HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of the Ames City Council 01/16/2001M INUTES OF THE SP ECI AL M EETI NG
O F T H E A M E S C IT Y C O U N C IL
AM ES, I O W A JANU AR Y 16, 20 01
The Ames City Council met in spe c ia l ses sion at 5:15 p.m. on the 16th d ay o f Jan ua ry, 2001, in the
C ity C o u n c il C ham bers in C ity H all, 51 5 C lark A ven ue, pu rsuan t to law w i t h M ayor Ted T edesco
pres iding and the following Council mem bers pre sent: Campbell, Cros s, Goodh ue, Hoffman,
Quirmba c h, and W irth.
CALL TO ORDER: 5:15 p .m.
R E QU E S T FR OM AM E S MAIN S T R E E T D I S T R IC T T O S U S P E N D PA R KIN G IN T HE
CE NT RA L BU SINE SS DISTR ICT FRO M JANU AR Y 25 TH RU JANU AR Y 27, 20 01: M ov ed
b y H o ffm an , seco n d ed b y C ros s, to ap p rov e the req u est from the A m es M a in Street D istrict to
su sp en d p ark ing in the C en tral B u sin ess D istrict from J an u ary 25 thru J an u ary 2 7 , 20 0 1 , fo r the ir
“D ollar D ays” activities.
V o te o n M o tio n : 6 -0 . M o tio n d e c l a red c a rr i e d u n an im o u s l y.
RE Q UE ST FOR NEW CLA SS B LI Q UO R LICENSE FOR RAM AD A INN , 1206 S. DUFF:
M oved by Goodh ue , seconded b y Cros s, to approve a ne w Clas s B Liquor Licens e for Ramada Inn,
1 2 0 6 S . D u ff.
V o te o n M o tio n : 6 -0 . M o tio n d e c l a red c a rr i e d u n an im o u s l y.
P URCHASE OF US ED S TORM SI REN FROM JOH NS ON CO UNT Y EM ERGENCY
M ANAGEM ENT: M oved b y Cros s, seconded by W irth, to adopt RESOLUTION 01-028 approving
the pu rchas e of used storm s iren from Joh nson County Emerge nc y M a na ge men t in the amount of
$6,000 a nd paymen t of installation fe e in the amount of $3,500.
Roll Ca ll Vote: 6-0. Resolution de c la red a dopte d unanimous ly, s igne d by the M a yor, a nd he reby
m ade a po rtion of these m inu tes.
W O R K S H O P O N T H E 2 0 0 1 -20 0 6 C A P IT A L IM P R O V E M E N T S PL A N (C IP ): C i t y M anager
Steve Scha inker as ke d the City Council to give dir e c t i on t o Cit y s t a ff on three po s sible major
C apital Im prov em ents Plan p rojects: A qu atics/R ecreation C enter, H allett’s Q uarry W ater
Quality/Open Space Plan, and Fire Sta tion #3. He s ta te d that the s ta ff beli eves all thre e of the
p rojec ts u n d er co n sid eration are w arran ted an d w o u ld a d d to the q u ality o f life in th e C ity. M r.
Sch aink er gave the C ou ncil a series of op tio n s regarding po tential finan cing for the p rojects,
inc luding applying for a Vis ion Iowa Grant. He indicated his prefere nc e tha t any application for
a V ision Iow a Grant includ e the A qu ati cs/R ecreati on C enter, H allett’s Q uarry proje ct, and Reim an
Garde ns’ improvements , an Iowa Sta te University project. M r. Schainker e xpla i ne d tha t the Gr a nt
progra m a llows a c i t y to apply for up to 50% funding for proje c ts in exces s of $20 million. He gave
h is jus tification as to w h y h e b eliev es th at the R eim an G ard en s p rojec t sh o u ld be p ack aged w ith
the City’s two re c reation-type projects . M r. Schainker s ugge sted p l a c i ng all three projects on a
bond re fe rendum o c c urring on on e date, but allowing the citizens to v ote on
eac h o n e sep arately. H e ind icated a p o ssib le tim e lin e fo r a sp ecial b o n d referen d u m , w h ich w o u ld
be dependent on whe n the res ults of the Vis ion Iowa Gra nt application a re received.
M r. Schainker e mpha sized tha t thes e thre e major proposed p rojects have no t been inc l ude d in the
C ap ital Im p rov em en ts Plan , b u t th e P lan w ill be am en d ed if th e C o u n cil d ecid es to m o v e fo rw ard
w ith o ne o r m ore of the p rojects.
