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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-08-04 Town Council MinutesVail Town Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, August 4, 2009 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 Dick Cleveland. Members present: Dick Cleveland, Mayor Mark Gordon Kevin Foley Margaret Rogers Andy Daly Kim Newbury Not present: Farrow Hitt Staff Members: Stan Zemler, Town Manager Matt Mire, Town Attorney Pam Brandmeyer, Assistant Town Manager The first item on the agenda was Citizen Participation Local contractor Russ Varley complained that he was not allowed to park in the LionsHead parking structure between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. He then asked that van pools be allowed in the structures in the morning. The second item on agenda was the Town Manager's Report. a. Revenue Update. Budget and Financial Reporting Manager Kathleen Halloran reported that when all sales tax returns are received for the month of June, collections for the month are expected to be $711,149, down 22.5% from June, 2008. Year-to-date total sales tax collections are down 15.4% from 2008 and flat with the budget. Inflation as measured by the consumer price index was down (-1.4%) for the month of June compared to 2008. Use tax collections as of July 28, 2009 total $242,567, a 39% decrease from this time last year. Construction permit revenue through July 28 totals $469,897, down 71 % from 2008. The 2009 budget assumed a 66% drop. The decrease in activity from the prior year is due to both major and non -major redevelopment projects underway in 2008. Major redevelopment projects so far this year make up 62% of the total. Revenue from non - major projects is down 49% from 2008. Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) collections through July 28, 2009, total $1.3 million. This amount is a 75% decrease from last year due to both major and non -major redevelopment projects. Eagle County as of May, 2009, is down 67% in sales dollars and down 54% in the number of sales transactions. At this time last year, the town had collected over $5.1 million in RETT from sales of major redevelopment projects such as Arrabelle, Forest Place, One Willow and the Vail Plaza. Year-to-date 2009 has seen limited sales from major redevelopment projects and is down 84%. Collections not related to major projects year-to-date are 54% down from this time last year. Community Development Director George Ruther provided an update on a recent retreat taken with the Vail Resorts Development Company (VRDC). The proposed EverVail development was the primary subject matter. The greatest amount of discussion was centered around phasing of the project. "Each phase should be able to stand alone as an individual project... It was a productive use of time." Ruther then reported the North Day Lot employee housing development continued down the approval path. "They (VRDC) are required to have a building permit by April of 2010." Cleveland clarified a construction parking plan would be a part of the permitting process. Rogers made clear the town continued to hold a VRDC letter of credit ($17+ million) if the North Day Lot is not developed. The third item on the agenda was the Consent Agenda: a. Approval of 07.07.09 and 07.21.09 Town Council Minutes. Foley moved to approve the consent agenda without amendments with Newbury seconding. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. The fourth item on the agenda was the Dobson Ice Arena roof replacement bid award Town Engineer Tom Kassmel explained The Dobson Ice Arena has been in need of replacement. "This project was delayed from 2008 to 2009." The project was bid out, after the Council reviewed the third budget supplemental for 2009. The apparent low bidder is Roofmasters Roofing. The town performed reference checks on the contractor. The replacement material will be metal and has received Design Review Board approval. The town received five bids as outlined below. Roofmasters Roofing, Hays KS Base Bid - $555,000 B & M Roofing, Fredrick, CO Base Bid - $638,945 Turner Morris, Silverthorne, CO Base Bid - $678,143 Progressive Roofing, Denver, CO Base Bid - $709,245 Weathercraft, Colorado Springs, CO Base Bid - $881,108 The contract is within the budget for the project. Construction is to begin once the contract is signed. A request to instruct the Town Manger to enter into a contract with Roofmasters Roofing of Hays, KS for $555,000 in a form approved by the Town Attorney. Daly moved to instruct the Town Manger to enter into a contract with Roofmasters Roofing of Hays, KS for $555,000 in a form approved by the Town Attorney, with Rogers seconding. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. The fifth item on the agenda was a review of LionsHead Transit Center Conceptual Scenarios. 