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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_CCWorkMeeting_01162018CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORK MEETING IONA COMMUNITY CENTER JANUARY 16, 2018 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Brad Andersen, Mayor Elect Dan Gubler, Council Member Rob Geray, Council Member Dan Garren, Council Member Kathy McNamara, Council Member Elect Michael Thompson, Public Works Director Zech Prouse, City Clerk Shara Roberts, and Chief of Police Karl Bowcutt. ABSENT: None. VISITORS: None. CONSENT AGENDA: None. ITEMS OF BUSINESS: General Discussion of the Water System Improvement Project with Greg Hansen: Mayor Andersen requested the proposed development Thomasville Estates be changed to a name containing more meaning for the City. He would like to see the development be called Sandcreek Estates and the streets be named after the early settlers and pioneers of the valley. Greg Hansen with Rockwell Homes expressed they actually have a hard time coming up with names for future developments and actually appreciate it when cities bring something to the table. Council Member Geray suggested looking up some of the names of veterans for ideas for street names as well. Mayor Andersen shared the last name Smith which he has received a lot of requests for who was an early settler of the valley. Council Member McNamara was charged with researching the Iona Historical Books and providing a list to Mr. Hansen for potential street names for the new development. Mayor Elect Gubler updated Mr. Hansen that the City has received the loan offer from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and are continuing to work through that process. He explained the next step is to review and accept the amendments Engineer Paul Scoresby has made to the Facility Planning Study. Mayor Andersen expressed the reason they wanted to meet with Mr. Hansen was to receive a status update on their involvement in the project so they can finalize the scope of work and move forward with putting contractual agreements in place. Mr. Hansen expressed Rockwell Homes is still fully committed to the scope of the work already outlined in regards to paying for the distribution of the lines to extend to the new development. They currently have a lot of other projects that are underway so it's a matter of figuring out the timing of this project and matching that up with the resources they will have available. The 1 biggest piece of information they need right now from the City is the anticipated timeframe of the water system improvement project, specifically when the construction will begin. Dave Noel with Forsgren Associates explained there is a section of the Facility Planning Study Engineer Paul Scoresby has been working on that outlines a proposed schedule. Mr. Noel elaborated that they anticipate design work for the project to occur this year with construction work beginning next summer. However, the Council needs to review and discuss the proposed schedule further. Mayor Elect Gubler expressed to Mr. Hansen regardless of the schedule of the project they can separately start working on the annexation process for the proposed development. Mr. Hansen explained they need to make a couple of adjustments to the preliminary plats based on feedback they received from the Council and then resubmit. Mayor Andersen outlined at one point in time Mr. Hansen discussed putting some funds up front for the project and inquired into the status of that discussion. Mr. Hansen expressed it all comes down to the company figuring out their resources which revolves around all of the other projects currently under construction. Mr. Noel explained there are three main components to the water system improvement project which is the new storage tank, the well, and the distribution lines. They are targeting to begin the well right away. As a result, this winter they will focus on the design work and the submittal documents for the well with the anticipation for construction to begin this summer. During the construction of the well they will work on the design work for the other two components. Mr. Hansen expressed the most important thing from their perspective is once they start setting aside resources for this project they want to be able to start construction by having the City issue building permits and certificates of occupancy right away. Public Works Director Prouse expressed he didn't anticipate the water system improvement project to hold up the development of Sandcreek Estates, and the points of connection to the system could be outlined in the development agreement. Mr. Hansen asked the Council if they had a preference if Sandcreek Estates was approached from the north side or south side of 49t or Telford Road. The Council as a whole expressed they would like to keep construction equipment out of the City as much as possible to limit the impact on existing citizens. Mr. Hansen outlined based on his review of the proposed schedule the City is anticipating the infrastructure improvements to be completed by the end of 2019. He then inquired if they came in with their portion of the project in Fall of 2018 they would be able to acquire building permits and certificates of occupancy. The Council acknowledged that was correct. Mr. Hansen explained to the Council in their covenants they outline to the homeowners they 2 must plant grass in the public easement, and the City could help by enforcing those rules since they oversee the public easements. From his perspective, he feels it is the best way to manage swales. He further explained rock filled easements look good for the first two or three years of a new development. However, as time goes on the rock doesn't drain the water as well and it sits in there for a long time and becomes infested with mosquitoes and odors. Council Member Geray expressed concerns that grass filled swales sends a mixed message for water conservation. Mayor Andersen expressed a point which has been discussed in the past of requiring water meters on all new development coming into the City to help with conservation efforts. Council Member Geray asked Mr. Hansen if he was aware the City increased the water connection fee from $3,000 to $4,859. Mr. Hansen expressed he was not aware of this increase, and it will ultimately have a dramatic impact on the outcome of the project. Council Member Geray explained to Mr. Hansen the Council codified their method for calculating the water hookup connection fee based on a professional appraisal of the value of the water rights. Mr. Hansen expressed it was a huge increase for this project, and he would have to take the information back to Paul Johnson who is owner of Rockwell Homes. He anticipated having an answer for the Council the next time they meet. Mr. Hansen expressed they want to help the City of Iona with this project, but they can save hundreds of thousands of dollars by developing smaller lots in Bonneville County and hooking up to Falls Water Company instead. Mayor Elect Gubler asked Mr. Hansen if he could have more information to share with the Council by the next regularly scheduled meeting on February 20th. Mr. Hansen expressed he believed he could. Mr. Noel asked Mr. Hansen if he could have more information to share sooner with the Council possibly two weeks from now. Mr. Hansen expressed possibly. COUNCIL APPROVED: February 20, 2018 ATTEST: Shara Roberts, City Clerk i Dan Gubler, Mayor 3