HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-04-18 Minutes - Northeast Urban Renewal Board (NURB)
NURB Meeting – September 4, 2018 1
Northeast Urban Renewal Board (NURB)
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
The Northeast Urban Renewal Board met in regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday,
September 4, 2018, in the Conference Room, Professional Building, 20 East Olive Street,
Bozeman, Montana.
Present: Absent:
Voting Members: John Usher, Chair Robert Pavlic
Bobbi Clem
Dan Doehring Jeanne Wesley-Wiese Non-Voting Members:
Ethan Barlow Dalton Brink
Nolan Campbell Commissioner Liaison:
I-Ho Pomeroy
Staff: Brit Fontenot, Economic Development Director
David Fine, TIF Specialist
Robin Sullivan, Recording Secretary
Guests:
Call to Order – Chair John Usher called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m.
Changes to the Agenda – No changes were made to the agenda.
Public Comment – No comment was received under this agenda item.
Minutes – August 7, 2018. It was moved by Dan Doehring, seconded by Bobbi Clem, that the
minutes of the regular meeting of August 7, 2018 be approved as submitted. The motion carried on a 4-0 vote.
Discussion/Action Items –
Update on East Tamarack Street. Brit Fontenot reviewed the information in the memo from Shane Strong dated September 4, 2018. He stated that the top layers have been milled off
NURB Meeting – September 4, 2018 2
but digging for sewer and stormwater pipes has not yet begun. NorthWestern Energy has
moved the gas main that was in conflict with the sewer line installation. Dewatering near the
creek has begun; and excavation and installation of the sewer line is scheduled to begin later
this week.
Brit Fontenot stated he has not heard of any issues with this project so far. He then indicated
that staff and the consulting engineer are working closely with Lattice Materials to ensure that
their operations are not negatively impacted, particularly since they are a unique 24-hour operation that requires stability and calmness.
Jeanne Wesley-Wiese noted that people have been asking why the trails are closed, and
suggested that the Neighborhood Coordinator address that question in her information to the
neighborhood.
Responding to questions from Jeanne Wesley-Wiese, Brit Fontenot stated that he and Shane
Strong met with Bob Arnold about his concerns. He noted that the right-of-way is accurately
depicted, and everything is being done to minimize impacts to his property. He stated that, while Bob Arnold is not happy with the improvements, he seems to be accepting them.
Brit Fontenot concluded by noting that there is a chance the project, including paving, will be
completed before the end of the construction season. He then indicated that the fiber conduit
portion of the project is also moving forward.
Jeanne Wesley-Wiese reported that the North Wallace Avenue sidewalk along the Brewery
property, in front of where the wall was, is crushed and needs to be replaced.
Update on Engineering Services Contract. David Fine reported that the request for
proposals (RFQ) is posted and was published in Sunday’s newspaper. This RFQ covers a
broad range of services for all of the tax increment financing districts, and he anticipates that responses will be from teams of various professionals. He has received four e-mails and telephone calls seeking additional information. The deadline for responses is near the end of
September, and he anticipates a decision will be made in early October.
Brit Fontenot noted that when KLJ won the term contract three-years ago, it included a team of various professionals within the organization. Since that time, several of the members of the team have left the firm, and Shane Strong is now the only one providing support to this district. It
is staff’s intent to return to a more global response to this Board’s requests. He then stressed
that, while the three-year term contract has expired, an extension has been written to provide for KLJ’s engineering services through the end of the East Tamarack Street project; and currently that is the only engineering work being done for this district.
Responding to questions from Bobbi Clem about possibly needing engineering services for a
quiet zone, David Fine recommended that an RFQ be done for quiet zone work only. He stressed that if the cost is over $20,000, the work must be awarded based on a competitive
qualified selection process. He then recommended that an RFQ not be undertaken until the
funding is available to pursue the project since the information it would generate could become
stale and, therefore, of little value.
NURB Meeting – September 4, 2018 3
Updates on Current Projects. Brit Fontenot reported that the contractor is still working
on the punch list for the East Peach Street improvements. He stated many of the manholes
were set too low and had to be raised, with the paving around them replaced. He noted that
work around the storm separator is scheduled to begin next week; and that work should be completed in one day. Once that work is done and some reseeding of the boulevard areas
completed, processing of the contract close-out will begin.
