Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024.0326.TCWS-CIPTOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL MARCH 26, 2024 A Regular Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council was convened at 16705 E. Avenue of the Fountains in open and public session at 5:30 p.m. Members Present: Mayor Ginny Dickey; Councilmember Gerry Friedel; Councilmember Peggy McMahon; Councilmember Sharron Grzybowski Attended Telephonically: Vice Mayor Brenda J. Kalivianakis; Councilmember Hannah Toth; Councilmember Allen Skillicorn Staff Present: Town Manager Rachael Goodwin; Town Attorney Aaron D. Arnson; Town Clerk Linda Mendenhall Audience: Approximately thirty-two members of the public were present. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES Post -Production File Town of Fountain Hills Town Council Special Meeting Work Session Minutes March 26, 2024 Transcription Provided By: eScribers, LLC * * * * * Transcription is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. Page 1 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES MAYOR DICKEY: Hi, everyone. Welcome to our -- it's a work study session. So we're going to be talking about our capital projects coming up for this year, which will be FY25, which is kind of hard to believe when you say it that way-- 25. I think we'll start with -- we're not doing any of the regular stuff, so we'll just have a roll call, please? MENDENHALL: Mayor Dickey? MAYOR DICKEY: Here. MENDENHALL: Vice Mayor Kalivianakis? KALIVIANAKIS: Here. Can you hear me? MENDENHALL: Yes. Councilmember Friedel? KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. FRIEDEL: Present. MENDENHALL: Councilmember McMahon? MCMAHON: Here. MENDENHALL: Councilmember Grzybowski? GRZYBOWSKI: Present. MENDENHALL: Councilmember Toth? TOTH: Present. MENDENHALL: Councilmember Skillicorn? He's here, but he may not be able to speak to us. SKILLICORN: Present. MENDENHALL: Oh. He's there. Okay. Good. Wonderful. MAYOR DICKEY: Great. Thank you so much. I think Rachael is going to kick it off. GOODWIN: Yes. Thank you. Thank you. I have a couple of statements -- a prepared statement I was going to read tonight to kind of get our arms around what is the CIP and why are we here? What are we doing and what are the goals for tonight's discussion? So welcome to our capital improvement workshop. Thank you to our mayor, the council, our staff, and all the residents here and watching from home. Capital improvement projects are an essential part of a community vitality. They represent our commitment to enhancing infrastructure, stimulating economic growth, Page 2 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES and enriching the quality of life for all residents. From revitalizing public spaces to upgrading essential facilities and systems, these projects lay the foundation for a thriving and resilient community. As we delve into our discussions, we must remain mindful of the importance of fiscal management. While our aspirations may be grand, our financial resources are finite, and it's our responsibility to use them wisely and prudently. By conducting thorough cost benefit analysis, exploring alternative financing options, and prioritizing projects with long-term impact, we are working to ensure that every dollar is invested effectively and efficiently. I want to take a moment to thank our staff for the time and effort they have dedicated to this process. Their expertise, their creativity, and thank goodness, their enthusiasm, are invaluable assets as we share ideas that help guide Fountain Hills towards a bright future. As I noted to our council in earlier communications, tonight's discussion is designed for dialogue and collaboration. We will begin with a review and update of current projects. Following this, we will introduce the proposed CIPs for FY2S, as the mayor noted. Please note that some of the projects are brought forward at the request of council, some are brought forward as a response to public comments and suggestions, and some are at the recommendation of staff. But all of them are brought forward with the best intentions for the community and seek to improve our town. We understand that priorities differ, and that's okay. Not every project will rank as a top initiative for each of you. The goal of this evening is to understand which projects you'd like to collectively see move forward in the budget process, and which you would like to see removed or postponed. Once we have this direction, it will allow us to integrate the remaining projects into our overall budget process, which will be introduced on April 9th. As a final reminder, we have several councilmembers and staff on the phone tonight, and there may be a bit of a delay in their comments or questions. We will take periodic breaks to check in with them to ensure they have ample opportunity to connect with us. Is there any questions or anything else before we get rolling? Okay. Page 3 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES If not, I'm going to ask Justin to kick us off. It's really going to be a Justin and Kevin show tonight. There's a lot to go over. Please feel free to interject with questions, seek clarity, whatever it is. We're going to be taking a lot of notes tonight. And again, we're we're open and here for you as a resource. So Justin, it's all yours. WELDY: Thank you. Madam Mayor, Councilmembers, a brief opening speech in regards to the future projects that you are going to see tonight. And this is in relation to the staff report that has been published. I admittedly errored in our software system when I was frantically doing a cut and paste, and some of the information that was contained in the first one was inaccurate. And this afternoon, we discovered that the Golden Eagle project is missing from the final one. We will revise that staff report and get the accurate information in there and share that with everyone, so it aligns with what we are doing. There are also a couple of minor issues with one of the PowerPoints, and either Kevin or I will explain that as time goes forward. We appreciate your patience. GOODWIN: All right. Kevin, are you going to kick us off with a review of current projects? SNIPES: Yes. GOODWIN: Awesome. SNIPES: If I click the right stuff. Alrighty. Madam Mayor, Councilmembers. Good to see everybody tonight. Go ahead and start rolling through some of our updates of where we're at this year on our capital improvement projects. I get the honor of going first; I think I won or lost the coin flip. I'm not sure which that was, but we can roll through here. So for the community services projects, we did complete the Golden Eagle field lighting. We've had lots of positive comments especially from people that live up the hill and near the ball fields. We initially had a couple of complaints, and we were able to go out and make some adjustments. My favorite comment was, they just shut off. And all we've done is move it three degrees and it made it so that it went away from their Page 4 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES houses entirely. So they're extremely happy with how it is. About a month later, I had another complaint. We went out and did the same thing and was able to get everybody so that they're not seeing the lights at all. Another testament is a project that we're going to be coming to you with this year for the dark sky stargazing area that's right next to the ball fields, which just shows how good they are and the support that we have for that. This project is completed, and we came in almost ten grand under the expected. The next project looks like it blurred together on this computer. It's weird how this computer does this. From our computers upstairs to this one, it -- it hides them both together. So this project is on budget and -- but this is a Desert Vista multiyear improvement project. We have -- currently, we're in the middle of putting in the fitness equipment down at the far end of the park there where we had less activity. So bringing this over there will help invigorate that section of the park as well, and it is going well. We're hoping to have it completed here in the next couple of weeks. The Fountain Hills Panorama hillside erosion control. This one may end up rolling over. Just with all of the projects that we've had going this year, I haven't been able to spend the amount of time I would like to on this. And so barring a miracle, we'll probably be seeing this one coming back around. This is the grant -funded Four Peaks restroom. It's going to go right next to where the playground is. You can see it there in the red box. This one, the town's share is only $11,000 for this $500,000 project. It is currently in process. They're doing the construction of the building right now off -site. It will come in fully intact and be put in place and ready for use. The Centennial Pavilion project is underway as well. We just recently put up our puzzle map there that you can see on the left. We've sold eight puzzle pieces so far. At $1,000 a piece, it'll help fund this project. We're also in the middle of working on the benches for the five Cs. A couple examples here. This is not the final rendering, but this is the initial rendering that came through. We just had a conversation with them today about it. I think they're almost as excited as I am about getting this project through. We've Page 5 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES got twenty benches ordered through multiple projects that we have going on. Of those, ten came in for free. So that makes it really nice for us as well, anytime we can do that. The eighty -foot shade structure has been ordered and is in process. It will be -- probably being installed in early June. So this one you'll continue to see improvements going on in the Centennial Pavilion area right up to the end of the fiscal. The splash pad area is rapidly getting completed. We have the fifty -by -sixty -foot shade canopy area there on the left. It's kind of divided up with purpose to where that there's two picnic tables in the bigger areas and a single picnic table in the smaller areas to where everybody doesn't feel like they're on top of each other. You can actually have a semi -private area underneath the shade canopy, and I think that's going to work out really good for the families that are using it. Total, we're bringing in twenty-one new picnic tables into that area which is our number one complaint from visitors that come to use the splash pad and playground areas: that there's not enough seating; there's not enough areas for them to store their stuff while they're playing and doing things. So this, I think, is going to turn into a fantastic area just for that. FRIEDEL: Kevin, I have a question. SNIPES: Sure. FRIEDEL: There was an issue with the trees. Did we get that worked out? SNIPES: We're still in the process of that. We have reached out attorney to attorney to try and get some ideas settled to where that we can get the trees removed. But right now, we're still at a stalemate with that one. The park sidewalks, we're -- as we have areas that are in need of repair, this was the multiyear project where that we could do several repairs within the parks to help prevent slip and falls and injuries. And we've started -- we did some over at Four Peaks this year. We have a couple other projects that we're lining up. And this one will be within budget as well this year. That's the end of our community services update. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them at this time. MAYOR DICKEY: The area by the splash park, are there any benches that are around the playground for people that want to watch the kids -- watch their kids on the Page 6 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES playground? Because I heard about seating around there. SNIPES: Yeah. I've had a couple of recommendations for that. And at this time we don't have things going over there; this project was just for this area. But we are looking into seeing if there's budget money left at the end of the fiscal, then we could potentially get some benches over there, and if not, then we can roll that into next fiscal to get some benches added over there. We kind of figured it would call out for itself to need some benches. And now it's busy all the time and definitely in that spot where it needs it. MCMAHON: The sidewalk infill for parks. Could you please explain that a little bit more? Because it's on here, and it looks like you're asking for more money for four years. So is that going to be for every single park? If it's not used, is it going to stay in the budget, et cetera? SNIPES: Yeah. So the way that we've done this is over a four-year term, 100,000 a year for all parks. And so anywhere that we have roots lifting could be -- we did a large section up by the amphitheater where the concrete was just slick, and it was a downhill run. So every time the irrigation ran, and our early morning walkers were out there, it was ice skating downhill, which isn't the best thing to see. And so this has helped with a lot of trouble spots in the parks to help prevent injuries. MCMAHON: So this is a need more than a want? SNIPES: Correct. MCMAHON: Okay. Thank you. GOODWIN: If I can chime in too? I think you asked also if it doesn't get used, it does get rolled over. It's not a use it or lose it. And it's just a placeholder because each year it's kind of a -- it's a kind of a moving target as to what sidewalks and how many we may need to address. That's why it's just a round number, and it's available for all park use. MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. SNIPES: Anything else? KALIVIANAKIS: Can you hear me? SNIPES: Yes. Go ahead. Page 7 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES KALIVIANAKIS: Hello? Okay. Yeah, this is Brenda. Yeah. Just regarding kind of off of what Gerry said the unsafe sidewalk and the trees that are uprooting that sidewalk. You say it's with the lawyers right now. Is there any code enforcement? Are we issuing them citations on this? Or is there any more of an update that you can provide to me? GOODWIN: Brenda, this is Rachael. I'm happy to give you a little more background. The conversation right now is they are willing to work with us to get that remedied. We're just trying to work out exactly who is taking care of what portions. It's beyond just the tree removal, but there's the roots below, and then there's the replacement sidewalk that would need to go back in. So we're working with them. But they're pretty dedicated in making that happen, and we're hopeful to have resolution -- I'd love to say in the next couple of weeks. I think everyone is anxious to get that that area repaired and back to workability. KALIVIANAKIS: And is this going to be cooperative with the city and the property owner? Are they are they going to do it -- make the repairs on their own? GOODWIN: It will likely be a cooperative effort given that the trees and the sidewalk are kind of joined; there's a property line right there where we share. So we want to make sure that what they do and what we do is complementary. So we'll be working together with that. KALIVIANAKIS: Thank you. GOODWIN: Thank you. SNIPES: Thank you. WELDY: Madam Mayor, councilmembers, thank you for the opportunity. I would like to take this moment to recognize the calm related to these projects as he and I describe them. It's not bad when we're actually on the ground and working through them. I'll let you know that for sure. This is an ongoing project. So this is the Golden Eagle impoundment area. We have some updates. The plans are all but one hundred percent right now with the details and specifications. We anticipate in the very near future here, our procurement officer, Robert Durham, will be placing this up for bid. Page 8 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES A little bit of background on this in regards to what we have. So we currently, this year, have $500,000 budgeted. We have $111,000 of that encumbered for the design, and that leaves us $338,000 should we need that for either construction management or any construction -related cost prior to June 30th. This is a multi -year project. This is to address our aging infrastructure and relations to our storm drain structures. This year we are right on target to be just slightly under the budgeted amount, but because we've not yet finished the fiscal year, we do not have that final number. However, it will not go over budget. This project is primarily in last year, but we put a little bit of funding in this year just in case we needed it. And of course, we did. So we had $62,500 in the budget for this project this year to pay some of the work that ran over. A little bit more on this one. The entire budget for this project over two years was $371,000, just under 372,000. Of that, $347,000 was spent. Maricopa County Flood Control gave us a grant in the amount of $260,000 -- just about $261,000. So the town's share for this project was $111,000 over the two years. This one right here, just around the corner, very similar. This one is on Deuce Court. This one was budgeted at $180,000. We spent $115,000, received $111,000 in a grant, so the town's share for this one was $37,000 for this project. And if you've not had a chance to go down into this neighborhood, I encourage you to do so. It's made a substantial change in that area. This is one that we put in the budget as a placeholder as we apply for federal grants. Unfortunately, we did not make that cut. This $200,000 remains in the capital budget for this year. This is the final phase of the Panorama Wash project, which eventually will go under another name. The last phase on this is the revised electrical and the revised equipment to operate the surface water pump. This year, we have $100,000 budgeted. To date, we have spent $2,700. We anticipate a design fee from SRP; historically around 11- or $12,000 and then the balance will be to purchase the equipment once it's been identified. Page 9 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES This is a before and after. So the one on the left-hand side is before, and this is looking west across Saguaro from the drainage area in the golf course. And the photo on the right is the after. As just a reminder, this project right here, it was a two-year project. We did the west side last year. The intended purpose of this, and I will say this with confidence, is working wonderfully. We have been out there during several rainstorms, and that intersection has remained free of flooding and isn't creating the driving hazards that we've had in the past. FRIEDEL: Justin, I just want to say that project turned out