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oyw.,.•d Min en The Minden Town Board meeting was held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 7, 2011, at 1602 Esmeralda Avenue, Minden, Nevada. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Stephans, who took a moment to recognize the Veterans in the audience in remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chairman Stephans. Bernard/Condron moved to approve the agenda, noting that Item Number 4 was to be removed. Motion carried unanimously. Thaler/Bernard moved to approve the minutes of the October 25, 2011 Special Board Meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Bernard/Condron moved to approve the minutes of the November 2, 2011 Board Meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Condron/Thaler moved to approve the minutes of the November 14, 2011 Special Board meeting. Motion carried unanimously. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GIFTS: None ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SERVICE AWARDS: None PUBLIC COMMENT: Robert McMillan questioned the variation in the engineering fees for the water projects and felt that there should be consistency in the percentages. Mr. Scott said that what you run into are somewhat apples and oranges; every project has a different degree of difficulty and engineering required. Mr. Keele said that codes now reflect longevity, and the Town has a proud distinction of upholding high standards. Bev Giannopulos expressed thanks to the maintenance crew and the Board because the Town looks very good for the holidays. Most comments she heard about the Christmas kickoff weekend were very favorable and people seemed quite happy even without the C.O.D. being used for the German market. Mr. Condron thanked Bev for the time that she has given to the Town with the letters to Santa. He also commended the Chairman of the Christmas committee and the staff for doing an outstanding job. STAFF REPORTS: 1. Public Works: report of activities by Greg Hill The open house at the new facility was well attended and turned out well, with very favorable responses. The time capsule was installed at the end of the event. Mr. Hill thanked Mr. Bernard, Mr. Condron and Mr. Stephans for their help building the Santa house. We had lots of good comments about the fire pits, and we will work on some of our own for next year. Gardnerville was involved on the south end of the traffic control for the Parade of Lights. There are a few routing issues to deal with for next year. He would like to see more volunteers at the intersections next year. The work on Well 7 will probably start next week. All issues have been worked out on the agreement with Bently. Carson Pump plans to start in January and Mr. Hill hopes to have information by the February Board meeting. During the construction of the new facility, Mr. Hill applied for the Sure Bet rebate with NV Energy and will receive a check for $4,333.49. Mr. Hill reported on the work at Jake’s Wetlands. Tina Fixman has worked with staff spraying for weeds, hand weeding as necessary, correcting the dripping problems, burying some tubing, planting, and installing larger pop ups for better coverage. There is a continuing problem with the weeds from the adjacent property. The willows are growing very well now; they will help with the control of algae by providing shade to keep the water cooler. Mr. Stephans commented that we might have some resources with China Springs for weed cleanup. Perhaps we can contact the adjacent property owners for cooperation on weed control. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes December 7, 2011 Page 2 of 6 Mr. Bernard said that having Tina was helpful and asked if we have a strategy for next year. A proposal from Ms. Fixman will be addressed in the budget process; Mr. Stephans noted that she has done a great job and he encouraged everyone to go look at the improvements at Jake’s Wetlands. 2. Engineering Report: report by Bruce Scott. Mr. Scott noted that as a follow up to the previous subject, he would like to see letters to adjacent property owners concerning the weeds; he felt they would cooperate if they were given the opportunity earlier in the season. Prior investment is better than tumbleweeds. Mr. Keele said that the fire hazard should not be ignored; cold does not mean things will not burn. We have been attending regular meetings with County staff as well as other GIDs and towns, working through standardization of design details. It has been a very positive effort on everyone’s part. The water rights change of use has been approved. We have also had the second reading of the zone change for the North Minden Booster parcel. The Lucerne waterline is mobilizing; the water in the ditch upstream could possibly cause some changes in timing. Domestic well owners in the general vicinity of Minden were noticed because of the change; he recommended that they feel free to send the Town a letter stating any concerns. While he does not believe that there will be any impact on domestic wells, we might want to establish a database that shows the status of these wells. Mr. Scott clarified that it is perfectly acceptable to have water rights in Well 7 and Well 8. The Ranch at Gardnerville has picked up three water permits; they were charged the regular fees minus the water rights portion. They will be purchasing two more permits. RCI staff is doing the annual on-the-ground review of the town for the pavement management system. 3. Attorney Report: Mr. Keele has responded to the annual request for claims from the County. He has remitted two confidential reports; one concerns the current litigation and the other is a comprehensive report that shows any claims against the Town. There had been many more slip and falls in the past; he believes that it is a very prudent stand to have landowners be responsible to maintain the sidewalks in front of their homes. This transfers responsibility from the Town to the homeowner’s insurance company. 