Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-03-04 Town Council Minutes• • TOWN COUNCIL EVENING MEETING TUESDAY, March 4, 2003 7:00 P.M. TOV COUNCIL CHAMBERS The regular meeting of the Vail Town Council was called to order at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, March 4, 2003, by Mayor Ludwig Kurz. MEMBERS PRESENT: ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: Ludwig Kurz, Mayor Dick Cleveland Diana Donovan Bill Jewitt Chuck Ogibly Rod Slifer, Mayor Pro-Tem Greg Moffet Bob McLaurin, Town Manager Pam Brandmeyer, Interim Town Mgr. Matt Mire, Town Attorney The first item on the agenda was Citizen Participation. Kaye Ferry, representing the One Valley Leadership Coalition, addressed the Council, encouraging their attendance at the second of a three-part series on economics within the Vail Valley, on March 6th at the Singletree Community Center. Ferry stated attendance had been good at the previous meeting and consolidation of county services would be discussed at this meeting. The second item on the agenda was Nottingham Environmental Quality Award. Bill Carlson, Senior environmental Planner, and Mauri Nottingham presented the 2002 award winners . Carlson stated the award program was established in 1994, and named after Mauri Nottingham and the We Recycle program. Carlson thanked Alpine Bank, WestStar Bank, Vail Resorts, City Market, Holy Cross Energy and City Market for sponsoring the award program, as well as Russ Forrest and Diana Donovan for their participation in the program. Awards were presented to Susan Pollack of Vail for her contributions to environmental education programs throughout the Eagle County; R. A. Nelson for its commitment to environmentally -friendly practices; Vail Honeywagon for encouraging residents to use wildlife -resistant trash containers; and 15-year old Will James of Eagle Valley Middle School for undertaking an effort to maintain open space in the Eby Creek Mesa subdivision. 1 • The third item on the agenda was the Art in Public Places (AIPP) Year End Review. Leslie Fickling, AIPP Coordinator, introduced the AIPP board and made a presentation of their 2002 accomplishments. Mayor Kurz thanked Fickling and the board for their contributions to Vail. The fourth item on the agenda was a discussion on the Multi -Jurisdictional Forest Fuels Reduction Project in Intermix Areas. Cal Wettstein from the U.S. Forest Service and Ron Cousineau from the State Forest Service gave an overview to the Council regarding planning efforts for the upcoming wildfire season. Wettstein said the Vail Valley Forest Health Project, which covers 100,000 acres of surrounding area, would continue to address pine beetle outbreak problems. Wettstein stated for every tree infected by pine beetles last year, three more would be infected this year. Wettstein also spoke about the impacts of the drought, saying the Chamonix, Davos, Streamside, Intermountain and Bighorn neighborhoods were at high risk for wildfires. The Forest Service will be conducting an environmental assessment of these high -risk areas to determine what preventative measures would be needed to help spare homes if a wildfire were to occur. Ron Cousineau presented information on defensible space to the Council. Cousineau stated defensible space consisted of an area surrounding a structure where the vegetation had been modified to mitigate the fire hazard and provided an opportunity for fireighters to safely defend a structure in the path of an approaching fire. Cousineau stated the State Forest Service would be working with the Vail Fire Service and the Town of Vail this spring to • help educate the Vail community about defensible space and what homeowners can do to protect their property from wildfires. Local publisher Michael Cacioppo inquired about the opportunity for logging companies to take out trees killed by pine beetles. Wettstein explained that occasionally logging companies are used to remove trees killed by pine beetles, but it depended on how accessible an area was and how economically feasible it was for the company. Kaye Ferry questioned the ability for residents to remove trees on their property to create defensible space. Community Development Director Russ Forrest explained the town allows homeowners to remove trees killed by pine beetles, but required a permit from the Design Review Board for removal of healthy trees. Diana Donovan questioned the guidelines used to create defensible space. Cousineau explained the State Forest Service used specific guidelines based on items such as fuel types surrounding the area, winds, slope -sides, roofing on homes and whether the home was accessible for emergency service vehicles. The fifth item on the agenda was the Investment Policy Report. Bob McLaurin, Town Manager, presented the annual report on the town's investments as required by town code. Cash and investments at December 31, 2002, totaled $23 million. McLaurin stated the town's funds were invested first for safety, then liquidity and finally return. Bill