HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-04-17 Town Council MinutesVail Town Council Evening Meeting Minutes
• Tuesday, April 17, 2007
6:00 P.M.
Vail Town Council Chambers
The regular meeting of the Vail Town Council was called to order at approximately
6:00 P.M. by Mayor Rod Slifer.
Members present: Rod Slifer, Mayor
Farrow Hitt, Mayor Pro-Tem
Greg Moffet
Kim Newbury
Mark Gordon
Kevin Foley
Not present: Kent Logan
Staff Members: Stan Zemler, Town Manager
Matt Mire, Town Attorney
Pam Brandmeyer, Assistant Town Manager
The first item on the agenda was Citizen Participation. There was none.
19 Foley stated the Vail Chamber and Business Association Premier Impression Awards
Ceremony was successful.
The second item on the agenda was appointments to the Vail Local Licensing Authority
(LLA) and Vail Local Housing Authority (VLHA) boards.
Earlier in the day Council interviewed all of the applicants.
All applicants for the LLA roust be citizens of the United States, qualified electors of the
Town of Vail, and have resided in Vail for not less than two years preceding
appointment, and shall have no direct financial interest in any license to sell alcoholic
beverages or any location having any such license. Duties of the five -member board
include review of all Town of Vail liquor license applications. There are currently three
vacancies on the LLA. The Town received five (3) applications for the. vacancy. Moffet
moved to appoint Mark Conlin, Connie Knight and Bryant Roth to the board with Hitt
seconding. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. Foley thanked Bill Bishop and Dick
Cleveland for their past service on the board.
All applicants for the VLHA must be full-time, year-round residents of Eagle County who
either are residents of the Town of Vail or work for a business holding a Town of Vail
business license. Authority members must have a proven ability to be an effective
advocate for a full range of housing projects and be able to promote a vision for local
employee housing that has been approved of by the majority of the Authority. The role of
• Authority members is to act as Board of Directors for the business of the Vail Local
Housing Authority. The duties may include budget approval, adopting policies,
• advocacy, staff oversight, strategic and long-term planning, setting development and
acquisition parameters and potentially managing the existing Town of Vail deed -
restricted housing inventories. Technical experience in one of the following areas is
also desirable: financing of large projects, development, construction/construction
management, planning, design, or legal. Hitt moved to reappoint Sally Jackle with
Moffet seconding. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0.
The third item on the agenda was the Town Manager's Report.
Vail Pass Environmental Assessment Update.
Town Engineer Tom Kassmel reported the process continued. For more information and
a detailed time line please visit www.westvailpass.org.
Police Department Annual Report
Police Chief Dwight Henninger presented Council with the 2006 Police Department
Annual Report. The report documents the activities of the Police Department and Vail
Public Safety Communications Center during 2006. Highlights include a 14.5% increase
in calls for service and no significant increases in crime rates. Gordon thanked the
Police Department for their hard work. Henninger then thanked Council for their
continued support.
• Seibert Circle Update.
• Project Manager Todd Oppenheimer reported significant engineering work still needed
to happen before the proposed fountain could be completed. He said the town did not
have the necessary schedule to guarantee a price with a general contractor. 'We are
not going to start this on April 23... 1 wish it was a lot better news." Hitt asked when the
news came to light. Oppenheimer replied, "This company (project designer WET
Design) is not a responsive company." The design of an intrusion system surrounding
the sculpture was also discussed. Slifer asked that the intrusion element be brought
before Council for approval prior to it being installed. Zemler said he would like the
Town Attorney to review the contract with WET Design and determine an appropriate
course of action.
The fourth item on the agenda was a Noise Ordinance Discussion and opportunity for
public Input.
Police Commander Steve Wright asked Council to discuss and obtain public input
regarding the existing noise ordinance and give direction to staff if change is desired.
