Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/05/2003 City Council May 5, 20003 MINUTES OF REGULAR SESSION OF COUNCIL HELD ON MAY 5, 2003 The Regular Session of the City Council of the City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order at 7:07 p.m. on the 5thday of May 2003, at City Hall, 6800 Main Street, The Colony, Texas, with the following roll call: Bernetta Henville-Shannon Mayor Present John Gordon Councilmember Present Lewis Jue Councilmember Present Joe McCourry Councilmember Present Lynda Bayliss Councilmember Present Perry Schrag Councilmember Present Joel Marks Councilmember Present And with seven present a quorum was established and the following items were addressed: I 1.0 [ ROUTINE ANNOUNCEMENTS, RECOGNITIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS: I Call to Order Invocation - Holy Cross Catholic - Mike Huey Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag Salute to the Texas Flag Mayoral Proclamation recognizing The Colony High School JROTC - Colonel White accepted the proclamation along with representatives of the booster club. Lt. Col. White praised his students and thanked LISD and the booster club for their support. Presentation of Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to Gwen Mansfield - Rebecca Koo, Finance Director presented the award to Ms. Mansfield and thanked the entire staff for their work in budget preparation for the city. Citizen Input 12.0 I CONSENT AGENDA I 2.1 Consideration of approval of the minutes of the council meetings held April 7, 2003 (Hicks) Mayor Henvillc-Shannon pulled this item and asked that her comments regarding the 4A board be added to these minutes. Motion to postpone until additions can be made - McCourry; second- Bayliss carried with all ayes. 2.2 Consideration of approval of resolution expressing official intent to reimburse costs of projects (Koo) Motion to approve as presented - Gordon; second - Bayliss carried with all ayes. 2.3 Consideration of approval of a resolution amending the investment policy for the City of The Colony as adopted by Resolution No. 02-18 on May 6, 2002 (Koo) Motion to approve as presented- Gordon; second- Bayliss carried with all ayes. 2.4 Consideration of cancellation of mowing contract to Grass Eaters Lawn Service and re-award of contract to TrueGreen Landcare in the amount of $82,620.00 and approval of an ordinance authorizing contract for same (Sparkman/Nelson) Motion to approve as presented - Gordon; second - Bayliss carried with all ayes. 2.5 Consideration of acceptance of bids for the July 4, 2003 Fireworks Display; award of the contract to Western Enterprises in the amount of $25,000; and approval of an ordinance authorizing contract for same (Sparkman/Nelson) Motion to approve as presented- Gordon; second- Bayliss carried with all ayes. 2.6 Consideration of acceptance of bids for construction of a skate park; award bid to American Civil Constructors, Inc. in the amount of $60,130.33 and approval of an ordinance authorizing contract for same (Sparkman/Nelson/Fitzgerald) Councilmember Bayliss pulled this item to inquire about start and completion dates. Sam Fitzgerald, Asst. Parks & Recreation Director said the concrete work would start as soon as the contracts are signed and should be complete in 2 - 4 weeks. Then the ramps will be put in place. He said they hope to open by July 1, 2003 Motion to approve as recommended- Bayliss; second- McCourry carried with all ayes. 2.7 Consideration of an ordinance approving the purchase of Early Warning Sire System from Federal Equipment Corporation in the amount of $98.776.38; moving poles from Housley Communications, Inc. in the amount of $3,380 and a contingency amount of $12,843.62 (Sparkman/Morrison) Councilmember Bayliss pulled this item to inquire ask if there would a time when the city would be without coverage during the installation of the new sirens. Capt. Tab Bradburry said the plan is to take down the old sirens and install the new ones all in one day, so there would be minimum time without coverage. Motion to approve as presented- McCourry; second- Bayliss carried with all ayes. 2.8 Consideration of approval of an ordinance authorizing a contract with Four D Construction, Inc. for construction of water and wastewater improvements at the S. Colony Shopping Center (Leverich/Scruggs) Motion to approve as presented - Gordon; second- Bayliss carried with ail ayes. 2.9 Review and Consideration of council expenditures (Council) Motion to approve as presented- Gordon; second- Bayliss carried with all ayes. 3.0~AR AGENDA ITEMS 3.1 Consideration of approval of proposal to locate the Arts Center on N. Colony Blvd, just west of the old library building (Nelson) Ms. Nelson advised thc council that the original plan council had authorized, which was to