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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 06.12.2018MINUTES COUNCIL WORKSHOP JUNE 12, 2018 6:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS A Council Workshop was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Tom Nelson at 6:33 p.m. on June 12, 2018. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: _x Emelie Eaton _x Bruce McGee _x Scot Stokes x Richard Klose Public Input There was none. _x Heidi Sparks Richard Herr x Iry Wilke x Bill Mountsier Bethany Langve, Clerk/Treasurer Kurt Markegard, Public Works Director General Items • Re -appointment of Walter Widdis to the Tree Board for a three-year teen ending 6/30/2021 • Re -appointment of Arron Christiansen to the Tree Board for a three-year term ending 6/30/2021 • Re -appointment of Council Member Herr to the Cemetery Commission for a two-year term ending 6/30/2020 • Re -appointment of Dixie Feller to the Library Board for a five-year term ending 6/30/2023 Mayor Nelson asked if there were any questions regarding each of these re -appoints, listed above. There were none. • Appointment Ray Ezell, Karen Courtney, and Bethany Langve to their respective positions. Mayor Nelson stated it was brought to his attention that Ray Ezell, Karen Courtney, and Bethany Langve were not appointed to their respected positions of Building Inspector, Code Enforcement, and City Clerk/Treasurer. It was questioned why after celebrating a couple years of employment was this needed. Mayor Nelson stated that the City Attorney advised him to appoint as it is stated in LMC this would occur. Executive Review • Resolution — A resolution of the City Council resetting its July 3 regular Council meeting to July 2 in order to avoid conflicts with events and festivities planned for the July 4`h Celebration. Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2018 The last time the Council had a meeting scheduled on July 3rd was in 2012. At that time the Council elected to move the meeting to July 2nd due to the July 4t1' festivities. It was questioned if Budget/Finance Committee would also move their meeting to Monday, July 2nd. Correct, Budget/Finance Committee will meet on July 2nd, as well. Resolution — Resolution authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to utilize available revenue in the City's water fund to prepay and retire DNRC loan WRF-10-188. It was explained that when the City takes out bonds, it required to set aside a certain amount of money once the loan is close to retiring these funds are used to pay the loan off. The City has two loans with similar balances. However, one of those loans had more payments left and was selected to be retired. Loan WRF-10-188 had approximately 10 years remaining. This will save the City on interest and will allow the City to use the saved interest in other areas. It was questioned how much interest the City would save. The resolution listed the principal amount as $355,424.83. It was questioned if the $4,424.83 is annual interest. It was stated that like any loan there is monthly interest. The City has paid a loan payment since the loan pay off amount was given, and this will reduce the total payoff amount. It was questioned if the $4,424.83 is the monthly interest. It was clarified that the $4,424.83 is the interest that has paid since January 1, 2018, to June 26, 2018. That is approximately $8,000 to $4,000 a year. However, the interest does decrease over the life of the loan as the principal is reduced, but this will save the City a considerable amount. The decision to retire this loan instead of putting those funds towards the SED Basin project was made because the interest rate is 2.75% is greater than the interest rate for the SED Basin project of 2.5%. This is the better option of the City. • Resolution — A resolution of the City Council adopting a Management Budget to assist the City's Department Heads with projecting and managing their respective budgets for the Fiscal Year. There have been some format changes to the Management Budget than what Council has seen in the past. The City has not reviewed its taxable valuation. This means the Clerk/Treasurer is unable to present any of the Leavy funds or any tax revenue for General Fund. Therefore these budgets have been omitted at this time. This budget is strict to help the management team operate until the Final Budget is passed at the end of August or beginning of September. This budget is a tool for Council to clearly see major changes that will be made to the Final Budget. The Clerk/Treasurer has made notes of line items that will be changing. For example, the SRO revenues have been omitted, Union 303 is in negotiations and until those negotiations are finalized the value is not known. The City has not received the Fire District Contracts for Fire District No. 7 or Airport Authority. Therefore these have been omitted. The Council will receive a memo with their Final Budget that lists any and all changes made, line by line. 2 Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2018 If Council has any questions