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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Steering Committee - 05/02/2016STEERING COMMITTEE 2 MAY 2016 The South Burlington Steering Commiee held a meeng on Monday, 2 May 2016, at 5:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. MEMBERS PRESENT: City Council: P. Nowak, T. Chienden, M. Emery, H. Riehle, T. Barri; K. Dorn, City Manager; School Board: E. Fitzgerald, Steering Commiee Chair; J. Beay, B. Burkhardt, P. Leduc; D. Young, Superintendent of Schools ALSO PRESENT: T. Hubbard, Deputy City Manager; J. Stewart, School District; I. Blanchard, City Program Manager; S. Dooley, J. Kochman other members of the public 1. Agenda Review: Addions, deleons or changes in the order of Agenda items: No changes were made to the Agenda. 2. Comments & Quesons from the Audience, not related to the Agenda: No issues were raised. 3. City Center Presentaon: Ms. Blanchard reviewed resoluons already passed by the City Council, including capital projects (Market Street, New Town Center, City Center Reserve Fund, Garden Street, etc.). Items to come before the Council this year include the TIF Policy, Bonded Debt for Projects, Public Facilies Impact Fee, and the proposed Arena. Funding for City Center projects would include TIF (tax incremental financing), City Center Reserve Fund, impact fees, grants). TIF money could be used for projects such as Market Street, Garden Street, a City Center Park, an ancipated bridge over I-89, structured parking, stormwater, and wetland migaon. Ms. Blanchard stressed that the city has flexibility and can match City Center infrastructure build-out to available funding. With regard to the City Center Reserve Fund, Mr. Hubbard noted that $1,400,000 has already been collected since 2013. This amount will be over $2,000,000 in July. The money can be used to fund such things as a new Community Library, a City Hall (or a combinaon of Library and City Hall), the joint Arena project with UVM (the Arena could include some “satellite” facilies for the Recreaon Department), and City Center streetscape. The city’s share of public facilies is already built into the property tax, so there would be no addional tax. STEERING COMMITTEE 2 MAY 2016 PAGE 2 Regarding the proposed Arena, Mr. Dorn said it would be located somewhere in the City Center area. There will be a report back to the City Council on this by 15 August. An economic and markeng analysis is currently being done by UVM. There is a high probability that the City will look to finance its share through the local opon tax. The City would own the building and lease it back to UVM. The project cost is $50,000,000- 60,000,000. The City’s share would be half of the amount. The City would ask for an addional 1 cent on local opons taxes (rooms, meals, alcohol, and sales). This would sunset when the debt for the arena is paid off (approximately 20 years). Mr. Dorn said it appears UVM is doing well with their fund-raising. Mr. Dorn also noted that the hospitality industry is OK with the addional 1 cent tax as long as it is dedicated to this use. Ms. Fitzgerald asked about operang expenses for the Arena. The City would have all the operang expenses; UVM would have a lease for use of the facility. Mr. Barri asked about parking. Mr. Dorn said the Arena would be subject to Transportaon Demand Management. This is now being worked on. There also could be another parking facility. Ms. Blanchard added that people are already used to taking alternave means to get to Guerson. Mr. LeDuc asked if there would be an increase in traffic during the day hours. Mr. Dorn said the Arena would be used mostly on weekend aernoons and evenings. There could also be some convenon use and possibly hockey tournaments, etc. Ms. Riehle said the Arena could serve as an “anchor,” instead of a big box store. Mr. Chienden asked about the projected $18,000,000 for a city recreaon facility. Ms. Blanchard said this was from a report presented to the city in 2013 and was a rough esmate provided by Pizzagalli. Ms. Riehle noted that the projected cost for a facility for recreaons, a City Hall, and a Library was $34,000,000. Mr. Hubbard said that recreaon space is the most expensive, and the feeling is that a lot of it can be accommodated in the proposed Arena. He also said that J.C Park would have smaller uses that fit the neighborhood, probably at a $3,000,000-4,000,000 cost. This would serve mostly young families and seniors. Ms. Riehle noted the O’Brien building at J.C. Park is in bad shape, and the city is talking with the O’Briens about a potenal new building. STEERING COMMITTEE 2 MAY 2016 PAGE 3 Mr. LeDuc asked how the TIF policy works with maintaining Marcoe School. Mr. Dorn said it does not “work” at all; it is a policy on how the city evaluates investment. Mr. Barri asked where the Library would be. Mr. Dorn said the City is talking with several property owners and a potenal property owner about that. Mr. Dorn also noted it is hoped that construcon on Market Street will begin in September, 2017. 