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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_City Council Work Meeting_11172020CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING IONA CITY HALL NOVEMBER 17, 2020 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Dan Gubler, Council President Rob Geray, Council Member Michael Thompson, Council Member Peter Wadsworth, Council Member Kathy McNamara, City Attorney Andrew Rawlings, Public Works Director Zech Prouse (via teleconference) and City Clerk/Treasurer Keri West. ABSENT: None. VISITORS: Neil Burrell, Arlene Riding, Connie Murdock, Richard Large, Carma Hobbs, Dixie Oswald, Irene Peterson, Ramona Horton, Jolene Eborn, Cecile Christensen and Sherry Jarvis. ITEMS OF BUSINESS: Discussion of Stanger Building — Mayor Gubler stated the Lease Agreement with the Bonneville Art Association for the Stanger Building has recently expired. He continued and stated he would like to have a discussion tonight regarding the disposition of the Stanger Building and options on how to move forward. Mayor Gubler asked how many members of the audience are here representing the Bonneville Art Association. There were eight hands raised. Mayor Gubler then asked how many of those people are Iona residents and one person raised their hand. Mayor Gubler continued and stated there are a few options on how to move forward with the Stanger Building. He stated the City can divest itself of ownership and deed it to the Bonneville Art Association. He continued and stated the City can maintain ownership and begin utilizing it to benefit a greater number of Iona residents. He continued and expressed his opinion that its current use is not benefiting the majority of the residents that pay for it and needs to be used in a multiuse capacity if the City maintains ownership. Mayor Gubler confirmed the Stanger Building is part of the National Register of Historic Places. Council Member Wadsworth asked the members of the audience representing the Bonneville Art Association what their opinion would be to take over the Stanger Building. Richard Large, President of the Bonneville Art Association, stood and stated they were unaware they were under a lease with the City of Iona. He continued and stated they were under the impression that the building was under a perpetual agreement that allowed them to use it and the City maintained the grounds and exterior. Mr. Large continued and stated the building was registered in 1973 as a historical building and was named the "Stanger Memorial Art Gallery". He also stated they hold their regular meetings there, in addition to many classes and workshops. Sherry Jarvis stood and stated the Bonneville Art Association has created an asset for this community with the classes and activities they hold at the Stanger Building. She continued and said they have many children from the City of Iona that benefit and attend classes they hold. She stated children are not receiving as much art in school as they used to and benefit from the Bonneville Art Association's use of the Stanger Building. She continued and stated many people in the area do not know the building is used as an art gallery and are unaware of various classes that are offered. Mrs. Jarvis also stated the City should recognize the gem this is for the community and advertise it on the City website and other outlets. 1 Council Member Wadsworth asked again if the City were to give the building to the Bonneville Art Association, if they would be able to maintain it. Mrs. Jarvis said it depends on cost and they have no idea if they would be able to afford it. Mayor Gubler stated the City has spent approximately $32,000 over the last 5 years on maintenance, repairs and sewer service for the Stanger Building. This amount does include the roof replacement for $28,500 that was completed in 2017, but does not include the time to mow the lawn regularly and other minor repairs done by City employees. Council President Geray asked if there would be space inside the building to be shared with another entity. Mr. Large said he does not believe they would be able to share the building and said it is used as an art gallery with all the walls covered with art. Mrs. Jarvis said they meet at the building weekly to paint, hold meetings, hold classes and rent it out for parties and dinners. Council President Geray stated the Iona Historical Museum has faced challenges with their current building and he is wondering if the Stanger Building would be able to be shared by both organizations. Mayor Gubler stated if the City maintains ownership of the Stanger Building, it needs to benefit a greater portion of the population, which could be achieved by a shared agreement. Mrs. Jarvis asked how often the Iona Historical Museum is open. Mayor Gubler stated approximately one day per week. Ramona Horton stated when the Bonneville Art Association took over the Stanger Building in the 1970s it was uninhabitable. Mrs. Horton read through a list of items and improvements they have completed totaling over $17,000. She continued and stated they do rent the building and receive $150 for weddings and $100 for family gatherings. They also hold children's art classes and charge $20/person for 40 students in each of two sessions. She stated they receive $1,600 for the art classes, but after the expenses involved, their revenue is approximately $1,200 - $1,300. She stated the art classes and rentals are their only source of revenue. Mrs. Horton continued and stated if the Iona Historical Museum shares the building, they will not have room to host these classes nor space for the artists in the community to gather and paint each week. Council Member Wadsworth stated he realizes the building is benefiting a group of people. However, it is necessary for the City to consider if this is benefiting the taxpayers of the City of Iona. He continued and stated the Stanger Building is costing the City an average of $6,500 each year, and that is being paid by the taxpayers in our City. Mayor Gubler added the City also maintains the grounds and pays for the water service. Mrs. Jarvis asked if it would be possible to maintain a partnership between the City of Iona and the Bonneville Art Association to continue maintaining the grounds of the Stanger Building. She continued and stated it would be much more cost effective to have the City continue doing it than for them to hire an outside company. Mrs. Jarvis also stated they have 5 active members of the Bonneville Art Association that live in Iona, but they were unable to attend tonight. Mayor Gubler stated there does not need to be a decision made tonight. He continued and stated this is just the beginning of the discussion on how to proceed with the Stanger Building. Discussion of Iona Historical Museum, Arlene Riding — Arlene Riding asked Mayor Gubler if he has received information regarding a grant to pay for the Iona Historical Museum. Mayor Gubler stated he spoke with the CHC