Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAboutCouncil Minutes 2004 10/28MINUTES McCall City Council Regular Meeting Thursday, October 28, 2004 Table of Contents Call to Order and Roll Call Pledge of Allegiance Public Comment Consent Agenda · Minutes of July 26, 2004 · Minutes of August 12, 2004 · Minutes of August 26, 2004 · Minutes of September 9, 2004 · Minutes of September 23, 2004 · Minutes of September 30, 2004 · Minutes of October 14, 2004 · Minutes of October 18, 2004 · Payment Approval List for Warrant Registers for input dates between 10/08/04 and 10/22/04 · Payroll Report for Pay Period Ending October 8, 2004 · Payroll Report for Pay Period Ending October 22, 2004 · AB 04-162 Alcohol Beverage Catering Permit · AB 04-167 Four Corners Beautification Project Preliminary Engineering Pay application No. 16 from Hotladay Engineering · AB 04-168 Pine Meadows Condominium Final Plat Business · AB 04-166 Ponderosa State Park Alternative Entrance Recommendation · AB 04-169 Aspen Ridge Subdivision Phase II Final Plat and Ordinance #799 · AB 04-170 Sewer System Update Reports · Transportation Advisory Committee Minutes September 15, 2004 · Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Minutes September 14, 2004 · McCall Improvement Committee Minutes September 23, 2004 · McCall Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes September 23, 2004 · Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 20, 2004 · Caselle Software Annual Conference Report (Finance Department) Adjournment Printed 11/19/2004 Page 1 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes Mayor Eimers called the regular meeting of the McCall City Council to order at 7:02 p.m. Mayor Eimers, Council Member Bertram, Council Member Greer, and Council Member Robertson answered roll call. Council Member Muller was excused. A quorum was present. City staff members present were Amanda Townsend, Treasurer; Ralph Appa, Police Chief; Bill Keating, Public Works Director; Paul Turcke, City Attorney; Lindley Kirkpatrick, City Manager; and Dan Irwin, City Clerk. Mayor Eimers led the Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Eimers called for public comment. Jerry Vevig, 1939 Pilgrim Cove Road, stated that a petition with 200 names has been submitted to the City Council voicing their support against changing the park entrance at Ponderosa State Park. He stated that the proposed entrance change would negatively affect Spring Mountain Ranch, Pilgrim Cove Road, Lick Creek Road, the environment, and public safety. He stated that he would like the Council to vote the will of the people and not recommend changing the park entrance. Bill Weida, Payette Lakes Water and Sewer District, stated that the capacity in the wastewater, winter storage, and J-Ditch land application system has become so critical that the Payette Lakes Water and Sewer District Board must take immediate steps to preserve the capacity to which it is legally entitled, and to insure its ability to exercise existing commitments and support growth within the District, as well as its ability to accommodate growth in areas adjacent to the District. As a result, the District finds it necessary to provide the City Council with notice of the need for the City to take immediate action regarding discharge of its wastewater to the treatment plant and storage ponds. Mr. Weida stated that it has been well documented that the City has experienced extreme Inflow and Infiltration in the spring runoff months resulting in an excess 40 million gallons of water entering the wastewater treatment and storage system. He stated that a September 16th study conducted by JUB engineers indicates that J-Ditch storage and land application capacities in the sewer system limits future growth in the entire system to 10-20 new hookups per year. He stated that the City of McCall has used 113% of its capacity in the J-Ditch system this year while the District uses only 15% of its allocation at the treatment plant, and 42% of its allocation of the J- Ditch storage and land application facility. He stated that the District would like to work together with the City to solve the capacity problems with the system. Mr. Weida stated that the City of McCall was supposed to have fixed its I&l problems under the 1977 Cooperative Agreement between the two entities, but they have failed to do so. The District wants the City of McCall to address its I&l and capacity issues immediately and assure their annual flows do not exceed its share of capacity specified in the 1987 Printed 11/19/2004 Page 2 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes amendment to the Cooperative Agreement. Mr. Weida stated that by taking these measures, the City of McCall will be able to avoid issuing a moratorium on new hookups or having to release effluent into the Payette River. Council Member Robertson asked Mr. Weida who were the current members of the Payette Lakes Water and Sewer District Board. Mr. Weida stated that the board is composed of Jerry Vevig, Carolyn Johnson, Ed Catlett, Ross Mayfield, and himself. Mayor Eimers said that the statement in the District's letter which says the City hasn't addressed the I&l issues is untrue. Mayor Eimers stated that the City has completed the repairs on Syringa Drive and will be performing $400,000 in I&l work at the Mission to Mather project. Mayor Eimers stated that the City is taking a proactive stance in addressing the issue and wants to reach the same goal as the District. John Mansisidor, Lick Creek Road, stated that he believes if the