Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007.0201.TCREM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE REGULAR AND EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL February 1,2007 Mayor Nichols called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. ROLL CALL—Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Mayor Nichols, Vice Mayor Kehe, Councilmember Leger, Councilmember McMahan, and Councilmember Archambault. Town Attorney Andrew McGuire, Town Manager Tim Pickering, Kate Zanon, and Town Clerk Bev Bender were also present. Councilmember Dickey and Councilmember Schlum were absent. AGENDA ITEM #1 — VOTE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION: PURSUANT TO A.R.S. 38- 431.03(A)(4), FOR DISCUSSION OR CONSULTATION WITH THE ATTORNEYS OF THE PUBLIC BODY IN ORDER TO CONSIDER ITS POSITION AND INSTRUCT ITS ATTORNEYS REGARDING THE PUBLIC BODY'S POSITION REGARDING CONTRACTS THAT ARE THE SUBJECT OF NEGOTIATIONS, IN PENDING OR CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION OR IN SETTLEMENT DISCUSSIONS CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO AVOID OR RESOLVE LITIGATION. (SPECIFICALLY, THE STATUS OF THE LUKENDA LAWSUIT.); (ii) PURSUANT TO A.R.S. §38- 431-03(A)(1), FOR DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION OF EMPLOYMENT, ASSIGNMENT, APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION, DEMOTION, DISMISSAL, SALARIES, DISCIPLINING OR RESIGNATION OF A PUBLIC OFFICER, APPOINTEE OR EMPLOYEE OF ANY PUBLIC BODY, EXCEPT THAT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SALARY DISCUSSION, AN OFFICER, APPOINTEE OR EMPLOYEE MAY DEMAND THAT THE DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION OCCUR AT A PUBLIC MEETING. THE PUBLIC BODY SHALL PROVIDE THE OFFICER, APPOINTEE OR EMPLOYEE WITH WRITTEN NOTICE OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AS IS APPROPRIATE BUT NOT LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS FOR THE OFFICER, APPOINTEE OR EMPLOYEE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION SHOULD OCCUR AT A PUBLIC MEETING. (SPECIFICALLY, TO REVIEW THE YOUTH APPLICATION AND INTERVIEW THE YOUTH APPLICANT FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION.); AND (iii) PURSUANT TO §A.R.S. 38-431.03(A)(3) FOR DISCUSSION OR CONSULTATION FOR LEGAL ADVICE WITH THE ATTORNEY OR ATTORNEYS OF THE PUBLIC BODY. (SPECIFICALLY, ADVICE REGARDING LEGAL IMPEDIMENTS TO GROUP HOME REGULATIONS.) Councilmember Archambault MOVED to convene the Executive Session and Councilmember McMahan SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(5 to 0). Councilmember Archambault MOVED to adjourn the Executive Session and Councilmember McMahan SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present (5-0). The Executive Session adjourned at 6:26 p.m. AGENDA ITEM#2—RETURN TO REGULAR SESSION Mayor Nichols reconvened the Regular Session at 6:30 p.m. INVOCATION—Reverend Rebecca Hardcastle,PhD. ROLL CALL— Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Mayor Nichols, Vice Mayor Kehe, Councilmember Leger, Councilmember McMahan, and Councilmember Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 1 of 10 Archambault. Town Attorney Andrew McGuire, Town Manager Tim Pickering, and Town Clerk Bev Bender were also present. Councilmember Dickey arrived at the meeting at 6:45 p.m. Councilmember Schlum was not present at the Nad meeting. MAYOR'S REPORT Transfer of the Vice Mayor position to Councilmember Keith McMahan Vice Mayor Kehe stated that serving as the Vice Mayor had been a very interesting experience and he was most relieved that he had the opportunity to pass the title on to his esteemed colleague Keith McMahan. Vice Mayor McMahan said that he would put forth every effort to carry out his tasks in a diligent manner. Recognition of outgoing Parks and Recreation Commissioners Mayor Nichols requested that Joe Pinter and Kira Putterman come forward at this time. The Mayor said that it was sad to see two good people leave the Parks and Recreation Commission. He thanked them both for all the hard work they had put forth as part of the Commission. He presented both Mr. Pinter and Ms. Putterman with plaques commemorating their service to the Town (Mr. Pinter as a Commission member from 2002 to 2006 and Ms. Putterman as a Youth Commissioner, 2005 to 2006). He expressed appreciation, on behalf of the Council and the entire Town, for their service to the community. The Mayor also presented Fountain Hills pins to the two individuals. Mayor Nichols also thanked Vice Mayor Kehe for hosting the Minister of Tourism from El Salvador at their reception in January. He said that the Vice Mayor performed a terrific job representing the Town. The Mayor also displayed the flag of El Salvador and said that delegates would visit El Salvador in March (one of three towns being considered as a Sister City). He commented on the fact that he had heard that all three towns were extremely excited and enthusiastic about being chosen as a Sister City to Fountain Hills. PRESENTATIONS Department Division Informational Overview of Services Provided—Municipal