The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My Public Portal About2016.07.29 Special MinutesMINUTES McCall City Council Commerce Street Special Public Meeting Idaho First Bank July 29, 2016 Call to Order Presentation Public Comment Summary Adjournment CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Aymon called the special meeting of the McCall City Council to order at 9:02 a.m. Mayor Aymon, Council Member Giles, Council Member Swanson, and Council Member Witte were present. Council Member Scott was absent. City staff members present were Nate Coyle, City Manager; Bill Nichols, City Attorney, Erin Greaves, Communication Manager, Nathan Stewart, City Engineer, Michelle Groenevelt, Community Development Director, Linda Stokes, City Treasurer, and Shay Tyler, Deputy City Clerk. Also in attendance Bryan Foote, Principal Engineer, Consulting Lead, Horrocks Engineering PRESENTATION Commerce Street Reconstruction and Background Discussion City Engineer Nathan Stewart began by explaining why Commerce Street was first pick for the street projects from the Local Option Tax (LOT), and gave a short overview of the $100,000 Rural Road Improvement Grant that was awarded to help supplement this project. He pointed out that no property tax will be used as funding. Community Director Michelle Groenevelt discussed the process and guidelines of how a project like this is approached. Bryan Foote, Principal Engineer Consulting Lead from Horrocks Engineering presented the slideshow. He discussed parking, storm water and snow runoff, sidewalks, bike paths, and truck maneuvering. Mr. Foote presented four alternative designs listing the pros and cons of each one. The presentation also included maneuvering for different sized trucks and access management. The next step in the process will be meeting with each business to discuss their needs, concerns, and future goals. A projected schedule was discussed with a tentative public meeting to be held in September, and a start date of June -July of next year. McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 1 of 4 July 29, 2016 PUBLIC COMMENT Nate Laughery of Les Schwab Tires, stated that their 18 parking spots are at maximum density and is concerned that this project will take away six of those parking spots. Access for trucks, especially the double trailer trucks, and safety issues are his other concerns. John Brush of Adventure Floors & Window Coverings biggest concern is parking but he is also concerned about truck access and safety issues. Alex Bernstein, owner of 225 and 325 Commerce Street, was concerned about truck access, and was opposed to the storm water trenches. Tyler Bork of Precision Detail stated that they need access to a lot of maneuverability and parking, and as the peak season is the summer, he would like to see the project postponed until after summer so it will not hurt his sales. Brenden Hatfield of Sherwin Williams has a lot of big trucks that come in plus anywhere from 50-80 transactions daily so accessibility and maximum parking is a big concern. Snow and drainage issues have not been a big problem. Brian Nelson of Nelson Plumbing is totally against the project stating that it's a mellow street. Does not think it is a good use of LOT funds. He passed out a list of community comments to the Council. David Armstrong owner of 115, 121, and 125 Commerce Street wants to see flexibility in addressing everyone's needs, on street parking, and on street loading areas. Anne McKee of McKee Real Estate wanted to point out that sidewalks, curbs, and gutters are not a design requirement for an industrial subdivision. She felt that by imposing a commercial street scape on an industrial subdivision will create more safety problems. She used the parking lot behind Gravity Sports as an example of good function and design. Greg McFadden of Canyon River Co. would like to see more outside the box thinking for this area such as using the empty lot to the east for a pedestrian path, looking for different grants, and rethink the construction start time. Scott Bowes of Scott Bowes Co. has trucks that back in so a more restricted access would be an issue. He suggested lowering the speed and approaching this project with a unique view. He did not think the ditches or sidewalks were a good idea. Steve Lacey of A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning feels the access should be left to the business owners. McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 2 of 4 July 29, 2016 Luke Vannoy of McCall Design & Planning would like to see 100% access. Code prohibits parking and reducing the on -street parking will cause the business to look at creating parking behind the building which is problematic for most because of the narrowness of the lots. Patrick Phillips of Adventure Floors & Window Coverings needs all the current on -street parking and good access for delivery trucks. He pointed out that the culverts do not take the water drainage way from the area, and stated that the deep ditch idea would be a safety hazard in the winter. He gave the Council a written statement to the same effect. Karla Stevenson of High Country Plastics expressed her biggest concern is safety. She does not like the sidewalks as it will attract children and pedestrians in an area where semi -trucks are pulling and backing in. She would like to see more energy put into the drainage system. Ralph McKenzie of McCall Quick Lube services many RVs and motor homes so full access is necessary as well as parking for people dropping by to pay bills, etc. He was against curbs and preferred a flat access. He also stated that encouraging people to walk through there could cause access congestion for deliveries, etc. Erin Newell of A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning stated that the new ditch they were required to put in has been problematic and last winter they had to pull people out of the ditch numerous times. The sidewalk is dysfunctional as well. The narrow lots create access issues so full access is needed for trucks. He did not feel that sidewalks and swells are advantageous. Steve Millemann of Millemann, Pittenger, McMahan & Pemberton pointed out that the City had zoned this area as industrial. He feels it is inappropriate to force a model that does not work for these businesses. Code does not require swells, sidewalks, etc. The question he wants addressed is this project appropriate in comparison to other needs throughout the City? His preference is no swells or sidewalks but if sidewalks need to be put in, he would prefer the roll over style. SUMMARY Review Commerce Street Survey Data Communication Manager Erin Greaves gave a quick overview of the community survey. Council Discussion and Direction Mayor Aymon reminded everyone that they need to be proactive in staying on top of what is happening in their city. She explained that when cracks start showing up on a road, it is in failure and replacement is the correct way to fix it. She also discussed how expensive it is to replace and fix roads. She then asked Nathan Stewart to explain again why this street was first on the list. City Engineer Stewart reported that this area of road is at its life's end and only the type of soils are keeping it from degrading faster. It is not fiscally sound to crack seal at this point, and only a complete pavement replacement would fix the issues. In comparison to the other street areas, Commerce Street is a small project that can be done quickly and easier to budget as it does not require as much work to complete or as much funding to get it accomplished. The LOT funds do not cover any utility work which the Park Street project, for example, will need. Acquiring the McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 3 of 4 July 29, 2016 funds to do a project like Park Street will mean the LOT will have to build up for a couple years and finding enough outside funding sources to bring it together. Council Member Witte has physically looked at Commerce Street and will make a point to walk the street again as she contemplates everyone's comments. Council Member Swanson stated that the letter that went out from Horrocks Engineering on 4/11/16 made it sound like the project was predetermined and a foregone conclusion causing frustration for the business owners, however it is not. From a political stand point, he wants to make sure that the LOT funds are a success within the community. He wants to see a partnership between the parties, and to closely assess each business' needs to maintain and grow. Council Member Giles is open to viewing whether this project is appropriate or not. He felt that there needs to be a work session to discuss the issues. Mayor Aymon is concerned that pushing this project back would jeopardize the loss of a $100K grant from LTAC. Council will take it all under advisement and does not have any action for Nathan Stewart, City Engineer. The community is invited to attend the work sessions. ADJOURNMENT Without further business, Mayor Aymon adjourned the meeting at 11:13 a.m. 001111111 11/1,4,I •‘`‘`F MCC ''o D• • h : V1 • VV\, I F- ATTEST: . , o �� : o •* BessieJo Wag McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 4 of 4 July 29, 2016