Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012.0508.TCWSM.Minutesz:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 1 of 11 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE WORK STUDY SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL MAY 8, 2012 AGENDA ITEM #1 – CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Schlum called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers. Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Vice Mayor Dickey, Councilmember Contino, Councilmember Elkie, Councilmember Leger and Councilmember Brown. Town Manager Ken Buchanan, Town Attorney Andrew McGuire, Deputy Town Manager/Finance Director Julie Ghetti and Town Clerk Bev Bender were also present. Vice Mayor Dickey announced that Mayor Schlum has been detained in Phoenix and will not be able to join the meeting. Councilmember Hansen arrived at the meeting at 5:36 p.m. AGENDA ITEM #2 – DISCUSSION RELATING TO THE PRELIMINARY TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS OPERATING AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (CIP) BUDGETS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2012, INCLUDING ALL PROPOSED REVENUES, EXPENDITURES AND NEW PROJECTS FOR ALL GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS. Town Manager Ken Buchanan addressed the Council relative to this agenda item and said that the proposed budget was introduced to the Council back in February. He s tated that they have subsequently discussed the proposed operating budgets and this evening they are going to talk about the proposed Capital projects. He added that based on the consensus from the Council and proposed capital, staff began a planning process for the projects and an update to the budget document prior to the final. He stated that they are here this evening to go through a number of the projects that are being proposed for the 2012-13 budget and Ms. Ghetti will provide a summary followed by the various Department heads who will discuss each of the projects that they are responsible for. He further stated that if the Council has any questions on the operating side those can be brought up and discussed this evening as well. Deputy Town Manager/Finance Director Julie Ghetti addressed the Council and highlighted a brief presentation relative to this agenda item (a complete copy is available on line and in the office of the Town Clerk). Ms. Ghetti indicated her intention to go through each of the capital projects that are either in progress right now and will be continued to next year or starting next year. She said that if they brought their budget books with them, staff will discuss each of the projects the way they are contained in the budget books. She noted that the budget books have a lot more detail relative to each of the projects. Ms. Ghetti referred to a summary chart displayed in the Council Chambers as part of the presentation and explained that it is a summary of the total capital projects budgeted for next year, broken down into categories according to how they are going to be paid for. She reported that the total for all of the projects for next year is $11.7 million not all of which will be paid for out of Town funds -- only $4.4 million is going to be paid for out of the Capital Projects Fund. She added that $1.2 million will be paid for out of the Excise Tax Fund, the General Fund has a contribution of $41,000 and non-Town funds, which could be grants or developer agreements has a contribution of approximately $6 million. She referred to a chart that showed specifically the projects that are included in the Capital Projects Fund, showed the revenues for each fiscal year for the next five years, what the expenditure are programmed to be and what the z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 2 of 11 ending balance is. She pointed out that by the end of 2016-17, if everything gets approved and moves forward, there will be about $2 million left in the Capital Projects Fund. Ms. Ghetti indicated her willingness to respond to any questions from the Council. Vice Mayor Dickey thanked Ms. Ghetti for including the chart in the presentation and stated that one of the things they have tried to stick with is about a $2 to $2.5 million expenditure and looking that far ahead they can see that even though this year looks heavier, they might be able to ju stify them looking down the road. Ms. Ghetti concurred and stated that they still have almost $10 million so they have never spent the $2 million. She added that next year they are projecting to make up for some of that. Councilmember Leger asked whether the projections shown on the chart are based on the 50-50 split they currently have now with Capital Funds -- 50% goes into Capital and 50% goes into the General Fund. He said he knows that in the past that formula was different and they discussed possibly moving back to an 80-20 split. He questioned whether that would have any impact on the numbers. Ms. Ghetti replied that this is as it is right now -- the 50-50 formula. Councilmember Leger commented that it is possible that this number could go higher with the 80-20 split and Ms. Ghetti concurred. Director of Development Services Paul Mood addressed the Council relative to Miscellaneous Drainage Improvements and explained that this project is really just a placeholder. He noted that when they have contractors or developers doing work in Town they are always looking for a place to put their dirt in order to avoid the hauling costs. He said that they had a lot of areas that were identified for future road widenings and the contractors could put the fill in those areas and compact it. He added that they are running out of those areas and in a lot of areas, if they just extend some culverts or raise up some manholes, then the