Jewitt raised a question in relation to government securities. McLaurin responded he would have Judy Camp, the town's Finance Director, research his question and get back to him. 2 e The sixth item on the agenda was the Town Manager's Report. Greg Hall, Public Works Director, informed the Council that portions of the equipment and the structure at Pirate Ship Park were in need of repair or replacement. Hall stated that replacement of the park's equipment was included in the 2003 Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) budget and could be coordinated with Vail Resorts' "Front Door" project. Councilmember Diana Donovan encouraged the town to keep the new equipment visually similar to the current structure. The Council was in agreement to have staff begin the review process for the park. Under Matters from the Mayor and Council, acknowledging a discussion during the work session earlier in the day, Chuck Ogilby made a motion to authorize the Children's Garden of Learning to proceed through the process with the Design Review Board and Planning Commission to approve the center to be relocated to the Hud Wirth site for 18 months. Dick Cleveland seconded the motion. Diana Donovan expressed reservations in doing this, trusting the boards will watch out for the town's best interests. Town Manager McLaurin reminded the Council permission to proceed through the process did not necessarily mean approval would be given. A vote was taken on the motion and the motion passed unanimously, 5-0. Assistant Town Manager Brandmeyer asked for volunteers from the Council to be hosts at the Wednesday night Streetbeat series. Dick Cleveland volunteered for this week's concert and Mayor Kurz volunteered for a concert in April. Bill • Jewitt asked for a schedule of the upcoming concerts. Brandmeyer stated the Vail Chamber and Business Association (VCBA) would be discussing Business Improvement District (BID) questions at the April 1 st 2003, meeting. Chuck Ogilby made a motion to increase the number of dedicated parking spots at the Spraddle Creek trailhead for users of the 10th Mountain Division but system from two to eight spaces. Ogilby explained that during busy weeks and weekends, but users have been forced to park elsewhere due to lack of available parking. Bill Jewitt seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously, 5-0. Brandmeyer reminded the Council of the joint meeting with the Eagle County Commissioners on Thursday, March 13th,, at noon, at the Chop House restaurant in Beaver Creek. Brandmeyer stated the discussions would include funding for capital and other projects, as well as possible consolidation of services. Mayor Kurz urged as many Council members as possible to attend. Brandmeyer also informed the Council of a letter received from the Vail Recreation District (VRD) regarding Vail Ice Dome issues. Brandmeyer stated this issue would be discussed at the March 18th work session. 0 • Chuck Ogilby proposed the Council allocate $5,000 from the escrowed $400,000 the town could receive from the sale of the Old Town Shops to pay for a basic design concept for the proposed indoor recreation facility at Red Sandstone Elementary School. Ogilby expressed his concern that unless the town took action soon, the gymnastics program would be left without a permanent home after its lease expires in Avon next year. Town Manager McLaurin stated the funds were presently held by the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District. Attorney Matt Mire advised Ogilby he would like to review the agreement before any allocation on the funds was made. Ogilby then made a motion to set aside $5,000 with the two contingencies mentioned above. The motion failed for lack of a second. Diana Donovan stated she felt the school district should be contacted first. Assistant Town Manager Pam Brandmeyer advised the Council she left a message with the Superintendent of Schools after the Council's last meeting, but had not received a reply to date. Dick Cleveland suggested waiting for two weeks on Ogilby's motion and to contact the school district again. Dick Cleveland reported the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG) gave the Community Development Department a $3,000 technical grant for a 3D program that will assist with base mapping. Bill Jewitt gave an update on the Vail Recreation District's proposed redesign of the Vail Gofl Course greens and tee boxes Jewitt stated the VRD had • interviewed 2 architects and had recommended hiring Dick Bailey, a former Vail resident, for the redesign. Council was advised a Donovan Park Pavilion meeting was scheduled for next Monday at 8:15 a.m. As there was no further business, Bill Jewitt made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Dick Cleveland seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously, 5-0, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 P.M. SEAL ,ot q ATTEST: l � �*I i �onaldson, Town Clerk • Respectfully submitted, ✓ullo ,� Ludwig Ku9, Mayor • Minutes taken by Mary A. Caster 0