really, really, really good. WELDY: Thank you. That's very kind of you. This is the Shea widening. This has been going on since, well, the '90s. This is just another part of that. It takes a considerable amount of time. This project -- for this year, we have $565,000 in the budget. This project is also nearing the hundred percent design and soon will be available and ready for bid. A little bit of additional information on this is, we currently have $37,830 encumbered for design. That leaves us a balance of about $520,000. As a reminder, this is a cost share. The state pays 70 percent for the design, and the town pays 20 percent. There is some conversation in regards to when the Prop 400 money ends and the new quarter -cent sales tax begins, but for right now, for construction, the town's match will be 20 percent of that total. And we will have that engineer's estimate prior to releasing this for bid. This is Palisades and La Montana. This was a council -initiative project where we did an analysis. That analysis is completed, and we will discuss that as part of the future projects. This project will not go over because it was a not -to -exceed amount of $49,000. This one right here is a grant. And just one council meeting ago, I came and asked the mayor and council for some additional funding, $521,000 to be exact, to allow this project to move forward. ADOT has completed that process. They will be sending a notice to proceed. We will be getting a construction schedule and start date very soon. When we receive that information, we will share it with the town manager, and she will share it, in kind, with you folks. Page 10 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES As a reminder, coming up for the future, for next year, town staff is asking for an additional $200,000 for this project. The reason is the project has not yet started and we'll go into more detail about that, but there is likely to be some obstacles that we may have to deal with, and any of those are the responsibility of the town to make payment on. This is a multi -year project. Every five years the Arizona Department of Transportation, at no cost to the town, inspects all of our bridges. We have put together a budget to make the necessary repairs for the ones that they've identified that require immediate -- or repair before the end of the fiscal year. This year we have completed that task and we're just slightly under a budget. This is a community center renovations. On the left is the old area there that was walled off; we opened that up. And on the right is the finished area there. That area that was once opened and used for various reasons is now a closed and climate - controlled storage area. Its primary use is going to be to support the activities of the new and improved Centennial Pavilion area. On this one right here, the budget was $200,000 for construction. We spent just under $189,000. That leaves us with a balance of $11,000. We will utilize that balance to continue to work with the architectural and engineering firm. They're helping us for outlying projects on this in regards to water intrusion and other issues related to the building. This is a sidewalk infill project. This, again, is another multiyear and not tied directly to the grant. We do have a little bit of good news related to that. The budget for this year is $300,000. Historically, we pull $100,000 of that out for design to help us with the challenging areas. A couple of good examples would be the Desert Vista crossing at Saguaro. And the Desert Botanical Garden connector to Palomino -- where we had to cut some slopes in there and put in some walls. The good news for this is the town engineer, under direction from the town manager, was able to secure $65,000 -- actually, it's just over $60,000 for design assistance. That allows us to spend -- $60,000 we would spend on design we could now spend that on additional sidewalk. So this year was offset in regards for the design for $60,000. We Page 11 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES anticipate that we will spend the lion's share of this money. The image that you're seeing right here was on the one- to two-year gap elimination that was adopted in the active transportation plan. The upper left corner, just out of sight is Kingstree. This sidewalk is on the southbound side and takes us just beyond -- or just to Indian Wells. This is a pretty vital connector to Desert Vista Park. This allows for that obvious gap elimination for the residents coming out of the nearby neighborhood on the west side of Saguaro here, and there's quite a few of them. The second one is -- right about in the middle of this is where the school bus stops. And it's been stopping there since -- well, Fountain Hills had schools. So as part of our sidewalk, we are going to put a landing in there that allows for the children to exit onto Saguaro and walk onto the sidewalk and then enter the cul de sac or Indian Wells, whichever they choose. Palisades and Eagle Ridge. This is a traffic signal design that is just about ready. When it's ready and sealed, we will simply put it on a shelf, and should this council or a future council decide that they want to go to construction with the traffic signal, we will visit it at that time. This is again a solid number that will not be exceeded as part of this year. Let's get to some really good news. No, I was looking for Steve, Paul or Marc. This is the exterior lighting and electrical upgrades for the town hall campus, so all three buildings. This was budgeted at $157,000, as you can see. The facilities team, which consists of Steve, Paul, and Marc, worked their magic and they were able to secure everything necessary for $41,000. We do not anticipate, at this time, there will be any additional cost for that this year. And our hats off to them for that because they really worked hard to accomplish that. This is another one based on the fire alarm panel that was replaced in the community center. We budgeted $90,000 for the one in this building. That same team that I just mentioned from facilities -- Steve, Paul, and Marc -- were able to secure everything necessary to bring this up to date for $20,000. That's a substantial savings. This is the replacement of our chillers. So we had originally budgeted this for $110,000; Page 12 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES however, back to the aforementioned staff and facilities, met with myself and the town managers and some experts in this area. After a discussion discussing the equipment we had and its condition and its current use and its maintenance, it was decided that this project would be deferred to the outlying years, not in next year or the following year, for a couple of reasons. One, this equipment has been well cared for and it's in good shape. Two, this is now outdated technology that operates this. They have adopted and developed new technology. However, it's not tested long enough for us to feel comfortable to move forward. We feel that in two or three years, that technology and all of its bugs would have been worked out, including a new state-of-the-art refrigerant, and at that time, a decision will be made on how to proceed with this replacement. Lastly, this is the community center, interior lighting, and primarily, those giant hanging lights right there are one of the challenges we face. We are working with an architect and an engineer to determine what size fan is the best to hang up there because that's the best replacement, are fans with lighting, to allow a little bit more circulation. Staff, facilities, and community center staff is working to purchase the controllers and the other items that we will have in place and ready to install. I'm not convinced that we're going to get the answer or the equipment we need for the fan for this year, but we'll have to wait and see and if not, look at it for next year. That's everything that we have for public works for this one. Any questions? I'll do my best to answer them. MAYOR DICKEY: Any questions on the phone? KALIVIANAKIS: Hi, everybody. This is this is -- TOTH: If I could just give a shoutout -- MAYOR DICKEY: Hannah, do you want to do -- TOTH: Go ahead, Brenda. MAYOR DICKEY: Hannah, do you have a question? TOTH: It's not a question. I just wanted to give a huge shoutout to our staff and thank Justin hugely for Steve, Paul, and Marc saving the town $186,500 with those projects Page 13 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES mentioned and then bringing us up to about $296,500 if we're including that money that's been deferred. So just huge shoutout to our staff. You guys are wonderful, and I'm so proud of you all. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Brenda? KALIVIANAKIS: Yeah. Thank you, Ms. Mayor. And I actually just want to repeat what Councilmember Toth said. Yeah. Justin, Steve, Paul, and Marc seem to be the new Beatles. They're a great team. They're looking out for the town. And you know, when you have a lot of governments accused of $1,000 toilet seats and this and that, they're really making things happen on a tight budget, and they're really looking out for the taxpayers. And I just can't tell you how much I think all of us councilmembers appreciate it. So thank you, Justin, and please thank the staff. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you very much. I think some of the stuff that you said will go into questions in the -- for the projects that are coming up because -- some of those savings and how that might be utilized in some of the things that we're going to be talking about for FY25. Thank you. WELDY: You're welcome. Thank you. SNIPES: Madam Mayor, Councilmembers, I am back again. So this time, we're taking a look at our future and what we're hoping to accomplish in fiscal year 2025. So today's presentation will cover both the capital projects for the community services as well as the public works department. And we'll also look at some outlying years and the expenditures that we're expecting. Our first one is here, at Four Peaks Park. We've installed the town's first three pickleball courts, and we could probably use thirty more if truth were being told. So -- MAYOR DICKEY: I want to just stop you for one second. Rachael, so is this the point where we're going to talk about these things and decide what we want, if we want to go forward? Because if we are, what I would appreciate is a what do we have in our capital projects balance -- Page 14 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES GOODWIN: Yep. MAYOR DICKEY: -- what these will add up to, totally? Because it'll be hard to say yes, no, yes, no, if we don't know what we're affecting. And then finally, remind us how it's replenished. So how do we replenish our capital funds? And I think I know the answer to that, but I think we ought to talk about that. What is our balance? What are we comfortable leaving as a balance? And what are these all going to add up to? Because I think it'll help us decide as we go along. GOODWIN: Absolutely. MAYOR DICKEY: Gerry? FRIEDEL: Also, could we identify what projects, like these park projects, that might be development fees? GOODWIN: Yes. So a lot of questions. The answer is yes, at the end of each section -- so just like Kevin will wrap up, and he'll look at community services, and then Justin will do his and we'll look at public works. They, at the end of each section, will have a total and those will denote whether they are from alternate funds like development funds or if they have grants associated with them. So we've broken those out a little bit differently this year. So you'll be able to see kind of where that's coming from. Mayor, before we get started, it might be helpful to talk about what we do have in the CIP. I have those balances, but I am going to see if Paul wants to step up and walk us through that. SOLDINGER: Mayor, council, thank you for the question. So I'll try to cover some answers for you. So to begin with, we project about $11.5 million available for capital projects in the capital projects fund, and that includes existing fund balances of about 6.9 million. And we're projecting about -- a recommendation of about $4.7 million to be transferred into the capital projects fund at year-end. And that's just in accordance with the town's policy on that, which requires existing fund balances on top of our rainy day fund, as well as our unassigned fund balance to be transferred into that fund. MAYOR DICKEY: And that comes from -- the transfer is construction sales tax. And what other funds or sources go into the capital to transfer in? Page 15 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES SOLDINGER: Yeah. That's a great question, Mayor, Council. So basically, each month we are depositing monies based on tax revenues into the capital projects fund. And that's included in our projection for the year-end fund balance of $6.9 million. And then, also at year-end, based on the general fund projected ending balance of a little bit over 15.5 million, we have to keep certain fund balance requirements in accordance with policy. And then policy also requires the town to transfer the excess monies into the capital projects fund. So that amount that we're projecting to be transferred is about 4.7 million. And that's also considering a couple of transfers that we will recommend in the proposed budget session coming up, about $2 million to go into the Fried Fund as well. MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman? MCMAHON: So when you first started out, you mentioned -- is it 4,000,070 that's going to be transferred? Because I didn't quite understand what you said. SOLDINGER: Yes. We're projecting about $4.7 million to be transferred into the capital projects fund at fiscal year-end. MCMAHON: So -- SOLDINGER: And we already -- and Mayor and Councilmember, we also have existing fund balances that already exist of about $7 million. MCMAHON: Okay. And that consists of construction, sales tax money et cetera? And then what you don't use, you transfer to capital improvements? Or -- SOLDINGER: Mayor and Council, yes. That's the existing fund balance. MCMAHON: Okay. SOLDINGER: It's kind of the money that's already there, that's been accumulating based on certain projects being completed, or for example, some of the examples that Justin and Kevin discussed. If we weren't able to get to them, we still have those monies, almost like a savings account -- like a bucket, just like in the last presentation that we discussed. So we have existing monies and at year-end, in accordance with our policy, we will transfer monies back into that fund as well, on top of those monies. MCMAHON: Okay. Thank you for the clarification. I appreciate it. Page 16 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES SOLDINGER: Sure. MAYOR DICKEY: And just one more thing, then. Everything that's being presented to us tonight, if we were to approve everything or move ahead pretty much with everything as is, you're comfortable with what that would leave in our CIP? SOLDINGER: Mayor, Council, yes. We have projected fund balances to cover everything that we're discussing tonight, which Kevin and Justin will get into. Based on our projections and the amounts that they're proposing, we have about $10.3 million of proposed projects. Not all of that would come from the capital projects fund because -- we'll talk about certain projects funded by development fees and the downtown fund, but of the 10.3 million, we're projecting -- or I'm sorry, the proposed projects include about $6.1 million that would be coming from the capital projects fund, out of that 11-1/2 million that we just discussed. MAYOR DICKEY: And the last thing is, with the grants I noticed in several of them says that we are responsible for the upfront costs. So that's something that is kind of taken into consideration with all of these? SOLDINGER: Mayor, Council, yes. A great question and a great time to clarify. That $6.1 million that I mentioned, that's considering that we do get those grant reimbursements. So the 10.3 million includes that amount. But if we back that out and the other alternate funded projects, such as the development fees projects we'll talk about, as well as the downtown fund project that we'll talk about, that's where we get to that $6.1 million of proposed projects and how much it will cost the town's capital projects fund. No problem. GOODWIN: Mayor, that was a lot of numbers and a lot of information. If we need to recap that, or if there's questions moving on, we can certainly do that. I have to -- hats off to both Paul and David Pock, who have gotten these numbers together and helped get them in a very understandable way. But the bottom line is we have about $10 million worth of projects proposed tonight, but we would be reimbursed up at roughly four million of that through different resources, so the actual expenditure is just over 6 if everything were to be approved and moved forward. Page 17 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES Obviously, tonight is the decision of if there's other projects that we don't want to do or that we want to defer or delay. I know at our retreat, we talked about the ability to say, you know, green light, some projects, and just if they're good, we want to see them go and move and not come back until they're done. We'll have that conversation, the green projects, the yellow projects at our budget discussion in April. So tonight it's just either leave it in the budget or no, we don't want to move forward with it. It's just a simple yes or no, leave it in or take it out. Does that make sense? MAYOR DICKEY: Yep. GOODWIN: Awesome. