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Minden Minden The Minden Town Board meeting was held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at 1602 Esmeralda Avenue, Minden, Nevada. Board members present: Matt Bernard, Charles Condron, Roxanne Stangle, and John Stephans. Staff present: Andy Concannon, George Keele, Trish Koepnick, Bruce Scott, Jenifer Scott. The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Chairman Stephans. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chairman Stephans. Condron/Bernard moved for the approval of the agenda as published. Motion carried unanimously. Bernard/Condron moved for the approval of the minutes of the December 7, 2011 Board Meeting. Motion carried unanimously. There was no acknowledgement of gifts or service awards. PUBLIC COMMENT: Bev Giannopulos commented that she had been out of Town and she was thrilled to see the gazebo lights still on tonight. STAFF REPORTS: 1. Public Works: report of activities by Public Works staff. Andy Concannon attended the meeting in the place of Greg Hill. In addition to the written report, Mr. Concannon reported the following: The “No Parking” signs on Mahogany have been installed; the painting of crosswalks will be finished as weather permits. The initial arsenic remediation project for Well 8 is under way. The water service at Bently is completed, with pump testing to start soon. There have been requests to remove trees in the rights of way at 2nd and Mono and also 3rd and Mono. We are soliciting quotes for this work and it may be addressed on the agenda in February. The Lucerne pipeline work is on schedule; they are planning to bore under Highway 395 in early February. Mr. Bernard asked if there have been any results from arsenic testing; Mr. Concannon said that the Farr West report gave some of the results, which were basically what we had already experienced. They did some interval testing compared to the flow to determine where the higher levels are. Pumping full bore before testing keeps the arsenic level lower in the test results. Well 8 has tested at 11 but we have been staying pretty steady at 8-9 if we do this. A lot of times the number is higher away from the well. Mr. Scott said that Well 8 is our worst well for arsenic; it is manageable but we need to keep monitoring closely; because of the state requirements, we need to demonstrate that it is an anomaly. 2. Engineering Report: report of activities by Bruce Scott. Staff has reviewed plans for CVI parking lot improvements, considering wetland analysis on property purchased by CVI from the Seeman Ranch. They will need to work with the Army Corps of Engineers because of the wetlands; he expects it will be on next month’s agenda for approval. The Ranch at Gardnerville Unit One is moving forward. There have been so many changes that we will be asking the County staff to look at issues to bring Minden and Gardnerville up to speed on the many revisions. We want to work with Gardnerville to understand and have a situation where we cooperate. We will be serving water, with no street or drainage responsibility for Minden. Mr. Condron will be the Board representative at this meeting. We are slowly proceeding with the Division of Water Resources to move water into Minden wells; there have been no protests and we expect permit fee requests very soon. The state engineer is moving fairly quickly on these. We will be meeting with Douglas County as part of moving their water rights into Minden wells, and the process is moving ahead. This will be paid by Douglas County. We are trying to negotiate an interim water rate agreement with Douglas County. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes January 4, 2012 Page 2 of 7 It appears that the Pyramid Lake lawsuit Truckee segment appeal negotiations have broken down. Mr. Stephans asked for the staff to find out the status of the amicus and the costs, and for Jenifer to get that information to the Board. George said that the time frame is very tight for filing on this brief and it is very vital that we shore up the State brief with our brief. Mr. Keele said he would check with Mr. Kvistad to get a figure on the cost; Mr. Keele felt that it would not exceed $15,000. Mr. Scott said that the CVI parking expansion would need to be annexed to the Town, and he suspects that the work might be in preparation to changing the back entrance. 