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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1984.01.18 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES~"! When we get the fund up to a certain amount we cold take the fee off. The council said they would think about it and make a decision at the next meeting. P~ayor Porter ask the council to refer to the copy of the Insurance Proof of Loss in their folder. The insurance company had agreed to pay $178,082.67 now and another $28,690.26 as we need it to build, this would make a total of $206,772.93. A motion was made by Sander Larson and seconded by P1organ Garner to except this amount from the insurance cimpany. All Aye. Nile Boyle ask the council what they wanted from the committee. The council felt that there should be a Public Hearing at the next meeting and present the alterna- tives, and get some input from the public. This would not be a legal hearing just an informal hearing. It was decided to have the hearing at 8:00 pm on January 18. RE: DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES Mayor Porter said he had noticed that various departments had started to make pur- chases for things that are in the budget for capitol expenditures. The counci l decided that any purchase over $i00 that is a capitol expenditure that the dep- artment heads get an okay from a Purchasing Committee made up of the Mayor, Richard Horner, and Rose Bagley. Sometimes it is better to wait a month before purchasing instead of buying it at that particular time. Sometimes another de- partment needs the same thing and by pruchasing the item-for both departments we can save money. The mayor said he would make a memo to the department heads tell- ing them of the new rule. A motion was made by Nile Boyle and seconded by Jim Morris to adjourn. ~~ ~ May o n C. Porter ~, /^ City Clerk, Rose Bagl MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING January 18, 1984 State of Idaho) County of Madison( City of Rexburg} A meeting of the City Council for the City of Rexburg, Madison County, held January 18, 1984, at the City Hall. Present were the following: Presiding Council President: Nile Boyle Councilman: Councilwoman: Also Present: Sander Larson Jim Morris h1organ Garner Glen Pond Darlene Blackburn Mary Smith, City Attorney Rose Bagley, City Clerk Richard Horner, Treasurer A motion was made by Morgan Garner and seconded by Darlene Blackburn to approve the minutes. All Aye. Nile Boyle excused Mayor Porter he had to go to Boise because he was testifying before-the Legislature. Nile Boyle announced that the Senior Citizens bus would not pickup any Senior Citizens when the temperature is below zero except for the Senoor Citizens Luncheon or emer- gencies such as doctors appointments. It is felt to have those older people out when it is that cold is not safe. r; ~ ~ '' RE: BUS:bNESS COMPETION WITH RICKS COLLEGE Scott 'Greer of Prestwich Farms was at the meeting. He wanted to discuss some problems. He said he was told they would have some slow times in December in the city, so he made a survey. He found that 50% of the people in Rexburg did not shop in Rexburg for anything except groceries. He said he had talked to the Chamber and had talked to 100 business people from the city. Some of the complaints were the prices are too high, the services were bad, availability of products wasn't good, the selection was bad, prices were competitive except for the clothing stores. In the last eighteen months we lost 36 businesses. Eighty or nine,~y percent of the businessmen I talked to said that the college is direct competition with many of the businesses in the city. He found that Ricks College has a certain standard for their students. He proposed that we have standards for protection for the community against the college. He prop- osed that any business transaction or other wise done at the college that a student I.D, be used. He said he employes 25 students and feels he is doing his fair share to help the college. W e need to do something to draw our Rexburg people.. People are shopping in Idaho Falls. W e have state granted money of federal granted money to draw the Sunbirds here and they stay at the college and use the facilities of the college. The money the college gets from that should go to the community. He said the money the college gets from that goes into a non profit and non taxable organization. He would like to know exactly why. He feels that the students should be paying for the college and not the people in the town or the people from out of state. As far as what we can do about it, he said he did not know about that, he said he did not make the mon- ster, the monster was created by the people, Ricks College is self contained, and the business community in the town of Rexburg cannot deal with that. He said he would like to build a relationship between Ricks College and the business community. Ross Rees who was at the meeting said he was shocked at the report and he preferred to shop at Rexburg, and he probably spends as much as anyone. It is a crippling excuse to shop in Idaho Falls and feels it hard to except the survey. W e have major chain stores and they are as well stocked as Idaho