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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 09.30.2014 MINUTES COUNCIL WORKSHOP SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 6:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS A Council Workshop was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Mark Mace at 6:30 p.m. on September 30, 2014. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: _x Emelie Eaton _x_ Doug Poehls _x Bruce McGee x Richard Herr _x Chuck Dickerson x Scot Stokes Tom Nelson x Bill Mountsier OTHERS PRESENT: Heidi Jensen, CAO Public Input (three - minute limit): Iry Wilke, 1017 7 Avenue, provided copies of the debris that has been cleaned up from the far corner of the berm in Riverside Park. The picture was only an example of what was hauled away. One item was solid 4x4's and weighed almost 100 pounds. Numerous pieces of 2x6's and 2x4's and a large piece of metal were also picked up and hauled away. Iry reported on the trap shooting event that the Laurel Rod and Gun Club hosted for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in Riverside Park on August 19, 2014. The group shot 11 rounds of trap and were done well before the 7:00 p.m. deadline. Iry mentioned that over seventy people attended the recent Hunters' Education class, and 28 of them were in the regular Laurel class. This was the smallest class he has had in 14 years with hunter's safety classes. The other students took the online class and then took the field test. Iry has received some phone calls about the county road that goes past the water plant to the head gate. Some members of the Rod and Gun Club are upset because they cannot get down there to fish, and they will do whatever is necessary to address that if the city will not reopen it. George Mingee, 1919 Waterwood Drive, spoke regarding some work the city did with a State contractor on Cottonwood Avenue, which is down the street from the Conoco gas station. He observed 300 to 400 yards of debris, rock, and dirt coming out of the work site covering the eastbound lane, the westbound lane and the entire turn lane. He contacted the city, asked who was in charge of the contracting and was directed to Kurt. He spoke with Kurt, who told him that was not going to be cleaned up. George asked if it was the taxpayers' job to drive through the gravel, rock, dirt and debris and he (Kurt) said it was. George finds it hard to believe that a contractor can dump dirt and rock up and down a State or city highway and not have to clean it up. He (Kurt) said it would not be cleaned until the job was complete and George told Kurt he did not think it would be done then either. George mailed Kurt a letter in June. In August, George spoke with Heidi Jensen, who said she was Kurt's supervisor, and she had no knowledge of this. George told Heidi that the area should be Council Workshop Minutes of September 30, 2014 cleaned up and that the city did not hold the contractor accountable for any cleanup. She said she would drive down there to look at it and then take care of it. George stated that it is September, and it is still not cleaned up. He thinks that the Freedom of Information Act would let him get with the State to get the proposal that they sent to the city to do this work for this amount of money. He questioned if there was no cleanup budgeted in the contractor's proposal. He finds it hard to believe that he can just come and dump gravel, rock and dirt on a State highway and not have to mitigate it. George further stated that he did not see any hay bales or straw or anything on any of the curbing and manholes, so the city did not follow Federal and State guidelines on the waterways as well. He is wondering how far this really needs to go. He would like to see that contractor clean up all the rock that he deposited on the side of the road. Heidi stated that she investigated the issue after she spoke to Mr. Mingee. The city has a contract with the State for a Street Sweeping District that goes to Alder Avenue. Anything past Alder is the State's responsibility. The city has swept the streets numerous times since June and does a good job of keeping the street sweeping district maintained. There is an employee on a specific schedule during the summer months, and the city has a record of all the street sweeping. Gravel trucks travel down Yard Office Road, which is in the County and in the area to which Mr. Mingee is referring, but that is outside of the city's street sweeping jurisdiction and must be maintained by the State. Mr. Mingee questioned if it was not in the council's and mayor's jurisdiction when the contractor hauled the gravel, dirt and rock up and down the streets. He questioned if the contractor pocketed the 5 or 10 percent that was budgeted for cleanup in the bid because he did no mitigation. He questioned