During the Council meeting of March 20, there was discussion of possibly amending the
current town ordinance section 5-1-7, extending the time periods for allowable outdoor
entertainment. The current ordinance prohibits amplified sound between the hours of 10
p.m. and 8 a.m. Wright said, "The current ordinance appears to have a good balance
between the needs of the commercial establishments and the residential occupants of
the core areas. However, if Councii is desirous of making a change, staff recommends
extending the period of allowable amplified sound on Friday and Saturday nights by one
• hour." Hitt and Gordon recommended allowing sound to be amplified for an additional
hour on Fridays and Saturdays. Representing Vail Resorts, Tom Miller asked Council to
consider Special Entertainment Districts. Vail local Sheika Gramshammer asked
• Council to support an hour long amplified sound extension on Friday and Saturday.
Representing the Vail Chamber and Business Association, Kaye Ferry said an extension
would be appropriate. Hitt moved to have the Town Attorney bring back an ordinance
extending the hours of outdoor amplified sound from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and
Saturdays with Gordon seconding. Slifer explained he had concerns that amplified
sound ultimately turns into street entertainment. Representing the Red Lion, Scott
Dolgitt spoke in support of the extension. The motion passed 5-1, with Slifer opposed.
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The fifth item on the agenda was a 2007 Integrated Weed Management Plan Update.
Landscape Architect Gregg Barrie presented an update on Noxious Weed Management
efforts for 200' . "Beginning this spring, the Department of Public Works will be stepping
up efforts to effectively manage noxious weeds on town -owned property. The Town of
Vail has a pretty significant noxious weed problem." Management efforts will include:
inventory and mapping, public education, and then management efforts.
Four different management efforts are proposed:
--Mechanical
--Chemical
--Biological
--Cultural
The town is planning a first annual "Weed Pull" toward the end of the summer. Hitt
cornmented he had participated in noxious weed management efforts in his
neighborhood. Gordon encouraged using as few chemicals as possible.
The sixth item on the agenda was an Environmental Program Update.
Town Environmental Officer Bill Carlson provided Council with an overview of
environmental programs the town has undertaken and was researching. Zemler said
when the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) funding mechanism for environmental
programs was approved, staff assured Council they would be informed as to how the
funds would be spent. Carlson went on to explain the town's recycling, renewable
energy, green building and energy management plan and water quality protections.
Council discussed the potential use of a cardboard compactor for commercial cardboard
collection. Zemler said he would investigate commercial cardboard collection. Gordon
encouraged the use of compostable plastics at town special events. Gordon asked what
the town could do to encourage photovoltaic systems. Hitt clarified the United States
Forest Service and Eagle County also provided Forest Health Project Funding. Newbury
thanked Public Information Officer Suzanne Silverthorne for her successful work
regarding the bear -resistant container awareness program.
The seventh item on the agenda was a LionsHead Parking Structure Update.
Zemler reported much progress had been made in regard to the structure's
redevelopment. Legal counsel for both parties are meeting and beginning to put
appropriate language together. The possible use of Timber Ridge will also be
discussed. Bond counsel has begun investigating the project's funding. A group of
community leaders was convened to have a dialogue about the potential uses of a
conference center/performing arts facility.
. The eighth item on the agenda was Conference Center Fund Reallocation Next Steps
Report.
Zemler reported that during the April 3, 2007, meeting, following public input from the
business community, Town Council voted 5-2 to proceed with a telephone poll to probe
voter interest regarding various reallocation scenarios for the Conference Center Fund,
so long as Council's procedural questions are satisfactorily addressed during the April
17 work session. It is estimated the fund will be approximately $9 million by a fall
election. The conference center taxes (a half -cent sales tax and a 1.5 percent lodging
tax) were approved by voters in 2002 and rescinded in 2006. The funding may be
redirected to an alternate use(s) with the consent of Vail's electorate. Options for next
steps include:
• Proceed with the telephone poll to be fielded in June and provide direction on the list
of questions and possible uses to probe with input from a working group to be
identified by the Town Council. Results ;mould be used to determine readiness to set
the ballot for November 2007, which would require second reading of an ordinance
by August 21.
