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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015.1013.TCWSM.Minutesz:\council packets\2015\r151105\151013wsm.docx Page 1 of 5 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE WORK STUDY SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL OCTOBER 13, 2015 * CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Kavanagh called the Work Study Session to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers. Present for Roll Call were the following members of the Town Council: Mayor Linda Kavanagh, Vice Mayor Dennis Brown, Councilmember Nick DePorter and Councilmember Henry Leger. Councilmember Magazine arrived at the meeting at 5:32 p.m. Town Manager Grady Miller, Town Attorney Andrew McGuire and Town Clerk Bevelyn Bender were also present. Councilmembers Cecil A. Yates and Cassie Hansen were absent from the meeting. AGENDA ITEM #1 - PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION ON KEY PROJECT ELEMENTS REGARDING THE POSSIBLE RELOCATION OF FIRE STATION NO. 2. Town Manager Grady Miller addressed the Council and advised that before them this evening is a presentation on the planned relocation of Fire Station No. 2. He noted that there are some "moving parts" that staff wants to tie down in an effort to obtain consensus from the Council -- the first being the location. He reported that there are two locations for their consideration, one on Shea Boulevard and one on Muskrat and Fountain Hills Boulevard. He stated that he would now turn the discussion over to Chief Randy Roberts who will do a presentation on this agenda item. Fire Chief Randy Roberts addressed the Council and noted that the presentation he will outline takes a brief look at where they have been with this project, where they are currently at and where they hope to go with it. He provided the Council with a brief presentation as follows (Copy available on line and in the office of the Town Clerk). * History of Fire Station No. 2 (Built in 1997) * Current Problem: Response Times/Call Volume Imbalance * Remediation of the Problem Relocation of Staffing Applied for FEMA/ARRA Grant to Fund Construction of Relocation Contracted with Rural/Metro to Position R823 at Eagle Mountain Area Budget for Construction of the New Facility (Two Sites Identified) * Selection Criteria for Fire Station Sites * Site 1 (Shea Boulevard) Advantages: Design is complete (some update required for Code change; meets response requirements and the site is Town owned Disadvantages: Small site restricts construction activity and station size; requires traffic signal on Shea Boulevard (extra cost); More and faster traffic on Shea Boulevard (safety concern); New sewer line needed to extend to Fountain Hills Boulevard (extra cost); Awkward fire truck access within the site - not a pull-through garage; Challenging topography and construction site and it needs median reworked in Shea Boulevard. * Site 1 Contours on Shea Boulevard * Site 1 Floor Plan * Neighborhood Integration * Site 1 Ingress, Egress & Safety * Site 2 (Fountain Hills Boulevard at Muskrat Drive Advantages: Meets response requirements; Town owned; larger site supports a station that meets operation requirements; Better access for fire trucks (3 bays and pull-through design); Major utilities in place; Share access and cost with EPCOR; Lower traffic counts and speed on street and better public access. Disadvantages: No design completed (Preliminary Study completed by Arrington Watkins Architects; Minor median work on Fountain Hills Boulevard. * Site 2 Neighborhood Integration * Site 2 Ingress, Egress & Safety z:\council packets\2015\r151105\151013wsm.docx Page 2 of 5 * Cost Comparison: Site 1 $3,125,000 Site 2 $3,022,000 FY 2015-16 CIP Budget $3,650,000 * Council Questions and Answers that have been provided * Staff Recommendation - Site No. 2 at Fountain Hills Boulevard and Muskrat Drive * Answers to Council Questions from the September 5, 2013 Council Meeting * Fire Station #2 Relocation Study * Elevations/Renderings Chief Roberts indicated his willingness to respond to any questions from the Council. Vice Mayor Brown referred to the cost to build and said that the report indicates that it would cost $3,125,000 for the Shea site and asked if the $1,053,000 for the sewer is included in that cost and Chief Roberts confirmed that it was and noted that the price includes all off-site utilities. He also confirmed that the $3,022,000 figure for Site 2 includes the $276,500 as well as the $240,000 architectural fee. The Vice Mayor noted that there would be about a $100,000 savings to build on the Muskrat site and the Town paid approximately $130,000 for the architectural work on Shea. Vice Mayor Brown reported that the up charge, including the architectural fees, is going to be approximately $30,000 to $35,000 to move it to a site that is easier to build on and more accessible. He asked whether that statement is correct. Paul Mood addressed the Council and pointed out that the Town has already paid approximately $130,000 for the design on Shea and the Site 1 costs are rough numbers from the architect and about $100,000 more so it is really about a wash. The Vice Mayor advised that he is trying to get all of the totals and if they total in everything including the architectural it is going to cost them $30,000 to $35,000 that they have already spent and Mr. Mood replied yes, roughly speaking. Vice Mayor Brown added that to have a site with access to a back door would be worth that amount. Mr. Mood informed the Council that one of the challenges that he doesn't think the architect looked at when he looked at the Shea site is he thinks that they are going to have to close a lane of traffic because he doesn't know how they could stage it -- it is so narrow and hilly. He added that he is not sure whether they factored that into their cost or not. Vice Mayor Brown asked whether they have a Traffic Study on Fountain Hills Boulevard and Mr. Mood responded yes, the Town had Dibble & Associates look into an Emergency Vehicle Traffic Study and it