4. Board member reports: Board member comments Mr. Bernard was pleased to be involved with the Christmas committee; he would love to be the chairman again and thanked the staff for a great job. He gave special thanks to Santa for showing up. He thought that it went well even without the C.O.D. for the vendors. He also said we need to look at some minor changes for the activities inside that CVIC Hall on Saturday night. Mr. Bernard also noted that the operation of the gym card reader is in place at the gym and is coordinated through Douglas County Human Resources. Mr. Stephans felt that it was a fantastic time last weekend and would love to see Matt be chairman of the Christmas committee again. He liked the fire pits and the tree decorated at Minden Park, and noted that some people missed the train set in the window display. Mr. Condron said that his first Carson Valley Arts Council meeting will be tomorrow night. He encouraged everyone to come to the concert at the Hall on Friday night. He reported that he and Jenifer attended the Master Plan study session and found that it was not the right venue to provide input. They are reviewing the master plan draft, and will try to ensure that they will have input. Mr. Scott said he was assured by Mimi Moss that the Town’s input would be appreciated. Chairman’s report Mr. Stephans said that work on next fiscal year’s budget will start in January, in a manner that he calls “zero based budgeting.” Each department needs to list their needs and wants on a form and all requests will go through Ms. Scott. He noted his appreciation for all the hard work that went into last weekend. 5. Manager’s report Ms. Scott noted that she included information in the packet concerning priority based budgeting. The County is in the beginning stages of addressing the issues because of revenue shortfalls. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes December 7, 2011 Page 3 of 6 Ms. Scott is working on the Continuity of Operations plan, which compliments the emergency management plan that the County has. Greg and Trish worked very diligently on the plan, and she plans to finish it up for submittal to the County. The augmentations have been delayed because the auditors have filed an extension and we do not have the numbers for transfers and augments that are usually addressed in the December time frame. The grant for the second phase of the County Road project was not approved because it was not considered of a high priority. She will be getting the process underway to address items in her contract that give time frames for strategic planning and goal setting. Mr. Thaler reminded Ms. Scott that we need to address the policy for reserves, as we cannot build a budget without this. The County may or may not try to take some more ad valorem, and he hopes to be involved in the budget process. We need to take a hard look at holding the line for our employees next year. CONSENT CALENDAR FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Condron/Bernard moved to approve claims through November 2011. Motion carried unanimously. ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA 6:30 PM 1a. Not for possible action: Discussion and presentation by Eileen Christenson with BEC Environmental, Inc. regarding incorporation into the Douglas County Master Plan of the first County-Wide Wellhead Protection Plan for Public Water Systems in Douglas County and the management strategies proposed in the Plan that emphasize a positive, proactive working relationship between Douglas County, applicable water purveyors, and other stakeholders throughout the County. 1b. For possible action: Discussion to approve, approve with conditions, continue or deny request by BEC Environmental, Inc. for the Town of Minden Board to direct Town Staff to author a letter of support addressed to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners for the incorporation into the Douglas County Master Plan of the first County-Wide Wellhead Protection Plan to be signed by the Chairman of the Board. Ms. Christenson said that she was contracted by NDEP for this pilot program. She said it has been quite a team effort; she thanked the Town for generously allowing the team to meet at the CVIC Hall and commended the input from Tim Russell. The purpose of the program is to protect the good quality water we have as a team effort. The plan was developed to ensure that all public water systems in Douglas County have a delineated wellhead protection area for each water source, and that contaminant sources within the protection areas are identified and managed to ensure a quality and sustainable water source into the future. The previous Town wellhead protection plan was incorporated into this plan, and Town requirements which are a lot more restrictive are incorporated by inclusion. The Team actively discussed management strategies and decided against being regulatory in nature, but to focus on water systems. The highest potential contamination is from septic systems. Maps have been created to outline the protection areas and serve as a local planning tool. Water purveyors in Douglas County have collectively agreed on the delineated Wellhead Protection Areas (WHPAs). New development projects located in WHPAs will be forwarded to the affected water purveyor for additional comments and inclusion in the conditions of approval. Upon receiving state endorsement of the plan, the water purveyors will be eligible to apply for grant funding to implement jointly or individually the work plan in Appendix F. This work plan outlines proposed implementation. Mr. Thaler said that the plan needs to update the infrastructure of the Town water system, as well as update the Town contact person to be Ms. Scott. He said this plan does not have an ordinance to back it, and questioned at what point it will create a fiscal impact. He also requested a bound version for Mr. Scott. Ms. Christenson said there is a possibility of fiscal impact and possible staffing impacts, but nothing major. The majority of material provided is backup material and only the first 30 pages or so is the actual report. In response to Mr. Keele’s query about terrorism, she said that we have greater potential for the water supply to be contaminated through sources other than a terrorist attack. This plan protects from inadvertent contamination. Ms. Scott said that Mr. Russell supports this plan and Mr. Stephans noted that he was reassured our standards will not be lowered. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes December 7, 2011 Page 4 of 6 Mr. Scott said he will make sure that the updated Town information is incorporated. He thinks that this plan will help in awareness; he feels that the biggest problem in the valley is the concentration of septic tanks in Johnson Lane and Ruehenstroth. We have had first-hand knowledge of contamination from our oil tank at the CVIC hall as well as potential contamination of Well 1. Public comment: Mr. McMillan questioned if a company for profit is involved; they are not asking for money tonight but they may be back. What is it going to cost the Town? Ms. Christenson said that her funding comes from a federal grant through NDEP. When you sign this document, the consultants will step out, and they are not asking the Town for any money. She noted that if the County adopts the plan, the County will implement it. Mr. McMillan knows the history of the water wars and he thinks down the road we may have water wars concerning the water at the bottom of the well. Sandy Deyo said he has a concern about the Tribe. A lot of land is owned by the Tribe and he wondered if it will be a two-way street for the Tribe and County, the Tribe being a separate entity and at a higher elevation. Ms. Christenson said that they did actively participate in the process, and suggested that a memorandum of understanding be formed between the Tribe and County. Mr. Scott felt this is worthy of consideration and Ms. Christenson said that she would take this back as a concern. Bev Giannopulos said that Bob and Sandy had asked some of her questions. She questioned what BEC in BEC Environmental stands for; Ms Christenson said that it is her initials. It has been a corporation since 2002 and has done this type of work many times before. She told Bev that the main reason for the letter of support is to say that you have seen the plan; it also indicates a high level of participation. Thaler/Condron moved to approve a request by BEC Environmental, Inc. for the Town of Minden Board to direct Town Staff to author a letter of support addressed to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners for the incorporation into the Douglas County Master Plan of the first County-Wide Wellhead Protection Plan to be signed by all members of the Board, noting the concern with the Tribe. 2. Not for possible action: Presentation by Frontier Communications concerning a proposal for a WiFi hotspot in Minden Park. Appearance by Kristen Glenn and Marcy Fox. Ms. Fox and Ms. Glenn appreciated the invitation to familiarize the Board with their services. They proposed the possibility of making Minden Park a worry free WiFi single access point to support however many users the Town would desire. Frontier is also looking at the parks in Gardnerville and Markleeville. Their equipment is very strong to provide excellent outdoor coverage in Minden Park. People at the park would be able to access free WiFi on a network that supports secure virtual private network access. This would give the Town a customer specific Splash Page, which could market the Town and other businesses. After getting to the Splash Page, people could be directed to the Town Website, or go where they want on the web. A charge would be added to your phone, which would generally serve 10 or 15 users; there is no install or maintenance fee. It can be shut off to keep people from sitting around the park at late hours. Mr. Thaler questioned the circumference of service, if the homes around the park would have free access, the cost, and how the general public would know about this. Ms. Glenn said that you can tell your customers and she would also be willing to advertise it and do email blasts about it. All users have the same common experience. Cost estimate is around $110.00 per month for 10 users. The signal in the homes would tend to be weak because of the walls. Mr. Thaler loved the idea but he has concerns; there is a tendency to concentrate on the park, but if the goal is to get the people into businesses, he would like to see a future meeting with cost estimates for other areas of the Town. Ms. Fox said that Frontier has allocated bandwidth for this; the area is ready but has nothing yet. Mr. Bernard asked if there a way to manage the system that the user can go through Frontier rather than the Town. In Elko, there is a network and the users pay rather than the City of Elko. He said that we need to determine what we should do as a Town to support private enterprise. Ms. Fox said that the benefit of the Town investing in it goes back to the Splash page. She will follow up with all pricing and include a few referrals and municipalities that are similar in size and have been using WiFi for awhile. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes December 7, 2011 Page 5 of 6 Public comment: Bev Giannopulos said that she is a Frontier internet customer, and she wondered if they have solved the problems of power that they inherited from Verizon. She has had her own problems with Frontier and would not like to see this in the downtown corridor and Park. Ms. Fox said that they have taken a lot of steps to provide the territory with better service. They have providers who are intertwined and it occasionally affects the area, but they have relieved the congestion as of October 31, 2011. This service is totally customizable to what Minden wants and where they want it; they do require access to power but it uses very little power. The Town could possibly sell the advertising and get the fee back. The term of agreement is 3-5 years. Robert McMillan said he is not an electronic tech but questioned what was being accomplished. He said that there is no advantage unless there is a monetary advantage. The action that the Board should give is authorization to the Town manager to investigate whether it is feasible to sign up. Sandy Deyo said that he comes from a time when there were public phone booths, and then motels improved so that they had phones. Are motels not attracting customers with WiFi now? Ms. Fox said absolutely; many motels are required by franchises to provide WiFi. Mr. Stephans said he appreciates the input, and directed the Frontier reps to work with the Town manager. We must try to stay ahead of the game with new technology. He is looking forward to what they may bring back to the Board. 