regarding the Mangement Budget, please contact the Mayor or the Clerk/Treasurer for further clarification. It was questioned if each department was able to reduce their budgets by ten percent. It was further questioned if the documents presented to Council reflect those reductions. Yes, each department was able to reduce their budget by ten percent. The Council will see those items noted in their budget documents. It was clarified that any line item 200 or above is discretionary spending. These are the line items that departments were able to reduce by ten percent. Council will see where the Mayor has taken those savings and redistributed them to other areas. One is for an additional Police Officer, and the remainder is budgeted for Ambulance. Line items in the 100's are associated with wages and benefits and are not able to be reduced. It was clarified that Council would vote on the Management Budget to allow all departments to continue to run appropriately. The Council will vote on the Final Budget at the end of August. The Clerk/Treasurer will be present at Workshops if requested by Council to answer any Council questions. The Mayor would need to know the Friday before the Workshop to add the discussion to the agenda. The Clerk/Treasurer placed a budget memo in their Council packets. This memo explains what changes were made to the budget, see attached. All notes are also placed on the budget sheets located under the line item. • Resolution — A resolution approving agreements between the City of Laurel and Laurel Fire District No. 5, said agreements relating to fire protection. There were no questions. • Resolution — A resolution approving agreements between the City of Laurel and the Laurel Urban Fire Service Area ("LUFSA") said agreements relating to fire protection. There were no questions. • Resolution — A resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute a contract for the Chief Administrative Officer position between the City of Laurel and Matthew R. Lurker, Sr. Mayor Nelson gave a brief overview of the selection process. There were two interview committees. The first interview committee consisted of Mayor Nelson, Former Mayor Olsen, Council President Eaton, and Mich Kratovil who is the City's contracted HR. The second interview committee consisted of Mayor Nelson, City Attorney Sam Painter, Interim Planner Forrest Sanderson, and Council Vice President McGee. The CAO candidate was ranked first 6 out of 8 times, second 1 out of 8 tunes, and fourth 1 out of 8 times. The CAO candidate has signed a contract with the City and was invited to introduce himself to Council this evening. The CAO candidate is willing to relocate to the City of Laurel or as close as possible. Matthew Raymond Lurker Sr. of 4005 Pine Cove Road in Billings Montana, introduced himself to Council. He gave a brief background of his personal and work history. He addressed why he has short-term employment on his resume, as he worked as a contractor for the government. These contracts are for a specific task, and once that is complete, they would move to a new contract. He ended up jumping between a few agencies over a three year period. 3 Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2018 It was questioned what paragraph 2.2 of the contract meant regarding reimbursement of expenses to the employee. Is this in addition to their budget. It was clarified that there are times in which an employee may expend their own funds for non - personal use and these expenses would be reimbursable. These are items that have been budgeted for and is not in addition to their budget. An example is if CAO were to travel and need to pay for something on their personal credit card that was a work expense it would be reimbursable. Mayor Nelson spoke to his goals as the City's new CAO. It was questioned if the Council had access to the candidate's resume. Mr. Lurker stated that he could make his resume available and if the Mayor had a copy he could distribute the resume to Council. Mayor Nelson stated that he would add this document to the Council's Dropbox tomorrow and for Council to watch for the email. Council Member McGee reminded Council that everyone is on the same side. There have been times when it feels that is not the case. However, he wanted to reiterate that everyone is on the same side. He welcomed the CAO candidate. o Council Issues: o Update on 2011 Yellowstone River flooding event The City has a meeting scheduled with the Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday (June 14"') for the site visit to review the wetland survey. There will also be a meeting regarding what to do with the intake. It was questioned what was meant by "what to do with the intake." It was clarified that the City had had issues with being able to backwash the intake to clear the screens. This has reduced the flow from the intake. It was questioned if the potential for sediment was discussed when decided where the intake would be placed. It was clarified that the discussion was that the intake could be buried and still work. It was questioned why there are issues. It