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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Bond Committee - Meeting Date: 2/4/20202/20/2020 1. CALL TO ORDER Agenda - View Meetings r� 1117 Glendale A R I Z O N A MINUTES BOND COMMITTEE CITY HALL, CONFERENCE ROOM 2A 5850 W. GLENDALE AVE. GLENDALE, ARIZONA 85301 FEBRUARY 4, 2020 5:00 P.M. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Roll call was conducted. Committee Member Boule was not yet present as he entered during Agenda Item 6. Present: Jon Froke, Chair Lisa Baker, Vice Chair John Guers, Committee Member Gary Hirsch, Committee Member Michael Socaciu, Committee Member Ryan Wesselink, Committee Member Absent: Michael Boule, Committee Member Also Present: Vicki Rios, Assistant City Manager Lisette Camacho, Budget and Finance Director Renee Molina, Budget and Finance Managment Assistant James Burke, Public Facilities, Recreation, and Special Events Director Timothy Barnard, Public Facilities, Recreation, and Special Events Assistant Director Diane Williams, Public Facilities, Recreation, and Special Events Program Manager Paul King, Public Facilities, Recreation, and Special Events Administrator 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS No citizens present. No comments. 4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Presented by: Jon Froke, Citizen Bond Committee Chair a. Citizen Bond Election Committee Minutes of January 21, 2020. A motion was made by Vice Chair Lisa Baker, motion was seconded by Committee Member Gary Hirsch AYE: Chair Jon Froke Vice Chair Lisa Baker Committee Member John Guers https://destinyhosted.com/agenda_publish.cfm?id=45363&mt=all&get_month=2&get rear-2020&dsp=min&seq=2262 116 2/20/2020 Agenda - View Meetings Committee Member Gary Hirsch Committee Member Michael Socaciu Committee Member Ryan Wesselink Other: Committee Member Michael Boule (ABSENT) 5. INTRODUCTION TO NEW COMMITTEE MEMBER Presented by: Jon Froke, Citizen Bond Committee Chair New Committee Member Wesselink was welcomed and shared a brief background of himself. 6. PRESENTATION ON PUBLIC FACILITIES, RECREATION, AND SPECIAL EVENTS CIP Presented by: James Burke, Public Facilities, Recreation, and Special Events Director Presented by: Timothy Barnard, Public Facilities, Recreation, and Special Events Assistant Director Mr. Burke gave a detailed presentation, which included the following: 1. Voter Authorization a. Current voter authorization and remaining need as identified for all City divisions was displayed. Ms. Camacho explained the meaning of the chart. 2. Overview of Parks CIP a. The projects and timeline have been submitted as part of the development of the FY20-29 CIP Program. b. Council will review requests during the FY21 budget. 3. Parks CIP by Project 4. Parks CIP by Funding Source 5. Specific Parks Capital Projects through FY2020-FY29 were explained in detail. a. Sahuaro Ranch Park Improvements — Completed and Grand Opening this weekend. b. Thunderbird Park Master Plan c. Park Ground and Irrigation d. Park Lighting e. Park Infrastructure Improvements f. Park Play Structures g. Heroes Park Regional Lake h. Thunderbird Conservation Park Improvements i. O'Neill Park Splash Pad j. Open Space/Trails Master Plan k. Thunderbird Park Improvements I. Amphitheater Renovations 6. Photos of current parks turf, conditions, and restrooms were displayed, which depicted the need for improvements. Committee Member Hirsch inquired as to the definition of a cultural facility. Committee Member Socaciu made the following comments • He thought there would be more new items in the Parks Plan. • It appears as if the Plan is just maintaining what the City already has. • Will anything more be done than just the splash pad and the lake at Heroes Park? https://destinyhosted.com/agenda_publish.cfm?id=45363&mt=all&get_month=2&get_year-2020&dsp=min&seq=2262 2/6 2/20/2020 Agenda - View Meetings • Councilmember Joyce Clark had announced that she would like to see an aquatic center at Heroes Park. • There is much.new development in West Glendale. • Will there be anything fresh and new built over the next ten years? [Committee Member Boule entered the meeting.] Ms. Rios replied that staff does not recommend using bonds for maintenance and explained that the Parks projects are major reconstructions of the park infrastructure, which is so deteriorated that replacement is needed. Ms. Rios relayed that the bonding authorization request for Parks is nearly $42.0 million and would