Falls. Nile Boyle told him that this issue needs to be handled through the Chamber. The council would be off base to get involved. Sander Larson told him the Sunbirds do not stay in College Housing they stay in private housing, and the college has made a great contribution to Rexburg. He felt that to say that a monster has been created is a damaging statement. Mr. Greer said anyone in the community can use the college, and he said as a community we do not need the college. W e need to go out and work with the businesses. Nile Boyle said he just came from a banquet at the college, and there is no facility in Rexburg that could handle it. There was 300 people at the banquet and he did not think any place in the city could handle that. Mr. Greer said he has gone up there and people from the community are eating up there and they don't belong there. Nile Boyle ask him to go to the Chamber of Commerce with the problem. RE: GARBAGE BIN RULES Nile Boyle read a letter on garbage bin pick up rules and regulations (On file) RE: HEARING ON LOCATION OF N EJ CITY HALL Nile Boyle reported that they had set up a committee to study a location of a city hall. He said they had looked at 10 different lots and the buildings that were available. He said he had a petition signed by about thirty people that wanted the city hall to go back to the original location and he had also had several calls from people saying they wanted it to go back to the original location. .They had received one call tonight from Dell Klingler representing the County, saying they would prefer we stay in the building we are in now. Jerry Rigby-- He said he was speaking for himself and his father. He felt it had boiled down to the factor of cost. He said as far as his office is con- cerned it is convenient to have the city hall across the street. He said it would be as cheap if not cheaper to be already in a location, any money saved is worth while. He said we are building a lot of new buildings in Rexburg, and there are a lot of vacant buildings that should be used. Dick Davis-- He wanted to know the options and obligations of the existing building. He said it appears you can't just leave it the way it is. He ask if we abandon that sight, is someone willing to buy it? Nile Boyle told him to sell any city property, we would have to bid it and take hte highest bid. W e do have an offer of $17,500. we did have it appraised at $22,000. and the appraiser said it was a conservative appraisal for that property. Dick Davis said he was sure that something would have to be done to the property. n I ~~ ~ rl Blair Manwaring -- He said it seems to him that it is an opportunity to get a facility that would serve the needs of the city better. In the past we had a building that was not built for the city hall and it had to be modif- ifed, if the city stay here in this building they are faced with the same situation. He said he noticed that it is hard to find a parking place around the building the city is in now. He said the intersection of Main and 2nd East is the worst one in Rexburg to try to get through. He said this is an opportunity to design a facility on the city's own piece of ground to meet the needs of the city. He said he was thinking of a drive in window in the alley that would be feasible. He said he does not think the city needs to provide a rental space for anyone else. Ross Rees -- Rexburg at the present time has a tremendous amount of already constructed buildings. He said we just went through a program of construc- ting new parking in the downtown area, so he doesn't think anyone would be interested in the lot fro parking, he said he was not interested in it as the owner of the Blocks Building and neither is the tenant. It would be nice if some of the already constructed buildings could somehow be utilized without building more of the same type buildings. He said he had seen city and county governments grow at a tremendous pace in the last few years, if you build in the old location you will soon be out of space regardless of the facility, there is no room to expand. He said he was not sure the fac- ility we are in now would solve that problem either. His main concern is that for the same dollars spent we can use an existing facility and help us with vacancy in Rexburg. Cliff Jaussi -- He said he would rather have the building down where it was before, when he went shopping and payed his light and phone bill it was handy to pay his city utility bil 1. He said it is inconvient to have to turn clear down to this location to pay his bil 1. If you build a new building, it will create some jobs, if you buy this building it will take it off the tax rolls. He said you can't get down this road to get to the city hall now and if you improve the street up on 2nd East it will increase the traffic. If you do have to sell in the future, you will be able to sell a building over in the old location a lot easier than you can this one. Layne Dearden -- He said as he gives around town there are certain places that he avoids, because someday there is going to be a terrible accident there because of the traffic situation. He felt that the intersection out on this street is one of the bad ones. He would prefer because