was responded that the flows in the river are higher than has ever been recorded in the past 85 years. Typically the river flows are approximately 20,000 to 30,000 fps currently the river is running at approximately 60,000 fps. The 2003 intake experienced scour during the 2011 flood. This lowered the river bed and exposed the City's intake. It was questioned if the issues are because no one knows how to run it, if it was installed incorrectly, or if it was not planned for properly. Ll Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2018 Mayor Nelson stated the intake was installed according to the governing agencies. Those agencies were DEQ and ACOE. He is working to get to the bottom of this issue. Is there something the City needs to do on a regular basis so as not to run into this issue in the future, such as blowing the screens out. This was a $12 million dollar project in which the City should not have paid the $3 million State match for. This intake is located in a different portion of the river the City has not dealt with in the past. It was questioned if instead of listing the update of the 2011 flooding event if the discussion item could be upgraded to an intake update. It was questioned if the City is on the 2011 intake or 2003 intake. It was clarified that the City is using the 2003 intake. The new intake was shut down as the river rose. This allowed the City to keep personnel at the plant instead of sending them to the intake location. Last year the City turned off the new intake as the river sediment increased. This was to reduce the amount of sediment entering into the 3 miles of pipe to get to the Water Treatment Plant. The City may continue to use the 2003 intake in the summer and the new intake in the fall and winter months. The goal is to ensure both intakes are operable so in the event, one intake is not functioning the City has a backup intake. It was questioned if the 2003 intake will not function after September when the rock weir is removed. It was clarified once the rock weir is removed that the City cannot guarantee the water is high enough to use the 2003 intake. It was clarified that back in 2011 when this issue began the City had identified the number one solution for this problem would have been to install a grouted weir. The City was unable to receive a permit to install a grouted wier unless they were able to prove that the fish could exit the weir. Because this option was no longer available the City working to find alternate solutions. The option of placing the intake 3 miles upstream was the best option out of the presented alternatives. o Update on 2018 Flooding event Riverside Park is, as of today, open to the public. The river is down, and the risk for flooding has subsided. The State of Emergency is still in effect until the majority of the snowmelt has occurred. The Mayor will re-evaluate after the 4`i' of July on if he can rescind the State of Emergency. While the City did not experience river flows as expected, they did have water coming in through the storm drains. The Public Works Director had the drains plugged so as to keep the water out of the parking lot at the Water Treatment Plant. o West Railroad There was an update on where the City is with West Railroad. The Public Works Director contacted State regarding the urban routes in the City. See attached map showing the urban routes within the City's urban limits. The map shows the urban routes are both in the City limits as well as in the County. This is why the City and County have to present a joint project to the State in order for those funds to be used. The Public Works Director looked at the Transportation plan that was done in 2014. West Railroad was identified as needing improvements. The estimate at the time was that West Railroad would cost 5 Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2018 approximately $2.7 million to update. The Public Works Director will have the Mayor send a letter to the County requesting discussion of West Railroad as a project. Other projects identified in the Transportation Plan was the intersection of S 1St Avenue and Railroad which is listed as an F intersection. This is the worst rating an intersection can be given. The other project identified is E. 6t" Street, which the City is taking care of with the Street Maintenance Fund as it is not identified as an urban route. The Public Works Director looked into the option of adding E. 6' Street to the City's urban routes. However, it would need to give up its urban route somewhere else to accommodate this. At this time, that is not advisable. The Public Works Director spoke with the County Engineer and Public Works Director who stated they needed a letter to move forward. The City would need a joint resolution with the County to send to the State. The State would then come in and do their feasibility study and review all options for West Railroad. It was questioned if the City would be able to get West Railroad addressed before the intersection would need to be taken care of as well and would the intersection trump West Railroad. It