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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCITY COUNCIL SCHOOL BOARD WORK MEETING MINUTES JULY 14, 2004 School Board/City Council Work Meeting July 14, 2004 Present:Mayor Council Member Council Member Shawn Larsen, Donna Benfield, Council Member Council Member City Nyle Fullmer, Rex Erickson, Farrell Young, CFO Richard Horner, Brent Mendenhall, David Taylor, Kevin Howell, Geoffrey M. Thomas, and David L Ward school board members. Mayor Larsen stated that he had no agenda for this meeting so the board and council started with discussion on who is responsible for the fields. Councilmember Erickson has a formal agreement with the school district spelling out who is doing what. He stated that there are 5500-6000 tax payers in the city taking care of 20,000 people it’s a scary tax base. Brent Mendenhall stated that the school has the entire county for its tax base. David Taylor would like to make sure we are not spending money twice doing the same thing. David Taylor stated that the school board has put a lot of time into deciding the best way to use the long term dollar wisely for more efficient use of tax payers’ money. Council Member Erickson said that to do nothing is to fall behind and cost more in the long run. David Taylor said that the last bond was hastily put together and they weren’t as well informed as they are now, they are looking more to education not just new buildings. Lyman, Archer, and Burton were not as well informed and that is where the bond failed. Council Member Young said the city was closely tied into the Jr. High and that there are many considerations to be considered. Mayor Larsen stated that P&Z has looked at the comprehensive plan – having an empty building in the middle of town and a school on the edge drawing traffic flow, etc. is a concern. Council Member Fullmer stated that new services on the outskirts have to be paid for by the developers not the city. The placement of the Jr. High is a big concern. Sharing costs with the county and others would save money. Brent Mendenhall stated that Paul Pugmire cornered him saying that the Jr. High has taken away a prime location of taxable commercial property. That will be a consideration for a new building. Council Member Benfield said that if the Jr. High was no longer there, it would be a benefit to the city’s downtown revitalization. It is a poor place for a school. Council Member Erickson asked if the board had thought of putting the high school on 25 acres in a centralized location rather that on the outskirts of town and using the existing facilities. He asked about the land behind Kmart. Brent Mendenhall stated that there were liability problems busing kids to facilities. The public was also opposed to that idea. Geoffrey Thomas said it is difficult to build anything structural on land fill property because of safety concerns/environmental. Richard Horner made the suggestion to build a Jr. High on 25 acres. David Taylor said they don’t want to be land locked; also, they need to build a new elementary school on the west side of town in future. Mayor Larsen suggested that Kurt Hibbert attend a school board meeting to update them on the comprehensive plan, so they can have a feel of where a good place would be for a school. David Taylor said that he wants to have a central place for a new school not one that will be so far north that they are so close to Sugar City. st Mayor Larsen stated that they are thinking of turning 1 North into an arterial road to take traffic off Main Street. He had an article that he passed out about building schools on the edge of towns. There have been studies done on where to build schools. David Taylor made the comment that the commitments that people look for in a town is airports, schools, industry, etc. He is opposed to doing anything more with the Jr. High. West of town is slated to be commercial/light industrial which is why the city doesn’t want a school there. Council Member Erickson stated that communication between the city and the school board is good so all can be informed. David Taylor asked Council Member Erickson if they would like to have a school next to a pool. Council Member Erickson said that other cities have done similar and it has not been successful. Geoffrey Thomas stated that the Jr. High is unsafe. If they ever had a fire, how would the kids in the basement get out? It would cost millions of dollars to update the building for school standards. Mayor Larsen stated that there is an asbestos problem, but it is contained. If the building is torn down, then the clean up is where the problem would arise. The EPA has passed the building off as being acceptable. David Ward stated that the school board needs to look at the comprehensive plan to make decisions. He also wanted to know how flexible the plan is. Council Member Fullmer said that the comprehensive plan is a guideline or a best guess. It is a living document that can be changed once every six months. Mayor Larsen said that changes are thought out very carefully by planning committees. The Louisiana property is mostly for green space-parks, residents, etc. Brent Mendenhall wondered if the city would be willing to help with the costs of land. David Taylor estimated that between the cost of land and building this year compared to last year, they have probably wasted a million dollars. Council Member Fullmer commended the school board for facing this tough issue and trying to go forward with their plan, he encouraged all to keep communication open. Mayor Larsen and the Council explained the comprehensive plan to the school board and showed them a map of it. David Ward asked the council what they thought the ideal place to put a high school. Mayor Larsen suggested that they look at the plan and talk with Planning and Zoning. The meeting adjourned.