2 An open house for the public to view the concepts took place outside of the Council Chambers prior to the Evening Session. The Town of Vail and the Vail Reinvestment Authority (VRA) are in the process of studying the feasibility of constructing a LionsHead Transit Center in response to past planning efforts including the LionsHead Master Plan. The VRA contracted with the 4240 Architecture team to complete this design study. Since the project kick-off with the public and stakeholder groups on May 20th, the design team has: Established the givens, goals and measurable criteria of the project (6/2/09). Outlined the current conditions, defined study areas, and tested "carrying capacity" of various study areas to accommodate program components. (6/16/09). Completed a transit analysis determining what transit elements need to be accommodated now and in the future (7/7/09). The design team then presented ten conceptual scenarios that were based on the established givens, goals, measurable criteria, transit operations, program component needs, the LionsHead Masterplan and other past LionsHead Transit Center related study efforts, and the public, stake holder's and Council's input. The ten scenarios were categorized in incremental improvement ranges that address the short, mid, and long range transit needs. It was discussed that Vail should anticipate the need to carry more passengers throughout Vail if Eagle County Transit (ECO) is successful in implementing the desire to only make one stop in LionsHead and one stop a the Vail Village Transit Center. Passengers would then have to transfer from ECO to the Town of Vail bus system. Cleveland expressed concern that the 4240 recommendations may possibly sacrifice the guest experience. Town Engineer Tom Kassmel recommended beginning by focusing on the short term so as to perform some qualitative improvements that don't substantially impact the LionsHead parking structure. Rogers clarified the town had federal transit dollars that must begin to be used by 2010. Hall recognized the parking structures' transit related upgrades would also qualify for use of Vail Reinvestment Authority tax increment financing (TIF) dollars. Newbury questioned the value of having two large transit centers within a mile of each other. During a pause for public comment Vail Homeowner's Association representative Jim Lamont asked for more comprehensive cost estimates. 4240 representative Lou Bieker said the group had focused more on conceptual design and relative costs as opposed to detailed design and explicit costs, which would be the next step. Lamont said the proposed scenarios were not world class solutions. Bieker said putting transit on the south side of the structure created a fracture between the two Villages. Daly asked to minimize what takes place but to achieve the maximum impact and phase the implementation. Gordon asked for a fiscal analysis of the bonding capacity of the Vail Reinvestment Authority. Foley encouraged staff to return with a more detailed financial analysis. Newbury said she felt like Council was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Cleveland commented, "I do not want the federal money to dictate what we are going to build." Zemler said he would also return with a long term sustainability analysis. The sixth item on the agenda was the First Reading of Ordinance No. 17, Series of 2009, an Ordinance Submitting to the Registered Electors of The Town of Vail, Colorado, at a Regular Municipal Election Held on November 3, 2009 a Ballot Question to Amend Section 3.2 of the Town of Vail Charter Regarding Town Council member Terms of Office. 3 On July 21 st the Town Council directed the Town Attorney to prepare a ballot question to submit to the registered electors of the Town of Vail for the November 3, 2009 regular municipal election amending Section 3.2 of the Town of Vail Home Rule Charter as it relates to terms of council members. The proposed amendment is meant to address ambiguities and conflicts previously identified regarding the town's terms and term limits provisions for council members as currently set forth in Section 3.2 of the Charter. Rogers spoke in support of establishing only four year terms. "There are only two communities in the entire state that have two year terms ... the voting public does not vote because they think some people should get four years and someone should get two." During a pause for public comment, former Councilman Greg Moffet spoke in support of maintaining two year terms. "We have a better system here." Vail Homeowner's Association representative Jim Lamont said the original intent of the Town Charter was to change four seats every two years. Newbury moved to approve the ordinance on first reading with an amendment retaining the two-year term provision. The proposed amendment would also limit a council member to three consecutive terms, regardless of their length and would require a councilmember be out of office for two years after they have been term limited. Daly seconded the motion and it passed 4-2 with Rogers and Gordon opposed. The final public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for August 18'h The seventh item on the agenda was Resolution No. 21, Series of 2009, A resolution approving the purchase of Gore Range Condo II Unit #2-W, with a physical address of 2189 Chamonix Lane Unit #2-W, Vail, Colorado. Community Development Director George Ruther announced that Council approved the 2009 Town of Vail Budget with $500,000 allocated to the Buy Down Program. The Buy Down Program is designed to purchase existing dwelling units within Vail and permanently establish them as employee housing units. The acquisition of Gore Range Condos # 2W is in keeping with the established goal and actions identified in the Town of Vail Employee Housing Strategic Plan. Rogers moved to approve the Resolution with Newbury seconding. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. The eighth item on the agenda was Adjournment. Foley moved to adjourn at approximately 9:05 p.m. with Newbury seconding. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. ATTEST: OF al re • J • • •O Cp�O Lorelei Donaldson, Town Clerk Dick Cleveland, Mayor 4