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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 05/16/2022 CITY COUNCIL 16 MAY 2022 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 16 May 2022, at 6:30 p.m., in the Auditorium, 180 Market Street, and by Go to Meeting remote participation. MEMBERS PRESENT: H. Riehle, Chair; M. Emery,T. Barritt, M. Cota ALSO PRESENT: J. Baker, City Manager; A. Bolduc, Deputy City Manager; C. McNeil, City Attorney; T. DiPietro, Public Works Director; H. Rees, Recreation Director; B. Sirvis, L. Bailey, E. Churchill, C. Baker, D. Saladino, R. Greco, D. Bugbee, C. Shaw, S. Dooley, J. Charest, C.Trombly, S. O'Brien, L. Bresee, R. Dahlstrom 1. Instructions on exiting building in case of emergency and review of technology option: Ms. Baker provided instructions on emergency exit from the building and reviewed technology options. 2. Additions, deletions or changes in the order of Agenda items: No changes were made to the Agenda. 3. Comments and questions from the public not related to the agenda: Mr. Dahlstrom said that as a property owner he feels the new LDRs are an "overreach." He is trying to get a permit build a single family home on his property for his son and family. He has contractors lined up. He was told he would have to have site plan and spend thousands of dollars. He feels that a private property owner should not have to do this to build one house for a family member. He was also told the house would have to be within 100 feet of his own home, and he does not want it that close. He asked the City Council to override these restrictions and help him build this home for his son. Ms. Riehle said they would see what can be done and will let Mr. Dahlstrom. Ms. Greco suggested that Council members drive around the city and see what is going on. She noted a "car place" on Dorset Street that looks like a junkyard. She recalled that when the owner got his permit, there were going to be only a few cars hidden behind the building. Mr. Barritt recalled the original application and noted the DRB had placed some conditions on the approval. He also noted that the land in question is zone Agricultural, so the owner can do just about anything he wants on it. CITY COUNCIL 16 MAY 2022 PAGE 2 4. Announcements and City Manager's Report: Members reported on meetings and events they had attended Ms. Baker: 26 May is the last day to file to be on the August primary ballot. Suggested the 5 July Council meeting be moved to 11 July and have it be mostly for strategies, etc., and a few other items. The 18 July meeting would remain as scheduled. The interview committee for the Superintendent of Schools search will be interviewing for an interim Superintendent in June. They will then interview for the permanent position in August/September. The city has advertised for volunteers for open spots on committees. The deadline to apply is 26 May. The Council will interview applicants at the 2 June meetings. The April property appraisal notices will go out on 3 June. Swift Street will be repaved on 19 May. This may impact commuters. Food trucks in the park will kick off on Thursday evening. There will be a Memorial Day commemoration on 27 May at 10 a.m. in Veterans Memorial Park. 5. Consent Agenda: a. Approve and Sign Disbursements b. Approve minutes for 18 April and 2 May 2022 City Council meetings c. Receive the April Financials d. Approve the application for a Department of Libraries grant to increase the inclusion and diversity of our collection Ms. Emery moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed 4-0. 6. Opportunity for Councilors and the public to share information and resources on Climate Change: CITY COUNCIL 16 MAY 2022 PAGE 3 Ms. Riehle noted that Ms. Greco had spoken to a UVM class in September and had suggested that students send their papers on climate change to the city's Climate Change Task force and to the City Council. Some of these have come in and are will written with many different opinions. She encourage members to read them Ms. Emery noted a presentation by a professor of indigenous descent who stressed that they thing not only about climate but about life (plants and animals) and treat animals as "subjects" (he/she) not as objects. Mr. Barritt noted that the warmer weather extends how far you can drive with an e-car. He also bought an electric lawnmower which works well and pleases the neighbors. He also noted that Maine has approved a 700-acre solar project. There is a documentary on Netflix regarding Three Mile Island and the question of whether nuclear power can be safer than in the past. Ms. Emery noted more fossil fuel emissions are generated to develop the solar panels in China than they can save over their lifetime. 