be used for specific projects, some will be for refurbishing an entire park or constructing portions of a -park that has not been.fully . developed. Ms. Rios added that when brand new things are built, funding sources need to be considered as well as for operations and maintenance.. Mr. Burke reported that in the previous Master Plan, the community told staff that they want the City to take care of what it has. Mr. Burke stated that there has been about ten years of deferred maintenance and some of these planned improvements will make -the parks look brand new. Mr. Burke relayed that a new aquatic center could cost $400,000 to $500,000 annually for operations and staff. Committee Member Socaciu inquired as to how close the Foothills Aquatic Center comes to paying for itself. Mr. Burke explained that the whole complex is at an approximate 70% return and has an annual budget of about $1.0 million. Committee Member Hirsch asked for an explanation of the difference between parks and open space. Ms. Rios relayed that open space consists of open space, linear parks, and multi -use trails and used Thunderbird Conservation Park as an example. Ms. Rios stated that an opinion from the bond attorney would be requested on a specific project if there was a possibility it might not fit into the open space definition. Mr. Burke shared the following examples of open space: Paseo Linear Park, Thunderbird Conservation Park, Skunk Creek and New River Trails, and the Grand Canal Linear Park, Ms. Rios read aloud the definition of parks projects and also cultural facilities. Committee Member Wesselink asked if only the irrigation lines would be addressed or would the grass itself also be addressed. Mr. Burke explained that at this time, only the irrigation lines are being addressed, such as modern controllers, remote control, proper coverage, pumps, and pressure zones. Mr. Burke noted that at some point, staff will determine if the parks have the right mix of desert versus landscape turf. Mr. Barnard stated that a citywide survey is being conducted as part of the Master Plan in regards to priorities, how the parks are used, and more. Vice Chair Baker asked if the plan was to replace items like sports courts with like for like or to repurpose. Mr. Burke replied that the plan is not that detailed yet, but staff will be looking at this on a case by case basis. Mr. Burke stated that some amenities would be replaced like for like, while some may be changed based on public need or functionality. Committee Member Geurs asked if there was a budget to maintain the proposed improvements to the parks. Mr. Burke replied in the positive. Mr. Burke stated that one goal of replacing the irrigation is to potentially save 30% in water cost and possibly 20% to 30% with new light poles and fixtures. Committee Member Geurs asked if the fruit trees in Sahuaro https://destinyhosted.com/agenda_publish.cfm?id=45363&mt=all&get_month=2&get_year=2020&dsp=min&seq=2262 3/6 2/20/2020 Agenda - View Meetings Ranch Park would be saved. Mr. Burke explained that experts have been hired who have provided information on how to better maintain the fruit trees with proper irrigation techniques. Committee Member Geurs asked if the Sahuaro Ranch historical area could be considered as cultural. Ms. Rios replied in the positive. Committee Member Socaciu comments included the following: • It may be difficult to convince voters to support the bond if there are only two new things in Parks, especially residents in the Yucca district. • It took thirty years to get Heroes Park completed. • North Glendale has had a lot of growth and the amenities in West Glendale have been slower to come. West Glendale is only getting a lake and splash bad, despite growth. • The bond request may be a hard sell to people because it is millions of dollars, but not a lot will be seen. • Why wasn't the irrigation repaired all along? Ms. Rios commented that this is exactly the type of discussion that the Committee should be having and is why the Committee is in place. Committee Member Socaciu felt that the presentation today was more just on maintenance and not on new or more adventurous items that people would like to see. Ms. Camacho explained that staff is in the process of updating the Parks Master Plan and once that is completed, specific projects will be identified. Mr. Burke commented that operations and maintenance must be considered and new projects cannot be done if the funds are not in the budget for