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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-27-11 WSMinutes Lakeville City Council Work Session June 27, 2011 6:10 p.m. In attendance: Mayor Mark Bellows Council Member Laurie Rieb Council Member Kerrin Swecker Council Member Matt Little Council Member Colleen LaBeau Staff: Steve Mielke, City Administrator Dennis Feller, Finance Director Steve Michaud, Parks and Recreation Director Gene Abbott, Building Official Penny Brevig, Recording Secretary At the request of Mayor Bellows the meeting was moved to the Council Chambers for Item #1, due to the large number of people in attendance. The work session was called to order at 6:09 p.m. by Mayor Bellows. ITEM #1— Use of former Police Department building for Senior Center / Historical Society Parks and Recreation Director Steve Michaud stated that at the April 25, 2011 work session, Council had requested staff conduct a public information campaign and prepare a financial proposal to fund the Senior Center /Historical Society project. Mr. Michaud stated that a senior forum and a public forum were held; the City published a cover story of the proposed project on the City's Messages page; a detailed description of the project, the budget and floor plans were posted on the City's website; and several newspaper articles were printed in local newspapers and the StarTribune South Metro section. Comments cards were returned, a petition in support of the project was received, and the Yellow Ribbon Organization indicated a willingness to be considered a partner in the project. Mr. Michaud reviewed the summary of costs and financing for the proposed project as shown in his June 24, 2011 report. In addition he is proposing to dedicate $150,000 from the park dedication fund to the project. It was suggested that the senior center project would be an appropriate use of the park dedication fee received from the proposed Hosanna senior housing project. City Council Work Session Minutes June 27, 2011 Page -2- Mr. Michaud explained the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from which the current senior facility was originally financed. Mr. Michaud will work with the Community and Economic Development Director to ensure all requirements are met. Mr. Michaud reviewed the fundraising initiatives for the remaining $88,000, which includes an online City -wide auction. Council Member Rieb asked if the $116,000 that was pledged at the public forum was included into the fundraising initiatives. Mr. Michaud indicated that it was not. Mr. Michaud explained the Yellow Ribbon Organization's involvement and their need for a small office space, a meeting area, and a place for the veterans to gather in the evenings and weekends. He is proposing that the Yellow Ribbon Organization would fit well into the east corner with the double bay garages where they would have their own access. Council Member Swecker felt this would be a very good fit. Council Member Little asked if there was a minimum amount of the HUD surveys that had to be returned. Mr. Michaud said there was not. Council Member Swecker felt that $88,000 is a realistic fundraising goal. She asked if there were excess funds raised if they could go back into the Park Dedication fund. Mr. Michaud stated that expenditure of the excess funds would be at the Council's discretion. Council Member Swecker feels the idea of an auction is excellent. Mr. Michaud indicated that there is a complete list of assigned amounts of money for every room in the proposed senior center. The City would be looking for sponsorship for these rooms, not naming rights. Council Member Swecker felt it was important for the rest of the community to be involved and to give back. Mr. Michaud stated that with projected costs, minimum funds needed to be raised would be $88,000. Fundraising will need to be adjusted if costs go up. Council Member Little asked if there were any legal issues with donations going back to the Park Dedication fund. Mr. Feller said it would be acceptable. Council Member Little wanted to clarify the fundraising expectation and whether excess would be returned to the park dedication fund. Council Member LaBeau asked about staffing the facility. Mr. Michaud stated that no staff increases are proposed. One advantage of the Historical Society participating in this project is that they would most likely be in the building during the day and could help direct people. He stated that security will be an important issue. There are very few evening events at the current senior center; however Mr. Michaud feels it will be important to establish operating guidelines regarding access, security, duties, and responsibilities. Council asked if any of the monitoring equipment from the former police station was still operating; Mr. Feller stated it is not. City Council Work Session Minutes June 27, 2011 Page -3- Council Members discussed anticipated completion date, logistics, current zoning, and what type of business could move into the current senior center. Some potential buyers have shown an interest in the current senior center. If Council decides to move forward with the project, bids and recommendations would follow, which would then be presented to Council for consideration. Parking for a new tenant in the current senior center was discussed. Council Members felt that because there is shared