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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993.12.01 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES9 1 City Council 12/01/93 7:30 P. M. State of Idaho) County of Madison( ss City of Rexburg) Present were the following: Mayor: Councilman: City Clerk: Attorney: Nile Boyle Glen Pond Farrell Young Bruce Sutherland Jim Flamm Nyle Boyle Brad Liljenquist Rose Bagley J. D. Hancock Pledge to the flag. A motion was made by Brad Liljenquist to approve the minutes with one correction and seconded by Nyle Fullmer. All Aye RE: CANAL SAFETY REPORT Canal Safety report by Dave Nielson- He gave a hand out to all the council. (copy attached) Basically what we are saying is we loose more Ricks College students every year from traffic accidents than we have in the canal in the last 25 years. You can't fence the hundreds and thousands of miles of canal and ditch banks in the area. Mainly the committee sees it as an education problem. They would hope as a committee they could do two things (1) that we can get the people in the community to do a better job to train their children about the hazards, this means everybody and to welcome direction, and to have patrol of those areas. (2) As long as we put plantings along the banks that don't reach out and reach down in and interfere with the flow of the water, the canal company doesn't have any problem with it. Possibly if we did it as a project of the neighborhood, we could possibly share the costs and make these assignments and follow through and make something happen. It could be something that would save a life in that area. Brad Liljenquist told him the council appreciated the report he had given and the work the committee had done. As a city we need to continue to do all we can to educate and promote safety types of issues. Maybe we could suggest and select one or two types of plantings and encourage the home owner to do that. The mayor stated that if there could be a group interested, the city could maybe work with them. The Urban Forestry Commission could maybe give some good deals. If we have a good commitment from the people in a certain neighborhood, maybe the city could even help with the plantings, if we were sure they would water and keep them alive. RE: REVIEW OF OPTIONS OF FORMING A RECREATION DISTRICT FOR MADISON COUNTY Dave Payne, head of Madison County Parks and Recreation was at the meeting. Brad reviewed the options of forming a Recreation District for Madison County. The pool bond failed so in thinking of other ways to fund a swimming pool, a Recreation District was thought about and investigated. They found if we go the Recreation District route, we could form one by gathering signatures of 20~ of the voters within the county and then put it up for an election county wide and it would have to pass by a majority. That would form the Recreation District and then the District could then levy a tax or levy a fee, the same as a cemetery or library district, up to three mills. When we ran the numbers for the pool, they were significantly higher than he had thought they would be. They ranged anywhere from $30 to $60 a year on a $50,000 house. There are only four times you can hold an election during a year and he scheduled an election for August of next year, in case the city wants to go ahead with it. It would be a special election and have to pass by a majority. The mayor said he felt it would be more fair to go by a household figure than with a mill levy. We would have about a $40 per year per household to make it work. Brad stated that the concern he had is if the city voters turned down a bond that would range anywhere from $15 to $20 per year, on a typical household, do we want to put forth to county voters a proposal of $40 a year. Dave- Are we looking at one, two or three things on the vote. Brad- we had the construction of the pool and the operation, the recreation programs we are doing now and the bike path-pedestrian paths county wide. RE: BEER LICENSE APPLICATIONS APPROVED The mayor read the beer licenses applications. Albertsons, Maverick on South 1st West, Maverick on 2nd East, Broulims, Horkleys Self Service and one for Rexburg Food Center without a county license and would have to be approved contingent upon receiving the county license. A motion was made by Glen Pond and seconded by Brad Liljenquist to approve the beer licenses. All Aye RE: BOB LEE APPOINTED TO PLANNING & ZONING COMMITTEE There is a vacancy on the Planning & Zoning to replace Scott Mortensen from the Impact Zone. It has been recommended to appoint Bob Lee, who also lives in the Impact Zone on the Barney Dairy road. A motion was made by Jim Flamm and seconded by Brad Liljenquist to approve the appointment of Bob Lee. All Aye RE: UNPAID BUSINESS LICENSES There are a few Business Licenses that have not been paid this year. They were turned over to J. D. Hancock to send letters. RE: APPROVAL OF SALE OF SURPLUS CITY ITEMS We have some Surplus material in the City to be sold that we need to approve for sale. It will be an bid to be opened up a week from today. (on file) A motion was made by Brad Liljenquist and seconded by Bruce Sutherland to approve those items to be sold. All Aye Mayor Boyle read a Proclamation against Drunk and Drug Driving Prevention month 1993. The mayor reminded the council about the city party on December 10. RE: 1ST READING OF ORDINANCE 754 ON THE INSPECTION OF ALL APARTMENTS Mayor Boyle read the first reading on the inspection on all apartments. Ordinance 754. Discussion on the language. The attorney will change the language as recommended by the council. RE: H & K PROPERTY - PROCEED WITH PURCHASE FOLLOWING EPA CHECK The mayor discussed with the council that we had talked about the H K Property before. They say they want $39,000 with the unpaid balance over three years at 8~ interest. The mayor sent them an offer of $12,000, $12,000 a year from now and $12,000 in two years with no interest which would be $36,000 and told them they could take the difference between the appraisal and what we offered them as a donation to the city and he called the mayor back and said that would be suitable with them. Brad felt it would be worthwhile. Bruce felt because it is contiguous with our other park, it would be a worthwhile project. The mayor questioned when they removed the underground storage tank, if they had it approved with E.P.A. Before we do anything we need to get a soil sample. A motion was made by Jim Flamm and seconded by Nyle Fullmer to proceed with the purchase of the property if the environmental checks out. All Aye ~.~ RE: DISCUSSION OF REVISED IMPACT MAP A revised Impact map was handed out to the city council, as revised by the Planning & Zoning. Discussion on the Cemetery road and the area around the Archibald Cattle ranch area. A motion was made by Bruce Sutherland and seconded by Brad Liljenquist to pay the bills. All Aye RE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BUILDINGS BUILT ON N. 3RD E. & TECHNOLOGY WAY (CURB & GUTTER & SIDEWALKS BY AMDAHL & GALLERY LAB) Discussion about the buildings that have been built on North 3rd East and Technology Way. Gallery Lab and Amdahl did not put in curb and gutter and sidewalks. The mayor said they have been notified and they will be required to do it next spring. A question was asked why don't we make the property across the street put in curb and gutter and sidewalks along by Cal Store and John Deere. The mayor stated that Amdahl and Gallery Lab are part of the Walker Sub Division and they should put in the improvements. He stated that there is no reason to put it in across the road. J. D. Hancock stated that the businesses across the street was there before we had the new Sub Division Ordinance. Meeting adjourned. Mayor, Ni a L. Boy e City Clerk, Rose Ba y r t RE%BURG CANAL SAFETY FEASIBILITY STIIDY December 1, 1y93 A. the Scooe of the Problem Keith Erikson, president of the canal company board, can recall 2 deaths and one near death/hospitalization in the last 25 years or so. This means that if we are looking only at the cold numbers, the canal does not present a serious risk. There does exist however, a much greater potential danger, especially since 2 of the 3 in-town elementary schools are within 1 1/2 blocks of the canal. What this means is that the community 'has been very fortunate. B. The Question Is it economically feasible to make the canal safer as it passes through the Rexburg city limits? There are 3 proposals on how to accomplished this. #1. Cover the canal, at an approximate-cost of $6 million. #2. Fence the canal, at an approximate cost of $150,000. #3. Plant a thorny hedge on the canal bank, to create a "fence" (see costs below). C. The Canal ComUanv's Need__s/Concerns. 1. Canal Maintenance - The 3 main challenges are canal bank erosion, the canal filling in with sediment, and tree branches or bushes growing out into the 'canal. The canal company needs to have access (at least one spot between each set of bridges) to get a caterpillar into the canal periodically to do this maintenance. 2. State law provides the canal company with a "Workable Right of Way". This means they can use approximately 3 ft. on each side of the canal for their maintenance needs. 3. The canal company has no funds to put towards any of the above proposals. D. A Closer Look at the 3 Proposals 1. options #1 & 2 are very expensive and because there are no funds available, are not feasible. 2. Option #3 also has its problems as a "City" project, but as a Neighborhood/Home Owners Group project, it has some real merit. The "problems" which make it unfeasible as a city project, become g5~ "challenges" in search of creative solutions, when dealt with as a neighborhood. In an interview with A11en Wilson of 'the Ricks College Horticulture Department, we learned the following. a. There are varieties of thorny bushes available that are suited for this climate. b. Planting a hedge would be labor intensive. The planting site would need to be prepared, one plant would be needed every 8" to 12", and the plants would need to be watered weekly for 1-2 seasons before the roots would be deep enough to get their own water. c. Generalized cost estimates for the plants range from $.50 to $1.00 per foot. E. Conclusions , 1. Because of the ~ 'low risk, none of the 3 projects justify city funding. 2. All parents/neig~lbors in the community need to continue and possibly improve their personal programs of education and patrol. We live in an area with many miles of ditch banks, which present a potential hazard. Parents must continue to warn their children of these dangers. Parents, neighbors and older siblings must be on a constant look-out for children exhibiting dangerous behavior. A policy of "Any individual is welcome to give direction to any child exhibiting such behavior", should be adopted in the neighborhoods. 3. Individual neighborhoods should be encouraged to plant hedges in their own area, if they desire. This way costs can be shared, work assignments can be made, and the necessary follow through can be seen to, so that the task is accomplished satisfactorily. 1