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. SNIPES: All right. So back to where we left off, the exciting Four Peaks Park pickleball court project. We have ran several leagues over there. We've done several trainings. And the pickleball has proven to be a extremely successful venture for us. So what we're proposing for next year is to add three more courts just across the sidewalk from where the existing is. You'll see it marked with the red X there in the overhead view. And we think that this will greatly increase our revenue through running our leagues and our classes as well as increase the joy, as they say, for our pickleball. Our next one here is the playground at Golden Eagle Park. It's not the entire playground. We have replaced sections of this playground. The two- to five -year -old playground, I believe, was done in 2015 as a joint project with the Kiwanis. The middle section, just above where that square is, we did that one in 2018, right before the entire park was flooded. It still hurts. And then, now, we're looking at the section that's under the shade canopy at the furthest end. And that playground has been there since the late '90s. I believe it was put in in '97 or '98. If you look at the pictures there, off to the right, you can see the rubber matting that's designed to help make the steps safer, there in that middle picture, is peeling off and exposed metal now. The picture on the top right is a crack that's starting to form in one of the slides. And the bottom picture there is -- should be a round piece, and instead, it is egg -shaped, which is showing the wear and the age of Page 18 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES the products that are there. I'm sure they were fantastic in their time. Now they're getting to the point where they are becoming safety concerns, especially when you start talking about slides and having cracks and holes in your slides. So this is something that certainly needs to have attention sooner than later. And we're looking at 150,000 for this project. Here you're seeing again the multiyear sidewalk replacement that Rachael talked about. And this is going to be the third year of this project where that -- we can make sure that our sidewalk stays safe for our residents. The next one here is the Avenue Linear Park. We haven't done any upgrades or improvements or anything to it since it was put in in 2015. And it's becoming time where we need to look at making some upgrades and looking at adding some more shade to the Avenue in key locations to try and increase how long people spend on the Avenue versus just coming and walking through. We found, through our businesses, that they would much prefer if we could help get people to stick around. People that stick around tend to spend money at their stores, and that's what we're looking at doing as part of this project. We're also looking at removing the existing spider box plug in for the events that we have and for when we have the Christmas light display. The biggest issue with them is that they turn into a trip hazard. And as you can see in the picture there, they do look beautiful with the big orange cone on top of them throughout the event season. Yeah. Very festive. Yes. Yeah. Maybe we should get them out for Easter. So what we'd like to do is get those to where the box itself has 110 outlets in it so that we can eliminate the spider boxes entirely. Make it so that each spot will have multiple plugs in it. It will still function the same way. The only thing that will eliminate is us having a box and cords out there to increase the risk. The first year of this multiyear project is also going to include the reason it says 235,000 for this year, is that we're looking to include putting in a root barrier where the sissoo trees are at. The sissoo tree is one of the most aggressive trees that we have here in Arizona as far as their roots go. If you have water, and it's seventy feet away from the Page 19 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES tree, it will go find that water and it will choke out whatever it is that's providing it. That includes going through pavers and lifting up the pavers and causing trip and fall hazards. We spend quite a bit of time and money each year already, and it's been increasing over the last couple years because the trees are getting bigger and the roots are getting larger. And so we're seeing lots of raised pavers out there. We go in and we cut them out. We cut the root out, we put the pavers back. And then in the next three to five years you're going to see it again because we don't have anything there to stop it. So what this will do is we'll put a vertical -- it's basically a plastic composite and it's very thin, but it's designed to just go straight down from, from the edge of the sidewalk. And what it'll do is when the roots are really small, it'll hit it and turn because it's so small, it doesn't have any power to push through. So it'll hit it, turn, and then we don't care where it goes as long as it's not under the sidewalk. They're very effective. I've used them in several different areas. And it's something that I wish was done on the get -go; it would have been much easier. But this is going to involve having to work around the irrigation and other things like that. So it's not going to be the easiest project to do. But I think anywhere that we have the sissoo trees next to our sidewalk, we need to get this put in. MCMAHON: Kevin, is it $35,000 just for the material? SNIPES: It's material and install, both. MCMAHON: Oh, okay. Thank you. KALIVIANAKIS: Hi, this is Brenda. Can you hear me? SNIPES: Yes. KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. Thanks, Kevin. Is there any way that we can separate the $200,000 for three years, so $600,000, and have the root barrier program separate? And the reason they ask that is because we're dealing with Amanda right now on what she calls the streetscapes for the downtown improvement projects. And now it seems like the Avenue linear improvement projects are kind of like the same umbrella. She had originally come and asked for $535,000. Now this is $600,000 for three years. That might be a separate conversation that we have on a different day. But it seems like the Page 20 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES $35,000 to prevent the root damage is money well spent. So is there any way those things can be separated? GOODWIN: Brenda, this is Rachael. And we do have Amanda here, too, to chime in. I think the conversation is actually two separate things, and I understand where you're going with this. Essentially, if you can think of the park as a park and the downtown streetscapes and improvements as everything but the park if you want to think of it that way, the improvements that Kevin's talking about are not necessarily part of the downtown improvements and a part of that plan that Amanda is working towards. They will work together. They certainly have a relationship there and there's certainly harmony there, but the idea of replacing the shade structures and the outlets and all of that type of stuff is critical to the functionality of the actual park and the usage of the park. Amanda, do you want to chime in on anything? JACOBS: Yes. I just wanted to add, Madam Mayor, Councilmember Kalivianakis, and thank you, Manager Goodwin. So Councilmember Kalivianakis is correct that, last year, I had requested $635,000; that was a bit too much. We attempted $535,000, and then, at that time, because we could not reach consensus, we took that project off the table. So what I would ask is sort of pretend like we didn't have that conversation. So I mentioned at the November retreat and then most recently in February, what we want to do in talking internally, operationally because our downtown strategy, which thanks again, you guys gave us support, to start proceeding with that, is to put that all together, have a focus group, look beyond the Avenue because we have Palisades, Park View, the frontage of Fountain Park, and how is that all going to work together, present you that strategy once we've gone through our due diligence with public comment. And then come next fall, present you sort of our top priorities because what we're hearing just preliminary, we'll get into it more in April during the economic development update, some of our areas don't have electricity, as you know sidewalks. So again where are those priorities? So Councilmember Kalivianakis, I appreciate you remembering me bringing this project. Page 21 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES But I ask you, just pretend like we didn't have this conversation last year. Any questions? Or she's already pretending. MAYOR DICKEY: I have a question. Or just a -- because I had the same feeling about this. Like, how does this meld in with the fact that we're having -- we just started a -- we're starting a survey in April, and then we're coming back to us with hopefully something in September. And we wouldn't want to hear that what comes out is we don't want shade, which is ridiculous, but just something that would be the opposite of what we're spending money on now to do. And again, one of the things we talked about with the downtown stuff had to -- also, we talked about Wi-Fi and music and pets and all that kind of stuff, and to just make sure we're not spending money now or diverting something towards the median that will come back to say, we wish we hadn't done that, because look what happened with the downtown development strategy. So I understand what you're doing here and I'm all for it, but I'm also not -- you talked about the spider boxes, and we had replaced all the electrical stuff because of pets using them. So are we going to do this and then have to replace them again because we haven't solved the problem of using that as a pet restroom? So that's sort of where I'm at, too. I want to move ahead, but I don't want to do something that we either have to do over again or isn't something that ends up being wanted after we do the surveys and such. JACOBS: So I'll start and let Kevin finish and hopefully take us home. So I think to what Manager Goodwin was saying is to look at this -- and it's funny as we're having conversations, some folks don't actually identify this as a park. So that's sort of that brand messaging. So to look at this, this is something separate. It's a linear park. And then as we were talking last year and showing some examples from the Avenue Merchant Association, where it almost looked like we were ripping up and starting all over when the town has already committed to over $1 million, maybe closer to 2; don't quote me on that. And so in talking to our TAMA group, so that's The Avenue Merchant Association, so just Page 22 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES now using an acronym, and already -- so we've kind of finished our initial round of the focus group. And what Kevin is presenting is in alignment, really, it's that shade. And then what I'm appreciating with our business community in ninety, ninety-five percent of them are also our residents, is looking at this that we need some enhancements to what Kevin said of, okay, some of our restaurants in the downtown don't have that patio seating. I don't like to call out certain businesses, but again, to visualize Papaya'z. So they'll bring out some seating, but we're in the hot Arizona sun. You know me, all in black. It's not just about me, but where is that shading? And then we have this beautiful park. You're seeing people just walk through it. Let's have them stay and activate. And so with this it's providing that shade, some of that outdoor seating ,and some of this is what we've been talking about of that placemaking. Or let's activate where people are staying and enjoying themselves. So I hope that helps, Mayor. And then I'll turn it over to you and all those power boxes. Do you want me to stay around? MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. But it's the picnic tables and the seating. I mean, they're getting wrecked. And again, how is the timing going to work out? We put brand new seats in and shade structures that are nice, and they get all stained. So this needs to work hand in hand. And again, I'm all for both aspects of it. SNIPES: Yeah. That's part of what we've considered when coming up with a plan for this, is this is kind of the next phase of our park improvement that we've done over the years. We started at Four Peaks. We went to Desert Vista. This is kind of the next one in line that needs some of that attention, the damage that we're seeing to the existing event receptacles. We have found some installation issues that didn't help with that at all and how they were wrapped below grade as well. And then you combine that with the dogs' help, and it led to a not -good situation for our existing boxes. We're certainly considering all of that as we select product to be put in, knowing, especially now, compared to what, I think -- how it was used in 2015 was completely different than how it's used today. And so when they were making their selections, I'm sure that they were looking at a totally different type of usage compared to what we Page 23 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES know now we have. So we'll be trying to plan both for now and for the future for that park and to make it as user-friendly as possible. FRIEDEL: Kevin, you mentioned there were installation issues with the past. How do we ensure that doesn't happen again going forward, if we're going to put this kind of money into the park? Can you talk a little bit about that? SNIPES: Yeah. We'II have cut sheets that our installers will have to follow. And then we'll have inspections to make sure that they follow what they're supposed to be doing. So back to the 200 versus 35. We had them separate at first, and we tried -- then we thought putting them together would make it easier, but if that makes it harder, I don't care either way if we want to go with that. GOODWIN: So the reality is, is that a CIP qualifies at $50,000. So to do the root barrier, we would not do it out of the CIP. We would do it as a supplement out of the general fund if we wanted to separate the two. Because this was sort of a multiyear project, we felt like it made more sense to kind of do all of this in conjunction and kind of in concert with each other. I don't necessarily have an issue either way. If, for some reason, the linear park improvements does not make the approved list, then I certainly think we should put the thirty-five into a supplement if this does not move forward as it's presented tonight. SNIPES: Yeah. It would seem to make sense to take it out of the CIP budget if we're doing both projects. GOODWIN: Correct. SNIPES: It makes more sense to take it out of the CIP budget. All right. Our next one that you've all been waiting for. In case you were wondering, this is the applaud group. So this is the Panorama Park that we're looking at bringing a pathway through, revegetating the area after it was changed from a wash to a culvert to a storm drain area. We're looking at several different means to irrigate the area for the plants that we install. I've been meeting with some of the HOA members and looking forward to getting this back to where it's not just a sheet of dirt out in the middle of the -- next to the homeowners, to where that they're getting dust blown up into their Page 24 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES houses every night. But I think this is a really good opportunity. It's still a nice, clean slate. Makes it easier to go in and make changes to. We think we have enough water at the well site or the pump site that we're pumping back to Fountain Park that we should be able to use that water to where we won't be adding water to our usage either. And I think all parties involved will be happy with a final product like we talked about earlier, coming through and doing a more natural pathway through there, using the same type of product that we used up at Adero, that we're very happy with. I think it'll be a nice, shaded area that would be an enjoyable addition to our park system. MCMAHON: This is just for the project? It's not for a crosswalk or anything like that, right? SNIPES: Yes. MCMAHON: Okay. That comes in with the crosswalk? SNIPES: Yes. And we'll be talking to you about that later. MCMAHON: Okay. Thank you. MAYOR DICKEY: Councilman? FRIEDEL: I think this is a terrific use for this property. And I was up at Adero just last week and saw that material that you have up there. And I think it's a great fit for this area as well. SNIPES: Great. Thanks. MAYOR DICKEY: And when we talked about before, just to make sure we didn't put anything in that interrupted views. Right? So the Staylok -- development fees are paying for it? SNIPES: Yes. MAYOR DICKEY: All right. Sounds good. SNIPES: Here's another park edition that we talked about a little bit earlier. This is also a development -fees project up at Bainbridge and Golden Eagle Boulevard. We'll be looking at hauling away the storage material that's there currently and then turning this into a more natural habitat and bringing in a concrete pad that will be able to be used Page 25 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES for both classes as well as for stargazing. I've talked to several residents that are up the hill, I know that they are in full support of this and look forward to it being converted over to a park. Many of them are users of Golden Eagle now and like what we've done there. So I think this would be a really nice asset for the town. And we do have Dark Sky's blessing on this. I had them go out first to check. I was concerned about -- with all the ball field lighting that we have there. And they couldn't believe that it was as dark as it was, compared to what it used to be with our new light. So with that, I know that they're fine with using this as our stargazing location in town. We'll add a couple of ramadas, doing another trail there with the Staylok product and adding in some educational plantings to where that people can go see some plants and some natural environment and get some ideas for their house as well. MAYOR DICKEY: So the people that had concerns about the storage of our stuff -- and I know that, at our retreat, we asked about it, and so we have an alternative spot for what we're going to do there for the staging. SNIPES: Yes. MAYOR DICKEY: And those folks are okay with the park aspect of it? SNIPES: Yes. MAYOR DICKEY: When you moved the lights three degrees, did that help? Does that affect the dark -sky thing? Just kidding. SNIPES: It's all good there. MAYOR DICKEY: And the Pleasantville Park, we've been joking a lot about that. Is that, like, Stepford Wife Park or something? I expected it to be in black and white, so I don't know what you want to call it, but that's kind of cute. Do you anybody on the phone have any questions? Thank you. That's great. SNIPES: All right. So our next one's the getting a restroom for the Avenue. This one's gone about 75 different directions. We're still not narrowed down completely on this. The price will be similar to this price if we go with the four -stall setup. That's what this price is estimating. We're currently looking at some different locations. We've been working with Platt 208 on some spots, and so we'll see what ends up becoming available 1244. Page 26 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES and what the cost that is involved with that as well. We can look at just making sure -- like, to me, if we do any restroom on the Avenue that's not at least four stalls, what we'll do is create complaints. And so making sure