parking throughout the downtown area, parking should not be an issue. Mayor Bellows asked if a group home was considering this building as a location. Mr. Mielke had not been informed of that but stated that a group home with more than six residents would require a conditional use permit. Mayor Bellows feels that the current senior center building needs to be sold before any other steps are taken. Mr. Mielke stated that proceeding with the sale of the building was part of the decision and action to be considered by Council. Mr. Michaud indicated that membership dues are currently $9.00 and could increase to $18 - $20. Increased dues may impact some of the members; however he stated they have never turned anyone away due to membership payment issues. A number of seniors are concerned about transportation to the new senior center. Mr. Michaud will coordinate a shared ride schedule with the senior housing facilities. Mayor Bellows asked if there would be adequate staff for expanded programs in the new facility. Mr. Michaud stated that the building would provide more space for existing programs however they do not plan to add programs. Mayor Bellows stated that he wants a center that will meet the needs of the next senior generation and asked if a needs analysis had been done. Mr. Michaud stated that they have never completed a needs analysis; however, Linda Walter has always been on the cutting edge of seniors' interests. Mr. Michaud indicated that programs will continue to adjust to meet the existing and changing needs. Council Member Little feels that interesting and engaging senior programs are certainly needed and appreciated. It's important for seniors' health to stay active. Mayor Bellows asked if any recommendations have come forward for the current Historical Society building. Mr. Michaud indicted that the general consensus is to convert the garage to a special use facility, such as relocating the pottery studio there, but to remove the home. Council Member LaBeau feels it is important to have a senior center, but wants it to meet future growth. City Council Work Session Minutes June 27, 2011 Page -4- Mayor Bellows stated that he still has some reservations and unanswered questions and provided a list of questions to Mr. Michaud. Council Member Little indicated that we have to do the next steps to answer the Mayor's questions. There is a calculated risk in everything we do. Mayor Bellows wants to ensure that a business -type of approach will be taken on the construction, not just depending on volunteers. Mr. Mielke stated that the Davis - Bacon wage rate will be required if CDBG funds are used, along with a construction manager approach. Volunteer labor can possibly be used for painting, cleaning, and other smaller projects. Mr. Michaud stated that the process would include hiring an architect, putting plan specifications together, requesting bids, hiring a construction manager, and putting the current senior center up for sale. Mr. Mielke added that the commitment to the project is very important if it is to become a reality. Council Member Rieb stated that the last strategic plan talked about that wanting a city for all ages, life cycle housing, parks, ballfields, soccer fields, and ice rinks, so it's appropriate to have a senior center as well, since the seniors are a vital part of this community. Council Member Rieb feels that the financing goal is realistic and she is in favor of moving forward with the next steps. Mayor Bellows asked for comments or questions from the audience. Russ Hammond, 17725 Glasgow Avenue, lives in the CDA senior facility on Glasgow and indicated that the majority of the residents in these 87 apartments are members of the senior center. Wally Potter, 10691 202 Street, commented that the planning stage started about a year ago when he brought up the issue. A committee was formed and he worked with the architects. He agrees that transportation is a concern but believes it will be addressed. Also, activities offered at the senior center are constantly changing along with the space requirements. Mr. Potter feels the architect and project manager fees listed in Mr. Michaud's report could be over - estimated for remodeling a building. He questioned adding the demolition of the old historical society building to this budget. If the City wants to tear down the building after the Historical Society moves out, that should be a separate project. He feels that the $50,000 demolition estimate is too high. Council Member LaBeau commented on Mr. Potter's statement about the percentages that we should be paying the architects and construction managers. She would be appalled if we paid these people 10 -15% fee in this economy. City Council Work Session Minutes June 27, 2011 Page -5- Diane Craig is a baby boomer who joined the senior center in the last two years. She wants to participate in activities at the center, even though she still works full time. Linda Walter has been helpful offering programs for various abilities, such as the biking group. Ms. Craig is very glad to see this type of facility. Mayor Bellows appreciated the comments. He feels that a moderately hostile tax environment exists in the community. The building's value is about $1.5 million and he believes if it was sold the money would have been used to pay down the City's debt. A discussion is needed regarding core essential services