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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMMPC.2013.0326.Minutes • kTAINy, l TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS z MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE 0 MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN PRESERVATION COMMISSION Taw MARCH 26,2013 ce that is No• 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 5:28 p.m., Tuesday, March 26, 2013 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, Vice-Chair Bill Craig, Commissioners Tom Barberic, Gerard Bisceglia, Steve Fleming, Klaus Schadle, and Elena Torre. Staff members present were Deputy Town Manager/Finance Director Julie Ghetti, Director Mark Mayer, and Executive Assistant Nancy Walter. AGENDA ITEM#3: CALL TO THE PUBLIC No one from the public was present. AGENDA ITEM #4: CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE FEBRUARY 26, 2013 MEETING MINUTES L. Commissioner Bisceglia made a motion to accept the minutes of the February 26, 2013 meeting, Commissioner Barberic seconded and the motion passed by unanimous vote. AGENDA ITEM #5: UPDATE ON THE FY 2013-14 BUDGET PROCESS Deputy Town Manager/Finance Director Ghetti reviewed the attached budget presentation. • Staff is waiting to see if there will be any challenges to the legality of Paradise Valley's Public Safety Fire Fee. One of Fountain Hills' Priority Budget Issues is a Public Safety Fire Fee • There is no money in the budget for the recently approved Four Peaks Park Master Plan. There has to be a plan in place for when local or grant funding becomes available • There has been no movement on the Ellman Properties so revenues were not considered in the proposed budget • Although the number of staff has been cut in approximately half from ten years ago, staff is committed to trying to maintain the same level of service • The Adero Canyon money is a restricted fund set aside for a specific project and cannot be used for anything else; it has to be related to the growth that put it there • The amount budgeted for this Commission is the same amount as last year. There would be enough money to purchase counters to track the Preserve usage AGENDA ITEM#6: UPDATE ON SENATE BILL#1525 The Town Attorney does not see an issue with renaming the Preserve as a park, which, in theory, would allow us to collect development fees. L McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Page 1 of 4 The development fee program is in the process of being updated; one recommendation is to get the Preserve name changed to a park. The interest on the$1.7 million for the Adero Canyon trailhead has to go into the designated fund. A portion of the money for the current development fee study comes from this same fund. AGENDA ITEM #7: UPDATE FROM THE FOUNTAIN HILLS AND SCOTTSDALE TRAIL CONNECTION WORKGROUP Scottsdale is still going forward with the November, 2013 bidding process to acquire the State Trust Land west of Fountain Hills. The appraisal on the land should be done sometime this week. AGENDA ITEM #8: UPDATE FROM THE PRESERVE MARKETING WORKGROUP / COMMUNITY OUTREACH Commissioner Barberic will email the PowerPoint introduction letter and the list of talking points to the Commission. The PowerPoint presentation will be on a flash-drive or a CD, depending on what equipment is provided by the organization or group that the Commission is presenting to. AGENDA ITEM#9: UPDATE FROM THE PRESERVE ACCESS WORKGROUP The North Heights POA is electing four new members of the board tonight. The objective is to get it to a vote by the association to allow the trail up Mayan Canyon. Chair Myers wants to see if a portion of the $1.7 million can be used now to improve the existing jeep road. There are possibly two groups looking into buying Adero Canyon. •o• AGENDA ITEM #10: DISCUSSION OF ADDING A PRESERVE TRAILHEAD CONSTRUCTION WORK GROUP This group would look into how to keep the $1.7 million from going away, trailhead construction costs, definition of the Preserve/park, etc. Commissioners Fleming and Schadle volunteered to line-item the process to build the trailhead and see what we would get for the $1.7 million. Deputy Town Manager/Finance Director Ghetti said the statute is very clear, the Town Council has no authority to move the development funds to another fund; the $1.7 million is held strictly for the trailhead. The development fee study consultant and the Town Attorney said we would include the Preserve as part of the park system. This would be one of the items brought forward with the new development fee plan. AGENDA ITEM #11: DISCUSSION OF PRESERVE TRIFOLD BROCHURE PLACEMENT IN KIOSKS Chair Myers distributed the attached list of suggested places for the Preserve trifolds. • Commissioner Bisceglia volunteered to place the trifolds at items# 1 though#7, and#12 • Vice-Chair Craig and Commissioner Fleming volunteered to place the trifolds at items# 8 and #9 • Chair Myers volunteered to handle stock item# 10 ..r McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Page 2 of 4 • #11 - Chair Myers will inquire at the Symposium as to what additional websites the trifolds could be placed on; the trifold maps are currently on the Town's and the Chamber's websites • Item#13 is removed from the suggested list AGENDA ITEM #12: UPDATE ON THE AMERICAN TRAILS INTERNATIONAL TRAILS SYMPOSIUM Director Mayer, Chair Myers, and Vice-Chair Craig are registered for the April 14-17, 2013 symposium. AGENDA ITEM#13: UPDATE ON THE FOUNTAIN HILLS CYCLOVIA Cyclovia will be held in Fountain Hills on Saturday, April 13, 2013 in conjunction with the symposium. Cyclovia activities include guided hikes of the Lake Overlook Trail, every hour on the hour, lead by Sonoran Conservancy members and McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission members. There are many activities, in town and the surrounding areas,being planned for all ages. The Sonoran Conservancy and the Commission will have a tent on Saguaro and will distribute Preserve maps and other trail information. There is a Sonoran Conservancy training session tonight for the hike leaders. The Commissioners are encouraged to be involved in this event. AGENDA ITEM #14: CONSIDERATION OF ADJOURNMENT *Chair Myers said Vice-Chair Craig has an article in the April AveNEWS regarding the Lake Overlook Tail and the volunteers who worked on it. *Director Mayer asked the Commissioners to send him and Chair Myers their agenda items for the May joint meeting with Council. *Chair Myers has invited the Sonoran Conservancy members to the joint meeting. Commissioner Schadle made a motion to adjourn at 6:35 p.m., Commissioner Bisceglia seconded and the motion passed by unanimous vote. cDo ell Mountain Preservation Commission By: 13.11 Myers, Chair Reviewed by: C Mar C. Mayer, Director of Com nity Services Prepared by: Nan W lter xecutive Assistant McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Page 3 of 4 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 March 26, 13. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. By: nc Walt , Executive Assistant Dated this 27th day of March, 2013 McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Page 4 of 4