if people are can dump dirt and gravel in the waterways. He thinks that the sewer systems probably run out into some tributary, which ends up in the Yellowstone River. He thinks that is a huge Federal no -no and the State would say the same thing. When you do road work, if you are not putting up hay or any type of mitigation to keep dirt from going into the sewer system, you are at fault and are liable. Mr. Mingee stated that he would drop the issue, but he will keep pictures, names, letters and information from now on. He stated that he did not think the council or the mayor knew about it, but Kurt and Heidi did and neither one of them addressed the situation. General items: • Appointment o Laurel Volunteer Ambulance Service: Joni Lande The appointment will be on the October 7 council agenda. Executive Review: • Resolution — Special Review for Grace Bible Church Heidi stated that Planning Director Monica Plecker would attend the public hearings next week. Heidi stated that Grace Bible Church is seeking approval of a special review, as church facilities are only allowed in residential areas by special review. The church is proposing a church facility at 801 Washington Avenue. The proposed site plan and elevations were attached to the staff report. The Planning Board believes a church facility is an appropriate use of the property, as The Crossings is located to the north and the Middle School is located to the south. The main hours of church use would not add to the peak hours of school traffic, so there was minimal concern. The following conditions were recommended: 1. The applicant shall apply for a building permit. 2. Property shall be kept free of noxious weeds. 2 Council Workshop Minutes of September 30, 2014 3. All storm water must be kept on site. The proposed area of the church is much smaller than the lot, so there is a lot of ground that could absorb any new storm water. 4. Off street parking shall be required, as stated in LMC 17.40. 5. All signs shall comply with the regulations state in LMC 15.40. 6. A waiver of right to protest shall be filed so that curb and gutter can be placed along East Maryland at which time Maryland is improved. 7. Sidewalk shall be installed along Washington Avenue and East Maryland Lane. Chuck stated concern with the last two items. Number 6 does have a timeframe for the curb and gutter to be installed when East Maryland is improved, but he would like a timeline for number 7. Heidi stated that the applicant will provide a sidewalk plan for Washington Avenue when they apply for their building permit, as the sidewalk would go in with construction. There is currently no timeline for the improvements on East Maryland, so it was added as a condition of approval. There was discussion regarding the tree -lined area on the east side of Washington Avenue, which used to be park land but was traded and is now owned by the church. The sidewalk on Washington Avenue must comply with the city standards that include curb, gutter, 5 -foot boulevard, 5 -foot sidewalk and landscaping. Doug mentioned that the church is going to continue the sidewalk like it is configured in front of the Middle School. • Resolution — Annexation of R & T Subdivision Heidi stated that Ron and Todd Harmon have petitioned for the annexation of Lots 1, 3 and 4 of R & T Subdivision, which are located against West 12 Street. On the plat map, Lot 1 is located in the left hand corner and Lots 3 and 4 are next to each other on the curve of the map on 12 Street. The properties are located within 500 feet of city services and can be served by water and sewer. The services are located on 12 Street, so there is not a large connection required. The lots are proposed for single- family dwellings. The Planning Board has recommended approval of the annexation. The following conditions have been recommended: 1. In the event public improvements have not been completed at the time a building permit is applied for, the applicant shall provide a development agreement. 2. A Subdivision Improvements Agreement shall be executed with Final Plat approval. 3. A waiver of right to protest shall be executed and filed with the Clerk and Recorder at the time of annexation approval. 4. The final plat shall be filed prior to annexation. Heidi stated that the remainder of the land around Lot 1 will remain in the County. • Council Issues: o Laurel Jaycees' request to supervise camping in Riverside Park; Status of lease and lease amount (Emelie Eaton) o Lease with the Laurel Chamber of Commerce and roof replacement on the log cabin (Emelie Eaton) 3 Council Workshop Minutes of September 30, 2014 Emelie explained that the Budget /Finance Committee discussed the leases on September 2 "d, as the Jaycees had expressed interest in subleasing the campground at Riverside Park so they could monitor the campers. At that time, the committee was informed that the Jaycees need a new furnace and the Chamber building needs a new roof. The committee decided that the matters should be presented to the council. The Budget /Finance Committee also discussed the need to ascertain what would be a fair amount for the leases, the various leases that the city has had with organizations in the past, and the need to update the leases. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the Park Board having oversight of the leases, the reason the Lease Task Force was formed, the funding issues to restore the buildings in Riverside Park, the Jaycees' request to oversee camping in Riverside Park, the suggestion that the city and Jaycees each receive a percentage of the camping fees, the fact that camping in Riverside Park was never a money- making proposition, stars concerns regarding allowing camping in Riverside Park, the reality that the city has not been good stewards with some city properties, the need for the city to cover expenses for maintenance and not lose money, the building improvements made by some of the clubs, and suggestions on how to proceed with the lease process. It was suggested that the Park Board and the Lease Task Force work together on the lease agreements for the entities and then the Jaycees' request to oversee camping in Riverside Park should be addressed. Several comments were made regarding the need to find funding to restore the buildings in Riverside Park before leases can be prepared and presented to the clubs that want to lease those buildings. Regarding the Jaycees' need for a new furnace, Heidi explained that the furnace is in the 2014 -2015 budget and has been ordered for the building. Heidi is on the Chamber board and stated that roof repairs are needed on the Chamber building, not a new roof Since the city owns the building, she has instructed the Chamber to get a minimum of three quotes for the roof repairs. There was further discussion regarding obtaining copies of all of the leases, both current and expired, the need to find funding for restoration of the buildings prior to offering leases for the buildings in Riverside Park, and the need to update the leases that are outside of Riverside Park. Mayor Mace stated that the issues will be discussed at the next workshop. o Discussion regarding LMC 10.48.070 Parking time limits applicable to all streets (Chuck Dickerson) Chuck stated that there is a growing number of RV's and motorhomes in the city now as compared to several years ago. His concern is the parking time limit requirement in LMC that "no person shall park a vehicle for longer than five consecutive days at any time upon a street or highway within the city." He would like the five -day limit increased to two weeks to accommodate people that cannot store an RV on their property and those that might not go camping every week. Chuck's second concern is the requirement that vehicles that are parked longer than five days "shall be removed and sold as an abandoned vehicle." He would like to see more leniency during the summer months. There was discussion regarding the council's personal experiences with parked vehicles that are legally licensed and insured, the suggestion to suspend the 5 -day limit during the camping season, questions regarding the police department's process for this issue, the definition of an abandoned vehicle, and clear vision issues with parked RV's and motorhomes. 4 Council Workshop Minutes of September 30, 2014 Mayor Mace stated that Heidi would ask Chief Musson to attend the next workshop to explain the process and answer questions. o Lease Task Force update There was no further discussion. o Update on 2011 Yellowstone River flooding event Heidi received Change Order No. 6 on the bank project to put dirt in between the rocks. Hopefully, by the end of this week, Good Earth Works will finish planting the trees and bushes. Today's conference call with FEMA was cancelled, as they have not reviewed the information for the Environmental Assessment. The conference call was rescheduled for next Tuesday. Other items Chuck commented on the change for publication of the Laurel Outlook, as it will allow council information to be reported in a timely manner. He thanked Jennifer for her diligence in making that happen. Review of draft council agenda for October 7, 2014 • Public hearings: o Special Review for Grace Bible Church o Annexation of R &T Subdivision Attendance at the October 7, 2014 council meeting Mayor Mace and Tom Nelson will not attend the meeting. Announcements There were no announcements. The council workshop adjourned at 7:47 p.m. Respectfully submitted, (Azt( Cindy Allen Council Secretary NOTE: This meeting is open to the public. This meeting is for information and discussion of the Council for the listed workshop agenda items. 5