contractors can fill in more dirt. He stated that they wanted to make a small investment in extending culverts here and there so that when the developers do come forward they can take the excess fill from their projects and in the long term this will save money. He reported that staff had budgeted $75,000 for this project and they use it on an as needed basis. He said that this current fiscal year staff is only anticipating using about $10,000 and they will roll the $65,000 over into the FY 2013 budget year and he assumes that the next year they will be rolling it again. Mr. Mood also discussed the Downtown Vision Master Plan - Phase I and explained that this is actually a greening of the downtown plan that is being shown as $100,000 next year. He said that this would just be a pass through if the Greening Committee is able to secure a grant. He noted that this is not Town funds but if they did get the grant and the work is done they have to have it in the budget in order to spend that money. Lori Gary addressed the Council relative to the Downtown Vision Master Plan - Phase II and stated that this particular item in the CIP is also a placeholder and pointed out that the Council adopted the Downtown Vision Plan as well as the Downtown Area Specific Plan. She said that in order to encourage development in alignment with those plans they have placed $250,000 a year into the budget over a four - year period of time to act as an incentive to develop the Downtown area. She noted that this would occur in conjunction with a development agreement and anything associated with th is would need to come before the Council. z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 3 of 11 Mr. Mood readdressed the Council relative to Avenue of the Fountains Median Improvements and pointed out that Council recently approved the $20 million contract for a Master Plan and that is currently underway. He advised that the electrical systems have been inventoried and an arborist has come out and assessed all the trees. He added that next week they will be doing the irrigation systems so the process is moving forward. He reported that the total budget for the design and construction of the project is $1.8 million and $1 million represents the Excise Tax and $800,000 is the CIP. He said that once the Master Plan has been completed they will be holding some public meetings and it would come before Council prior to moving forward with the full design. Councilmember Elkie asked Mr. Mood if he has some idea of when the Council might be able to see some designs or at least begin taking public input and Mr. Mood replied that right now staff is in the process of developing a questionnaire to distribute to the public soliciting information relative to what they would like to see happen out there and that should begin within the next few weeks. He added that hopefully by June or July they will see some drawings and conduct some public meetings. Councilmember Elkie spoke in support of investing $1.8 into the Downtown area. Vice Mayor Dickey stated that it appears it is pretty much an "open book" as far as what is going to be done and what they are going to ask be done and added that they are looking at it in a utilitarian type of way but they also spoke about some of the future ideas that they have for the Avenue that might be more tourism or attraction related. She asked if there will be ample opportunity during the design phase to talk about some of the things that aren't totally utilitarian. Mr. Mood responded yes -- it is during the Master Plan phase that they get that type of input before they go into the hard design. The Vice Mayor commented on the fact that they have received e-mails from some people containing some good ideas about the Avenue. Fire Chief Scott LaGreca addressed the Council relative to Fire Station 2 Relocation and informed the Council that this too is a placeholder. He said that the project is currently unfunded but by serving as a placeholder it will provide the Fire Department time to continue their research studies on response times and seek out grant funding for this project. Vice Mayor Dickey discussed the Town Sprinkler Ordinance (1996) and said that this is part of what is used to talk about response times and how there may be some variations in response times due to the fact that they have the Sprinkler Ordinance. She stated that she doesn't believe that they are able to do th at anymore and asked if that is true -- a law was passed and they cannot require sprinklers in new homes. Town Attorney Andrew McGuire explained that the new law affects going forward and doesn't impact any prior existing subdivisions so Fountain Hills, Scottsdale and other municipalities were able to get in under the deadline so they can continue on. The Vice Mayor said if they were looking at further development in some of those areas where they are talking about response times -- future homes -- they would not be able to require them to have sprinklers and Mr. McGuire advised that they are covered as well. He noted that the Town is prohibited from adopting a Code provision requiring fire sprinklers unless that provision was adopted prior to the cutoff date. z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 4 of 11 Vice Mayor Dickey questioned whether any research has been conducted to determine what the current site of the fire station would be worth and can they use that to offset some of the costs associated with the new station. Chief LaGreca informed the Council that that they did conduct a very minor study and had an appraisal done on the building approximately six years ago so it would be inadequate now. He added that it really kind of threw the appraisers because they don't get to do fire station appraisals very often and at