that it's at least four because if there's one thing people like to complain about, it's a dirty restroom. And it's something that we get compliments on all the time, of how clean our restrooms are in the parks. We were in a focus group last week, and somebody asked how we keep them so clean. And the only response that I have is, our crews are that good. Both day, night, weekend; it doesn't matter when you're here, they strive to make sure that we have clean facilities, and there's a lot of parks that don't do that. It's definitely a pet peeve of mine, and when I go around to other parks, I judge them based on what I expect ours to look like. And we have such a strong crew that they really care, and they make sure that they are clean. The last thing I want to do is have a section where we don't stand a chance. That's not fair to them, and it's not fair to our residents. Any questions about this? MAYOR DICKEY: Do you think that this amount is what we still need to budget, since we had other options that we were looking at? This full amount, Rachael? GOODWIN: My honest answer is, probably, yes. If we end up back to square one, which we seem to continue to circle back to, we want to be able to move forward if that's where we land. If we find that we are under budget, no harm, no foul. That's always a great place to be, and we don't need to make any adjustments at that point. What I would hate is to put something below and then find out we need more. That's obviously a harder process to overcome. The one thing I was going to actually add to this, and Kevin, please forgive me because I'm going to put you on the spot, but as part of this conversation, we've been talking about pet relief stations as well. And I know that that was a hot topic for us at the retreat, and we've had a chance to talk about it as staff in terms of the logistics and the operations of that. And there's actually quite a few challenges to talk about in that respect as well, that a pet relief station is more than just a ten -by -ten or a ten -by -twenty square. It's the maintenance and the pickup of it. It's the cleanup of it. It's the smells Page 27 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES that are emitted. It's a lot more to it, especially monitoring. So Kevin just talked about how much pride there's taken in keeping our human restrooms clean. There's -- just as much effort, if not more, may be needed if we do pet relief stations. So we need to talk about how that works operationally. Did you want to chime in on anything about that, too, Kevin? SNIPES: Yeah. I think there's a lot of unknowns as far as what all that would entail. The amount of dogs that we have on the Avenue, for one. Trying to get them, and probably more so their owners, to get them there first before they would go anywhere else, I think, is a challenge. And then as Rachael was talking about the size of the area, when you figure any given time in the morning, we probably got twenty dogs on the Avenue that are being walked; I wouldn't think that would be an uncommon number out there. And then you start thinking about all of them needing to use a single location. It turns into a tough -- it'll turn into a compacted dog park for using facilities. And I think that's going to be a very difficult thing to monitor as well. And then we'll fall back into the same issues of enforcement of issues. Who can? Who can't? Who will? Who won't. I think all of those things are are topics that we need to figure out before we go this route because as soon as we say, you have to, someone's going to challenge can we tell them they have to or not? And so I just want to make sure that we have all of our ducks in a row before that becomes our angle for the Avenue. And it's not that we can't, it's just going to take some time and and getting the right people involved. And it may be more costly than what we think it will be, as well as it may take more time to get everything figured out. MAYOR DICKEY: The issues that you say would happen at a pet relief station are what happens, then, in the median, which is a fairly narrow area. And so those issues then affect our -- here we are trying to beautify it, make it better, help the community -- the businesses, I mean, and when that, what you're talking about, is happening in a fairly narrow area where -- and I know we talked about it before -- we have music there, we have people sitting on the ground there, we have people trying to eat there. So it's kind of interesting because the thing that we're saying is wrong with the pet Page 28 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES relief, we're using the whole linear avenue as a pet relief. Perhaps if it wasn't, then maybe not that many people would go there specifically to bring their pet, put the pet in the car, and go there. Maybe they would be more like in their neighborhood or whatever, and then just use that park as a park. It's not to say that something might not happen, just like at any other park, but the idea of the way it is now, again, spending a lot of money to make it the kind of thing that Amanda is talking about with that flaw, in my opinion, on the ability for human children to be playing and picking stuff up and whatever, I don't know. To me, it's worth to continue to try and solve that however we can. And I've been to parks where there are signs that say the pet relief is there, you cannot use this. And I'm sure it's not a picnic to try and enforce, but does that mean we don't even try? Gerry? FRIEDEL: Or to educate people in the habit of doing it now? And that's going to take a lot of work, a lot of effort, to retrain not just the dogs, but the walkers. GRZYBOWSKI: If -- MAYOR DICKEY: I wanted to mention to the folks on the -- I'll let you go in one second. But just, also, that I don't know that everybody knew that you could ask questions when we started. So if anybody on the phone or here has questions about the first three items that we talked about, please do that. But Councilwoman? GRZYBOWSKI: I was just going to remind people how much problem we have with the off -leash dogs. That is part of our ordinance, and it is -- every day I'm out, I see at least one off -leash. And I think it was at the retreat we discussed the potential of a code enforcement officer that he walked up to, one time, somebody that had their dog off - leash, and he didn't even need to say anything. The guy saw the town shirt and just automatically leashed his dog. So we already have a problem with leashed dogs, something that is already an ordinance. So this whole new thing is definitely going to be a problem; I just see it. MAYOR DICKEY: Any questions about any of these items? KALIVIANAKIS: Yeah. This is Brenda. Can you hear me? Page 29 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES SNIPES: Yes. KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. Thank you, Ms. Mayor. Yes, this is certainly larger than the dog problem, but just with the whole public restroom facility issue, as far as -- we're just going for guidance tonight. I think we should just possibly put this off for another year. It's been the subject of a lot of talk. We're still struggling to get a location that isn't close to the town hall. We're still thinking about, possibly, Park Place. We're discussing the pet station. It just seems like there are so many unanswered questions that it just -- I think the staff needs to do a lot more work for this to come before the council to look for the kind of funding that it's going to take. I just think that we have to shore up plans to show something reasonable, something that's going to help the problem. I mean, the concept of having restrooms is a good one, but it just seems like we're in the weeds on the details, and we just need more time. Thank you. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Brenda. So again, we're not doing the red, green, yellow tonight, right? Unless we know we don't want to do something? GOODWIN: Correct. All I need to know is if Brenda's motion or her suggestion -- it's not a motion; it's a suggestion -- to potentially table it for another year or defer it, if that has some merit and other councilmembers feel that way, and that's the way we want to go, then certainly we will back this out and it won't be reflected in next year's budget. That's all I need to know, whether we're leaving it in, or whether we're taking it out. Same thing with the Avenue linear park three-year plan. If we're leaving that in, then we'll leave the root barrier as part of that. If we're taking that out, then the root barrier will get deferred over into our general fund. So I just need to know whether we're leaving it in or taking it out. SKILLICORN: Madam Mayor? MAYOR DICKEY: Go ahead. SKILLICORN: Thank you. I wasn't sure you could hear me or not. So I actually would echo the delaying some of these projects. Even though the idea -- or I just heard the town manager mention the root barrier, I still think that cracked sidewalks and eliminating trip hazards is a critical role of the town. So that is something that is Page 30 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES important to me. But some of these, I think we still don't have an answer to. And I'm a little bearish on some of the costs I'm hearing for some of these projects. Some of them, like the restroom and stuff, even though I still look at -- improvements to the Avenue are important and will pay for themselves with people hanging out and using our businesses more. I think that is of crucial importance, but some of the things, like the restroom, we still have an idea of it, and I think some of that will come to us in the future with future development. That's all. MAYOR DICKEY: Gerry? FRIEDEL: I think that we should allow the staff to continue to work on this and not delay it a year. That's just my thought. We don't have to spend anything right now, but let's let them continue their investigation and come up with some solutions for us on this. And I think that the -- the rest of the linear park thing, I'm in favor of shade structures down there, I think it's important going forward. Again, as long as we're not going to be ripping it out to do something else. I think that that's critical. So we have to identify and make sure that it's going to be something that we're going to live with, and everybody's going to be happy with it. So if we can do that, I'm in favor of it. I think we should still investigate a restroom down on that avenue. It's been needed for years, and it's been talked about for years. So I don't think it hurts to do the investigation to come up with some solutions. SNIPES: To that, the one thing that I'll say is, if we keep it in and something -- an opportunity knocks, then we have the funding to do it. And if it doesn't, as you've seen, we can push stuff off another year if we don't have something happen. If something happens, then we're going to bring it back to you and then you can vote on it at that time for us to decide whether or not we put in the restroom where we put it in at because it seems like location is half of what this conversation is. And so if you think about it like that, it's just another way to think about if it's worth keeping it in or not, so. MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman? MCMAHON: I agree. I think that we ought to leave it here because we don't know what the answer is without investigating it. If it comes back as a total no, then it's a no. But I Page 31 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES don't think this is going to go away. I think that as our tourism increases, our events grow bigger, et cetera, it's going to even be more of a demand. So I, personally, would like to keep it in. MAYOR DICKEY: I agree as well. Everything. And I'm fine with keeping the $35,000 in with the $200,000. And again, I guess seeing that dog use the blue tree last year -- this year or whatever just made a big impression on me. We have art on there. We have these mural things on our -- it's not funny, no. But I don't want to give up on that. GOODWIN: And I think that's fair. I think there's just more conversation to be had and certainly exploring how we can tackle that because it's -- it's going to be a bear whenever we do, no doubt about that. I think we can all agree on that. Amanda, I know you had a chance to chime in. Was there any last-minute things you wanted to share, or are there any insights? It sounds like we're moving forward, so I didn't want to give you -- I wanted to give you a chance to talk if you needed to. TOTH: Oh -- GOODWIN: And I think Hannah might want to chime. TOTH: Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you meant me. MAYOR DICKEY: Yes. TOTH: I apologize. MAYOR DICKEY: No. Go ahead. GOODWIN: No. Go ahead. Absolutely, Hannah. MAYOR DICKEY: Go ahead. TOTH: I just wanted to say, I also agree when it comes to the bathrooms. If we're going to come across an opportunity where we're able to go forward with the project, I'd like to be able to. And so I absolutely agree we should keep it in the budget. I trust our staff to continue diligently working on this. I'd rather not put it off for a year because, then, we might lose some of the research we've already done and the leads that we have on that. So that's all I wanted to say. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you, Councilwoman. Amanda. Page 32 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES JACOBS: Madam Mayor, Councilmembers, thank you for your support. I just wanted to add, for transparency, when this presentation was put together, it was a couple weeks ago, last week we had an executive session and as we know, it happens in executive session, stays in executive session. But we did receive direction. We were hoping within the next thirty to sixty days to have more solidified answers. We'll go back into executive session and get direction. And so again, appreciate the support to keep it in for now. I think that sends a strong message to our business community and residents, because it's been a top priority. And then just we all know, once we continue to delay, will shock you even more in a couple of years if we delay it. It won't be 475; it could be much higher. Again, just looking at the current economy, inflation, supply chain, all that good stuff. So we appreciate your support. Thank you. Thanks, Rachael. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Anything else? Executive sessions aren't half as fun as Vegas. But you're right, we do keep it all quiet. Okay. This is the wrap-up. SNIPES: This is the breakdown. Yeah. That that Rachael was talking about earlier. So this kind of gives you an idea of exactly what we'll be looking at coming out of the capital improvement funds, that's $665,000 total. And the alternative funding projects will be at $1,525,000. If there's any questions on any of that, I'd be happy to answer. GOODWIN: Kevin, I'm going to jump in and just add a little more detail because I think the mayor asked about this earlier, and I wanted to wait till we had an example in front of us, about our alternate funded projects. So one of the questions we often get asked is, well, how much exactly do we have? So the balance right now in our parks -development fee is about $1.3 million. Keeping in mind that that does have a clock associated with it, you have about ten years from the point it's collected to expend it. We have not been -- we haven't been under that gun too much, but it is creeping up on us. So we do have quite a bit of that pot that needs to be expended within, probably, the next two years or so. And that's what it's for. It is there. It's intended to be reinvested back into the community for expansions, for improvements, for added features. So this is right on target with exactly why we have Page 33 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES these fees. One of the questions was, how does it get replenished? And it's a development fee. It comes -- there's a breakdown of how much is contributed. And it's based on square footage and another set of calculations as to how it's contributed to. So every time there's development here in town, that pot is contributed to. Much like we have one for fire, we have one for streets. So we have different things. But that is what that is for and what it's earmarked for. So I know Kevin has just over a million budgeted there for him. I know we were talking about, specifically, is 800 too much? That seems like a lot. It's more about making sure we have enough there if needed. If it doesn't get used, it just stays in the pot, and that's fine. And it does get expended oldest first, so to speak, so that if it's been in the fund for a while, that's the amount we expend first so that we don't -- so that we again give ourselves that timeline. We don't find that it's expiring or something of that nature. Does that make sense? MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah. GOODWIN: Okay. So I just wanted to offer a little bit of background there. Thanks. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. FRIEDEL: Rachael, I have a question for you. Any of those capital projects that are for our parks, like the pickleball courts, playground replacement equipment, that type of thing, could we use any of the development funds for any of that? GOODWIN: So the playground, no. Anything that's a replacement or that's like for like, so to speak -- FRIEDEL: Yeah. GOODWIN: -- you can't use it for. It's only for increased services, expansions, amenities, that type of thing. So the pickleball, technically, probably could if we wanted to go that route. I'd have to double-check with David Pock, but I know -- but it's really intended for, again, that expansion to serve more residents in our community. So that's why the two park expansions are definitely available, but the playground definitely is not. Page 34 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES FRIEDEL: Yeah. So if we could check on that pickleball court, I think that's an expansion of services. So that would be something new that we might be able to use up some of those funds that have the time frame on them. GOODWIN: Sure. FRIEDEL: All right. Thank you. MAYOR DICKEY: Are these things going to just be in the minutes, or can we get these slides before the minutes are -- or this isn't online anywhere, is it? GOODWIN: No. We can certainly -- and that's mostly because we're making changes up until, I don't know, 4 o'clock today. MAYOR DICKEY: No rush. I'm not going to go home and read them tonight. GOODWIN: No, we can certainly share these out. And I will make them available online as part of the packet because it is really helpful, I think, to see some of this categorized and shared in this manner versus the narrative that's part of our regular agenda item. So yes, we can certainly share those. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. SNIPES: So here we got our outlying years. As you can see, we got one more year left in that sidewalk replacement. And then we can decide where we're at from there and if we need to continue that on or not. But right now, it's scheduled to end in '26. The Avenue linear park, we're looking at two more years of improvements in there as well. And then we start looking at some bigger dollar amounts to start putting some money towards the lake liner that we don't want to talk about. And getting that -- start to get that funded is going to become crucial and getting a solid plan together. That is a mammoth project that is a little bit stressful to even think about. So we definitely want to make sure that when time comes, that we are prepared for it. That's not a project that if something were to go awry, we want to be a couple years behind the eight ball on that one. That would not be good for anyone. And then we're looking, after we finish the Avenue improvements, moving over to Golden Eagle as our next phased approach projects over there, and starting to put some Page 35 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES money in doing some replacing and upgrading for that park, as we've done for Four Peaks Desert Vista so far. Any questions on any of that? Well, thank you very much. Appreciate it. With that, I'll turn it back over. Mr. J.W. WELDY: Are we ready to go? Anybody need a break? A lot of exciting stuff. We're going to look at the proposed capital projects for public works now. We had a brief discussion on this one earlier. You'll note that we're asking for an additional $200,000 for this project in next year. It's anticipated that the project will still be underway at that time, and should we need any funding for any obstacles they encounter, this funding will cover it, or at least we hope it will. MAYOR DICKEY: I guess we should just do these as we go through them. The $200,000, is it possible to put that off till '26? I mean, we're adding the 521. This probably won't be done in one year. It won't be, correct? WELDY: Madam Mayor, this project will take about eight months. MAYOR DICKEY: Oh, eight months. Okay. Is there any way to not have this included now, this extra 200? That seems like a lot for contingency, especially because we had to go over and above with the 500. And I'm wondering if there's a way that we can not have it funded right now, but then say, well, if it does happen, then we'll have to figure it out at the time. WELDY: Madam Mayor, I'm not sure how -- the deferral process in regards to paying ADOT. So in order for the contractor to keep moving once the project starts, should they submit any change orders, there will obviously be a payment process for that, and I'm not familiar for how long we can hold off on it. I just don't have the answer for that. GOODWIN: Justin, do you have an idea of when this project might actually begin? I understand it might take eight months once it starts, but do we have any concept of that start date? WELDY: I would have to go back and read emails. I don't want to give an incorrect false start, but it's within the next sixty days. GOODWIN: Okay. It's sooner than I expected. Okay. MAYOR DICKEY: And ADOT wants that 200 grand budgeted as well? Page 36 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES WELDY: No, Madam Mayor, they do not. MAYOR DICKEY: Oh. WELDY: At this point in time, ADOT has received all the funding from the grant and the Town of Fountain Hills to proceed. We are simply trying to be prepared after July 1st based on past experiences we've had with projects within the town limits. This is another multiyear project. This is a relatively outdated photo, but this is showing the work that we've done along Saguaro near the Desert Vista Park and those connectors in that area. It should be noted that town staff will be bringing the currently adopted active transportation plan back to the mayor and council prior to the summer break and asking for them to consider some revisions to the short-term -- one to five years, five to ten years -- to include some of the downtown areas where we have received requests and there has been considerable conversation. Those areas would include parts of Verde River, Park View, and potentially the south side of El Lago, and also, the west side of La Montana between Avenue of the Fountains and Palisades. KALIVIANAKIS: Ms. Mayor. MAYOR DICKEY: Yes. Go ahead, Brenda. KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. Thank you. Yeah, I share your concerns and that our original contribution was $521,182, and this contingency of $200,000 is in case of construction challenges or overage. I don't know why, in the future, we just can't bring that back before council to explain what the construction challenges or overages so we can approve it later. I don't know why we have to approve that in advance, since we don't even know what those fees would be. Thank you. MAYOR DICKEY: So yeah, what is your experience with doing something like that? Or Rachael, if you know? Because, you know, obviously if we start it in 60 days, well, we would know and then we just don't want to be caught looking for 200 grand, I guess. But but again -- WELDY: Madam Mayor, as a little background, on Fountain Hills Boulevard, we came back after the fact and asked for $785,000. So it's not uncommon for staff to come back and ask for additional funding after the project is underway. Page 37 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES GOODWIN: I think there's also the idea here, and I certainly understand where Councilmember Kalivianakis is coming from, to be able to have it feel like it's not just an open checkbook: go ahead, if you need 200, here it is. The idea, I think, that -- it's challenging in this conversation, particularly about this project, is because it is unknown. And if they come across it, we don't necessarily always have the time to get it on an agenda, get it approved, and then what happens if it's not approved? If the funding were to be not approved at a council meeting, then we're still sort of at that crossroads and then have no resources available to do that. My understanding, too, is generally if we come across it, it's because it's in the field, it's kind of one of those got -to -get -it - done -right -now situations. We don't necessarily have thirty or forty-five days to get it on an agenda, get it before council, and that type of timeline. And I may be speaking out of turn, and Justin, please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is more about being able to address things promptly and in the timetable that's needed for the contractors on site. WELDY: Indeed, that is correct. And it should be noted that while the Arizona Department of Transportation is managing and inspecting this project as the owners, no additional work outside of the original scope will be approved without the town's approval. So anytime there is a challenge, the documentation will be provided. Within moments or hours of receiving it, it will be in the town manager's hands. Discussions will be had on what steps need to be taken after that. GOODWIN: Justin, if I could ask one follow-up question? The 200, is that based on your professional recommendation or how do we land at that contingency number? WELDY: I didn't want to ask for anything more because budgets are kind of tight. GOODWIN: No doubt. WELDY: It's a small percentage for a $4 million project -- GOODWIN: Okay. WELDY: -- that is this length, where we are certainly aware, based on past projects -- MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. WELDY: -- that we're going to encounter some challenges. Page 38 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES MAYOR DICKEY: I think you're just the victim of us just doing the 500-something thousand -one meeting ago. So we're just kind of like, wait, what? But I understand. And then the other one, the one that we're on, is -- you said that 260 of it, we can use for actual construction? WELDY: In this year. MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. WELDY: What we're looking at is for next year. Are we going to see if we can get grant funding? MAYOR DICKEY: Oh, okay. WELDY: Absolutely. But the grant that we got is for use in this year. MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. WELDY: We may be able to defer some of it to next year, but we'll see how progress goes on that. MAYOR DICKEY: Got it. WELDY: This is an item that we had discussed, and it was pulled back off of the capital projects. I have it back this year because we're facing more than one challenge. Our most recent inspection of our existing guardrail system is approximately $100,000 just in maintenance and repairs to the existing infrastructure. Another thing that has come up is the Maricopa County Department of Transportation intends to make improvements to McDowell Mountain Road. Our border with them is at milepost 2, north of the town limit. There is a considerably long guardrail that crosses that boundary, with the lion's share of it on the town. They have been kind enough and professional enough to share with staff their development plans, and their development plan currently shows a transition from their portion of the guardrail to ours. Their guardrail will be up to the federal highway standards height, and ours will be lower. So it will basically be a hump if you're headed northbound, that you'll see, noticeably, the guardrail goes up. There's a visual aspect to remind not only ourselves, but others about the challenges we face with guardrail height. MAYOR DICKEY: Any questions about this? I just heard that, too. That sounds like Page 39 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES cartoons. Well, we just got Scottsdale to do some work, so I think we can do some, too. WELDY: And I'm glad that you brought that up, Madam Mayor. The City of Scottsdale, in fact, encountered some real challenges delaying repairs to eastbound Shea within their limit almost ten months in regards to that guardrail there that we also share. That guardrail bridges the gap between the two communities as well. I think it's also important to note that under the town manager's direction, we went after every possible grant that was available from the Highway Improvement Safety Program, HISP, and this is what we have been told by the state and federal agencies -- what you're looking at is maintenance. We do not provide funding for maintenance. If there is a HISP project, widening the road or adding components, and the new guardrail is part of that, then, yes. But there's simply not any grants available to do what we're asking for, at this time, from the federal or state government. FRIEDEL: Can I ask you a question, Justin? WELDY: Yes, sir. FRIEDEL: The guardrail, are these wooden posts that are in there, and are we going to stay with wooden posts? I remember reading somewhere that there was a problem with the wooden posts. Are we going to go to metal? Are we going to stay with wooden? WELDY: Madam Mayor, Councilmember. We currently have a blend of the two, and it depends, really, on the cost. The challenge that you have with wood is, obviously, it dries and it shrinks. Just like the rest of technology, so has wood treatment advanced substantially forward. Today's wooden posts are certainly not what they were as little as ten years ago, but in some cases, these are approaching thirty or forty years. So it will be a combination of the two, both steel and wood. KALIVIANAKIS: If I may? MAYOR DICKEY: Yes. Go ahead, Brenda. KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. Thank you, Ms. Mayor. Justin, just again, to drill down on this. When you talk about maintenance, do you mean maintenance or replacement? Because it seems to me that we're not just going to Page 40 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES maintain the existing structure, but we're going to upgrade it and actually replace it. Can you clarify that for me? WELDY: Madam Mayor, Councilmember, the first number I mentioned is to do maintenance. So we do periodic maintenance on them ourselves. And then, occasionally, we have to bring in a specialty contractor. So the $100,000 is his estimate for repairs. It should be noted that the lion's share of that is for traffic control and off - duty officers, as required by the town, for obvious safety reasons. The latter part of your question is to replace the sections that currently do not meet the Federal Highway Administration and the Arizona Department of Transportation adopted standards for height. KALIVIANAKIS: Yeah, I can understand that. But does the federal government compel us, or are we grandfathered in with our existing structure? WELDY: I'm uncomfortable answering that type of a legal question because it's really -- it borders on that. So the Federal Highway Administration puts forth guidelines, and the state agency, ADOT, adopts them and moves them down to the county, the cities, and towns. Are they -- KALVIANAKIS: Yes. WELDY: Are -- the maintenance is not a mandate, but rather a requirement. The replacement is a strong recommendation from the Federal Highway Administration and the Arizona Department of Transportation. KALIVIANAKIS: Yeah. I can appreciate you not wanting to answer a legal question about grandfathering, but when you talk about maintenance, are these sections that were damaged that we just never collected insurance money on? WELDY: Councilmember, there are some sections that were damaged. Historically, though, we take action and correct those out of our regular budget, which comes from the streets budget, and address those issues quickly. What we're talking about here are drying timbers that they're so dry and they shrunk down so much, the timbers, the posts, and the blocks, and the bolts are decaying and simply need to be replaced. The W-rail itself, which, historically, is hot -dipped galvanized, that W-rail lasts for a Page 41 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES considerable amount of time, and we replace very little of it. So what I'm describing for the maintenance are posts, blocks, and bolts. KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. Thank you for that clarification. WELDY: You're welcome. FRIEDEL: One more question. I'm sorry. So we're going to be doing a widening of Shea Boulevard. Are any of those guardrails going to be replaced? Are we going to wait until we do the widening -- and I know there's some guardrails along there -- and any roadwork that's going to be done is going to be done first before we replace all that? WELDY: Councilmember, all the guardrails on the south side of Shea that are within the projects are not considered at this time because they're simply slated to be removed and replaced. Oftentimes, the design engineer will warrant or write a warrant to discontinue their use, provided there's adequate shoulder. We had discussed this earlier in this year. So this is the outlying years. And beginning next year, again, the Arizona Department of Transportation inspects all of our bridges. And then they put together a manual and a list of priorities we addressed this year. But we still have several of them that need to be addressed. This is relatively small in regards to some of our capital -projects ask of $75,000, but we certainly discovered this year that we really bumped right up against the ceiling on that. So we're going to spread this out for an additional five more years. And this will be in the outlying years as well. Questions, concerns related to this one? This is the Palisades and La Montana intersection. This has been -- again, this was a council -initiated project as a result of comments, concerns, and complaints related to the level of service at this intersection. More often than not, when they're describing the situation to staff, it includes yelling from one vehicle to the other and oftentimes the international symbol for brotherhood from one car or the other. When the town engineer and I discussed this with the engineer of record that looked at this analysis and did all of the work related to the data -- turning movements, crash data, vehicles per day, the type of use, and time of use -- when they began to discuss a traffic signal, I respectfully ask that they not based on past experience and challenges we faced with Page 42 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES exceeding $1 million to build a traffic signal, that while it does increase the level of safety and provide an increased level of service, for this particular intersection, I wouldn't recommend it. And there's a couple of reasons why. Let's just say, hypothetically, we're heading eastbound on Palisades, approaching the La Montana intersection. If we have a green light, we're going to keep going, which means we're not even likely to touch the brake. And let's just say that the eighty-five percentile speed in there could be as high as fifty miles an hour, occasionally. Allowing a traffic signal or placing one in this location will increase the speeds at which people traverse the intersection. As part of our vital downtown, a roundabout is better suited. The primary reason for that: we currently, on two of the legs of approach for eastbound and westbound we have two lanes. The roundabout design, which is just a concept and nowhere near ready to go, would reduce that to one lane. This forces all of the vehicles into single file, into a single lane roundabout, as they navigate that to turn either to the right, go forward, or come on around and make a right and come to the south. Whatever direction they're traveling, it forces them to slow down and pay attention. The same is very similar for the other two legs on the approach, which are north and south. The exception to that is we just have one lane. But again, it provides a level of service with little to no stopping, depending on the volume of traffic, and provides a safer environment for part of our downtown. We simply do not know what the cost of construction is. We know that the design cost is $150,000. When numbers were discussed amongst staff and the town manager, I repeatedly said, I'm uncomfortable with that number or any other number because that is the number that everyone is going to remember. We will get a probable cost from the engineer of record, if this project goes forward, somewhere around the ninety percent. Once it's designed, we have all the numbers, we know what it's going to look like, then we can have a discussion about how we