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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 07/17/2000CITY COUNCIL 17 JULY 2000 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 17 July 2000, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St. Members present: J. Condos, Chair; T. Sheahan, C. Smith, S. Magowan, D. O'Rourke Also present: C. Hafter, City Manager; P. Bestenbostel, Assistant City Manager; B. Hoar, C. Plumb, Public Works, Dept; L. Graham, Police Chief; Bruce O'Neill, T. Hubbard, Recreation Dept; S. Stitzel, City Attorney; K. Cloutier, J. Ferland, J. Villone, C. Shaw, B. Carris, D. McBee, D. & B. Dalton, P. Murtee, D. Jacobowitz, L. Bresee, S. Murray, K. & F. Hannon, P. Reed 1. Comments & questions from the audience not related to agenda items: No issues were raised. 2. Announcements & City Manager's report: Mr. Smith: Questioned the timing of the Regional Plan process and felt it was very ambitious. Mr. Smith: He and Mr. Hafter, Mr. Bestenbostel, Supt. Chattman, Ms. Frederick, and Mr. Garahan met regarding Act 60. Mr. Smith felt progress is being made. Mr. Sheahan: Regional Planning Commission meeting Monday, 24 July. Mr. Magowan: He and Mr. O'Rourke met with Department Heads and attended the recent Planning Commission meeting. Mr. Condos: The MPO will be meeting in Contois Auditorium on 19 July to discuss the Transportation Improvement Plan for the next 3 years. Mr. Condos: The Growth Center Task Force didn't come close to finishing at their last meeting and are meeting again on 27 July. He agreed that more time is needed for the Regional Plan process. Mr. Sheahan said he would pass this concern along. Mr. Hafter: The Housing Committee for the Regional Plan will meet on 26 July at 3 p.m. The Corrections Center Liaison Committee is meeting on 19 July, 4 p.m. The Corrections Center has a new communications system that can dial many numbers at one time, so it will be possible to warn people more quickly of any problems at the facility. The Quality of Life Committee of VLCT will meet at noon on Thursday. The new City Hall Committee will meet on 3 August, 7:30 a.m. Since Mr. Audette is running for public office, he can no longer be a city employee, so he is now a consultant on the bike path. Mr. Audette: The current phase of the bike path will be finished this year. Bridge plans should be submitted in a week, and the sub-base should be in within the next day or so. Work on the Public Works building is progressing. Parts of 2 buildings are already torn down. The bus drivers' building should be done some time in August. The completion date for the whole project is January 15, 2001. 3. Discussion on paving the section of the rec path between Farrell Park and Lindenwood Drive: Mr. Condos reviewed the history of the path in this area. It had been decided not to pave this section due to concerns of neighbors. There have now been requests from users to pave it as they feel it is dangerous in its current state. Ms. Cloutier, representing the neighbors, said they all oppose paving. They want their street to remain a quiet dead-end street. Ms. Cloutier also said they had been told this was a temporary route for the path and that it would not be paved unless the residents agreed. Mr. Bresee said the Rec Path Committee has spent a lot of time looking for an alternate route for the path but could find nothing that would work. He noted that the condition of the path in that area has deteriorated. Ms. Cloutier said the condition has not deteriorated. The problem is that people from Brewer Parkway dump leaves, etc., over the bank. She said groups of people are now going down the middle of the street, and it is very dangerous to try to get out to Shelburne Rd. Chief Graham said there have been no reported injuries at that location. Mr. Hafter noted getting a phone call from Carol Mitchell expressing concern with backing out of her driveway. Ms. Ferland said she is very concerned that roller bladers will be going very fast through there and will create an even more dangerous situation. Ms. Cloutier said the end of the street is very steep to Shelburne Rd. She felt roller bladers should use the Swift St. path. Mr. O'Rourke felt it was much safer to use Lindenwood than Swift St. Mr. Sheahan asked where the money to pave the path would come from. Mr. Hafter said the city has funds from impact fees. He said it wouldn't be paved to the standards of other paths, and no trees will be lost. The path will be 5 ft. wide. The cost will be about $6,000. Mr. Hafter also suggested the possibility of a gate at the end of the path. Mr. Bresee suggested grooving the path as an incentive to slow down. Ms. Cloutier asked why the Council would consider paving when the neighbors unanimously oppose it. She felt it would be horrendous with roller bladers and skateboarders. Mr. O'Neill said skate boards are not allowed. Mr. Sheahan moved to authorize the Public Works Director to come up with a plan to pave the section of the bike path that is currently gravel and to involve the Rec Path Committee in coming up with a way to slow traffic down as it goes onto Lindenwood Drive. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Condos asked that the plan come to the Council so neighbors have a chance to hear it. 4. Interviews for appointments to boards, commissions and committees: Rec Path Committee: The Council interviewed Barry Carris for appointment to the Rec Path Committee. Mr. Carris said he knows some people on the Committee and was asked to serve. He is semi-retired and does work for the Forest Service on their trails. He said the city should be proud of its Rec Path system. Natural Resources Committee: The Council interviewed Chris Shaw for appointment to the Natural Resources Committee. Mr. Shaw said he does not have a lot of experience in the area but is very eager to learn and serve. Mr. Condos explained the selection process and thanked both applicants. 