was clarified that the City and County could list priority to the projects to assist with this. The TIF District can also help pay for the intersection allowing West Railroad to be improved by urban route funds. The person who had been doing the traffic study for either a traffic signal or round -a -bout at the intersection of S. 1st Avenue and Railroad is no longer at the State. It is unclear what will happen with that traffic study at this time. The Interim Planner had brought it to the attention of the Public Works Director that the Transportation Plan was conducted in 2014, it is due to at least be reviewed and updated. It was questioned if the City can request that East Railroad become a one way and not to allow citizens to turn left to go to Walmart. The Public Works Director stated that most of the day residents are able to make that turn without affecting traffic significantly. However, there is a portion of the day when this is not the case. The Mayor stated that the City would review all their options on this issue. It was stated that previously a Council Member had contacted the State regarding a sign saying no left turn onto East Railroad. There was no issue with placing the sign, but that it would need to be enforced by the local law enforcement. He stated that this where he was met with resistance. It was requested that West Railroad stay on the Workshop agenda for continued updates. It was requested that Council not gets sidetracked with the traffic study issues and look over the need on West Railroad. Mayor Nelson re -assured the Council that West Railroad will not be overlooked and that the update will remain on the Workshop to give periodic updates. o Community Garden Follow-up Vi Hill, 2707 N. Ramshorn Drive, reached out to the other Community Gardens in the area to see what they do for water, what the associated costs are, and how they are reminding these issues. She C� Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2018 handed out her findings to Council, and that document is attached to these minutes. Songbird and Amend Park are the only Community Gardens owned by the City of Billings. All gardens are non- profit, and collected funds are used to improve the garden. Songbird stated their cost for water last summer was approximately $2,500. They know that there was abuse in over watering with nearby residents turning on the water and leaving. They are addressing the overwatering issue with a fine and building a well. Friendship House collects roof runoff to water their garden. It was requested the Council consider a grant program for residents to be able to make improvement for the betterment of the community, one such project being a Community Garden. It was questioned if the property has water services to it. No the Church did have a curb box installed while 81h Avenue was being redone, but there is no water meter or service connected to that curb box. It was questioned what was meant by the Council considering a grant program. It was clarified that Pastor Jason came up with this idea, he had to leave tonight's meeting due to an emergency. Vi did not have a chance to speak with Pastor Jason further on the matter. It was questioned where the money would come from. Vi stated she was unsure; she would leave that to the City Council. It was questioned who community garden members would pay. Vi clarified with Songbird that the City does not collect the funds. In the Songbird Community Garden, the Josephine Crossings Council manages the area. There is no monetary exchange with the City of Billings. Songbird is in the process of installing a well. They also fundraise to be able to make these necessary improvements. It was questioned if bulk water would be a solution to this problem. Mayor Nelson stated that another option would be to discuss the possibility of leasing a portion of a park for this use. He requested that Park Board discuss this issue further. o Constituent Questions from Coffee with a Council Member Council Member Eaton attended the first Coffee with a Council Member. A constituent presented her with a list of concerns. These concerns were forwarded to the Public Works Director to address. The first issue was three vehicles parked on the first block of 81h Avenue. The Public Works Director clarified if the vehicles, such as in this case, are parked on public property that is a law enforcement issue, and they will be able to issue a parking violation. If the vehicles are located on private property, then it is a code enforcement issue would need to contact code enforcement. When the Public Works Director went to see if the vehicles were still parked on the first block of 81h Avenue, he did not see Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2418 the vehicles in question. It is unknown if this issue has resolved itself as the vehicles are no longer parked in the area. The second issue was the abandoned home on the second block of 81h Avenue. It is located on the west side of the street across for the Library. This house used to be in the County, recently a developer put in an annexation