would fund it and whether or not it will move forward. It's also important to note that as part of this process, town staff will bring together or Page 43 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES bring to the mayor and council what we refer to as the thirty percent role plot. So that will be a similar exhibit to what you see now, but with a lot more detail. That gives the mayor and council and the public an opportunity to share their opinions, their concerns, or their thoughts. When we get closer to the eighty/ninety percent, we will also return to the mayor and council with those concepts. These are the concerns and questions and changes that we heard. Now they've been implemented. This is what it will look like based on that. Then we would proceed to the hundred percent during that council presentation, and the hundred percent is when we would get our probable cost, and staff would return at that time and say, this is an engineer's estimate, which is exactly what that is. MAYOR DICKEY: So the study was complete. This 150 would be for the actual engineering design? WELDY: Correct. MAYOR DICKEY: So we're not studying anything with the -- your interpretation and the interpretation of the analysis is that this is the way to continue to explore? The pedestrians have the safe havens, I see, right, in all four areas? So they would have the stopping point. So yeah. And then the other thing is just the one lane because that always adds to the confusion. If so, if it's only one lane, then it's not confusing. And then, what we have right now here, we've seen what it's like to have to go down from two lanes to one. And it seems to be fine right in front of the post office. So I think that's the only one that was two lanes, right? The other ones -- yeah. So that would be similar to what you would have to do both ways to get those two lanes down to one, correct? WELDY: Yes. The exception is originally when the Avenue roundabout was designed, it had an eastbound dedicated right turn that was eliminated. And so this also will not have an eastbound right turn. There's another part of this that we're going to discuss that's critical for the downtown as a whole. We're going to have a longer, much longer, discussion about that in a work session in the future. And that is, we need to make at least two of these corners a little bit more user friendly for those with physical Page 44 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES challenges. The southeast corner of the intersection of La Montana and Palisades, if you have physical challenges, or you utilize a motorized cart or one that's operated by hand, is not only challenging but all but impossible to get up there. There are two other corners, including the one that the bank is on, which is the southwest, that will need to be reworked a minimal amount on the northeast and the northwest. But this project will also take corrective action and make our curb ramps and our accessible routes more accessible and in compliance with the DOJ guidelines. KALIVIANAKIS: Ms. Mayor? MAYOR DICKEY: Yes. Go ahead. KALIVIANAKIS: Great. Thank you, Ms. Mayor. Justin, I just have a question for you, and that is, I know our streets and pedestrian committee are going to take up the ADA -- I believe we're going to take up ADA compliance with some of the intersections, but doing (indiscernible) on the $150,000 for the design. You mentioned two different design models, one which was a streetlight and one of which was a roundabout. Now, if we approve the $150,000 for design, is that going to go towards which one would be preferred by the experts, or in your expertise, are you just recommending the roundabout, and so the design would just be on the roundabout design study? So would there be two studies, one with a light and one with a roundabout, or would it just be one study? Could you illuminate us on that? WELDY: Madam Mayor, Councilmember Kalivianakis, so the analysis of the intersection is already completed. The only analysis moving forward would be in regards to what changes need to be made to the existing geometry of the intersection. And part of that discussion will involve possible lighting of the pedestrian crossings in that intersection. But there will be no additional studies. So the analysis is completed, the recommendations forwarded in a staff summary. So in regards to a traffic signal, I strongly recommended that they didn't recommend that, and I explained the reasons for that. If any one of the councilmembers would like to explore a traffic signal in this intersection, we can certainly do that. So moving forward, the 150 would cover the design, and the design would include analyzing the Page 45 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES lighting for this intersection and whether or not the ambient light from the nearby or adjacent buildings is adequate, or if some additional lighting would be necessary. KALIVIANAKIS: So the $150,000 wouldn't be to design a roundabout; is that what you're saying? WELDY: It will be to design the roundabout. And that design may include pathway lighting for the pedestrians. KALIVIANAKIS: Well, I think lighting would be a part of it, but the design for the $150,000 would be a design for a roundabout? WELDY: Correct. KALIVIANAKIS: Thank you. WELDY: You're welcome. FRIEDEL: This is a tough one. We just had a guy come in at the last council meeting and really let us have it for roads. My guess is, when this is going to be built in '26, late '25/'26, whenever, it's going to be between a million and $2 million to do. We've got 40 to $60 million in backlog road work that has to be done. So I think -- I'm all in favor of us, right now, doing whatever handicap work we need to do at that intersection. And I know we have another one that we're going to be talking about, but I think this is something we need to wait on. We've got so much other road work that's got to be done. We're going to go to the residents and tell them that we've got plans to put in a roundabout, and the other roads aren't going to be fixed. I don't think that's going to go over very well. We've had a lot of people complaining about the state of the roads, and we've had a lot of road --- that the Roads Committee did a lot of work. We've identified millions of dollars worth of road work that has to be done. And I think this is something we need to -- we need to come up with another plan. And I don't think this is it for right now. That's just my two cents. WELDY: Madam Mayor and Councilmember, if I may? And I appreciate your comments on that. This one would likely be eligible for grant monies because it accomplishes several things; primarily, safety, which is traffic calming and pedestrian safety. So it would be a strong candidate for grants. But it would be a stronger candidate for grants Page 46 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES if it was designed. MCMAHON: Thank you, Justin, for your explanation about this. I'm for moving forward with it because that intersection isn't getting less dangerous. It's getting more dangerous. Something needs to be done about it. I personally prefer a roundabout because if you think about it, look at Fountain Hills Boulevard and Palisades. We're dinking around about a couple of seconds on a light to make a left-hand turn. It just seems like there's more higher maintenance with lights than there would be with a roundabout. I think it's been proven that a roundabout works in our town. We have one. I don't know of any real issues we've had with it. Again, this is a four-way stop, and I've always been really concerned about the safety of this. And so I would like to see this go forward. So thank you very much. GRZYBOWSKI: I agree. I feel like we need to leave this in there. Knowing that this is just to do the design and then a future council, in two, three, however many years, can actually discuss the work. We're not saying we're designing it this fiscal year, and then installing it next fiscal year. We're just designing it now for a future council to discuss, to actually proceed. Correct? WELDY: Madam Mayor, Councilmember, correct. So if this is approved as part of the budget -- so this is just the first stop on this -- then the funding for it would come available in July of this year. And it would likely take all of ten or eleven months to do the design, including, but not limited to returning to the council with the thirty percent, on the eighty/eighty-five percent, ninety percent, and then, obviously, hundred percent plans. So there's a considerable amount of time between now and when we're looking at a completed design. FRIEDEL: And I'll remind this council that I work right at that intersection for the last ten and a half years. Four months out of the year, we might have traffic there. The other seven or eight months, there isn't a big traffic volume there. It's mostly the winter visitors that are here. And that's probably where we have a higher incidence of -- higher amount of incidents at that intersection. So I just want to remind people of that fact. We're going to spend $2 million on an intersection, or whatever it is, we don't know, for Page 47 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES four months out of the year when we've got $60 million or 40 -- 40 to $60 million in backlogged roads that need attention. I'm just reminding this council that, you know, we've got a lot of road work to do in this town. MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman? TOTH: If I could chime in? MAYOR DICKEY: Go ahead, Hannah. TOTH: Thank you. Thank you. I agree with Councilmember Friedel. The comments that I made in a previous meeting regarding perhaps looking at tightening our belt a bit to show some faith to the community when we are talking about fixing these roads and what may need to happen in order to do that, I think that considering that this is a project that would not be built, it would be considered by a future council, this is a good contender for that belt tightening that I mentioned beforehand. And so I would agree with Councilmember Friedel on this one. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Councilwoman. MCMAHON: Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Do people travel on -- travel on those roads every single day, not for eight months out of the year, correct? So there's traffic there every single day. It's really a primary spot in town. The area is -- the traffic has increased as that shopping center has been built out, et cetera. No matter how we look at this, this is not going to go away. This intersection needs to be addressed for safety purposes and also for flow of traffic purposes, et cetera. So I think -- again, I think that we need to move forward with this because it's not going to go away. MAYOR DICKEY: And I wanted to mention -- KALIVIANAKIS: Ms. Mayor? MAYOR DICKEY: Oh. Go ahead, Brenda. KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. Thank you, Ms. Mayor. And just one more thing I'd just like to point out that I'm a little uncomfortable with is where we're going to do the expansion of Shea at millions of dollars and trying to get more lanes of traffic. This seems to be just the opposite of what we should be doing, which is -- we're going to be taking eight Page 48 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES lanes of traffic and bringing it down to four lanes of traffic. And so if there were going to be a roundabout there, it just seems to me, for traffic -flow purposes, it should continue with eight lanes, two in, two out, instead of reducing it to one, which seems kind of like -- I think Justin mentioned traffic calming or kind of road diet-ish kind of stuff, which I wouldn't be for because I do want that to be a free -flowing intersection and not have any stacking because it's going to go from two lanes down to one lane, and then people waiting to merge with the roundabout traffic, which we've seen at the existing roundabout right now. Thank you. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. This is absolutely a safety issue. It's not a secret that this is busy most of the of the time or half the year or whatever -- a very busy area. Obviously, I appreciate that you work there, but I mean, I use a lot of, well, whatever. It's just anecdotal, but there's a lot of traffic there. The purpose of a roundabout is to be traffic calming, and that is why going down to the one lane is preferable for somewhere like this. I also look at this as part of the downtown overall strategy. And we want people to be able to walk. And crossing that area is a little harrowing, and I personally know someone who had a very bad accident there. So I don't -- I think it's a public safety issue. I think the $150,000 for the design is well worth getting lined up because, as Justin mentioned, this would likely qualify for a grant. And if we go back to the sixty million, if we go back to the forty million, the -- well, the fifty million -- in-between, ten million of that was for intersections. So this is an intersection. So we haven't decided whether we're going to drop that ten million or whether -- what we're really going to go for with the bond. But intersections is absolutely part of streets and our street improvement plan. And so I would definitely like to see us go ahead with the design and then see where it goes. And by the way, this roundabout, if we hadn't had the little extra lane, was just over $600,000. It's not two million. And I don't know what this will be and this is a bigger area. So it could get up there. But it also it will be maintenance -free once it's there. And just for clarification, this is the first I'm seeing this. So this is not something that I've been trying to get done or anything. This is totally coming up from the study and from Page 49 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES our staff. Any other questions or comments? Thank you. Oh, look at that. WELDY: As you can see, the town engineer has a sense of humor. He put this slide together. We thank him for that. As part of the ongoing conversation between staff, the town manager, council, and the residents that live here, there is an increased awareness that there are limited areas where there are marked crosswalks. When the town engineer and I discussed this early on, and then we brought it to the town manager for a discussion, I primarily wanted to focus on the arterials first. And the very first one would be Saguaro, between El Lago and Palisades. We need marked crosswalks there. They do not necessarily need rapid, rectangular, flashing beacons, but we certainly need them. Anyone that sits looking north or south in the area of Paul Nordin or Parkview during the a.m. park use time, or p.m. when the weather is nice, or even all day, you would see the number of people that are going to take the path of least resistance. And oftentimes, they're doing these crossings at Park View or Paul Nordin, or in between those two areas. Marked crosswalks will at least give them some clear guidance. As we look at these locations, it will be discussed whether or not we need either some AC lighting or solar lighting to create a safe crossing environment for that location. Again, the primary focus is going to be on the arterials and the downtown. We want to get people from the Avenue and La Montana safely to Fountain Park and back, and Palisades, and also El Lago. The best way to do that is with increased placement of these marked crosswalks. We will certainly put together some maps showing what we believe were priorities, and then hear from the mayor and council. If this process continues down through, we will also share the information, when the time is right, with Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee, which is a subcommittee to this council, and get their input from there. MAYOR DICKEY: When you say starting at Saguaro and El Lago, do you include that? Because I have a person that was like requesting El Lago and Saguaro as a place for a crosswalk. Page 50 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES WELDY: In regards to El Lago and Saguaro, we have four marked crosswalks there at that intersection that cover all four legs. North of that, at Paul Nordin, where we have a lot of crossing, we do not. And the next one is Avenue and Saguaro; we also do not have -- we have marked crosswalks there, four of them, both north, south, east, and west. Park View, we do not. So the candidates for this, initially, would be in the downtown Park View and Paul Nordin and then, moving slightly south, Gunsight because keep in mind, very shortly, thanks to a substantial grant, a sidewalk is going to be built right there at Gunsight on both sides of the road. And it will include curb ramps, which will reduce our cost because we'll simply be putting in pavement markings. MAYOR DICKEY: Thanks. WELDY: But there are several locations in the downtown, and another excellent example is Kingstree at Saguaro. There are a large number of people that come down Kingstree and cross Saguaro there to either go north or south, depending on what direction they're headed. And that's another good candidate or a good location. But again, we'll provide a map showing the priorities based on the five-year ask here, one plus four. Any questions related to this? KALIVIANAKIS: Ms. Mayor, may I speak? MAYOR DICKEY: Yes, ma'am. KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. Thank you. Yes. I'm in favor. I think this is a wonderful project. Marking crosswalks and improved lighting is going to keep accidents from happening. It's going to encourage people to go to our parks if we eventually go to the parks in our downtown area. And this, to me, is just a total public safety; keeping people safe as they want to walk through our town during the daytime and during the nighttime. So yeah, I'd be strongly in favor of this project. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. This is one of the projects that I simply, despite the fact that we've been on it now for nearly four years, overlooked it and didn't get it onto the list. Earlier tonight, we discussed the fact that the design is nearing a hundred percent, and the town will soon be publishing this for bids. It should be noted that while we don't know the cost for Page 51 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES construction for this phase, we're putting a placeholder in there at $2.5 million. This first phase will make improvements to the drainage channels and create large storage facilities -- basins -- on and in and around the park. The next phase, which is not yet designed, will address the area adjacent to the dam. The reason we split it into two phases is because any work associated with the tow face, inlet, or outfall of the dam requires ADWR, Arizona Department of Water Resources, Maricopa County Flood Control, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality approval. Those three agencies and their process for anything associated with the dam is eighteen to twenty-four months. So we'll get the first phase underway, which will provide for adequate or more storage in the impoundment area and channelization. This also includes a multiuse path around the back of the ball fields, a realignment of the multiuse path on the southern end that will now go up between the volleyball court and the baseball -- or yeah, baseball diamond. It also includes a pedestrian bridge that will tie the north park and the south park together. Big ask. MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Yeah. A lot of questions, too, as far as funding. The Maricopa County has granted, and for several of these other projects, so do we anticipate anything or being able to apply for anything there? [CLERKS NOTE: Councilmember Sharron Grzybowski left the dais at 7:39 and returned at 7:41 p.m.] WELDY: Currently have one for $100,000. That's going to help us offset some of this cost from Maricopa County Flood Control District. As we prepare the next phase, absolutely, we will ask the Maricopa County Flood Control District if any of that work qualifies for grant funding. MAYOR DICKEY: Then you have 300-something thousand left from this year or something like that. Did you say that before? WELDY: We do. MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. WELDY: We have about $300,000 left in this year's budget. That money will be utilized Page 52 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES to get the project initially started and also secure the services of a construction project manager. And then, this would be for next year to cover the balance of the cost. And again, we don't know that total cost. But was this -- MAYOR DICKEY: Was this included in some -- excuse me. Was this included in the ten million that we talked about initially? I mean, we overlooked this in our packet, but when we first talked about the ten million, is this in there? SOLDINGER: Mayor, Council, great question. Yes. We added in last second, so it was included in there. MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Perfect. Good. And then, I guess I could wait for Sharron to mention this, but the environmental fee is something that would have covered -- I mean, several of these projects that have to do with water and flooding, and we suspended it due to thinking that we were getting -- we were going to get threatened on that. But we may want to bring that up as a discussion again -- a discussion item. We had it in place. It was $30 a year, 36? Something like that, $3 a month. And it was collecting about 6- or $700,000 a year. And these humongous projects like this that are just absolutely necessary would qualify to be able to use that in addition to some of that low-lying and the drainage things that you're going to be talking about. So I just wanted to throw that out there. I think Sharron would agree. GRZYBOWSKI: Yes, ma'am. WELDY: Any additional comments, questions related to this last minute one that's been ongoing for four years? This is one that we had discussed earlier in regards to the update for this year. Once again, this project allows us to address our aging infrastructure. The bottom left-hand is actually one of the improvements that we made at Kingstree. The other two, on the bottom right and the top right, just simply demonstrate where we need additional maintenance. Once again, this is already a multiyear, and we are simply asking for it to be continued. Any questions related to this one? Community center. We're going to have some internal discussions with the town manager and staff very shortly regarding the direction that we're going to be going, as Page 53 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES we're learning more and more about the intermediate or short-term actions that were taken over the last couple of years, including the wet sealing, a lot of door repairs. Obviously, we've made substantial change to the front of the building by adding a storage facility. That water will no longer be entering the building. The town manager and I really want to take a look at the architectural and engineering firm's suggestions in regards to timing and when things need to be done to make sure that the next steps we're taking, which include the storefronts -- those are the big windows and doors -- that those are adequately addressed and properly addressed. So we need to have some internal discussions. We're asking for additional money for next year to obviously move forward with the design, and we're asking for a placeholder based on some of the estimates they made for several of the items listed in their assessment, including the short- and long-term solutions. This is an ongoing project, multiple years. We've certainly taken action to address some of the more immediate needs. But we're not done. MAYOR DICKEY: So trying to -- I didn't have a chance to look back at our initial talks when that guy came from -- was it Buick or something? It was some car name. WELDY: Allana Buick Bers. MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah. And it felt like at the time we could put stuff off for quite a while, like the big stuff like this, like the glass windows, the doors and that kind of thing. What are the ramifications of not having this placeholder or this work done this year? And again, I apologize because I didn't get to review that conversation. But unless it was just three years, but it feels like we had time to do some of this stuff. WELDY: Madam Mayor, the spokesperson for Allana Buick and Bers and also then, eventually, Gensler, the architectural firm that's also on board, they indicated that the wet sealing of the storefronts was a priority, to get that done immediately, and also make changes to the roofs and areas. And we are now referencing the roof drains and what's referred to as a no hub; that's where the pipe changes direction, and it's in the walls of the building. And also, the remediation related to the water coming in on the west side of the building. And then Page 54 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES the next big one is on the south side of the building, so on the Centennial Plaza. They also noted that while the wet sealing and all of the intermediate work would reduce the amount of intrusion. Let's not forget that their forensic inspection -- this is when they opened up the walls -- noted, and it's in writing, that when the storefront's windows and doors were put in, that several of the components that are necessary for that type of door or window were not included in the original construction. Whether that was through value engineering or other means, he was not certain. But the storefronts really need to be part of the priority there, along with several other things. So right now, we still have some water getting in through the doors on the south side whenever the wind blows, or if we have a big enough storm. The primary reason for that is the building is setting lower than the Centennial Pavilion. And we need to address the first five or six feet out from the building and slope it away from it. So we first need to address getting the dewatering done and then make the repairs. Making the repairs or replacements any time prior to that is just not a good move. So we can certainly visit it. What we're asking for right now is obviously design funding and a placeholder for the things that are identified as part of that design. GOODWIN: Justin -- and I may be mixing up the years here, so forgive me -- I just want to note the -- we were just talking about in terms of sloping away from the building on the Centennial Circle side; is that current, or is that part of this project that you're proposing for next year? WELDY: So the design for that is current and this year. We just don't have the funding. It costs more than anticipated to address the O'Flynn room. GOODWIN: Okay. And so would that then be covered under what we're considering the 700,000 placeholder to get that portion done and then potentially anything else next year? WELDY: Correct. GOODWIN: Okay. MAYOR DICKEY: Gerry? FRIEDEL: So just to fix the sloping along the south side of that building is that the 750, or Page 55 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES are you talking about replacing the storefronts? WELDY: Councilmember, we certainly do not know the cost. To change the direction of the slope is certainly not going to be that expensive. We've looked at several alternatives, including but not limited to increasing the open space adjacent to the windows and leaving pathways into the doors. So it wouldn't cost as much, but it is going to be considerably expensive to saw, cut, and remove all of the concrete, or at least six or eight feet of it wide along the building, basically from the southwest corner to the southeast corner. FRIEDEL: I thought I remember a figure of a quarter of a million or something to do that. Maybe I'm wrong, but looking at those numbers. So if we did that, that wouldn't solve a big part of the problem down the southside of the building. WELDY: Absolutely. Sloping the concrete away from it is going to really solve a lot of the problems. It's going to reduce or completely eliminate the amount of water that comes in the doors and also reduce or eliminate the amount of water that currently pools up against the storefronts. Keep in mind that some of this money is to grind the existing on grade slab. So for lack of a better description, the wall is set in on the concrete slab, and the concrete slab comes up, so the water is trapped up to three-quarters of an inch deep along the building near the windows and doors. So when we remove the rocking surface, that will allow for the specialty equipment that gets in there and grinds down that other one to give positive slope away from it, and then either area drains, trench drains, or decorative drains will be installed in the new concrete to catch the water not only running away from the building, but the water running towards the building and dewater it either to the east or the west, or into the existing storm drain structure. And we're uncertain of the cost of some of these. So there we were estimating because we don't have the design completed yet. FRIEDEL: So can we give you money for a design, you can come back and tell us what it's going to cost? WELDY: If that's the direction, absolutely. Page 56 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES MAYOR DICKEY: So did we do that drain -- I don't know if you called it French drain, but what -- you remember you were going to do kind of what you're talking about saw cut, and then, did we ever end up doing any of that? WELDY: We did at the main entry door. We saw cut and removed the concrete, routed piping underneath that, and tied into the existing drain system. It's a big ask, we are aware. GOODWIN: So if I can chime in one more time, Justin? And it is a big ask, and it's an uncomfortable one because it feels like there's not a lot of certainty as to what it is. And Justin mentioned this, and he and I have had a lot of conversations about the community center. And when is enough -- where are we going with this? It feels like we're doing a lot of near -term, short-term fixes, like, again, the wet seal and things like that. So the big stuff, let's say the storefronts, if they need to be replaced, how are we planning for that? Do we have a plan for that? Do we have a budget for that? Is that going to -- it's obviously going to be a multiyear, but it feels like there is not an end in sight. So there's going to be a discussion internally about what exactly do we need to do, and how do we get this plan -- get our arms around a plan, a better plan, I'm going to call it. In the meantime, we do know that this project, the exterior portion, the sloping, if we'll call it that, needs to happen. And that's what this 700 would allow us to get done. And then, if we identify any other projects that are within that budget, we can probably tackle those, too. Is that what you're saying? My understanding was the 700 was over and above what we hope we will need for the sloping project. WELDY: It absolutely is. But it's the -- the ask is also because there are still some uncertainties. While we would like to think that we're going into this with all the knowledge we need, we still need to complete the design and do a little bit more exploratory work in regards to dewatering. If the project is substantially less, the cost will be substantially less. We're not just asking for the 700 just so we could find something to do with it. We just want to be prepared. FRIEDEL: I think I'd feel comfortable. Will the design tell us whether we need to replace Page 57 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES the storefronts, too? What will the design tell us? WELDY: The design is -- the engineering and architectural firm has already indicated that the storefronts need to be replaced. FRIEDEL: So we know that already? WELDY: Correct. And so the next portion is the dewatering the southern half of the building and addressing the roof drain system. We believe that the intermediate is working relatively well, but we still have some minor issues off and on during storms. FRIEDEL: So the design will tell us what has to be fixed? Will it give us a cost or an estimate as to what it will cost? WELDY: Yes. And again, the first part is design. We got to get through the design portion of it. And then, as part of that, we'll have some probable cost from the engineers. Please note not only are we going to be having these internal discussions with the town manager, architects, and engineers that are already on board here, but we're going to be coming back before this council -- not only us, but those professionals -- to share their opinions of the intermediate work or short-term work and next steps. It's part of the ongoing process. GOODWIN: If I can chime in one more time, Mayor? Sorry. I feel like this is a project that is so unwieldy, and it is difficult to understand because we've done so much work, and we feel like it's continuing on. One of the questions you had, Councilmember Friedel, was about, do we know that the storefronts need to be replaced? We do. And I -- Justin shared earlier, if you recall, we had some testing done where we had cut into the walls and we had the drywall removed. There was extensive deterioration and rust and whatnot in there. So they definitely are going to need to at some point. To the mayor's point, when is that point? How long do we have? And that's really the question we have. So I -- what I would expect is that, as we have these conversations, we're probably going to have to do a bigger update to the council, whether that is a work study or some other type of large update, to say, this is what we've done, this is what still needs to be done, and this is what we think it's going to be in terms of budget Page 58 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES in the long-term. So I expect that to come back in a holistic concept as well. FRIEDEL: I think that every councilmember sitting here -- well, the four of us and the ones on the phone -- would be all for getting that community center up to shape. It's just knowing what it is -- you might come back to us and say, hey, we need another half a million on top of this. I'd like to know what the costs are going to be before we say yay or nay on this. I'm all for the design right now. How long will it take to get done? WELDY: We'll need to open a dialogue with the architecture and engineering firm to see what their availability is. And I don't want to give a time frame now, but we need to amend their contract, get a notice to proceed, and then sit down with them and discuss our expectations and the next steps, and then hear back from them. So I don't know that for certain, but we can certainly get back to you on that. FRIEDEL: We know something has to be done, though? GOODWIN: Yes. And I think this is actually a great example of what we were talking about potentially being a yellow project in that we know it needs to be done, but you need more information before we're comfortable moving forward. But if we don't budget for it now, we won't have any placeholder in the future. So if the idea is, let's assume for conversation that you say yes, leave it in there, but we want to hear more before you move forward, then that this would be a good example of that, where you say, go get the design done, come back to us, tell us what it's going to cost, and then we'll decide if we're going to move forward. But we have the money set there so that we can do it if we choose to. If we don't, we don't. It doesn't go anywhere. It's not lost. But that may be a good example of a project that is yellow versus green if that makes sense. MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman? MCMAHON: It sounds to me like this has been -- it's an ongoing project, and it sounds to me, based on the explanation and your explanation, this has to be done sooner or later, preferably sooner. So I think it would be a good idea to have these placeholder funds for all the reasons Rachael stated on the books because once we get the design -- again, it's something that's going to have to be done. We have to repair the community Page 59 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES center. It's one of the most busiest, vibrant buildings in town that's used by our community, and to constantly come back and have to stand here and keep asking for money to fix it -- I mean, it's a little bit confusing because it's like, didn't we already decide this? Didn't we already have the funds for this, et cetera? So personally, I would like to see the design move forward as well as having placeholder funds available should they be needed, and they probably will be based on what the explanation that you and Rachael have provided. So thank you. WELDY: We had discussed this earlier in regards to Shea Boulevard. This is the widening. Again, this is the section eastbound between Palisades and Fountain Hills Boulevard. As we had discussed earlier, this is a seventy/thirty split. So the state's share of the anticipated cost for next year is $1.7, and ours would be 750. Obviously, you can see the total construction cost there laid out in the sheets. And it should be noted that all of the money that you see in regards to the state's share has already been allocated and identified and available to the town. So this isn't something that we have to go chasing after. It's already been allocated. And in this case, there is some additional funding available in there, should we run into any challenges. That funding is readily available on this one from the state. Again, we don't have to go ask; it's our pro rata share for the 400 money, which continues to -- they add a little bit every two -and -a -half years, I believe. I'd have to go back and look. Questions, comments, concerns? This is the next one that's coming up in the future. This is eastbound between Technology and Fountain Hills Boulevard. MAYOR DICKEY: And just to remind everyone, we talked about these at our retreat. So we had good, thorough discussion. WELDY: These are in the outlying years, as you can see. Again, the money has already been allocated. There will obviously be a discussion after an upcoming vote related to the quarter -cent sales tax, which will certainly have an impact on some of this work. As a reminder, when you see those large numbers that David Pock and Paul are presenting, please note that these are reimbursement projects. We have to spend the money and Page 60 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES then invoice them, and then the money comes back in. So those big numbers really drive that budget number much, much higher. But again, we get a reimbursement for it. Any questions, comments related to this one? When we were working on Grande Rosita and Deuce Court, we discovered that the existing infrastructure that we were trying to adjacent to Deuce Court was in very, very poor condition. We took advantage of grant funding from the flood control and repaired the part that directly tied to and was downstream from the project that we did last year. What you're seeing here is the additional work that now changes this to the Courtside Villas. Again, we will be applying for a grant from the Flood Control District on this. As you can see, we anticipate construction to be $150,000. 