3. Attorney Report: report by George Keele Mr. Keele suggested that the Board authorize him to volunteer his time to make sure the amicus brief looks professional because if there is any error it can easily be thrown out. It would be unfortunate to pay our contracted attorneys at their rate to do the proofing, and it is absolutely essential to do everything correctly. Mr. Condron agreed that, as there was no settlement, we have to proceed and we must do it right. Mr. Stephans gave Mr. Keele the go-ahead, asking him to make sure it is timely and simply brings it to their attention without pointing a finger. We need to pick a date in January or February to have a multiple educational experience to fulfill the 2012 NRS requirements for board training. There also may be a need for training in such other matters as determined by the County Commissioners. Karen Jenkins could possibly be scheduled again at the end of the session. The Board will look at their schedules and coordinate this with Ms. Scott and Mr. Keele to arrange this. 4. Manager’s Report: report by Jenifer Scott The Mahogany Drive red zone was passed by the County Commissioners; it was requested that we change the crosswalk at the LDS Church, and this work has been completed. Wellhead protection support letter has been sent out. Master plan review has been completed by the designated committee, and specific concerns for review have been suggested to the Planning Department, including the Muller Parkway as a potential bypass, Minden parking plan and the update of the Minden Plan for Prosperity. This was an intense process that was done in a short period of time. Priority based budgeting process is continuing; it is an interesting way of looking at the budget. Now would be a good time to look at the goals and vision of the Board as part of the budget process and a potential agenda item for the February agenda. We also need to look at the Plan for Prosperity; this might be a year long process if the Board desires. Board committees: At the direction of the Chairman, committees have been created to address various aspects of Town business. The committees are as follows: Personnel committee is Steve and Matt; Water committee is John and Charlie; Event Planning committee is Matt and Roxanne; Capital Projects is Charlie and Matt, and the budget is everyone. If anyone would like to be considered as an alternate on any committee please let the chairman know by this Friday. Budget process will include Board members to review specific funds and creating a balanced budget by funds. We will first be prioritizing needs and wants of staff, which may generate a lot of questions. Jenifer has prepared a budget calendar that she would like to be available for the public. A dinner dance is being planned for February 18 as part of the CVIC Centennial year. There will be a swing band and dinner by Bueno Sera Ristorante, with a cost of $20-25 per person. We are also assembling historical information related to the Hall. Water rates training: Gardnerville Water Company’s manager highly recommends the AWWA training because their Board used the information to set their rates and make the rates understandable and defendable. There is an item on the consent calendar addressing sending Amber and Jenifer to attend this training in March. 5. Board member reports: Chairman’s report Mr. Stephans noted that the budget process will be different than before as it is calling for extensive involvement from the Board. This will be a great opportunity to be involved in and better understand how the budget is put together. There is a schedule for everyone to see. Also, there used to be some very nice events in the Hall and we are celebrating this by the dinner dance on ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes January 4, 2012 Page 3 of 7 February 18. The cost will be very reasonable with the music donated by the Pops affiliate swing band and a nice dinner. As far as the water rate training, we had a meeting Tuesday and talked about water rates. The County has already spent $60,000 on rate analysis. The company putting this on is highly recommended and it basically bulletproofs the water rates. The County asked if they could have information on this training also. Mr. Stephans asked the Board to look at the committees, the due dates, and to be in a proactive mode. Mr. Condron believed in the importance of the water rate training to protect the Town of Minden for as long as possible by utilizing the water rights and make sure the Town is protected financially through this process. Mr. Stephans said that there can be a workshop held to see what we put together after this training. The seminar is in March. No public comment. Board member comments Mr. Condron thanked Jenifer for her efforts on the Master Plan; after this review he firmly believes that Muller Parkway needs to be reclassified as a bypass to take the heat off of Minden and Gardnerville. Also, he had his first meeting at the Arts Council. He attended the Patsy Cline concert which was excellent entertainment and encouraged everyone to attend the next concert on January 13. CONSENT CALENDAR FOR POSSIBLE ACTION 1. Approval of claims through December 2011. 2. Approval of a training request by Town Staff for Jenifer Scott, Town Manager, and Amber Smith, Accounting Clerk, to attend the Financial Management: Cost of Service Rate-Making Seminar in Portland, Oregon on March 19-21, 2012, hosted by the American Water Works Association at a cost not to exceed $3,500 of Town funds to pay for Seminar registration fees, travel costs, lodging and per diem. Existing budgeted amounts will be used for this expense. If not enough people register, the class could be canceled. Condron/Stangle moved to approve the consent items as read. Motion carried unanimously. ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA 6:30 p.m. 1. a. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request by Douglas County for approval of not to exceed $2,000 of Town funds from fiscal year 2011-2012 to help sponsor the June 1st and June 22nd concerts in the park in the 2012 Summer Concert Series. Appearance by Brian Fitzgerald, Recreation Manager. Public comment. Brian Fitzgerald, Recreation Manager of the Douglas County Parks and Recreation, applauded the ongoing working relationship with the Town of Minden and Douglas County and is excited to work with the Town. It is an effort and challenge to organize this series and he gave kudos to Sheryl Christian for her hard work. Sheryl and Brian met with Town staff and Board committee members and that is how these events came to be on the agenda in this manner. The County is asking for assistance because of the rising costs to put this on due to the need for higher quality musicians which cost more, as well as the decline in business sponsorships. G.E. has stepped up with the $10,000 contribution and talent fees are covered. Mr. Stephans believes the concerts are great; it is a 17 year tradition well received by the community. His concerns are 1) the Town has made a commitment of $40,000 on the Highway 88 improvements; 2) there has been a salary freeze for the employees, and 3) the Town’s commitment to the Gateway entrance park. He likes the idea of co-sponsoring at $800 for the first two concerts, taking into consideration that we contribute already as shown in Item C. Mr. Bernard said that as one of the committee members, he now understands the position of the County and he is proud to step up and support this. This item was set up to address two different fiscal years. While not sure this should use economic development money, it is certainly a community event. People like to be careful with money but they believe in projects like this. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes January 4, 2012 Page 4 of 7 Ms. Stangle also attended the meeting and she totally supports the concerts. They are goodwill events for the Town, and we are lucky to be able to show off our park. She felt that we can better coordinate with the County in the staffing levels at the concert. She complimented the County staff on the excellent clean up after the concerts. She felt that the majority of people believe that this is money well spent. Charlie believes that this is arguably a signature event for Minden. He feels that he is fiscally responsible and that this is a endeavor for the Town of Minden to support. Ms. Stangle noted that she has a verbal commitment from nine businesses to support the series with a $200.00 donation each. Public comment: Scott Smith thought that some costs could be offset with labor from China Springs, and perhaps with some food vendors. Bev Giannopulos loves the concerts, but knows that we must watch our costs. She wonders who else pitches in and is not sure that we should contribute 50%. Mr. Fitzgerald said that they have discussed the possibility of food vendors but we do not want to mess up the feel of the concerts, and they are not sure they want to actually close the street. They are also exploring ways to cut personnel costs for cleanup. The average total hard cost for the series is $17-20,000. Soft costs would be providing the rooms for the entertainers and also the personnel costs by the Recreation Department as there is no dedicated staff time and no line item just for concert series. There is no concern that the series is going away, but they do want to maintain the level of quality. Bev Giannopulos suggested that the high school has a leadership class looking for hours, and possibly the Boy Scouts could get involved. Sandy Deyo said that as a kid he was involved in many communities and a number had bandstands similar to Minden’s where local groups played music. He suggested the possibility of local talent such as the POPs orchestra. Robb Hellwinkel reminded the Board of the Minden Rotary being denied the opportunity to sell ice cream at the concerts, and cautioned bringing in vendors, especially when it has been denied. Ms. Stangle said that this denial to sell the ice cream stemmed from a miscommunication about what the Town Board and the County wanted. Mr. Stephans did not believe this was correct; he believed that the Board wanted to keep the commercialism out of this. The food booth started out with the East Fork Fire Department volunteers, and we are now rotating service clubs. He would hate to see vendors make it too commercial. No further public comment Condron/Bernard moved to approve a request by Douglas County for approval of not to exceed $2,000 of Town funds from fiscal year 2011-2012 to help sponsor the June 1st and June 22nd concerts in the park in the 2012 Summer Concert Series. b. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request by Douglas County for approval of not to exceed $5,000 of Town funds from fiscal year 2012-2013 to help sponsor the July 20th, August 3rd, August 24th and two additional concerts in May or June of 2013 in the 2013 Summer Concert Series. Appearance by Brian Fitzgerald, Recreation Manager. Mr. Fitzgerald said that the committee recommended no more than $1000 per concert, and asked for the opportunity to be able to address it in the next year’s budget. No public comment. Condron/Stangle moved to approve a request by Douglas County for approval of not to exceed $5,000 of Town funds from fiscal year 2012-2013 to help sponsor the July 20th, August 3rd, August 24th and two additional concerts in May or June of 2013 in the 2013 Summer Concert Motion carried unanimously. c. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request by Douglas County for the Town to waive park rental fees, provide staff to monitor the park, assist with clean up of the events and provide trash ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes January 4, 2012 Page 5 of 7 dumpsters at no charge for each concert in the park in the 2012 Summer Concert Series. Appearance by Brian Fitzgerald, Recreation Manager. Mr. Fitzgerald wanted to assure the Board that there has been no effort to commercialize the series for this year, but this concept naturally finds its way into the discussion. We will also look for opportunities to use volunteers, and thanked the Board for the willingness to support the series. Public comment: Scott Smith asked to address the fiscal years contribution in the motion. Mr. Keele said that a precatory motion could be added that it is the sense of this Board that it will support this concept in 2012-13 extending into 2014, to be followed up as a budget process. Bernard/Condron moved to approve a request by Douglas County for the Town to waive park rental fees, provide staff to monitor the park, assist with clean up of the events and provide trash dumpsters at no charge for each concert in the park in the 2012 Summer Concert Series, adding that when the 2013-14 budget comes around this concept would be supported extended into 2014 Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Fitzgerald said he values the enhanced communication on this topic and the value placed on this by the Board. 2. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue or deny a request to 1) reverse previous decision to commit $1,500 of economic development money from Douglas County to be designated for use on cruise nights; and 2) if the preceding Item (i.e. 6:30 p.m. Item 2, Sub Part 1) is approved, commit the now remaining $75,000 of economic development money from Douglas County for uses such as landscaping, sidewalk improvements between Minden Gateway and US Highway 395 and related improvements to enhance the economic revitalization of downtown; and if approved, Direct staff to apply for the funds through the Douglas County Manager's Office. Appearance by Jenifer Scott, Town Manager. Ms. Scott recapped the history of the $100,000 economic development dollars from Douglas County. The Minden Town Board had asked for $25,000 for banner poles and $1,500 for cruise nights (which did not take place). If we do not plan to have the cruise nights we will need to free up this money. She said this was on the agenda because Mr. Thaler wanted to get the discussion going and encouraged the Board to make a decision. Mr. Stephans said that we have an opportunity to change the appearance of the entrance to Minden at the Gateway Center and we may need the $100,000 match for NDOT to be paid for by the Town. Mr. Scott said that we have given NDOT a soft commitment with no specifics about where the money will come from. Board discussed placement across Highway 395, what it may cost and how much money we have available. Ms. Stangle said that the $25,000 is the minimal cost to put banner poles across 395. Mr. Condron totally supports using the economic development money to make an eye-catching entrance to Minden. He would like real figures on the costs for the banner poles. He would ask for the remaining $75,000, put it in the general fund, and resolve the issue on banner poles, with the decision conditioned on the cost of the poles. Mr. Scott said that he is not sure of the timing when we need to have the matching funds, as the project is temporarily on hold because of resolving the issue of the bonds of the Highway 88 improvements before releasing the money. He said once we have an agreement with NDOT it will be the absolute commitment for the $100,000 match. It would be a good idea to have the money in the town coffers to be able to control it. Mr. Stephans said that he would hate to commit the money to this and still have the weeds and empty pads at Gateway. Mr. Scott indicated that the developer’s representatives have indicated a willingness to participate and be a part of this mutual benefit, but they need to have their financing in order to go forward. Ms. Scott said that Mr. Thaler had met with Greg and they identified three potential locations, and the costs factor would be based on the chosen location. We also need to tie this $75,000 to an actual project before the County would release the funds; the County has assured us that there will be no strings attached to whatever the Town asks for. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes January 4, 2012 Page 6 of 7 No public comment Condron/Bernard moved to approve the request to reverse the previous decision to commit $1,500 of economic development money from Douglas County to be designated for use on cruise nights, and 2) to commit the now remaining $75,000 of economic development money from Douglas County for uses such as landscaping, sidewalk improvements between Minden Gateway and US Highway 395 and related improvements to enhance the economic revitalization of downtown, and to direct staff to apply for the funds through the Douglas County Manager’s Office. Motion carried unanimously. 3. Not for possible action: Discussion concerning use of recently vacated maintenance facility located at 1613 Water Street, including sale, lease or rental of the property. Appearance by Jenifer Scott, Town Manager. Mr. Stephans said that we are sitting on 2680 square feet at the old facility and we would like to discuss what we can do with this. Mr. Stephans said it was on the agenda to start the conversation. Bently had first right of refusal and was not interested at that time. Scott Smith had prepared comps for both the sale and the lease of this property. It sits on .33 acres, the building was constructed in 1993, and it is not in a flood zone and has commercial zoning. Comps range between $140-200 and he believes it could be put on the market for $169,000. While it is an industrial type building, it is not on the main drag and in a more retail area, and the well site on the property hurts as far as the value. Improvements could be done to revitalize it and increase the value and the square footage. Leases for industrial properties are ranging from $0.25 to $1 a square foot; in its current condition it would be worth about .30 a square foot and quite a bit more if improved. Mr. Condron said that this is the first time we have visited the issue, and he thanked Scott for this information. He feels we need to figure out what is the best thing to do; he is excited to talk about it but not ready to make a decision. Mr. Bernard wondered if the previous Board had a transition plan; Mr. Stephans said that after Bently was not interested, there were plans originally for it to be used by the Parks department of the Town. Mr. Scott said that we have a site plan to be more efficient with the well use. To do this right we should have a plan to look at the transition for the re-drill of the well; the well itself sits in the existing building and the new well could be drilled on the NV energy side of the property. Public comment: Robb Hellwinkel said that he has the property on the other side of the power company, and he gets calls concerning use of his vacant building. He would be happy to pass along any inquiries that might match our uses. Bev Giannopulos felt that the Board should proceed with the possibilities and recognize that an empty building can be a problem. Mr. Smith said if you are going to lease the building, the Board needs to have a long term plan on what they are going to do, and now is the chance to consider that. Sandy Deyo asked if there will be limited uses, as the property is located close to a Town well; Mr. Scott said absolutely, due to wellhead protection and possible contaminants. Robb Hellwinkel reminded the Board of when Well 1 was threatened by the gas from the Chevron station because of the plume from the leak, and it had a serious impact. Mr. Stephans requested input from each Board member concerning thoughts on use of the property and would like it back on the table for discussion in February. Mr. Condron and Mr. Bernard would work on this as members of the capital projects committee. Scott said that the appraisal by Dan Leck might have valuable information. 4. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny Resolution #2012R-010 to augment the 2011/2012 budget. Ms. Scott said that this item closes out 2010-11 fiscal year. These are preliminary numbers as the final sign off from the auditors has not happened, and this will need to be revisited in the spring. Ms. Scott presented the numbers in a spreadsheet and gave an explanation on the augmentation ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes January 4, 2012 Page 7 of 7 procedure, with the revenue matching the expenses. The augmentation process entails subtracting expenses from the revenue and whatever balance from the previous fiscal year is carried over into the current fiscal year in the same category. Mr. Stephans said we will be doing better than we thought as we will have $3.9 million in the reserves rather than the $3.2 million anticipated. Mr. Stephans encouraged the Board to take a hands-on approach to understanding this process and encouraged questions. No comments by the Board. No public comment. Condron/Bernard moved to approve Resolution #2012R-010 to augment the 2011/2012 budget. Motion carried unanimously, noting that the paperwork would be signed tomorrow in the Town office. ADJOURNMENT Stangle/Condron moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m. Movement carried unanimously.