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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-04-28 Town Council Minutes75 South Frontage Road Vail, Colorado 81657 970-479-2100 FAX 970-479-2157 MEDIA ADVISORY April 29, 1998 Contact: Suzanne Silverthorn, 479-2115 Community Information Office VAIL TOWN COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS FOR APRIL 28 Please note: The start time for the evening meeting has been changed to 7 p. m., 30 minutes earlier than the previous start time. Work Session Briefs Council members present: Armour, Arnett, Foley, Ford, Jewett, Kurz, Navas --Presentation of Silver Wreath of Valor to Michael Heydon . Michael Heydon, a seasonal Town of Vail bus driver, was presented with an award for bravery by the Vail Police Department at yesterday's meeting. Heydon received the Silver Wreath of Valor, the highest award that can be bestowed upon a civilian, for rescuing a 3-year-old toddler from a car that was dangling over a 10-foot-high retaining wall. The incident happened last Jan. 15 in the Matterhorn neighborhood when the child was left unattended in the family's parked car. The toddler apparently moved the gear shift to neutral allowing the car to roll up and over a retaining wall, where it came to rest at a 45 degree angle. Heydon, who was on his bus route, noticed the incident and ran to the rescue pulling the child from the dangling car, according to police reports. Heydon said he was surprised and honored to receive the award from Division Commander Jeff Layman of the Vail PD. Please note: He_vdon's name was misspelled in the news release issued April 27. We regret the error. --PEC Review During a recap of Monday's Planning and Environmental Commission (PEC) meeting, Councilmembers reviewed PEC approval of the town's request for a conditional use permit to resurrect a skatepark on the top deck of the Lionshead parking structure. The approval is valid during May through October and will not be subject to annual review unless there are complaints or objections in the future. The skatepark is a joint project supported by the Vail Recreation District, Vail Associates, the Town of Vail and numerous volunteers. Also, yesterday Councilmembers learned that the developer of the "ruins" property at 1325 Westhaven Dr. in Cascade Village, will agree to a one-year timetable for development (the town's code allows a three-year time frame). In the past, Councilmembers, frustrated by the lack of progress in completing the development, have called the property an eyesore. --Presentation of Multiple Use Indoor Event Center and Indoor Ice Rink The Council heard from Terrill Knight, Joan Harned and Dan Godec, each are representatives of a citizens group that hope to advance the concept of a multiple use indoor event center and (more) rP* RECYCLEDPAPE$ TOV Council Highlights/April 28, 19981Add1 • indoor ice rink at the Eagle County Fairgrounds in Eagle. The group is approaching each of the towns within the county to explore interest and potential support for a facility that would be modeled after the National Western Events Center in Denver. Uses could include concerts, equestrian events, winter rodeos, indoor soccer, shows, meetings and an ice surface, among others. The facility also could house a teen center, they said. The concept calls for private dollars to build the facility, with operations governed by an authority. The representatives said the site is one of the last remaining opportunities to create a facility in which all residents of the county would benefit. Reaction by the Town Council was generally supportive, although several Councilmembers wondered if Vail would, indeed, see a direct benefit from such a facility. Councilman Michael Arnett suggested the group make a similar presentation to the Vail Recreation District, while Councilman Bob Armour asked about the impact a facility would have on the equestrian center at the Berry Creek Fifth property in Edwards. Mayor Rob Ford stressed the importance of providing recreation facilities for locals at the site, such as an affordable golf course. He also expressed support for creating equestrian -based facilities that would augment Eagle's western ranching theme, but said an ice rink or convention center concept would be more appropriate if located in Vail. Councilmember Sybill Navas advised the group not to overlook the asset of the Eagle River within the plan. She also said such a facility would likely serve as another magnet to lure long-time residents away Vail, which would be unfortunate. --Presentation of the Year End Financial and the First Interim Financial Report of 1998 Next, Steve Thompson, finance director, presented an overview of revenues and expenditures during 1997. Revenues exceeded the amount budgeted last year in the following categories: sales tax collections, up $545,000; Real Estate Transfer Tax, up $1.3 million; construction fees, up $243,000; and parking -pay -in -lieu fees, up $528,000. Only two revenue categories were under budget, he said: ski lift tax, down $46,000 and daily parking revenues, down $112,000. On • the expenditure side, Thompson said general fund spending was under budget by $759,000. The financial score sheet for 1998 is not as strong, however. Sales tax collections are currently running about $200,000 behind last year's pace and daily parking revenues will be about $400,000 under previous collections, he said. The parking loss is attributed to the Park Free After 3 program (this was the first time the program had been offered season -long). Mayor Rob Ford suggested putting the community on notice that come June, the Council will need to seriously evaluate the program