Court Town Manager Tim Pickering stated that last month the Council received a presentation from the Sheriff's Department and this month the Municipal Court would provide their presentation. (A copy of the elatire presentation was on file in the office of the Town Clerk.) He said that the purpose of the presentations, which would occur on a monthly basis, was to provide the Council with an overview of the operations of certain departments and also helped the public to gain a better understanding of the services offered by the Town. Mr. Pickering introduced Presiding Judge Ted Armbruster. Judge Armbruster addressed the Council and introduced Court Administrator Pat Dunn. Judge Armbruster commented on the fact that each of the Councilmembers had the opportunity to visit the Court last spring and talk about the business that was carried on there but said for those unfamiliar with the facility he had displayed a photograph of the court as part of his slide presentation. He commented on the security measures in place at the Court and applauded the additional security and space at the new facility. Judge Armbruster discussed the purpose of the courts, including to do individual justice in individual cases, to appear to do justice, to provide a forum for resolving legal disputes, to protect individuals from arbitrary use of government power, to provide a formal record of legal status, to deter criminal behavior, to provide rehabilitation opportunities in appropriate cases and to separate convicted persons from society in appropriate .4101) cases. Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 2 of 10 Discussion ensued relative to the State Court system; the Administrative Office of the Courts; the Town Municipal Court, which was part of the Arizona State Court system; Municipal Court jurisdiction (adult and Liy. juvenile); criminal cases (crime classifications and maximum sentencing authority); video conferencing; juvenile authority (crime classifications and maximum sentencing authority); civil traffic (moving violations, compliance violations, parking violations, penalties and fines; Town Code violations, penalties, animals [dog violations]; health and sanitation (litter, unsightly property, unsafe or unhealthy pools); offenses (curfew, criminal trespass);traffic; zoning ordinance violations (including sign regulations,parking, storage and loading); civil orders (orders of protection, injunctions against harassment and injunctions against workplace harassment); enforcement orders (search warrants, business record subpoenas, electronic record subpoenas and blood draws); teen court, which was a cooperative effort between the Municipal Court, the high school, the Sheriff's Office and Juvenile Probation Office, and a variety of other court services. Judge Armbruster also discussed the Court's website and associated links as well as the Court's Mission Statement, which states that the Fountain Hills Municipal Court was committed to professionally serving the citizens of Fountain Hills by administering justice in a fair, efficient and respectful manner, so as to enhance public trust and community confidence in the Court system. He stated that he would like to end his presentation by speaking about"Lady Justice," the symbol of fair and equal justice and the moral force that guides the entire legal system. He said that she wears a blindfold (and everyone had heard the term "blind justice") because justice was supposed to be dispensed objectively and without fear of favor regardless of identity, power, or weakness of any of the individuals involved. She holds the scales of justice to thoughtfully measure the strengths of the case, support and opposition, and she wields a double-edges sword, signifying the power and reason that goes into the decision-making responsibilities of all judges. Judge Armbruster thanked the Council for the opportunity to address them. Councilmember Leger asked what types of offenses usually come before the Teen Court and Judge Armbruster explained that there was specific authority in State Statutes that limits the types of cases that could be handled in a Municipal Court for juveniles. The more common offenses include curfew violations and minors consuming or possessing alcohol. He advised that since inception, they had scheduled one Teen Court session a month (usually on Tuesdays) and they run approximately 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. Councilmember Archambault asked whether Judge Armbruster had come across anything that needed to be improved upon. Judge Armbruster responded by stating that Court Administrator Pat Dunn and Court staff were constantly visiting ways to be more efficient and improve their public service to the community. Councilmember Dickey referred to a recent presentation by the Sheriff's Department where a lack of parental support was discussed. She asked whether Judge Armbruster was also experiencing that in his arena. Judge Armbruster said that discussions occurred following that presentation and said that the Court certainly saw issues involving parents and children. He