that time they really didn't know what to compare it to. He advised that t he only thing they could compare it to back then was a group home nursing facility for ten or less people and they came up with a $700,000 value for the property. He reiterated that that is ancient history and the use of that property really doesn't fall under his purview; that would be a Town Manager and ultimately a Town Council recommendation as far as how the property should be used. He agreed that it does have value and that should be included in the equation. Vice Mayor Dickey said that perhaps at some point they could find out what zoning is in place and what the ramifications are for the future use of that property even if the building itself is not usable. Councilmember Elkie stated that it is his understanding that some research has been conducted and there is a chance that they might be able to come in under the $2.1 number. He asked if this was still being investigated. Chief LaGreca advised that very preliminary research is being conducted for him to see in his mind alternatives they could seek out in the future as far as building a building there. He said that instead of building a brick and mortar building they looked at Phoenix, Surprise, Chandler and Gilbert to see what they have done on a short-term basis (15 years) since they put a pre-fabricated building on the sites. He stated that immediately everyone envisions a metal shed and on the inside it is but on the outside they could make it look like pretty much anything -- a nice stand-alone building. He reported that Agate Construction builds these types of buildings and they had a brief conversation with them. He added that they provided them with a brief courtesy bid in the amount of $800,000 and that covered everything from A to Z. He said that there are options out there if it is the desire of the Town Manager and the Council to seek out alternatives in the future. He reiterated that they are at a very preliminary stage right now but they do have options and the Fire Department is open to those and will take their direction from the Town Council. Vice Mayor Dickey thanked Chief LaGreca for his presentation. Director of Community Services Mark Mayer addressed the Council and discussed the Centennial Circle proposal. He informed the Council that the total cost of this project is made up of two components: the first is the finish that the Town had requested to the electrical system (lines have not been completed and pulled into the Circle itself and also to the center of the Circle) and this is a $20,000 expense and the other component is a request that came from the Centennial Circle Committee for $28,000 to finish the last of the landscaping with shrubs, bushes and some low-level lighting. There being no questions from the Council, Vice Mayor Dickey thanked Mr. Mayer for his comments. Chief LaGreca readdressed the Council relative to Fire Station 1 Renovation and said that this consists of the addition of a new bunk room on the back end of the station. He noted that primarily they want to do this for two reasons. First, they have five guys living in a 20x20 room and they do have female firefighters that come through and live with them and they have two ambulance personnel who live in the existing trailer at the back end, which is a 45-year old structure and it is time for it to be replaced. He z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 5 of 11 advised that staff is looking to demolish the trailer, do improvements in the back parking lot for parking, build the bunk room and complete the work out front that the Town Engineer has been wanting to do -- revamp the driveway coming into the front of the station because one of the driveways lines up with Avenue of the Fountains and a lot of people think that that is a continuation of the Avenue and drive into their driveway and also put in sidewalks and handicapped accessible ramps to allow access to the front end of the Fire Station. He noted that as it stands right now this will be funded by the CIP. Vice Mayor Dickey asked if the parking lot behind the station is going to be accessible to the public and the Chief replied "yes and no." He explained that they have signs erected that state "Do Not Enter" and people still go down there and if people need to come to the Fire Station it is accessible. Vice Mayor Ghetti thanked Chief LaGreca for his presentation. Ms. Ghetti addressed the Council relative to Voice & Data Communications Upgrade and explained that this is a continuation of the contract that the Council approved last Thursday evening for the Town's new phone system. She stated that the additional $25,000 will purchase phones for the Town's remote locations -- the Fire Stations, street yard, etc. She noted that this year they are buying the system and all the hardware and this is just for the purchase of the phones. Mr. Mood readdressed the Council relative to the Energy E fficiency Program and reported that they have already conducted the energy audit and have installed the Energy Management System software so now they can program the heating and cooling of rooms as need by week or by day (it shows graphically if there are alarms going off so they know right away if there is a problem). He added that at the last meeting the Council approved the HVAC systems for the electrical and IT rooms so now they will be able to cool those by themselves because they need to be much cooler than the office space and they are tied into the office space. He said that they are on track to spend about $132,000 of the $146,000 grant that they received so that is pretty good. He stated that next year they show $71,000 but they are looking more in the range between $30,000 and $35,000 in rebates so staff is going to look at