; anything changed since last week that you want to bring to our attention? Barbara Dacy: It's my understanding from the Reed's that Roger Reed has signed a II petition agreeing to the vacation. !Councilman Johnson: So now we're at a three-fifth's vote. IIRoger Knutson: Last time there was a concern that two people owned the property. Have they both signed? Mayor Hamilton: Gary, your brother is owner with you, is that correct? II ;Roger Knutson: Now you both signed the petition? II Mayor Hamilton: Including your wife so there's three of you. Jan Reed: We haven't actually signed it. I Roger Knutson: If they sign it and if they own a majority of the land abutting the road to be vacated, then it is. .. II Mayor Hamilton: Maybe you could examine the document and tell us what needs to be done. II Roger Knutson: I guess know someone needs to sign it. Barbara Dacy: They are signing our standard application. You should probably II write on there we're going to vacate 64th Street. Roger Knutson: From point to point. II Councilman Boyt: It's a little sketchy isn't it? Roger Knutson: Yes. Why don't I draw something up right here. I Councilman Johnson: Of course his brother's not here. Mayor Hamilton: Barbara, could you review what the current plan is at this II point in time? Barbara Dacy: The Council at last Monday's meeting was talking about one of the II 3 II