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Minden NEVADA Minden NEVADA Minden NEVADA Minden NEVADA Minden NEVADA The Minden Town Board meeting was held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at 1602 Esmeralda Avenue, Minden, Nevada. Board members present: Matt Bernard, Charlie Condron, Roxanne Stangle, John Stephans and Steve Thaler. Staff present: Greg Hill, Jenifer Davidson, Trish Koepnick, and Bruce Scott and Zach Wadle. The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Chairman Condron. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. Thaler Mr. Condron introduced Zach Wadle sitting in as attorney this evening from the District Attorney’s office. Thaler/Stangle moved for the approval of the agenda as published. Motion carried unanimously. Bernard/Stangle moved for the approval of the minutes of January 22, 2013 Special Board Meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Bernard/Stangle moved for the approval of the minutes of February 6 Board Meeting. Motion carried unanimously. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GIFTS: None ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SERVICE AWARDS: None PUBLIC COMMENT Carol Sims addressed the Board about the need to protect our environment from toxins, and educate people to use natural products. She hoped that the Board would use her to help make a difference. Bev Giannopulos thanked the crew for the crack sealing on her street. Lance Bell from Western Environmental Lab in Sparks introduced his company. In the past they provided services to the Town, and asked the Board to consider to once again using their services, which includes a courier route so samples do not have to be driven into Reno. STAFF REPORTS 1. Public Works: report of activities by Greg Hill. Mr. Hill clarified how the CVIC hours were detailed on the reports. Two new LED street lights were installed on County Road as part of the ditch project. The LED light is different than the other street lights, with the exception of the one at 6th and Mono. In order to match the yellow tone of the older lights, we could get LEDs that are yellow or tone them down by removing the lid. He asked for Board. Mr. Hill noted that the Board approved the purchase of a bucket truck in this year’s budget. He has identified various uses for this truck, and he would like to give the employees the right equipment to do the job. He has developed specs and is bringing back for comments. The Board asked Mr. Hill to go forward with the process of procuring a bucket truck. Eight locations will be monitored starting this month, and we will be doing it quarterly. Mr. Stephans said he would like to be involved with this. Mr. Scott said that there will be a map showing the locations; we will also be monitoring our own wells and getting good data. We will make sure that we can demonstrate any possible impact on Minden wells. The line of site issue at the roundabout has been addressed by the school district. Last month they finished the improvements at the old booster station, as well as other cleanup, improvements and fencing. They scrapped out the old equipment and got a check for about $3300. They are hoping to finish the crack sealing in fall and start the 4 year rotation on crack sealing. 2. Engineering Report: report by Bruce Scott. Mr. Scott said that Greg’s report shows the breadth of capability of the maintenance staff. The crack sealing is a very important part of maintaining the roads, and it is very cost effective to have staff be able to do it. We have contacted the NDOT grant fund person about Gateway; NDOT has indicated they will fulfill their obligation for the grant. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes March 6, 2013 Page 2 of 7 The well monitoring program will be important in our water rights administration with the state engineer. Also, there is a three way exchange of water rights that we are working on presently; the Town will basically be acting as a facilitator. Minden Properties (COD) has submitted for a site approval to keep their permits in good standing with the County. Annexation of the Heybourne Booster property is in the works and hopefully ready by next month. The LOMR for the maintenance facility is being completed through Douglas County and FEMA. Mr. Stephans said the intersection of Hwy 395 and Esmeralda is getting worse and worse; he believes that it is time to address it this year. Mr. Scott said that the review letter written to Minden Properties refers to Esmeralda being overlaid in 2014 with the warning about timing and construction. Mr. Bernard would like to make sure that the Town piggy backs with the school district on any street work. Mr. Thaler asked for an update on the costs of the County Road project and would like to see a cost breakdown. 3. Attorney Report: Mr. Wadle passed on reporting. 