stated that parents had a responsibility as a matter of law in Arizona to appear with their children. Juveniles must be accompanied in Court by their parents or guardians. He added that the Court dealt with those issues from time to time and the other thing they deal with was domestic violence and when it comes to orders of protection that was an area as well where they see parents having issues that affect the children in the household. They could get in harm's way and caught in the crossfire as a result of some of those issues. He said that the Court addresses those issues the best they could through the Court system, where they at least refer them to the available resources. Mayor Nichols thanked Judge Armbruster for his informative presentation and for the excellent work he and his staff carried out at the Court on a daily basis. Mayor Nichols acknowledged Mr. Bedell's presence at the meeting and asked him to stand. The Mayor stated that Mr. Bedell had been recently appointed as a Commissioner to the Town's Parks &Recreation Commission. He explained that Mr. Bedell was not present when the Council voted on his appointment and he wanted to recognize Mr. Bedell and thank him for his willingness to serve the Town of Fountain Hills. Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 3 of 10 CALL TO THE PUBLIC None. Nord CONSENT AGENDA AGENDA ITEM #1 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES FROM JANUARY 18,2007. AGENDA ITEM#2— CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION FOR ANDREA T. NOBLE (TWO STEP SALOON) LOCATED AT 11056 SAGUARO BOULEVARD. THIS REQUEST IS FOR A SERIES 6 LICENSE. AGENDA ITEM #3 — CONSIDERATION OF A TEMPORARY USE PERMIT FOR PLAZA FOUNTAINSIDE, LLC, TO HOLD MONTHLY SPECIAL EVENTS AT 12645 N. SAGUARO BOULEVARD,AKA PLAZA FOUNTAINSIDE,LOT 1. CASE#TU2007-01. AGENDA ITEM #4 — CONSIDERATION OF A TEMPORARY USE PERMIT FOR A FARMERS MARKET TO BE LOCATED ON THE EAST MEDIAN OF AVENUE OF THE FOUNTAINS AT SAGUARO BOULEVARD. THE FARMERS MARKETS WILL BE HELD FROM 12 P.M. TO 6 P.M. EVERY THURSDAY THROUGH APRIL 5,2007. CASE#TU2006-14. Councilmember Leger MOVED to approve the Consent Agenda as read and Vice Mayor McMahan SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6-0). A roll call vote was taken with the following results: Councilmember Kehe Aye Councilmember Leger Aye Councilmember Dickey Aye Mayor Nichols Aye Vice Mayor McMahan Aye Councilmember Archambault Aye The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6 to 0). ACTION AGENDA: AGENDA ITEM # 5 — CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTING ONE CITIZEN TO SERVE THE ONE- YEAR YOUTH COMMISSIONER TERM ON THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION. Mayor Nichols MOVED to appoint Tricia DePanicis to serve the one-year Youth Commissioner term on the Parks and Recreation Commission and Councilmember Archambault SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6-0). AGENDA ITEM #6 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE PURCHASE REQUISITION AD12647 IN THE AMOUNT OF $24,156 TO CDW-G FOR THE PURCHASE OF 75 MICROSOFT OFFICE PROFESSIONAL PLUS 2007 LICENSES. Finance Director Julie Ghetti addressed the Council relative to this agenda item. She stated that included in the Town's Fiscal Year 06-07 budget were funds to upgrade the Town's software. Currently, the Town's 75 computers use the Microsoft Office Suite products that had been installed on them. Included in that was Word, Noof Excel, Access and Outlook, which was the Town's e-mail server. Since 1990, this software had been updated Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 4 of 10 only once and that was in 1999. The Town was currently using the Office 2000 version of the software. The standard that was commonly used now was the 2003 version. The Town elected not to upgrade to the 2003 L. version because the improvements did not warrant the cost. However, the 2007 version offers improvements that would increase the functionality of the Town's computers (i.e. documents could be saved directly from any of the Town's computers from a Word or Excel format to a PDF format and then they could send the documents out in a PDF format without having to go through the Adobe Acrobat software). Ms. Ghetti advised that staff requested three bids and the lowest price was provided by CDW-G and therefore staff was recommending that the Council approve the upgrading of the programs. She indicated her willingness to respond to questions from the Council. Councilmember Kehe asked whether the change to the new system would have any impact on people receiving PDF documents for example, instead of the Adobe. He said that he was "tooled up" to get most of his materials from Adobe. Ms. Ghetti responded that service should actually improve with the upgrade. The e-mail would not be affected externally because e-mails go through the Town's server so the server would handle it and send out the e-mails as it normally would. She said that Councilmember Kehe should not see any difference as far as receiving PDF documents in Adobe. Councilmember Archambault