5. Further consideration of request from Cathedral Square Corporation for property tax exemption for a congregate housing project: Mr. Condos reviewed the history of the request. Ms. Villone said this is a special project for people with physical or mental disabilities and provides supportive services that allow these residents to live independently. Mr. Condos asked if the applicant would agree to a stipulation that there be no school aged children in the project. Ms. Villone said yes. Mr. Condos asked if they would agree to a small payment in lieu of taxes. Ms. Villone said yes, but it would have to be very small because of their limited budget. Mr. Magowan noted that none of the land that this part of the development is on was ever included on the tax roles. Mr. Condos said that is true because it was church land. Mr. Stitzel explained that the property owner could have an agreement with the City that the owner makes a payment in lieu of taxes instead of being on the Grand List. This would have to be approved by the Tax Commissioner. The state has agreed that it will not impose any higher taxes than the city does. If that changes, the city should have the right to reopen the issue. There should also be a stipulation that if the use of the facility changes, the agreement would no longer be in effect. Mr. Stitzel then noted the applicant could apply for a tax exemption based on VSA Section 3802(4). This would go to the city assessor who could rule that the property remain exempt as long as the use remains unchanged. This would not need state approval. Ms. Villone said the assessor has said they would probably not qualify under Section 3802. Mr. Sheahan asked if transportation would be provided for residents. Ms. Villone said some residents would have their own transportation. Some will use SSTA. The Service Coordinator will coordinate with as many resources as possible. Mr. Magowan then moved that the City Attorney be asked to draft an agreement to allow the city to enter into a tax payment agreement for $1.00 per year for 30 years under State Statute 3843. The city would have the right to reopen the issue should the circumstances change. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 6. Consideration of recommendation of Dorset Park Facility Committee to contract with Sverdrup CRSS of St. Louis, Missouri, for feasibility study and conceptual design for community/recreation center and indoor aquatic facility: Mr. Hafter praised the efforts of the Committee. Mr. O'Neill then introduced the Committee Chair, Pat Reed. Mr. Reed reviewed the history of the committee and its work. He noted that they interviewed a number of firms who then visited the site. They chose CRSS of St. Louis that has worked on projects similar to the S. Burlington proposal. They were also one of the lowest bids. The feasibility study will include: project planning, goal clarification, work plan, market analysis, needs assessment (including a survey), site analysis, conceptual plan, cost model, conceptual design. The work should take 5 months. The cost of the work will come from recreation impact fees and would come to $59,500. Mr. Audette noted that the companies that were interviewed were all impressed with how much the committee had already done. Mr. Hafter added that they were also impressed with the site. Mr. Sheahan moved to approve the recommendation of the Committee to contract with CRSS of St. Louis for an amount not to exceed $60,000 and to authorize the City Manager to sign the contract. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Condos stressed the need to keep the community involved in the process. Mr. Magowan urged the committee to reach out to private partnerships. Mr. Audette noted there have already been requests from people who want to make donations in memory of family and friends. 7. Sign disbursement orders: Disbursement orders were signed. Executive Session: Mr. Sheahan moved the Council adjourn and reconvene in Executive Session to discuss appointments, litigation, contract negotiations, and to resume regular session only for the purpose of making appointments, litigation settlement, and/or adjourning. Mr. Magowan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session: The City Council returned to regular session. Mr. Smith moved the following appointments. Mr. O'Rourke seconded. Recreation Committee: Betsy Jackson, 3 year term ending 2003 Leisure Arts Committee: Ethel Scheule, 3 year term ending 2003 Recreation Path Committee: Lenore Budd, 3 year term ending 2003; Barry Carris, 1 year remaining on a 3 year term ending 2001 Natural Resources Committee: William Schuele, 3 year term ending 2003; Christopher Shaw, 3 year term ending 2003 Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility Liaison Committee: Clarence Meunier, 3 year term ending 2003; John Kimbell, 3 year term ending 2003 City Charter Committee: Peter Taylor, 3 year term ending 2003 Michael Flaherty, 3 year term ending 2003 The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Sheahan moved the city settle the case of Townsend v. Fournier and Kissell, Case No. 1:99-CV-367 for a payment of $9,400, of which $5,000 is the City's insurance deductible. Mr. Smith seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Smith moved adjournment. Mr. Magowan seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:45 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.