4. Manager’s Report: report by Jenifer Davidson. Ms. Davidson attended a very interesting UNR Extended Studies training concerning financial statements through UNR; she is especially interested in information regarding using enterprise funds to subsidize the general fund. Things have been going very well concerning negotiations for the amendment for the wholesale agreement. RO Anderson has approached the Town about potentially leasing the upstairs space at the firehouse. Mr. Scott believes there is no need for structural analysis; it could be done at the tenants’ expense if there was a need to house heavy equipment. Ms. Davidson said she will explore any ADA approvals necessary to lease out the building. Budget workshop will be on March 21 starting at 5:30 PM The D.A. will be there. There will be budget committee meetings prior to the workshop. 5. Board member committee reports: Discussion may include a report on Board Member activities including committee assignments or general information of interest to the Board. Policy and Procedure Review- Steve Thaler The CVIC policy will most likely be up for review at the April meeting; his goal is to review a policy every two months. Event Planning- Roxanne Stangle At the dinner dance she heard lots of positive comments about the staff. Overall it was a nice evening; we are considering some changes for next year. June 8 will be the second Carson Valley Days breakfast. The 4th of July event will be held from 10-2. As a point of interest, the Reno Philharmonics is not interested in coming back to Carson Valley. Model Dairy indicated that they are willing to partner with us again to the level of last year. We have some new ideas and possibilities for this year’s celebration. Capital Improvement Plan- Matt Bernard We looked at wants and needs and built a list we will be sending out for Board prioritization. Mr. Condron encouraged the board’s input. New Development Applications- John Stephans Nothing new to report Budget Planning Process- John Stephans He and the manager have developed a game plan. He will make it like an audit function for himself and give oversight to the committee members on the budget. Minden Water- Charlie Condron Mr. Condron noted that he feels really good about the efforts on the negotiations and is looking forward to the first draft coming forward. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes March 6, 2013 Page 3 of 7 6. Chairman Report: report by Charles Condron Mr. Condron said that Mr. Deyo suggested a citizen’s input committee to the Board which would be directed by a Board member. There will be a financial state of the County coming up, and he encouraged the Board to attend on March 11. Also, the Economic Vitality Showcase of the County projects will be held March 26. Both events are open to the public. CONSENT AGENDA FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Items may be moved to or from the Consent Agenda at the request of a Town Board member or member. 1. Approval of February 2013 financial report including claims paid January 25, 2012 through February 22, 2013. 2. Approval of a request by Here’s the Deal LLC to host a bike race in Minden Saturday, July 20, 2013. Approval of this request includes closure of the following streets: Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Street from Esmeralda Avenue to Mono Avenue; Mono Avenue from Fourth Street to Ninth Street; Ninth Street from Mono Avenue to Esmeralda Place, and Esmeralda Place from Ninth Street to Eighth Street. 3. Approval of a request in consideration of ten dollars to grant lessee, Debra White-Orr, dba 5th Street Salon, the option to extend the term of the lease in the CVIC Hall Annex, 1604 Esmeralda Avenue, Suite 202 for one year ending May 31, 2014 at midnight pursuant to the “proposed extension period” defined in the OFFICE LEASE AGREEMENT entered into on May 2, 2012, by and between the lessee and the Town of Minden. Ms. Davidson requested that item 3 be pulled from the consent calendar agenda, with the end goal to ask to continue this item. Ms. Stangle asked for item 3 to be removed from the consent calendar. Bernard/Stephans moved to approve items #1 & 2 on the consent agenda. No public comment. Motion carried unanimously. Stangle/Thaler moved to continue item No public comment. Motion carried unanimously. ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA 1. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny 1) the petition for annexation to the Town of Minden, of the remaining portion of Assessor Parcel Number 1320-29-401-018 owned by G PEG II, LLC., also the owner of the Carson Valley Inn property; and if 1.1 is approved, 2) the request to waive the annexation fees associated with the non-developable areas within the newly constructed wetland enhancement. Appearance by Bruce Scott, Principal Engineer, Resource Concepts Inc. Mr. Scott said that this is part of the recent work and proposed future work at CVI; with a total of 12.5 acres being annexed. This includes the parking lot addition, the event center area as well as an area behind the RV Park that may be developed in the future. CVI is requesting to annex the total acreage and pay the annexation fees only on the areas that are developed. Staff recommends approval with those conditions. Discussion ensued related to this request. Mr. Scott said that we do not have a lot of annexations that are not developable or a policy that addresses it. He felt that it is critical to see this whole parcel annexed. The Board agreed; they would like to be sure that if the area was ever able to be developed the annexation fees would be paid. Mr. Rotter said that effectively there is no real way to do develop the area as what FEMA required them to do has left it undevelopable. Public Comment: Robert McMillan said that this proposal will not make or break the Town or CVI. His concern is to make sure that the Inn will assume responsibility for the litter in the undeveloped property. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes March 6, 2013 Page 4 of 7 Stephans/Bernard moved to approve the petition for annexation to the Town of Minden of the remaining portion of Assessor Parcel Number 1320-29-401-018 owned by G PEG II, LLC., also the owner of the Carson Valley Inn property and to waive the annexation fees associated with the non-developable areas within the newly constructed wetland enhancement. Motion carried unanimously. 2. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request by the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce to contribute $5,000 to the Valley Vision effort. These funds will be used by the Valley Vision group and a team from Design Workshop “to visualize a Carson Valley of the future which enhances environmental, economic and community well-being.” Appearance by Bill Chernock, Executive Director of the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce and Mike Bradford, CEO of Lakeside Inn & Casino. Mr. Chernock said that this program is an overall champion for economic development. The Chamber is a participant and serving as the bank. This is a broad based collaborative effort similar to the successful effort at the South Shore of Tahoe. The town centers are part of the areas addressed. This program brings together the community, stakeholders from business as well as members of the public to address what we want in the community. We are first looking at what might happen in the 395 corridor. The anticipated cost for this planning exercise is between $80-90,000. Over $56,000 has been pledged to date. Mr. Thaler felt this is a wonderful project and it has his support. Mr. Bernard asked if the final product would be incorporated into a County planning document, and if the Board would have a buy into the final product. Mr. Chernock said that the first public workshop is April 8,9,and 10; the public is invited to attend. Mr. Stephans felt that it would be in Minden’s best interest to have a Board member there. Mr. Chernock noted that the Town manager has been at the preliminary meetings; those were small meetings to get the ball rolling, and now it is time for the next steps. Mr. Condron felt he would like Mr. Bernard to be involved in this process. Public Comment: Bob Pohlman asked for clarification, as both Towns have Plans for Prosperity, and also if this might end possibly in conflict with the County policy. Ms. Davidson said that he made a good point, but that our Plan for Prosperity is also a document that needs updating. If this planning effort is well received, we would make sure that they would not be in conflict. Bev Giannopulos asked what other Boards have been approached. Mr. Chernock said that Gardnerville has committed $5,000 and the County $15,000. Sandy Deyo asked about the time element and expected total cost. Mr. Chernock expects the process to take around 120 days with a total cost of $90,000. Thaler/Stangle moved to approve a request by the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce to contribute $5,000 to the Valley Vision effort. Motion carried unanimously. 3. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue or deny a request by Minden Resident Judith Vanover to designate two resident-only parking spaces on Fifth Street between Esmeralda and US Highway 395. Appearance by Judith Vanover, Minden resident. Ms. Vanover gave a synopsis of the reason for this request. There have been rapid changes in the business district since they bought their home in 1981 that contribute to parking problems in area. Also, the alley has flooding issues due to a high grade which makes parking in the garage impossible in wet weather. She is simply asking for a little help with the situation. Mr. Bernard said he has empathy for the parking situation, but felt that it would open a big can of worms. Grading the alley will probably not help with the damage done. Mr. Scott said that redesigning the alley would have little effect as it will not drain well no matter what, as the garage sits low. Mr. Thaler was also concerned with opening a Pandora’s Box and questioned the possibility of building another garage. Ms. Vanover said that would not be possible because of all of the utility lines. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes March 6, 2013 Page 5 of 7 Discussion ensued concerning the main house and guest house being on the same connection. Mr. Stephans noted that the curb was painted green some time ago in an effort to help, and that living by a park was a choice that she made. Ms. Vanover said painting the curb green was not effective. Ms. Stangle said that the bottom line is that we can post signs but there is not much enforcement attached. Mr. Stephans said we should revisit the residential no parking by the courthouse. He cautioned about what may be opened up if this is approved. Public comment: Bev Giannopulos asked if there is any ability to put in a driveway from the front. Consensus was that this is most likely not allowed by County code. Sandy Deyo said that previously Mr. Keele said that it needed to be adjusted per resident and asked if we are talking about one or two residents. Bernard/Stangle moved to deny the a request by Minden Resident Judith Vanover to designate two resident-only parking spaces on Fifth Street between Esmeralda and US Highway 395. Mr. Condron requested checking if there is anything we could do to help out the alley situation. 4. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request to define the process by which the Town will select an attorney or legal firm to contract with to advise and represent the Town of Minden in all general civil legal matters pursuant to a published Request for Qualifications. Appearance by Jenifer Davidson, Town Manager. Ms. Davidson noted for the record that the position is being advertised on the Nevada State Bar website, as well as in the Record Courier, with a deadline for submittals March 22. We are asking to define the process to narrow down the pool of applicants. Board discussion included making the decision at a Board meeting, holding interviews, hiring a local attorney, what to do if there is a large number of applicants, getting input from Ms. Davidson and Mr. Scott, and having the Board choose their top applicants. Public comment: None Mr. Condron assumed that the D.A.’s office will be present. Mr. Wadle said that the selection committee will essentially be the Board. Each Board member should submit their top one or two candidates to Ms. Davidson and selection will occur at either a special or regular meeting, with the names of candidates on the agenda. Public comment reopened. Robert McMillan said it comes to mind that is might be better to interview or hire a professional employment agency to narrow it down. Thaler/Stangle moved to approve the process by which the Town will select an attorney or legal firm to contract with to advise and represent the Town of Minden in all general civil legal matters, to include the Board bringing to the Town Manager no more than two candidates names by March 27 with the selection to be agendized for the April 3 Board meeting. Motion carried unanimously. 5. For possible action: Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request to set the goals and determine a deadline to establish the process for the 2013 performance evaluation of the Minden Town Manager. Appearance by Charlie Condron, Chairman of the Board. Mr. Condron has come up with goals based on the workshop; Mr. Thaler has been tasked to come up with the tool to measure the manager’s performance. Mr. Stephans asked to hear from the Town manager on the goals set forth. Mr. Bernard said that Mr. Condron’s list does not encapsulate what is measured on a day to day basis. He would like to evaluate primarily on the day to day operation, with responsibilities defined by the job description, and he would like to figure this out quickly. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes March 6, 2013 Page 6 of 7 Ms. Davidson thanked the Board for the opportunity to speak; she felt it is important to have these goals quantified and clear. She would like attainable goals within reach, without more being piled on top of the matrix. Mr. Thaler offered to have a draft for the process by May; he would promote a 5 point scale. Public comment: None Thaler/ Stangle moved to approve the set goals as listed and the process would be that by May we have a matrix to determine how the manager’s goals would be scored. Motion carried unanimously. 6. For possible action: Discussion and possible action on the Town Board’s positions on any bill or bill draft request (“BDR”) listed on the Nevada Legislature website for the 77th (2013) Nevada Legislative Session, including, without limitation: Assembly Bill 157 (BDR 48-565): An act relating to water; revising provisions relating to water furnished by a municipal water system for domestic use in certain counties; authorizing a consumer of water furnished by a municipal water system to drill a well for domestic use, use a preexisting well for that use or obtain alternative water service under certain circumstances; limiting the amount of revenue that a municipal water system may generate; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Mr. Condron Charlie said this is language that came through the D.A.’s office. The goal of this item tonight is to discuss to support, stay neutral or take a stand against it. Ms. Davidson said that it appears that we have 17 lots in the Town of Minden that this would impact. It would impact our regional partners quite significantly, as they might lose customers. Mr. Scott said that his concern is the potential impact on the Town’s ability to operate a water system.. One acre lots or more would be allowed to drill wells. He feels that as written it is not workable. Mr. Thaler would like the manager to meet with Mr. Settlemeyer to see where this is coming from. Ms. Stangle suggested emailing him to get his input. Mr. Stephans suggested talking to the co-author Mr. Wheeler also. Mr. Bernard said this is personal ideology coming out here; it is no mystery when you see the costs of some water systems. Mr. Stephans stated concerns about the liability of the Town in regards to