MOVED to approve Purchase Requisition AD 12647 in the amount of$24,156 to CDW-G for the purchase of 75 Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 licenses and Councilmember Leger SECONDED the motion. Councilmember Leger noted that the cost did not include installation or training and asked whether that would occur in-house or by a vendor. Ms. Ghetti replied that installation and training would be handled by Town staff in conjunction with training available through the Senior Net, where they would be trained locally. She said that the cost did not include training costs. Loy The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6-0). AGENDA ITEM #7 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH GREEN STUDIO IN THE AMOUNT OF $81,975 FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS, CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION, GPS MAPPING AND STAKING AND COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR FOUNTAIN PARK —PHASE 5 (IRRIGATION SYSTEM). Mr. Pickering advised that Bryan Hughes, the Town's Recreation Supervisor, would present an update on this agenda item. Mr. Hughes addressed the Council and said that staff was pleased to bring the agreement before them this evening for their consideration. He said that portions of Fountain Park's irrigation system were 37 years old and the system presented many challenges. As a result, the turf, for many years, had not been as green as they would like it to be. Many of the valves and the clocks in the system no longer worked together and there had been numerous breaks in the lines. Repairs were no longer easy to do particularly since there were multiple lines in the Park. Another challenge, as previously mentioned, was that most of the clocks and valves no longer worked together and so watering could only occur during the day when a staff person was on duty, which excludes weekends and any time there was an event. As a result,the turf looked bad. Mr. Hughes said that the contract staff was recommending was with Green Studio and added that David Case had been the landscape architect previously with E-Group and was now with his own design studio. He had been involved with all of the improvements at Fountain Park. Mr. Case would coordinate between the irrigation subcontractor and the electrical subcontractor and this was important because of site issues and possible cliv electrical issues that might arise when installing new pumps, clocks, etc. He added that Coates Irrigation was going to conduct the bulk of the work and advised that they were highly regarded in the irrigation field. They Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 5 of 10 4. also had a history in Fountain Hills and had done all the work out at Desert Vista Park as well as phases at Fountain Park when they installed around the playgrounds, etc. Mr. Hughes stated that that ideally,the new system should water the entire park within a six to eight-hour period and at night, when there would not be any down time for users. It would also be useful during special events when often they had to shut down for entire weekends. The system would allow the manual injection of fertilizer, acids, etc. through the system from the pump house so that for the most part staff would not have to worry about going around to spread fertilizer, etc. manually. A dual pump system would also be installed to provide backup should one of the pumps fail. They would continue to utilize the effluent water out of the lake, which was a conservation effort. Mr. Hughes reported that if approved, the design phase would start this month and run through early May. The construction would occur from May through early September. The new system would be in place prior to scheduled over-seeding of the Park. He noted that Mr.Case from Green Studio was present and would be happy to respond to any questions from the Council. Mr. Hughes recommended approval of the proposal. Councilmember Archambault MOVED to approve a Professional Services Agreement with Green Studio for design and construction documents, construction administration, GPS mapping and staking and computer programming for Fountain Park Phase 5 (irrigation system). Councilmember Leger SECONDED the motion. Vice Mayor McMahan asked whether the system would extend all the way around the back of the park and Mr. Hughes said that was correct. The Vice Mayor asked if there were any plans to upgrade the electricity in the park at the same time and Mr.Hughes replied that there were no plans to do so at this time. In response to a question from Councilmember Archambault, Mr. Hughes confirmed that the proposed cost of $81,975 covered the design phase (design, computer programming and GPS mapping and staking). He said that as far as the GPS mapping and staking,Town staff often had difficulties locating lines/sprinkler heads and stated that once the entire system was completed, they would be able to walk out to the park with the GPS locater and easily identify where the heads/lines were located. He added that the design portion should be completed by early to mid-May and