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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Minutes - September 16, 2015.pdf 1 September 16, 2015 Mayor Richard Woodland Council Members: President Sally Smith Jordan Busby Donna Benfield Jerry Merrill Christopher Mann Brad Wolfe City Staff: Stephen Zollinger – City Attorney Matt Nielson – Finance Officer Blair D. Kay – City Clerk John Millar – Public Works Director Val Christensen – Community Development Director Scott Johnson – Economic Development Director 7:00 P.M. City Hall – Pledge to the Flag Officer Hagen led the pledge. Cynthia Rubio said the prayer. Roll Call of Council Members: Attending: Council President Smith, Council Member Benfield, Council Member Wolfe, Council Member Mann, Council Member Busby, Council Member Merrill and Mayor Woodland. Public Comment on non-controversial issues: not scheduled on the agenda (limit 3 minutes): Presentations: Committee Liaison Assignments for 2015: A. Council Member Christopher Mann: Golf Board · Emergency Services Board · MYAB Council Member Mann reported the Golf Board has not met. Emergency Services has not met but the fire station is looking good and coming along nicely. The medical truck has been out on the fires. The fire department put on the Patriot Day Memorial last Friday at Porter Park. It was well attended. We are proud of our Fire Department. The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board met today. They will be helping Kennedy Elementary with their Fall Carnival this Friday and participating in the homecoming parade next Friday. He gave a lesson to the Mayor’s youth today on how city government works. He appreciated the Mayor’s comments during the training. They elected a mayor during the training and next month they will have a mock city council meeting. B. Council Member Jordan Busby: GIS Oversight · Airport Board · Traffic & Safety Council Member Busby reported the airport board met tonight. GDA was taking recommendations of things we want to look for in the possible relocation of the airport. (GDA Engineers in Cody, Wyoming and Heber City, Utah provide civil engineering, planning, and surveying solutions for our valued clients in Wyoming, Utah, and across the Rocky Mountain Region. GDA Engineers is celebrating over 60 years of successful projects across Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado. 35 North 1st East Rexburg, ID 83440 Phone: 208.359.3020 x2313 Fax: 208.359.3022 blairk@rexburg.org www.rexburg.org City Council Meeting September 16, 2015 2 Council Member Busby also met with Traffic and Safety last Wednesday. They discussed some things they have on the action list. There are some concerns with the traffic on the road in front of Windsor Manor with the way it widens and narrows. They wonder if maybe it needs a four way stop or different parking there. Kids are darting out between cars. He also asked about 2nd East on the 200 block where the temporary parking lot used to be and the fence going up there. Public Works Director Millar was not aware of what is going on there. C. Council Member Donna Benfield: Police · Trails of Madison County · IBC · Teton Flood Museum Committee Council Member Benfield reported the Police Chief and Captain and some other officers have been in Montana at an FBI Academy. The police department has sold out of university parking permits. The Trails Committee has learned that they will be able to transfer the CHC Grant for a bike park to a new location. The new location of that bike park is going to be at Rexburg Rapids. It will be behind the parking lot and to the North West side. Teton Flood Museum had a great summer. They have a new exhibit about BYU-I that two interns completed. Council Member Busby asked about the CHC grant. Council Member Benfield explained that it is a grant for the infrastructure that they got for the bike park when it was going to be over by Albertsons. D. Council Member Smith: Legacy Flight Museum · Rexburg Arts Council (Romance Theatre & Tabernacle Civic Center, Orchestra) · M.E.P.I. Council President Smith reported Legacy Flight Museum Committee met last Friday morning. They are excited about the air show. It will be an all-day event dedicated to War Birds. They talked about the museum winter hours which will just be on Saturday. They installed new lights which will be more energy efficient. MEPI met and they have some exciting things coming up. The Arts Council is still working on reorganization. E. Council Member Jerry Merrill: School Board · Parks & Recreation · Urban Renewal Agency Council Member Merrill reported he and Attorney Zollinger will meet tomorrow with the school board to try to finalize the land swap. The Parks Department got the grass in at Evergreen Park. Greg and Bob went to Las Vegas to attend a National Parks and Recreation Conference. The Urban Renewal Agency has finalized plans for the north interchange. They will be presenting that to City Council in a couple weeks for a public hearing. Some people have called him regarding 5th South and 3rd West about possible flooding from the canal there. Council Member Merrill said the curb and the road seem sunken there. Public Works Director Millar said it has been that way for 30 years but he said he will take a look at it. Council Member Merrill said that a business owner is concerned with traffic on University Blvd at the intersections with the freeway and the businesses along there. When the high school students are coming and going it is a real problem. There was an incident yesterday when there was a high volume of traffic, probably from the inauguration of Pres. Gilbert at BYU-I; people couldn’t get out of the businesses so finally a Wilcox truck pulled across the road and block traffic so that people could pull out of the businesses. Council Member Merrill was wondering if a short term fix might be a traffic cop there for 15 minutes during high traffic times in the afternoon. Mayor Woodland thought maybe we should talk to the school board. He also mentioned having the students go north out of the high school on 12th West. Council Member Busby said that traffic backs up at Valley Wide on Highway 33, also. He said that there have been two accidents coming out of the high school this year already. Council Member Merrill said people have asked why we waste city police time patrolling Highway 20 between the two exits when it should be the state police. We could use our officers to patrol those busy problem intersections. Attorney Zollinger said most of the officers you see out on Highway 20 are working on special grants, drug interdiction and seatbelt grants. Council Member Busby said that when BYU-I comes in and during influx times it may be the answer to have temporary law enforcement. Attorney Zollinger said that you can’t rely on part time 3 enforcement. That takes them away from other areas or accidents. He said they do put more officers out at those problem intersections the first few weeks of school but it’s a problem that is not easy to solve. He said Hibbard traffic is also getting worse. Council Member Merrill asked if we have reserve officers that we could use. Attorney Zollinger said not in 15 minute increments. Attorney Zollinger said they discussed a timing solution by the McDonalds for the mornings. Council Member Busby asked about a one way light during high traffic times. Council Member Busby said maybe a staggered release time for the students would help. He said it doesn’t take long for them to clear out so just five minutes between each class would help. Council Member Busby said that homecoming will be Friday next week. The elementary students will be bused in to be there. F. Council Member Brad Wolfe: Planning & Zoning · Beautification Committee Council Member Wolfe reported Planning & Zoning will meet tomorrow night. Public Hearings: - None Items for Consideration: - None Staff Reports: A. Public Works: – Public Works Director Millar 1. Approve Bid – 2nd East Road Widening from Stationary Road to Moody Road. The project consists of installing approximately 4,500 SY of street reconstruction, 1,700 ft of curb and gutter installation. 2nd East Stationary Road to Moody Road Bid Results Bidder Bid Amount Thompson Paving $ 235,535.00 Knife River $ 251,660.00 Zollinger Construction $ 257,425.00 DL Beck $ 265,000.00 DePatco $ 270,914.00 HK Contractors $ 272,195.00 Edstrom Const. $ 293,021.00 TMC Contractors $ 298,950.00 Engineers Estimate $ 275,000.00 Public Works Direct Millar reviewed th 2nd East Road Widening project for Wal-Mart. He asked for approval of the low bid for the 2nd East Street widening project to facilitate the Wal-Mart project to Thompson Paving for $235,535.00. Council Member Mann moved to approve the low bid of $235,535.00 for the 2nd East street widening project to Thompson Paving; Council Member Merrill seconded the motion; Mayor Woodland asked for a vote: Attorney Zollinger explained that there may be some higher scrutiny because they have not worked with this company for so long since 1997. Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Smith None Council Member Benfield Council Member Mann Council Member Wolfe Council Member Merrill 4 Council Member Busby The motion carried Public Works Director Millar explained that due to needing additional right-of-way to widen the area on the west side of the road, we have been required to purchase some narrow strips of right of way. There is a possibility that we already own the right of way but we just can’t prove it. We started about six months ago trying to find records. We hired a title company to search. They did find some of the right of way north of the Moody Highway on the east side but without the lack of deeds we feel that we need to make purchase of these slivers of property to get the curb and gutters in on the west side and they total $12,000. Council Member Benfield moved to approve the purchase of the narrow strips of land for the widening of 2nd East for $12,000. Council Member Busby seconded the motion; Mayor Woodland asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Smith None Council Member Benfield Council Member Mann Council Member Wolfe Council Member Merrill Council Member Busby The motion carried Council Member Busby asked if that would complete that then or what other things they were going to see. Public Works Director Millar replied that the area in front of Wal-Mart along 2nd East gets widened on the east side this fall. Council Member Busby asked if that is another expense for us. Mr. Millar said no, that is Walmart’s expense. The traffic signal is going in now. Public Works Director Millar said he looked at the accident history at the corner by Rexburg Motor Sports, University Blvd and 12th West. There have only been 2 accidents at that corner up to 2014. Council Member Busby asked about a round-a-bout at the intersection. That would not work with the John Deer business and the trucks and large equipment that go through there. Plus the one directional traffic; all going west in the morning and all going east in the afternoon. Mr. Millar said a 4-way stop didn’t work and a traffic signal wouldn’t work either. He is trying to get ITD to work with them to come up with a solution. Mayor Woodland thinks that a staggered release time for students would be the best solution B. Finance Department: – Finance Officer Nielsen asked to be excused. 1. August Financial Reports Finance Officer Nielsen provided electronic copies of the August Financial reports for the City Council to review. 5 6 7 Calendared Bills and Tabled Items: A. LAND USE ACTION – BILLS RECOMMENDED/APPROVED IN A LAND USE PUBLIC HEARING PROCEDURE: – NONE B. BILL Introduction: – NONE C. First Reading: Those items which are being introduced for first reading: - NONE D. Second Reading: Those items which have been first read: - NONE E. Third Reading: Those items which have been second read: - NONE Mayor’s Business: Consent Calendar: The consent calendar includes items which require formal City Council Action; however they are typically routine or not of great controversy. Individual Council members may ask that any specific item be removed from the consent calendar for discussion in greater detail. Explanatory information is included in the City Council’s agenda packet regarding these items. A. Minutes from September 02, 2015 meeting B. Approve the City of Rexburg Bills C. Fall Cleanup for yard waste - October 19, 2015 to November 16, 2015 Council Member Busby asked about the gas bill for Rexburg Rapids $12,000 per month if that was right. Public Works Director Millar said it was right. Discussion on the Fall Cleanup dates. Council Member Wolfe moved to approve the Consent Calendar and pay the bills; Council Member Smith seconded the motion; Mayor Woodland asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Smith None Council Member Benfield Council Member Mann Council Member Wolfe Council Member Merrill Council Member Busby The motion carried Adjourned at 7:39 P.M. APPROVED: ____________________________ Richard S. Woodland, Mayor Attest: _______________________________ Mary Flanary, Deputy City Clerk