of a safety factor to be on a less traveled street, where it is safer to get in and out of. Dick Davis -- If neither Ross Rees or his tenant is interested in buying the property, who is interested in it. Nile-Boyle said he wasn't sure who it was. Nile Boyle said we had looked at the property across from the library. By the time you build a building there it would only leave room for about 6 parking places. To buy that property and build on it, would be quite expensive. Blair D1anwaring -- Ask what the cities projection was. +~as the old building adequate? Nile Boyle said the building that was there before was 5800 sq ft and it was adequate for now and I don't know for how long. Some of the ar- chitecs have said it should be built so we could add another floor later. Jim Morris-said we only used half of that building before. Morgan Garner ask Dick Davis and Charles Zollinger if they could put the foo- tings and foundations in if they built in the old location so that another floor could be added. They said they could. Kathy Koon -- ask if we built back in the old location if there would be room for ECIPDA to rent from us, she was told yes. Glen Pond ask Nile about the parking area we would have with this building. Nile told him that he agreed that the parking is hard out in front but there was a big parking lot that would go with the building in back.' ~~e would probably have five times as much property as we had down at the old place, and if we were to remodle we would utilize the back more. Arthur L. Porter -- He said he was representing his father. Even though the price according to the printout is relatively equal on the two buildings, you are getting 8700 sq ft at the same price as the 5800 sq ft. at the old sight. Perhaps the old sight would be adequate for now. There is adequate parking for employees or public. This building is a very well constructed building, it has high ceilings for convience for remodeling, it has plenty of electri- city, the roof is supported. He said concerning the problem of a busy street ~~~ he felt that it is a matter of educating the public that there is a street in back with plenty of parking and there is a rear entrance. In the old location as the city grows, there won't be enough parking. He felt it would be better to buy this building and get more square feet, it is just a matter of getting used to this location. Bob Purrington -- The city does own parking north of the tabernacle. It is more convenient for the people shopping to come across the street to pay a water bill. There is parking for city employees at the old sight. The bu- siness people would prefer you to move back in the old location, and many of the citizens would also prefer this.. The city has only been using half of the old building so you would have double of the amount of space you. need and that would be adequate amount of space fora 10 year growth. He said he felt you should. build back where you were. Clint Parkinson -- He said he was at the meeting to sell the city the Econo Mart building of 6500 sq ft for $137,000. It would be close to the post office and the center of town, because it is half way in between. There is plenty of parking. Valeea Quigg -- One of the office employees, she said she had worked at the old office and worked here in this building. The old building was more con- venient. People could walk to the old office so there was adequate parking. There are a lot of old people who have a hard time getting into this buil- ding. There is a problem with the back entrance, because the reception desk is in the front and the people coming in the back entrance feel like they are lost, people come walking through the back and don't know where they are going. There is a problem with the stairway, it is right in the way. I feel like a new building in the old location could be designed for the em- ployees needs that we could serve the city a lot better, and we could uti- lize the space there better. ',Jayne Parkinson -- He had lived on Ricks Avenue for several years. It is a narrow street and hard to get back in the traffic from Ricks Ave. There have been several people that have slid into cars coming off that avenue. As far as getting to the back of the building, you have a real limited acc- ess there. Ross Rees -- He recommended new movable dividers to be changed for changing needs, don't get hung up with fixed petitions. Art Porter -- You don't need an elevator as long as you have toilets on the lower level. Blair Manwaring -- I feel that we need to stay within the budget. Kathy Koon -- If the cost is more than the money you receive from the In- surance Company, where will the money come from. Nile told her that we had budgeted $10,000 for remodeling which could be used. Morgan Garner suggested that we leave it open for comment from the public for a week. They could either write a letter and send it to the City Hall or the committee. Nile Boyle told the group that a decision would be made at the next council meeting. A motion was made by Jim Morris and seconded by !Glen Pond to approve the bills. All Aye. A motion was made by Glen Pond and seconded by Sander Larson to adjourn. Al1.Aye. ,~ City Clerk, e gley ~. M o Porter r~ 1 r