renovate the existing senior citizen facility to house the Arts group was no longer feasible. She stated that county officials have made it known that they plan to sell that building along with other county property after 2005. Ms. Nelson said city staff considered the feasibility of purchasing the building and property, but realized that would not be worthwhile. Ms. Nelson said staff then turned their attention to the possibility of building a new facility for the Arts west of the existing old library building (where the seniors and parks and recreation will be housed following renovations). Ms. Nelson said the architect has looked at the property and determined there is enough land to build a 7000 sq. ft arts facility. She said Christi Martin, Lakeside Community Theater and Arts Board member, agreed that would be a suitable location. Several benefits were cited, i.e. city property (no need to purchase land); easier access; greater flexibility in space and use. The preliminary cost estimates including design, engineering and addition parking is $678,932. This cost does not include furnishings. Ms. Nelson did note that the group had received 100 theater seats as a donation. 2 Councilmember McCourry asked what LISD thought about the parking situation. Ms. Nelson said she had not been able to discuss the matter with anyone at Griffin Middle School yet, but that she felt like they would be glad to have the additional spaces made available to them in exchange for the city using their parking lot when needed. Helene Parker, President of the Chamber of Commerce, 6037 Cypress Cove, made a presentation to the city council in which she stated the Chamber is supportive of the plans presented by Ms. Nelson and wants to see the project move forward. She did ask that the council consider allowing the Chamber to explore the feasibility of locating Chamber offices in the vicinity of the planned Arts Building. She advised that the Chamber membership and staff are growing and the existing space is not large enough to accommodate their programs. Ms. Parker said the Chamber had explored many options and all are cost prohibitive. She said there are lot of positive benefits to locating the Chamber offices in the same area, which would be mutually helpful to the city, PARD, the Senior Center, the Arts and the Chamber. Those benefits are: · All chamber events will be convenient to all participants, located at one consistent place, and with walking distance to the Senior Center, PARD, creating a campus--like atmosphere; · Our convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) project, leading to the creation of a CVB in the near future, will be at the same location, providing information to all and attracting tourists and visitors to the City and the Arts Group; · The Chamber will have a larger facility to accommodate educational programs and business seminars while presenting a more professional image that reflects a growing city; · The Chamber will be sharing overhead expenses with the Arts Group, thereby reducing costs to the City; · All of the groups can participate in cooperative advertising, thereby cutting marketing costs for all; · The presence of the Chamber and the CVB at the same campus will provide greater exposure for all groups involved; · A growing Chamber membership is a reflection of a growing number of businesses willing to invest in The Colony, resulting in a better economy within the city; · (This arrangement) would be an extension of the Chamber's desire to partner with the city and building good relations. Ms. Parker said the Chamber is in support of moving forward with the Arts Building and does not want to see it delayed due to their (Chamber) request. She asked the council to approve the Chamber's request to join in this project. Mayor Henville-Shannon asked how large a facility the chamber would build. Ms. Parker advised the space would be approximately 5200 sq. ft. Ms Nelson said the architect has confirmed that 5200 sq. ft. would fit in the space available. She went on to say the cost has not been estimated yet, and asked that the council authorize staff to proceed with research to determine if this is feasible. Councilmember Gordon said he is concerned about the city and chamber working together on a project. He said he thinks they should be separate and asked if the chamber board was in favor. Ms. Parker said the board was unanimously in favor of this. Councilmember Gordon expressed concern that the city would be left to pay for the extra space if the chamber was unable to raise the funds or that the whole project would have to be halted if funding for the chamber portion was not acquired. Ms. Parker said those are valid concerns. She said the money would come from the sale of the existing chamber building and from endowments (or grants). Councilmember Jue asked if the membership would be agreeable to increased dues as a method to raise funding. He also asked if there would be an agreement for the chamber to pay for the studies directly related to the chamber. 