Ponderosa Park entrance is changed the majority of traffic will come into town via Lick Creek and Davis rather than the Spring Mountain Ranch access. He stated that Lick Creek road will not be able to handle the increased traffic capacity. He urged the Council to review the traffic statistics presented by Steve Cuddy and not recommend an alternative entrance to the park. Council Member Bertram stated that a constituent recently questioned her residency to the Mayor and insinuated that the Police Department delivers her City Council packet to Donnelly. Council Member Bertram stated that her residence is located on Rio Vista in McCall and requested that the Police Chief prepare a letter indicating that her Council materials have always been delivered to her home in McCall. Hearing no further comments, Mayor Eimers closed the public comment at 7:18 p.m. Council Member Robertson requested that the Pine Meadows Agenda Bill be pulled from the Consent Agenda and added to the business agenda. Council Member Robertson submitted corrections to the minutes to be made before the Mayor signs. Council Member Robertson asked about the expenditures for the golf course dated August and July. City Manager Kirkpatrick confirmed that the expenses would be attributed to last fiscal year. Council Member Robertson moved to approve the Consent Agenda as amended and authorize the Mayor to sign all necessary documents. Council Member Greer Printed 11/19/2004 Page 3 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes seconded the motion. In a voice vote, all Council Members voted aye. The motion carried. AB 04-168 Pine Meadows Condominium Final Plat John Russell, representing Chad Olsen and Ida Homes LLC, stated that the proposed project is to build 4 duplex condominium units in a half block of the Lardo Townsite. Mr. Russell stated that he was been working with staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission since March and has complied with the conditions placed upon them. He stated that the units are approximately 1650 square feet and will sell in the $150,000 range. John Lund, construction superintendent for Chad Olsen, stated that the units are designed for medium income households and are equipped with two car garages and upgraded amenities. Council Member Robertson asked if Grove Street was paved. John Russell stated that as a condition of the project, Mr. Olsen will be building and paving the street according to City specifications. City Manager Kirkpatrick stated that since the project would normally flow into Lift Station #7, the developer has agreed to place a private lift station on the project that will pump into another portion of the City's sewer system. Council Member Robertson moved to adopt the draft Findings and Conclusions and approve SUB-04-2. Council Member Bertram seconded the motion. In a voice vote, all Council Members voted aye. The motion carried. AB 04-166 Ponderosa State Park Alternative Entrance Recommendation Richard Coonts, Chairman of the Transportation Advisory Committee, stated that the Committee is recommending that the City Council advise the Idaho Department of State Parks and Recreation to keep the main entrance to Ponderosa State Park at the current location on Davis Avenue and direct safety officials to work with Park officials in developing an adequate secondary access to the park. Mr. Coonts stated that he believes this is the best decision since it is not known what the traffic patterns will be like when the Spring Mountain Ranch access is completed. He stated that Park also hasn't determined what changes are going to be made, so it is difficult to make a recommendation without knowing what Park officials are planning. Mr. Coonts stated that the issue may need to be looked at again when future growth warrants such a need. Printed 11/19/2004 Page 4 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes Council Member Robertson stated that the City will be able to learn a lot more when the Spring Mountain Ranch connector is completed. He stated that the traffic pattern studies that have been identified were completed in the late '80's and will need to be re- monitored when the new access is complete. Council Member Robertson stated that he believes a decision to change the park entrance is premature by one or two years. City Manager Kirkpatrick stated that he believes the Transportation Advisory Committee's recommendation accomplishes the best solution by allowing for a potential secondary access point which could be used by visitors in the future. Council Member Bertram stated that she is concerned about the increased amount of traffic that would occur around the Middle School if the park entrance was changed. She stated that more road and sidewalk development would need to occur before the entrance was changed. Council Member Robertson moved to advise the Idaho Department of State Parks and Recreation to keep the main entrance to Ponderosa State Park at the current location on Davis Avenue and direct safety officials to work directly with Park officials in developing an adequate secondary access to the park. Mayor Eimers seconded the motion. In a voice vote, all Council Members voted aye. The motion carried. AB 04-169 Aspen Ridge Subdivision Phase II Final Plat and Ordinance #799 City Manager Kirkpatrick stated that the agenda bill is for the final plat approval of Aspen Ridge Subdivision Phase II and the segregation of the LID assessments on the individual lots. Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that after Phase I was approved by Council, the developers were able to sell all of the individual lots and the LID assessments were paid off to the City within 6 months. Mr. Kirkpatrick explained that the segregation process will entail splitting the larger LID parcel pieces into individual lots and assessing the individual lots based upon size. Dan Fulkerson, Aspen Ridge Development Group, stated that the proposed subdivision has met all of the conditions required of them by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Council Member Robertson moved to approve the final plat of the Aspen Ridge Subdivision Phase II SUB-02-1 and suspend the rules and read Ordinance #799 by title only, one time only. Council Member Bertram seconded the motion. In a roll call vote, Mayor Eimers, Council Member Bertram, Council Member Robertson, and Council Member Greer voted aye. The motion carried. Lindley Kirkpatrick, City Manager, read Ordinance #799 by title only. Council Member Robertson moved to adopt Ordinance #799 and authorize the mayor to sign all necessary documents. Council Member Greer seconded the Printed 11/19/2004 Page 5 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes motion. In a roll call vote, Council Member Bertram, Council Member Robertson, Council Member Greer, and Mayor Eimers voted aye. The motion carried. AB 04-170 Sewer System Update Council Member Muller joined the meeting via conference phone. City Manager Kirkpatrick stated that recent capacity issues with the City's municipal sewer system have been discovered, and representatives from JUB Engineers, Holladay Engineering, and Payette Lakes Water and Sewer District were invited to the Council meeting to discuss the situation. Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that the problem isn't fully defined only that certain variables have been identified but not prioritized. He stated that there currently appears to be two primary issues, the first is the land application system and the second is the collection of the wastewater. Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that other issues in the system exist but they are less critical at this time. Tim Haener, JUB Engineers, stated that JDPAI Cooperative is using much less treated effluent than originally planned and committed to by the NRCS during the facility planning process. Mr. Haener stated that although the retaining pond has been able to be adequately drained in the past three years, they need to determine why the anticipated amount of discharge isn't happening. He stated that under the NPDES permit the effluent can be discharged into the Payette River if the lagoons are too full during the spring, but everybody would like to mitigate this potential option. During the facility planning process NCRS identified 2500 acres which could be treated using a 3:1 dilution of the effluent, and eventually reached signed agreements with farmers that committed 2300 acres for the use of the effluent. NCRS indicated that the farmers would use up to 25 inches of water per year which would allow the City to discharge 450 million gallons of treated effluent. The facility plan was created based upon these commitments made by the NCRS, and the City's budget allowed the construction of a significantly smaller 280 million gallon holding pond. Mr. Haener stated that JUB was hired by the City to look at the option of discharging 1:1 effluent. He stated that the NCRS representative, Berry Albert, contacted farmers and received interest of using the 1:1 effluent ratio. JUB began negotiations with DEQ about the possibility of using 1:1 treatment under the existing agreement. Mr. Haener stated that he just discovered from the Irrigation District last Friday that there is no interest by the farmers in using the 1:1 effluent. Mr. Haener stated the Irrigation District also indicated that the amount of land that NCRS identified was actually 1900 acres instead of 2300. He stated that based upon JUB's calculations the farmers are currently using 14 inches of water per year rather than the previously estimated 25 inches per year. Mr. Haener stated that problems in the system are occurring because there is less land and a smaller demand for the system than originally planned. Mr. Haener stated that over the next few weeks JUB will be investigating the problem by verifying how much land is actually in use in the system, determine if the actual demand for the effluent is 14" per year, check the metering system to make sure the 3:1 ratio is being met, and to check J-Ditch Phase I capacity issue. Printed 11/19/2004 Page 6 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes Council Member Bertram asked if the farmers using the treated effluent were required to complete agreements limiting the selling of their land. Mr. Haener stated that the farmers agreed to dedicate their acreage to the project for a 20 year period. Shawn Kohtz, Holladay Engineering, stated that based upon the information his firm has collected from a conglomeration of sources the major bottleneck in the system appears to be the lack of land application. Mr. Kohtz stated that even after the issue of land application is addressed, the City will still need to implement long range planning to address the capacity issues at the winter storage and wastewater treatment facilities. Mr. Kohtz stated that the problems need to be studied in greater detail but at first glance it appears that the City is approaching the capacity of its wastewater treatment facility. Council Member Muller asked if the current figures being used by Holladay