came back that a traffic light was not needed. He noted that there are a few scrubby trees in the right -of-way that when taken down will provide greater site distance. Town Manager Grady Miller interjected that it is his understanding that the traffic volume is about half of what it is on Shea Boulevard and the traffic speed is going from 50 mph to 35 mph. Mayor Kavanagh commented that she has brought this up before but wanted to mention it again -- the sewer. She said she remembers back then that there were also questions about how they would actually run the sewer and discussion about how they might have to go onto private property, which means they would have to get permission from some homeowners. Chief Roberts confirmed the Mayor's statement and advised that initially there were a couple of different routes -- one of them was to pump up and around onto Palisades and that was deemed not feasible and another was to go down into Firerock through some private property and access might have had to be obtained possibly through condemnation in order to get down to that one. He noted that it would have been a much shorter run but it had the problems with the property owners so the one they settled on was the one that went all the way down to Fountain Hills Boulevard. The Mayor asked if the same design or a new design would be pretty much the same cost and Vice Mayor Brown stated that if his math is correct the Town will pay approximately another $35,000. Councilmember DePorter stated that based on the major differences in the advantages and disadvantages and the things they were talking about earlier regarding access and safety, it seems to him that Site #2 is the most viable location to. z:\council packets\2015\r151105\151013wsm.docx Page 3 of 5 He added that he would like to see them move forward with Site #2 and also continue the meetings with the neighborhood since it is two years later and the Council is still interested in pursuing this. He said that it seems pretty evident to him that Site #2 is the best site for the relocation. Councilmember Leger advised that he is looking at #7 and the Muskrat estimated cost and asked when staff actually received that estimate. Chief Roberts replied that it was received on June 30th of 2014. Councilmember Leger commented on the fact that each year costs increase and so he was wondering how accurate and realistic that cost is. Mr. Mood responded that that is why the amount in the CIP is actually around $3.6 million, staff put a contingency factor in and they are also going to try to reuse the generator that is at the current Fire Station and other equipment but just in case they can't reuse the items, some money has been placed in budget for that purpose. Mr. Miller noted that the same is true of the radio towers and Mr. Mood said that Rural Metro covers the towers and hopefully tower relocation will take place. Councilmember Leger asked whether the cost may go beyond what is being shown in the report and Mr. Mood reported that that is true for either site. Councilmember Leger commented on the fact that they have budgeted $3,650,000 for this project and asked how that is being funded. Mr. Mood advised that monies will come out of the Capital Projects Fund and, in addition, the area where Muskrat would come across Fountain Hills Boulevard is actually owned by EPCOR. He explained that when it was MCO's property, they allowed EPCOR access across the property. He noted that staff worked with the Town Attorney and developed an Access Agreement with EPCOR, which still provides them that access and gives the Town liability assurances. He further stated that they included in the Agreement a statement that says when this project moves forward, they are going to look into putting the driveway straight across Muskrat and they will help with the cost (the cost may actually come down a little bit because they are going to need to have a big retaining wall there and a lot of earth work done, so the Town would share in that work hopefully with EPCOR). Mr. Miller stated that the way the site plan looks, it appears that Muskrat will be kind of squared up with that driveway more so than when they are driving right now and Mr. Mood concurred with Mr. Miller's statement. He added that one of the issues is that right in front of that strip there is a large SRP cabinet and EPCOR will also share in the cost of relocating that cabinet. Councilmember Leger noted that based on what has been budgeted, the project could possibly come in costing less and Mr. Mood concurred. In response to a comment from Councilmember Leger, Mr. Mood explained that the Muskrat site included some office space for MCSO (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office) and they were using the Law Enforcement Development Fee. He added that in order to continue using that, they would have to redesign an office space if they tried to take the Shea site down to it. Councilmember Leger expressed the opinion that it is better to be realistic and come in on the high side rather than on the low side. He pointed out that they have mentioned some cost savings measures and asked whether there are any other measures that staff plans to explore. Mr. Mood confirmed the Council that staff is always going to pursue cost savings measures with the architect -- the most economical, cost effective ways of doing things that also meet the needs of the Fire Department. He said that staff toured a new fire station in Gilbert and they had a lot of interesting things that the Town might want to look into incorporating into their project. Councilmember Leger, in closing, commented that the Council has looked at this for years and he is certainly on board with the need for balance and dealing with response times . He added that at the time they looked at Site #1, Site #2 z:\council packets\2015\r151105\151013wsm.docx Page 4 of 5 was not available and, as Councilmember DePorter stated, Site #2 is clearly the better option and he too is on board with moving forward with that location. He said that he is concerned and will