then they could continue on with the rest of the project. Staff was working with the Town Attorney's office on a construction manager at risk contract(RFQ) to combine not only the irrigation project but the sidewalk and landscape improvements as well. Councilmember Leger asked what Mr. Hughes believed the key benefits of the system were and Mr. Hughes stated that the biggest benefit was finally being able to put enough water down on Fountain Park to get the grass green. He advised that the new system would be more efficient in terms of water conservation and costs. Mayor Nichols questioned whether soil conditions would also be looked at and Mr. Hughes advised that Park Supervisor Don Clark had a separate contractor that he worked with on soil samples. In response to a question from Councilmember Dickey, Mr. Hughes confirmed that potable water would not be used, only recycled. The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6-0). AGENDA ITEM #8 — CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 2007-01, APPROVING AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT #98, REGARDING JOINT USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF TWO SITES CURRENTLY OWNED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. Mr. Pickering advised that Parks and Recreation Director Mark Mayer would present the Council with an overview of this agenda item. He added that the last project they just discussed, the irrigation system, and this Nouif Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 6 of 10 one represented two long-term projects that had been in the works for at least three or four years. He said that it was good to see them come to fruition. Mr. Mayer addressed the Council and stated that staff had been working with the School District for a number of months and had identified as many as six potential properties that could possibly be used jointly by the School District and the Town and be mutually beneficial to both. He added that based on a number of reasons, that number had been reduced to two potential sites. In considering such action, staff had put together a proposal that the Council would consider later on in the meeting to actually go through a master planning of those two particular areas, the cost of which was slightly in excess of $50,000. It was suggested that staff talk to the School District relative to entering into an Intergovernmental Agreement so that the terms and conditions of the usage and how it was developed and appropriately maintained would be spelled out in advance before the Town assumed the responsibility of developing the sites and the associated costs. Mr. Mayer noted that the agreement currently before the Council had been reviewed and unanimously approved by the School Board. It outlined the fact that the Town would potentially be developing two sites,both of which were school sites that would be usable by the Town under the existing agreement with the schools whereby they share facilities. The intent was that the School District had as much as interest as the Town did in seeing the two sites developed. As the Town continues to grow, the absence of a necessary number of athletic fields continues to cause problems, particularly during the Town's over-seeding program when an already limited number of fields became more limited. They would largely consist of practice fields with minimal development and the process outlined in the IGA basically requires the parties to sit down, meet with the neighborhood, work through and hopefully mitigate/eliminate as best they could any issues the neighbors might have and finally come up with a plan that worked for both the Town and the School District. Mr. Mayer advised that in the case of the School District and the McDowell Mountain Elementary School site, their biggest concern had to do with the fact that they were looking to re-route the bus traffic from the front of the school to the back of the school for safety reasons. That would eliminate a lot of the open turf area they currently utilize for their particular programs (physical education programs). They had a need and desire to replace that acreage and that was where the Town would potentially assist them in developing the acreage. Mr. Mayer reported that under the terms of the IGA, the School District would be responsible for the continued maintenance of the facilities once they were built and paid for by the Town, which would have a 20-year use of the amenities. In the case of the school site at the high school, they currently only had practice facilities for a number of sports that did not include a practice facility for the football team (they currently practice and play games on the main field). As a result of the wear and tear, it was difficult to keep that main field in good shape. He referred to maps contained in the document that depict the areas they were considering and staff had attempted to include what might fit on those particular sites. He said that until they went through the master planning process, staff did not know what facilities would actually be located there or