4. Master Plan Visioning of School Board: Mr. LeDuc noted that the Board is keeping an eye on development pressure in City Center near the Marcoe School. There is also informaon regarding another district that is talking about a possible consolidaon with South Burlington. The consultant hired by the Board recommended a one-school opon. By a straw voted, opons 4 and 5 are less likely because of cost, and the Board is spending less me on those opons. Grand Isle County has formed an Act 46 commiee and has approached South Burlington regarding some sort of consolidaon. There are some significant deadlines and a vote is needed by 30 June 2017 with a plan being operaonal in some form by 2019. Supt. Young explained that there are tax consideraons that encourage merging of school districts (he noted that Essex Town and Essex Juncon are doing this). Mr. LeDuc said there would be representaves from Grand Isle Communies on the School Board if a merger occurs. Mr. Chienden noted the risk: if the elementary students go to Colchester, the high school students would go there as well instead of to South Burlington as they do now. Supt. Young noted a merger would require a “yes” vote from all parcipang communies. STEERING COMMITTEE 2 MAY 2016 PAGE 4 Supt. Young then briefly outlined the 5 potenal scenarios being considered by the Board: Scenario 1: All schools stay open, stewardship only (cost $9,000,000) Scenario 2: All schools stay open, stewardship and upgrades to all (high school $20,000,000; Middle School $9,000,000; lile done to the elementary schools (total cost $41,000,000) Scenario 3: Close Chamberlin School; Middle School grades 5-8, Orchard and Marcoe K-4, upgrades to all schools, stewardship to all (cost $36,000,000) Scenario 4:` Close Chamberlin and Marcoe; stewardship and upgrades at all schools (cost $51,000,000) Scenario 5: Close all exisng elementary schools; new Pre-K-4 school, Middle School 5-8 (cost $64,000,000). Ms. Riehle asked if more capacity would be needed at the schools if there were to be a merger with Grand Isle. Supt. Young said they are at a very basic look at that. A member of the audience asked why Chamberlin would be the choice to close and whether that might be because of Airport noise. Supt. Young said there are a number of consideraons including school populaon (Chamberlin is the smallest at just over 200 students). Mr. Stewart said there are 120-140 more students at Marcoe and Orchard Schools. Supt. Young cited the challenge of trying to stay in a building while it is being renovated. Ms. Riehle asked the capacity of the High School. Supt. Young said it is about 1000, and they are just over that number now. He also noted that a new High School could be built while the current school remains in use. The current school could then come down. Supt. Young then reviewed an esmate of taxes with each scenario. For an average home in South Burlington today, the taxes for city and school are $7614. By 2026, with Scenario #1, that figure (including natural growth) would be $9190; with Scenario #2, $9510; with Scenario #3 $9305; with Scenario #4 $9512; and with Scenario #5 $9663. STEERING COMMITTEE 2 MAY 2016 PAGE 5 Mr. LeDuc said the Board is grappling with a lot of data including what happens to neighborhoods, the value of larger/smaller school, etc. Ms. Kochman asked about the vision for 21st century educaon and a facility that would accommodate that with a beer dynamic and more flexibility. She asked how schools could be restructured for that under scenarios #2 and #3. Supt. Young said that with Scenario #2, there would not be much change from what is there now; with Scenario #3, more focus would be on K-4, but not much more. Supt. Young stressed that the cost to renovate could be more than the cost to build. There is also the queson of ming, which is crical. Ms. Fitzgerald said the Board is dealing with equity issues with schools on “soer” issues, first with programming, then with brick and mortar. Ms. Nowak said that as Market Street gets developed, the school neighborhood/ambiance will change, and that is why she is disappointed that Scenarios 4 and 5 will have the least amount of me spent on them. She felt that potenal should be balanced with having a new school someplace. As there was no further business to come before the Steering Commiee, the meeng was adjourned by common consent at 7:00 p.m. _________________________________ Clerk