• Postpone the telephone survey and create a working group to be identified by the
Town Council to recommend a possible ballot question for November 2007, which
requires second reading of an ordinance by August 21. A telephone poll could be
scheduled later to evaluate voter interest prior to a go/no-go ballot decision.
Postpone the survey and ballot -setting process until 2008 when additional information
will be known regarding future plans for public parking and a privately -funded
conference center as part of the LionsHead parking structure redevelopment
negotiation process.
Moffet moved to postpone the survey and ballot -setting process until 2008 when
additional information will be known regarding future plans for public parking and a
privately -funded conference center as part of the LionsHead parking structure
redevelopment negotiation process with Hitt seconding. Representing the Vail Valley
Partnership, Michael Robinson spoke in support of the motion. Montaneros building
representative Keith Ozda asked Council to continue efforts in determining what to do
with the funds. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0.
The ninth item on the Discussion of Ordinance No. 13, Series of 2007, an Ordinance
making supplemental appropriations to the Town of Vail General Fund, Capital Projects
Fund and Real Estate Transfer Fund, of the 2007 Budget for the Town of Vail, The Town
of Vail, Colorado; and authorizing the expenditures of said appropriations as set forth
herein.
Moffet moved to approve the ordinance with Newbury seconding. Fire Chief. John Gulick
explained a town owned ladder truck had been recently refurbished. The Katsos Ranch
recreation trail renovation was also discussed in detail. The motion passed
unanimously, 6-0.
• The tenth item on the agenda was the Second Reading of Ordinance No. 1, Series of
2007. An ordinance amending title 10, Vail Town Code; adopting chapter 3, "in -building
public safety radio system coverage"; providing minimum standards for in -building radio
. system coverage.
Town Fire Marshal Mike McGee reported the ability of police, fire, ambulance and other
emergency providers and personnel to communicate with each other within buildings
and structures, and to communicate from within structures and buildings to personnel
and locations outside of the building and structures, is vital to the public and these
responding agencies. A breakdown in communications among emergency responders
and public safety personnel creates a serious risk of harm and is a serious threat to the
safety and welfare of emergency personnel, the residents Vail and the public in general.
McGee said he had recently found 18 buildings within town limits where radio
communication was not available inside. Costs to install amplification systems range
from ten cents to one dollar per square foot. Slifer clarified property owners were
generally willing to be compliant. Moffet moved to adopt the ordinance with Hitt
seconding. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. For details, contact Matt Mire at 479-
2460.
The eleventh item on the agenda was Resolution Number 11, Series 2007. A resolution
supporting the efforts of the Vail Valley Foundation to proceed with a bid for the 2013
FIS World Alpine Ski Championships.
Vail Valley Foundation President Ceil Folz announced in 2004 the Vail Valley
Foundation (the "Foundation") executed a challenging, yet unsuccessful bid to bring the
Alpine World Ski Championships to Vail. The Foundation now believes it is time to "put
• our foot back in the pool' and submit a bid for the 2013 World Alpine Ski
Championships. The Alpine Ski Championships gather the greatest skiers from over
forty countries to compete over a two week period of time in every alpine discipline. The
Alpine Ski Championships are expected to attract more than 800 athletes, 1,800
members of the media, 2,000 volunteers and several large international sponsors. Folz
clarified that philosophical support would lead to financial support if the bid is successful.
Moffet moved to adopt the resolution with Gordon seconding. The motion passed
unanimously, 6-0. For details, contact Pam Brandmeyer at 479-2113.
The twelfth item on the agenda was Adjournment.
Slifer said he had indicated to St. Moritz, Switzerland officials the Town of Vail had a
desire to increase interaction.
Moffet moved to adjourn with Foley seconding at approximately 8:02 p.m. The motion
passed unanimously, 6-0.
ATTEST:
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Rodney E. Slifer, Mayor
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Lorelei Donaldson, Town Clerk : Ca
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Minutes provided by Corey Swisher.
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