The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About06-16-2015 Recreation and Parks Final Minutes Trails, Open Space & Parks Committee Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Thursday,June 16, 2015 10:00 a.m. Professional Building Upstairs Conference Room 20 E. Olive, Bozeman, MT 59715 Present: Bob Hawks Sandy Dodge Don Beeman Tom Starner Excused Absence: Cyndy Andrus Doug Chandler City Staff Present: Carolyn Poissant, TOP Project Manager Mitch Overton, Director Debbie Barnett, Secretary A. Call to order meeting: Bob Hawks calls meeting to order at 10:00 AM B. Special Discussion item: City Manager update ! Manager Kukulski gave a brief presentation about the relationship between park development and infrastructure needs, especially with regard to the TOP bond projects. He explained the philosophy of"growth must pay its way," which includes an incremental approach as development proceeds. Difficult situations have arisen with respect to improvements by governmental organizations, such as the county, school district, and the city itself as well as non-profits, such as churches and community organizations. Funding mechanisms were discussed, including the use of impact fees, utility fees, special improvement districts, etc. Manager Kukulski said the current City Capital improvement Budget does not include roads that are next to parks. He mentioned that some people on the RPAB argue that road infrastructure should not be covered with TOP bond funds, while others might argue that such costs should have been included in the overall bond to begin with. Discussion followed regarding the history of state-level regulations that capped the ability for municipalities to raise revenues and who benefits from access to Bozeman's public parks. The issue of phasing improvements and how we separate public from t private entities was raised. The impact of tourism on local infrastructure and theI prospect of issuing a 2-cent gas tax with the county were mentioned. Instances where the city and county merge were explained by Manager Kukulski and issues concerning resort tax strategies were also discussed. Ik I i The main question was if applicants should be including infrastructure costs in their proposals. Manager Kukulski indicated that we should be looking at the infrastructure needs as we move forward and that all divisions of city services need to work together to address these issues. Commissioner Andrus raised the point that perhaps there should be some flexibility where public agencies follow the rules, but perhaps phasing or other considerations are allowed, given the goal of serving the greater good, Manager Kukulski commented that he just doesn't want it to become a situation where various entities are treated differently, acknowledging that some different thinking might need to be involved. C. Approval of Minutes for May 22, 2015 meeting: A few corrections were made to the minutes by the TOP Committee. The minutes were revised accordingly. Dodge motions to approve and Starner seconds. Meeting minutes from April 30, 2015 approved unanimously. D. Changes to the Agenda: None. Committee member Dodge asked if they would be discussing changing to the TOP Project Review Criteria Matrix. Ms. Poissant said it would be discussed at a later date. E. Disclosures: None. F. Public Comment. Chairman Hawks indicated that public comment would be taken with the agenda items. G. Action Items Final Discussion and Consideration of Qualifying Project: Motion and vote on recommendation to Commission regarding the East Gallatin Recreation Area Extension TOP project application. Ms. Poissant explained the results of the evaluation process for the proposed East Gallatin Recreation Area Extension project. The project passed with a score of 76 out of the required 72 minimum of for the Community Benefit matrix and a score of 432 out of the required minimum of 440 for the Natural Areas matrix. She indicated correspondence included in the packet from the applicant. The County's planner indicated that some adjustments were required to the site plan for the storage unit proposal, after acceptance of which a development permit could be issued, but a timeline was not given. Ms. Poissant then gave some numerical comparisons in terms of acquisition costs. This project would be roughly$80,000 (closer to$97,000/acre with closing costs—ed.) compared with $67,500/acre for Bozeman Pond Park expansion and $48,000/acre for Story Mill Community Park. The TOP principal fund balance if the Front Street Trail application is approved will be $736,894 with approximately$428,000 in premium revenues minus$105,000 for Bozeman Pond. Ms. Poissant then read the TOP procedural requirements for a report to Commission. The task now is to formulate their recommendation, including amount, timing, etc. Director Overton asked that the applicant provide their"firm" request for TOP funds, given the latest information. Jimmy Blackburn (applicant, resident of 279 Turtle Way) stated that the new owner's agent indicated the new owner would be open to selling the property in the range of$600,000, and he might be willing to consider a possible tax benefit but that he had put about$100,000 into the property above the $500,000 purchase price. He stated that he talked to Kelly at GVLT to see what the options were to "sweeten the deal." Jimmy stated that they have roughly$280,000 in verbal commitments from two individuals, but would need about$350,000 to make an offer of$600,000 with closing costs. He said they would be willing to continue to try to raise more funds. He said he did not get a sense that the development with the County was imminent. The TOP Committee then discussed whether or not an actual offer should be on the table in order to move the application forward. Chairman Hawks described the issues concerning the TOP Committee role and pointed out that TOP is not the final authority. Director Overton said the recommendation to allocate funds toward the project is the main goal, whether or not a potential sales contract is in place. Member Tom Starner said he feels an actual offer should be on the table. Director Overton asked if they should make a recommendation for an amount so the applicant knows what they need to raise. Member Beeman explained why he felt it is not a good idea to reserve funds for an indefinite amount of time. Member Dodge elaborated as to why he does not see the project as a park expansion project as presented, only an attempt to thwart development. He said if Rotary came forward with a proposed park master plan, it would be a more substantial project. Member Chandler said he will abstain but that Rotary is in support of the project. There was additional discussion regarding the merits of the project. Chairman Hawks stated that it is necessary to have both a majority and a minority report. Public comment was opened. Chris Nixon of 719 S. Wallace Avenue indicated he attended a previous meeting and asked for clarification regarding the scores. He explained his previous interest in the property and explained that he feels the parcel is important in being an entryway to a major flagship park attraction and described previously observed potential illegal activity in the park, and that having poor visibility (if the parcel were to be developed) would be detrimental. He mentioned the presence of a rare orchid in the area and that he felt this park is a jewel in the system. E i Chairman Hawks asked Commissioner Andrus if she felt the Committee was reviewing the j application satisfactorily. She said yes. Member Chandler said Rotary has offered to take the project over and could contribute about$10,000. More discussion followed regarding the options for moving forward. Chairman Hawks said a motion would be required. Director Overton said that a motion and vote could be moved to the next agenda if they don't feel ready to do so today. Member Starner made a motion to defer the decision to the next meeting. Member Beeman seconded.The motion passed unanimously with member Chandler abstaining. Director Overton mentioned that this has been a challenging process and the he appreciates all the work of the TOP Committee. R fl 'f it i� `3 H. FYI/Discussion Items: i. TOP Manager's update Ms. Poissant provided updates on the following projects and there was considerable discussion regarding project components and schedules: • Bozeman Pond Park Expansion • Bozeman Sports Park • Bozeman Creek Enhancement Project at Bogert Park • Story Mill Community Park • Trail to M ii. Update on Front Street Connector Application process iii. Ms. Poissant indicated that a draft Commission memo and resolution will be provided to the TOP Committee at the next meeting. Members of the Committee indicated that the resolution should move forward while a long term solution for the Kenyon Noble encroachment is determined. iv. Director Overton indicated that today is Debbie's last day, v. Set date for next meeting The next meetiing date was set for Thursday,July 16, 2015 at 10:00 AM. I. Adjournment—Member Dodge moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded b Beeman. Unanimously approved. Bob Hawks, TOP Committee/Chair Date Approved Meeting`recording transcribed by Carolyn Poissant,TOP Program Manager