112 of that would come from the Flood Control District, and the town's reimbursement would be $37,500. Should also note that this particular neighborhood is not only excited about the drainage improvements but that they're getting a sidewalk running right by their place. Comments, questions, concerns related to this one? This is the one that we -- did not get selected for a grant for this year. We are looking next year to take a different direction and see, possibly, if the Flood Control District would approve a grant for this. This year, we applied for federal funding, which is quite time-consuming and challenging to say the least, for those federal funds. So we're asking for a placeholder so we can begin a dialogue and quite possibly get approved for a grant from the Flood Control District for this. This is one of the projects that if we do not receive the grant funding, the other monies that are shown as the town's share for design or construction will remain in the capital budget. MAYOR DICKEY: That reminds me that the money that we were talking about earlier, that Hannah mentioned, over $300,000, is that in the capital funding? Is that in the capital improvement fund too, from the savings that you guys found? WELDY: Yes. That remains in the capital fund. MAYOR DICKEY: Thanks. WELDY: Some of that money was utilized to offset the $521,000. So the council projects and other projects that we identified that were either below budget or Page 61 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES substantially below budget, some of those monies were utilized to make up that $521,000. But yes, the money does remain there and can be used for other capital projects if needed. But in that case, staff would come to the mayor and council and explain the situation and include any associated budget transfers. So you're involved in that process as well. This is another one of the projects, and these are primarily what we refer to as low -flow crossings. It's easy for the town engineer and and others in the transportation industry to just say that. What this really is, is a wash that crosses the pavement section. This one right here is on Fountain Hills Boulevard north of Palisades. For those of you that have lived here for a while, you may or may not have come up to this after a rainstorm and stopped and realized the water going across the street could be up to five or six feet deep with mature trees in it and discarded couches, furniture, tires. FRIEDEL: Some boulders. WELDY: Some boulders. You can actually hear those rolling. Again, we anticipate that we are going to apply for grant funding to help with the design and the construction. Whether or not that will be approved by the Flood Control District is unknown. So once again, we're asking for a placeholder. This one right here. As part of last year, not the one we're in or the one that we're discussing, staff brought a proposal for a contract to do some intersection improvements here primarily to the left -turn pockets or left -turning lanes in the intersection of Fountain Hills Boulevard and Palisades. What they were addressing was the level of service, primarily based on comments, concerns, and complaints from the residents. A couple of councilmembers that had made this one of their priorities have obviously moved on from here, but by the time we got the whole process -- obviously, there was others seated -- it was decided at that time that we would not move forward with that design or the eventual construction, but rather take a look at the curb ramps. So we have. We went out. In fact, the town engineer, along with a couple of professional engineers, we went and looked at this area. This is going to be quite challenging. Basically, in order to meet the minimum guidelines for the DOJ -- we're Page 62 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES going to use a pointer here. This -- let me get myself oriented here. Here we go. This is the corner that Safeway is on, and here's the service station in this area. As we're looking at it on the right, the lane that comes across here, basically, dives off really, really steep. Are you unable to see? GOODWIN: No. You're showing opposite. WELDY: Am I? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Um -hum. WELDY: This is 4 Sons back here, right? GOODWIN: Right. WELDY: Yeah. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: And church (indiscernible). WELDY: Oh, it's this one here. Yeah. Now I'm in the right place. Anyway, the number 2 eastbound lane basically will need to be raised eighteen to twenty-four inches in order to make changes to that ramp. It will also require some changes to the southbound number 2 lane. Minimal changes over on the southwest corner and then the northeast and the northwest corner; not a lot of changes there. But basically, the road needs to be raised on one of these corners. We can certainly do that and make the changes necessary to do that, but it's going to take a while. We just entered into an agreement with a surveyor, provided all of the documentation. After a lot of conversation and meetings on site, we're going to get some survey numbers. And then once we get those, we're going to primarily do the lion's share of the design in the house, and then we're going to get some estimates. We currently do not know what it's going to cost to bring this intersection into compliance, but it will be challenging. I think it's important to note at this time that the previous project, which primarily focused on the left -turning movements for this intersection, also, in that fee, included a design to address the ADA issues in the intersection. We can go back and look at those numbers and see approximately what their cost was. I also think it's important to note that not only the town manager, but the mayor and council and the staff, have listened Page 63 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES to and heard from the people that use this intersection that have physical challenges. And we've gone out there and already begun to make intermediate changes, including but not limited to repositioning the push buttons for the traffic signal crossings for the pet heads. We've also installed what we refer to as A -poles, but we put in shorter poles that are further away from the big pole with a push button on them, again, so those with physical challenges can reach a push button so they can call a phase to more safely cross the street. Right now, we're looking at a placeholder. How long the work is going to take and what it's going to cost, we don't know. But rest assured, we will be back before you with some recommendations, including costs in the future. FRIEDEL: I was out at this intersection with one of the residents in town who has a motorized scooter, and we actually went through that. So I'm glad to hear that you put new push pads out there so that they have access to them. Was there any thought about a railing along that street? Because that's such a steep drop that if they lose control or something, they're going to roll right into the street. Was there any thought about that at any point? WELDY: Councilmember, we did not discuss a safety rail while we were out there with -- so we met with two residents that have some challenges. MCMAHON: Thank you very much. I think this was brought up the last time we talked about this intersection. And there was something about not in compliance -- ADA. And it was pre -incorporation. But now we have notice and we have people with disabilities who have been out there that have participated in helping you make a decision about the difficulty that they're having, not even being able to reach the button for changing the light, et cetera. So I think that this is really a need more than a want, especially since the town's been put on notice that it's very, very difficult for people with disabilities to navigate this dangerous intersection. So thank you. KALIVIANAKIS: Ms. Mayor? MAYOR DICKEY: Yes, Councilwoman. KALIVIANAKIS: Thank you. Justin, I know you said you're going to get back at us with Page64of68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES cost estimates, but could you just give us a ballpark estimate? It sounds like, with regrading the roads and a lot of those surfaces, it's going to be a pretty expensive project. Is there any way you just give us some kind of a good guess? WELDY: Madam Mayor, Councilmember Kalivianakis, we don't have an estimate at this time because this is going to be an in-house design. The $50,000 that we're asking for is only to pay for professional services in regards to survey and whether or not we need to get a professional opinion from a professional traffic operations engineer. So primarily, the design is going to be in-house. So this $50,000 ask is just simply to cover the minor costs related to an in-house design. In regards to construction costs, we're nowhere near that at this time. There's too much unknown to provide a probable cost. KALIVIANAKIS: And then could you just once again just go through the process of what you think it would do to regrade and to make this thing more ADA accessible? WELDY: For lack of a better description, the southeast corner of the intersection needs to be raised about eighteen inches. Both the northbound -- Fountain Hills Boulevard sidewalk drops down substantially, and also the eastbound -- or westbound, excuse me -- Palisades. They both are very, very steep, leading, basically, into a hole on the southeast corner there. We are of the opinion that if we raise that corner and change the pavement -- and the pavement is very, very steep in that area -- that we can meet the majority of the accommodations. Keep in mind that the sidewalk will need to be rerouted on that corner, so we can decrease the slope on that as well. And there will be -- it'll be necessary to put in some retaining walls along the service station on both fronts there, so we can flatten out that sidewalk as well. The traffic signal pole and foundation in its current location will remain. It will just be a little different looking, for lack of a better description, when we're finished. KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. And thank you. And just so I can get this in my mind, when you said that Palisades would have to be redone, would that require, like, taking a jackhammer, removing the existing asphalt, and then doing infill and then repaving it so Page 65 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES it's higher? WELDY: Correct, except for we don't use many jackhammers anymore. We use a giant saw to saw cut and remove the travel lane and the existing concrete, and then, yes, it would be filled, compacted, and then new curb, gutter, sidewalk, curb, opening ramp, and a travel lane put back on it. KALIVIANAKIS: And so would that reduce traffic to one lane during the construction phase? WELDY: Yes, ma'am. MAYOR DICKEY: One of the things that I -- but now I know it's impossible because it's more than really just one way, would be to emergency close one of the intersection or one of the corners. But there wouldn't be any way to get there, even if you went all the way around. So I don't think that that's an option. But if -- since this is probably going to take a while, then maybe if there is something to look at to prevent -- you said a railing, right? Yeah. I don't know. Maybe we need to because this would not be happening this year. I mean, we will start this year, but I don't see it getting done this year. WELDY: We can certainly look at intermediate options and see. Keep in mind that it's been this way probably since this portion was built in '98, '99. So we certainly -- we've heard, and so we're doing our best to make changes. It's just going to take us a little while. And this is a discussion that's going to be much, much bigger with all of us moving forward here. MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Thank you. WELDY: This is just a recap of what we're looking at. So the total ask here is 4.3. There are the list of projects. This is a breakdown of where the funding will be allocated from. Questions or comments related to that one? This is the outlying years. Keep in mind, based on the feedback from tonight, the outlying years will have slight changes to not only community services, but public works. These are -- again, are the outlying years related to grants and funding and revenue sources. Questions? Page 66 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Rachael? GOODWIN: I just had one follow-up question for the council. I know we debated a number of projects, and I've been taking -- I've been taking a lot of notes. But there was one question, and it was really the only project that sort of was unclear, was the intersection for Palisades and La Montana, whether we're going to move forward with the design of the roundabout or not. I heard a couple yeses. I heard a couple people feel like maybe that wasn't what we wanted to do. So I just need to clarify that one. GRZYBOWSKI: I do support proceeding. GOODWIN: Okay. Right now, I hate to say it this way, I'm wondering if there's anybody on the phone that may be willing to chime in because I did hear it mentioned. Hannah mentioned she was not wanting to move forward with that one. Perhaps if we can hear from Allen. SKILLICORN: Hello, I'm here. GOODWIN: Allen, I just wanted to see what your thoughts were on the project that was talked about specific to Palisades Boulevard and La Montana, the intersection improvements there. The request is for design funds in the amount of $150,000. Wanted to know if you how you felt about moving forward with that one or postponing it? SKILLICORN: So about eleven months ago, the town council voted to put a moratorium on roundabouts. And I don't think anything has changed. So I would be a no. MAYOR DICKEY: Did we vote to put a moratorium on roundabouts? Or we just weren't going to do the one on Saguaro and Avenue of the Fountain or -- yeah, Avenue of the Fountains; didn't we say that? I mean, we just -- that one project council vote -- some council voted to not proceed, but I don't remember a moratorium on roundabouts. GOODWIN: Correct. That project, we didn't proceed. So noted. I think the other piece of this is we can certainly keep it in the contingency as an option if we decide to move forward with it if that's something we want to do as well. That was really the only one, the only project, that I needed a little bit of clarification on. I think everything else Page 67 of 68 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MARCH 26, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES sounded like we're going to be moving forward. And then we'll be recommending again the sort of approved projects, the green -light projects, projects that we don't really have a lot of questions on, that we feel like are self-explanatory. And then those that may need to come back for further conversation, potentially, specifically an example being the community center, the one we kind of talked about. But we'll bring those back when we come back with the full budget in April. MAYOR DICKEY: I think we should come back with this one because I think a lot of the objection or the worry about it was the cost, and we were throwing around $2 million and $1 million. And like I said, that's not what this one out here cost. And also, we have a good chance of getting a grant for that. So I wonder if that changes the conversation at all because leaving that intersection alone is not something I want to do even a little. GOODWIN: Sure. And again, as a design, and that does set us up for grant opportunities. It's not the construction; it's just the design process. Okay. Is there any other questions about our projects, about things you thought you might see you didn't see, want to see? Otherwise, we're going to move forward with what we have, and you'll be seeing these integrated into the overall budget. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. That sounds great. And I appreciate everybody's work getting to this point. And we're adjourned. Page 68 of 68 Having no further business, Mayor Ginny Dickey adjourned the Work Session — Capital Improvement Project of the Fountain Hills Town Council held on March 26, 2024, at 8:24 p.m. ATTEST, AND PREPARED BY: TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Ginn Dickey, rNayor Lifida G. Mendenhall, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Works Session — Capital Improvement Projects Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 26th day of March 2024. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 21st Day of May 2024. `akf(6CcLY/ Linda G. Mendenhall, Town Clerk