reserve his judgment because of the cost of this project. Councilmember Magazine asked when they look at present zoning for the coverage area whether they have any sense of what the population increase would be over a period of 5, 8 or 10 years. Mr. Mood responded that currently staff does not have that information but realistically, they would have some minor infill in Firerock, a little bit in Eagle Mountain and then Crestview and then more if a resort was ever built on the property at Shea and Palisades, plus the development coming in for Adero Canyon -- those would be the major items. Councilmember Magazine advised that he too agrees that Option #2 is by far the best relocation site and asked whether any thought has been given to the possibility of future expansion (5, 8 or 10 years from now as far as topography and everything else). Mr. Mood replied that he believes the redesign at Muskrat would be built for the ultimate build -out -- it should not need to be expanded. Councilmember Magazine stated that he would like to know if the station ever did need to be expanded whether the topography and everything else had been looked into. Mr. Mood said that for the Shea site and the Muskrat site what has been sized is pretty much the biggest facilities t hat could be placed on those parcels. Councilmember Magazine requested that Mr. Mood discuss the grant application that was mentioned earlier and Chief Randy Roberts stated that back in 2007 there was ARRA money available for shovel -ready projects and at that point there were four different sites identified that were Town owned (one of the criteria they had to use). He added that as they went through the process they found out that the one site on Shea was the only one that would meet their response time criteria and that is why they went with that one and hired an architect to make it a shovel-ready project. He further stated that staff feels that they were competitive right up until the very end and then they were not awarded the grant. Councilmember Magazine asked whether there is a grant out there now that the Town could apply for and use for this project and the Chief responded not at the current time. Councilmember Magazine pointed out that the site is going to be visible from some of the homes (the homes will be looking down at it) and added that the closest one is currently for sale. He questioned whether there is anything the Town could do in terms of plants, trees, bushes, etc., to help ensure that the homeowners are not looking directly down at the building. Chief Roberts responded that staff would love to do whatever they can with neighborhood outreach to find out what they would like to see and get ideas about the architecture, design and the landscaping. He stressed that they want to do whatever they can to minimize the impact of the station being relocated to that site. The Chief further stated that they have not talked about the value of the existing fire station. He noted that it is a fine facility that could be re -used for something for the Town or put up for sale. He added that it is a definite asset. Mayor Kavanagh stated that this discussion has certainly been very comprehensive and will help the Council make their decision. She said that the Council certainly appreciates receiving the recommendation because the safety of the firemen and women who work there are a primary concern along with response times. She noted that they all know that response times have been down and people who live in every part of Town deserve to have the same protection as the rest of the Town. She advised that she agrees with what everyone has said and she would like to move forward with this as soon as possible because it does take a long time for this type of project to be completed and she thinks that is very important for their Town. Town Manager Grady Miller expressed the opinion that the Mayor did a great job of wrapping up the meeting because what he was going to do was ask for a consensus to move forward. He added that the next steps based on the fact that z:\council packets\2015\r151105\151013wsm.docx Page 5 of 5 they do have consensus regarding moving forward will be to go through a RFQ (Request for Qualifications) process for architectural and design services for this project . He stated that the next thing the Council will probably see come forward will be the award of a contract but emphasized that staff has to follow a complex RFQ process as outlined in State law. He advised that staff will do that and come back and along the way they will be keeping the Council aware of what is going on. He further stated that Chief Roberts noted the importance of keeping the entire neighborhood engaged and having them involved in the process as far as the appearance of the station. He also stressed the importance of expending effort to mitigate any impacts on the neighborhood. He thanked the Council for their consensus this evening and informed them that as they get closer down the pipeline, staff will also be coming back for discussion and further direction on the disposition of the current Fire Station #2. He stated that staff has been looking at it internally for repurposing and they really don't have anything identified yet. He said they will be coming back in the future to present some recommendations for Council consideration and action. AGENDA ITEM #2 - ADJOURNMENT Vice Mayor Brown MOVED to adjourn the meeting and Councilmember DePorter SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE PRESENT (5-0). The meeting adjourned at 6:07 p.m. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS By _______________________________ Linda M. Kavanagh, Mayor ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: _________________________ Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Work Study Session, held in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 13th day of October, 2015. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 5th day of November, 2015. _____________________________ Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk