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Minutes from the Public Services Committee on June 12, 2006.
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Public Services Committee Minutes
Monday, June 12, 2006
4:30 p.m.
Members present were: Jimmy Ashley, Judy Furr, Tim McCall, Cecil Province and Ann Williams. Councilman Johnson was unable to attend.
MINUTES
Councilwoman Furr motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley, for the approval of the minutes for the regular meeting on May 8, 2006, as written. All voted aye. Copies were provided to all in attendance.
PARKS
Skate park land offer repealed by CWL: Mr. Jason Wilkie read a press release stating CWL has repealed their offer for the land that was proposed for the skate park on West Nettleton. Mr. Wilkie explained CWL pulled their offer after a lot of opposition was stated by citizens opposing the skate park being in that location. He added the ad hoc committee will start working on finding another location for the skate park. It was asked for Mr. Wilkie to get more public comment for a future location for the skate park. Mr. Wilkie stated he was unsure where to put the skate park since there was so much opposition to the residential and commercials areas that were proposed in the past. It was questioned if the new skate park could be located at Allen Park or Parker Park now that the JETS system is running and can provide transportation for the people who want to use the skate park. Mr. Al Poston of the Parks Citizen Advisory Committee questioned whether CWL was totally pulling their offer because the land could be used for other things. Ms. Marilyn Copeland, also of the Parks Citizen Advisory Committee, stated the committee originally recommended the acquiring the land, not necessarily using it for a skate park. She added they thought it was a good idea to swap the land and then decide what would be on it. Mr. Wilkie added CWL is still interested in the well sites.
Parks Citizen Advisory Committee facility approval procedures: Mr. Wilkie presented the committee with a nine-step procedure list the Parks Citizen Advisory Committee made to process capital improvement recommendations by citizens. The procedure includes citizens filling out forms and providing as much information as possible concerning cost estimates, making a presentation to the Parks Citizen Advisory Committee, the request being forwarded to the Public Services Committee and Finance Committee, then ultimately to the City Council for approval. Ms. Copeland explained while the proposal is being taken to each of the committees, input will also be taken from committee members and the proposal will be revised if needed. Councilman Province expressed concerns over purchasing new property the City will have to take care of in the future. Mr. Ted Fortenberry added the proposal will also include an estimated maintenance cost so the City will know how much it will cost to maintain the area. Mr. Al Poston explained the process will also give everyone a paper trail to keep track of who proposed what and when it was proposed. Discussion was held regarding the cities Mr. Poston and Mr. Fortenberry contacted to ask how they address public concerns regarding capital improvements. Mayor Formon added that although there are a lot of people wanting a new skate park, there are more people who would like to see a public equine center and more swimming pools open. Mr. Wilkie questioned how the projects would be handled financially. It was explained the money would be in the Parks capital improvements budget since the projects fall under the Parks Department. Councilwoman Furr expressed her appreciation to the Parks Citizen Advisory Committee for the work they’ve done. It was suggested to have a member of the Parks Citizen Advisory Committee on the Skateboard Committee and the MPO. It was asked for someone to speak with Mr. Amin Ulkarim about someone from the Parks Citizen Advisory Committee being on the MPO committee. Mr. Fortenberry volunteered to be on the MPO. Discussion was held regarding placing the new skate park at Allen Park. Councilwoman Furr motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley, to approve the Parks and Recreation Citizen Advisory Committee’s procedure to process capital improvement recommendations by citizens as written and recommend it by resolution to the City Council. All voted aye.
It was questioned what the status is of the installation of the new security equipment at Allen Park. Mr. Wilkie explained they are moving forward with the security and are looking into hiring an engineer to take care of the lighting. Mayor Formon added Police Chief Michael Yates proposed hiring some Part-time 2 status officers from the reserve program to provide security at Allen Park. He explained the Park-time 2 officers would not need supervision by other officers, but would still have the ability to provide enforcement and make arrests.
Renovations to Earl Bell Community Center: Mr. Wilkie explained the proposed renovations to Earl Bell. The cost of the renovations would total $116,701. Mr. Keith Sanders had indicated to Mr. Wilkie that he could do the renovations to the building. It was asked for Mr. Wilkie to look into a more economical option other than the glass blocks due to the high maintenance of the blocks. He recommended starting work in September or October when the City’s mowing needs decrease. It was suggested for Mr. Wilkie to look into the building being placed on the historical list now that the restrictions on repairs are more flexible. Chairperson Williams recommended contacting Mr. Michael Dougan, professor of History at ASU, to help with the application process.
Fencing bid for Allen Park: Mr. Wilkie explained CDBG money would be spent for the fencing. The low bidder was Dacus Fencing. Councilman McCall motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley, to approve the bid and recommend it to the full Council. All voted aye.
ATV fencing: Mr. Wilkie stated the fencing would be placed along Pine Hill Cemetery to keep out four wheel drive vehicles from getting into Craighead Forest Park. The money would come from an 80-20 matching grant with the Arkansas Highway Transportation ATV Grant. Councilman Ashley motioned, seconded by Councilman Province, to accept the bid and recommend it to the full Council. All voted aye.
Construction report: Mr. Wilkie explained there would be an additional cost to re-design the greenway because of bridges that would need to be made. He added Mayor Formon asked him to re-evaluate the need for the greenway or look into scaling it back so the project can move forward. Mr. Wilkie stated he will be meeting with NRS Engineering to talk with them about the greenway. It was questioned whether the problems with the floodway would cause problems with the greenway. Mr. Wilkie stated he does not believe there would be any problems and he has spoken with NRS Engineering concerning those problems.
TRANSIT
Authorization of a Federal Aviation Administration Grant for the Airport: Mr. Brian Wadley explained the airport was awarded a grant for the airfield lighting and marking project. The project will be at no cost to the City. Mr. Wadley further explained the grant would need to be accepted by resolution and executed by June 26th. Councilman McCall motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley to approve the grant and recommend it to full Council. All voted aye.
Approval of JETS operator handbook and the Para-Transit plan and ADA Para-Transit application: Mr. Joel Gardner explained the process of the documents being approved. He also stated he spoke with City Attorney Phillip Crego about the documents and Mr. Crego indicated the documents do not exceed the City’s rights. Mr. Gardner explained the Para-transit documents were based on other document they liked from other cities. Mayor Formon also recommended the documents. Councilman Ashley motioned, seconded by Councilman McCall, to approve the operator handbook and the Para-Transit plan and ADA Para-Transit application and recommend them to full Council. All voted aye.
It was questioned if Mr. Gardner had talked with Mr. Crego concerning the bus purchase. Mr. Gardner stated Mr. Crego indicated to him that since nothing was done, there is nothing to cleanup. Discussion was held regarding why the Missouri Bus bid wasn’t followed as approved by the committee.
Mayor Formon suggested, in case nothing is done about moving to a committee of the whole, placing the Sanitation Department under the Public Services Committee again due to the length of the Public Works meetings and because Sanitation is a public service. It was questioned whether more could be done before the Public Works meetings to help move the meetings along faster. Discussion was held regarding the Public Works meetings. Discussion was then held regarding moving to a committee of the whole and how it would work. Councilman McCall informed the committee the Nominating and Rules Committee would be meeting tomorrow and would likely discuss moving to a committee of the whole. It was asked again for information to be given to the committee sooner so some questions could be handled before the committee meetings.
It was then questioned how JETS is doing now that riders are being charged. Mr. Gardner stated they’re averaging 100-105 riders a day and receiving $60-$90 a day for deposits. He added they have had a 50% drop in ridership since the fees started, but they were anticipating an 80% drop. Chairperson Williams stated there has been some confusion among citizens concerning the wrapped buses. Some riders are confused as to whether, for example, the ASU bus is for ASU students only or if the St. Bernard’s bus is for the hospital. It was asked if there was something Mr. Gardner could do to make it more apparent those buses are for citizen’s use. Mr. Gardner stated they’re already working on that, including putting fabric on the grills of the buses that say “JETS.” He added JETS is the only system that has the LED light displays.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, Councilman McCall moved, seconded by Councilman Ashley, to adjourn. All voted aye.