7. Receive an update from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission on recent efforts related to South Burlington and specifically the 1-89 2050 Study: Mr. Baker reviewed the goals that had previously been set forth. He noted they are now nearing the end of the process, and things are coming together in an implementation plan. He said they have looked at the total corridor with a major focus on multi-modal and are now down to 5 "bundles": #1. The "base bundle" which includes the TIP and MTP projects and electrification of 90%of the fleet #2. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) which models behavior change. They have modeled 431 scenarios and have selected those which lower the amount of driving. #3. Doing the TDM plus Exit 14, which would become a diverging diamond interchange. #4. Includes all of the above plus Exit 12B #5. Does not do 12B but does Exit 13. Mr. Baker said this bundle needs more investigation. CITY COUNCIL 16 MAY 2022 PAGE 4 Mr. Baker noted that if trends continue, they will get close to capacity. Things become more manageable with TDM. There are significant reductions in traffic with the TDM and Exit 14. Doing nothing will result in a 28% increase in vehicle miles traveled per day by 2050. With just the TDM, vehicle miles traveled will be reduced by 4%. With both 12B and 13, there are benefits to parts of the area (Exit 14 would see a 27% reduction) including becoming more friendly for bikes. An implementation plan will provide a framework for implementing the recommendations from the study. For each recommendation, the plan identifies corridor recommendations and timeframe (short, medium, or long). Short Term Implementation (1-5 years): 1. Convene Monitoring Committee periodically to review data and triggers 2. Develop a Plan, Implement & Monitor Identified TDM measures 3. Double bike trips 4. Triple transit services 5. Double TDM participation 6. Increase cost of parking 7. Mileage based user fee 8. Complete Exit 14 Supplemental Scoping Study 9. Exit 16 improvements (reconstruct intersection as a diverging diamond interchange 10. Exit 12 Park & Ride 11. Monitor Electric vehicle market penetration (coordinate with VTRANS &VEIC 12. Install traffic count loops on Interchange ramps for data collection Medium Term Implementation (6-15 years): 1. Monitor Implementation of TDM measures 2. Interchange ramp geometric improvements— Exit 14 3. Additional Park & Ride facilities along 1-89 4. Exit 12 Improvements 5. Changeable message boards 6. Exit 12B/13 Environmental Impact Statement if triggers are met (TDMs, Exit 14, etc.) CITY COUNCIL 16 MAY 2022 PAGE 5 Long Term Improvements (15+years): 1. Interchange ramp geometric improvements 2. 1-89 mainline environmental impact statement (if traffic volumes don't succeed and there is more driving than today, if crash ratio goes up, etc., what do we do with 1-89?) Mr. Baker cited the importance of continued monitoring. He noted the final report will be presented this summer. Mr. Cota asked whether Exit 16 will be completed before a decision has to be made on Exit 14. Ms. Churchill said it will. Ms. Riehle said she was pleased constant monitoring is included so decisions can be made. Mr. Baker said he is happy to receive any comments over the next few months. 7. Approve appointments to the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission's Board of Directors,Transportation Advisory Committee, and Clean Water Advisory Committee: Ms. Baker presented the recommended appointments as follows: Chittenden Country Regional Planning Commission Board —Chris Shaw (Ms. Emery as alternate) Transportation Advisory Committee—Tom DiPietro Clean Water Advisory Committee—Dave Wheeler Mr. Barritt moved to approve the list of appointments as presented. Mr. Cota seconded. Motion passed 4-0. 8. Discussion on Veterans Park at Dorset Street: Ms. Rees noted comments from community members about concerns with the hard, compacted soils at the Little League playing fields. Work is now being done with irrigation. The fields will be replaced at the end of the season. The question is whether there is anything that CITY COUNCIL 16 MAY 2022 PAGE 6 can be done to improve the soils as this will be an issue in the future. This may be a CIP discussion. Ms. Rees noted this affects both the baseball and soccer fields. Mr. Cota asked about drainage at the dog park. Ms. Rees said the hope is to do some underground drainage. Ms. Riehle asked if the baseball field at Farrell Park is OK. Ms. Rees said the desire is for every field to be exemplary. JC