to determine if the benefits outweigh the costs. Also yesterday, Councilmembers reviewed. details of a proposed $8 million supplemental appropriation to the 1998 budget. Most of the changes involve rolling forward unspent 1997 appropriations ($2.1 million) and expenditures related to employee housing projects ($4.5 million). The supplemental will be considered for first reading at the May 19 evening meeting. --Capital Projects After a heated discussion, the Council authorized an additional $26,483 to the Seibert Circle project, increasing the project's cost from $634,500 to $690,983. Staff members said the bid from B&B Construction had been value -engineered to its fullest and was still running 4 percent over budget. Councilmembers Armour and Arnett advocated use of pavers rather than aggregate concrete at the project's periphery to help lower the cost, while Councilmembers Foley, Kurz, Navas and Ford said they didn't want to short-change the project. Councilman Michael Jewett made a motion to discontinue the project, but the motion failed due to lack of a second. The shortfall will come from fund balance. Also yesterday, Councilmembers agreed to authorize the transportation snowmelt project, which had been budgeted at $1.3 million. The bid from Yampah Construction is about $100,000 over budget. A $400,000 sales tax collection surplus from 1997 will be used to fund the difference. (more) TOV Council Highlights/April 28, 1998/Add2 --Mayors'/Managers' Update Town Manager Bob McLaurin said a subcommittee had met to draft a letter to the Eagle County Planning Commission in support of recommendations from the Roaring Fork Valley Planning Commission regarding a proposed county moratorium. McLaurin said the letter would be presented to the full group at a meeting on Wednesday this week. He said the group also is working on a grant request to hold a planning retreat that would include representation from each of the towns and the county. --Information Update Councilmembers received a copy of a letter from the Community Development Department that asks City Market to remove a "Vail Commons" sign on the property by May 15. The sign is in violation of the town's sign code. Announcements included: Councilmembers will have access to Internet e-mail within the next few weeks at a dedicated terminal within the Municipal Building; the second meeting to discuss Vail Village construction projects was productive with another meeting to follow this Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Red Lion; a matrix from the Common Ground public workshops has been compiled with distribution underway; and Mike Mollica, assistant director of the Community Development Department, has resigned after nearly 10 years with the town to take a planning job with a community in Connecticut. Also yesterday, Councilmembers agreed to modify approval of a development request to improve the Mountain Haus entrance based on a recommendation from the Fire Department. . --Council Reports Kevin Foley said the Trails Committee has just completed a half -day retreat. He said questions still remain about the current closure of the Dowd Junction recreation path by the Division of Wildlife when the same area is currently being accessed for fishing. Foley also reminded everyone about Tuesday's Vail Recreation District election. Absentee ballots are available for those who will be leaving town. In addition, Hermann Staufer has stepped down from the VRD after eight years, Foley said. The VRD also will be approaching the town attorney soon, according to Foley, to ask for help in enforcing distribution of in -district golf passes, which are currently being abused. Ludwig Kurz reported on a recent meeting of the board of directors for Channel 5. He said Channel 5 has forged a partnership with the Vail Valley Foundation for consideration in becoming the local broadcast station for the World Championships. Channel 5 also is collaborating with the Steadman Hawkins clinic and is committed to improving its programming efforts. Bob Armour said the Colorado Association of Ski Towns is continuing to lobby for passage of several bills in the state legislature and is also lobbying for non-stop flights by British Airways out of D IA. Sybill Navas reported on a meeting of the Special Events Commission in which about $15,000 is being set aside to help fund an event in Vail Village the weekend of Aug. 29. Town Attorney Tom Moorhead said that he and Assistant Town Manager Pam Brandmeyer had attended a recent meeting of the Eagle County Recreation Authority at the Council's request. _-Other Sybill Navas asked if a new house in Spraddle Creek is in compliance with the town's light ordinance. Staff will follow up. (more) TOV Council Highlights/April 28, 1998/Add3 Bob Armour noted that garage sale signs had been posted on the roundabout signs in West Vail last week. Kevin Foley continued to express concerns about the lack of late night bus service on Vail's outlying routes during the off-season. Due to the cancellation of meetings on May 5 and May 12, Councilmembers clarified possible call-up procedures that would be associated with the next PEG and DRB meetings. UPCOMING DISCUSSION TOPICS May 5 Work Session & Evening Meetings Cancelled due to lack of quorum May 12 Work Session Cancelled due to lack of quorum May 19 Work Session PEC Review Liquor Board Interviews Discussion and Review of Budget Calendar May 19 Evening Meeting Liquor Board Appointments First Reading, Ordinance #4, Red Sandstone SDD First Reading, Ordinance #8, Supplemental Appropriations May 26 Work Session DRB Review Year-end and First Quarter Financial Report Review of DRB Red Sandstone Decision • •