for the City of Lakeville. Mayor Bellows wanted everyone to understand that he is not opposed to a senior center but thinks this is a substandard facility for the number of seniors that will live in this community in the coming years. Council directed staff to move to the next phase. ITEM #2 - Finance Committee candidate selection process Mr. Mielke stated that there are 16 interested candidates for the Finance Committee and asked the Council how many of the candidates they wished to interview. Council Member Swecker suggested that because of the current staffing issues in the Finance Department, perhaps this should be put on hold until January 2012. She felt setting up the Finance Committee at this time could put an added burden on an already over worked department. Mr. Mielke explained that the shortage of one accountant has put an added burden on the Finance Department. Mr. Mielke added that even though the department is understaffed at this time, it is not a good time to train in a new employee. Mayor Bellows believes a Finance Committee would make the Finance Dept. more orderly. He commented that the Finance Committee would be overseeing the budget. Council Member Little stated that he has not been in favor of this committee from the beginning and indicated that overseeing the budget is the Council's job and not the intent of the committee. Mr. Mielke stated that the resolution indicates that the Finance Committee will not be a budget oversight committee. Council directed staff to set up interviews on two consecutive days with the 16 applicants. The first meeting of the Finance Committee will be no sooner than September 15, 2011. City Council Work Session Minutes June 27, 2011 Page -6- ITEM #3 — Review and Recap of Development Forum / Process Mr. Mielke presented a Development Forum update. The general consensus was that this effort fostered good will and something positive needs to come from what was learned. He added that staff needs to determine how to improve the development process and opportunities, and implement suggested changes. Mr. Mielke indicated that the policy discussions and changes could take place rather quickly at the staff level. It is anticipated that the City Council, Planning Commission, and EDC will have an opportunity to review and comment on the development review process and regulations. Mr. Mielke added that Ordinance amendments may take a while longer due to the Public Hearing process. Council directed staff to move onto the next steps of review and discussion among staff and then forward these onto the Commissions and Council. Council Member Rieb requested that developers be kept up -to -date on changes being discussed and implemented as a result of their comments and suggestions. ITEM #4 — Review of Electrical Inspection program Mr. Mielke stated that at the January 2011 work session Council requested staff explore options available to the City for providing electrical permits and field inspections. Staff prepared a chart that provides some alternatives and compares three options: state inspector, contracted inspector, and local City inspector. Building Official Gene Abbott presented the report. Due to the current State shutdown, several cities have inquired about Lakeville's existing fees and process, because they are unable to schedule inspections. Mr. Abbott reviewed the information in his report, including historical data of the Electrical Inspection program which began in 2004, through 2010, and a comparison of service options. Council Member LaBeau felt that only the past three years should be compared due to the economy. Apple Valley's contracted electrical inspector, Mike Hawke, President /CEO of Midwest Electrical Technologies, also contracts for the State. He stated that the State pays per inspection, so they try to get as many inspections as possible scheduled each day. He believes there are too many customer complaints due to this practice. Mr. Hawke indicated that he has informational handouts and checklists for customers to review. Fees and permits are processed by the City of Apple Valley, with inspections typically being completed within a two hour window on the same day it is requested. * Council Member Little likes the option of using a local City inspector ( #3), for the speed and quality residents get. City Council Work Session Minutes June 27, 2011 Page -7- * Council Member LaBeau has received calls complaining about the City's Electrical Inspector, but it was decided that if it's a personnel issue, this would be handled differently. * Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Todd Bornhauser commented that this would be the perfect opportunity for the City to write the best deal possible. Council directed staff to explore Option #2 and come back to a future Council work session with the results. ITEM #5 - Other Council Member Rieb asked other Council Members if they had had an opportunity to review the team building information she handed out at the last meeting. The cost would be $1,500 and she added that to make this work, they would really need to be committed. Mayor Bellows and Council Member Little indicated that they would not vote for this, but they would participate if the majority agreed to it. ITEM #6 — Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 8:50 pm. Respectfully submitted, Penny Bre Recording Secretary Mark Bellows Mayor