Park will be a softball field this year. Farrell is used mostly for practice which has less rigid standards. Ms. Riehle asked if the public can use both of those parks. Ms. Rees said they can if there is no group scheduled there. Sundays are usually available. The fields at Veterans Park are available when there is no League use. Ms. Riehle asked if leagues are charged for field use to offset some of the large costs. Ms. Rees said they are. Fees go into a special fund from which the city pays the seasonal person who maintains the fields. Ms. Riehle said she would like to see those numbers when the Council considers the CIP next year. Ms. Baker noted that right now $100,000 is budgeted each year for Parks/Recreation. Mr. DiPietrol noted that any drainage work in Farrell Park will involve a State permit. Options are being explored. 9. Review and Approve Survey for Public Outreach on Use of ARPA funds: Mr. Bolduc reviewed the history and a proposed survey. Ms. Emery said that with COVID there has been a lot of concern that there isn't a safe place for children to go. She also felt the survey should be less abstract and bring "techspeak" down to everyday language. Ms. Riehle suggested a space for people to indicate their personal experiences during COVID. Ms. Baker said that $3,000,000 isn't enough for a large project. The intent was to link people's concerns to the Comprehensive Plan project so people could see that their feedback was heard. Ms. Riehle said that connection is missing for her in the proposed survey. Mr. Barritt suggested: "How were you negatively affected by the pandemic?" Mr. Bolduc will come back with a revised draft. CITY COUNCIL 16 MAY 2022 PAGE 7 10.Approve lease of 577 Dorset Street to the South Burlington School District: Mr. McNeil said the lease was negotiated in 2018 as part of the land swap involving 180 Market Street. There have been a few revisions since that time. The lease is for 3 years at $10.00 a month with 3-year renewals. The building must be used for school purposes only. The lease does not include the Fire Station. Utilities will be mostly in the name of the School District; others will be pro-rated. Mr. McNeil noted that 16%of the building is still used by the City's Recreation Department which will share the cost of utilities and insurance. Ms. Emery moved to approve the lease at 577 Dorset Street to the South Burlington School District and to authorize the City Council Chair to execute all documents. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed 4-0. Mr. McNeil noted the School Board approved the lease last week. 11. Discussion and possible appointment of Council liaisons to committees: Ms. Emery agreed to be liaison to the Affordable Housing Committee, Housing Trust Fund and City Charter Committee. Mr. Cota agreed to be liaison to the Economic Development Committee, Public Art Committee, Bike/Ped Committee, Common Area for Dogs Committee and Recreation/Parks Committee Ms. Riehle agreed to be liaison to the Natural Resources Committee Mr. Barritt agreed to be liaison to the Economic Development and Energy Committees 8. Councilors' Reports from Committee Assignments: Ms. Riehle: The Climate Change Task Force will come up with recommendations. They need to know the legal consequences regarding building heating codes. They are also looking at what the City of Burlington passed. The Airport Commission will meet on Wednesday. CITY COUNCIL 16 MAY 2022 PAGE 8 Mr. Cota: GMT has a big meeting tomorrow morning to discuss the issue of fares. He cited the rising cost of diesel fuel. The sentiment is to reinstate fares on 1 July for "links" (Montpelier and St. Albans) and keep local fares free (thanks to ARPA funds). This would be until the end of the year. 9. Other Business: Ms. Baker noted receipts of emails regarding trash dumping in the gorge near the Airport which is a concern to residents. The area needs to be watched (possibly "critter cameras") to see who is doing the dumping. Swift Street paving will take place of 19 May. 10. Consider entering executive session for the purpose of discussion land acquisition: Mr. Barritt moved that the Council enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing the negotiation or securing of real estate for purchase by the City of South Burlington and inviting Ms. Baker, Mr. Bolduc and Mr. McNeil into the session. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed 4- 0. The Council entered executive session at 9:00 p.m. Following the Executive Session, as there was no further business to come before the Council Mr. Barritt moved to adjourn. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:12 p.m. Clerk