request and this is now part of the City. Code Enforcement has sent a letter to the owners to take care of the overgrowth problem. The third issue was the weeds growing through the river rock on 8th Avenue. When the State redid 8th Avenue, the rocks were used to direct children to use the crosswalks. The City did not have a comment on their installation. The adjoining property owners are responsible for taking care of this property. The City would need to investigate if those rocks could be removed or not. One side of the street received concrete; the other side received grass and rocks. Trees were also planted. However, these trees are not maintained either. The homeowners may not have had the buy -in on this project. The City could do further education for those who live on 8th Avenue. The fourth issue was the right of way the City owns between the condos and the Town and Country. The City mows this location, however with the record snowfall and melt it is now a pond with ducks included. There is no storm drains in this area. The only option at this point would be to pump the water out. The City will mow this area once it dries out. The long-term solution would be to install storm drainage. This would be costly and require the City to cut into 8`h Avenue to accomplish. It was questioned if the area is located in the floodplain. The Public Works Director was unsure if this property is located in the floodplain. Because this property is not in the floodway the City can fill as needed, would need to go through the City permitting process, which is through the Planner. The Public Works Director did check the location before tonight's meeting, there was still water present, and the City is unable to mow at this time. The fifth issue was being able to see RN Appliances extra inventory and if the City could make them install a fence to conceal the extra inventory. Currently, the City does not have an ordinance that requires a business owner to install a fence as this is the businesses primary use [and is located in a Commercial Zoned District]. The Code Enforcement Officer did state that Billings does have an ordinance for this issue. The Code Enforcement Office is willing to look into options and work with the City Attorney when she addresses the nuisance ordinances. The sixth issue is the shoes hanging from wires. One set was hanging from an internet wire across 81h Avenue, and the other was on the Chamber of Commerce powerline for the Christmas decorations near Hardee's. These have been removed. It was stated that these could signify where to purchase drugs. It was questioned if citizens are able to remove them themselves. It is not advisable for citizens to remove the shoes themselves, but to contact the owner, such as the power company, of the line to remove the item. Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2018 Council Member Eaton thanked Code Enforcement and the Public Works Director for their work on resolving these issues. There were two additional issues brought forward by this constituent. One was a noise ordinance, which had been brought forward previously and had been sent to the Emergency Services Committee. Due to the main industries within the City, a noise ordinance is not being pursued for the time being. The complaint was due to a business snow removal of their parking lot, in particular, the muffler on the vehicle. Law enforcement could speak with the individual if they once they moved off of private property. The final issue brought forward by this constituent was to only allow parking on one side of the road on the south side of town. One objection was who would determine which side of the street would have parking. Some homeowners do have driveways others do not. Council Member Eaton will write a letter to the constituent will update on what has been doing for each of the stated complaints. Mayor Nelson stated that he would be participating in the next Coffee with a Council Member on July 16, 2018. He will also be writing his second-quarter update for the Outlook. Other Items Mayor Nelson stated Council would see the recommendation from Insurance Committee before them at the next Workshop scheduled for June 26, 2018. Review of Draft Council Agenda for 6/19/2018 There were no changes. Attendance at the 6/19/2018 Council Meeting All present will be in attendance. Announcements Multiple Council Members expressed their thanks for the tablets. Mayor Nelson stated that the tablets should help the effective communication with Council Members, the process changes will also reduce material and labor costs. The total cost for all tablets, cases, and screen protectors was under $2,500. One Council Member thanked the work of our Code Enforcement Officer for her work in notifying property owners of code violations. He had called the City regarding one property, and the issue had already been noticed and addressed by the Code Enforcement Officer. Thursday, June 14th is Flag Day. The American Legion will be doing a ceremony at the Cemetery along with proper disposal of unusable American flags. Request for Council