doing some lighting upgrades and other things next year. He noted that this is a 100% grant. Councilmember Elkie asked if there were any obligations as far as the Town is concerned going forward after this money is spent (usually there are some strings attached and he is curious as to whether there are any in this case). Mr. Mood responded none that he is just aware of the fact that the rebates would be used for additional energy-saving items. Vice Mayor Dickey stated that perhaps this is something they could work on if they meet and hold their Retreat in the fall or whenever. She added that it might be good to get some kind of a report on the process that Mr. Rees has been going through in addition to some of the other things that the Town has been doing over the years compared to some of the other municipalities in the Valley. She said that they could perhaps compete for some recognition in certain areas based on the efforts that have been and are being expended. Chief LaGreca readdressed the Council relative to the Portable Live Fire Training Unit and noted that this is a FEMA grant 90-10 with a 10% Town match. He advised that the Department will be applying for this grant in June. He pointed out that this grant is a little different than others in that this is a regional grant and the Town will be doing this in conjunction with Rio Verde and Fort McDowell. He noted that the $16,000 in the General Fund (if successful) will be split by the Town and Rio Verde and Fort McDowell's contribution is that they will house the burn unit in their community. He further stated that if z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 6 of 11 this is approved they will probably have to do an IGA to make sure that everything is done right and the parameters are in place. Chief LaGreca also discussed the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and reported that this is unfunded and is to convert the room on the other side of the wall into their EOC. He explained that currently the Councilmembers are sitting in their EOC right now -- all of the equipment, phones, the Council's computers are all set to be "flipped" over to the EOC in case they have to stand it up. He advised that some day they would like to be in their own secured room in there but this will not be done until grant funding has been secured (so this is another placeholder while the Department seeks out grants). Chief LaGreca addressed the Council on Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant - Radios and reported that this is another grant that the Department is going to go out after in June and this is to upgrade their portable radios into the 700-800 megahertz range. He noted that this is also a 90 -10 match and the radios would cost approximately $120,000 and $12,000 would come out of the CIP because this is a capital type item that would have to be replaced on a ten-year cycle. The Chief indicated his willingness to respond to any questions from the Council. Councilmember Leger asked where the portable live fire unit would be placed an d Chief LaGreca advised that there are two locations according to the Chief out at Fort McDowell -- one would be down in the gravel pit on the other side of the river and the other in the gravel pit on the south side of Shea -- away from any homes in Fountain Hills and the Indian community as well. He stated that it would not be a permanent location and explained that the trailer would be set up in one of those locations but the good thing about a trailer is that if another community that the Town is partn ers with like Salt River or Scottsdale chose to use it they could rent a tractor and relocate it to their location. He added that they would keep it semi-permanent and it could be mobile. Mark Mayer addressed the Council relative to the Four Peaks Park Improvements and pointed out that this item has been brought to the Council's attention before. He added that there have been some changes to this particular site that he wanted to review with the Council and stated that they are specifically talking about the east side of the park, the northeast corner that is behind the Four Peaks School, which, in the past, utilized the site but they are not doing so now as they have in the past. He further discussed the actual site location (bus barn and athletic fields) and noted that the athletic fields used to get a great deal of game usage, particularly the soccer field, but now are used significantly less because of the development of Desert Vista. He noted that the park was used more as a community park rather th an a neighborhood park. Mr. Mayer advised that staff is recommending that a proposal be put together that would cost $50,000 and said that staff would get together with the neighbors, some of the groups that still utilize the park for sports and the Boys & Girls Club and together plan what the future of that park will be, especially on the east side. He added that much has changed and noted that when the Master Plan was put together in 2001 it included the Skate Park, which has now been relocated to Desert Vista. He said that they also have an issue with the fencing and the appearance of the park on the east side that is continuing to decline. He noted that there is an area that does not meet PM-10 standards because it is gravel and gets dusty when cars pull in there so they would like to resolve that issue as well. He stated that they really cannot do that for any length of time until they know how that park is ultimately going to be used. He reiterated that staff is seeking the funds to conduct a Master Plan and involve the groups that he mentioned. He added that this would also make them eligible to potentially apply for grants. There being no questions for Mr. Mayer he moved on to the next item -- Fountain Lake Water Quality Improvements. He reported that originally staff had budgeted $50,000 to help them fund the study that was conducted by the consultant (their consultant and the one chosen by the Sanitary District). He z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 7 of 11 advised that to date they have generated a draft report that was received in early November and said that they have not yet received the final version of that document but his understanding is that it is forthcoming. He noted that the cost for that was split between the Town and the Sanitary District. He reported that in discussions that staff has had with the Sanitary District the focus has really been on circulating the water and the current system that they have between the Fountain and the aerator does not sufficiently mix the water either horizontally or vertically. He added that the information that staff has received to date suggests that the cost could be as much as $1 million. He said that staff has not had the ability to go any further than this and actually get any detailed design and so that is where the project stands as of this time. Councilmember Leger asked if at this point in time the $250,000 is just a placeholder and Mr. Mayer replied yes. Councilmember Leger questioned what recommendations are being made and Mr. Mayer responded that at this point there really aren't any recommendations -- the discussion, however, has focused on the need for a design for a lake of their size and depth. He noted that the discussion had been that they need a method to circulate that water, perhaps by an internal piping system and pumps located throughout that system that would circulate the water both horizontally and vertically. Councilmember Leger asked if the final report would contain those recommendations and Mr. Mayer replied that he doesn't believe the report coming from the consultant will include that and he thinks it would take an additional step to accomplish that because it is outside of the scope of the work that the consultant was hired to do. In response to a question from Councilmember Leger relative to how t hat would be accomplished, Mr. Mayer advised that some additional discussions would have to take place with the Sanitary District relative to moving ahead and actually selecting someone. He added that this would have to come back before the Council. Councilmember Leger said that at this point in time they have a placeholder in the amount of $250,000 but they have no idea what that would be used for and Mr. Mayer explained that ultimately it would be used for some method that would re-circulate the water in the lake but they don't have a specific design or product in place at this time. Councilmember Leger requested some examples and Mr. Mayer stated that they just have theoretical ones at this time -- some type of a pipe system that would connect and circulate the water but they would have to be located up off the bottom because of the sediment in the lake and added that they would distribute the water both horizontally and vertically. He said that just initial discussions have taken place. In response to a question from Vice Mayor Dickey, Mr. Mayer reported that the report cost $22,000 and the Town paid for half of that. He noted that they would simply be carrying that money forward. Mr. Mayer discussed the Urban Trail Improvements and advised that this too is something that staff has been working on for a period of time. He said included in the funds for this year is money to come up with a design and bring it before the Council again. He pointed out that a number of months ago staff brought the preliminary design forward with the logo, the kiosks and the branding of the particular product. He stated that they are scheduled to come back before the Parks & Recreation Commission on May 14th and back for final approval from the Council on May 17th. He reported that implementation of the plan has been budgeted for $50,000 the first year to get them off the ground and the proposal that the Council will see on the 17th will include the overall plan for various loops within the community --what the kiosks and branding of the product will actually look like and a schematic of the kiosk that will be at each of the trailhead sites. He added that as he mentioned a couple of months ago, staff has tried to utilize as much as possible the existing infrastructure (parking areas, restrooms, drinking fountains, etc.) so that z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 8 of 11 they didn't have to build new so most of the trailheads are going to be located at park sites because of the availability. He said that over the next four years after they do the implementation phase they have put aside $20,000 to implement additional phases of the project which would include trailhead locations with kiosks for informational purposes and also signage along the routes. Mr. Mood readdressed the Council relative to Unpaved Alley P aving Projects and noted that in 2007 the Council adopted Resolution 2007-4, which was related to the MAG 5% Plan for PM-10, basically ways to reduce particulate matter or dust in the air. He said that part of that is that the Town agreed to pave their unpaved alleys, specifically in the Colony and Panorama area. He reported that previously they completed two alleys and this current year of the program was suspended because of the funding. He advised that over the next three years staff wants to finish off the last three alleys in that area. Vice Mayor Dickey asked if there was a deadline to accomplish this work and Mr. Mood replied that they (MAG) just said "as funding was available." Mr. Mood continued with the Shea Boulevard Widening and informed the Council that they are currently at the 