2
B ob K ind red, A ssistant City M anager, stated that the Iow a D epartm ent of N atu ral R esou rces,
o w n er of the land for the potential Fire Station #3 site, has given unt il Jun e 2002 for th e C ity
C ou ncil to m ake a firm com m itm ent to b uild a fire station on that site.
M r. Schainker indic a te d tha t the re may be some s malle r federa l or s ta te grants that w ould b e
a va ila b le fo r th e Hallett’s Quarry p ro je c t. He d o e s n o t b eliev e th a t th o s e s o u rces woul d b e
available for fun ding the aq uatics/recreation center; ho w ever, private co n trib u tion s m ay be a
p o ss ib ility.
M ayor Tedesco stated that, altho ugh the C ity h as n ot received an y official respo nse from the A m es
S ch o o l D istrict o n the p o ssib ility o f a j o intly o w n ed facility, it ap p ears th at th eir tim e fram e is
m u ch slo w er th an the C ity’s an d w ind o w s o f op p o rtu n ity m ay b e m issed if w e w ait.
M oved b y Campbell, seconded by Hoffman, to pursue all thre e projects : Fire Station #3,
A q u atics /R e c reatio n C en ter, an d H a ll e tt ’s Q u arry W ater Q u ality/O p en S p ace, an d d irect C it y s ta ff
to ma ke applic a tion for a Vision Iow a G r ant that would inc lude the Cit y’s two recr e a t i on-type
p rojec ts an d Io w a S tate U n ive rsity’s R eim an G ard en s p rojec t.
V o te o n M o tio n : 6 -0 . M o tio n d e c l a red c a rr i e d u n an im o u s l y.
C ou ncil M em ber Q uirm bach asked that the M ayor con vey, to the app rop riate Sch oo l D istrict
rep resen tativ es, th e C ity’s plan s co n cern ing the three p rojec ts an d ask fo r a fo rm al resp o n se as to
whether they fe e l the y are going to b e approa c hing the vo t e rs for a revenue me a sure wi t hin the ne xt
12 to 1 8 months. M a yor Tede sco sta te d tha t he had b e e n conta c te d b y Ste ve Ringle e , Pres ide nt
of the Ames School Board, and a me e ting will be he l d b etwee n the e nti t i es in Februa ry 2001.
Counc il M ember Quirmbach indic a te d his pre fe rence to hold a special ele c tion on the Fire Station
#3 proje c t i ndepe ndently. C ouncil M ember C a mpbe ll pointe d out tha t elections are cos tly, and she
does no t s e e any re a son to move with tha t proje c t ahead o f the othe r projects gi ve n the fa c t that the
C ity has been given un til 20 02 to m ake a com m itm ent to b uild at that site.
M oved b y Quirmbach, seconded by Hoffman, to h old a special el ecti on o n the Fire Sta tion #3
project and direct staff to bring a repo rt back as soo n as po ssible on the tim ing of the sp ecial
e le c tion.
V o te o n M o tio n : 5 -1 . V o t in g a ye : C ro ss , G o o d h u e, H o ffm a n , Q u irm b a c h , W irth . V o tin g n ay:
Campb e ll. M otion de c la red ca rrie d.
Cou ncil M emb er Go od hu e left the meeting at 6:00 p .m.
C ity M an ager S tev e S ch ain k e r e x p la in ed that this P lan reflects m ajo r p h ysical im p rov em en ts to
the City totaling $1 00,886,940 over the next five years. He said tha t approximate ly $8 1,000,000
of this total w ill be generated from local sou rces su ch as G eneral O bligation B on d p roceed s, R oad
Use Tax funds, utility re ve nues, and Loc a l Option Sa le s Tax re c e ipts. M r. Schainker po inte d o ut
th a t ap p ro x im a te ly 6 8 % o f th e t o ta l l o c a l fin a n c i a l s u p p o r t w ill b e u tilized o v e r th e life o f th is C IP
to co n s tr u c t in frastruc ture to acco m m o d ate the grow th in A m es, w h ile 3 2 % w ill be d irected to
reh ab ilitate ex istin g fa c ilitie s.
Finance Dire c tor Duane Pitcher gave a proje c t i on of the City’s debt capacity and e xpla i ne d h ow
3
th e pro p o sed is s u e s w ill im p a c t th at ca p a c ity.
M r. Schainker exp la ined the reques t for M obile Data T e rminals for F ire and P olic e Vehicles . He
stated that he h a s c hallenged the P olice C hief to find other fun ding sou rces, e.g., inter-agency
a greements , cos t-s ha ring, E-911 funds, for the Terminals ; thus, the project has be e n del a yed.