to discuss the purpose of Budget/Finance Committee. Mayor and the Council thanked the church group who painted all the fire hydrants in the City. They did an excellent job and the City thanks them for their time. Vol Council Workshop Minutes of June 12, 2018 Public Works Committee will meet on June 18, 2018, at 6:00 p.m in Council Chambers. If the Council has any agenda items to please send them to the Public Works Director. It was questioned who started the Coffee with a Council Member. It was clarified that the Outlook started this and will continue to organize this event. The Outlook will contact a Council Member and request if they would like to participate. Recognition of Emnlovees • Rick Musson • Brian Kline • William Brew III • Daniel Griffin • Raymond Ezell III 36 years on June 1St 13 years on June 22nd 12 years on June 7th 9 years on June 15th 1 year on June 14th The council workshop adjourned at 8:53 p.m. Respectfully su tted, Brittney Moonnan Administrative Assistant Police Chief City Shop Police Police Public Works NOTE: This meeting is open to the public. This meeting is for information and discussion of the Council for the listed workshop agenda items. 10 June 12, 2018 To: Mayor and Council From: Bethany Langve, Clerk/Treasurer The Management Budget is being presented to you tonight. The levied funds are not included in the Management Budget as they will require receipt of the mill values before they can be finished. These funds include: • 2190 — Comp Insurance Fund • 2260 — Emergency Disaster Fund • 2370—PERS Fund • 2371— Health Insurance Fund • 2372 — Permissive Insurance Fund • 7120 — Fire Disability Fund • 7850—Airport Authority Fund The General Fund revenues for taxes are omitted as they require receipt of the taxable valuation to finalize the revenues. The SRO Program revenues are omitted due to ongoing Union 303 negotiations. Fire District #7 and AA revenues are omitted as signed contracts for Fiscal Year 2019 have not been received. Revenues for the Permissive Medical transfer and Group Health transfer are omitted until the taxable valuation is received. Staff were asked to reduce their budgets by 10% of their discretionary total, and most departments were able to accommodate the request. The largest change in the General Fund is due to increase in wages. Non-union employees are requesting a 3% raise. The Public Works Union is receiving a $0.45 per hour increase and a $100 increase to their flex accounts for a total of $600 in flex this fiscal year. The Police/Dispatch Union will be entering negotiations so a $0.25 per hour increase has been entered for budgeting purposes until a contract has been signed. Some items that have changed over the entire budget are the Workmen's Comp rates, which increased 5%, PERS employer rate has gone up to .0857 from .0847, an increase of .001 per employee's gross salary. MMIA has increased the overall aggregate rate for liability insurance by 16.2%. The mill revenue that covers the Comp Insurance is deducted from the total General Fund mill revenue, thus causing less tax revenue into the General Fund. The City requested quotes from several health insurance providers. These quotes have been analyzed by the Insurance Committee and a recommendation should be made to Council. The changes to health insurance, if any, will be reflected when the Fiscal Year 2019 budget is presented in August. The next section will go through some of the highlights in the balance of the budget. Fund2250 — Planning Department --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0 General Fund will be transferring $33,105 into this fund to balance the budget. Fund 2310—TIF • There will be $1,200,000 available for Capital Projects in the TIFD. • $125,000 has been budgeted for the Large "Business" Project Grants. Fund 2500—Street Maintenance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0 The entire R -O -W fees will be given to the Street Department this year to build the reserve for the next "Small Caps Project." • $200,000 has been budgeted for repairs and maintenance. • $1,000,000 has been budgeted for the East 6th Street project. Fund 2600 — Elena Park Maintenance District ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Planting of Boulevard Trees is planned for this fiscal year. Fund 2820 —Gas Tax • Gas Tax allocation amounts have not been released for Fiscal Year 2019, so this fund has not been included in the Management Budget. Fund2821— HB 473 Gas Tax ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Gas Tax allocation amounts have not been released for Fiscal Year 2019, so this fund has not been included in the Management Budget. Fund 2850 — 911 Emergency • The General Fund will contribute $27,00 for 911 contracts this year. Fund2917 — Crime Victims --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • This fund is not being presented as the funds are being returned to the State of Montana. Fund2928 —Transit Grant ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ • General Fund will continue to support this fund with $5000/year. • There are still enough funds in reserves to pay 15% of a new bus, should one become available. Fund 4000 — Capital Projects Fund --------------------------------------------------------------------- • Staff is requesting the following projects or equipment be purchased this year: 1. City Hall —Purchase of VOIP $150,000. Fund5210 —Water Fund ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • The SED Basin Project has been budgeted in the amount of $10,257,732, the City will borrow $4,921,000 from DNRC and the balance will be paid with reserves and $625,000 in grants. • The Intake Project is complete and awaiting final reimbursement from FEMA in the amount of $1,500,000. 5310 — Sewer Fund ------------------------------------------------------------- • The capital budget includes: 1. Dewatering Facility Installation - $998,000 2. Digestor Rehabilitation - $235,000 3. Screw Pump Rehabilitation - $420,000 4. Manhole Rehabilitation - $100,000 5. Sewer Camera/Trailer - $100,000 6. 1-12S Remediation at Village Lift Station - $156,250 5410 — Solid Waste • The capital budget includes: 1. Garbage Truck - $285,000 2. Truck w/ Tommy Life - $35,000 3. Shed for Container Site - $10,000 While this is a brief overview of the Management Budget, please take the time to look through it and ask questions. We appreciate the time you spend on reviewing this Management Budget. x . � :\ a �. � a� \ � \\ : \ � <\\ . c, GN - 0.1 \ � \ k _ 99 \ ° wm \ \ � a § m,_ !x ` \\ exist along E 6`h Street near the school and athletic fields, particularly during sporting events. There may be opportunity to enhance parking amenities with the development of this project. Estimated Cost: $3.OM MSN -7: W Railroad Street (US 212 to S 8th Avenue) W Railroad Street is an urban route and serves as the main connection to the south side of Laurel. The existing typical section does not meet urban design standards as there is no curb and gutter and there are areas that lack sidewalks. It is recommended that the roadway be reconstructed to meet current urban design standards. This improvement could be implemented as a stand-alone project or in conjunction with SR -3. Estimated Cost: $23M MSN -8: S 1St Avenue - Railroad Underpass The existing S V Avenue railroad underpass is a bottleneck for the transportation system in Laurel. This location is narrow (consists of one travel lane in each direction), has steep grades, and has height clearance restrictions. Existing traffic analysis shows that this location lacks capacity to accommodate existing traffic volumes. The overpass structure is likely in need of repair / replacement in the near future. It is unknown at this time, however, the best approach to remedy this bottleneck location. Existing topography and land use constraints exist making the development of a new underpass difficult. Ultimately, it is recommended that a new crossing structure be constructed to increase capacity, flatten grades, increase vertical clearance, and address existing structural issues. An engineering study will be needed to determine the best course of action to address the needs at this location. Estimated Cost: Unknown, additional analysis needed City of Laurel ! 5 r7 Long Range Transportation Plan - 2014 1 Billings Community Gardens • 3/4 acre city park • City has provided a hydrant and the water • They are presently working on a licensing agreement with the Josephine Garden Council and a well is being dug and paid for with funds raised by the subdivision. The city has managed the garden for 5 years and even after the agreement will continue to do maintenance and approval of any changes made to property. Small decisions can be made by council. • Last year water usage cost $2500 through the hydrant. Water was available to anyone. Some who lived close -by would turn the water on and go home. Those rules are changing and will be enforced. • Workshops were held re: rules and water conservation. • Plots are 20' x 20' for $45 per season. Can be divided into smaller plots renting for $35 or $25. • No monetary exchange of funds with the city Amend Park: • City water, put in and maintained with the park, not metered. • Area just short of 1 acre • 46 plots: 12' x 20', 10'x 20', raised beds • Rental fees are $25 to $45 per season Mayflower: • Property owned by Mayflower Church • Have own well. St. Andrews: • Property owned by church • Have own well, One faucet available to users but garden watering is controlled by those who manage the site (2x per week during season, varies with weather) • Started with 40 plots, now have 104. 8 or 9 of them are for flowers and herbs. There is a Mission Garden with produce to go to Food Bank. All with plots have to put is so - many hours in the Mission Garden. • Plots are 8' x 8'. You can have up to 4 plots at $15 each per season • Must apply in the spring before March 15. Returnees get first priority. • Workshops on rules and general gardening • Web site: garden@standrewbillings.org Friendship House: • All owned by Friendship House • Small raised beds for children to work in and use in House kitchen or share with their familiesl • Store water from roof run-off.