Discussion Regarding the Future of Board Meetings. John Usher reported that he met with Brit Fontenot and David Fine to discuss how this Board will operate after the East
Tamarack Street project is completed, particularly since it will be out of money for additional
projects. He then noted that the Board’s rules of procedure indicate the Board meets once a
month, but no less than quarterly. He asked if the Board wishes to meet physically or via e-mail or some other mechanism.
John Usher stated he feels it is important for the Board to meet every month until the East
Tamarack Street project is ended. He also feels it is important for the Board to discuss how it envisions its meeting schedule once that project is complete and how it wishes to manage requests to review specific proposals, such as the Cottonwood & Ida project. He then voiced
his preference for meeting physically, noting that having the opportunity to discuss issues and
ask questions is important.
David Fine stated the MidTown Urban Renewal Board did a lot of planning work over the past
couple years and, in fact, added meetings to complete its work. This year, that Board has
nothing to do until projects come in for review. As a result, he contacts the Chair a week before
the scheduled meeting and, if nothing is happening, they choose to cancel the meeting. Ethan Barlow voiced his support for keeping the meeting schedule but cancelling meetings if
there are no agenda items and a quarterly meeting has been held. He then stressed the
importance of meeting physically, noting the tempo of a virtual meeting over e-mail is not a good replacement.
Nolan Campbell expressed support for keeping the monthly meeting schedule so the Board can
address requests or projects that might pop up.
Bobbi Clem stated she feels this Board will have more issues to address than it anticipates, particularly in light of potential and impending developments. She then noted that additional tax
increment monies will come from development and improvements that have already been made
within the district boundaries. Nolan Campbell suggested that the Board identify the most hectic months and determine those
are months when the meetings should be cancelled.
Jeanne Wesley-Wiese voiced support for leaving all of the monthly meetings on the calendar but cancelling them if there are no issues to be addressed.
John Usher stated that, based on board member comments, there seems to be a consensus to
meet monthly until the East Tamarack Street project is complete and then identify those months when meetings can be cancelled. He indicated that if there are no agenda items meetings, he is willing to work with staff on cancelling those meetings approximately two weeks before the
NURB Meeting – September 4, 2018 4
scheduled meeting so that the appropriate notice can be posted and all board members notified.
He then stated care will be taken to ensure the Board meets at least quarterly.
Staff Updates on Items of Interest to the Board. Brit Fontenot submitted the following:
(1) announced that City staff and elected officials are holding an educational session on the
public safety facility tonight; (2) reported that he will be going to Helena tomorrow to participate
in an urban renewal workshop and to ensure that his office is continuing to follow best practices;
and (3) announced that Neel Kashkari, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President, will hold a public town hall tomorrow at the SUB Ballroom, and encouraged anyone interested to attend.
Responding to Bobbi Clem, David Fine cautioned that commenting on the public safety facility
bond is outside the purview of this Board.
Update on Financial Status of NURB Fund. Robin Sullivan distributed copies of the
revenues and expenditures for Fiscal Year 2017-18, the revenues and expenditures for Fiscal Year 2018-19, and the spreadsheet showing expenditures from the bonds. She briefly highlighted the reports, noting she anticipates that the Fiscal Year 2017-18 financials should
now be complete. The second half of the bond proceeds has not yet been drawn because of
the delays in the East Tamarack Street project.
Set Agenda for October 2, 2018 Meeting or Cancel Meeting. To be included on the
October 2 agenda, in addition to the standard agenda items, is an update on the East Tamarack
Street project. Since both Brit Fontenot and David Fine will be absent from the meeting, it was determined that no development projects will be reviewed at the meeting.
FYI/Discussion. There was no discussion under this agenda item.
Adjournment – 7:14 p.m. There being no further business to come before the Board at this
time, Chair Usher adjourned the meeting.
John Usher, Chair
Northeast Urban Renewal Board
City of Bozeman