drilling and recourse; this needs to be a lot clearer. Public comment: Bev Giannopulos asked if this could cause contamination, liability, financial costs and dropping water levels. Mr. Scott does not see this as a possibility of domestic wells affecting the water levels, but he does have concerns about possibilities of wells contaminating the Town water system. We also might have to have meters in order to respond to some of the questions on 3d, e, and f. We must be careful because we can’t argue that we do not want meters. Bob Pohlman wondered what would prevent his HOA from drilling and furnishing a well. Also, where might the high school fit into this scenario? Stangle/Bernard moved to oppose Assembly Bill 157 (BDR 48-565) and to pursue obtaining more information concerning this bill. Motion carried unanimously with Thaler opposed. It was clarified that the Board’s stance is that they don’t like this bill as written but we will get more information and find out what is driving this. 7. For possible action: Review, discussion and possible action regarding the proposed Gateway Center site improvement plan prepared by Minden Staff for the portion of the property in the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) right-of-way. Appearance by Charlie Condron, Chairman of the Board. Mr. Condron would like to give one more opportunity to review the improvements at this location. Mt. Thaler noted this land is NDOT’s but they are asking us to build on it. It is not just another park; it is the entrance to Minden and he wants it to be grandiose with a wow factor. He referred to the waterfall in Reno at the Redfield center as an example. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Minutes March 6, 2013 Page 7 of 7 Mr. Condron agreed that this is our one chance; we should at least do the infrastructure in order to have the ability to make improvements later. Mr. Stephans said that he had concerns about public perception and even though the Town has minimal invested currently, it could have the appearance of conspicuous consumption. Ms. Stangle felt that the people in the community would be thrilled about it; if we are to overindulge this is the perfect place. She totally agreed with at least building the infrastructure. Mr. Bernard said this is part of the Capital Improvement Plan which the Board needs to prioritize. He agreed we should wait and see if NDOT comes up with the money. If NDOT does not step up to the plate he asked who will pay, and he wondered how long we have to use the money from Maverik. Mr. Scott reminded the Board that the Town does not own this property and there will be restrictions such as low use water landscaping and possible issues in regard to structures in this area. Also, maintenance and upkeep will be our responsibility. Other discussion involved where the Valley Vision program might fit into this, as well as that we do not have to spend the money if we budget for the improvements and things change. Public comment: Mike Olsen agreed this is the Gateway to our community but would like to add that he felt the Town needed to help populate the center and invite people there. Bev Giannopulos wondered if NDOT could not just deed over the property to the Town instead of writing a check or lease for a dollar a year. Perhaps we could draw the high school kids into the planning; maybe if they have input they will treat it respectfully. Bob Pohlman said he likes the wow idea but not labor intensive maintenance. The wow could be a selection of colored flowers that keep changing with the seasons. Sandy Deyo said that whatever we do, Mr. Hill ought to estimate the annual cost to maintain it. The current design is nice but does not tie into the intersection. On the north side entrance we have a statue of a cowboy. On the south side he would like to see a sidewalk that goes around the parameter, a walkway to the shopping area. The main focus could be a flag pole and a memorial to all of those who have died fighting for this country. The concept would be simple without too much maintenance, and simplicity can be pretty good to look at. Robert McMillan said the subject has been well covered, but the big problem is maintenance. He asked who paid for the design. Mr. Scott said that it is not paid for yet, as it had to be used as part of the match with NDOT. We can change the design subject to NDOT approval. Mr. McMillan said he would like to see the cyclone fence come down, and a condition in place that the Town does not pay matching funds until the project is completed. Mr. Condron noted that it is a good idea to know how much flexibility the Town has. Mr. Thaler said Bev brought up a good point worth exploring if NDOT could deed the land to the Town. Mr. Bernard felt this could be addressed in context of the C.I.P. This could possibly be moved to the top in priority. The Board decided not to make a motion as no conclusions have been made. This may be put back on the agenda at the request of any two Board members. Mr. Condron said that he very much appreciated the public comments tonight and is hoping to see the creation of the citizens committee as suggested by Mr. Deyo. ADJOURNMENT Bernard/Stephans moved to adjourn at 9:23 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.