B ud get O fficer C arol C ollings po inted ou t that this p roject sh ou ld be listed in the C IP u nd er Fiscal
Year 2002/03, not 20 01/02.
Ste v e S c h a in k e r e x p l a i n e d th e F ir e S t a t i o n s #1 an d #2 R en o v atio n a n d F i re A ppa r a t us
Rep la c e men t projects . He po inte d o ut tha t the page conce rning the Fire Appa ratus Re pla c e men t
p age w ill cha n ge d u e to th e C o u n cil’s d ecisio n to m o v e fo rw ard w ith the F ire S tatio n #3 p rojec t.
Fire C hief Petersen w as present to an sw er qu estion s.
M r. Sch aink er exp lained the O utdo or Storm W arning System project to b e paid for ou t of Local
Option Sales Tax monie s commen c ing in 2 002/03 and e nding in 2 005/06.
D irecto r o f Pu b lic W o rks Pa u l W iegand ex p la in e d th e p rojec ts co m p risin g the So u th D ak o ta
Avenue/U.S. 30 Inte rchange project, U. S. 69 Improvements , the Duff Ave nue Railroa d Cross ing
S tud y, the A n n u al T raffic S ign alization P rogram (fo r th e interse ction s o f S . D u ff a n d U . S . 3 0 , 24 th
and H ayes, 24 th an d N orthw estern, and O ntari o an d N orth D ako ta ), a n d th e Traffic Signal
R ep lacem en t Pro gram (at the interse ction s o f N o rth D ak o ta an d Linc o ln W ay, K ellogg an d Linc o ln
W ay, D u ff an d S ix th S treet, D u ff an d M a in S treet, an d 2 8 th an d G ra n d A v e n u e ).
Mr. Schainker noted that a railroad over/underpass at Duff Avenue has not yet been included in
the Plan; however, $60,000 has been added for the Duff Avenue Railroad Crossing and Widening
Study, which will explore various design options and funding sources for that project.
Steve Schainker talked about the Bicycle Trail System project, pointing out that, in accordance
with the approved Transportation Master Plan, the annual local contribution for bike paths has
been increased from $75,000 to $150,000 annually, effective in 2003/04.
The Resource Recovery System Improvements program was explained by Mr. Wiegand as was the
Water System Improvements project.
Mr. Wiegand detailed the Annual Residential Street Low Point Drainage Improvements and the
Storm Sewer Intake Rehabilitation Program. Council was made aware of another unfunded
mandate: by 2002, each city of 50,000 or less must have a plan in place to monitor and control
storm water runoff as a means of preventing pollution. As a result of this mandate, the Storm
Water Quality Permit Program has been included to develop a program to assure compliance with
these new EPA regulations. He also explained the Hallett’s Watershed Water Quality Basin,
stating that if the Hallett’s Open Space project is realized, these costs would be included in that
project. Mr. Wiegand talked about the South Duff Area Storm Sewer Reconstruction project, the
Southeast 5th Street Storm Sewer project, and the Westbend Area Storm Sewer Outlet Erosion
Control project, which is being included for the first time (in the third year of the Plan). He also
explained the Clear Water Diversion and Annual Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation projects.
Director of Water and Pollution Control Tom Neumann briefed the Council on the Southwest
Pressure Zone, Well Replacement, Water Supply Expansion, Water Plant Equipment Replacement,
4
and the Water Plant SCADA System projects. He also explained the Hallett’s Quarry Pump Station
and Water Quality Protection project, which will be dropped if the Hallett’s Quarry Open Space
Project moves toward fruition. Mr. Neumann talked about the Water Plant Expansion and High-
Service Pump Station projects. He also stated that $250,000 has been allocated towards the
removal of the administration building, digester complex, and primary digester (Old WPC
Demolition). The Wet-Weather Flow Treatment project and the WPC Plant Equipment
replacement project were detailed. Mr. Neumann said that a study will be performed in the coming
year to determine the effectiveness of the proposed Biosolids/Thickening project, and it is hoped
that this initiative will decrease the total volume of solids that must be hauled to the fields for soil
conditioning. He also advised that the WPC Plant Expansion project has been placed on hold until
word is received from IDNR or EPA as to the exact requirements.
Director of Electric Services Merlin Hove summarized the Combustion Turbine Controls, the
Electric Distribution Work Center Restoration, Alliant Utilities Interconnection, and the Grand
Avenue (U.S. 69) 13.8 KV Line Relocation projects. Mr. Hove detailed the 20 MW Combustion
Turbine project, specifically explaining load capacity, purchase capacity, and load requirements.