how they might be oriented on the sites. He stressed that the facilities would be multi-use, utilized by the School District first and foremost, and also for Parks and Recreation activities or"drop-in usage"during the evenings and weekends. Discussion ensued relative to the fact that the first step in the process under the agreement, and ultimately under the contract if approved, would be to hold a series of public meetings; staff's intent to talk to the neighbors and people who live adjacent to the properties to learn what issues and concerns they have; there were currently two meetings scheduled and ultimately, once the master plan had been developed, the plan would come back and be reviewed by the Council, the School Board and the Parks and Recreation Commission; the fact that the ultimate decision on where the funds would come from would be determined by the Council but it seemed like a good opportunity to utilize development fees to meet continued growth, and the fact that access to the areas would be provided to the general public as well as the schools. Liie, Mr.Mayer indicated his willingness to respond to questions from the Council. Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 7 of 10 Councilmember Dickey MOVED to approve Resolution 2007-01 and Vice Mayor McMahan SECONDED the motion. 44000 Councilmember Kehe commented on the homes that back up to the site and requested that Mr. Mayer expand on the issue of evening use and the types of lighting that would be used. Mr. Mayer stated that neighbors had raised issues relative to the lighting and stated that although he could not rule out night lighting, he would phrase it in this manner—the last time he could recall pricing state-of-the-art sports lighting, the cost was in the range of$125,000. He said that it would be difficult for him to justify the expense for a practice field. He added that from the conversations he had at the School Board meeting, they had similar concerns regarding lighting so he did not believe it was very likely that it would occur but he could not provide absolute certainty regarding this issue. If there was a need or desire on the part of the School District that he was not aware of, the issue might come forward 20 years down the road but he believed it very unlikely that this would occur. Councilmember Kehe commented that this was an important consideration and said that one of the fields might be used as a football practice field and he had noticed, particularly during the latter days of August when it was too hot to practice during the day, that there was practice in the evenings under lights. He said he viewed this as a potential problem for the homes in the area. He asked whether staff envisioned other types of activities could occur in the areas aside from the typical sports fields (soccer, football, softball, etc.) and asked if other equipment would be needed. Mr. Mayer stated that at this point, it was not unlike some of the other neighborhood parks in the sense that there might be some interest in specific needs. He said that staff would also look to the neighborhood to help define wanted elements. He said that he did not want to pre-guess what the residents might want—they could desire a small picnic ramada, additional playground equipment, etc. Both sites were relatively small so staff did not anticipate the type of development taking place that they saw in larger 10 or 15-acre neighborhood parks. In the case of the elementary school site, the schools were mostly desirous of additional open space that consists mostly of turf. There were no citizens wishing to speak on this agenda item. The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6-0). AGENDA ITEM #9 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH OLSSON ASSOCIATES IN THE AMOUNT OF $51,119.44 TO DEVELOP PARK MASTER PLANS FOR TWO SCHOOL SITES FOR POSSIBLE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AS JOINT USE RECREATION FACILITIES. Mr. Mayer also addressed the Council relative to this agenda item and said that this was the "second piece of the puzzle this evening." As they move forward with the IGA that had been approved by both the School District and the Council, the next logical step in the process was the consideration of this Professional Services Agreement. The cost, a little over $51,000, would be almost equally divided between the development of the master plan for the two sites. It was important to note that the first step in the two-step process was for staff to collect the pertinent information about the two sites (where the closest water was located, hookups for other utilities, etc.), include that information on a base map and send the information to the consultant. From that, a map of the overall site would be developed and the consultant and staff would then meet with the neighborhoods. The public would be involved very early on in the process and at several points throughout the process. Mr. Mayer stated that the Town was deficient in master planning acres associated with neighborhood parks and in the future, community parks. Although the steps