3. Not for possible action: Discussion concerning use of economic development fund money from Douglas County in the amount of $100,000, including history of commitments for use such as landscaping; sidewalk improvements between Minden Gateway and US Highway 395; banner poles; or other capital improvements intended to enhance the economic revitalization of downtown. Ms. Scott said that there is still over $70,000 left of County money for economic development for the Town of Minden. $26,500 was transferred into Town funds and committed to banner poles and cruise nights. Lisa Granahan from the County said that the Board of Commissioners would entertain other ideas about what we could do with the money. Mr. Thaler said that he noticed in the packet the excerpt from Karen Craig. She said that we are doing this exercise about diversifying our businesses so we can better survive economic downturns. We as a Board need to come up with some ideas that will enhance Minden; let’s throw some ideas out so we can move those to the next meeting to decide on. While there was no time limit put on it, we need to make a recommendation on spending this money. Mr. Thaler continues to be a big fan of banner poles; he believes it is a great way to advertise what is going on in the Town. He would like to come back with costs for banner poles and he also questioned the possibility of an ice rink. Mr. Scott has suggested committing dollars to the Gateway Center entrance to the Town. Also, there is the possibility of a “Welcome to Minden” sign at the north end of the Town. Mr. Stephans said location is the key in the banner poles. He also said that he previously had the office staff check into the feasibility of an ice rink; it was quite costly. Mr. Bernard questioned how we came up with $26,500; he is afraid that we will lose the money if we do not use it. He thinks the Gateway entrance is the highest priority. Ms. Scott said that $25,000 was approved for banner poles and $1,500 was for cruise nights. Mr. Condron said perhaps we could incorporate both the Gateway and the advertisement factor. The corner of Highway 395 and 88 is the best place to advertise; it does not need to be a pole, but perhaps it could be an electronic reader board. We have a lot of events that could be advertised much better. Mr. Stephans said that once you put up an electronic sign it never goes away. Mr. Hill needs to investigate if we can put banner poles within a quarter mile of a signal. We had banner poles across Esmeralda and an existing banner policy; the poles were destroyed in an accident. At the Gateway, we don’t know what the backdrop will be that we might be blocking. Whatever we do, we need to concentrate on stimulating business in our Town and determine the best way is to advertise what we are doing. Mr. Scott commented that there is provision in the Gateway center layout that is similar to the sign at the roundabout. Also, electronic signs are not cheap. NDOT is working on a contract that may be in the January time frame with potential funding available in March. The in-kind match occurs after the project is signed. All of RCI bills have been held to use as part of the match. There has been lack of follow through in commitment to matching funds. Things are not dead, but the progress is slow in the development at the Gateway center. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes December 7, 2011 Page 6 of 6 Public comment: Robert McMillan agreed with Mr. Thaler and would like to see the banner poles used if the banners did not have too much to read on them. He also mentioned having spoken to Roxanne concerning changing the concept of the downtown area from Old Town to County Center. He suggested unlimited possibilities if we change our attitude, and our signage money could be spent to change signage and point to the recognized County offices. This would be good for us and the County; he encouraged the Board to consider this and give the County the message that they are welcome here. Sandy Deyo suggested placing banner poles in a V formation at the intersection of Highway 395 and 88. Bev Giannopulos said that she agrees with the banner poles. She likes the Old Town Minden concept and believes it gives a historical element that brings people here. At the Minden Gateway there might be some restrictions for safety sake. She suggested the possibility of a good portable speaker system for some of our events, as well as possibly purchasing German marketplace decorations to bring out the theme for the Christmas event. Heather Clanton from the Business Council suggested banners on light poles that say what happens each month. Mr. Stephans agreed that we need to pursue something; he suggested finding a strategic location for the banner poles. Whatever we decide on should not bootstrap us in future budgets. He would like to direct staff to come back with a range of prices on banner poles across Highway 395, enter into discussion with NDOT on variances by traffic lights, and see if Gateway Center can be part of the process. Mr. Hill said that we looked at several locations in Town, and the only place on 395 that works is by the Credit Union and the Muller Office building. He needs to talk to NDOT and NV Energy about what options we have. Mr. Bernard said that we will have to make a monetary decision by March, at which time we might have to reach into the budget to pay for the Gateway entrance. The Board agreed that they liked Mr. Deyo’s idea about the banner poles at the intersection of 395 and 88. 4. 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 $10,000 of Town funds to help sponsor the Summer Concert Series at Minden Park for the 2012 season. Appearance by Lee Bonner. This item was removed from the agenda. ADJOURNMENT Condron/Bernard moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:10 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.