Engineering to calculate the system's capacity considered all current and future proposed developments such as the ones being considered by the Council on tonight's agenda. City Manager Kirkpatrick stated that the numbers used by Holladay include all current and future developments which the engineering firm has signed a will serve letter for, including the two developments approved earlier in the evening. Mr. Kohtz stated that the next bottleneck in the system after land application is the 280 million gallon winter storage lagoon. Mr. Kohtz stated that there is certain amount of time the City is required to store water so the 1:1 application will have little bearing on the storage issue unless a post irrigation season is established. Bill Weida stated that even though the pond has been able to be drained over the past three years, the City needs to keep in mind that it is leaking 50 million gallons per year and is supposed to be fixed. Bill Burke, Payette Lakes Water and Sewer District Operations Manager, stated the new representative from NRCS has stated that the agency will not support the 1:1 application of effluent. He stated that the short term solution is for the City to rigorously tackle the I&l problem. He stated that he had contacted Pipeline Services in Boise who would be willing to do the work throughout the winter at $500 per manhole. Mr. Burke stated that if the top 50 leaking manholes in the City were repaired up to 250,000 gallons a day in storage capacity could be saved. Council Member Bertram asked if there were any other locations where the effluent could be used. Mr. Kohtz stated that regulations are being changed to allow uses in such areas like the golf course if a high degree of treatment is used. Bill Burke stated that the Sewer District has talked with the Department of Environmental Quality and it is was suggested that a land treatment area be designated. The District is currently looking at potential areas including additional farm ground or other forested areas. Council Member Muller stated that the Council had Printed 11/19/2004 Page 7 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes previously explored using vacant Boise Cascade land but the cost to install new piping and sprinklers wasn't feasible. Mayor Eimers asked City Manager Kirkpatrick if City staff should develop an I&l plan. Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that an I&l plan should be developed, but right now the City needs to find out whether the I&l or land application issue poses a greater threat. Council Member Robertson suggested that City Council meet jointly with the Payette Lakes Sewer Board when the engineers are able to provide their findings. Mayor Eimers agreed that the Council and Sewer Board should meet for the purposes of jointly reviewing the research which will be conducted by JUB and Holladay Engineering and determine a solution. It was determined by Council to schedule a joint special meeting with the Sewer Board on December 2, 2004. City Manager Kirkpatrick stated that another issue related to the Sewer System is the failure of liftstation #7. Shawn Kohtz stated that liftstations are able to operate overcapacity but the City needs to be careful due to the location next to the river and possible fines from the DEQ if it was to overflow. Mr. Kohtz stated that even by replacing the motor and pump additional hookups in the area can't be made unless it is replaced. Council Member Robertson stated that with the myriad of problems in the system it is important to determine where the greatest amount of good can be achieved with amount of money available. Mayor Eimers stated that it is important for the City to proceed forward with the water and sewer rate study so money is available to fix the system problems. Bill Burke stated that the costs for the sludge removal project came back significantly higher than estimated because of increased construction costs. He has asked JUB and Holladay Engineering to review the numbers to ensure that they are correct. He stated that the project is estimated to cost $750,000 rather than the original estimated $459,000. Mr. Burke stated that Stibnite mine is willing to truck and dispose of the sludge. He is going to utilize the assistance of City Staff to obtain 319 funding from the Department of Environmental Quality to assist in supplementing the cost of the project. Council Member Robertson asked if City Manager Kirkpatrick and Brock Heasley had reached any outcome in their meeting with Heartland Gymnastics. City Manager Kirkpatrick stated that the group had only requested the single meeting with Council Member Bertram and Robertson and very little has materialized since. Printed 11/19/2004 Page 8 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes Dan Irwin, City Clerk, stated that a special Council meeting would be held on November 3, 2004 at 12:30 p.m. for the purposes of canvassing the local option tax election results. Council Members requested that they be contacted on election night with the results. Bill Keating, Public Works Director, stated that they are in the process of advertising for a utility worker position. He also stated that the department is going to a seven day work schedule for snow removal. Without further business, Council Member Robertson moved to adjourn. Mayor Eimers seconded the motion. All Council Members voted aye. The motion carried. The Council adjourned at 10:21 p.m. Kirk L. Eimers, Mayor ATTEST: Dan Irwin, City Clerk Printed 11/19/2004 Page 9 of 9 October 28, 2004 City Council Minutes