3 Mr. Cheatham explained to the council that tonight all staff wants is for council to authorize allowing staff and chamber to explore the possibilities. He said if it appears to be possible, then an agreement would be brought back to council. Councilmember Jue said he does not want to delay the Arts building any longer and that our agenda item tonight does not say anything about the chamber. Mr. Cheatham suggested the council approve as presented and give direction to staff to work with the chamber. He went on to say if approved, the chamber would then have to move quickly. Councilmember Marks asked if the city would be a landlord or if the chamber would actually own part of the building. He also asked the architect for an estimate on the cost to building the facility as shown in the rough drawing. The architect advised it could be anywhere from $80.00 to $100.00 per sq. ft. Motion to approve locating the Arts Building west of the old library building and to direct staff to work with the chamber to investigate the feasibility of adding on to the building (for the chamber offices) - Marks; second- Bayliss. Councilmember Schrag asked about the list of projects scheduled for the next bond issue. Ms. Koo said the next issue would not exceed $11 million. Mr. Johnston said the issue will be in July 2003 but staff is not yet sure which projects will be included. Councilmember Schrag said he wants to build an Arts Building, but he is just not sure we have the money. He said he thinks we need to know what the projects are then prioritize them. Councilmember Gordon asked if there would an agreement for lease of the land by the chamber. Lori Hill, 5949 Carroll Drive, Chair of the Arts Board reminded council that this plan is similar to what she presented sometime ago. She said it is an excellent idea to partner with the chamber. Ms. Hill did state that 7500 sq. ft would not be enough space for everything that would be included in this building. She suggested looking into grants or endowments for more funding. Ms. Hill also asked that use of the old library building not be eliminated until there is a place for the Arts group to go. She recommended approving the location of the building in this new location, building it as large as possible and seeking outside funding. Rob Bauman, Exec. Director, 49904 Lemmon Court, of the chamber said this is a good idea. He said the chamber does not want to interrupt the arts project. He asked the council to please consider the chamber's request. Councilmember Schrag said he is uncomfortable with spending the money until we know where we stand and suggested delaying this until July. Councilmember Gordon said he wanted to make it clear he is voting to give the same sq. ft. as is currently in the senior building. He said there is just not enough money to build anything more. Motion carried with the following vote: Aye- Gordon, Jue, McCourry, Bayliss, Marks, Henville-Shannon No - Schrag 3.2 Consideration of approval of an ordinance authorizing a contract with Architects Phelps Wood for design and preparation of construction documents for the following facilities: Parks & Recreation Administration and Senior Center Police/Courts renovation Arts Building (Nelson) Ms. Nelson advised council that if changes were to be made, now would be the time to advise the architect. Motion to approve as presented- Gordon; second - McCourry carried with all ayes. 4 3.3 Consideration of approval of an ordinance authorizing a contract with Dunkin, Sims, Stoffels, Inc. to provide design services for park improvement projects as follows: Dave Cowan Park, Pavilion BB Owen Park, ADA sidewalks & playground Scout Park, Shade structures for tables Carr/Chapman Park, Pavilion Bill Allen Memorial Park, Playground (Nelson) Ms. Nelson advised that the contract includes the cost for topographic surveys in each of the parks listed and that funding for this contract is available from Fund 59, the CDC's Park Improvement Fund. She said the board met and approved reallocating the amount needed for this from the fund balance of projects that have already been completed. Councilmember Marks asked what would happen to BB Owen Park when 5 Star is complete. Ms. Nelson advised the adult softball league would still play at BB Owen until new adult softball fields are constructed in Phase II of 5 Star. Motion to approve as presented- Jue; second- Bayliss carried with all ayes. With no further business to address, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. ATTEST: Patti A. Hicks, TRMC, City Secretary