operations. Ms. Rios stated that the parks improvement projects will be full replacement of many amenities at once, and will thus look like brand new parks. Ms. Rios stated that it was better to stagger new projects, so to ensure funds for maintenance. Committee Member Wesselink asked if studies have been done which show the impact of parks maintenance on property values. Mr. Burke replied that studies have been done which show the impact and benefit and the opposite has been shown, where if the parks are not maintained, the property values decrease. Mr. Burke relayed that the average age of the parks in Glendale are 35 to 50 years old and at some point, general maintenance is not enough. Committee Member Hirsch agreed that when parks deteriorate, the neighborhood is impacted. Committee Member Hirsch stated that the 2008 crash was part of the equation and the City built a stadium which is not even in Glendale, that came with crushing debt service, strangled the budget, and led to maintenance issues. Committee Member Hirsch understood the approach and why brand new things were not being built. Committee Member Boule asked when the Parks Master Plan would be done. Ms. Camacho replied that the Plan would be finished in late summer or early fall. Committee Member Boule inquired if the Plan would include more specific project details. Ms. Camacho replied in the positive. Chair Froke commented on poor cell phone reception in north Glendale and inquired about the current view on possible cell phone towers in Thunderbird Conservation Park. Mr. Burke stated that he has not been approached about the topic. Ms. Rios recalled that years ago, there were ideas regarding improvements at Thunderbird Conservation Park, however, there was a ground swell to keep the Park as a more raw and natural conservation park. https://destinyhosted.com/agenda_publish.cfm?id=45363&mt=all&get_month=2&getyear=2020&dsp=min&seq=2262 4/6 2/20/2020 Agenda - View Meetings Chair Froke inquired about the amphitheater at Thunderbird Conservation Park. Mr. Burke replied that it has not been used for programming for a while and the Master Plan consultant will take a look at it on a high level. The agenda item was concluded. 7. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION Presented by: Jon Froke, Citizen Bond Committee Chair No items were presented. 8. STAFF REPORT Presented by: Vicki Rios, Assistant City Manager Presented by: Lisette Camacho, Budget and Finance Director Ms. Rios announced that there was a request for an update from the Committee to Council. After discussion, it was agreed that Chair Froke and Vice Chair Baker would attend the Council Workshop on February 18th at 9:00 a.m. to provide an update and other Committee Members are welcome to attend as well. Ms. Rios stated that the Council Workshops are also videotaped, so Committee Members who cannot attend can view the Workshop online. Ms. Camacho reported that a presentation will be given on Governmental Facilities at the next Committee meeting. Committee Member Socaciu requested a presentation from the Streets and Transportation Department. Ms. Camacho announced that Ms. Renee Molina will be leaving the City and next Thursday is her last day. 9. COMMITTEE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS Presented by: Jon Froke, Citizen Bond Committee Chair None. 10. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the Citizen Bond Election Committee will be held on February 18, 2020 at 5:00 p.m., in conference room 2A, located at 5850 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale, Arizona, 85301. 11. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Committee Member John Guers, motion was seconded by Committee Member Michael Socaciu AYE: Chair Jon Froke Vice Chair Lisa Baker Committee Member Michael Boule Committee Member John Guers Committee Member Gary Hirsch Committee Member Michael Socaciu Committee Member Ryan Wesselink https://destinyhosted.com/agenda,publish.cfm?id=45363&mt=a11&get_month=2&getyear-2020&dsp=min&seq=2262 5/6 2/20/2020 Agenda - View Meetings The Bond Committee meeting minutes of February 4, 2020 were submitted and approved this 18th day of February, 2020. S Lisette Camacho Budget and Finance Director GO TO PREVIOUS PAGE I GO TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE " WCA6 a AgendaQuick ©2005 - 2020 Destiny Software Inc. All Rights Reserved. https:Hdestinyhosted.com/agenda_publish.cfm?id=45363&mt=all&get_month=2&get_+ear-2020&dsp=min&seq=2262 6/6