75% design stage on this project and pointed out that earlier this year Council approved a revised development agreement with Firebrick Plaza and basically the Town took in $200,000 and said they would finish off their requirements from their old development agreement. He noted that they are finishing up legal exhibits for the acquisition of easements at the intersection of Shea and Saguaro so they will be talking to those property owners again in the near future t o start the acquisition process. He advised that they are going to improve the intersection, widen Shea from the Beeline to Technology (three lanes in both directions) and they have received a grant from MCDOT (Maricopa County Department of Transportation) to finish off from the Beeline to the Town border (do an overlay). He reported that they had $200,000 from the developer and Proposition 400 money so basically that is a 70-30 match and the Town will pay for 30%. He noted that every year MAG has pushed back the reimbursement so if this project is constructed next year, MAG's 2013 ALCP shows that they will reimburse the Town up to $1.6 million in FY 2014, $1 million in FY 2015 and $200,000 in FY 2016. He added that the Town will have to pay the up-front monies and then wait for the reimbursements. He said that those are the maximum reimbursements and if they get good bids there is a chance the cost will come in a lot lower but they will still do the 70-30 split. Vice Mayor Dickey referred to the intersection and said that she knows they have something coming up about the lights. She stated that this would not include doing anything to the traffic lights. Mr. Mood advised that they would be upgrading the traffic signals in this project and he believes there are three that that would be upgraded. The Vice Mayor asked if they would be using rubberized asphalt and Mr. Mood replied yes. He noted that rubberized really is effective after you get over 45 miles per hour so on Shea this will be a great help. The Vice Mayor discussed the intersection of Shea and Saguaro when people are traveling from the Beeline and going west and asked if it is going to be possible to have a right turn arrow at Saguaro. Mr. Mood responded that off the top of his head he can't answer that but he would definitely look into it. Mr. Mood highlighted the Pavement Management Program, $100,000 every year over the next five years of the CIP to help supplement the Street Department, and advised that they found out that the HURF budget was cut by about $100,000 so they had that contingency line item since they anticipated this reduction (this will wipe out the contingency). He reported that staff did ask a contractor who has done some work for the Town to look at Palisades and said that if you drive Palisades from Lost Trails to Shea you might not notice it if you are traveling very fast but there are actually cracks across the road that are z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 9 of 11 about two to three inches wide and deep. He stated that the quote staff received just for that work was $80,000 so the money gets used up pretty quick. He added that staff is not saying they are going to do that but they wanted to get an estimate. Mr. Mood moved on with the Pavement Management Program and explained that this item is actually for Saguaro and is not in the CIP yet -- staff is proposing it. He said that if the Town wants to go out for a bond to do some specific roads such as Saguaro in November of 2013, staff would highly recommend that they put some money in next year's budget to start the design. He noted that there are some extensive drainage improvements on Palisades by the Desert Canyon Golf Course and they won't do a round -about but they will have to do some minor improvements on the Avenue of the Fountains. He added that staff is looking at extending the medians to make that intersection a little shorter so that it is better for pedestrians. He added that there might be some ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) work that they have to do as part of the legal requirements when they do a road. Mr. Mood informed the Council that since that is a truck route they will have to decide whether they want to increase the pavement strength (thickness) and redo the sub-grade so that it will handle a truck route for the long term. He stated that in speaking with the Sanitary District they are looking at a project to run a new reclaimed water line from their treatment plant to their advanced water treatment facility on Kiwanis so they could potentially be putting a pipeline in Saguaro in early 2014. He added that if they have the bond in late 2013 and it gets approved staff wants to have a design ready so they can bid it out and be right behind them and as they are putting in the pipe they can resurface the road behind them (so they a re not ripping it up early 2014 and then the Town is ripping it up late 2014). Mr. Mood further stated that staff needs to talk with other utilities, the water company and when the State Trust Land develops they are going to have to put a sewer down Saguaro from Fountain Hills Boulevard to the treatment plant so they really don't know that timing and they might want to look at stopping the project near the Ashbrook wash because they don't want to put in a new road and have it torn up a year or two later. He stated that staff is recommending that the Council approve putting some money in the budget so they can start the design. He noted that they did have a little bit of money left over this year and they are going out and doing some asphalt core samples (look at the asphalt and the sub-grade and have a geo-technical engineer make some recommendations for Saguaro, Palisades and Fountain Hills Boulevard). Mr. Mood also discussed the