Foundation and they stated they will not issue grants to pay off mortgages. He continued and stated they did encourage them to still submit an application and provide proof of how much they have already paid towards the building. He also stated their 2 next granting period is either January or February. Mayor Gubler asked how long they have to pay off the loan. Ms. Riding stated the original agreement was due in December of 2019, but they were given a 5 year extension by the owner of the building. However, the owner has since passed away and the family now wants it paid off by June of 2021. Ms. Riding also asked if there is anything the City can do to help them keep the museum. Mayor Gubler stated the City does not have the money available to purchase the building. Dixie Yvonne Oswald spoke and stated her ancestors built the Iona Historical Museum and it should be included on the Historical Record in Washington D.C. She stated any building built prior to 1890 should be included on that Record. Ms. Riding stated the museum was built in 1896 and cannot be included on the Historical Record because there was a vinyl porch added to the exterior of the building. Council President Geray stated the building is not on the National Register of Historic Places. He continued and said there has not been enough interest from the public to help save the building. Mayor Gubler discussed the history and past uses of the building that is currently used as the Iona Historical Museum. He continued and stated the Iona Historical Society is not associated with the City of Iona, as requested by previous members. Mayor Gubler stated it has been asked previously if the City would be willing to ask for donations to the museum on the City's monthly water bill. He continued and stated the only way the City could do that would be if the museum was an entity of the City itself. Attorney Rawlings agreed and stated if the City allows a non- profit organization to receive donations through the City, it would be too difficult to regulate if future organizations make the same request. Mayor Gubler then asked if the Iona Historical Society would be open to the idea of using another building for the museum, rather than paying off the loan. Ms. Riding stated they would be open to this idea. Mayor Gubler stated the museum used to be inside the Iona City Building and there is space available to bring the museum back to the Iona City Building. He continued and advised Ms. Riding to speak with the other committee members to see if they would be open to that option. Discussion of Abandoned House on Hansen Avenue — Mayor Gubler stated this discussion was tabled from last month's meeting. He continued and stated this house has become a hazard because it is abandoned and has multiple health concerns including wild animals and structural problems. He continued and asked Attorney Rawlings what legal options the City has to rectify the problems that exist. Attorney Rawlings suggested starting from a Code Enforcement perspective and notifying the owner of the current code violations, then escalating from there if necessary. Council President Geray agreed and recommended Attorney Rawlings draft a letter to the land owner stating the specific sections of the Iona City Code that are being violated. Mayor Gubler and all Council Members agreed. Discussion of Code Enforcement Policy — Clerk West stated this discussion was added to the agenda to discuss a possible policy or path to follow for each code violation to keep enforcement consistent and unbiased. Council Member Wadsworth agreed there should be a policy that is followed each time to ensure similar violations are treated equally. Council President Geray stated he suggested having this discussion to determine if the City should proactively seek out code violations or if similar violations are only enforced if someone complains about them. He stated this is more of a philosophical situation for the City Council to think about. Council President Geray continued and stated he feels violations should generally be addressed on a case by case basis, but is concerned about residents feeling they are being treated unfairly or targeted. Mayor Gubler agreed that he does not want to seek out violations if they are not causing trouble 3 and thinks the best way to move forward is to continue addressing issues on a case by case basis, using the Iona City Code as the enforcement tool when necessary. Approval of Increase in Contract Engineering for Water Project — Mayor Gubler stated the City Engineer was not able to make it to the meeting tonight due to COVID-19 required quarantine. He continued and stated the engineering firm is requesting an additional amount above their contract amount for the water project. The exact amount is still unknown. Mayor Gubler stated the scope of the project has increased along with the timeline, requiring additional engineering costs. He continued and stated the increased scope of work that was sent to the Army Corp of Engineers for the grant did include $65,000 in engineering costs. When that grant is approved and the money is paid out, the City will be able to pay that to the engineering firm. However, the engineering firm is requesting an additional estimated $70,000 from the City to cover the additional time the project has taken and the required inspections and physical overseeing of the project that was not included in the original contract. Mayor Gubler stated because of COVID and the lengthy process by the Army Corp of Engineers, the engineering firm has had many more hours involved in this project than originally anticipated. Mayor Gubler continued and stated the City does have this money available in the contingency, so we would not be required to seek out additional resources. He also clarified there is nothing to vote on at this point, but wanted the City Council to be aware of this situation moving forward. Council President Geray asked whether any funding may be available through the CARES Act for reimbursement of additional project expenses due to COVID. Mayor Gubler instructed Clerk West to look into this option. Clerk West stated she will look into it, but needs an invoice or something from the engineering firm showing the additional costs and how they are directly related to COVID. General Water System Discussion — Mayor Gubler stated the City is in the process of shutting down the water project until March due to weather and waiting for the funds from the Army Corp of Engineers. He continued and stated the City approved the purchase for mechanical equipment with the assumption the equipment would not arrive for a few months. However, this equipment will be arriving next week. He continued and stated he has spoken with Karen from the Army Corp of Engineers and she agreed to cover the cost of the equipment if we submit it to them. Meeting Adjourned: 6:59 p.m: COUNCIL APPROVED: December 15, 2020 Dan Gubler, Mayor ATTEST: Keri West, City Clerk/Treasurer 4