He briefly described the 69 KV Breaker Addition Top-O-Hollow Substation, 69 KV Breaker
Addition Ontario Substation, Coal Yard Track Extension, Coal Car Thawing Equipment, Units
7 and 8 Turbine Generator Overhaul in 2004/05 and 2005/06, respectively; and expansion of the
Electric Administration Building project.
The meeting recessed at 7:35 and reconvened at 7:42 p.m.
The Arterial Street Rehabilitation, Asphalt Resurfacing, Collector Street Rehabilitation,
Neighborhood Curb Replacement, Cy-Ride Route Reconstruction, East Lincoln Way Widening,
South Dakota Avenue Reconstruction, State Avenue Widening, U. S. 69 Extension (Lincoln Way
to South 5th Street), West Lincoln Way Widening (Thackeray Avenue to west corporate limits),
6th Street Reconstruction & Streetscape Improvements (Burnett to Duff), and South Duff Avenue
Beautification Projects were described by Paul Wiegand. He also talked about the Seal Coat
Removal/Asphalt Reconstruction, Concrete Pavement Repair, Sidewalk Safety, Slurry Seal, Bridge
Rehabilitation, and Joint Sealing Programs.
The Council was informed that with the completion of the rehabilitation of the Central Business
District parking lot in the first year of the Plan, we will have completed our restoration effort
financed with Local Option Sales Tax funds over recent years The Airport projects, to install
medium-intensity taxiway lights, rehabilitate the 0/19 taxiway, and reconstruction of the 0/19
runway, were also explained. Lastly, Mr. Wiegand briefed the Council on the City Hall
Improvements project.
Bob Bourne, Director of Transit Operations, explained the Building Expansion & Modernization
project. He pointed out that grants have been received from the Federal Transit Administration to
assist with that project. He also talked about the Vehicle Replacement, Shop Equipment
Replacement, the Ontario Bus Turnaround, Vehicle Security System, and Global
Positioning/Smart Cards projects.
Nancy Carroll, Director of Parks and Recreation, informed the Council about the Municipal Pool
Maintenance (all costs are shared 50/50 with the Ames School District), Ames/ISU Ice Arena
5
Improvements (to open in March 2001), Park System Bridges, and Bandshell Building Renovation.
She went on to explain the Homewood Golf Course Improvements, Park System Shelter/Restroom
Construction, the Sand Volleyball Four-Court Complex, and Parks and Recreation Facility
Maintenance. Ms. Carroll said that the Park Acquisition/Development project has been added to
the Plan to allow the City to be more proactive in obtaining park land consistent with the Master
Plan. The Playground/Park Equipment Improvements, Park Road/Parking Lot Improvements,
Moore Memorial Park Improvements, Tennis Court Construction/Replacement, Community
Center Gymnasium and Auditorium Improvements were also summarized by Ms. Carroll.
Dawn Hayslett, Assistant Library Director, talked about the Library Bookmobile Replacement
project. She said that part of the total funding needed will come from private donations. Ms.
Hayslett also explained the Library Maintenance project, which is in its final year.
Mr. Schainker said he was recommending that the Neighborhood Improvement Program be
continued. He also explained the Downtown Facade Improvement Program, for which the
Guidelines are yet to be approved by the City Council. Lastly, the City Maintenance Facility
Building and Site Improvements and the Wireless Network Communications projects were
described by Mr. Schainker.
Council Member Cross suggested that the City Council consider an amendment to the CIP to make
use or reallocate a portion of the Local Option Sales Tax monies towards a community betterment
program that would include three years’ funding being directed to pave the road and make parking
lot improvements at the Ames Youth Sports Complex. Those costs have been estimated at
approximately $600,000 by the Public Works Department. He pointed out that this is City-owned
land that is leased by the Youth Sports Complex to provide recreational opportunties to thousands
of Ames’ area and Central Iowa youth. Mr. Cross acknowledged that the Youth Sports Complex
organizers have raised approximately $1.2 million, and this would be a way for the City to further
support the project. Steve Schainker indicated that the estimated costs and alternatives will be
provided to the Council at their budget overview meeting to be held on February 2.
COMMENTS: Council Member Wirth shared concerns expressed to her by merchants of the Main
Street District of the unsightly newspaper vending machines being placed on that Street.
Moved by Wirth, seconded by Campbell, to refer to the City Attorney the matter of establishing
some parameters concerning newspaper vending machines being allowed to be located on Main
Street.
Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT: 8:47 p.m.
______________________________________________________________
Diane Vos s, City Clerk Ted Tedes c o, M a yor