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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_City Council Work Meeting_01192021CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING IONA CITY HALL JANUARY 19, 2021 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 Assistant City Clerk Rylea Farrens. ABSENT: City Clerk/Treasurer Keri West. VISITORS: Richard Large, Neil Burrell, Carma Hobbs, Brett Hobbs, Dixie Oswald, Irene Peterson, Scott Kelly, Jolene Eborn and Ramona Horton. ITEMS OF BUSINESS: Discussion of Stanger Building — Mayor Gubler stated the Council has discussed the disposition of the Stanger Building in the past and would like to discuss it further now. Richard Large stated he is the current President of the Bonneville Art Association (BAA). He continued and stated over the last 50 years, the BAA has educated adults and children of Iona and surrounding areas and has encouraged their creativity through art. Ramona Horton also spoke to the Council as a representative of the BAA. Mrs. Horton stated when the City received the building, there were no BAA board members that were residents of Iona. Mrs. Horton also displayed a picture of the Stanger Building when it was acquired by the City and a current photo to highlight the improvements made by the BAA. She explained further the BAA completed and paid for renovations on the Stanger Building during the 1970s in excess of $17,000. Jolene Eborn also approached the Council as a representative of the BAA. Ms. Eborn stated the BAA has always supported Iona Days and considers itself part of the community. She continued and highlighted the history of their Art Shows and the ways they invite community members to participate. Carma Hobbs, another representative of the BAA, stated she does not live in Iona, but has strong roots to this community. She continued and stated the City of Iona and the BAA have been partners for over 50 years. Ms. Hobbs stated the BAA has been able to grow their organization by utilizing the historic Stanger Building. She continued and stated the City of Iona has benefited from this partnership because of the great care the BAA has put into maintaining the Stanger Building. In addition, the art workshops benefit the children and adults of Iona. Mr. Large stated the Stanger Building is the only building in the City of Iona that is on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as an "art gallery". He is hopeful the City and the BAA can continue their partnership to allow the Stanger Building to be used as originally intended. Council Member Wadsworth stated the City cannot give the Stanger Building to the BAA because they are not a government entity. He explained it would need to go through a bidding process. Member Wadsworth stated he agrees the current activity at the Stanger Building is a worthwhile activity, but is concerned about the cost of maintaining ownership of the building, to the citizens of Iona. He continued and mentioned the possibility of renewing the lease, but find a 1 way to reduce the cost and add greater value to the residents of Iona. Mr. Large explained the BAA already incurs many of the maintenance costs for the building itself and is willing to address future issues as they arise. He also stated the BAA does most of the landscaping, but the City does do the lawn mowing and snow removal. Council President Geray stated with the age of the Stanger Building and its placement on the National Register of Historic Places, future maintenance costs will likely be expensive. He stated he recognizes the value of the current use of the building, but is concerned with the increasing costs of maintenance. Mr. Large stated as a building on the National Registry, there is available assistance for major repairs. Mayor Gubler stated his concern is the single use of the Stanger Building. He continued and stated if the City owns the building, there needs to be additional benefits to the residents of Iona. Mrs. Horton stated there have been weddings and family parties held at the Stanger Building as it is available for residents to rent. Mayor Gubler stated this may be the case, but the City has no control over those reservations and is not receiving the revenue from those rentals. He also stated there was an incident a few years ago when the City asked to use the Stanger Building for Iona Days and was rejected by the BAA. Council Member Wadsworth stated if the City takes over control of rentals of the Stanger Building, they would also be in charge of cleaning after such events. Council President Geray suggested spelling all of the details out in the Lease Agreement and keeping much of the arrangement as is. He continued and stated he supports allowing the BAA to continue scheduling the events as they have done in the past, with a caveat dictating a cost threshold for the City. Council Member Wadsworth agreed and suggested allowing Iona residents to rent the Stanger Building at a discount. All Council Members agreed. Audience members suggested adding this to the City newsletter. Director Prouse stated he has no concerns with moving in this direction. Mayor Gubler instructed Attorney Rawlings to draft a new Lease Agreement with the Bonneville Art Association for the Stanger Building, to include the additions that have been discussed. Mr. Large agreed to this plan of action on behalf of the BAA. Discussion of Country Haven Park — Director Prouse is ready to start purchasing equipment for the Country Haven Park and has found that costs have increased over his original estimate. He continued and stated the Council originally set a budget of $20,000 for the park and he is now requesting an increase of $2,500 over that amount. He continued and stated he has compared various types of playground equipment and has decided to move forward with a swing set and slide combo, with extra space for single use playground equipment. Council Member Thompson stated he will speak with the Country Haven resident that owns a sod company to get a bid for the park. Director Prouse stated he has spoken with another sod company and is looking forward to comparing bids. Discussion of Iona City Code § 5-5-7, "Placing of Fill Prohibited", pertaining to Public Streets — Council President Geray stated he requested to discuss this again, after discussing it briefly at a previous Council Meeting. He is concerned with the language used and how it may be interpreted by the general public. Mayor Gubler agreed it is not well written and he and Director Prouse have been working with the City Engineer to address this section of the City Code, as well as 20+ others that need to be edited. Mayor Gubler stated they are continually working with inconsistencies in the City Code. Council President Geray stated he appreciates this specific section being addressed to better clarify the requirements. 2 Discussion of City Building Improvements — Director Prouse stated his top priority for City Building improvements is the concrete work on the walkways and steps for all entrance points to the building. This includes re -sloping of the concrete and drainage work and estimates this cost to be approximately $25,000 plus $5,000 for the steps. He continued and stated if excavation work requires additional foundation work, this could cost an additional $5,000 - $10,000. Director Prouse explained this includes completely repouring the steps, flatwork for the concrete in front of the building, and the sidewalk on the North side of the building. Council President Geray asked if concrete was the best option in the long-term, or if there may be another option that may cost more up front, but has lower long-term maintenance costs. Mayor Gubler stated the current concrete has been there since the 1990s, so he feels that concrete is still the best solution. Mayor Gubler continued and stated the additional item to consider is drainage to help the concrete last even longer. Council President Geray stated he believes this project will end up being closer to $50,000 - $60,000 when completed. Mayor Gubler agreed. Director Prouse stated all of this exterior work needs to be done together and is the top priority. He continued and stated the rest of the needed improvements are interior. Mayor Gubler stated Director Prouse has already been completing small projects to help mitigate future problems. Council Members all agreed to move forward with this project and instructed Director Prouse to begin getting bids. Council President Geray stated the City has approximately $300,000 budgeted in the Capital Improvements expense account. He asked if there are any other projects slated to take place this year that would utilize these funds. Director Prouse stated he would like to start discussing in the near future the reconstruction of existing roadways. He continued and stated in the near future, the chip seal is not going to be enough and the sub grade of the roads will need to be replaced. Mayor Gubler agreed and stated the need to prioritize which roads need to be addressed first and reach out to the Bonneville Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMPO) for funding. Director Prouse also stated there are some recreation areas that need attention, such as the tennis courts and baseball fields. Mayor Gubler stated his desire for the City to look into grants with the CHC Foundation to upgrade the tennis courts. He continued and stated he will instruct Clerk West to look into available grants. Meeting Adjourned: 6:56 p.m. COUNCIL APPROVED: February 16, 2021 ATTEST: Keri West, City Clerk/Treasurer Dan Gubler, Mayor 3