Shea Boulevard Multi Use Path and said that they have a grant and staff is proposing to do the sidewalk up by Eagle Mountain Golf Course and then connect to the City of Scottsdale's multi use path (a joint project between the Town and Scottsdale). He stated that last year the Council tabled the IGA because there is a significant match($135,000) and added that after July 1st staff is going to talk to Scottsdale again and see if they still want to move forward with the project so this might come back before the Council. He said that Scottsdale was not sure whether they would have the funding available next year and they might have to put it off to another project. Mr. Mood addressed the Fountain Hills Boulevard Shoulder Paving and informed the Council that this is currently going on right now. He stated that they have the designer and they have been out there doing some geo-technical work, surveying, and this is a Federal grant project that will probably take another two to three years to get the job done (they have to get an environmental study and obtain environmental clearances) and said it has started but it is a long Federal process. He noted that that will pave the dirt shoulders on the sides of Fountain Hills Boulevard. He added that it will not add another travel lane but it will be easier for bicyclists. Mr. Mood discussed Shea Boulevard Eastbound Bike Lane and Overlay and explained that in the late 1990s the Town was awarded a grant for a bike lane (on the south side of Shea between Palisades and Fountain Hills Boulevard). He noted that it was a much larger project and for one reason or another the z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 10 of 11 projects became piecemeal -- they did the Shea climbing lane and the Shea gap but the bike lane on this side of Shea never got built. He advised that the grant money is still sitting there but since it was back in the late 1990s early 2000s, the grant application did not include a mill and overlay. He said that staff is working with MAG and ADOT to see if they will let the Town use the funding to include a mill and overlay. He stated that this is an uphill battle but staff is trying and that would basically finish off that roadway surface -- it won't add the other lane but again they will have a nice rubberized asphalt surface. Mr. Mood addressed the Intelligent Transportation System and noted that this is a fairly large grant with a pretty significant Town match (a $900,000 grant with a $500,000 Town match) and this is to integrate the traffic signals so they can communicate and be timed better. He advised that the focus is going to be on Shea Boulevard because that is really the central corridor. He stated that the lights in the downtown area would be really difficult to time properly because they are in different directions. He said that one thought is to do an IGA with Scottsdale where the signals on Shea can be tied back into their monitoring system because they have the cameras that will monitor and if there is an accident they can change the timing and have longer arrows to re-route traffic. He reported that they will be starting this project in Fiscal Year 2013 and pointed out that only $53,000 has been budgeted and that is just to get a consultant started on the work. He added that they will look and this to determine what is best for the Town's needs. Mr. Mood highlighted the Traffic Signal - Palisades/Saguaro Upgrades and informed the Council that this is an original MCDOT traffic signal. He stated that they had a pole that was very rusty so they took one from the Shea climbing lane (the mast arms were the right length) and replaced the worst pole out there. He noted that at some point that traffic signal is going to have to be rebuilt and this is really just a placeholder -- staff is going to keep moving it every year so if it does get to the point where it needs to be rebuilt the funds will be available to go out and do the work. Mr. Mood indicated his willingness to respond to any questions relative to the various projects that he outlined. Vice Mayor Dickey thanked Mr. Mood for his presentation. The Vice Mayor asked what the next step will be and Mr. Buchanan stated that if the Council does not have any further questions regarding capital, they also have an opportunity to pose questions regarding previous meetings on the operating budget. He pointed that staff is present and willing to respond to any questions that the Council may have. Councilmember Leger stated that it was his understanding that at the last meeting there were some questions or concerns regarding the disposition of the community contracts. He said that he believes that item has been agendized for the next Council meeting and requested confirmation of this. Mr. Buchanan confirmed that the item will appear on the May 17th agenda. Councilmember Leger commented that there will be an opportunity at that time to further discuss that item and ask questions. Vice Mayor Dickey advised that input is welcome on all of these items and there are other meetings coming up. She added that staff and the Council are available to answer any questions and encouraged anyone who would like additional information to contact them. AGENDA ITEM #2 – ADJOURNMENT. Councilmember Leger MOVED to adjourn the meeting and Councilmember Brown SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY (7-0). The Work Study Session adjourned at 6:22 p.m. z:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 11 of 11 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 by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 8th day of May, 2012. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 7th day of June, 2012. _____________________________ Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk