Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 6/6/2000 * PLEASE NOTE: Since the Glendale City Council does not take formal action at the Workshops, Workshop minutes are not approved by the City Council. MINUTES CITY OF GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP June 6, 2000 1:30 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Scruggs, Vice Mayor Eggleston, and Councilmembers Goulet, Lieberman, and Martinez. ABSENT: Councilmembers McAllister and Samaniego. ALSO PRESENT: Martin Vanacour, City Manager; Ed Beasley, Assistant City Manager; Gary Verburg, Interim City Attorney; and Pamela Oliveira, City Clerk. 1. REVIEW AND PRESENTATION OF SPRING 2000 NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT REQUESTS CITY STAFF PRESENTING THIS ITEM: Ms. Pam Kavanaugh, Director of Council and Management Services; and Mr. Erik Strunk, Neighborhood Partnership Administrator. OTHER PRESENTER: Ms. Susan Ferrell, Chair of the Citizens Advisory Commission on Neighborhoods. As part of the City Council's commitment to revitalizing older neighborhoods, the Mayor and Council established the Glendale Citizens' Advisory Commission on Neighborhoods to make recommendations on neighborhood enhancement and revitalization projects. The purpose of today's workshop was to review the recommendations of the Commission for the Spring 2000 funding cycle. For Fiscal Year 1999-2000, approximately $700,000 in general fund money has been set aside for such projects. Of this amount, approximately $350,000 has been made available to neighborhoods for the Spring 2000 funding cycle. Savings from previously approved projects and remaining funds from the Fall 1999 grants cycle, bring the total amount available for the Spring 2000 neighborhood grants process to $466,000. The Commission on Neighborhoods recently concluded a one-month review process of 14 neighborhood grant requests, and recommended 13 (with some amendments) to the Mayor and Council for approval. Each of the following grants include a contingency amount: 1 1. Ocotillo Rose Neighborhood — $11,220 to fully fund the design of sidewalk, curb and gutter on 60th Avenue from Maryland Avenue to Keim Drive, new curbs and gutters on both sides of 59th Drive between Maryland and Marlette Avenues, and new curbs and sidewalks on the east side of 61st Avenue, between Maryland Avenue and Rose Lane. 2. Glendale Sub-Amended Neighborhood — $15,257.75 to fund the construction of the block fence adjacent to an alleyway to prevent vandalism, trespassing and other security issues that have caused concern in the neighborhood. 3. El Caminito Neighborhood — $62,700 to fully fund a meandering sidewalk along the west side of 43rd Avenue between Northern and Alice Avenues. This will be done in conjunction with a planned Fiscal Year 2000/01 landscaping project via the City streetscape improvement program. 4. Casa Campana Homeowners Association — $30,052.99 to fully fund the landscaping of two medians, improved decorative lighting, and monument enhancements at the entry-way of the neighborhood. 5. Casa De Zia Homeowners Association - $17,077.50 to fund right-of-way landscaping and pedestrian lighting along 61st Avenue just north of Townley Avenue. 6. Sunburst Farms Homeowners - $169,116.32 to fully fund the landscaping of an existing equestrian trail located on the west side of 51st Avenue from Greenway Road to Paradise Lane. Formal design for this project is 90% complete, as the neighborhood applied for and received funding for design during the Fall 1999 funding process. 7. Bethany Heights Neighborhood - $14,432 to fund design work that will develop a solution to improving the flooding problem that occurs at 47th and Marshal Avenues. 8. Villa Charme Homeowners Association - $15,691.68 to construct two new entry monuments. One monument will be located at 43rd Avenue and Rancho Drive and the other will be located at 43rd Avenue and Montebello Avenue. 9. Wild Horse Ranch Homeowners Association - $40,162.20 to completely landscape the west side of 58th Avenue between Shaw Butte Drive and Sunnyside Drive along with the west side of 57th Avenue between Sunnyside Drive and Cactus Road. The project also includes the redesign of the southwest corner of 57th and Cactus Road to match the other corners of the Wildhorse Ranch Subdivision. 2 10. O'Neil Ranch Neighborhood — $5,000 for various landscaping improvements (decorative granite, plant material, grading) at O'Neil Park. 11 . Fountain Shadows Homeowners Association - $10,340.00 to resurface and repair their internal streets, near 67th and Diana Avenues. 12. Olive Green Villas Homeowners Association - $21 ,428.70 to stucco and paint its existing walls and to install landscaping along 61St Avenue between Townley Avenue and Golden Lane. 13. Santa Maria Neighborhood - $52,700.56 to fund the construction of replacement landscaping and irrigation on City right-of-way located on 55th Avenue from Peoria Avenue to Mountain View Road; 53rd Avenue from Peoria Avenue to Mountain View Road; Peoria Avenue from 53rd to 55th Avenues; and Mountain View Road from 55th Avenue east to the elementary school. Formal design for this project is 90% complete as the neighborhood applied for and received funding for design during the Fall 1999 funding process. Over the past five years, 130 grant applications have been received by 55 different Glendale neighborhoods. The Commission has favorably recommended 93 of these grant applications to the Mayor and Council. The Spring 2000 grant recommendations represent the culmination of the eleventh neighborhood grants process overseen by the Glendale Citizens' Advisory Commission on Neighborhoods. The Mayor and Council have approved all previous grant recommendations of the Commission. The Spring 2000 project funding cycle began with two "early bird" grant orientation sessions on December 4, 1999 and January 12, 2000. A third and final orientation session was held on February 9, 2000. All registered neighborhoods were notified by mail and invited to attend the orientation sessions. Numerous articles have appeared in the local newspapers and monthly Partnership Office mail-outs regarding the orientation sessions and the availability of neighborhood revitalization funds. Information regarding the funding process was also publicized on the City of Glendale Internet home page. If approved by the Mayor and Council, the total for the Spring 2000 neighborhood grants cycle (including all necessary contingencies) will amount to $465,179.70. Funds are available in Account Number 01-8968-7330 (Neighborhood Projects). The recommendation was to review this item and discuss the Spring 2000 grant recommendations of the Commission on Neighborhoods. Ms. Ferrell noted that Chaparral Ill was the only grant request not funded. She stated it was their opinion that this neighborhood needs to solve some internal water problems. She said that the neighborhood representatives have indicated that they would be back once they find ways to resolve those issues. She explained that these private streets were not built to City standards and they do not have the funds necessary to repair them. 3 Ms. Ferrell noted that the founding Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Bob Beck, would be leaving on June 30, 2000. She thanked him for all he has done. Councilmember Lieberman complimented Ms. Ferrell and thanked the Commission members for their efforts. Councilmember Goulet thanked the Commission members for the work they have done. He expressed concern with regard to what can be done to get the neighborhoods more involved. He stated that he is concerned when he sees applications coming forward where there has been very little neighborhood involvement. He suggested that they continue to evaluate how they can get neighborhoods involved in ways other than through donations. He also expressed concern about the fairness of how older neighborhoods that do not have homeowners associations can compete against new neighborhoods that do have them. He stated that the program is wonderful for the City and it will be an enhancement for everyone involved. Ms. Ferrell stated that the issues brought up by Councilmember Goulet had been discussed by the Commission. She stated that a part of what makes this program unique is that neighborhoods come to the Commission with their dream and that it might not be as successful if the Commission told the neighborhoods what they thought they needed. She stated that getting more neighborhoods involved is an ongoing struggle. She said that they are looking at other ways to market the program. She explained that they view the neighborhoods as equal, whether they have a homeowners association or not. She stated that the Commission would like to hear any suggestions the Council may have as to how to increase neighborhood involvement. Councilmember Goulet stated that neighborhoods that have been through the process and then mentor other neighborhoods provide a tremendous outgrowth of what the partnership is doing. He said that partnering with the City is another result of the process. Ms. Ferrell stated their finding that a lot of times neighborhoods only come together if they have an issue. She said that they would like to have every neighborhood which is more than 15 years old register with the Partnership office. However, she questioned whether this would ever be a reality. Councilmember Martinez thanked the Commission members and complimented them on the job they have done. He stated that he has also been struggling with the issues brought up by Councilmember Goulet. He said that participation will increase as the word is spread about the program. He asked if the Commission had discussed at which point it would not fund a project because it did not receive a minimum score. Ms. Ferrell explained that there is no threshold score and the scores are a mechanism to place projects so that they can vote on them. She noted that they critique what has happened at the end of each cycle to see if the process is working. She stated that all of the projects are unique, making the process more difficult. She noted that they have put Sweat Equity Banking into place to ensure that neighborhoods put sweat equity into either their neighborhood or another neighborhood to ensure that the partnership factor is met. Vice Mayor Eggleston thanked Ms. Ferrell and the Commission members. 4 Mayor Scruggs stated that they had made an excellent presentation. She noted that the Commission holds a retreat every summer to look at ways to improve the program. She agreed that projects which score very low should be looked at with greater scrutiny to determine areas where they are deficient. She stated that there are basics of the program that the Council has to vote to change before a change can be made. She noted that a 15-year minimum age was established and that more neighborhoods are reaching that minimum. Mayor Scruggs stated that eliminating neighborhoods with homeowners associations would result in a large percentage of residents being ineligible for a program paid for by their tax dollars. She noted that when a homeowners association is involved, the Commission automatically puts them to a greater test of participation. She stated that it was clear to her that none of the Commission's decisions are made without considering numerous aspects and that they continue to try to be as a fair as possible to everyone. She thanked the Commission members and recognized the amount of time they put in outside the grant process. Ms. Ferrell stated that the retreat would be held on July 14, 2000 and that they would be looking at the homeowners association issue. She stated that this is an issue that will have to be dealt with, as all neighborhoods now built have homeowners associations. She noted that they limit what they fund a homeowners association because there has to be a public benefit. She stated that they have to look at the projects from the neighborhood's point of view, as well as the City's, to determine if it is a judicial use of tax dollars. Mayor Scruggs noted that citizens will have the opportunity in the upcoming month to make decisions regarding funding of programs at both the state and city levels. She stated that she hoped, when they make their decision, people would recognize the good that is being done by this program. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 2:30 p.m. 5