Loading...
City Council Minutes 11-13-2018 SpecialMINUTES SPECIAL MEETING — MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL Monday, November 13, 2018 — 4:45 p.m. Bridge Room City Hall - Monticello Community Center Present: Brian Stumpf, Jim Davidson, Bill Fair, Charlotte Gabler, Lloyd Hilgart Absent: None Others: City staff. Jeff O'Neill, Wayne Oberg, Angela Schumann, Rachel Leonard, Tom Pawelk, Jim Thares, Shibani Bisson and Jennifer Schreiber Others: Eva Kelly and Jason Amberg, WSB & Associates, and Wes Olson and Mike Bennedetto, Monticello Lions Club 1. Call to Order Mayor Brian Stumpf called the special meeting to order at 4:45 p.m. 2. Splash Pad Discussion Jeff O'Neill, City Administrator, introduced the item. Jason Amberg and Eva Kelly, WSB & Associates, were in attendance to present the splash pad feasibility study. The presentation reviewed the purpose of the study, the process, location analysis, two concept options, vendor systems, the preferred concept, and the cost. The preferred concept selected was Concept #1 — Central. It included items such as access to School Boulevard, a new parking lot, a looped road and area for buses, and utilized existing shelter and mature trees. The total estimated cost was $832,000. Jason Amberg noted all cost estimates were based on typical construction costs. Project construction would be expected to take five to six months. Following the presentation of the feasibility study and selected concept, Tom Pawelk, Parks Superintendent, presented a phased option with a reduced initial cost to $663,673. This phased option eliminated line items that could be completed at a later time. Mayor Stumpf commented that although costs are delayed, the city is ultimately responsible for funding those items. Discussion ensued. Councilmember Gabler commented that it would be beneficial to see how the splash pad is utilized before building out the road and parking lot. Mayor Stumpf expressed concern about the cost and questioned the source of needed funding. It was concluded that the project could be funded by reserves. The Council expressed concern about the high cost of the project since it was initially thought to cost approximately $300,000. In addition, there is the annual operations and maintenance costs of approximately $30,000 that would need to be funded. Wes Olson and Mike Bennedetto, Monticello Lions members, commented on the project. The Lions had originally agreed to contribute $150,000 when the project was anticipated to cost $300,000. WSB noted in the feasibility study that $300,000 would cover the cost of the splash pad alone and did not include site improvement costs. Wes Olson felt that there were items in the feasibility study that increased cost unnecessarily. Mike Bennedetto added that by deleting unnecessary items and doing some of the work in- house the cost could be reduced significantly. He mentioned the Lions would never have City Council Special Meeting Minutes — November 13, 2018 initiated the project if they thought the cost would be around $800,000. The Lions agreed to dedicate $165,000 to the project and mentioned if the city matched that amount and contributed an additional $120,000 for parking the project could be capped at $450,000. The $450,000 would be adequate if some of the line items were eliminated. WSB responded by reaffirming their recommendation of the included line items. Councilmember Hilgart noted his opposition to the project. He was opposed because of the increase in cost and the fact that residents' property taxes were increasing by double digits for 2019 and most likely 2020. Councilmember Davidson expressed his concern with the project because of current projects that would benefit from the same funds. Projects mentioned were the Bertram Chain of Lakes project, downtown development projects, or a new public works facility. Councilmember Gabler expressed an idea that perhaps the splash pad should happen before more money is put towards Bertram Chain of Lakes because the splash pad impacts everyone and Bertram affects users. Both Councilmembers Davidson and Hilgart disagreed and noted Bertram is for all age levels and the splash pad is for just young ages. Councilmember Fair moved to direct staff to review the feasibility study, remove unnecessary items, review funding sources, and bring back to the City Council for approval. Councilmember Gabler seconded the motion contingent on a friendly amendment to set the cost of the splash pad at an amount not to exceed $450,000. Councilmember Fair did not accept the friendly amendment, so there was no second. His motion died for lack of a second. There was further discussion related to the project cost and funding source. The City Council expressed concern about moving forward due to ongoing unanswered questions, including the financial effect of Xcel Energy devaluation and the cost of the Bertram Chain of Lakes project which will be bid after January 1. Mayor Stumpf asked if there was support for the project moving forward. There were neither additional comments nor direction by the City Council. The splash pad project did not move forward. 3. Adjournment By consensus the meeting was adjourned at 6 p.m. Recorder: Jennifer Schreiber Approved: Attest: City Council Special Meeting Minutes — November 13, 2018 &;:;� ��Aacy it ministrator