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Home My WebLink AboutMMPC.2015.0623.Minutes ON)/ ArN\fit O/ ,� TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS ' MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN PRESERVATION COMMISSION "' JUNE 23,2015 that is M'1• AGENDA ITEM#1: CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE A public meeting of the McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission was convened and called to order by Chair Bill Myers at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 23, 2015 in the Council Chambers at Town Hall, located at 16705 East Avenue of the Fountains, Fountain Hills, Arizona. AGENDA ITEM#2: ROLL CALL Present at roll call were Chair Bill Myers, Commissioners Tom Aiello, Bill Craig, Klaus Schadle, and Ken Thornton. Absent at roll call were Vice-Chair Tom Barberic and Commissioner Stan Ruden. Staff members present were Director Mark Mayer and Customer Service Representative Leigh Heise. AGENDA ITEM#3: CALL TO THE PUBLIC No one from the public wished to speak at this time. AGENDA ITEM #4: CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE MAY 26, 2015 MEETING MINUTES Commissioner Aiello made a motion to accept the minutes of the May 26, 2015 meeting, Commissioner `*"'" Craig seconded and the motion passed by unanimous vote. AGENDA ITEM#5: UPDATE ON ADERO CANYON BY JEREMY HALL Jeremy Hall, President of MCO, said: • The two-year project was started in mid-March and everything is on schedule; substantial completion should be at the end of 2016 with final sign-off by the Town in early 2017 • Possibly 20-30 thousand cubic yards of dirt is available to give to the Town • The owner of the 13 Scottsdale custom lots has no desire to develop the land; he is looking for a buyer for the land • Access to build the trailhead should be around mid 2016; the goal is to have the canyon and the trailhead open at the same time • The all-weather road will be maintained by MCO until the second phase is started and the utilities are put in; a second water tank needs to be put in before the road is completed • The archeological site was identified as prehistoric and most likely a hunting camp; a few pottery chards and some stone tools were found. MCO has made a request through the State Historic Preservation Office to archive some of the items at the River of Time Museum once the State Historic Museum in Tucson is finished categorizing them • The theme of the development is traditional territorial; the retaining walls will be made of earthen- looking slump block, the railings on the bridges will look like heavy iron buckles, the Welcome Center will be a combination of foundation remnants and a contemporary style with a modern spin, and there will be a fake water tank, doubling as a cell tower, near the parking lot • The meandering trail starts at the Welcome Center and goes to the trailhead • MCO would be interested in being the General Contractor for the trailhead McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Page 1 of 4 AGENDA ITEM #6: PRESENTATION ON FIREWISING BY ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF DAVE OTT Assistant Fire Chief Dave Ott referred to and showed a video from the website http://www.firewise.org/wildfire-preparedness/video/for-the-general-public.aspx NIS The Rio Fire in 1995 was about 26,000 acres. One of the structures that was saved was the Greasewood Flat Restaurant. It is a mix between the developer, the development, the neighborhood, and adjacent land owner working in concert to get things done to firewise. On-going maintenance reduces the amount of fuels that could spread a fire. If there was a fire on the Preserve, the water could come from the fire trucks, tankers, hydrants, or from helicopters. Additional resources would come from Scottsdale Fire or Salt River Fire. The Fire Captain would determine how and if a fire would be fought in the Preserve. The Town has a program for wash maintenance. The HOAs on the FireRock side of town do a good job of maintaining the washes. AGENDA ITEM #7: REPORT ON THE JUNE 22, 2015 COMMUNITY SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETINGS No one from the MMPC attended the June 22nd CSAC meeting. Director Myer said the CSAC will discuss having a representative attend the MMPC meetings. Director Mayer said the CSAC discussed the dog park; Council approved putting a fence up between the large and small dog areas. The annual landscape contract was awarded to Artistic Landscape. AGENDA ITEM#8: UPDATE FROM THE SONORAN CONSERVANCY There is nothing new to report since the last Commission meeting. Commissioner Craig said all tools that were ordered have been received. AGENDA ITEM #9: CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDING TO COUNCIL TO ADD A LOOP(S)TO THE SONORAN TRAIL Chair Myers made a motion to recommend to Council to add the Sonoran Loop South Trail to the Master Plan, Commissioner Schadle seconded and the motion passed by unanimous vote. Commissioner Craig will present the recommendation to Council at the August 6th meeting. AGENDA ITEM#10: UPDATE ON TOOLS AND TRAIL COUNTERS The trail counters, pick mattocks, and Rogue tools have been received and distributed to the Commissioners. The tool boxes are in storage behind the Community Center. AGENDA ITEM #11: UPDATE FROM THE PRESERVE MARKETING GROUP REGARDING PRESERVE TRAIL MAPS AND TRIFOLDS Vice-Chair Barberic is working with Ken Valverde on the maps and trifolds. McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Page 2 of 4 AGENDA ITEM#12: UPDATE ON THE 2015 OBJECTIVES Commissioner Thornton will have a draft of the QR codes within the next few weeks. The codes will have trail information and maps of the trails. In the future, the codes could also include the trail profile and sow possibly information on firewising. Commissioner Thornton will send the draft to staff and then staff will distribute it to the Commission. There are 45 individual signs, including emergency markers and helicopter landing zones, for the Andrew- Kinsey Trail. There are also approximately ten posts to be installed; multiple signs will be on the posts. The preserve will not be called a Park; it was considered when it was thought the trailhead would not be built before 2020. The Commission will discuss at their August meeting whether to have a joint meeting with Council or ask to be on Council's agenda twice a year. Chair Myers, Commissioner Schadle, Captain Letourneau, Chief Roberts, and Assistant Fire Chief Ott met on June 9th to discuss dialing 911 from the Preserve. As long as there is reception, you can reach 911. A significant increase in hikers is expected once Adero Canyon is opened. The Town is working with MCO to get about 8800 cubic yards of dirt to use to build the trailhead. MCO is doing the design work for the temporary utilities; J2 will review them and then the final designs plans could be completed. The bid process would take approximately four months; the bids would only be good for thirty to sixty days. The money for the trailhead will be in the FY2016-17 budget. Chair Myers interpreted section 4.3.2 in the Town's agreement with MCO that it is MCO's responsibility to repair the scar on the Promenade Trail. Director Mayer said if there is money left over from the construction budget; it might be possible to use that money to repair the scar/cut along the Promenade Trail. AGENDA ITEM #13: DISCUSSION OF DESIGNATING A MMPC REPRESENTATIVE TO THE COMMUNITY SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION The Commissioners have been taking turns going to the meetings. The Commissioners will continue rotating. AGENDA ITEM #14: CONSIDERATION OF ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Schadle made a motion to adjourn at 7:03 p.m., Commissioner Thornton seconded and the motion passed by unanimous vote. ountain Preservation Commission By: Bill Myers, Chair Reviewed by: C . Mark C. Mayer, Director of Communi Services McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Page 3 of 4 ^ Recording Secretary: Leigh Heise, Customer Service Representative Prepared by: N n lter, xecutive Assistant CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Meeting held on June 23, 2015. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. i By: A • H6i e, Customer Service Representative Dated this 14th day of July 2015 McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Page 4 of 4