being taken would not eliminate the need, it would do much to alleviate it. Upon completion of the master planning process, a meeting summary would be prepared as well as attendance sheets, site maps and a cost estimate for the development of each site and all of that information would be provided to the Council for their review and consideration. Staff was estimating costs at Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 8 of 10 approximately $200,000 an acre (estimated $300,000 to $400,000 per site) and a wide range existed depending on the level of development. Mr. Mayer referenced the fact that one of the goals set by the Council was for staff to work closely with the School District and stated the opinion that this proposal was part of that process. Councilmember Archambault MOVED to approve the Professional Services Agreement with Olsson Associates as recommended by staff and Councilmember Kehe SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6-0). Councilmember Kehe commented on the fact that this represented a strategic plan in action and noted that one of the highest goals of the Strategic Plan was to work with the School District. He added that sharing of facilities was an important element of that goal and he congratulated staff on their efforts. Councilmember Archambault questioned whether the park sites would qualify for the use of Heritage Funds. Mr. Mayer responded that he believed that typically they would have to either own the land outright or be in the position where they could easily assume title of the land. He added that it was also the type of project that even if the Town were eligible, he did not believe that it would score very high as far as the necessary criteria. They would typically have to include many different amenities associated with larger parks before being able, under the State's mechanism, to score very many points. The process had become very competitive, and while the Town could submit a grant, he did not believe they would score very high. Councilmember Archambault asked whether the Town would be seeking outside funds and Mr. Mayer said that they certainly could do that but reiterated that this would be a good project to look at as far as the utilization of development fees because the project fits the criteria. In response to a question from Councilmember Leger, Mr. Mayer advised that once the master plan was approved, if the funding was in place, they could in theory move forward as quickly as this fall. He noted that the design process would take several months (completion around the middle of the summer) and staff would also have to look at other projects that were in place and determine the highest priorities. There were no citizens wishing to speak on this agenda item. Mayor Nichols stated that too he was happy to see the Town and the School District working in harmony to maximize their assets and provide a worthwhile benefit to the youths of the Town and residents as well. He expressed appreciation to the School District and also thanked staff for their long hard work on this issue. The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6-0). AGENDA ITEM #10 — COUNCIL DISCUSSION/DIRECTION TO THE TOWN MANAGER. ITEMS LISTED BELOW ARE RELATED ONLY TO THE PROPRIETY OF (i) PLACING SUCH ITEMS ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR ACTION OR (ii) OR DIRECTING STAFF TO CONDUCT FURTHER RESEARCH AND REPORT BACK TO THE COUNCIL: A. NONE. AGENDA ITEM#11 - SUMMARY OF COUNCIL REQUESTS BY TOWN MANAGER None. Mayor Nichols announced that they were in the middle of Western Days in the Town of Fountain Hills and provided background information on the event. He said it represents the 49th re-enactment of the delivery of the delivery of the mail through the Pony Express, which was only in existence for one year until the telegraph lines were installed. The Pony Express played an important part of the communications in this country to link the mid-west with the western part of the country. Mayor Nichols stated that next year they would celebrate their Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 9 of 10 • 50th anniversary and hopefully the Town could provide a much larger welcome to them. He commended the museum because they took a one-day event and turned it into a weeklong event. He encouraged everyone to participate in the festivities and thanked everyone involved. AGENDA ITEM#12—ADJOURNMENT Councilmember Kehe MOVED to adjourn the Council meeting and Councilmember Archambault SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present (6 to 0). The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. TOWN OF FOUN N HILLS By Wally Ni ols, or ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: de4 / Bevelyn/Benkar,Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Executive/Regular Session held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 1st day of February, 2007. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 15th day of February, 2007. (1/ -)/ t oil4 Bevelyn J. B de,•Town Clerk J Z:\Council Packets\2007\R2-15-07\02-01-07 minutes.doc Page 10 of 10